38 Weeks (+1 day)

How far along? 38 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Yeah, I'm not answering this one this week. It's stressing me out.
Maternity clothes? Of course. And now not only are some of my tops getting tight, my pants are doing weird things, too.
Stretch marks? Yup. C claimed he got "stuck" on them last night because they are apparently "stickier" than the surrounding skin. Thanks, hun.
Sleep: Sleep has been rough this past week. And even though I slept well last night, I am beyond exhausted today.
Best moment this week: Surprisingly, the dinner with several couples from church. I was dreading it for over a week leading up to it because I'm just not in the mood to be social, but it was actually a lot of fun. I don't really have a strictly pregnancy-related one this week because the days are just blending in to one another...
Movement: He's picked up the movement some this week, though it's still mostly squirms and his daily hiccup sessions.
Food cravings: Anything and everything.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: No updates here. The doctor didn't do an internal. However, I'm still having sporadic cramping and backaches. The pelvic pain has decreased some, or else I've just gotten used to it.
Belly Button in or out? Same as it's been.
What I miss: Lying on my stomach. And my back. But mostly my stomach.
What I am looking forward to: Going into labor so I can finally meet this munchkin!
Weekly Wisdom: If you think you don't like one of the doctors in your practice, give him/her a second chance. I REALLY didn't like the male doctor in the practice after my first appointment with him, but after seeing him this week, I actually like him OK. He's still not my favorite, but now I won't be upset if he's on call when I go into labor.
Milestones: 38 weeks and still cooking.

37 Weeks

How far along? 37 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Ugh. Up a ridiculous amount according to the doctor today, though I'm not sure it's correct: 25 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yup.
Stretch marks? Indeed, but no additional ones in recent weeks, thankfully.
Sleep: I'm sleeping fairly well, but I'm absolutely exhausted today for some reason.
Best moment this week: Losing my mucus plug, even though it's much less exciting now that I've accepted that it truly means nothing.
Movement: After a few days of limited movement, he's been moving pretty well today. Still just squirms though; no more kicks.
Food cravings: I don't know. I am hungry, but nothing really seems appealing, and I don't have the energy to go to the store.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: My cervix has (disappointingly) remained stable from last Wednesday at 2 cm. dilated and 60% effaced. My mucus plug seems to be completely gone. Still having BH contractions, but no other signs other than soreness.
Belly Button in or out? In, but it's more like a slit than a hole at this point.
What I miss: Feeling like labor was so far away that it wasn't worth thinking about.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting this little guy! I'm not at the point that I'm so miserable I just want to be done with this pregnancy, and I don't think I'll ever get there, despite the pain and discomfort. However, I am anxious to have my baby in my arms and wouldn't be a bit upset if I went into labor this afternoon.
Weekly Wisdom: Don't read too much into labor signs, and don't let other people try to tell you differently.
Milestones: Full-term. Ho-ly crap!

Quick Cervical Update

I've been meaning to update since my appointment on Wednesday and kept putting it off, and, even though I don't have time for a full update now, I know it won't get done unless I go ahead and write something now. My appointment went pretty well. There were some issues with my blood pressure (using the usual cuff, the nurse was getting readings of 130-140s/90), but once she got me in a room and took it there, she got 134/80, which is still much higher than I usually am, but she wasn't concerned about it. Then the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat in any of the usual places. Finally, she found it above my belly button, where it's never been before! So of course I assumed he'd either moved really high or flipped breech. However, when she did the internal, she said he had moved down to -2 and was still head down. So I dunno what that was about.

Now on to the cervical progress. I'm now about 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced (up from no dilation and 50% effaced). Obviously, this doesn't really mean anything, but it's still exciting and has me hoping that, once I'm full term on Monday, I'll go sooner rather than later. The other prelabor sign that showed up today was the definite loss of my mucus plug. I'd thought I had begun losing it a couple of weeks ago when I noticed some globs of EWCM, and there was an even more noticeable bit yesterday, but I wasn't sure since you can have excess discharge late in pregnancy. Then this morning, it was unmistakable. That definitely seemed to be the bulk of it, but I've still been losing small bits and streaks about every other time I go to the bathroom (which is about every 15-30 minutes at this point). So once again, it doesn't really mean anything, but I can hope, can't I?

36 Weeks (+1 day)

Once again, I failed to update on the actual day. No really good reason; I just forgot!

How far along? 36 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 21 lbs, which is actually down from last week, I think.
Maternity clothes? Yes, and even some of my maternity tops are getting tight.
Stretch marks? Yup, and they appear to be holding steady.
Sleep: After a wonderfully restful weekend, I've been having some trouble sleeping again. I'm also getting sleepy again after having several days of energy.
Best moment this week: Seeing everyone at church on Sunday (my first time back since bed rest) and having the manager at Red Robin gush over me when we went in, telling me how beautiful I am, etc. Even if she was just being nice or trying to get a good review, it made me happy.
Movement: He's scared me a few days by not moving much, but he still moves (i.e. squirms) some every day.
Food cravings: Carbs. And fruit.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Definitely a LOT of pressure and BH contractions. I'll find out tomorrow (hopefully) if I've made any more progress or if my cervix has remained stable.
Belly Button in or out? In, but very shallow and stretched out.
What I miss: Being able to walk/get up/sit/roll over/stand without pain.
What I am looking forward to: My doctor's appointment tomorrow, C picking up the glider tomorrow (it finally came in today), and being full term!
Weekly Wisdom: If it doesn't get done, it probably wasn't that important.
Milestones: I don't know if it actually is anything, but 36 weeks just feels like a milestone in and of itself.

