Well then. Today I’m 39 weeks pregnant. Since I went into labor with Emma at 38 weeks and 5 days, this is officially the most pregnant I have ever been.
Size of the Baby: Around 7 pounds and 20 inches. Emma was 6 lb 5 oz at birth and since I’m going longer this time, I’m assuming this little girl will be bigger.
Weight gain/loss: 28 pounds as of yesterday morning.
Maternity clothes: Half of my shirts aren’t really long enough to cover my elastic waistbands anymore. Boo.
Sleep: After enjoying several weeks there of fairly solid sleep, this week hasn’t been the greatest. Some nights I now wake up twice to use the bathroom, and in general I just wake up a lot with an aching hip or for who knows what reason. On the positive side, I have been going to bed earlier so overall I’m doing ok.
Movement: She still wiggles around in there. It’s slower and less jerky but also stronger. Sometimes when she stretches, I feel like my skin can’t possibly expand any more than it already has.
Food cravings: Eating has been hit-or-miss. I get hungry, but a full meal also just makes me feel uncomfortable. I’m not craving anything in particular though.
Best moment this week? Having my mom here! And going over to Jen and Gavin’s last Sunday evening for swimming and pizza — it was super relaxing and we all loved hanging out in their pool.
What I miss: Just feeling normal, I guess. There has been a sharp and definite increase in my level of discomfort over the last 3-4 days, particularly in the afternoons and evenings. Towards the end of the day, I start having what I suppose are Braxton Hicks contractions — not distinct enough to really quantify, but more of a general feeling of tightness and squeezing that is just uncomfortable. Sitting or lying down always helps. (I didn’t have those with Emma.) On Tuesday night I started to wonder if perhaps labor was imminent…but then I went to bed and woke up still pregnant on Wednesday. (And yesterday. And today.)
What I’m looking forward to: Getting this baby out safe and sound! And hopefully soon??
Milestones: I had my weekly doctor’s appointment yesterday and nothing is happening — I’ve been 3 cm dilated for 3.5 weeks now. With Emma, I naively thought I’d make it to my due date. This time, I naively thought she would arrive at the same relative time as (or earlier than) Emma. Dumb, right? But I did, and thus the waiting game is seriously starting to get to me. Yesterday I ended up in tears over what really was a relatively minor frustration. Sigh.
We did talk about inductions. I don’t really want to be induced…but I also don’t want to wait and wait and wait, so we agreed to schedule one for the week of September 7. That Monday is Labor Day, so the earliest it can possibly be is Tuesday the 8th. (I’d be 4 days overdue by that point.) I’ll find out the exact date next week.
I would guess that the sharp increase in discomfort means labor is coming soon. With Briony, I just felt my body had had enough the couple of days before I went into labor. As a side note, you are more pregnant than I have ever been, either. I can’t imagine what being 41 weeks pregnant is like!
I’m curious how the induction conversation goes. Since I never went past 38 weeks, I never had that conversation with my doctor. Is the concern that the baby becomes unsafe around 41 weeks and you have to start the induction in advance to avoid that scenario? Or is it a preference to avoid an over-term and very uncomfortable pregnancy?
So my doc said they recommend induction at 41 weeks, but since I’m already 3 cm I can be voluntarily induced after 39 weeks. I don’t want to be induced early, but I also want to have this baby before my mom leaves — ha! That’s how we arrived at the week of 9/8, which is still technically a voluntary induction.
41 weeks for me would be 9/11, so I guess at that point it becomes medically recommended? But I don’t know for sure.
I’ve actually felt more normal the past couple days than I did earlier this week so UGH. Who knows.
Start taking some long walks. You really don’t want to be induced. It sucks.