Gone fishin' at 37 weeks

 
I am going to try to do weekly updates until Fish's arrival.  Being my last pregnancy, this is the time that I really wanted to remember with Finn (hence the weekly updates this time).

The biggest development this week was that E has left for Ireland.  Yes, at 37 weeks, he traveled overseas (but it was with my permission, as crazy as I may seem).  He was supposed to travel last weekend, but with the weather that headed our way, flights were canceled and he never made it.  I told him this was the last weekend to travel before Fish's arrival.  So here we sit...

I had an appointment with my doctor yesterday afternoon before E left.  We had debated on whether I should be checked (for dilation) at that point to see if E should cancel the trip. When in the office, I decided that the better choice was that no information was better than misleading information (as did my doctor).  I really don't think that he is going to arrive in the next five days, but the worry is always there.  So I set up a back-up plan and those involved were put "on-call" for the week.  Everything is in place, just in case.  And Dr. Emery tried to calm my fears by saying that if I wasn't feeling right at any point while E was away, I could call the office and see him immediately.

Left: Fish 37 weeks & right: Finn 37 weeks
As you can see, I'm actually quite bigger this time around -- so all my complaints are justified.  Ha!

There has been no signs that says that delivery is going to come anytime soon.  Finn was born 3 hours into her due date. And being that she didn't come early, I'm trying to not concern myself.  I've always thought that he was going to be a February baby anyways (February 2nd has been my own personal EDD from the very beginning) -- his due date is January 30, so this is a definite possibility.

I've gained 43 pounds this pregnancy, which is only slightly less than I gained with Finn.  I gained 45 pounds with her, but my last three weeks plateaued off and I lost a pound or two.  I'm not concerned about my weight gain at all.  I lost all the weight with Finn (and more) by her first birthday and I'm fully expecting the same with Fish.

Fish is also still very active right now, which leads me to believe that delivery isn't imminent as I heard they slow down as D-Day approaches.  It is quite uncomfortable if I'm being truthful.  At the beginning when he was just a crazy mover & shaker, it was cute.  Now, although I breath a sigh of relief at the beginning of each of his exercise routines, by the time that it is halfway through I'm pushing back on his feet as they try to stretch outside my body and tell him to cool his jets.  He usually doesn't listen to me and continues to tell me how angry he is that my uterus is so small.  Finn was never this active.  She would do a bump here or there; maybe a kick a week and after a single kick or movement, she was done.  This guy just keeps going and going and going, practically every hour.

I'm also completely over the stranger comments.  On Friday, I was told that I was going to have the baby that day (which seems to be an everyday occurrence as of late), but then the lady sitting next to the first lady said "Yeah, are you heading to labor and delivery right now?"  At least 3-5 times a day, I get asked how long I have, then the I get the stink eye when I say "three weeks" and then they tell me how big the baby is going to be.  I get it.  The kid is big.  I also think that it's because I haven't gained weight anywhere else -- all 43 pounds have went to my belly(save 10 pounds or so that went to my ass -- ONLY to balance me out so I don't fall over with all the weight in my belly.  It's all physics, people).

He is in the right position (head-down), but rotates all over the place.  I'm not sure if you remember, but my placenta was anterior (meaning it was on the front side), which could lead to some issues during delivery (a sunny-side up baby = lots of back labor).  But I'm feeling confident that he will rotate into the right position.  Each time I roll over in bed, he always rolls with me, so that he can stick his feet into the mattress and try and stand up.  So, I know that his rotation skills are up to par.

Speaking of rolling over in bed, I'm over it.  My pubic ligament actually POPS now everytime I roll over.  I dread the actual roll-over, which takes at least 45 seconds.  It's so uncomfortable and painful.  I'm also now getting shooting cramps which start in a buttcheek and run down the back of my leg.  They only happen when I walk, which leads me to believe that I'm really waddling off-balance now.  And my left leg is falling asleep whenever I lay on my left side (which is the side that all doctors suggest you lay on as it's best blood flow for both you and babe).  I try to stay on my left side as much as possible, but can't.

I am also still eating my dates on the reg.  Not sure if I posted this at any point, but I found a research article that states that dates are a really great idea for the final month of pregnancy.  Date-eaters were less likely to need Pitocin to help labor progress, had a shorter first stage of labor, were less likely to have premature water-breaking, and had a significant reduction in post-partum bleeding.  96% of the date-eaters went into labor spontaneously (meaning didn't need an induction).  With all that evidence and the fact that dates don't taste like anything, I figured I could suck it up (as I'm not too keen on the texture) and down 5-6 a day.