39 Weeks

 

Baby is the size of a watermelon. 

• She's probably able to flex her limbs now.
• Her brain is still rapidly developing -- she's getting smarter by the week!
• Her nails may extend past her fingertips.

How far along?: 

39 weeks

Maternity clothes?:
Besides leaving the house, I have been wearing an XL t-shirt and stretchy shorts.  Its just hard to wear much else at this point.

Sleep:

Sleep is ok.  I wake up every time I have to turn over, which is really painful and difficult to do.  I also have to pee 1-2 times a night.  Another fun thing is waking up with crazy heartburn and either taking Tums or throwing up.

Best moment of the week: 

I started my maternity leave Friday.  It was bittersweet.  I know that there is a strong possibility that the baby will be overdue, but at this point I feel that the best thing for me to do is relax at home until she arrives rather than trying to work and not accomplishing much at the office. 

Movement:

She gives me some pretty hard kicks but most of the time she is more into pushing and turning positions, then going back to sleep.  There is just not enough room in there anymore.

Gender: 

Girl

Belly Button:

It's kind of an outie.  At least more than it's ever been before, but not too noticeable.

Rings:

No more rings for me.

Weight gain:

39 lbs

Appointments:

My appointment this week was on Monday morning with Dr. Crouch.  I chose to get a cervical check just out of pure curiosity to see how much I had progressed.  My cervix is open to one centimeter and I am 50% effaced.  He said that things are looking great and I "could" go into labor at anytime. 

What I miss:

Bending over, sleeping soundly, eating bigger meals than a few bites, etc.

Labor signs:

Braxton hicks contractions have been coming off and on all week.  They are quite noticeable now because my whole stomach tightens up and it makes it hard to breathe or move for a minute.  On Tuesday, I was actually having so many that I started timing them.  They were coming every 13-15 minutes apart for one minute each for about three hours in a row.  Then I went to lunch and they disappeared for the rest of the afternoon.  I have also been having a pinching type sensation in my lower abdomen.  Other than that, I still feel like she hasn't "dropped" and she will just surprise me when she is ready.

What I am looking forward to:

Meeting my baby!!!!!!!!

Weekly Wisdom: 

Try to concentrate on other things than "when will the baby be here?" or "is this a sign that I'm going into labor?"  I know that my water could break at anytime or contractions could just start out of nowhere so I don't really put a lot of hope in the cervical checks because they don't really tell you when baby will come.  Be ready at all times but don't concentrate solely on the impending arrival.

Hoping this is my last update, but if not, see you next week for week 40!