Bump Watch: Pregnancy Recap!

Baby E has arrived, and if you haven't heard by now... The E stands for Emily! Since we're all done being pregnant (for now) I thought I'd do a quick pregnancy recap. Some of the questions don't apply, so I'll just skip them. Consider this my 39 week and 4 day update. :)

I plan on doing a labor and delivery post (complete with pictures!) later this week, so be on the lookout!

How far along? 39 weeks and 4 days.

Total weight gain? Last I checked it was 146. So I gained 40 lbs. Yikes! I did lose quite a bit in the first week, and as of 8 days post partum I was down to 130. I just need to shed some of this remaining water! According to the doctor, that might be a few weeks. 

Waist/Belly Measurement? 31”/41”. My belly was really expanding towards the end. I guess my body was retaining water in preparation for labor! The awesome thing is that I started using my belly  bandit when we got home and I'm now around 29"/34". That's about where I was at 20 weeks pregnant, and I was still pretty tiny at that point. I'm happy with where I am, especially considering that it's only been a week!

Stretch marks? Most definitely. I have a few on my stomach below my belly button on either side. They're not horrible, and I've been putting Bio-Oil on them while they're fresh to try and get them to heal. They actually don't bother me as much as I thought they would, though. 

Best moment this week? Totally Emily's arrival! The fact that she came on her own was so amazing.

Cravings? I have to say that the biggest cravings were cheeseburgers and ice cream/custard. After delivery I didn't even think about them. It's crazy!

Belly Button in or out? It stayed in!

Happy or Moody most of the time? I was definitely happy most of the time, with a few moments of moodiness.

Looking forward to?  Emily's first year and all of the amazing things that are going to happen to our little family in 2013!

Bump Watch: Week 39!

And she feels like a watermelon, too!

How far along? 39 Weeks

Total weight gain? I made up for last week in spades, I’m up 3 lbs to 144lbs.

Waist/Belly Measurement? 31”/40”. I went up ½” in waist which is officially 5” there!

Stretch marks? Ah yes. Those are stretch marks. The good news is that they’re already really faint, and they’re not very big. I’d say an inch vertically and really skinny. Plus there are only 3-5, and they’re pretty low. For now I’ll just keep layering the lotions and oils and hope they don’t get worse. :)

Sleep? I’ve finally been able to get some sleep this week. I was only using two pillows for a while, and I bumped it back up to 3 recently which seems to have helped. I’m back to only waking up 2-3 times a night!

Best moment this week? Sadly, it was the sleep. :) I hadn’t slept well for a few weeks, so getting so much needed shut eye during the last week was amazing.

Miss Anything? Wearing clothes. Like, real clothes and shoes. Soon!

Movement? She’s still moving, but it’s less often. I’m not concerned, because she’s reaaaaaaally mobile when she’s awake. Plus she gets hiccups at least twice a day.

Cravings? Nothing this week. I just wanted food. haha

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Labor Signs? I had a few contractions, but nothing serious or predictable. At my 39 week appointment the Doc said that I was fully effaced and 3 CM dilated. I’ve gone up 1 CM each week!

Symptoms? I’ve still got swollen joints, and I’ve also noticed more back pain. It’s more like nerve pain, though.

Belly Button in or out? It’s still at like 95% in.

Wedding rings on or off? Still off. I asked the doctor if I’d ever wear it again.. haha

Happy or Moody most of the time? Still very cheerful. :)

Looking forward to?  Baby E’s arrival! My Mom and Stepdad are getting in on Saturday, so we decided to be induced on Friday morning. Please don’t judge me for evicting Baby E two days before her due date.

Bump Watch: Week 38!

Looks like little Miss E has dropped!

How far along? 38 Weeks

Total weight gain? Only gained 1 lb this week, so I’m officially up 35 lbs to 141lbs!

Waist/Belly Measurement? 30.5”/40”. I went up ½” in the belly so now I’m 40”! That’s kind of exciting! I can also tell that I’ve dropped. It’s not as apparent when I’m wearing clothes, but you can tell with the bare belly.

Stretch marks? I’m actually not sure? I looked at the underside of my belly and I saw what looked like stretch marks, but upon further investigation they looked more like faint blueish veins than purple stretch marks. I guess we’ll find out with E arrives and I can look at my whole belly! Even if they are stretch marks, I think there were like 2 or 3. I’ll take that.

Sleep? Still really bad! I wake up every few hours to pee, and I’m also really uncomfortable laying in most positions. Plus our little cupcake has developed a new nighttime routine which involves trying to claw her way out via my bladder for about 2 hours starting at 9:30 PM on the dot.

Best moment this week? The nursery is DONE. Like, done done. The changing pad is installed, the cover is on it, all of the surfaces are cleaned, and things are organized and where they should be! Well, until I decide to reorganize them while I’m waiting for her to arrive. I also got a pedicure on Saturday, because I can’t reach my toes anymore, and I made little gifts for the nurses. Nurses need love, too!

