Women are not lying when they say the last 4 weeks are the
hardest. By this time, you are over being pregnant. The fatigue, the
discomfort, the lack of sleep, the increased hunger, the contractions, the
swelling and the anxiety all come into play! Someone told me that 36 weeks
seemed just right…and I couldn't agree more. Just when you think you’re
miserable, things only get worse. I find myself more unbalanced as Brooke
continues to drop lower, throwing off my center of gravity even more. I am
drinking more water than ever, meaning I am making more bathroom trips than
ever. I am having more pain in my back at this point, and lying down unfortunately
does not relieve the pain much.
I miss that feeling at the end of a long day when you first
get in bed and lay back...I have a new found appreciation for bathroom stalls that
have the door that swings outward rather than inward (this belly gets in the
way)...I miss wearing my rings; I love my jewelry, and don’t want
to risk anything getting cut off a swollen finger...I miss the size of my pre-pregnancy bladder...I miss sleeping through the night (but I’m sure those days
are long gone)...I miss being able to get out of bed without rolling out
sideways or getting out of my car with grunting and moaning...I miss my good memory; pregnancy brain is very real...I miss my heels; I hope my feet go back to normal size or else I have a very large shoe collection that will be for sale.
With all of that said, I imagine I am going to miss our baby
girl being inside my belly and so close to my heart. It brings me joy to think
that my voice is the sound she knows best. I hope that my voice calms her while
she is in my arms and remembers the last 9 months that we have shared together.
I can’t wait to meet her in person and for Michael to hold his daughter in his
arms, along with the rest of our family. She has the most excited grandparents,
aunt and uncles! It is only a matter of weeks (or maybe days) at this point.
I received a call from the doctor today saying that she has
scheduled an induction for us. It will be at 5 am on Tuesday, September 3rd,
2 days before our expected due date. Most likely I will go into the hospital
the night before to be checked and begin prepping for induction. This is all
assuming Brooke does not make her debut on her own free will before then. Brooke’s
expected date of delivery (EDD) is September 5, but anything could happen in
the weeks to come.
Brooke is officially considered "full term," even though
our due date is three weeks away. If I go into labor now, her lungs will likely
be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb (some babies need a
bit more time, though).
Our baby weighs close to 7 pounds and probably measures a bit over
19 inches, head to heel (about the size of a bunch of Swiss chard). Many babies
have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches
long. But it shouldn't come as a surprise if our baby's hair isn't the same
color as ours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their
children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been
surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only
peach fuzz. From the ultrasound last week, it seems that Brooke has a lot of
hair – can’t wait to see what color it is.
Oh…and I have to share a part of dream from last night. I had
chocolate cake and ice cream in my bedside table drawer! Talk about convenient. Pregnant dreams have added such
“color” to my life!
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