Week 38: This Is It!

Greetings Humble Readers...

Hoo boy!  Here it is, my last ever pregnancy update.  Crazy town.

This week has been good.  Slower than the last few, both in how it passed and how I was moving.  Thankfully, the anxiety hasn't gotten worse, and some days I have been able to almost shove it into a box in my mind.  I've also really given up on bending to pick things up off the floor.  If it falls and I can't get it, and Ginny's not able or willing to pick it up for me, it stays on the floor until my Beloved gets home.  And I'm not ashamed of that.  :)

Ginny has been acting... different... the last few days.  I commented on it on Sunday, but her need to be next to, on top of, or touching Mummy has really gone over the top.  I'm sure she knows that something is up.   Of course, she doesn't understand that there's a baby in Mummy's tummy, but she knows that there is change in the air. 

I started pumping yesterday.  There are some concerns about pumping before baby arrives because it can bring on contractions, but given that my c-section is only two days away, I'm willing to risk it.  It was suggested by an L&D nurse that I pump and hopefully collect enough for the Halfling to have as a first feeding while I'm in recovery, to help stave off a blood sugar low (a real risk for GD babies, especially those whose mothers were insulin dependant).  My first go round produced less than a milliliter, barely enough to cover the bottom of the little bottle, but I'm hopeful for better things to come.  It was hard to relax and not watch the teeny little bit of colostrum drip into the bottle, but I confess I felt like doing a happy dance when I saw that I had something to show for my efforts.  If this doesn't work, we'll go with formula of course, but I hope that I'll be able to do this.

Good news from today's NST... my blood pressure is well within target, 132/68.  Yay!  I was a little concerned given that Ginny has been a bit of a stinker this morning, and I was having to chase after her quite a bit.  The Halfling's heartrate was running between 140 and the upper 160s.  I didn't actually get to talk with Dr. W today, as she was busy trying to turn a stubborn breech baby in the next curtain.  I will be hearing from the L&D ward sometime tomorrow about my surgery time.  If it's any time before noon, I have to be there at 6am.  I have a list of protocols for my meds for the 12 hours before, and immediately following the surgery.  I can't believe it's time.

My mom will be here in the next hour or so.  All that's left on the to do list for today is to make the bed when the dryer is done.  We have a few little errands to run tomorrow, but nothing big. 

Onto the update...

How far along? 38w0d... 2 DAYS TO GO!

Maternity clothes?  One pair of mat jeans is officially dead.  The stretchy part at the top is unravelling at an alarming rate, and even tho the denim is in good shape, I don't think these ones will be going in the donation bag when all is said and done.  I'm going to need to find a craft to do with denim, I guess.

Body Oddities? Gassy beyond belief.  Seriously, it's embarrassing.  Water retention is a bit more constant, but no other indicators of pre-e.  Very thirsty, all the time.  Blood sugars have been great, unless I do something spectacularly stupid.  And I think if I were going to be going to 40wks, my belly button might actually pop. 

Sleep? Pretty good mostly, but I'm finding that I'm having to nap during the day again.  That's a little tough to pull off with Ginny being on a bit of a napping strike, but thank heaven for the play pen.  I can at least get a little rest, inspect my eyelids for holes for a few minutes here and there and know that she's safe and content.

Intense Dreams? About my old store, about delivery, about housework.   

Best moment this week? While it's in no way a good thing, I had a really funny moment at church on Sunday.  I was talking with an older lady about the planned c/s and everything, and another older lady I only know by sight joined our conversation.  When she caught on to the subject matter she got this hilarious shocked look on her face and then said, "Oh my goodness!  I had no idea you were pregnant!"  I burst out laughing.  I mean, yes, I'm fat, very fat.  But good heavens, I should hope that at this point, even the most unobservant person could notice the pregnant-lady-waddle.  The look on her face was priceless...

Worst moment? Just a lot of moments where I can't get up from a seated position or walk when I first stand up.  I'm so sick of waddling. 

Movement? Still good.  Every now and then I get a really huge kick or knee in the spleen. I keep reminding myself to savour every one of these moments, because it's not going to be happening again.

Food cravings/aversions? Nothing in particular, and everything all at once.  I'm just hungry!

Rings? Off.  Hopefully I'll be wearing them again in a couple of weeks.  Weight gain this week has been a bit higher than past weeks, but I know that a lot if it is water retention.

