37

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.

So this is the last fruit post. I can’t believe that once upon a time husib was as tiny as little poppy seeds and now he is huge!!! and making me huge as well. Its amazing to think that this is the last little bit where I get my baby all to myself before I share him with the world, but on the other hand, I’m really really excited to see him and meet him and see if he has hair and the color of his eyes. So much is going to change in just a few weeks that it feels overwhelming to think about it all at once so I’m just focusing on trying to enjoy having husib all to myself for a little while. Not that he makes it easy with the heartburn and the carpal tunnel and the insomnia.

How far along? 37 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 20 ish lbs total, but I’m okay with it, I think I’ll probably stay right around here hopefully until the end of the pregnancy.
Maternity clothes? Ready to not be wearing them anymore. Now I’m buying cute tops that I think I can wear after the belly is gone. And then I heard the bfing horror story of giant boobs where old clothes still don’t fit! Whats a girl to do?  Buy shoes, thats my xmas present to myself.
Stretch marks? Yep, still there
Sleep:  Very very bad. Some nights I wake up with terrible hip and back aches. Last night I almost made it all the way through the night but then my contacts started hurting. Like other things weren’t painful as it is

Best moment this week: Full Term y’all. No preemie baby for me I guess. Also, my friend Jessica had the cutest little baby boy earlier this week. I’m so happy for them.

Movement: He’s a squirming machine

Food cravings: still cake. Gatorade too
Gender:  Boy
Labor Signs: Head down, some BH contractions
Pregnancy Symptoms: All. of . them
Belly Button in or out? All right the coworkers win, its out
What I miss: Walking, not waddling
What I am looking forward to: beginning of maternity leave. Going to the hospital, seems like such a weird thing to be excited about.
Weekly Wisdom: I still have way too much to do to go into labor. Gaaah

Milestones: Full Term

Before the fog

I’ve been so excited by the thought of having a baby these past few months that I haven’t given myself permission to think about the big cultural impacts of me having a child. Two things have lately worried me a lot, they were of course always there on the back burner but now they have moved from being abstract ideas to concrete dilemmas.

Yesterday at the doc’s office, J and I played a stupid game of flipping through the parenting magazine and counting the different ethnicities represented in the ads and what started out as a really silly game turned disturbing, when we found 5 ads in a magazine with nearly a 100 pages of advertisements that had non white babies or toddlers. Especially weird, given the cover story was “How to raise a color blind child.”  It disturbs me on a lot of levels to think that my child will never see someone who looks remotely like him on mainstream media. I know things are changing but I didn’t realize how slow the change. Interestingly, internet magazines, blogs and alternative media outlets seem a lot more culturally and racially inclusive. So, yes, I could be that parent that avoids mainstream media and only exposes myself to niche outlets but it seems rather escapist to me. Also the lack of any mention of father or picture of fathers in these magazines. Why, dear god? We are in the 21st century? Most new fathers I know are quite involved in their children’s lives and actually have very strong preferences when it comes to consuming baby products, why wouldn’t these magazines reach out to them? Why is there still such a rejection of modern families, but an archaic, idealistic desire for traditional roles?

The second thing that has been scaring me is the new mommy wars which has expanded into a parent vs non parent battle. I have nothing against people who choose to be child free, hell I probably will start to envy them but I am a little worried about all this cultural hate towards mothers. I understand that babies crying or fussing might be annoying to others who don’t have them but am I really expected to give up all adult pleasures simply because I have an infant? Then won’t I get tagged with the classification that I have no other interests than children? How am  I supposed to win.

I know I can’t really do anything about these things now, so maybe it is best I don’t dwell on them too much, but sometimes a girl just has to vent.

All done.

Itchy Trigger Finger But a stable turntable

Oh Beastie Boys, so applicable to pregnant women. I mean I’m still too early for labor physically, but god dammit I’m ready to pop out this kid. Well okay, mostly.  I keep saying I’m ready, but I thought I was having early labor in Target yesterday it scared me to death. Anyway, the point is that the end is in sight!

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 20 lbs total, but I’m okay with it, I think I’ll probably stay right around here hopefully until the end of the pregnancy.
Maternity clothes? Ready to not be wearing them anymore. Now I’m buying cute tops that I think I can wear after the belly is gone.
Stretch marks? Yep, still there
Sleep:  Very very bad. Some nights I wake up with terrible hip and back aches. However, my doc has said that its okay to take some benadryl or tylenol pm to help and I actually might take her up on it.

Best moment this week: Finding out that the kiddo is head down and in position, not ready to come out or anything, but at least facing the right direction. Good job husib!

