39 Weeks: Waiting Game

How far along:
39 Weeks.

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a mini watermelon.
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: +2.6
Total Gain: +26.0
It seems like I've given up on any semblance of keeping to my goal weight of gaining only 20 lbs. Honestly, I've given up on just about everything except getting this baby out of me! As far as clothes go, now that I'm at home I wear as little as possible. Partly because I don't like clothes, partly because I'm trying to stay on top of laundry (because OMG he could be coming any minute now!), and partly because all of my comfortable stuff is packed in my hospital bag.

Movement?
His movement has definitely slowed down in the last week. One day he scared me so bad I almost called the doctor (he finally moved around 8:30 that night). What a little stinker. I'm trying to tell myself that he doesn't have any room left & he's gearing up for his entry into the world.

Food cravings/aversions?
Again with the milk. There isn't a whole lot I don't like. Last night I dreamt about Publix raspberry tea. So, I'm going to have to pick that up when I go to the grocery store today.

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, sensitivity to smells, nausea, vivid dreams, big belly, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, swelling, heartburn, hip pain, drooling, gas, increased thirst, difficulty breathing (only because all of my insides are squished from the giant baby), pressure on my cervix/bladder, irritability, carpal tunnel, difficulty moving around (especially sitting up, standing up from sitting on the floor), insomnia, anxiety & excitement, impatience.

What do I miss?
Having my body to myself! I miss being able to sit up without help (or without it taking a full 5 step process). I miss seeing my toes. I miss being able to bend down to pick something up off the ground. I miss having a lap for my nieces & nephews (& all the organizing work I've been doing lately). I really miss having feeling in my right hand. Let me just say that Ryker is super comfortable on whatever nerve he is sitting on. My right hand is either completely numb or it's tingly all day long. Super annoying.

Labor Signs: This is the state of my cervix. And it will be gross. Skip it if you want. This whole blog is mostly for my documentation anyways. You've been warned..............
At my weekly appointment yesterday I was dilated 2 cm, 50% effaced, and Ryker was in the -3 position. Progress is still being made (but barely).
The doctor said that if he had to guess, he'd still guess late in the week. Well, it's Friday and it doesn't get much later in the week than today (or tomorrow). I'm still pretty sure that we'll have to induce after his due date. The doc said they could induce me now that I'm 39 weeks and as tempting as that was (to finally hold Ryker in my arms, to not be pregnant anymore, to work around family schedules...) I declined. We decided to wait until my next appointment (9/3) to schedule an induction. Although, my doctor said he doesn't think I'll make it til then. Unfortunately, there have been no other labor signs. I keep hoping every time I stand up that I'll notice my water has broken. Nothing. No contractions. No Braxton Hicks (that I can tell anyways). Nothing. Ryker is pretty comfy in there.


This Week:
Ryker is still waiting to greet the world (despite my wishes). He continues to put on fat and should weigh over 7 lbs by now (more like 9 lbs, amiright?). He measures over 20 inches long and the outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
-From Babycenter.com



Bump Shot: 

Had to get one last bathroom shot before I started maternity leave.

38 Weeks: Losing Patience

How far along:
38 Weeks.

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a stalk of a leek.
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: +3.0
Total Gain: +23.4
I have no comments on this. Except that I don't foresee weight gain slowing down anytime soon. I'm so hungry!

Movement?
Yep. Still have a lot of movement. Which is nice.

Food cravings/aversions?
Milk mostly. But I can (& do) usually eat just about anything. Except salads. Tried to eat one last weekend. Felt sick all day long.

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, sensitivity to smells, nausea, vomiting (exorcist style), vivid dreams, big belly, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, swelling, heartburn, hip pain, drooling, gas, increased thirst, difficulty breathing (only because all of my insides are squished from the giant baby), pressure on my cervix/bladder, irritability, carpal tunnel, difficulty moving around (especially sitting up, standing up from sitting on the floor).

What do I miss?
So much. And maybe that's contributing to my impatience.

Labor Signs: This is the state of my cervix. And it will be gross. Skip it if you want. This whole blog is mostly for my documentation anyways. You've been warned..............  
At my weekly appointment yesterday I was dilated 1.5 cm, 50% effaced, and Ryker was in the -3 position. Progress is still being made (although it's not as much as I'd like...).
The doctor said that if he had to guess, he'd put money on sometime late next week. But, predicting labor is only a guessing game... so I'm not putting a whole lot on next week. However, I have noticed that every time I go to the doctor I come home feeling like there's so much to do & so little time to do it in... So, I usually spend the evenings of my doctor's appointment cleaning/packing/organizing/etc... Maybe I should go more often? My house would be so much cleaner!


