37 weeks

FULL TERM!! And in other news, my fingers have begun to feel like sausages. Excellent.

• How far along?  37 weeks. Full term, kids. This baby could literally come at any time now.
• Total weight gain:  Like 40 pounds. I’ve had 2 appointments since last week’s update, so I can’t hide from the scale. I’m now just a little over where I ended with the girls, but my doctor says I’m just fine. I’ll still weigh myself again that very last day to see how much total poundage I packed on, but I think it’s safe to say it’ll be between 40-45 lbs. at this point. Hopefully no more! And hopefully it comes off as easily as it did the first 2 times since there’s that much more of it now, ugh.
• Maternity clothes?  I’ll just make this easy. Yes. I’m 37 weeks along; of course I’m wearing maternity clothes.
• Stretch marks?  Nope, not yet. And the third time around better not be when those suckers rear their ugly heads, either.
• Sleep:  Terrible. I’m uncomfortable all the time. I did get one of those big curly pregnancy pillows, which isn’t bad. I’ve begun sleeping on top of all the covers with just a blanket on me, though, because trying to position that thing and roll over while under all the sheets and comforter was a battle that I’m done fighting. And now my fingers have begun to swell just enough so that my hands hurt all the time, especially at night. Yippee!
• Best moment this week:  Having 2 doctor appointments and finding out that progression toward labor is actually happening. Friday I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced with the baby definitely head down, and today (Wednesday) I’m up to 2 cm and 80%. To me, that sounds like a ton of progress in 5 days, but my doctor said the exam has no bearing whatsoever on predicting labor. It could happen tonight (SAY WHAT?!?) or 2 weeks from now. She said that even though it sounds like a big jump, it isn’t really that much and not to worry. Obviously if I start having painful contractions, it’s probably go time, though. I can’t remember exactly, but I think I was right around these measurements at my last appointments before the girls were born. I also asked if she could tell how big the baby is right now pounds-wise, and she felt it and thinks right between 6.5-7 lbs. at this point. She’s pretty confident it’ll be born under 8 lbs. She also said that’s pretty common – for babies to get a little bit bigger each time. Why, who knows? So just in case, the car seat is in, the hospital bag is packed save the last-minute stuff, the baby swing/chair is clean and in the living room, the bed and baby clothes are all washed and ready to go, and I’m getting the house cleaned and lawn mowed so we’re ready to put the girls’ new swing set in place. I’m also debating trying to move my hair appointment up from next Saturday to this weekend just to make sure I can get it done in time… Such a life-changing decision, I know.
• Miss anything?  Being comfortable in my own body. I’ve reached that point, and unfortunately it arrived much earlier this time than I expected. Add to that being able to tie shoes comfortably, go for a walk without fear of peeing myself, and being able to stand up without feeling like my hips are going to give out on me because this kid is sitting right on them.
• Movement:  Yes, since 1 day before week 15. That’s the earliest of all 3 – D was 20 weeks and L was around 16 weeks.
• Cravings:  Not right now.
• Aversions:  Now that the first trimester is over, again, not really anything. Those first couple weeks, though, wow – life in general was an aversion of mine. Scents are still stronger than normal, but nothing like when I was pregnant with D and my entire sense of smell got turned upside down.
• Gender:  Did not find out. I’m still sure it’s a boy.
• Labor signs:  Lots of Braxton Hicks contractions. Wonderful.
• Symptoms:  Horrible daily heartburn, frequent pressure and tightening in my abdomen (the braxton hicks), my hair barely sheds at all when I brush and wash it, my stomach constantly “gets in the way” when I’m trying to do things like put on my socks and shoes, my back gets inordinately tired and hurts often, and there’s an almost constant stabbing pain in the back of my left sacroiliac joint. I literally get stuck getting out of a seated position it hurts so badly. My hands have also begun to swell just a tiny bit, which is resulting in constant aching. I asked my doctor about it this morning, and she said that’s exactly what’s causing it. It’s not too noticeable when you look at them, but I can certainly feel it. I think the baby has dropped, too, because I get frequent shooting pains down the tops of my legs, which my doctor said are definitely coming from the baby’s head sitting right on my cervix. I know you wanted to hear that, didn’t you?
• Belly button in or out?  It’s out and it’s gross.
• Wedding rings on or off?  On. We’ll see for how much longer, though.
• Looking forward to:  Finding out if little #3 is a boy or a girl. I’m also very curious as to when he/she is going to make an appearance. For as much as I’m ready to be done being pregnant, it would be nice to finish most of the school year without having a newborn in the mix. Della’s last day is June 11 and my due date is June 10, so it’s a total crap shoot at this point. After these last 2 appointments, however, I am becoming less and less confident that I’ll even make it until June. Stay tuned!

Now for the full-term comparison. I had my date for Lana’s picture totally wrong last week, because it’s actually from 37 weeks. So you have to see the same one for her twice. Left is Della at I think 37 weeks 1 day; middle is Lana at 37 w exactly; and right is #3 today at 37 w exactly. Oh look, I’m smiling again.