Movement: He’s a kicking machine

Food cravings: nothing new other than cake. J and I are on a cake eating spree- This week we ‘ve had German Chocolate and Tiramisu
Gender:  Boy
Labor Signs: Head down, a little more pressure on my cervix and pelvic floor. Also some unexciting but painful cramps.
Pregnancy Symptoms: Heartburn continues, swollen feet and new for this week- carpal tunnel, now my hands  hurt too.
Belly Button in or out? All right the coworkers win, its out
What I miss: Walking, not waddling
What I am looking forward to: Thanksgiving-Wooo hoooo. Also seeing my dad for the holiday
Weekly Wisdom: You are not as prepared for labor as you think! Yet!
Milestones: Less than a month to go! Wow

35/35

This weekend I crossed the big 35/35 milestone . So basically, this means I have completed 35 weeks of pregnancy and have 35 days until my due date. So 1 month and 5 days ( or in my case today, 3 days). So here’s my 35/35 survey-

 

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: not sure since last visit, but I know I’ve gained some b/c some clothes fit differently. I’ve stopped caring at this point.
Maternity clothes? Ready to not be wearing them anymore
Stretch marks? Yep, still there
Sleep:  Very very bad. Some nights I wake up with terrible hip and back aches.

Best moment this week: Getting 80% of the nursery done. Also, I had the most delicious baby dream last night where I was chilling with the husib.

Movement: He was very quiet all weekend, but he is a kicking machine this weekend. Or maybe I just notice more when I’m at work. Also this kid definitely has his times mixed up, cuz his most active time is 10pm onwards.
Food cravings: Grapes, waters, grapefruit and water and grilled cheese sandwiches, or mac cheese…okay pretty much anything with cheese.
Gender:  Boy
Labor Signs: What about your kid kicking the crap out of your cervix? Does that count? I mean  he obviously has figured out that thats the way out. Also some unexciting but painful cramps.
Pregnancy Symptoms: Heartburn continues, swollen feet and new for this week- carpal tunnel, now my hands  hurt too.
Belly Button in or out? My coworkers say its out, I say its still flat
What I miss: A Dirty martini and oysters, from watching MadMen this week. Sigh
What I am looking forward to: Being a 100% done with the nursery. Getting the baby out.
Weekly Wisdom: There is nothing fun about doing manual labor (setting up the nursery) this late in the game. Should have done this when I had more energy.
Milestones: Finished our Childbirth class…I am now armed with all sorts of labor and baby care information. J changed a diaper on a practice doll for the first time in his life. We are on our way to becoming parents.

I saw the video

And I still live. It wasn’t that bad but I did I squint a little bit so maybe I got a distorted picture. I love childbirth class because the massaging rocks and our homework is practicing the massage, so hopefully I’ll have a super nice backrubs from J this weekend.

Honeydew Hurry up!

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve — when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

Time has been really getting away from these days! The weeks seem to just fly by and fatigue has completely taken over my evenings. I mostly just want to sleep sleep and sleep, but I can’t sleep in long stretches anymore. Last night J and I had our first childbirth class and it was educational and fun. Fun b/c we spent 45 mins on the dads massaging the moms. Loved it!!! I’m a little nervous because my teacher seems to be more biased towards non medicated childbirth and I ‘m definitely more on the medicated side. She said she is going to give us information on both options, I just need to remember to ask good questions. Other than that, there are no huge changes, just lots of little ones in my body and mind.

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I have gained 4lbs since the last doc visit- Yikes but my doc says that I’m still on the lower end of healthy weight gain. So I don’t need to worry but of course I still do.
Maternity clothes? I had two fave tee shirts that were non maternity that I was successfully wearing until this weekend. This weekend, it was hopeless, unless I wanted the whole world to see my love handles.
Stretch marks? Yep, still there
Sleep: Terrible, naps have gone from being a luxury to essential.

Best moment this week: Not doing anything baby related this weekend. J and I were just us…it was nice.

Movement: Kid wants out. I  think I felt a heel the other day
Food cravings: Fruit, water, breadsticks ( thats just for right now, cuz I know I’m going to UNOs for lunch with my friends)
Gender:  Boy
Labor Signs:No braxton hicks this week- yippeee
Pregnancy Symptoms: Hello heartburn! I guess, you are here to stay? yes?
Belly Button in or out? Its flat
What I miss: Did I mention beer? Also this week I went to a seafood place and did not get raw oysters. I think I died a little on the inside. I want oysters. My friend F has given me the terrific idea of having a forbidden foods party after husib has made an appearance
What I am looking forward to: Meeting husib. I’m having a “I’m excited to be a mom week” as opposed to “wtf was I thinking week”
Weekly Wisdom: Not to get sentimental, but I’ve been feeling very lucky this week in terms of this pregnancy. I guess gratitude is the word of the week.
Milestones: Husib went to his first concert for his dad! He kicked around to ABBA in the car and made his mama happy. I discussed my cervix with strangers at my birth class.

No Fruit

Week 32- wow! 5 more weeks and I will be considered full term. In 8 weeks, I will stop working. This is too bizarre to even contemplate. I’m getting really excited about meeting husib and seeing if all the personality traits that I’ve assigned him are actually true.  Also, I can’t wait to do fun things with him. Overall things are good for the moment. Also I love my  new car!!!

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I don’t think about it anymore, and no one should as well. I however do have a very chubby cheeks at the moment, so I don’t look in the mirror. According to reputable sources, I’ll apparently be gaining a 3-5 more lbs. Joy!
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants are pretty awesome. I now own five pairs and I plan to not own anymore! I do need to buy a maternity formal dress for a friends upcoming wedding however. Still trying to wear non maternity shirts in larger sizes
Stretch marks? Yes. Moving on.
Sleep: Some days are good , some days are bad. yesterday was great, only got up twice, the night before got up 5 times. I’ve been trying to nap a little bit in the afternoons to make up for the lack of sleep.