Gender? Still thinking it's a girl.  If it is, I confess I will be a teeny wee bit sad because we do have a couple adorable little boy sleepers that we've never used (they were gifts before Ginny was born).  They'll just get passed on to the next little boy we know. 
 
Medical Concerns? Gestational Diabetes (insulin 5x a day), High blood pressure (100mg of lobetalol 3x a day), continuing heartburn (60mg of pantaloc), low lying placenta, low iron

What I miss?  iced coffee, sushi (will be my first meal at home after the Halfling arrives), real iced tea

What I look forward to? Have I mentioned I'm planning on having sushi???  :)  Honestly, I just can't wait to meet this little person, to introduce him/her to Ginny, to know that our family is complete.

Emotional State?  Oh man... so hormonal.  Bouncing between tears, laughter, anxiety, and insanity on an hourly basis.

Week 38: AKA Blog Challenge Day 26

Howdy Humble Readers...

I hope you're all doing okay today.  I'm feeling a little ookey.  My blood sugars were a little low earlier today, but nothing terrible.  I'm mildly headachy (but no other pre-eclamptic symptoms), a little crampy, and just tired.  Really, I've done nothing today except go to my chiropractor, then read and veg out in front of the tv. 

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Dinner last night ended up being a bit, well, meh.  It was a good base recipe, but it needs work.  The 'mustard cream sauce' ended up being really bland and the mustard/thyme coating on the pork was a little too thyme-y.  It will be a work in progress.

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Here's this week's update:

How far along? 38w0d

Maternity clothes? Yeah, and I'm looking forward to getting back into my regular clothes.  I've been wearing the same things over and over for months now.

Body Oddities? This week has felt a bit like the first trimester all over again, with some not-so-fun third trimester stuff thrown in.  Occassional nausea, hypersensitive sense of smell, and I have been seriously grossed out by raw meat again.  My fingers and toes are aching a lot lately.  If I didn't know better, I'd swear I had arthritis.  (according to my reading, it's from the relaxin)  My IBS is starting to kick in again, mildly.  Some mild headaches & nosebleeds which I attribute to the change in season... it's so ridonkulously dry here.  Had to break out the humidifier again.  Braxton-Hicks have kicked into high gear again.  I've been having what feel like low grade menstrual cramps for the last few days.

Sleep? Meh... sleep is overrated... right?

Best moment this week?  Loved the nurse I had for my NST this week.  She was great!

Worst moment?  Our financial situation is a bit tense these days.  My mat leave benefits haven't kicked in yet (due to some aggravating foul ups at my company's head office) so we are hurting for cash.  We had to put this week's groceries on a credit card (I hate putting food on credit). Ugh!  Hopefully this week will bring some good news on this front.

Movement? Still significant, but it has slowed down a bit.  I think it's getting pretty cramped in there.

Food cravings?  I've been thinking (aka obsessing) about sushi again.  Only a couple of weeks and I get to have maki rolls!

Rings? Off... and they'll be staying off now for a while. Hope to have them back on by Christmas. :)

Gender? Not going to find out, but I think it's a boy.  Here's one reason why I hope it's a girl, tho... too cute, right?

image courtesy of Riderville.com

Intense Dreams? Oh man... so many delivery dreams!  Last night I dreamed that I gave birth (relatively easily) but no one would tell me if it was a boy or a girl.  They (my Beloved, my mom, the nurses) kept mocking me, saying that I went for 9 months without knowing, why did I want to know now?  There have also been a lot of very realistic dreams about labour, so realistic that when I wake up I have to remind myself that the baby hasn't been born yet, that my water didn't break an hour ago, or that I didn't have spotting the last time I used the bathroom.

Medical Concerns? High blood pressure (on 50mg Trandate/Lobetalol, 3 times a day...was up a bit this past week, but I think it was because I had to take the stairs to the L&D ward because the elevators were down), Gestational Diabetes (actually doing really well, except for the occassional low), on prescription Zan.tac for heartburn. Being induced on November 25th.

What I miss?  Sleep, being able to get up or down without grunting like my grandfather.

What I look forward to?  Getting to meet this little person, getting to bring him/her home.

Emotional State?  Pretty good, considering.  I'm freaked out about the actual birth, but really I think I'm doing pretty good.  A few teary moments sneak in on me...