Miss Anything? Being comfortable and fashionable. I’ve definitely moved passed the maternity jeans phase and into the maternity leggings phase. I have 4 pairs of those and 2 pairs of regular leggings that fit. I’m pretty much strictly wearing those under dresses/tunics at this point with my black or brown boots. I just want to use my closet again!!!

Movement? She’s still doing a ton of wriggling, but it’s more predictable now. I know about what times she wakes up and shifts, but unfortunately it’s mostly between the hours of 6PM and 12PM. She moves around for the other 18 hours, too, but she’s really active in that 6 hour span. Mostly on my bladder.

Cravings? I actually had a really weird shift this week. Even though I still wanted ice cream (custard to be exact) I also wanted cucumbers and pineapple.

Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope!

Labor Signs? I had some bodily signs this week, which I can only describe as everything BUT contractions. I was dialated to 1 cm and 75% effaced on January 2^nd, which the doctor was really excited about. Then my body started down the “I think we’re going to go into labor” path a few times, but it never fully kicked off. You always here people say that they’re baby is just too comfortable to move, but I seriously think this is my body. She obviously wants to come out as she keeps trying to claw her way through my bladder, but my body just keeps telling her that she needs to hang out a while longer. Jesse and I discussed that I could just be having contractions that I’m not noticing that are dialating me. We’ll find out tomorrow I guess!

Symptoms? Very swollen. Very tired. Very pregnant.

Belly Button in or out?  It was in all week. I don’t think this thing is coming out.

Wedding rings on or off? Still off. I noticed that it’s because my knuckles are swollen, not my fingers. Don’t get me wrong, those are swollen too. But it’s the knuckle that’s stopping my ring right now.

Happy or Moody most of the time? For being a tired, large, pregnant lady….. I think I’m pretty cheerful.

Looking forward to? Wearing my old clothes (please, dear lord let this happen) and cuddling with E. Seriously, body, let her come out already!!

Bump Watch: Week 37!

You hear that baby? You can come out. Seriously.

How far along? 37 Weeks, we’re full term!!

Total weight gain? Up 2 lbs again to 140 lbs. I read somewhere that weight gain slows after 36 weeks. I read some blatant lies. haha

Waist/Belly Measurement? 30.5”/39.5”. I went up ½” in the belly. I’m almost to 40”, I can’t believe it!

Stretch marks? Still none of these… Although my thoughtful cousin (cough cough SARAH!!!!!!) pointed out that she didn’t get any until 37 weeks.

Sleep? I’ve been sleeping so horrible lately! My hips are getting sore at night (along with whichever shoulder/arm I’m laying on) and I have to pee like crazy! I keep telling myself it’s only 3 more weeks, and I can totally do this. I do end up being really tired and falling asleep sitting up on the couch most nights, though.

Best moment this week? Honestly this week was pretty slow. Jesse took me to Ikea on Saturday after he got off work, which was amazing as always. He wanted to get an expedit book case for the nursery. I have no idea why he thinks we need more storage, we have 4 dressers and a closet. What we lack is floor space.. haha He did decide to let me repurpose it as a changing table, so I need to pick up a changing pad for the top.

Miss Anything? I kind of miss the New Years Eve celebrations. I don’t even get a glass of champagne at midnight! Not that I would be awake at midnight anyway. Jesse said he’s going to buy me a bottle of sparkling grape drink, instead. Such a sweetheart. :)

Movement? She still moves around quite a bit, but I’ve noticed that it’s a different motion and it doesn’t happen as often. It’s more like rolling and pushing. She also can’t wind up and really wail on me anymore since it’s getting cramped in there, so that’s enjoyable.

Cravings? More of the same but with the addition of pizza. I think it’s less cravings and more like I’m just hungry all the time.

Anything making you queasy or sick? No. In fact I could eat everything in sight.

Labor Signs? I thought I was going into labor on Saturday again, and I was up most of the night because I was so uncomfortable. Turns out she just pushes on my bladder/intestines/bowels sometimes more than others, which causes a cramping sensation. I didn’t think they were contractions because there weren’t defined start/stop points. Once I got up and walked around the house a little bit they went away.

Symptoms? I’m still a little swollen in the extremities, but I didn’t have any acid reflux! I’m pretty tired, too.

Belly Button in or out?  Well sometimes it’s in, but it looks like it really wants to pop out. I got kind of excited after I ate one day because I thought it popped out, but it went back in.. haha

Wedding rings on or off? I’m still keeping these off since I don’t want them to get stuck. I’m wearing a ring my parents bought me in highschool which actually fits pretty well right now instead. This doesn’t stop everyone in history from looking at me like “Damn teen mom’s are ruining this country.” It doesn’t help that I’m short, look like I’m 18, and drive a Kia Soul.

Happy or Moody most of the time? Jesse says my temperament hasn’t changed at all during the pregnancy. “You were always pretty easily annoyed”. He’s correct.

Looking forward to? Still meeting the baby! Seriously, baby. You’re full term. Anytime now is fine.