38 WEEKS (SWISS CHARD): Dec 18-24

Tired mama!

• Baby is upwards of 7 lb at this point. That sounds like an ideal weight to give birth to... I'm worried that baby is larger than this already with the rate that I've been gaining weight. I can't tell where my weight gain is going though... fat stores for breast feeding? Water weight that is too spread out to notice? All in my belly? Baby?! 
• Baby-K is full term at this point and is ready for life in the outside world! Well... unless you ask him apparently. He is snug as a bug in a rug in there. Great for him... glad he's happy... Mommy is pretty miserable! Haha! Trying to cherish these last few days/weeks before he comes, but feeling PRETTY ready at this point! 
• Stretch marks (or as Amy reminded me to call them... love lines) are appearing more and more every day. I try to keep a good attitude about this. Makes me wonder if I appreciated my "smooth" skin pre-pregnancy enough! It will never ever be the same again.
• Along with the stretch marks comes the itchy belly! I am often caught with my hand up my shirt scratching away. No amount of cocoa butter, coconut oil, vitamin E oil or anything helps! Just going to have to deal with it! 
• I have considered starting to sleep on the couch in the night time because it is firmer than our bed, and easier to get off of when I have to go pee. Our bed is very comfortable memory foam, but it is becoming much to difficult to finagle my way out every 1.5-2 hours to pee in the middle of the night! 
• We had our 38 week midwife check-up on Monday. 
• Weight: 153 lb. (Total gain of 30 lb.) I have gained 11 lbs. in the last 4 weeks... That is 7+ lb more than "recommended"... I was giving myself a hard time, and feeling pretty discouraged. I knew I hadn't gotten as much exercise as typical, and I didn't have the best diet, but I couldn't believe I had gained that much! I told the midwives about the gain and even she was like, "But you look great! Where did all that weight go? You're all baby!" As it turns out I have started water retention. My legs are swelling up now. Bring on the sock lines and cankles! Have to drink lots of water and keep my feet elevated more often. Glamorous!
• Blood Pressure: 121/78
• Belly Measurement: 37 cm. This number is only "lower than expected" because baby has dropped so much already. She said, "Baby is quite low, but that's okay". I know it's okay! He's ready to come out! 
• Baby Heart Rate: 130 BPM. This number is also lower than it has been. Baby was resting, and Carol (midwife) said near the end of pregnancy the heart rate can slow down. Things are just getting snug in there I guess. 
• My results for my Group B Strep test came back negative!
• I get somewhat "nervous" as baby is full term in there just hanging out. I get worried that he's going to have his first little pooh in there and be under stressed and I won't notice. Babies produce meconium which is made up of some of the stuff they ingest from the amniotic fluid. It makes up their first poop which usually happens after they're born. Occasionally though, it can happen in the womb. If they then ingest that it can be very bad for baby. I know some moms who have had this happen and they say they "woke up one morning and something just didn't feel right." What does that mean? How will I know? 
• I know chances are everything will be perfectly fine, and I don't live in fear of something happening necessarily. I just like to be prepared, know what to look for, have as much knowledge as possible!
• I thought one evening that maybe my water was leaking. I stood up to go pee and when I went pee I noticed my underwear were wet already! I know of a few people who have had their water break and be leaking for a while before noticing or going to the hospital, so I was cautious of this. In the end I didn't notice any further leakage. Maybe Baby-K just succeeded in using my bladder as a punching bag haha. Who knows!
• Well... any "signs" or anything clearly were false alarms. Made it right through 38 weeks and still no baby! This is hard work! Haha
• We visited with Katrina and Brayden this week, and Kat and I had to get a side-by-side shot of our bellies. In this picture she is 32 weeks pregnant with her second little boy, and I'm 38 weeks pregnant with my first little boy!

Ahhhh Katrina, I remember when my belly was cute and small like yours and I thought I was huge. Sigh... those were the days! Haha :)