I'm almost 39 weeks now, very pregnant and very ready to not be pregnant anymore. My doctor has continued to tell me she thinks I'll have her early because I'm so petite but I'm staring to think she's going to make a late arrival because there are just no signs of her coming as of lately. I've had lots of back cramping off and on that will last for a few hours but it's not consistent and seems to only happen every few days or so. I have some days where I feel so good all day that I hardly feel pregnant and I also have days where even walking for longer than a couple of minutes is nearly impossible before everything on my body starts aching. Each day is different. When I hit 36 weeks I gained a good 5/6 lbs in a matter of two weeks. She must have went through a big growth spurt because that's the most I've gained in a two week period. Since then I haven't gained any weight, in fact I've actually lost 1 1/2 lbs which puts me at a 22lb weight gain.
I started maternity leave on October 7th and I'm so glad I decided to start leave sooner rather than later because it's truly helped me relax. The first week I was off I got all the baby's clothes washed and put away and my husband completed her nursery. I also spent time deep cleaning parts of the house that were driving me nuts. The following week I did some meal prepping so that I wouldn't have to worry about cooking right away once the baby arrives. I made a huge batch of my turkey chili and my spaghetti sauce with ground turkey and froze both of them. I also stocked up on oatmeal and protein powder for breakfast and froze a bunch of fruit and spinach in individual bags so I could make smoothies easily. Since being home I've had a smoothie for lunch almost every single day. My smoothie usually has 1/2 banana, 5 strawberries, handful of raspberries, handful of spinach, ground flaxseed, two tablespoons of Greek yogurt, almond milk and crushed ice. I'll also have an open faced chicken sandwich with that or a chicken salad. This week I plan on relaxing as much as I can, working out lightly when I feel good and maintaining a clean house. It feels so good to not have to worry about waking up for work, getting ready for the day when I don't feel like it, driving and being uncomfortable and stressing about what else I need to get done before our baby arrives. I actually feel very relaxed about everything right now, except how labor is going to go lol that freaks me out!
I have more energy at night than I do in the mornings and afternoon and really have to push myself to keep my body moving because I can easily plop myself on the couch all day and not move. It's much easier to get my workouts in now that I'm on maternity leave because I can get them done whenever I feel my best which usually happens to be around 11:30ish. I'm so grateful that I learned so much about lifting before becoming pregnant because cardio is very minimal right now. For the past few weeks my only source of cardio has been uphill walking on the treadmill (inclined at 10 and walking at 3.5) for about 20/25 minutes 3/4 days a week. I've continued to lift 4 days a week and feel best after lifting. Sometimes the uphill walking kills my back for about an hour or so after doing it. I'm extremely proud of myself for staying active up until the end of my pregnancy. I feel it's made a huge difference in how good I've felt throughout this pregnancy. I've continued to eat as healthy as possible but I always allow a treat at night which is usually a little bit of Ben & Jerry's half baked frozen yogurt. I buy the small little container of it and that will last me about 4 nights so I really don't eat a whole lot of it each night but I do look forward to it : ) I've had a few nights where I've craved REAL pancakes (not protein pancakes) for dinner along with bacon and eggs but other than that my meals stay pretty clean.
My next doctor's appointment is Thursday and I thought my doctor would have started checking me by now to see if I'm progressing at all but she hasn't which kind of sucks. I'd like to know if I'm getting anywhere at this point but I also understand that even if I am dilated or my cervix is thinning out it could still mean labor is very far away. She won't start checking me until I reach my due date, which is next week. I really don't want to be induced but I have a feeling that's what will happen to me because I have no real signs that she's anywhere near coming yet. I've tried pineapple, sex, walking, bouncing on a yoga ball, squats, spicy food and today I started taking primrose oil. So far nothing has helped : ( Any suggestions on how to get this little girl moving? I really don't want to be pregnant for another 2/3 weeks, ugh!
The most uncomfortable part about pregnancy in these final weeks is the pressure of the baby pushing down on your pelvic area and butt along with the non stop Braxton hick contractions that constantly squeeze the crap out of your stomach making you feel like you can't move or bend and have to pee really bad suddenly. Both the pressure of the baby and the non stop braxton hicks make it really hard to walk around for long periods so I've spent a lot of time on the couch these past few weeks. I've been really lucky and haven't had to deal with heartburn other than maybe twice during my whole pregnancy, nor have I had to deal with constipation, bloating, leaking, etc., however, I have had really weird pain in my hands these past few weeks. My hands hurt really bad in the morning, throughout the night and right before bed. Sometimes they hurt so bad I can't even open a bottle of water. It hurts whenever I try to bend my fingers. Hopefully this goes away post baby.
Well, just in case this is my last blog update before Atiana arrives, I'd love to hear any advice or suggestions you all have on labor, delivery and these final days of being pregnant....
How far along: 38 weeks and 6 days, almost 39 weeks ahhhh.
Weight Gain: 22 lbs (I lost 1 1/2 lbs at my last appointment)
Stretch Marks: None
Belly Button: What belly button lol, it's completely flat.
Wedding Rings On/Off: - Took them off about a month ago when they started feeling a bit tight.
