37 weeks: Full Term baby, limited food options:)

Thirty Seven weeks: 5.9.12








 

Photo Thoughts: My 'first born' Henry dog was much more willing to get in this picture than Truman was this week. Didn't forget about him, did you? And see? My belly isn't as huge as it looked last week in that pink shirt. Yes, I look very pregnant but it's not as startling to look at these images this week for me.


Size of baby: A wintermelon according to TB, or swiss chard according to BC. I am holding random, half-eaten green leaf lettuce because I thought that might be sort of similar to swiss chard. Sigh. From here on out, it's basically just pumpkins and watermelons so I was stuck this week.

Cravings/Diet: Not reaching the second trimester 'starvation' mode but I've had a few moments of being super hungry again. But then I get full really fast and feel super uncomfortable. Food is such a tease.

What I love: I'm full term, baby! I just want to write that in all caps and leave the rest of this post for some other time because WOAH. FULL TERM. Cue the squealing on my part. I cannot believe I am here and I'm fighting back tears when I think about the beginning of this pregnancy. It was so scary, so hard to stay positive, and so uncertain. This baby girl was a 'probable miscarriage'. I would have given anything in the world to be 37 weeks along at 6 weeks when I was bleeding scary amounts of blood. And now I am full term. Words just can't express the gratitude.

What I'm looking forward to the most: Having her. The anticipation is killing me!

Worries: My OB appt last week was a good one but guess who is lucky enough to have Group B Strep again? Me. I had it with Truman and you only have a 30% chance of having it with each individual pregnancy, but I'm one of those lucky 30% for round two. It's really not a big deal at all, since all it means is that I need to try and get to the hospital with at least 4-5 hours before baby girl makes her entrance. They like to give IV antibiotics to 'flush' the system of this intestinal bug that comes and goes in all of us (no, it's not an STD, thanks) that has absolutely no symptoms for the mom, but it could potentially make a baby sick with pnuemonia or other infection. But even if I don't get to the hospital with that much time to spare (since I was technically in labor for 40 hours with Truman and I still didn't get the antibiotics at just the right time, 4 hours before delivery) it should be okay because they only see babies become affected 1.5% of the time WITHOUT the antibiotics. Truman was fine and I'm sure this baby would be fine. But it's just one more thing to worry about even though I know I have a 98.5% chance of it being a non-issue. I was SO hoping for a fast delivery but now I'm nervous about knowing when to head to the hospital versus letting myself labor at home until the point of no return. I don't want to jump the gun and get there at the first contraction but I also don't want to wait too long and then have her come super fast once we are there. I guess only time will tell.

What is different this time around: Last time the 37 week update was my last one for the entire pregnancy!!! Does that boggle your mind as much as mine? My induction started at 37w5d and I had Truman right at 38w0d. I just cannot wrap my head around the fact that after next Wednesday, assuming I'm still pregnant, that will be the most pregnant I've been and I will be entering new 'Super Pregnant Woman' territory. Still doing great with my BP this time so I'm thinking that pre-E might miss me as a victim for baby #2 (please don't jinx me, blog world). I'm really feeling a lot better overall because I'm not dealing with the BP and the labs and multiple appointments and fatigue. And this week I haven't had too many timeable BH contractions but they were just starting up last time.

So I guess the overall theme for this pregnancy has been: rough and scary complications in the beginning, but totally normal for the rest of the time (so far). And with Truman it was the opposite: picture perfect pregnancy until 34 weeks and then the complications came.

Symptoms: Definitely feeling more uncomfortable this week. It's hard to sit still which means driving in my car for work is really awful at times. My middle back and upper stomach are just so freaking tender and painful at times. It's hard to roll over in bed, I get out of breath easily, and I notice myself feeling winded if I wind up flat on my back in bed. But really, overall, I'd still stay I'm feeling pretty darn good for 37 weeks. Especially in the beginning of the day, I feel amazing. Then by the end I'm totally ready for bed and feel grouchy and impatient. I hope that is normal for this stage.

Sleep: A little less restful lately, waking up in the wee hours to find a more comfortable position. Which can sometimes be impossible but for the most part I still sleep like a rock.

Movement: Huge, painful kicks at the top of my belly and into my ribs. I love it so much and am really starting to think about how I'm not going to have her all to myself in a few more weeks. I just adore feeling my child move inside my belly and I'm SO going to miss this!

The belly: Very high, according to most, and my linea negra is much darker this week, too. The belly button is still comical and although I feel pretty huge I realize that my bump is not really THAT astounding compared to a lot of other girls 3 weeks away from d-day. I am also going to miss the bump when I'm not pregnant anymore. Not looking forward to the after-birth belly that will likely stick around for awhile: flabby, soft, and just an odd/in between stage. I'll enjoy my firm, high bump for now!

Milestones: For me: making it to 37 weeks with 'stellar' blood pressure and only 30 pounds of weight gain is a big deal. Since, you know, last time at 37 weeks my BP totally sucked and I was up to about 37 el beezies with a scary 6 pound weight gain approaching in just a few more days. Baby girl is just chilling in there, laying down fat and getting her lungs ready to meet us soon. Full term, baby. Wow.

Amusing comments from the general public: I did get a classic 'How can you be due in three weeks? You are so tiiiiiiiny!' comment this week. Eh, whatever. I'm also getting a lot of patients saying goodbye to me a the end of each visit as if it's the last time they might see me. Like, 'Yeah, I'll see you again on Friday IF you don't have the baby before then.' Can't wrap my head around that statement.

Best moment of the week: I completely finished baby girl's nursery which means I get those special flutters of excitement and anticipation when I peer into her room randomly throughout the day. I'm really not trying to keep you in suspense to be a tease but it just seems silly to show you her nursery now, since I'd have to blur out her name on a few key pieces of decor. I'd rather just wait and show you the real deal in a few more weeks because it will be a lot prettier without giant blurs--and I know that will only fuel the fire to 'figure out' her name under those blurs:) But anyway, the best moment of the week had to have been when I hung the final picture frame on her wall, sat back in the new rocker, and daydreamed about bringing baby girl home to this happy little room. Cannot freaking wait!