38 Week Update

Well, it's official! Baby has reached what is considered to be full-term! He/she will be coming sometime in the next 3 to 4 weeks maximum! I've actually had mini heart attacks three times now, thinking I'm going into labour, but of course they were all false alarms! I can't have this baby yet, my mom is on a golfing trip!

Let's see some updated baby bump pictures, shall we?

July 1st (33 weeks) VS July 22nd (36 weeks)

And now today, August 4th at 38 weeks...

Here are also some regular clothed pictures, comparing July 22nd to August 4th.

Is it SHRINKING???

I've been going in for weekly checkups and the internal exams have begun, which is so much fun. Yesterday I was 2cm dilated and 50% effaced, but this doesn't mean a lot. I actually lost weight over the last week, so now I'm up 10lbs total, which is just insane. Don't worry though, my doctor says I'm measuring perfectly and that it's normal to lose weight in the last couple of weeks. Seriously though, how I'm losing weight I will never ever understand. I have been starving this week and eating like it's my job! Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night to have a snack and am famished again by morning. Baby must be working hard in there. If there's anything at all I can say I crave, it's fruit. This week in fact, I polished off a huge watermelon all by myself.. in two days! Does anyone have hidden messages into what this addiction to fruit means?

For a month or two it's been physically impossible to bend over. My body cannot move in the forward fold direction any longer. I mean, it makes sense, but I didn't realize this would happen! (It's not just me, right?). I'm also quite uncomfortable sitting down and find that I need to do so with perfect posture, like in the picture below. I've gone to see a few movies lately, which makes my body ache, but I must say, Harry Potter was so worth the sore back :)

Last week I realized my usual sleeping method was all wrong. I used to sleep on my side with my legs bent and stacked on each other, with a pillow between them. No, no, no. It's so much more comfortable to take a "runner's position" and put my top leg forward, bottom leg backward, and belly tilted onto the mattress a bit. So much better! I've been getting up at least four times a night to use the washroom, which is exhausting in itself, but I guess good practice for when Baby comes, right? And you know how everyone tells you to sleep now while you can? Well I can't. I go to bed later than ever, get up early, and often for an hour at 4am to read. What is wrong with me? I'm just not that tired!

Maybe all of that loss of sleep is catching up to me because earlier this week I absolutely hit a wall, energy wise. I spent the majority of Monday and Tuesday laying around with the beginnings of a cold, but I'm feeling much better today and my energy is back! Thank goodness because there's still so many things I want to do, like try out the new Chick-Fil-A restaurant downtown. I can't get it out of my mind!

Recently I've noticed that Baby is getting the hiccups! It's happened three times so far, fortunately once when M was home, so he got to feel them. Also, every time I think of Baby, I picture her as a girl. This started happening only a few weeks ago. Before then, I had no inkling of what the gender could be. I'm not sure why, but if it turns out to be a boy, I'll be quite surprised.

I've been preparing myself for natural birth by reading lots of books, including the Bradley Method, which talks about the birthing techniques of animals, and how using similar methods can create a stress-free, natural environment for humans. I've also been listening to the Hypnobabies soundtrack, which is a form of self-hypnosis, and sounds wacky, but may work with me because I can become zen really, really easily! It sounds funny, but it's true. One of the nurses told me I could be a professional meditator, whatever that means.

After spending a lot of time researching doulas, M and I finally chose one to work with through an organization called Birthways. I really want a doula for extra labour support and guidance. If I was still living in Canada I most certainly would have a midwife, but here, a doula will have to suffice. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say about my experiences after the baby is born!

So, with two weeks til my due date, I'm ready, both physically and mentally, to have this baby. Over the last few months I have gone through many emotional states. To be completely honest the most common being.. oh lordy, why am I having a baby, I enjoy my freedom too much, I'm not ready for this, I don't want to be so tied down, etc. etc. Now my mindset has (mostly) changed to being excited for this next stage of life and finally finding out if this thing inside me is a boy or girl!

Mostly though, I am just content in the fact that I've had a wonderful pregnancy thus far! There are so many people who struggle with fertility issues and I'm feeling a whole lot of gratitude right now about how beautiful this process has been. The human body is so amazing!