As for this pregnancy, we are on the homestretch! Once again, it blows my mind that I could have this baby in one week or in six weeks! That is quite the range! I'm obviously hoping to have her sometime around my due date but I am mentally preparing myself to go late since that's pretty typical of my family. I'm really hoping that if I expect her to come late, I'll just be pleasantly surprised if she decides to arrive slightly early or on time! I am starting to feel slightly more uncomfortable at times but I still can't complain, overall. And I'm really not ready for this pregnancy to be over yet! I just LOVE having her nestled inside me and I think that being pregnant has been the most wonderful thing that's ever happened to me. I'm so, so, so grateful that God saw it fit to bless me this way.
This past week has consisted of working 3/4 nights (two on, one off, one on, ughhh) that were quite busy and thankfully, I got a much needed break over the next 3 days. I had a prenatal appointment in Rocky Mount on Tuesday. Everything continues to look great. I got a freebie non-stress test just so she could run a strip for some students coming to observe this week. So, pretty much, I just lied there listening to Appleseed's heartbeat for 10 minutes or so. Evidently, I was having some contractions that the monitor picked up but I didn't feel. Haha. I'm measuring a little less than 36 weeks which is a bit surprising considering my weight gain. I thought maybe the last few pounds I've gained were mostly fluid but my midwife disagrees. She thinks that it's all baby. I have mixed feelings about this, haha. My blood pressure was slightly elevated and she gave me some ideas of things that might help bring it down or keep it from climbing more. I am pretty sure it's just "white coat syndrome" as I check my blood pressure at home every week & it's been great! I have to admit that my automatic machine from CVS may not be as accurate as her manual cuff but still...I don't think I have an issue. Nevertheless, I'm trying to be a little more active and eat as well as I can. She also suggested eating grapefruit and I bought some at the store the other day & ate one yesterday--it was super yummy! I just wish they weren't so much work! Hah! Otherwise, I've been doing lots of little random things to prepare for labor, delivery and the arrival of this little one. Nothing major has happened this week except my stroller/car seat combo and Pack n Play came in the mail. That was super exciting and makes things a lot more real! I also got my adorable chevron blanket from Screaming Owl (check them out on Facebook) and a car seat cover from www.carseatcanopy.com. I had a coupon where I just paid shipping. It was a pretty sweet deal. Yesterday, I got a few little things that I had ordered from Babies R Us including a bib, some burp cloths, two crib sheets, and crib mattress pads.
As this is getting quite long, I'll go ahead & share my belly pic and some stats...
How far along? 36 weeks
Baby is the size [length] of a: head of romaine lettuce
Symptoms: Got some killer leg cramps last week when I was sleeping after working (they seem to plague me only after working and stretching before I go to bed seems to help), a little bit of fluid retention in my ankles, shortness of breath with even the smallest amount of exertion, VERY frequent urination, poorer sleep quality, some occasional/rare pelvic discomfort, strong fetal movement, the waddle, Braxton-Hicks contractions...
Sleep: Not quite as great over the past week but still not too bad.
Number of times I get up to pee each night: I've honestly lost track. It's usually every 2-3 hours so depending on how long I sleep, I get up about 3 times to pee.
Best moment this week: Hearing AppleSeed's heartbeat for so long and getting my stroller, car seat, and Pack N Play in the mail.
Miss anything? Ummm, nothing new...being able to breathe, lie on my back, sleep well, etc.
Food cravings: okra, candy, ice cream, cake...
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Movement: Oh my goodness, yes! I love that I can almost always tell what position she's lying in...usually with her butt poking out and making my belly look ridiculous.
Stretch marks? Nope!
Belly button - in or out? The top part pokes out the majority of the time. I still wouldn't consider it "out," though.
Wedding rings - on or off? On!
Mood: Pretty much the same: good for the most part with periods of irritability.
Looking forward to: Knocking a few more things off my to-do list like packing my bag for the birth center, washing baby clothes, hanging some things on the walls in the nursery, etc., etc.
Baby preparations: Continuing to receive things in the mail that I ordered online, cleaning and organizing the house, made a playlist for when I'm in labor, washing baby clothes, sheets, etc.
What baby is up to this week according to Babycenter.com:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long (about the size of a head of romaine lettuce). She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered "early term." (Full-term is 39 to 40 weeks. Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term, 41 weeks is late term, and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely your baby is already head-down. But if not, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version (ECV). That's a fancy way of saying that your practitioner will apply pressure to your abdomen to try to manipulate your baby into a head-down position.
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