39 weeks

How far along? 39 weeks (and 1 day)

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 28 pounds.....somehow I lost a pound even though my swelling is worse this week.  I'll take it!

Maternity clothes? Pretty much everything at this point and I may never return to regular pants since maternity pants are so comfortable!  Most of my regular yoga and "comfy pants" don't even fit me across my belly anymore.

Stretch Marks? Nada.  That spot on my hip has never developed into a stretch mark after all. 

Sleep:  Not too bad in the last few days.  I've had some 4 hour stretches of sleep, which has been really nice.

Best moment this week:  Girls' weekend and NKOTBSB concert with my work girls!!!  Some much needed girl time before this baby arrives!

Movement: Still very active, especially today, which I'm cherishing since it's really my last day to feel her move inside me.  Tomorrow she'll be in our arms!

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food aversions: Chicken and eggs, although I have been able to eat a Chik-Fil-A sandwich here and there.

  

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Still lots of random contracting and cramping, but I'm still closed.  This doesn't really surprise me since there is nothing in my pelvis pushing against my cervix.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting pretty flat.

What I miss: Not having pitting edema on my ankles!  It is SO PAINFUL!  I also miss being able to sit, stand, walk, or lay down comfortably!  Thank you, Lord, that I wasn't this uncomfortable until recently!

What I am looking forward to: The arrival of our little girl TOMORROW!

  

Milestones: Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

My guess for her weight at birth tomorrow???  7 pounds 7 ounces

38 weeks

How far along? 38 weeks (and 2 days)

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 29 pounds.  This swelling is killing me!

Maternity clothes? Pretty much everything at this point and I may never return to regular pants since maternity pants are so comfortable!  Most of my regular yoga and "comfy pants" don't even fit me across my belly anymore.

Stretch Marks? Nada.  That spot on my hip has never developed into a stretch mark after all. 

Sleep:  TERRIBLE!  I can't get comfortable in bed anymore.  I can't turn in bed without feeling like a beached whale.  I get up every 1-2 hours to pee.  I'm hot and sweaty even just sleeping in a t-shirt and with a sheet over me and a fan blowing on me and the A/C at 68 degrees. Now the couch seems a lot more comfortable than my bed.  UGH!

Best moment this week:  Matt went with me to my LAST doctor's appointment today.  I know he was super bored, but I liked having him there.  Then we went over to the office of one of the MFM doctors I work with for a "bonus" ultrasound where we got to see her profile, that she has some long hair, she's still breech with her feet and hands up by her face.  Her estimated fetal weight today was 7 pounds 4 ounces. 

Movement: Still very active, but not as many jabs and pokes as wiggles, stretches and pushing by her in there.  She is still breech and my C/S is scheduled for July 28th @ 9:30 am with Dr. Cleary.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food aversions: Chicken and eggs, although I have been able to eat a Chik-Fil-A sandwich here and there.

  

Gender: Girl...this was reconfirmed today, although again she wasn't super cooperative about showing the goods.

Labor Signs: Still lots of random contracting and cramping, but I'm still closed.  This doesn't really surprise me since there is nothing in my pelvis pushing against my cervix.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting pretty flat.

What I miss: Not having pitting edema on my ankles!  It is SO PAINFUL!  I also miss being able to sit, stand, walk, or lay down comfortably!  Thank you, Lord, that I wasn't this uncomfortable until recently!

What I am looking forward to: JULY 28th!

  

Milestones: Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.  Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

A huge milestone....37 weeks...aka TERM!

How far along? 37 weeks (and 1 day)

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 27 pounds.  This swelling is killing me!

Maternity clothes? Pretty much everything at this point and I may never return to regular pants since maternity pants are so comfortable!

Stretch Marks? There is one little spot on my right hip that I can't tell if it's a stretch mark in the making or not.  Other than that, none.

Sleep:  TERRIBLE!  I can't get comfortable in bed anymore.  I can't turn in bed without feeling like a beached whale.  I get up every 1-2 hours to pee.  I'm hot and sweaty even just sleeping in a t-shirt and with a sheet over me and a fan blowing on me and the A/C at 68 degrees. 

Best moment this week:  Reaching this milestone was my biggest goal met yet!  I'm super happy about this!

Movement: Still very active, but not as many jabs and pokes as wiggles, stretches and pushing by her in there.  She is still breech and my C/S is scheduled for July 28th @ 9:30 am with Dr. Cleary.

Food cravings: Nothing really.

Food aversions: Chicken and eggs, although I have been able to eat a Chik-Fil-A sandwich here and there.

  

Gender: Girl (if not, this little boy is gonna have one brightly colored room and a lot of dresses to wear)

Labor Signs: Still lots of random contracting and cramping, but I'm assuming my cervix is still closed.  No sign of my mucous plug or any spotting.  

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting pretty flat.

What I miss: Not having pitting edema on my ankles!  It is SO PAINFUL!  I also miss being able to sit, stand, walk, or lay down comfortably!  Thank you, Lord, that I wasn't this uncomfortable until recently!

What I am looking forward to: JULY 28th!

  

Milestones: 

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, her lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

4 weeks or less!

How far along? 36 weeks (and 1 day)

Due Date: August 2, 2011

Total weight gain/loss: 24 pounds.  I was really disappointed about my 4 pound weight gain last week, but this week I didn't gain anything, so I feel a little better.

Maternity clothes? Pretty much everything at this point and I may never return to regular pants since maternity pants are so comfortable!

Stretch Marks? There is one little spot on my right hip that I can't tell if it's a stretch mark in the making or not.  Other than that, none.

Sleep:  Pretty terrible again.  Waking up every hour or 2 to go pee and change positions.

Best moment this week:  Feeling like I have most everything accomplished that I wanted to get done before Baby Girl gets here. 

Movement: She's still very active, but has yet to flip head down.  I have my C-section scheduled for August 2nd, but will be changing that to the week before while I'm at my doctor's appointment tomorrow.

Food cravings: Seafood!

Food aversions: Chicken and eggs, although I have been able to eat a Chik-Fil-A sandwich here and there.

  

Gender: Girl (if not, this little boy is gonna have one brightly colored room and a lot of dresses to wear)

Labor Signs:  I stopped my Procardia this week and have continued to have about the same amount of contractions every day, but now some of them feel like strong menstrual cramps.  At my doctor's appointment last week, my cervix was still closed, but it was 50% effaced and soft, so it makes me wonder if I'll even make it to my scheduled C-section date in 3 weeks.  This also makes me a little sad that she hasn't turned because I feel like I would have a good shot at a good labor.

Belly Button in or out? Still in, but getting pretty flat.

What I miss: Walking without my arches of my feet hurting.  All the swelling (which really isn't too terrible compared to some edema I've seen) puts so much pressure on the arches of my feet and they are killing me by the middle of the day.

What I am looking forward to: Being term next week and Matt coming home from Vegas in the next few weeks and then, of course, this baby coming out of me! 

  

Milestones: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.  At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.)