Pregnancy Update: 39 weeks

I’m back! Sorry to leave you hanging, I had to get in as much time with Little J as I could before the new baby comes. I also have everything ready and a sparkling clean house! Now all I have to do is wait.
My due date is exactly 6 days from today. What??? OMG where did the time go I’m really having another baby RIGHT NOW!?! I can’t believe how close it is. For the past few days I’ve really been feeling sore, heavy, and having a hard time walking. I’ve been trying to take it easy, I can’t pick up Little J anymore without being in pain, and even my birthing ball doesn’t make me feel better. I’m ready.

This week’s picture is a bit different, and hopefully my last! On the left is yesterday at 39 weeks and on the right is me at 39 weeks with Little J. It’s crazy how different my body looks with each one!

Want to know what’s going on this week? Here’s what Babycenter has to say.

How your baby’s growing:

Your baby’s waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it’s likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

How your life’s changing:

At each of your now-weekly visits, your caregiver will do an abdominal exam to check your baby’s growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether your cervix has started ripening: softening, effacing (thinning out), and dilating (opening). But even armed with this information, there’s still no way for your caregiver to predict exactly when your baby is coming. If you go past your due date, your caregiver will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it’s safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don’t go into labor on your own, most practitioners will inducelabor when you’re between one and two weeks overdue — or sooner if there’s an indication that the risk of waiting is greater than the risks of delivering your baby without further delay.

Symptoms: I feel like I’m carrying around a baby elephant. My hips and thighs hurt every time I stand up, I have to pee every five minutes, and sometimes I think my legs just might go on strike. I’ve also had pretty constant mild contractions for days now that last a few hours and then just go away. What’s up with that?

Weight Gain: I’ve gained 28 pounds total, which is incredible considering with Little J I gained 60.

Medical Stuff: At my last OB appointment, I was at 2cm. I’m going again tomorrow and hope that all those contractions have at least made SOME progress. And if I don’t get this baby out by the end of next week I’ll have to be induced because they won’t let me go past 41 weeks. Here’s to hoping!

Other Stuff: 1. I’m really scared she is going to come out huge. Little J was 9 pounds even and I’m NOT a large person. I really don’t want to push out a giant. 2. The waiting is killing me! 3. I’ve decided that when she’s born I’m going to reveal both her and Little J’s names! That means from now on I don’t have to talk in code about my kids!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my updates over the past 9 months, and I certainly hope that the next one will be about baby and not pregnancy! Thanks for reading!

How your life’s changing:

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