Week 38: May 21 - May 27
Week 38 Milestones:
- Baby is the size of a pumpkin this week! For once, I will say that this fruit comparison actually sounds pretty accurate. It really does feel like I'm carrying around a large pumpkin in my belly. This thing is heavy!
- I am still holding on here at a total of 45 pounds of pregnancy weight. My belly is large and in charge, remember there is a pumpkin in there, but I have managed to continue to evade stretch marks completely. Hooray! The amount of constant pressure and weight I feel in my stomach all the time now is out of control. I can't wait to see what it feels like to have no pressure in my stomach again once she finally comes out. It will be glorious.
- I had my first pelvic exam this week. Everyone told me that it was going to be horrible and hurt really bad, but it was super easy, nothing painful about it at all. Then again, during my fertility treatments I had probably 50 internal ultrasounds so a regular exam is nothing compared to that ridiculous contraption. If you've ever had an internal ultrasound, you know what I'm talking about...if not, be thankful. I need to remember that my post-IVF pain tolerance and the average person's pain tolerance are nowhere near comparable so I should really take other people's experiences with a grain of salt. At this doctor's appointment (38 weeks, 1 day), I learned that I was already 50% effaced and 1/2 centimeter dilated. (I threw some handy links in there for those of you who are unfamiliar with pregnancy jargon but curious as to what the heck I am talking about.) So what do those numbers mean for me? Well, it basically means that I could go into labor right now or it could be another week or so. The waiting game continues, but progress is being made!
- Sleep is terrible right now. I currently sleep in 30 minute intervals because I have to get up and pee every 30 minutes. When I am laying down trying to sleep, it is so hard to get comfortable. I'm either having Braxton Hicks contractions, or Peyton is moving around kicking me, or she is dropping down putting pressure on my pelvis and various nerves which send little shooting pains through my lower abdomen. Moral of the story...I'm not sleeping. On top of that, I have to change positions constantly which is quite a feat in itself because this big 'ole belly does not roll over easily. Basically, by the time I exhaust myself and get into a good position, it's time for another bathroom trip and then the process starts all over. Oye vey.
- My little dinosaur feet are still swollen, but I'm so used to it now that I don't even care. It will be so interesting to see my feet normal once this whole thing is over, I've actually forgotten what they look like normally! I don't have any other swelling, which is awesome and my blood pressure is usually perfect (I take it myself almost every day because I'm paranoid) so I shouldn't have anything to worry about because I seem to be right on track. I am so thankful for a very healthy pregnancy. I am still having Braxton Hicks contractions regularly and I'm just waiting for those to switch over to real labor contractions. Everyone keeps telling me that I will just "know" when the contractions become the real thing, so we will see how true that turns out to be. I can't wait!
- I finally got into the whole "nesting" thing y'all! However, I didn't lift a finger in the process. I delegated all of the work to other people. Smart pregnant lady over here, thank you very much. Jared built all of the baby contraptions (swing, bouncy seat, etc) and he and his mom did all the yard work and deep cleaning of the sun room/porch for me. Plus, my mom sent her cleaning lady over to do a deep cleaning of the inside of my entire house. I know y'all didn't really think that my big 'ole 38 week prego self was going to do all that cleaning. Yeah right. Now, I did do all of the washing and organizing of Peyton's clothes, toys and such, so give me a little credit :) Let's just hope that the house manages to stay clean until she arrives!
- Food preferences: Listen y'all, this pregnancy is almost over so I'm indulging. Soon I'll have to go back to holding my stomach in and not be able to get away with eating a cheeseburger before going to the beach because I already have a giant belly sticking out anyways. Plus, I'm hot, tired and uncomfortable all the time so excuse me for wanting some Chick-fil-A and ice cream. I promise I'm still eating my fruits and veggies and I will get back on track after delivery because then I'll be on a mission to drop this pregnancy weight. Until then, I'm going to enjoy myself.
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