37 Weeks Pregnant with Will

I feel like before I start this weekly journal recap, I should add that there were times throughout this pregnancy that I really thought I wouldn’t be writing this one… or if I did, that it would be the last one I did. Most of the time though I think I knew in my heart that as long as my blood pressure would hold out, that this wouldn’t be the last one I would write. I, honestly, fully expect to be writing a 40 week journal. Only time will tell for sure, but we are at the point now that I don’t know what will happen. Truth be told, had my BP not shot up with Kenzie, I still feel she would have been late. She always measured about a week behind and I think she was super comfy in there. Will always measures right on time, but I think that he is likely to be really comfy as well and happy to remain where he is. I’m at that very uncomfortable point, but I know that him remaining in there for his full “40 weeks” is what is best for him. My comfort can be sacrificed for a few more weeks. We are (at most) just over 3 weeks from meeting our little guy. Do I want him out? Of course. Am I so very ready to have him in my arms instead of kicking my ribs? You betcha. Am I feeling so blessed that he is healthy and will be here soon? Yep. I have watched what fertility issues do to those around me for years. I know of the ups and downs that come with infertility, pregnancy loss (I know that one all too well), infant loss, and pregnancy itself. I will continue to be happy for every day that he remains in there and that makes him healthy enough to brave the world. With that being said… here’s our 37 week update…

Baby’s Size: Swiss Chard

How far along: 37 Weeks. Will is officially “term”. No longer is 37 weeks considered “full term”. I know when I had Kenzie, it still was but most doctors now consider 39 weeks to be that point. I’m all for that. There are huge differences between your average 37 weeker and a 39 weeker. However, that being said, we are at the point that if he were born, he would likely be just fine. I’m not willing to risk it unless I absolutely had to (and if he comes on his own then obviously he is ready for any given reason) and I will continue to deal with those aches and pains of late pregnancy until he makes his appearance.

Total weight gain: 23 pounds. I have found that during the week I am way less consistent with checking my own weight. I am going by whatever I weigh at my weekly appointment at this point and I am still gaining 1 pound a week.  

Sleep:  Still not good. I’m either getting up to pee every 20 minutes or trying to get comfy. I grunt a lot trying to roll over in bed. Sunday night Steven actually got upset because I made so much noise that he thought I fell out of bed. I didn’t. I just rolled out of it (and on to my feet on purpose) to get up to go to the bathroom. I must have made a lot of noise doing it though. I didn’t think it was that loud but it woke him up from a dead sleep.  

Maternity Clothes: Yep.

Food cravings: Nothing major. I have actually been having a few more aversions lately as this pregnancy goes on. They are not to the point that they make me feel sick seeing, smelling, or thinking about them but I just know that I hear about some foods and definitely do NOT want those gracing my dinner plate.

Symptoms I HAVE: Heartburn, but it has been a bit better as he has remained just a bit lower this week. I am exhausted all the time. I’m moving some of my “symptoms” to signs of labor this week… so see below. =) 

Stretchmarks:  Still those old ones. They don’t seem to be getting too much worse at this point.     

Doctor’s Appointment:  Yesterday we had our “d-day” appointment. This is the one that we found out with Kenzie that my BP was up and started the whole process of her arriving within the next few days. I was nervous. I’m surprised that being so nervous that my BP wasn’t higher but it is remaining very stable. 133/86. Still not great, but very much average for where I have been, or “happy” as the doc calls it. So, we made it through. I should officially make it farther in to this pregnancy than I did with Kenzie. Will would have to arrive by Wednesday for me to not make it as far. My GBS test was negative so I won’t have to deal with antibiotics during labor. That’s a plus. Will’s heartbeat was nice and strong. I didn’t ask what it was but it was beating nice and loud. (Hearing his heartbeat is always Kenzie’s favorite part.) I am measuring right on time still. He is remaining head down. He has dropped a bit but is definitely not engaged yet. I think I mentioned last week that I know it is not uncommon for non-first time moms to not have a baby engage until they are in labor. I’m just thankful he is low enough to make my heartburn a bit better. Everything else was picture perfect.  

Movement:  Yep. He had a few quiet days earlier this week. I swear it felt like after those few days that he doubled in size in there. I know he didn’t and it is likely just that he put on a bit of weight quickly and changed positions or something. I think he might have been sleeping more though and did hit a bit of a growth spurt. If he is similar to Kenzie he should weigh around 7 pounds this week which is a bit higher than the average at 37 weeks. I think the doc thinks he is fairly similar at this point. Anyway, after those two days he started moving like crazy. He has been all over the place lately. He definitely seems to be running out of room so his movements are getting pretty uncomfortable for me.    

Belly Button (In or Out): In.       

Wedding Ring (On or Off): It happened. I had to switch to my Claddagh ring. My wedding ring would go on in the morning but by the time I would get ready to take it off at night… that wasn’t happening. The day it took me almost 2 hours to finally get it off I decided that was it. I wasn’t risking it any more. I don’t want to chance needing to cut it off. Interesting enough though… that is the ONLY place I get swelling. I have sausagey fingers by the end of the day but absolutely no other swelling usually. My ankles do swell just a bit if I walk a lot but that usually goes away overnight and I am back to normal the next day.   

Labor Signs: Contractions. Yep. Discussed with the doc today that what I am now feeling can be classified as contractions. They are extremely early labor and not very painful. They can’t be timed. They tend to last anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes but then they go away for hours at a time. I’ve had a few BH as well but they are starting to feel much different than what we determined were contractions. Doc said if they were to hook me up to the machines at this point he could guarantee that we would see them. I am likely having even more than I notice but those are so minimal that I don’t really feel them. Now, let’s just hope that they are productive and helping me dilate and thin out. Also still getting that fun lightening crotch thanks to a child that randomly seems to throw his hands around. Thank goodness he hasn’t engaged yet. I can’t imagine what that might feel like with how often he moves his head around in there.  

Gender: Boy!  

Happy or Moody Most of the Time: I have been so irritable lately. Poor Kenzie. I feel like I am constantly at my wits end with her. She is that typical 2 year old kid sometimes and it drives me crazy. Hormones make it worse. I snap at her and Steven periodically and have to remind myself that what is annoying me is likely something that isn’t a big deal and they didn’t even realize it annoyed me. I’m so tired too that I get crabby fairly quickly. By mid-morning… I am DONE. It was much easier with Kenzie when I worked. I would do two gifted evals a day and would have to remain happy for a total of about 4 hours. The rest of the day I could hang out by myself and just do whatever paperwork type things I needed to get done or whatever. No one bothered me or talked to me. Now I have to be a mom. Being a mom is hard enough work as it is. Trying to do it while trying to not let my emotions get the best of me is much more difficult for me.  

Best moment of the week: Celebrating Momma’s birthday over the weekend. Kenzie loved Gatorland and it gave us one last hurrah before we hunker down and wait.  

What I’m looking forward to: Finishing up some final things before Will’s arrival. I can’t even tell you what those are at this point (I’m too tired to think about it) but I know they need to be done. Every little thing done puts us a small step closer.    

What I miss: Sleep. And more balanced moods.