Light Framed

In the final weeks of my pregnancy we did loads of preparations, baby’s movements continued to change, I struggled with late pregnancies pains, and we made decisions about a name and when to induce!

Highlights of week 37:

• Baby’s movements were feeling a little different by now. He was pushing the boundaries of his space and I would swear that he was reacting to touch now. If I scratched my belly, he would squirm around and a rub or touch would get him moving.
• Andy started a new job this week, which added an interesting dynamic to our situation, but we were hopeful it would be a good move!
• My bump wasn’t measuring much bigger this week, but was getting more defined “edges”.
• A doctor’s appointment told us that things were progressing well and that baby is still measuring big, so there will be decisions to make soon.
• Due to this, I put baby prep into hyperdrive so I would be ready ASAP.
• Our “travel system” arrived this week, so we got a crash course in baby buggy assembly.
• I kept up with pregnancy yoga and walking this week, but by endurance slowed dramatically.
• It got more common that I was wide awake in the middle of the night due to my bladder or sleeping discomfort, then hunger. I never thought I’d get to the point where I was saying, ooh, is it morning, is it time to get up yet?! It rarely was, so I usually snuck into the kitchen to have some chocolate milk and/or a snack and read, listen to an audio book, or mess on the computer for awhile. I was so thankful that my job allowed me to sleep in, nap later, and not stress about the late night wakings.

Highlights of week 38:

• Baby’s movements were very fast and jerky this week, which was a little freaky, but a quick google reassured me that it wasn’t too abnormal.
• My pelvis was feeling the strain more this week and I really had to watch my range of motion. I also had to take it slow getting up out of chairs to give things time to stretch. A birthing/exercise ball was much better all around, so I sat at that most of the time at my desk/kitchen table.
• Thankfully though, many of my earlier back and rib aches and bump numbness went away by this stage and I still hadn’t had much in the way of swelling or lower back pain (other than when walking in the cold). Heartburn is another story though.
• Friends dropped off lots of baby goodies for us to borrow this week, which meant we were pretty much set for clothes and other necessities!
• The weekly doctor’s visit included another full ultrasound scan this week, which confirmed all the dr.’s predictions of a large baby. We began talking about options and were encouraged to consider induction asap. As early as tomorrow (WHAT?!?), but after some time to digest it, do a little research, and have a little meltdown, we talked to the dr. about our concerns and waiting until the 39 week mark. He calmly reassured us and we set a date for 39 weeks and 1 day!
• I spent the rest of the week going to one more yoga class, napping, trying not to get emotional about my pregnancy ending, double checking the hospital bag, and going on one last date to a nice restaurant in the city with Andy.
• We also made the final decision on a name and got an email account set up for him. We both emailed about how excited we were to meet him and sent a few photos of us in our last days as a party of two!