37 Weeks: Will I Hit 38 Weeks? I'm Not So Sure!

"I carried a watermelon."

Well this week sure started out with a bang!! First off, I went to bed feeling tired, and woke up Sunday morning around 2:45 am. I never really got much sleep after that. A little dozing here and there, but mostly up to potty and toss and turn in a hotel bed. It sucked!!! The baby-related highlight of the day was going to Babies 'R' Us with my mom to finish off last minute purchases before the little girl is here. We may have gotten carried away ... and 3 hours later left the store. We had to do some creative organization in the car to get everything to fit! Part of our day was spent in Portland with my aunt, so on the way home we stopped to have dinner with my uncle. Well, we had to delay our arrival.... so I could demand we pull over and let me change clothes. Why? Yeah, I was so uncomfortable in the car in what I was wearing (which wasn't constricting at all) because I was having legit contractions. I was doing my Lamaze breathing in the car when I looked up to see my favorite stopping point. I waddled to the bathroom to change pants and potty. It was so hard and took me so long because I could barely stand upright. Thank goodness for the classes I've had and my determination to just relax and breathe through it all. I have to admit I was actually concerned. I did NOT want to have a truck stop baby!!!!

Monday was another round of fetal non-stress test monitoring. This time she was pretty active at the start but then fell asleep and was very quiet. What wasn't quiet was my uterus. It was interesting to feel tightness and be able to watch my contractions on the monitor. They were much higher than the last monitoring session, but NOTHING compared to the day before!!

Tuesday sent me back to the hospital for our 4th Lamaze class, which you can read about by clicking this link right here!

Wednesday at work I was again leaning back with my eyes closed doing my 4 count breathing that we practice at Lamaze class .... as I was having another real, intense set of contractions. I am so happy that the breathing and focusing is happening automatically.  That practice during class and at home is paying off. I hope I still do it on the big day!

Symptom wise, my sneezing isn't as often, but getting stronger with each sneeze. Heartburn has pretty much vanished, hallelujah. The bathroom and I are best friends. Thank you, Costco, for bulk toilet paper! My feet and calves are having more swelling starting earlier in the day than before, which keeps me happy in my recliner trying to elevate them. I bought a new pillow during Macy's going out of business sale and since using it I have been getting better sleep! Apparently this is what happens with $100 pillows --- I did NOT pay that much!!! No even close to that!!!!!! I've tried to incorporate orange and apple juice again, but it is still not agreeing with me. Darn it! And basically I just feel like a manatee and can no longer do a single thing in any sort of fast manner! And insomnia. Ugh, story of my life. Sleep? Do you exist? **Things changed a lot since earlier in this paragraph when I said I was sleeping better!

Thursday I was having my next monitoring session, where I took a photo from my point of view, as you can see to the left. Pretty darn exciting, right? Well, this round was mildly boring ... until the end.  Our girl was pretty sleepy and didn't move much, but her activity and heart rate made the nurse happy at least. What wasn't boring was MY line. Non-stop contractions for me, but none of them painful. Just the regular strange twinging feeling. Apparently the intensity and frequency of them, however, did raise an eye brow for the nurse. She suggested that if that continues I might want to start timing them and added I'm basically at the point where she could come out at any time. WHAT?!?! Time to get that bag packed!

Friday I was back for my last doctor appointment of the week, this time with my actual OBGYN. I had my Group B Strep swab. I'll just say that you get swabbed in TWO places and let you decide was two orifices that would be. Since she was already "down there" I asked if she could check to see if I am dilated at all. Before she went in for the feel she was able to feel the baby through my tummy and find her head sitting way down low. Going in for the cervix check was NOT comfortable. I mean things are supposed to be going OUT and here is a human hand going IN. But I was willing to do it ... to find out that I am already 2 centimeters dilated! AND the doctor was able to feel her head. Eek!! So yeah, my girl is down there and she's lined up and getting ready to come see me!!

And Saturday - this has topped off the week, having it end like it started. REAL contractions, not the normal non-painful ones. Two of them happened so close together that I actually went to find the contraction timing feature on an app on my phone. Before I could find it I had to look at Man Friend and immediately say "I have to go to the bathroom NOW!" I thought my water broke, and had to high tail it to the potty. I was relieved to see that it did NOT happen, but basically after today let's just say "who needs a mucus plug anyway?!?" Ya, one step closer to the big day I guess!

Oh, and the hospital bags for myself and my daughter ARE officially packed and sitting by the bassinet waiting for the official departure to the hospital!

What a week!!! And my feet hardly fit in my shoes anymore, but my doctor assured me they are a lot smaller than most pregnant women. Win for me?!?

JANUARY 2016
Sunday		Monday		Tuesday		Wednesday		Thursday		Friday		Saturday
										1		2
												33 Weeks
3		4		5		6		7		8		9
				Lamaze Class						Baby Shower		34 Weeks
10		11		12		13		14		15		16
						OBGYN		Lamaze Class				35 Weeks
17		18		19		20		21		22		23
		NST monitoring		Lamaze Class		Hospital Tour		NST monitoring				36 Weeks
24		25		26		27		28		29		30
Babies R Us		NST monitoring		Lamaze Class				NST monitoring		OBGYN		37 Weeks
31