37 Weeks - Watermelon - and FULL TERM!

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 37 w, 1 d. I'M FULL TERM!

Total weight gain/loss: A million pounds.

Maternity clothes: Yup, and now that I'm not at work anymore (!!) I don't have to feel bad about wearing the same thing all the time.

Stretch marks: Still just the thigh.

Best moment this week: Probably my prenatal massage yesterday - there's something glorious and indulgent about laying on my belly after months and months of side-lying.

Movement: Yup. I still think the baby's sideways.

Cravings: Nothing in particular.

Aversions: None

Gender: Don't know. I wonder if we'll really find out on Wednesday - we're having an ultrasound to confirm the baby's position, so we might be able to actually *see* the sex now, rather than just have the u/s tech say she can see (with the screen turned away from me) and tell my doctor after. And I never really believed her - maybe because she was such a raging bitch, or maybe because I never saw for myself. Either way, at this point, since we're having such a hard time with names, it would be nice to pick out one name and be sure that it'll fit the kid's parts. I didn't want to know the sex before, but now I'd rather just know for sure. I've hated always 'sort of' knowing, but never being sure.

Labour Signs: No (and there better not be any until my mom leaves!)

Belly Button in or out: In

What I miss: Lots. Having any kind of sex drive is up there on the list. Nick misses that too.

What I'm looking forward to: Lots. I'm looking forward to getting the freezer stocked with my mom this week, then for her to leave, because then I think I'm ready for this baby.

Weekly Wisdom: There comes a point where you just have to let go of work and trust that you've done everything you can and that everything will be fine. Hopefully that point is *before* your last day there - but for me, on Friday night, I was still dreaming about all the things I meant to do or show Al. I tossed and turned from about 4 a.m. until 7, but after I sent him an email dumping everything I had on my mind, I think I'm good.

Symptoms this week: The achy crotch has subsided somewhat. It's still achy, but it's nothing like what it was.

Milestones: I'm done work! This baby is full term! Those are two big milestones for one week!

On the To-Do List:

• Get on a daycare waiting list (we're going to see one next week)


• Figure out when/if we can do this super important Indian blessing thing that you're supposed to do at the baby shower I didn't have (stress stress stress...).


• Stock the new freezer with meals.


• Find a new family doctor.


• PICK OUT BABY NAMES

At week 37, your pregnancy is considered full term, meaning baby is likely to thrive after birth. Baby spends these last weeks in preparation for the outside world… meaning careful refinement of the blink, suck, inhale and exhale. Meconium, which you’ll probably find in the first diaper, is accumulating in the intestines. If (okay, as) you worry about giving birth, consider what it’s like for the little one. During the journey out of your womb, baby will produce more stress hormones than any other time in life.

36 weeks - Still a honeydew

Weekly Pregnancy Journal

How far along: 36 w, 1 d.
Total weight gain/loss: FORTY POUNDS. That's right. 4-0. Sweet Jebus.
Maternity clothes: Yep. I wore maternity tights for the first time yesterday to a wedding. Weird.
Stretch marks: Still just the thigh. But I can barely see it (first, it's really faint. and second, it's very difficult to see my inner thighs now)
Best moment this week: The surprise "this is not a shower" that my work threw for me on Friday. I had no idea! And if I wasn't worried through the whole thing about missing my doctor's appointment that I was almost late for, I'd have loved it. Even though I hate showers ;)
Movement: Yup. In the wrong spot - down near the va-jay-jay. Silly sideways baby.
Cravings: Nothing in particular.
Aversions: None
Gender: Don't know.
Labour Signs: Nothing, really. And good thing too. Since the baby's transverse, there better not be any labour signs until s/he gets his/her little head down! I do NOT want to have an emergency c-section!
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: So very many things. I'm at the same time ready to not be pregnant, but not ready to have the baby. I'd like to be in limbo somewhere for the next couple of weeks.
What I'm looking forward to: Freezer delivery next weekend. Finishing my last week at work.
Weekly Wisdom: If the doctor's not telling you what you want to know (i.e. what position the baby's in), ask. If I hadn't asked, she wouldn't have checked and I wouldn't have known the baby is transverse.
Symptoms this week: I now wake up with the sore and achy crotch, and it lasts all day. It blows. Also, my hips hurt through the night now so I wake up when I roll over. But I don't have to get up to pee, so I'm sort of thankful for that (sort of thankful, b/c t he reason I don't wake up is because the baby isn't in the right position, and is therefore not on my bladder)
Milestones: We did the last of our travelling yesterday - we went to the wedding in Collingwood and that's it - no more going out of Toronto!
On the To-Do List:

• Get on a daycare waiting list.
• Put some decoration on the baby room walls.
• Figure out when/if we can do this super important Indian blessing thing that you're supposed to do at the baby shower I didn't have (stress stress stress...).
• Buy a freezer and start making some meals
• Find a new family doctor.
• PICK OUT BABY NAMES
  

This better not be a sign of rebellions to come

So the baby is sideways. "Transverse" is the official term, but the long and the short of it is that baby is being uncooperative and is using my pelvis as a chaise lounge instead of getting head down like s/he should be.

