37 weeks now as of this past Wenesday...we're considered full term now so let's get this thing going! I've got three weeks left until the actual due date, but everything is completely formed and developed at this point so any day that the munchkin wants to come is safe and is more than fine by me! Any advice on things that are supposed to put you into labor are welcome....so help me out!
The hospital bag is packed. The car seat is in the car. The swing and bouncy seat have made their home in our living room. The bassinet is waiting in our bedroom. Chris has a loaned beeper from the hospital to keep on at work (since it's sometimes impossible for me to get ahold of him). We're ready to go.
The past month has finally been the time that we could really get ready. Up until then, it was just a waiting game it seemed. We had two baby showers and received so many nice things from everyone. I don't think there is anything else that we need at this point, other than clothes. I knew that would be the only thing that we wouldn't get ahead of time...an entire green and yellow wardrobe is something I didn't want, so we'll just get to start our clothes collection after he/she arrives! We are finished with all of our childbirth classes, and actually enjoyed going to them. Everyone seemed to tell us what a waste of time they are, but our teacher made it a lot of fun for all of us and we actually looked forward to going each week.
I've started on my one-week appointments now that D-day is coming and everything seems to be doing good each time I go. The baby is head down and it will stay in that position from now on. The dr. checked me out last week and there's nothing going on down there...0 cm dilated. I was hoping have something going on but nothing! I have one last ultrasound scheduled for next Tuesday so the dr. can just check again on its size. The ultrasound can be up to 2 lbs off at this point, which I think is crazy, so she said if it's measuring anywhere around 10.5-11 lbs on the screen (with 2 weeks left to go at that point) they'll want to schedule a c-section so we don't run the risk of trying it naturally and then having the baby get stuck. I don't think it's THAT big right now, so i'm hoping to at least be able to try to get the bean out on my own.
I've decided that I'm going to go the epidural route, just like most people these days. I think my mom and aunts think I'm being a sally, but we all know they would have done it had they had the option way back when! At least with an epidural, the dr. can adjust the dose that goes into me according to what I want.
How I look: Well, I've put on a total of 30 lbs which is perfect according to my doctor. Apparently most women don't gain much more at this point even though the baby is still gaining about 1oz a day now. I guess as the baby puts on the weight now, most of the fuid around it starts to decrease, so my weight will stay pretty even for the most part now. I'm so glad I was able to keep it in check the whole time. I was scared to death when I found out I was pregnant to gain 50 or 60 lbs! Random strangers that have been asking me when I'm due all seem to be surprised that I only have a couple weeks left...I guess I look a little smaller in the belly than most would think, but my theory is that the baby is actually invading all of the space in my body all the way to my back without forcing my stomach out! I still haven't had any swelling in my face, feet, or hands so that's a definite plus. All of the clothes I've been wearing are just starting to get a little small all over now, but I refuse to go buy something new for 3 weeks of wear...I'm now down to wearing the same 3 outfits over and over it seems.
How I feel: Ugh! Get it out now! I'm still feeling the same that I have been the past couple months. Still a lot of pain and pressure constantly and it's worse when I'm upright where gravity is pulling down. I've still been wearing my awesome Pregnancy Belt which has been a lifesaver during the day at work when I have to be up and down. I can't wait for the day that I don't have to put it on anymore! It's getting much harder to get up and down from the couch or bed these days, and I know it'll just get worse these last couple weeks. I've definitely got the pregnancy waddle going on now and have lost my Brun speedwalk. Chris says he'd like me to stay pregnant with my slow walk so I won't ever bug him to hurry up when we're out and about again. Um, Chris, shut it. Because of how I'm feeling, I finally gave up with walking at Lowe's last week. We went there to look for a storm door and I knew it would be a long process of standing in the aisle looking, reading, etc. and just leaning on the cart wasn't going to do me or my attitude any good. Soooo, I broke down and got on the scooter. I can't believe I did it, but I did. There we were, Jill riding along side Chris with his shopping cart. We could not stop laughing for a good 5 minutes. I felt like such an idiot but I was comfortable! Of course Chris turned down one aisle and I followed, just for him to turn around and go back the other way. No, no. We do not reverse in the scooter. We will not make it beep so loud that you can hear it a mile away just so people can stare. So I proceeded to make my way all the way up the aisle to go back down after I could turn around still going forward! We got to where we needed to be, and sure enough we were in the storm door aisle for a good 15-20 minutes so I'm glad I decided to ride. Then of course, as we started our way back to the front of the store, the scooter I had to pick started to run out of power. So, there I am trying to get the darn thing back up front with Chris trying to help pull it. It was a fun trip to Lowe's:).
This will probably be my last post until the baby arrives since we're just a couple weeks out. We'll try to get something up on here after we're home for everyone. Until then....
