Merfbaby is 36 weeks!
I’m officially 9 months pregnant today. Funny how pregnancy is actually 10 months…
How I’m Feeling: Still hanging in there and going to work every day! I’m not moving as fast as I was a few weeks ago, and I’m for sure feeling the belly when I’m sitting and standing for longer periods. Potty breaks are much more frequent too.
Belly/Weight: Only a few ounces gained since last week. Merfbaby is packing on the weight now. My belly is low and big. I had a woman over the weekend comment that it looked like it was having a boy since my belly is so low. Merfman even noticed that it’s more cone shaped than round now. It changes shapes throughout the day as Merfbaby is moving around.
Life Changes: We’ll be done with the nursery next weekend, Merfman and I both have a 4 day weekend for the holiday so we’ll get everything we need to finish wrapped up. After that I’m going to focus on getting meals ready for the freezer and supplies for a crock pot dinner or two. My Momma-son will be staying with us in the beginning so I’m sure she’ll help with meals too :)
Movement: Kicking my butt every day! Which is a good thing, I want him to be strong! He’s running out of space and really pushing to make room. I look down at my tummy and can see him sticking out all over the place. I wonder if other people notice it? When I’m talking to people are work he’s jumping all over the place in there and you can see my belly moving around.
Sleep: Still sleeping hard. And I found the most amazing thing ever. It’s called a pregnancy wedge pillow. It’s made by the people that make the Bobby and it’s a little pillow that you can stick under your belly to support it. Best $12 I’ve ever spent. I like that it’s small and easy to move around when I roll from side to side. I’ve never used one of those big pregnancy pillows, but I don’t think I would like how big and bulky they are.
Cravings: A chocolate milk shake the other night :) And PB&J sandwiches have sounded really good lately.
Exercise: Hiking up and down the stairs on my way to and from work. People think I’m crazy taking the stairs but since I’m not doing much traditional exercise these days besides walking I figure it still helps. I go really slow and hold the hand rail, since my number one fear since getting pregnant has been falling down the stairs.
Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: Hearing Merfman coach me through labor in his sleep last night :) We’ve been practicing our labor and relaxation techniques in Bradley Class so I think it’s on his mind? We both talk in our sleep sometimes and last night he was saying things like “you’re almost there” and “you’re doing great.” It made me smile.
On My Mind: I’m thinking more and more about labor and what life might be like post baby. I’m not worried about labor, Merfman and I feel informed and confident in what might happen. But you never know until it starts! I like knowing that I have a solid idea of how labor progresses and what my body will be going through. I’m a little nervous about the post-labor healing. Yucky. I’ve got all my “stuff” prepared and ready for after Merfbaby comes, I just pray my body does well in labor. Our Bradley Teacher made an interesting point – if you have a natural vaginal labor the “hard” work for your body is done and you focus on healing and bonding with your baby. If you have a c-section that’s major surgery that your body has to recover from while you’re bonding with your baby. If something happens to Merfbaby or me during labor and a c-section is the safest option we’ll do it, but I wouldn’t elect to have a c-section by choice. Guess we’ll find out when the time comes!
The Merfett 