Week 38 Bumpdate

38 Weeks and it feels like there are 4,586 days in this last month of pregnancy. 

Doctor update: I am 2.5cm dilated and 80% thinned which means not too much has changed since my last appointment. At this point it's still a guessing game, she said he could come in the next few days or it could be another 2 weeks. Friday night I began having back pain, nausea, and cramping sensation that almost felt like period cramps, according to a few people I've talked to this is my body's way of preparing for labor. I initially thought maybe I had the stomach flu, needless to say I spent the night curled up on the couch and last night wasn't much better either.

Not much has changed since my last update. Sleeping is still impossible, I've been waking up every 2 hours to pee and then I just end up waking up early because I can't fall back asleep. I've been having more Braxton Hicks contractions since my last appointment where they checked me for dilation which makes standing on my feet at work all day very uncomfortable. The swelling in my feet has started to return as well as in my hands, the doc pretty much said this is inevitable because I work 10 hour shifts and am constantly on my feet. I wear compression stockings and that helps but my feet still get puffy and hurt at the end of the day. I have been slowly losing my mucus plug over the last few days (TMI yes I know but it's a normal part of the end of pregnancy that no one really ever talks about). At this point I pretty much have to wear a pad every day and I even have a bag packed for work just in case my water breaks while I'm at work (which would be very embarrassing). 

I officially have my hospital bag and diaper bag packed and ready to go, the car seat is in my Jeep and I have both bags in my Jeep just in case I go into labor while I'm at work. I just finished sterilizing all of the bottles, pacifiers, and breast pump parts today (which took longer than I expected). The nursery is officially ready to go, we are basically just patiently awaiting Baby Rocco's arrival :) 

Here are a few pictures from our maternity shoot that I mentioned before with the amazing Emily Anne Photography http://emannephotography.com. If you live in NW Ohio and are looking for a great maternity photographer I HIGHLY recommend Emily Earl, she is seriously amazing and does great work. Like I mentioned before I debated doing maternity pictures because I didn't know if it was worth the money, but looking at these pictures I am SO happy that I decided to have them done. Pregnancy is such a beautiful journey and I want to be able to look back at these pictures and remember how much I loved my bump and appreciate all of the changes my body went through to grow our child. If you are one of those people that are debating paying the money to have them done I highly recommend that you just go for it because you will not regret it!

Until next time (hopefully by then we have a baby!)

Cara

Week 36 Bumpdate

Week 36...big week!

Today was the first pelvic exam to see how much I was dilated/effaced and to test for Strep B. Nothing like having your OB shove their hand half way up your vag first thing in the morning, talk about feeling violated. Anyways, she said that I am about 2cm dilated and about 70% effaced (thinned). Baby is head down and VERY low. It took her about 1 second to say "yep that's his head". From now on each week up until delivery we will repeat the process to see how much I am progressing each week, but according to the doc she does not think I will go the full 40 weeks. We will find out more next Thursday and have a better idea of how fast I'm progressing. 

Since my last baby shower it seems like we have been doing nothing but run around trying to get everything done before baby comes. Putting in the car seats (way harder than it seems), setting up the crib/dresser, washing all the clothes, organizing the room, getting oil changes, getting taxes done, the list goes on and on! It seems like every day there is something to do as the due date feels like it is quickly approaching.

How am I feeling? So far this pregnancy has been a breeze, I have been very lucky. No morning sickness, no heartburn, no back pain, no swelling. However this last week was a little rough.  I feel like as soon as I hit 36 weeks everything changed. This last week my feet have been swelling after work, I'm feeling SO much pressure down low, I'm not sure if I'm having contractions or just have to poop, I pee every 15 minutes, I can barely sleep at night, and I am just purely exhausted. It doesn't help that I work four 10 hour shifts at work that involve constantly being on my feet alllllll day, working on patients, and occasionally lifting patients when I work in the hospital. Thankfully I have the sweetest husband that rubs my swollen and squishy feet every night, helps with laundry, and has put together countless baby items without one complaint.

Regardless of all the exhausting parts of pregnancy in the last few weeks I wouldn't trade it for anything. I absolutely love rubbing my bump and feeling him move around in there. I enjoy the feeling of being pregnant and knowing the fact that I am literally growing a human inside my body (which still amazes me). Now if I could just sleep at night, skip the swollen feet part,  and poop regularly then I would have no complaints!

This week really has felt like a milestone week, so many changes and so many emotions as the due date approaches. Anxious to meet our little guy, excited to become a mommy, eager to snuggle him, and happy that I have had a smooth and easy pregnancy but also a little sad that he won't be inside my belly anymore....
It's crazy to think that in less than 4 weeks our lives will be forever changed. We will be parents, we will have a family, it will no longer just be us, we will love another human more than we've ever loved anything in this world, and we will have a little creation of the both of us that will teach us more than we could ever know as he grows. I get emotional just thinking about it! Until then, let's let this baby cook and continue to grow until he is ready to arrive :)

On a side note, here is a little sneak peek from my maternity shoot with Emily Anne Photography....more photos to come later :)

Until next time,

Cara