35 Weeks

How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: I didn't weigh this morning, but at my appointment last Wednesday, I think I was up 18 lbs.
Maternity clothes? Yup, and I'm back in normal maternity clothes today because I'm off bed rest!!!
Stretch marks? Yes, and they are weird looking. The ones above my belly button are very vivid and intertwined, and the ones below my belly button go around and up my sides.
Sleep: I seem to sleep poorly every other night and sleep fine the rest. However, if I sleep poorly, I can make up for it with naps!
Best moment this week: Getting a good report from the doctor (I never updated after that, apparently), getting off bed rest today, and choosing a pediatrician tonight!
Movement: Yup, but it's mostly just squirms and random pressure. He's definitely less active than before.
Food cravings: My appetite has been increasing, and I'm eating a lot of cookies, which probably isn't good.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: My cervix is holding steady as of my last appointment. There's still definite pressure, and it still makes me nervous from time to time, but I'm feeling good overall.
Belly Button in or out? In, but just barely.
What I miss: Feeling Stretch being more active. Now it's just sort of uncomfortable when he's moving around.
What I am looking forward to: Being full-term so I can be wholly excited about signs of labor and cervical changes. Also, the glider should be coming in this week, which means the nursery will be basically complete.
Weekly Wisdom: Write things down. It's easy to lose track of to-dos and shopping lists when you have more important things on your mind.
Milestones: 35/35 today! Off bed rest!

34 Weeks

How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 17 lbs, I think.
Maternity clothes? Yes, but I've still been living in just yoga pants and maternity shirts.
Stretch marks? Possibly some new ones. There are four main clusters.
Sleep: Eh. It varies. Sometimes I sleep with no problems; other nights, I only sleep 4 hours.
Best moment this week: Having my parents come up for the weekend. They cleaned our entire house today, and yesterday my mom washed all of the baby linens and clothes, and we put everything away. Plus, they bought a lot of the final purchases, so we're almost set!
Movement: Yes, but it's unreliable. My mom has been trying to feel him all weekend, but he won't cooperate.
Food cravings: Nothing in particular.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: I go back for another cervical check on Wednesday, so I'll know more then. However, I definitely overdid it yesterday (just sitting up for long periods of time), and I was up last night with back pain that wrapped around to abdominal cramps, so I was debating calling the doctor. Thankfully things were better this morning.
Belly Button in or out? In, but very shallow and stretched out.
What I miss: Being able to do... anything.
What I am looking forward to: My 34 week appointment on Wednesday.
Weekly Wisdom: Accept help when it's offered, even if it makes you feel like a bum.
Milestones: Getting all the baby linens and clothes washed and ready for Stretch's arrival. Also, if Stretch was born today, he'd be late preterm.

Missed Moments

I knew going into it that this would likely be my hardest weekend of bed rest. There was so much planned for these days, and I can't do any of it. It was supposed to be my last weekend of my internship, and I was supposed to preach. However, Donald is probably preaching as I type. He called last night right after I fell asleep, which kept me up for an additional half hour because I was worried I had forgotten something I was supposed to have done. They were even going to have a reception for me between services, but that's obviously not happening. Even though I'll be going back to that church, potentially as our church, it's hard to miss these days.

After the second service, we were supposed to race off to our childbirth class, the one I scrambled to get in after screwing up the ones at the hospital. I had to email the leader last week to cancel, and thankfully she isn't charging anything since it's due to medical necessity. However, I'm back to not having a childbirth class, which means it's even more important for me to read and teach C myself. Plus, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get a tour of the birth center because I don't know for sure when I'll be off bed rest. So that combines disappointment with stress.

The biggest one is my parents being in town. They had planned this visit for a while so that they would be able to come see me preach and then help get things ready for baby. Instead, they are now doing everything without me. Yesterday, they took my list and went shopping, purchasing almost all of the final must-have items for Stretch. While I greatly appreciate their doing this, especially since they wouldn't let us pay for all of it, I hate that I had to miss out on that time of shopping with them. That excitement. Today, Mom's going to wash all the baby gear and clothes that need it, something else I was supposed to do. This also brings to mind all the other things I may not get to do: finish the nursery, freeze meals in advance, nest in general. Plus, since my parents are keeping busy doing things for me, I don't get to spend as much time with them, and it's a short visit as it is.

The whole situation depresses me. However, I've been proud of my ability to keep things in perspective. I haven't cried once about being on bed rest because rationally I know it's for a good cause. I'm trying to keep positive, and it seems to be working. Because even though I'm missing out on all these things I was supposed to do, I'm doing exactly what I should be doing: keeping Stretch an inside baby until he's ready.