Trimester: Third.
Baby: Size of a swiss chard [19-22 inches, 6.5 lbs.]. Baby is tending to a few last minute details like shedding the skin-protecting vernix and lanugo. He's also producing more surfactant, a substance that prevents the air sacs in his lungs from sticking to one another once she starts to breathe. She's continuing to add fat and fine-tuning her brain and nervous system. Baby boy's skull is still soft to allow for the trip through the birth canal. Some of the tiny bones on his body won't fuse together until after birth. Baby is ingesting a lot of amniotic fluid, which is resulting in the build-up of meconium [the first bowl movement after birth]. His fingernails continue to grow but are kept soft inside my uterus. Baby is gaining about one ounce every day. The lubricant that will keep the lungs from sticking together during breathing is being readily produced.
Movement: Lots of frequent and strong movement.
Symptoms: Heartburn has subsided pretty drastically which has me confident that baby has "dropped". Gassy, constipated, emotional, constant trips to the bathroom, and strong braxton hicks contractions.
Cravings: Nothing in particular.
Sleep: Great, besides staying up blogging a little later than I should. I was a bit more behind than I'd like over the last couple months. I finally made darn good progress this week and am relieved to be completely caught up.
Exercise: Walks around the neighborhood and chasing after Evelyn at the park.
Stretch marks: None.
Total weight gain: 26 pounds.
Swelling: My wedding ring is a bit snug, but I can still take it off if needed. So I don't know how much of that is really swelling or due to weight gain.
Maternity Clothes: Yes. As far as pants go, because baby is resting so low in my belly I'm down to strictly leggings.
Belly Button: Out.
Doctor's Visit: My body hasn't progressed too much since last week- dialed about 2 centimeters and 70% effaced. While it would have been nice to hear that I had progressed a little more, I know that I could still potentially progress very quickly any day or I could stay the same for another two weeks. During the exam the doctor stripped my membranes. Basically he put his finger into my cervix and gently separated the bag of water from the side of my uterus. I anticipated this would be uncomfortable and maybe even painful, but it was no big deal! It felt like a normal exam and when it was over I didn't even realize he had already swept my membranes. He said after the membrane sweeping 50% of women go into labor within 24 hours. Whose to say if this will really make a difference for me but there are no risks and I felt it was worth a shot. The doctor gave me a couple other options for safe ways to induce labor, including a balloon catheter, but I want to try and avoid as much intervention as possible especially since I'm only 38 weeks. I think my body deserves a little more time to make this happen on it's own. My doctor is supportive of my choice to try for a VBAC and has repeatedly said with confidence I'm a great candidate for it. He isn't opposed to using pitocin to induce labor but feels anything more would be too risky. So if I don't go into labor on my own by the 26th (puts me at 40 weeks, 3 days pregnant) I'll have a scheduled c-section that day.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting antsy to have this baby. This last stretch of pregnancy is such a test of patience but I know in the end everything is going to work out and baby boy will come when he's ready. So in the mean time I'm really trying to stay in the moment and soak up my Evelyn.
What I'm Looking Forward to: Meeting my baby boy.
Best Moment of the Week: Being productive and still getting to spend lots of time playing with Evelyn.
Worst Moment of the Week: None.
Other: At 37 weeks I was tackling my anxieties and doing more mental preparation for giving birth. And since then my thoughts and feelings on it have only improved. Megan is a friend, fellow ward member, and childbirth instructor. She brought me great comfort on Sunday when I expressed some of my concerns to her about labor and giving birth. She reminded me that giving birth is powerful in many ways- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. The best thing to do is to welcome the power (the sensations), know that my body is performing an honorable act, and know that it won't last forever. I'm certain Megan's words were inspired and I'm so grateful I got up the courage to talk to her on such a personal level. It wasn't just what she said but the way she said it and the way she has helped me think more positive about the whole experience.
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