Today marks 38 WEEKS of pregnancy.Weight gain:
x+30.5 pounds
Current waist size:
Yikes, a whopping 44 1/2" around!
Stretch marks:
Sadly reported on upper thighs and breasts. No signs on stomach.
Belly button:
Has been poked out like a turkey popper for a long time! (Doesn't help that I had squeezed that new part out early this year so, now, I have 2 mini-bumps poking out.)
Pregnancy cravings:
Had a short phase where I oddly craved LEMON. (Yum! Lemon pudding makes my mouth water just thinking about it.) Otherwise, I have had a desire from time to time to eat a good, juicy burger or some pizza... guess this baby is a BOY, right?
Swelling:
Had to take off my wedding ring last Friday night (37 weeks) because my fingers were swelling and the ring actually HURT my finger. Could probably still wear it during the day, but fingers seem to swell a little more at night so, best to keep it off instead of cut it off. Noticed signs of swelling in my legs within the past week. Doctor recommends resting/elevating and wearing support hose.
Fetal movement:
Hiccups are an almost daily occurrence, sometimes more than once per day. Also, still appears to be remodeling in there to make more space. It is not uncommon for an appendage to poke the surface of my belly. If I touch it, he tends to move it. Sometimes, he seems to be stretching and will move it back and forth in a triangular pattern across the side of my belly (near where the edge of my ribcage USED to be.) Baby Sydney still seems to be most active when there are loud noises present: loud trucks, neighbors motorcycle(s), cell phone alarm ringing and waking us from a sound sleep, or when Mike was hammering earlier in the week. Sometimes, the chirping from the cats will make him move around.
Starting each day off with a perky "Good morning" tends to wake the baby. (The shift from side-lying to standing probably helps as well.) He also tends to move around when I sing to him or when my stomach growls loudly.
Signs of labor:
Some Braxton Hicks practice contractions. Need to remember to drink plenty of fluids... as dehydration can cause them to come on.
Sleep:
Interrupted by Charlie Horse cramps (a few each week for the past month or so) as well as frequent trips to the bathroom.
What do I miss...
- I miss being able to sleep through the night without having to get up to go to the bathroom.
- I miss being able to get up off of a chair or off of the floor without having to calculate my every movement, hoping that the sciatic pinch wont be too bad to walk.
- I miss being able to walk normally.
- I miss over-easy fried eggs, bleu cheese or roquefort dressing and medium rare steaks & burgers.
- I miss weighing less than Mike.
What do I look forward to...
I am THRILLED with the thought of holding Baby Sydney! I can't wait to see him! (What he looks like, how big/little he is, what color eyes, if he has hair, etc.) I am SO EXCITED to become a mom!
I look forward to a wider selection of clothing in the reasonably near future.
I look forward to Mike's pure excitement when he gets to "catch" the baby and becomes a father at age 38. I look forward to becoming "a family". I look forward to nursing Baby Sydney from one of the rocking chairs on the sunporch while drinking ice cold lemonade.
What do I fear...
- I fear not knowing that I am "in labor".
- I fear going into labor while our doctor is out on vacation, hoping that if it DOES happen, that the "on call" doctor will honor Mike's agreement to "catch" upon delivery.
- I fear that Mike will struggle with diaper changing duties (gagging, etc.) and hope that I am wrong about that feeling.
- I fear struggling with breastfeeding, hoping that it all works the way nature has intended.
- I'm afraid that once Sydney is born, I will miss the Billy Bank Tae Bo classes and all of the home remodeling projects that have been going on inside my belly FOR MONTHS!
- I fear the unknown factors associated with my multiple sclerosis, hoping that it will remain in a nonactive state following the birth of Baby Sydney, as well as for many, many years to come. (Still waiting for a cure...)
- I fear sleep deprivation.
- I fear loving Baby Sydney more than I love my wonderful husband. (Mike tells me already that I "will love the baby more than him" because the baby is a part of me and one that grew inside of me.)
An accomplishment this week:
I had been proud that I was able to paint my toenails yesterday, stating that I am now ready to throw these pretty feet into stirrups whenever Sydney is ready to arrive.
A goal for the upcoming week:
I would like to do a better job of keeping the kitchen clean and dishes done. I feel badly when I disappoint Mike with my poor housekeeping, especially since he works 55-60 hours while I am home "growing this baby".
• • • • • • • • • •
This morning, I got this email from my best friend:
I was pretty surprised to see that even though it's difficult you can still PAINT YOUR TOES! That means the baby has a little more growing to do....You're not supposed to be able to do that at 9 months pregnant! :-)
I'm thinking that I am still able to do it because I have 33" of leg to work with so, I was able to sit and prop them (one foot at a time, obviously) on the seat of my chair to paint. Granted, I can't get close enough to see the quality of work, but from this far away – they don't look too terribly bad. With all of the hormones working their magic on my joints and ligaments as well, I seem to have a lot more flexibility working in my favor, too. It'll do.... better than nothing.
I'm not sure if it is true or not, but Mom always used to say that hiccups were a sign of growing. If that is the case, then Baby has been busy growing a lot lately since hiccups seem to be a daily occurrence as of late. (I, personally, tend to get hiccups from eating mashed potatoes; it is almost always guaranteed for me.)
Mom was just here visiting earlier this week. She's thinking that it appears that Sydney has started to drop a little. (I tried to compare this week's photo with last week's photo, but I am not standing at the same angle and wasn't getting the results I wanted to see if there was an obvious drop or not.)
At 38 weeks, the tape measure reports a waist size of (Yikes!) 44 1/2" around, which is 1 1/2" larger than the 36-week measurement. So, looks like Baby is continuing to grow. (I'm kind of wishing I would have kept track of those measurements all along, as well as doing a better job of documenting a weekly belly pic.)
