Due date: September 27
How far along: 36 Weeks
Next appointment: Sept 3...which will be a birthing 'class'
/ check-up
Total weight gain/loss: 20 kilos..eek (I put it in kilos so
it looks like less ;)
Exercise: Still walking the dog daily and the elliptical ,
one or two times a week.
Stretch marks: Yes, they finally made their appearance. They
look like a tiger clawed me
Swelling: Only when on long road trips. We went to Austria last week with my
brother and sister-in-law. 3 days
of more than 4 hours of driving- it was a lot of time in the car, and lots
bathroom stops! We have no more
trips scheduled at this point thankfully!
Maternity clothes: Yes, though I have found a few
non-maternity items of clothing that can work with the bell. A long skirt with an elastic waist, a
sleeveless sweater that isn't supposed to be buttoned..
Belly button: It is still in, though it is strange looking
Sleep: It is very difficult to get comfortable and between
the trips to the bathroom and extreme midnight movement, I now begin the night
on the couch and come to bed around 4-5 a.m. I feel like I am giving Ed a good few hours of uninterrupted
sleep since sleep is pretty important when flying a fast plane.
Food cravings/aversions: None
Movement: Starting at week 34, the baby reached my
ribs. I find it odd that there are
not more women complaining about rib pain on the internet because of all things
I have experienced in the last 8 months, this is the most painful and annoying
thing. The only thing that seems to
help is standing and walking.
Sitting at a table or the computer for long periods of time almost
becomes unbearable!
Labor signs: I am having more BH contractions than
ever.
What I miss: Not grunting every time I sit down and
especially when I stand up. If I
am lying on the couch and get up, I look like a turtle on my back for a few
moments!
What I'm loving: The answer to this question will always be
feeling the baby move. Which is
part of the reason I don't sleep well at night, but maybe because I like to lie
there and just feel what he is doing in there! Even when he is in my ribs, I will gently push where his
butt or feet are and if it is his feet, he will often times kick back!
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing the face that I have
only ever seen in slightly distorted black and white images...and getting my
body 'back'. It will be nice to
not have a huge, hard stomach blocking the path between me and my feet.
Milestones: While the baby is not yet full term until next
week, one of my friends who writes a blog and recently had a baby described
week 36 is a big week because 'you have 2 to 6 weeks left'. The possibility of seeing the baby
starting in 2 weeks is exciting.
Goals: To order the rest of the baby things from our
registry.
Weekly thoughts/wisdom: While I have no wisdom to impart, I have read a few books
about natural birth that have given me something to think about. My birth 'plan' includes a natural
birth...so I have been trying to mentally prepare myself for that. It seems like most women's birth plans
rarely go as hoped so I don't really have any expectations. Obviously this will be me first time to
give birth but I am trying to think positively about the pain. It's temporary with great reward at the
end. Also, every person on earth
has a mom that gave birth to them so I am not the first person to go through
this!
Thoughts and feelings from Significant Other: He is
impatient and ready for this show to get on the road. I made him a paper chain to see the number of days until the
due date!
