35 and a Half Weeks Pregnant and Confused

While waiting in my OB's office today I started to hope my internal would go the way I wanted it to. Granted, full term pregnancy is 37 weeks pregnant. Despite this, I've heard from many sources it's always best to keep the baby in for the full 40 weeks if possible. I'm sort of confused why there aren't typically any ultrasounds during late 3rd trimester. How can they tell if amniotic fluid is running low? Does a weekly Doppler heart rate check assure me that everything is okay with her?

My doctor had my heart racing two weeks ago when he disclosed to me that I was a centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. I was sort of disappointed to find out today that the stats remained the same. I haven't lost the infamous MP so I sort of assumed I hadn't dilated more at least. I was almost positive my effacement would have increased though. I'm anxious and impatient. I'm uncomfortable and constantly in some kind of ever increasing pain: my side, my calf, my head, my hips.

I tell myself I'm in the home stretch. Why is it that at this point a week and a half sounds so much shorter than four? Four weeks is a month. Long enough for food to go bad in the fridge. Long enough for my stomach to break out into a thousand stretch marks. Definitely long enough for me to lose my sanity worrying about having to be induced and not having the drug free natural labor I'd really love to experience.

I'm going to stay optimistic. I'll listen to my mom for once and start walking for hours this last month to "prepare." I'm going to keep a date in my head that would satisfy my silly obsession with Baby E's astrological symbol but keep me sane at the same time: November 22nd. It's a compromise between 1.5 weeks and 4 entire weeks. A part of me hopes she can hear my thoughts: another part is pretty sure she finds it hilarious to stretch out as far as she can just to test my limits.

Oh, this beautiful experience.

35 Weeks Pregnant and Experimenting With My Peanut Shell Sling

I can't believe I only have 34 days left of my pregnancy. I feel as if she'll come any day now for some reason, though. I know it'd be best for her to stay in the full 40 weeks but I can't help but feel excited and anxious to meet her. It seems as if so many of the bloggers I follow have just recently given birth. Congratulations to Morgan of the818, Blair of The Heir to Blair, Mandy of Unexpectantly Expecting, and Mrs OMG Pregnant. All of your babies are adorable and precious.


Since my daughter to be is still comfortably stretched out in utero, somehow ripping my upper abdominal muscles apart growing, I decided to give my new sling a try with my first baby, G-cat. I figured if I could get him to comfortably rest within it and keep me comfortable, a baby shouldn't be a problem. He's approximately 15 pounds and I couldn't really feel a thing. The neckline is nicely padded to keep the fabric from blistering or rubbing your skin. The best part is, I got a great deal on both.

I opted for the grab bag super outlet section of the Peanut Shell website. I wasn't very concerned about what the slings looked like. I just wanted two for every day use. The single sided sling I received is a pink/light green paisley pattern. The reversible sling I received was a very pretty white and red pattern on one side, and plain black on the other. With a coupon code I managed to google (ps2009 for 25% off my purchase,) plus shipping, I managed to buy both for about $28. I'd highly recommend trying one or both. My sister swears by her New Native Infant Carrier. They seem very similar... but at the end of the day, I'm cheap.
(Sorry for the quality. My camera was being oddly temperamental.)

34 Weeks (minus 1 day) and I'm Anxious

I'm a worrywart at heart. I've tried to take the laid back approach to many things and it seems that unless I sort of stress myself out, nothing gets done. Having a 92% full term baby baking away doesn't help ease any stresses lately.

I'm actually really excited to meet her. I'm just not really sure what I was thinking when I planned for things at the end of my pregnancy. I assumed I'd deliver late. Naturally, that would give me until early December to get anything I wanted done and out of the way. Placenta brain hadn't quite taken over, my body didn't feel like it was run over by a truck, and my sleeping patterns were fairly normal. I wasn't counting on being 50% effaced, 1 cm dilated, and baby dropped into the pelvis already by 34 weeks. I was almost positive I'd end up with some breech baby or cervical lock-down situation.

I scheduled my real estate exam for 36 weeks pregnant without much hesitation. The exam site is 50 miles away. The exam is 3 hours long. Something about driving an hour to sit for 3 isn't sitting right with me. I'm afraid my water is going to break in the middle of it. Would I get a free retest? Is my rib pain and (the very recently introduced to me) lightning crotch going to distract me from doing well? Am I just making excuses?

Women handle their pregnancies differently. I can't say I've been able to dodge many of the painful side effects. I have managed to dodge any sort of swelling and stretch marks. I'm sure other pregnant women, swelling and all, would come to grips with the fear of any discomforts in taking the exam and just do it. I think of how much of a relief it would be if I could just pass it the first time and not have to worry about it after Baby E is born. When would I even be able to study? Would I want to leave her with B for that many hours so soon after I have her?

I doubt it. How hard could it be anyway?

33 Weeks Pregnant (minus 1 day) and My Baby Bucket List

With only 4 weeks until I'm officially full term I'm starting to feel a bit anxious about things I want to get done before she arrives. After my OB's comment on how I'm measuring large, I can't help but keep in mind that there is always a possibility I won't even make it to 40 weeks. It's more probable I will deliver late than early but who knows. Here's an official list of the things I still need to do, buy, or take care of before her grand entrance.

1. Put in a secondary shelf in the nursery closet. I need more space to hang and store her things.
2. Fold, hang, and organize her clothes. (They're currently spread out all over the bed in our guest room.)
3. Vacuum all the carpet upstairs several times. (I'm hoping I can do this as close to her arrival as possible since my beloved cat leaves hair everywhere.)
   
4. Buy a pack n play. (Done!)
5. Buy a Fisher Price Starlight Papasan swing.
6. Buy a diaper bag. (Done!)
7. Make sure her insurance is in place.
8. Have 90 percent of my school work done before November 27.
9. Do a deep clean of the kitchen: stove top and cabinet faces especially.
10. Clean all bathroom floors.
11. Find out about cord blood donation at the hospital. (Done!)
12. Get curtains for the nursery.
13. Buy some cute art work for the nursery.
14. Prepare my hospital bag.
15. Buy a mobile for the crib. (Done!)
16. Get a pedicure
17. Buy a Boppy (Done!)
18. Buy a baby sling (Done!)

I'll probably add/update the list as time goes by. Am I forgetting anything? I found an interactive hospital bag check list here. Hopefully that saves me some stress.