
How far along? 38 weeks, 2 days.
Size of baby: Baby is the size of a pumpkin!
Gender: Baby Girl :)
Weight Gain: Holding steady at about 25 pounds. It has fluctuated a bit recently, but I think that is due to how much I am swelling or not swelling.
Symptoms: I have already mentioned the high blood pressure which has been fun. As a result of that, I have noticed more swelling especially in my hands, feet and face. Richard likes to remind me that my face was pretty swollen for a while, but has recently gotten better. I can only fit into one pair of my shoes and when I take them off I still have lines from where they are pushing on my feet. These last few weeks I have had some really bad neck pain in the right side of my neck. It started out with just a little pain and then one morning I woke up and could not turn my head to the right at all. It has improved some since then, but it is still pretty painful to turn my head side to side. This makes checking over my shoulder while driving a lot of fun. My doctor also told me that he thinks she is lower than she has been in the past and I can definitely feel the difference. When I sit for an extended amount of time, I can feel a lot of pressure really low in my pelvis area.
Signs of Labor: I have noticed my braxton hicks contractions getting stronger, but nothing super strong yet. The other night I did have 4 stronger contractions in less than 20 minutes, but then they basically disappeared.
Movement: Baby girl is constantly moving, especially during the day! Her movement is so much more pronounced these days most likely because she is running out of space. When I feel her move I can feel a definite hardness like I am feeling her bones which is so cool. The funniest thing is that her foot is way over on the right side of my stomach and every once in a while I feel her pushing against my stomach with her little foot. It is so distinct and I love it. She is still head down and since she is so low she is pretty much locked in and not going anywhere. I feel most of the movement in the upper part of my stomach so I assume I am feeling her butt, legs, knees and feet the most.
Sleep: Sleep has been good but not great. Some days are definitely better than others. I am still waking up every few hours to go to the bathroom, and some of those times I will struggle to fall back asleep, especially in the early morning (5 or 6am). Richard normally wakes up between 6 and 7 to either go for a run or get ready for work and I am rarely still sleeping by the time he actually leaves. Since I am waking up early, I tend to take an hour or two hour nap in the morning. Most days I am awake around 6 and will take a nap at 9. The naps have made a huge difference and I am feeling much more energized. I am just trying to stay rested so that I am ready for whenever labor hits.
To Do List: Even though I have basically been on couch rest for the last few weeks, we have still been able to accomplish some items on our list. I finished washing all the baby clothes, disinfected all the baby gear, went on a date night to see Beauty and the Beast, set up baby items in the living room, finished packing the hospital bag, deep cleaned the house, stocked up our pantry with some easy meals for after baby, started the baby book, and got a pedicure. At this point, we have crossed off the major things we wanted to get done before baby girl gets here so it feels good to be prepared.
Best Moment This Week: Being able to do a little mini-birthday celebrating this past weekend since we don't know if we will actually be able to celebrate next weekend. We went to my favorite place for lunch, did a little shopping, got some ice cream and I got a pedicure. Nothing super fancy over here since there is not much I can really do these days.
Looking Forward To: Not having to worry about my blood pressure any more. And also, getting to finally see what our baby girl looks like!
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