I went in for my ultrasound today, and all the physical measurements are fine, thank goodness. My fluid level is low though - not terribly low, but low enough that I got doctor's orders. :) It was described as "on the low end of normal." So the treatment is to hydrate and to "take it easy." The ultrasound tech mentioned the word "bedrest," which really isn't going to happen. But I will do my best to sit down more this weekend, and definitely to drink more water.
The side benefit of this "worry" is that we got to see the baby. Turns out an ultrasound at 38 weeks is pretty unsatisfying. The baby is so big, it's hard to see much of the kid's shape. And of course, baby girl refused to turn her face or move her hand away from her face. So we couldn't even see her cute face. But if you look closely below, you can see the baby's face, with her fist right above her nose.
Jayden and Carmen came with me so that Jayden could see the baby. One of the things he said was "it's hard to see Mommy."
The week has been a little rough - partly from anxiety, and partly from just exhaustion. It's 8:30 pm now, and it's kind of a miracle I'm still awake. I'm one of those people who really can only sleep in a bed - it's pretty rare for me sleep well on an airplane or on the couch or wherever (unlike my husband who can literally pass out snoring any place he pleases). But Tuesday night, by 9:15 pm, I was passed out on the couch. I woke up a few minutes later, dragged myself upstairs, and passed back out pretty quickly. Tuesday I even texted my mom to make sure she had her bag packed, because I was convinced the baby was coming any minute. Which is why I'm hoping for 39 weeks and a few days - I want maybe one or two days at home after I quit work. But that's what I wanted last time too, and Jayden had different ideas. So who knows.
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| Today, June 5, 2015. 38 weeks officially. I feel like my belly has popped out even more. I'm definitely more uncomfortable. And there is no sitting up; it's all about rolling over and propping myself up. Oof. |
She is fully developed, but still adding connections between neurons in the brain. Her nails are growing and now reach the ends of her fingers and toes. She also has a firm grasp, which you can sort of tell from the ultrasound - making a fist. Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Her movements are quite restricted, which I can tell. I've had a few moments where I've felt feet on the sides of my belly - some rather painful. They're not really "kicks," but more like pushes or pressure. I also feel her rear moving back and forth across the top of my belly, which can be quite uncomfortable too.
One of my apps says "...the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can." I read this aloud to Carmen, and, pardon my french, said "what the f*** are they talking about?!???"" That sounds lovely, and also completely unrealistic. This is clearly meant for moms who are not working, moms who do not have other children and just generally people who don't have other worries.
Jayden went in for a haircut on Thursday. We knew it had been a long time, but as usual, we didn't realize just how long it had been.
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| As Carmen always says when they go in for a haircut, "holy hair!" The barber picked it out, and just kept going and going and going... Jayden was apparently very brave, because his hair was rather tangled. I need to comb/pick it more regularly, so we'll work on that. |
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| The "after" shot. So handsome. |
- his legs hurt, and the food didn't help (I don't know what that means either, so I rubbed his legs for a minute and then tried to put him back to bed)
- his arm got "stuck" (which means he reached down between his bed and the wall - he could have pulled his arm back up but just didn't)
- he had a booger in his nose, he had a bad dream and his legs were telling him it was time to be awake
Jayden often has reasons why his stomach or his legs are telling him certain things. Sometimes his stomach tells him things, sometimes his legs tell him things, it's awesome. And there's really no arguing with it, so you just figure out how to deal with it.
One last item:
I decided, after much deliberation, to get pregnancy photos taken. Honestly, what convinced me is how adorable Jayden has been with his baby sister, with his constant kissing of my belly. And I decided I would like to have that documented, more than just on a cell phone picture. So I took the plunge and scheduled a photo shoot with Ana, the same woman who takes our family photos. Because I'm generally useless, I also decided to schedule someone to do my hair and makeup. I am not a person that loves being pregnant, or that feels beautiful while pregnant. So I decided this was something nice I was going to do for myself - to make myself feel beautiful, even if only for a few hours. So we did that last night. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun, and I did feel beautiful. Ana made a comment "you look like a model - you don't even look like yourself!" And then she realized what she said and just started cracking up. That's about how the photo shoot went - just lots of laughs and hilarity. The hair/makeup lady was awesome too; my hair just doesn't hold curl to save my life.
I don't have any of the real pictures yet - it usually takes Ana a few days to post her sneak previews - but I do have a picture of my makeup and one Carmen took from behind the scenes:
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| I initially didn't want my belly out for everyone to see, but it turned out to not be so bad. And we made for a nice spectacle for all the runners and bikers on the path! This is towards the beginning of the shoot and already the curls have faded from my hair. So sad. |
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| A close up, after the shoot, of my makeup. This morning, while we were on our walk, Jayden turns around looks at me and says "Mama, you don't look so pretty anymore." Apparently I had talked up just how pretty I felt the night before a little too much! Carmen tried to defend me and tell Jayden that wasn't nice - but I understood what Jayden meant. I never wear that much makeup, and I have been wearing even less recently, so last night was a big change. |
I'll try to post a little more frequently over the next week or two - just in case!
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