And we’re officially full term- 37 weeks

We are officially full term. The due date is more like a matter of days away- not so much weeks. Below, I (Machelle) posted pictures of me at 36 weeks and 37. I think I dropped. I personally don’t “see” my belly lower- but others do. I feel other changes.

I haven’t had heartburn in 5 days. I was getting used to popping Tums 2-3 times a day. With no heartburn I have resumed my consumption of frozen lemonades.

If I stand up, I have to pee- immediately. It’s a race to the bathroom. It literally feels like I have to pee every 5 minutes or I’ll explode- even if only a little comes out. I’ll go into the kitchen to make something, get started, realize I have to pee, come back, put something in the oven, realize I have to pee again, get something out of the fridge- oh crap, I have to pee AGAIN. All within 20 minutes.

I have so much pressure. I feel like Doodle is constantly pressing in my pelvis, on my hips bones, and even, yes I’ll say it- my private area. Dear lord my private area. No one warned me about this. I knew it would hurt after the baby- but no one told me it would feel like your labia were getting punched. Ice packs help tremendously.

Yesterday was rough. I woke up with terrible back pain. Mary said we should go swimming at a friend’s pool so we did. Well, more like floating. I just lay my head on a floating mat and let the rest of my body dangle. It felt good for about an hour and a half…and then the “private area” pain was getting worse and I wanted to go home. I sat in the tub, still having a ton of pressure. I don’t want to be one of those women who think every twinge is imminent labor, so I try to stay calm and truthfully, don’t tell Mary every time I have a little contraction. She gets a little upset with me when she knows I’m trying to cover it up. I just don’t want her getting to nervous, or telling her I might be in labor but then I’m not really. I don’t want to speak up until I’m sure its time. I’ve read that women frequently have a lot of pelvic pressure and contractions for a few weeks before they actually go into active labor.

I can tell a contraction is starting up because I feel the soreness down below and it radiates up, first in my lower pelvis, then up my abdomen, until my entire tummy is rock hard and you can see the detail of Doodle’s bum and legs. My tummy gets so hard and its like it squeezes Doodle so tight. Doodle hates it- kicks against the contractions like “QUIT SQUEEZING ME!!!”. And the kicking inside an already tight uterus makes it hurt more.

When they start I tell myself this is good. It means my body is practicing, and hopefully labor will come naturally before drastic measures like stripping membranes or inducing/Pitocin would be mentioned by the midwives. I just stay calm, breathe through it, and then wait to see if another others come with any regularity- so far, not.

We see the midwives every week now. I’m not measuring too big anymore- that’s a relief. At the appointment last Tuesday they said I should make it to my next appointment which is this Friday. I’ll be 38 weeks by that appointment….gosh that’s close.

Other things that happened this week:

Had lunch with two previous coworkers from the pediatric office I used to work at. They were so sweet- got us adorable onesies and a 2 Mommy book.

We also had a shower at my current office. The employees were so sweet- and thank goodness we got some more coat hangers. I had no idea how many clothes we would be getting and how tiny they would be. Lots of bath stuff, adorable onesies, blankets, nipple brushes, etc. That’s the last shower- so Doodle can come now.

How far along: 37 weeks 3 days
Total weight gain so far: 13 pounds
How big is Doodle?: Not sure, haven’t had an ultrasound in awhile- if I had to guess somewhere between 7 and 8 pounds.
Stretch marks: Some, mostly on my left side.
Belly button In/Out: In
Wedding ring Off/On: On, I’ve had no hand swelling yet.
Most current symptoms:

Vaginal Pain
Contractions every day

Sleep: Getting up 3-5 times a night. Getting very thirsty throughout the night, drinking 2-3 water bottles.
Miss anything: The ability to not have to constantly think, “Will I be able to make until I can get to a bathroom?
Movement: Constantly- Doodle never slowed down. Gets fussy when contractions squeeze too tight.
Food cravings: Back on a lemonade kick now that the heartburn is gone.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope
Baby Gender: Unknown
Labor signs: Lots of pressure all day, irregular contractions 4-6 times a day, vaginal pain. Had some increased energy this morning, but mostly just so exhausted.
Best moment this week: Finding out I was Group B Strep negative!!!
Looking forward to: At this point, I’m just ready for Doodle to come out. But our next midwife appointment is Friday.
Purchases for Doodle: We’ve been trying to restrain ourselves. We did get the dogs two new Kong toys so they will have something to do when I’m home alone and need them to be calm- like when I’m nursing Doodle. So, hopefully they will keep our two furchildren occupied. I know it’s not technically a purchase for Doodle, but Doodle will benefit from the dogs being calm and entertained.
Things people say: We were shopping at Costco and some lady creepily said to me in a singing voice, “Somebody ate a watermelon….”