Baby Journal: Week 39

I love my Dad's old t-shirts. So worn in, soft and comfortable...and long enough to cover my baby bump!

Well my friends…this will likely be our final “Baby Journal” weekly update. You will learn why as you read on about this past week....and the fact that by this time next week I will be holding our girl in my arms. In future blogs, you will be learning about our parenting journey as well as other life events and adventures J

We've been so blessed by everyone who has accompanied us on this journey...via internet blogging! It's been fun and we can't wait to share more after our Little Lady is officially here!

It's scary, exciting and very surreal....trying to wrap my head around everything...

September 28, 2010

How far along am I today?

39 weeks….yup, our Little Lady apparently wasn’t ready to come yet…but maybe this week she’ll get us going?

What is the favorite thing you ate today?

Bean salad wraps…sooooo good! Super healthy, super fast and easy to make…AND bonus! Affordable! Mmmmmmm J

How’s the food stuff coming along? Cravings? Aversions?

I will never eat a Bran muffin again. Ben and I went out to breakfast on Friday morning (it was a South African holiday, so he had the day off!). I ordered a bran muffin, because it was the only kind they had. Anyway, after about 3 bites it was clear to me that they used “orange zest” in this particular muffin. NOT GOOD. Every time I eat or drink anything with a lot of orange or lemon, I get a horrible citrus taste in my mouth and it doesn’t leave. Everything I eat, drink, even the air I breathe, takes on the yucky taste. I’ve never really figured out what the deal is. I know it is strange, but I usually just avoid the foods/drinks that cause this reaction. So, my appetite has decreased over the last few days as a result of this yucky taste.

Any new symptoms this past week?

The pelvic pain, back pain, etc. continued throughout the week, but slowed down on Sunday. My breathing also kind of returned to being more difficult as it had before I “dropped” last week. I discussed this with the Doctor today and it could be one of two things: 1- Baby Girl was trying to get labor going last week, but discovered she couldn’t fit and so scooted up and out of the birth canal or 2- Baby Girl has just grown so much in the last week that she’s back to pressing on my lungs as well as my bladder and every other internal organ in my body.

What about the exercise routine?

Ben and I walked around 10 miles between Friday-Sunday. We were hoping to jumpstart our Girl into getting us into labor, but she is still hanging out inside her Mommy J And I’m still doing pilates.

Sleep…is it good/bad/mediocre?

Sleep isn’t really any different. It was nice having Ben to sleep in with on Friday, Saturday and Sunday due to the SA holiday. When I say sleep in, I mean it was closer to 7:30/8am most mornings instead of my usual 6:30/7am. J

How big is the baby…and/or what does he/she resemble?

Our Little Lady weighed in at approximately 3.5 kg on Monday….which is about 7 pounds 10 oz. She feels bigger and very much out of space in my belly.

And special milestones for baby?

Same as last week, we are just waiting for our Little Lady to reach the monumental milestone of BIRTH.

How about the baby’s activity?

Our Girl has “stretching” movements. They are slow and long and painful. She will stick out a portion of my belly for awhile, then glide to another position and stretch out that area. However, Baby Girl is positioned perfectly for natural delivery…as long as she can fit.

Did anything special (besides the baby growing!) happen to me this week?

As I mentioned earlier, Ben and I did a lot of walking this weekend. We also just tried to take advantage of the time we had just the two of us by going to dinner, lunch, breakfast, etc. It was good to just have that time together. During one of our walks we walked by a Nanny and a little boy probably around 18 months old. The little boy just stopped and stared, smiling at my belly. He was so mesmerized! That’s not the first time I have noticed little kids and babies staring and smiling at my baby bump. I think in some weird way they just know what’s going on. I said to the boy, “you should tell her to come out and play with you!” He just continued smiling. SO CUTE!

We also had a Doctor’s appointment on Monday of this week. After discussing things with the Doctor and checking on Baby Girl’s approximate size as well as her heartbeat, the Doctor suggested we induce THIS week…Wednesday or Thursday! EEK! She is concerned that if we wait too long I will not be able to deliver naturally due to Baby Girl’s large size…and my smaller size. However, Doctor was happy with Baby Girl’s position- perfect for a natural birth. So, she supports me to at least try natural birth…but the sooner the better to give me a better shot at succeeding. After carefully discussing everything, Ben and I decided we will induce on Monday. That means we will go in Sunday night and at 2am they will give me the drug they use to induce labor. Doctor says it will take about 6-7 hours for the action to begin. She also said that by noon on Monday they should have a good idea of whether or not my body and Baby Girl will actually be able to deliver naturally. If we aren’t progressing as we should, we will most likely have a c-section. And I am okay with that. I prefer natural and I much prefer our Baby Girl get us into labor before we go in to be induced, but we will see. God is in control and I know He will take care of us and deliver our daughter just as she is supposed to be delivered. It’s so crazy to realize though that by this time next week….we will have our daughter in our arms…

What was the most random thing that happened this week?

We went to dinner with some friends of ours on Thursday evening. As we walked by another table, I overheard a lady say to her group, “Oh my! That baby’s going to jump out any minute now!” Haha, so funny to overhear comments like that!