Movement: Definitely a lot less active these days. She gets the hiccups multiple times throughout the day and I'll feel her roll from one side to another but the kicking and punching has stopped.
Cravings: No big cravings, I crave boba a lot and now that I'm on maternity leave and have time in the mornings my go to breakfast is a piece of Ezekiel bread with a little bit of cream cheese, sliced avocado and chicken. If I'm a bit more hungry I'll have it on a wheat bagel instead. This has to be my favorite thing to eat right now. I've also craved breakfast for dinner a few times, mostly craving REAL pancakes which is something I haven't had in years until now.
Symptoms: Feeling nauseous some days, back cramping other days, lots of Braxton hick contractions randomly, everything on my body hurts when I'm on my feet for longer than 10 minutes and sitting straight up is nearly impossible because I get so many Braxton hick contractions that I can't bend or move very much.
Missing: Going out to dinner and being comfortable, walking around for longer than ten minutes without feeling awful, being able to get up and down without it being such a chore and exhausting me, sleeping without a big pregnancy pillow between my husband and I, being able to shave my legs comfortably, etc...and SUSHI! My husband and I have agreed that sushi will be our first post pregnancy date night.
Looking forward to: As scared as I am of labor, I'm also looking forward to getting it over with already so we can meet this little girl and start this new chapter with her!
Sleep: I wake up multiple times now but when I knock out I knock out hard so I really can't complain. Some nights I only wake up to use the bathroom once and other nights it's 2/3 times. I wake up all the other times just to switch sides because my hips get sore.
the only advice i can think of to get labor started (that you didn't list) is to eat something with lots of tomato sauce in it. I have homemade enchiladas the night before my water broke and my mom always ate tomato packed things (like spaghetti and such) and labor started soon after. Maybe give that a try? Also, bring extra food with you to the hospital when you go to deliver, since you will be there a while, and the hospitals don't have the greatest selection of food. Also, unless you are out of the norm quite a bit, after you arrive at the hospital while in labor, there will still be quite a bit of waiting. I totally recommend bringing a laptop to watch movies on or to get online and such, it will help pass the time while you are waiting to push. When i had my son, i got to the hospital at 8 am after my water broke at 6 am, we waited until noon and contractions hadnt started so they started pitocin (to induce), and it wasnt until 6.5 hours later that i was in active labor, and another 8.5 hours after that before i was ready to push. once ready to push, he was out in less than 20 minutes. You will spend a lot of time waiting, so make sure you have things to make you comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading how things go!
No matter what you do, the baby will come when she is ready.....not a day sooner, unless you have a c-section. Enjoy your FINAL days of relaxation and SLEEP.
ReplyDeleteMy only advice: your instincts take over during labor and after you have the baby you will feel like the most powerful woman in the world. I've had two babies and both completely different labors: one my water broke when I went into labor and the other my water never broke and the baby was born with the bag still around him...the doctor took a picture he thought it was so cool. (it was cool to see him all in the bag (a little gross too) and then the doc said the baby doesn't even know that he is born yet...)
ReplyDeleteYou're active; you'll do great! The thing I miss most about be pregnant is feeling the baby moving, so I know its hard and you want to be done being pregnant, but really take in the last moments with baby inside you. Good luck! I can't wait to hear all about your next adventure. :)
Oh honey, babies are born on their own time because they are ready! You don't want o be induced because she is not done being. Please understand most first babies are born 41.5 weeks and if you get induced labor will be longer, harder, more stress on you and the baby. Pitocen forces your body o contract harder than you ever would naturally. God built you for this, please start trusting He made you perfectly for labor. I gave birth naturally, no meds, and it was hard but worth it. Read up on natural childbirth, hypnobabies, or Bradley techniques. Prepare yourself and relax!
ReplyDeleteRed Raspberry Leaf Tea! I was drinking it several times a day at the end! It really helps to make your uterus contract stronger. And its good for after baby, too, especially if you are breastfeeding (or even just when its that time of month)! Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteRandom question but the stuff you are freezing for your smoothies - do you freeze all of it or just a few of the items? I need to do this!
ReplyDeletelabor is beautiful! did you not take a child birth class? bradley method or hypnobabies is.amazing!! you learn how to relax through child birth. You learn how to be in control. I highly suggest watching the business of being born. so insightful!
ReplyDeleteYou sound ready to me. My doc started checking me three weeks prior to my due date , I'd ask your doc to check you..remember u are paying him a lot of money. Next, I say sex with orgasm (muscle squeeze) worked like a charm. Woke up in th morning felt a little moist and went into the bathroom and water broke!!! He might find other ways to have u achieve big O if sex is uncomfortable. I say epidural for birth. It will make for a pleasant delivery. My hubby annoyed me when it got close to delivery so i had him just let squeeze his hand. Just know what he does that is comforting and he can be prepared. Good luck, I will say a prayer for you. Thanks for your blog.
ReplyDeleteThis is a sure rhing....when I delivered my first child he was under stress. The docs decided they wanted me to deliver right away. To go into labor they had me stimulate my nipples. (embarrassing) . However, that will cause you to start having contractions. You have to keep doing it. You can probably find this on Google.
ReplyDeleteYep! Simulating your nipples and expressing milk causes your brain to release oxytocin, which causes contractions! :)
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