It's more than time for another update. I guess as pregnancy has advanced, my inspiration has petered out. Or maybe it's just my energy level that has petered out. Whew! This baby is getting heavy, and definitely NOT more comfortable than when I last wrote. Turns out, carrying a 5-7lb person in your abdomen 24/7 wears a lady out!
The newest developments on the physical front include the baby moving and stretching inward and downward into my guts, instead of mostly outward. This inward movement causes new levels of discomfort like I never imagined! I don't really want to get all complainy here, but I really thought internal organs weren't supposed to have nerves to be able to feel that! I'm pretty sure this baby quite literally kicks the crap out of me sometimes. I just hope I don't develop any internal bleeding. That doesn't happen, right? I mean, women's bodies are designed to withstand their ninja babies' antics, or else the human race would have died out a long time ago. So, I'll be fine. I just need to keep reminding myself that.
The movements are always getting bigger, and it is seriously nuts to see the shape of my stomach change so drastically. The ripples and corners that appear and disappear at random look like something out of a freaky science fiction story. Weird, weird, weird. But awesome. I love watching her squirm around in there, it is so fascinating. I was aware that the movements would get strong enough to see, but I had no idea it would look this dramatic. I seriously need to get a video before it's too late!
The fetal hiccups I was warned about seem to happen mostly in the evening when I've gone to bed or am snuggled up on the couch, and they are kind of annoying. I guess it's similar to when I have hiccups- I'm never exactly sure when then next one is coming but I'm pretty sure it is, and that makes it really hard to relax or concentrate on anything else.
Confession: The other day while I was sorting and putting away baby clothes (thanks again, Aunt Bev and Allison!), I teared up a little. The mental image of my brand new and completely perfect little person wearing one of those tiny adorable outfits was just too much for me! The socks are unreasonably small. There is no excuse for a person to be small enough to fit into one of those. It's unreal. In 3 weeks or less there will be a tiny person here having her tiny feet fit into those ridiculous socks. Well, at least those feet won't be doing me any more internal damage then! On one hand, I'm really excited to meet her and hold her and it feels like torture to have had to wait SO LONG and be so close and yet so far away from the actual time of her arrival. On the other hand, despite the discomfort and complaints, I've gotten used to her and to being pregnant. I don't feel the need to get her out ASAP, I feel like I can keep this up for a while and there is no rush. I want her to be good and ready to make her appearance, and as thrilled as I will be to have me back to myself, I don't mind her waiting around for a while longer. The only caveat is please please please, Lego, come out on your own before the 42 week mark so we don't have to discuss induction!
People get surprised when we discuss my plan to forgo pain medication, especially when I tell them I'm not worried about labor. Well, younger people anyway. Most of my elderly clients didn't have much in the way of pain relief options so they're less impressed. It surprises me a little bit how engrained in our modern cultural mindset it is that labor in an intolerably painful experience that is only made endurable by the grace of modern medicine. People who choose to go that route have every right and while I encourage them to read, take classes, and educate themselves, I respect that they make the choices that are right for them. I wrote about birthing and labor in a previous post and don't want to go into it much here, but for me I'm really not worried about it. I don't expect it to be a cakewalk, but I have come to a place where I am very confident in my ability to give birth. Any pain I experience will be tolerable and I'm not afraid of it. My only concern is that I will not maintain my confidence and resolve throughout labor. I am absolutely certain I can do it, I'm less certain that I will still believe that while I'm actually doing it. Fortunately, I feel good about my choice of birthplace and birth partner and I trust them to give me the support I need. I'd like to have a doula, but they are very expensive and I just can't justify the out of pocket cost right now. I have been meaning to look into finding one who is in training and willing to come to my birth for free or very cheap to help her get the required experience for certification, but I keep forgetting. Maybe I will get to that before labor starts...
Dan's been a little jumpy for the last week or two. Every time I complain about my poor pulverized guts or say his name with any sort of emotional inflection (really, what pregnant lady isn't emotional?), he's pretty sure I'm about to tell him to go start the car and get me to the hospital. I don't scare him on purpose, but I have to admit that it's amusing! I am glad he has started keeping his phone on him while he is at work, though. It's nice to know he is now reachable if I need him and I won't have to wait until he is on break to be able to get ahold of him. Especially since he now has the car while he is there!
Technically I have been full term for 2 weeks now, since at 37 weeks babies are no longer considered premature. It feels surreal that the countdown to my estimated due date is now measured in days, not weeks. I finally stopped working after I finished my shift last friday, and now we are just playing the waiting game!
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