This is not cool.

If I went in to labour now, it would be an emergency c-section. If the baby doesn't get into head-down position by the next appointment on the 21st, I'm not sure what happens - do they schedule a C? Will she try to reposition the baby? I'm not sure. It wasn't my regular doctor on Friday, so I'm not sure what's going to happen at the next appointment except for an ultrasound to confirm the transverse lie.

The sideways position explains a couple of things. First, it explains why my pelvis is so damn sore these days, and why I keep feeling weird fluttery movement down in my crotch-ial area. There shouldn't be movement there really - it should be up nice and high now, because baby's head should be down in the lady bits area. Second, It explains why I can still go almost a full work day without peeing - despite drinking normally. Baby's head isn't resting on my bladder, as s/he should be at this point. Don't get me wrong - I'm thankful that I don't get up 5 times to pee through the night! But as much as the effect is great, the cause is not.

I've been stressing about this since Friday. I know C-sections are routine, and people who've had them say they're not bad. But still. I want to deliver normally. I want the baby to have a say in his/her birthday. I want to have that rush of "this is it!" -- not a casual saunter into the OR at a pre-determined time on a pre-determined date.

If it comes down to it, whatever gets the baby here safely is, of course, fine. But really, let's just flip around and get into position so we can do this vaginally, okay? Thanks.

I have...

• An aching pelvis 24 hours a day. It's not just at the end of the day anymore - I wake up with it. It feels like my pubic bone is bruised beyond repair from a 3-day horseback riding adventure - bareback. But it's bruised from the inside, not the outside.
• Pooped 5 times in the last 24 hours. Substantial poop. This is not normal. I'm a once-a-day kind of gal. But I refuse to believe that this is nature clearing me out for a reason.
• My group B strep test today
• To ask my doctor if it's absolutely crazy to drive to Collingwood for this wedding on Sunday. Like, on a scale of 1 to Tom Cruise, how crazy is this? And I don't want to hear the answer, because I really want to go to the wedding - they're good friends. I think that the doc will say it's fine since I'm only 35 1/2 weeks. BUT... Nick thinks we're nuts to risk it, so I'm a little worried, though I tell him I'm not.
• To get work off my mind. I dreamt about it all night and was awake a few times thinking about re-branding some templates today. I'm in the midst of training - only 1 week left!
• To ask the doctor what position the baby is in. It kind of stresses me that I don't know. And that I keep feeling movement so low in my crotch... I hope that's the baby head-butting me, but it feels more like little kicks. Please, PLEASE don't be feet!
• Nothing to wear. I have a pair of jeans and a pair of yoga pants left to wear, and that's it. It's gotten too cold to wear the capris, dresses and skirts I've lived on all summer, and now I'm forced to wear 2 pairs of pant on alternating days. This is not cool.
• Only 5 days left in the office. And today doesn't really count, since I have to leave halfway through an already short Friday to go to the doctor's.
• To leave for work. I'm going in for 7 so I can get some work done before I have to leave around 9:45 to get to my appointment. I'll work from home after my appointment.

35 weeks - Still a honeydew

Weekly Pregnancy Journal
How far along: 35 w, 3 d.
Total weight gain/loss: About a million pounds
Maternity clothes: I bought some nursing bras from Motherhood Maternity - I'm so glad t hey look like regular bras.
Stretch marks: Just the ones on my thigh - but they're really faint.
Best moment this week: I saw my mom on the weekend and the first thing she said to me was, "you look great!" That's the first time she hasn't made me feel like a whale by saying something like, "your sister-in-law and you are the same size" (when she was 3 months further along than me) or "we're going to have a BIG baby!"
Movement: Yup
Cravings: Nothing in particular.
Aversions: None
Gender: Don't know.
Labour Signs: Mild cramps still (very light). And on Sunday/Monday I thought I might be starting to lose a bit of my mucous plug. Maybe. But no idea really. I have my Group B Strep test on Friday and I'm going to ask her what the odds are that I'll be in labour soon - because we're planning on driving 3 1/2 hours to a wedding on Sunday and good lord, I am NOT having a baby in Collingwood!
Belly Button in or out: In
What I miss: Wine. My wedding rings. Rolling over in bed without my back cracking so loud it wakes me up. My old acne-free and skin-tag-free skin. Shoes. Having more than 2 pairs of pants that fit.
What I'm looking forward to: Getting a freezer and starting to cook and freeze some meals
Weekly Wisdom: Not much, really.
Symptoms this week: Really achy crotch / pubic bone. Especially at the end of the day.
Milestones: The hospital bags are packed, and the car seat base is installed in the Escape.
On the To-Do List:

• Get on a daycare waiting list.
• Put some decoration on the baby room walls.
• Figure out when/if we can do this super important Indian blessing thing that you're supposed to do at the baby shower I didn't have (stress stress stress...).
• Buy a freezer and start making some meals
• Find a new family doctor.
• PICK OUT BABY NAMES