Tag: pregnancy

Merfbaby is 38 weeks!

Just 2 weeks left to go!

How I’m Feeling: Round? The belly is low and heavy, I feel it in my legs when I’m walking up and down the stairs. I also find that I’m getting tired in the late afternoon and evenings. When 6:00pm comes around I am more than ready to head home and finish up my day. I still feel good and I’m going into work every day, the security guard at the gate sees me in the mornings on my way in and always is amazed that I’ve made it another day.  At my appointment on Wednesday my Dr checked me and I’m 1cm. Whoo, just 9 more to go! Ha. Everything looks good, he’s still head down.

Belly/Weight: Didn’t gain any weight last week. I’m at a total of 42lbs. Which I feel good about. I’m sure a chunk of that is baby/fluid, and some french fries ;) I’m not stressed about losing the weight, but I am excited to start working out harder again and getting my fitness level back up. I miss spin class!

Life Changes: We have the nursery finished which is a huge relief. I was anxious to get that done, and now that it’s ready it’s strange not to have a ton to do. I have a little cleaning and some meal prep to finish up this weekend and then I’ll feel “done.” Even if I don’t get to those things I still feel ready enough at home. Work is another story…I need to start packing up my things on the weekends just in case I go into labor and don’t come back. If I really needed something that got left behind I’m sure someone could bring it to me, but I’m trying to leave on Friday’s with everything sort of organized and settled in case I don’t make it in on Monday.

Movement: Lots of movement still! Some days he’s more active than others. He was really busy on Tuesday and Wednesday. I know he’s short on space so the movements are pushy and slow.

Sleep: I told my Dr I’m still sleeping well and she said that’s amazing. I feel like I’ve been lucky to have an easy pregnancy and I’m so thankful I’ve been able to sleep. I probably wouldn’t be coming into work at this point if I wasn’t sleeping. I’m waking up 3 – 4 times a night for potty breaks but I can fall asleep pretty quickly when I crawl back into bed.

Cravings: Nothing special recently. I made pancakes for dinner last night, mostly because nothing else sounded good or was too much work. It did the trick.

Exercise: Taking it easy for now. Walking up and down the stairs at work and at home is my big exercise. I may start taking some evening walks with Merfman just to help things get rolling with labor. I’ve always felt Merfbaby would be later rather than sooner, but I don’t want to go too far over my due date have have to be induced.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: Resting on Sunday. It was SO hard for me to sit still on the couch and just relax after having such a busy weekend, but Merfman insisted. We took an infant CPR class in the morning and spent the rest of the day on the couch resting. I have a really hard time sitting still around the house, but it’s a good habit for me to learn since I’ll soon be attached to a baby.

On My Mind: Labor. My Dr asked me if I’ve had any contractions but I told her I wasn’t sure. I had felt some discomfort on the right side of my tummy on Saturday, but I wasn’t sure they were contractions. I thought they would feel like cramps and be lower. Since I was only feeling it on one side and they felt like having sore ab muscles I didn’t worry about it too much. She told me they probably were contractions and I was feeling them more on that side because that’s where his butt and feet are always pushing out. Huh. Good to know. I haven’t felt any more sense, but now that I know what they feel like I realize I’ve had a few of them at night while sleeping. I know I could have them off and on for days before labor really gets going, so I’m not getting too excited, but I do know that I need to listen to my body and slow down since I’m going to need to save my energy for a pretty massive athletic event coming up…

Merfbaby is 37 weeks!

We’re full term! If Merfbaby decided to arrive anytime now we’d be good to go. Crazy.

How I’m Feeling: Still feeling good, but pregnant. I don’t look massive, and people even comment that from the back or in my face I don’t “look” pregnant. I still feel pregnant though! Sitting on the couch for a longer period is uncomfortable so I’m always moving and switching positions. I’m most comfortable laying on my side or sitting cross legged on the floor.

Belly/Weight: Belly is lower which is nice because I don’t feel him up in my ribs and lungs as much. But he’s sitting square on my bladder now, and I’m well aware of that!!

Life Changes: Work is still trucking along, everyone is heading to Comic Con the weekend of the 20th so that should be interesting since it’s the weekend before my due date. I’m hoping it goes smoothly since it can be stressful for travel and itineraries.

Movement: He’s still moving a bunch, but I know he’s running out of room. I feel him thumping a lot, like he’s knocking around in there looking for more space. He still likes to push lower into my pelvis and is really wedged in there.

Sleep: Sleep is good! I switch sides often and have 3 – 4 potty breaks a night but I’m able to fall asleep quickly each time. Our AC was out over the weekend so it was hotter than normal but I still slept ok.

Cravings: Mexican food :) We had a date night on Friday and had mexican. My cravings are never super strong, more of a “hm, that sounds pretty good.”

Exercise: I was on my feet a lot Thursday and Friday and I was feeling it big time. I was so happy to fall into bed over the weekend and not have an alarm set.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: Finishing the nursery!!!! It’s 100% ready for Merfbaby. All the clothes are washed and everything is opened and put away. It feels strange to not have anything to do anymore.

On My Mind: It’s a different kind of anxious. Like an excited and nervous feeling. We finished our last Bradly class on Saturday. 12 weeks and done! It was crazy to say goodbye to the other couples knowing the next time we see each other we’ll all have our babies. I can feel by body getting ready for labor. I really need to focus on relaxing and taking it easy. I know my body will need to be rested for labor, but my mind is always thinking of something that needs to be done. Merfman forced me to sit on the couch most of yesterday which was so hard for me, but it was good. I feel much more rested today.

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!