Newbie Notes, part 8: 36-38 weeks: The Nitty Gritty

It's been a very busy couple of weeks! 

Here are the highlights ...

An eventful weekend as I transitioned from 36 to 37 weeks:
I hurt my wrist so badly I thought it was broken, just by taking the garbage out! I couldn't even move it by that night and was crying my face off from the pain and from the worry of what the heck am I gonna do with one working hand?! Nine months pregnant, sore & contracting, a toddler, husband working a billion hours a day, upcoming labor ... What the heck? Welp, it turns out it must have just been sprained - which is still completely weird and ridiculous. It took a few days but it got better and is only a little weak now. Thank goodness!

The very next day was my baby shower. Yay! Some sweet friends joined me in celebrating my baby girl and showering her with gifts, and I was really excited that my mom was able to be there, having been traveling for months. She also stayed a few days with us and it was a treat. I'm so thankful for wonderful friends and family who have loved and supported us during this special time!

The day after that was maternity pictures. So fun, and a big relief! I had been having so many contractions so often that I was starting to wonder how much longer this pregnancy would last. So I was getting more and more anxious that we wouldn't get to fit in pictures before the baby came. What a travesty! It was a big deal to me because I don't really have any "real" pictures from this pregnancy. I have several iPhone pictures, but compared to the tons of pictures I have while pregnant with Solomon, the thought of not having this special time recorded was very sad to me.

Fortunately, my sister Becky came to my rescue! Yes, my sister is my photographer, and she is fantastic!!! Her business is A Little Perspective Photography, and she is awesome at family and children's photos if you're looking for someone great in the central Florida area. You can find her on Facebook here! We pinned down Sunday afternoon and got some really sweet family pictures that I'm so excited about.

I'll share them all later. For now, here's a little preview ...

My very favorite so far!!!
Look at Solomon peeking. Just priceless!

I have the sweetest, silliest husband in the universe. Oh, and I'm HUGE.
He looks precious and I look huuugely pregnant. 

Big Baby Belly
I love this shot. 

Speaking of huge, I don't just look it. I feel it! Someone just told me last night "You look like you're about to explode." I told her, "Well, I feel like I'm about to explode." Solomon was not this big of a baby. My body has never been stretched to this capacity. It's surreal to see yourself grow and change literally every day. There are constant questions in my mind, How much bigger can I get? How much more can my body take? I had trouble progressing in labor with a smaller baby last time. Can my body really do this? Well, I don't have all the answers, but I can do it. I am doing it. Even if some days I feel like I'm just getting by, and the floor is a mess most of the day because my body is so much more limited, we're all okay and healthy. I can do this.

In the past couple of weeks I've gone through the stage of whining and crying constantly. Fortunately, I think I'm on my way out of that, and moving more into blunt determination (more on that in a moment). We all know that hormones and emotions run rampant during pregnancy, but I didn't realize until I started really feeling miserable and humongous just how true that was. I seriously have gone three days in a row, at one point, when I was in tears before even getting out of bed. I've felt helpless and hopeless and lonely and miserable. Some days I feel like this baby is coming any second, and I'm all excited and panicky. Other days I feel like she is taking forever, I have been pregnant forever, and can hardly imagine ever feeling like a regular person again. I have whined and complained about every single little thing to my husband, and I'll be the first to say he deserves a reward. Sometimes I wonder if he's glad to be going to work so he doesn't have to be around me for a little while. Ha! Of course I'm kidding, but I say that to point out how extremely extreme this hormone stuff had gotten.

Coming out on the other side of all that (I think, mostly) I have a different type of motherly instinct kicking in. I want my baby out! I want to see my toes and stop waddling, but more than that I want to see my baby girl. I want to hold, smell and kiss her. I want to bring her home with us, and see my son become a big brother. I want to be a family of four. I want to have this baby!

As of this week's doctor's appointment, at 38 weeks, I am dilated 1cm. That's better than where I was at this time with Solomon, so I can't complain too much. I have "dropped" since our pictures were taken almost two weeks ago. My belly isn't fully covered by many of my maternity shirts anymore. There have been a few days off and on with lots of contractions. Then, I had almost none, for two or three days. Discouraging!

So I'm pulling out all the tricks!*
(Sorry in advance if this is TMI for anyone, but we're all adults here. We all know how this stuff happens, yes? Yes.)

• I'm taking 3-4 Evening Primrose Oil a day to soften the cervix.
• Taking a walk at least once a day (because that's all I can manage with my busy boy) to help move the baby down and encourage contractions.
• Bouncing on the yoga ball as much as possible every day, sometimes just rocking back and forth or side to side, as well as incorporating circular rotations in alternating directions. This is also to help move the baby into optimal position.

On the ball, folding laundry

• A few days ago I ate almost an entire fresh pineapple in one sitting, with a few bites stolen by Big Brother - Some people say this can help soften the cervix as well. I love pineapple, so figured it was worth a shot.

 I ate this until I felt sick

• I've had some Red Raspberry Leaf tea, but not as much as I should for optimal results. It is said to strengthen the uterus and make contractions more productive as well as some additional benefits. I need to make myself do better with that one.
• On top of everything else I'm trying to keep myself busy with chores, and finish up little details to get ready for the baby - organizing her clothes and things, vacuuming corners and crevices throughout the house, setting up a changing area in our bedroom, decluttering, etc.

*Please note, none of these are guaranteed ways to start labor, but they encourage progression and can make labor quicker and more efficient.

Based on my last experience, that is exactly what I'm hoping for! Solomon having been my first baby there was a lot I didn't know. I kept hearing that I needed to rest, so I did. I didn't walk at all. I didn't have a yoga ball, and thought using one a little bit once I got to the hospital would be enough. So I ended up with my water breaking out of the blue, then nothing for many hours. NOT the ideal situation. But that's a story for another day ... 

For a final update, I fell backwards out of a patio chair a couple days ago. This is totally the kind of Summer we've had in our family, so don't be too surprised. And I'm fine. I was sitting outside while Solomon played and only hit grass so it wasn't a bad fall, and my belly wasn't affected at all. I did call my doctor's office to be cautious but the baby has been active and well ever since, and I have no scary side affects. Only problem is my neck being very sore. Hopefully that will get better as quickly as my wrist so I don't have to worry about added stress or tension during labor. 

Last night was the first time my contractions have gotten stronger, but they remained far apart and faded away when I went to bed. Time will tell how much longer before we meet our Newbie Girl. Our prayer requests are for continued health for Mama and Baby Girl, continued progress, strength and endurance for me, and a quick and efficient labor and delivery. Stay tuned!