Best moment this week: Buying baby gear- stroller, car seat, crib, a cool chair ( not really for the nursery, but a good excuse). Big items bought, Breath exhaled.

Movement: Rolling now, instead of jabs and kicks, except for in the cervix, I think the kid wants out, but I’m not sure
Food cravings: Rocky road ice cream, grapefruit, Cheese
Gender:  Boy
Labor Signs:No braxton hicks this week- yippeee
Pregnancy Symptoms: swollen feet, huge belly, everything?
Belly Button in or out? Its flat
What I miss: Not being pregnant and a beer, dear god, I want a beer.
What I am looking forward to: Non pregnancy related- J’s band playing on friday night. Childbirth classes, starting next week.
Weekly Wisdom: food is your friend, veins are not. Getting hair washed at a salon at 7.5 mos will result in fainting.
Milestones: Project nursery has begun

What up Squash

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though — as you’ve also probably noticed — they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

Week 30! yikes, I can’t believe in 8 more weeks, husib will be considered mostly full term. J and I are still struggling to come to grips with impending parenthood. We have decided on a stroller, car seat, crib, rocker/glider, and a few other items which makes me feel loads better. I also bought a boppy the other day since I heard such good reviews of the product. I’m excited to see how it will all work out. J and I have also started car shopping, something that I  hate, but I think we are more focussed and committed than we were while buying the Element. I have my heart set on another Subaru so I’m hoping that works out. Husib is a kicking junkie and squirms and wiggles all the time. Some kicks are not very fun but the wiggles sometimes feel like a massage. I’ve also had a some Braxton Hicks contractions which scare me and send J into panic mode but my doctor says everything looks good so far. So onwards then-

How far along? 30 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I think +10-15lbs, Lets not talk about it. K
Maternity clothes?Love some of my maternity clothes, a few that I bought over the summer are not going to work out though as fall sets in, so I’m going to have buy more pants. I’m still sticking to mostly non maternity shirts.
Stretch marks? Belly is stretch free as of now but lets not venture into boobs or thigh region
Sleep: Terrible, the belly is in the way, I have to get up to pee and lying on my sides hurts my pelvis sometimes. Also anxiety is feeding my insomnia.

Best moment this week: Realizing that I’ll have baby in 2.5 mos.

Movement: All. the . time
Food cravings: Meat aversion is back. Grapes, cereal and pasta
Gender:  Boy
Labor Signs: Some Braxton Hicks but I guess they are not really labor signs
Pregnancy Symptoms: Insomnia, a giant belly , starting to swell feet
Belly Button in or out? Its flat
What I miss: Not being pregnant
What I am looking forward to: Having a baby, followed by Not being pregnant. This was fun y’all, I’m ready to move on now. Thanks
Weekly Wisdom: From my doctor, ways to avoid Braxton Hicks is to stay hydrated and have an empty bladder. That is pretty much impossible, given the rate I’ve been peeing
Milestones: I guess its Tri 3 officially

Note to self- Goldgirl, pregnancy is not for you , it makes you whiny, bitchy, weepy and other negative ending in y words. You don’t feel like yourself and you feel intense amounts of guilt b/c you can’t reconcile your negativity with the love you feel for your child. So do the the world and yourself a favor and stop reproducing after this.

Goldgirl to Self- Check! I’m on it.

I’m done whining now.

Duke Labor and Delivery Tour

Last Thursday J and I took the plunge straight out of denial into the arms of panic. We had our orientation slash tour of the Labor and Delivery section of Duke where I hope to give birth and it freaking scared the s*** out of us. We arrived at Duke around 6 and went into this auditorium/classroom where the numbers for Labor Triage and the Duke Main line were written in giant letters. The presenter was a Labor nurse and she told lots of stories and gave us lots of information about the different steps for checking into Labor. Lesson learned go through the emergency room when we head in for delivery and get our car valet parked. Also I need to pack my hospital bag before week 36, so thank god, I have a few more weeks! WE also learned when we should anticipate going in vs just calling our doctor and I still really don’t get it. I think I’m going to wing that one.

We also got to see the actual labor rooms, which from what the industry standards say are really nice with a jacuzzi tub etc but looked scary to me all the same and the post partum room looked like any old hospital room but just had a bassinet in it.  We also walked by a new mama during our tour who was walking the halls with her twins and I could not make eye contact because then it would be real. See, not making eye contact with babies means I’m not having one. Most of the other soon to be parents in our group were right around where I was but they all took copious notes as opposed to J and I who only jotted down the phone numbers. Now I’m worried that we are slackers and are not focussed enough about this.

When the whole ordeal was over J and I walked to the parking lot with the deer in headlights look on our face until we reached the car and started giggling hysterically because the entire situation was so unreal. Yeah, we are ready to be parents, can’t you tell?  This week we have “how to pick a daycare” class on Friday, I’ m sure we will under perform as usual.

Publicity shots of Duke L&D is here:

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