Chestnut Week 38

Last pregnancy picture w/Marcus?

Today is the last day of week 39 (I know, I think I'm a week off with numbering these posts somehow). Tomorrow starts the lasssst week of this pregnancy, week 40. This kid's lease is up. I've begun the eviction process. Lots of stairs. Lots of squats. Lots of bouncing on the exercise ball. Son, you are coming out!!

Technically, this is what's going on this week:

• Chestnut is the size of a pumpkin - ~20 inches and weight, again, could range from 6.1 - 9.2 pounds.
• Baby might have an inch or so of hair already. Lanugo (the soft down), which covered the body throughout the pregnancy, is now disappearing.
• The body fat is continuing to build up, baby putting on about 1oz (28 grams) a day.
• The wrinkled skin is becoming 'baby' smooth.
• Baby is getting his antibodies from mom to protect against illness. Baby's growth is slowing, but fat cells under skin get plumper for life outside the womb.
• Lungs are just about fully developed.
• The baby may have reached its final birth position. Most babies are born head first with only about 3 percent coming out feet first.
• Mom may begin to feel electrical buzzes down her legs and inside her vagina. This is caused from the baby hitting nerves as he settles into the pelvis.

Physical:

• Weight: 150 lb (+37) ... Howwwww did this happen?!
• Belly circumference: 42.75 in (+14.25)
• Fundal height: 35 cm
• Dilation: 3.5 cm (was 4 cm last week)
• Effacement: 70% (was 90% last week)
• Station: +0 (was +1 last week) Sheesh! I regressed?!?!
• Midwife's estimate of baby's weight: close to 8 pounds if not over
• Baby's head: engaged and ready to go...and has been for some time now!
• Mucus plug: still no sign of Danny Tanner...not that it's always necessary for DT to appear prior to onset of labor.
• Leaking fluids: none 
• Cervical position: still posterior
• Some changes this week: more breast tenderness, more hip pain, contractions are a little bit more painful (but not regular at all).
• Hip pain is even worse this week. Although as long as I keep moving, it's not too bad. It's just when I've been immobile for a while (sleeping), it's excruciatingly painful to start moving again. One of the midwives in the group (Judy Lowe), one I respect very much, even suggested that I go for an epidural to mitigate the extreme hip pain. I said that I had the same kind of pain with Camille and [unmedicated] labor was fine for me. Hopefully that'll be true this time around with a much larger baby!
• For the past 2-3 weeks now, I've been getting this shooting nerve pain (kind of like a Charlie horse feel) radiating down the lateral sides of my legs whenever I need to pass a turd (totally technical medical term, honestly). Ouch!
• One observation I've made about all the tips on how to bring on labor: spicy food does not work for me; it only gives me a lot of gas.
• A highlight of this week was my first prenatal massage yesterday! I went to Wellness One in Bellevue with a 60-minute massage gift certificate I got for $20 through a high school fundraiser. The massage was fantastic! I even asked the masseur to press on the pressure points that would offset labor :P He said I was going to give birth within one week but not within the next couple of days. He said I didn't have that "glow." We'll see!
• Next week, if Marcus still hasn't arrived yet, they will offer to induce me if I'd like since my last time laboring was precipitous. They would do this first by stripping my membrane and then give me pitocin if that's necessary. I'm not at all keen on these interventions...but we'll see how I feel about things next week. :P

Spiritual & emotional:

• Even though I logically understand that the longer Marcus stays in, the better developed he will be, the better chances he would have of being a good eater and sleeper, etc....It doesn't change the fact that my heart is tender after all the anticipation.
• Now, I would like to emote a little about all these "false alarms." I feel cruddy about them. All three times, they occurred in the middle of the night. This meant no sleep for Chin & me. We're tired. So thankfully, no false alarms this week! Honestly, there is definitely an element of embarrassment. Moms who've experienced false alarms may not admit to it, but I will: I felt embarrassed to have misjudged false labor for true labor. "Don't you know your own body?" "You've done this before, don't you remember what it felt like?" "You were probably not in that much pain, right? How much of a wuss would you have to be to mistake Braxton Hicks contractions for real labor?" These are not questions anyone asked me (not even Chung, my brother-in-law who is infamous for not having a filter between brain & mouth). These are questions I have asked myself.
• I'm pretty much done with having to sit on towels everyday (in case my water breaks). I would like to have all my towels back for the typical purpose of showering. Sheesh!