This Week:
Ryker has really plumped up. He now weighs about 6.8 pounds (or more) and is over 19.5 inches long. He has a firm grasp and his organs are mature and ready for life on the outside. DID YOU HEAR THAT RYKER? YOU CAN COME ON OUT ANYTIME NOW!!!! (I'm a little over pregnancy right now.)
-From Babycenter.com



Bump Shot: Wet hair, don't care. 

37 Weeks: FULL TERM

How far along:
37 Weeks. Officially full term! (Which means you can come on out whenever you're ready, Ryker. We're all waiting to meet you!)

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a stalk of swiss chard.
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: +2.3
Total Gain: +20.4
I have officially hit 20 lbs, which is the max I really wanted to gain. At least the scales are showing +20 at 37 weeks instead of at 20 weeks, amirite.
Also, some of my maternity clothes are getting a little tight/short. But since I only have to deal with 2.5 more weeks of work (YAYYYYY!!!!) I'm just going to make it work.

Movement?
Yep. Still have a lot of movement. Which is nice.

Food cravings/aversions?
Milk, chocolate milk, ice, water is nice, fruit is also good (especially watermelon), chicken fingers. Salads still gross me out. Meh. It is what it is.

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, sensitivity to smells, nausea, vomiting, vivid dreams, big belly, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, swelling, heartburn, hip pain, drooling, gas, increased thirst, difficulty breathing (only because all of my insides are squished from the giant baby), pressure on my cervix/bladder, irritability.

What do I miss?
A lot. But I'm looking forward to meeting Ryker more than I miss anything.

Labor Signs: This is the state of my cervix. And it will be gross. Skip it if you want. This whole blog is mostly for my documentation anyways. You've been warned..............  
All last week I was feeling slightly crampy, but nothing to worry about. Also, there's been some mucus. At my appointment yesterday I was dilated 1 cm, 40% effaced, and Ryker was in the -4 position. BAM. Progress. Especially if you compare that to the nothing that was going on at the appointment before. The doctor said he could barely feel Ryker's head. WHAT!?! He can feel my baby's head! Also, the doc said that this progress makes him think that Ryker will probably come on his own (instead of having to induce after the due date which is what I've thought all along). And since my appointment yesterday I'm either spotting from the cervical check or slowly losing my mucus plug. I'm thinking most likely it's spotting, but hey, a girl can dream right?
Needless to say, yesterday's appointment has lit a fire under my butt. I'm all of a sudden trying to finish preparing everything for Ryker's arrival. (Like finding a crib skirt! I cannot find one I like... so I'm thinking about making one. That's not entirely crazy, right?)


This Week:
Ryker is now considered full term. If he decides to make an entrance now, his lungs are likely mature enough to fully adjust to life on the outside. He weighs about 6.3 lbs (probably more since he's such a big boy) and measures about 19 inches head to heel. If he's not a baldy, he already has hair 1/2 - 1 1/2 inches long!
-From Babycenter.com

Bump Shot:

36 Weeks

So, I promise I wrote this all at week 36 and took a photo and everything... apparently I never actually published this post. Pregnancy brain much?

How far along:
36 Weeks. Officially 9 months pregnant.

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a crenshaw melon.
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: +1
Total Gain: +18.1



Movement?
Yep. Still have a lot of movement. Which is nice.

Food cravings/aversions?
Milk & chocolate milk. I had my last baby shower on Saturday and seriously ate so much that I'm still full! I'm kind of at the point where there's not a whole lot of room to eat a lot at once so, I've mostly been snacking. The menu since Saturday has consisted mostly of milk, fruit, nachos (snack size, which is a lot of trouble), and chicken fingers. I've also been so incredibly thirsty over the last few days. Like I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot lie back down without drinking at least 8 oz of ice cold water. (Which I usually regret about 30 minutes later.)

Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, sensitivity to smells, nausea, vomiting, vivid dreams, big belly, loss of appetite, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, swelling, heartburn, back & hip pain, drooling, gas, itchiness, increased thirst, difficulty breathing (only because all of my insides are squished from the giant baby), pressure on my cervix/bladder, irritability.

