i realized this morning that one month from today is my due date, which felt both impossibly weird and really exciting at the same time. i promptly texted my acupuncturist to set up some sessions in weeks 37/38... i am going to try everything i can to get labor going on its own and not take after my mother in delivering her first baby (me) ten days late. and 9 1/2 lbs. bring on the eggplant, celery, long walks, and (gods willing) sex. i can't wait.
but i'm going to wait one more week. my doctor told me i could stop taking the anti-labor meds at 36 1/2 weeks, so i'm going to take them until next friday (just over 36 1/2 weeks) just to make sure i get through next week at work. i know there's no guarantee of anything, but the ultrasound tech told me at my last visit that she was on the same meds as i am and she went into labor the day after she stopped taking them at 37 1/2 weeks. i have had a super productive (and exhausting) week at work and need one more of those to feel like i've gotten all my proverbial ducks in a row before there's a chance of this baby making an appearance.
but by monday the 24th, all bets are off. i'll be 37 weeks, chances are this baby will weigh 7 pounds already (if he doesn't now... i'll find out at my appointment later today) (and yes, i know those estimates are often way off), and as far as i'm concerned he can show up whenever he wants. though, in truth, i'd prefer he wait until after my birthday on the 26th so i can enjoy a cupcake in peace.
here in the end of pregnancy things are going okay. i feel mostly fine, other than being tired. my feet are still hopelessly swollen when the weather is humid. they're mildly swollen on other days. but they don't bother me when it's not humid out (other than looking disgusting), so that's a bonus with the fall weather coming on. i'm still sleeping well, waking up a couple of times to pee but falling right back to sleep. i've started having some contractions on and off, which are mostly just uncomfortable. i am no longer constipated (not surprisingly, being off bedrest and actually being able to move around did wonders for that problem) but i will say i still have days when i'm... poo-challenged. still taking metamucil and colace every day; not quite ready to take the risk of giving that up. my lower back hurts occasionally, especially if i make the mistake of carrying a bag on one shoulder. it's nothing like the sciatica, and i've switched to a mini-backpack straight out of the 90s, which has basically eliminated the issue while also demolishing any fashion sense i might have tried to pretend i still have.
oh, and did i mention that i'm gigantic? i feel more baby than person now. i've outgrown a lot of my maternity clothes, which doesn't seem right. aren't they made for this specifically??? my belly just keeps getting bigger and bigger. the rest of me is still mostly the same. i can see a little added roundness in my face, arms, and legs, but i'm not sure how noticeable it is to anyone else. i'm pretty much just an enormous expanding belly. it's all people see when they look at me... i am starting to feel like i don't even have a face anymore. it is a very bizarre way to walk through the world. i actually can't imagine how i could get any bigger, but i know it's pretty much inevitable.
the hubby and i are trying to maximize these last few weeks and do things that we know we won't be able to do for awhile, like going out to eat outside of our neighborhood and seeing movies in the theatre. we have friends visiting this weekend and will do some fun stuff with them, and we've made more social plans for next week. sometimes it's hard to motivate myself because i'm so tired, but i know i will be glad that i got out and enjoyed post-bedrest, pre-baby life a bit. it's totally surreal to think about how much life is going to change -- suddenly -- so soon. but the excitement is outweighing the anxiety. we're almost there!
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