What do I miss?
Getting comfortable.

Labor Signs: None. I had my first cervical check on Tuesday and there's no dilation and he still hasn't dropped. BUT the my doctor did say that I'm about 30% effaced. So... that's something. My lower back is hurting, but it's kind of like premenstrual cramps and I don't think it has anything to do with Ryker making an appearance.


This Week:
Ryker is now about 6lbs & 18.5 inches long. He's started shedding most of his downy hair and vernix caseosa. He's head down and gaining weight quickly - about an ounce a day.
-From Babycenter.com

Bump Shot:

34 & 35 Weeks

We spent the 34th week of pregnancy at the beach & blogging was the last thing on my mind. It was pretty uneventful in terms of pregnancy, but it certainly was a great vacation with family!

How far along:
35 Weeks.

How big is the baby:
Baby is the size of a honeydew melon.
-image via Babycenter


Weight gain/Maternity clothes:
Gained this week: +3.7 gained in 2 weeks
Total Gain: +17.1
I've definitely gained more overall than I had hoped, but as long as Ryker is healthy I'm ok. The doctor seems to think he'll be an eight pounder, so I feel pretty confident about losing baby weight after he's here.



Movement?
Yup. But I think he's running out of room. I'm not feeling jabs/kicks at all anymore. It's more like he's trying to situate himself & get comfortable.

Food cravings/aversions?
Love: milk, chocolate milk, ice cream, ice, watermelon, sweets
Hates: salad, sloppy joes


Gender?
BOY!

Symptoms?
fatigue, insomnia, nausea, vivid dreams, big belly, big appetite, elevated temperature & lots of sweating, swelling, heartburn, back pain, hip pain, breast changes (not the size though... I might be the only pregnant woman who has had boob shrinkage), itchiness, drooling, gas, constipation, irritability.


What do I miss?
A lot this week. This is the part of the post that will sound like complaining. I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I am so so happy to be able to take part in making this little miracle. BUT I am so exhausted. I am so so so sleepy all the time except when it's time to actually go to bed, then all of a sudden I can't sleep at all. Also? I'm starting to get tired of all the other little things that come with being 35 weeks pregnant: I have to sit down to put my pants on because I tip over when I only stand on one foot, tums and zofran are like my new BFFs, my feet and ankles have swollen so much that sometimes I can't get my flipflops off without a struggle, my legs are super hairy because shaving is pretty much an Olympic sport right now, my house is a disaster which annoys me but I am too tired to actually clean up, my stomach looks like I'm harboring and alien when Ryker makes his bigger movements (which is actually pretty cool although I still think it's a little weird that there's a human in there), my stretch marks have stretch marks, it takes about 5 minutes for me to get up from the couch/bed and actually make it to the bathroom so I usually have to start that trip early, it takes me about 5 minutes of struggling (complete with grunting) to get up fromt he couch or bed to go anywhere! and if I stand up too quickly from a chair it feels like I'm going to pee on myself, I'm constantly covered in a sheen of sweat and feel like I smell terrible, it feels like my hips are about to fall out of their sockets, I am so itchy all over the place that I'm pretty sure I'm about to draw blood from all the scratching... I think I'm just ready for him to be here. I know that this won't last forever, but I feel like I've been pretty patient and positive so far. Sure, once he's here I'll probably be all nostalgic for this time, but right now I'm just ready to meet my little guy and have my body back. I can understand why women choose to induce early now. Early induction was something I used to scoff at even as recently as April or May of this year. I just didn't understand how uncomfortable this part is. And once you combine that discomfort with the anticipation of meeting this little person.... Well, it just doesn't seem so crazy now. We still will not induce early because my husband has some pretty serious opinions about that, but now I'm thinking induction a few days after his due date instead of a full week or more later. And, honestly, if Ryker wants to come early on his own... well that is perfectly fine with me!

This Week:
Ryker is pretty much physically developed now and will spend the next few weeks putting on weight to help regulate his body temperature once he's on the outside. He's over 18 inches long and should weigh around 5.25 lbs (although I'm pretty sure Ryker weighs a little more than that already). His kidneys are fully developed and his liver can process some waste products already. We're all just preparing for his arrival.
-From Babycenter.com

Bump Shot:
35 Weeks