Hey Everyone! We are another week closer to my sweet boy coming Earth side!
Oliver should be around 6.5 lbs so far, and gaining 1/2 a pound each week! He also is pretty much at his birth length around 19-21 inches long. His lungs should be matured, but that doesn't mean he is necessarily ready to breathe on his own outside of the uterus.
He is now considered "Early term." I know a lot of people consider this week as full term, but that has actually been changed! "The nation’s ob-gyns have redefined ‘term pregnancy’ to improve
newborn outcomes and expand efforts to prevent nonmedically indicated
deliveries before 39 weeks of gestation," according to www.acog.org. You can read more about that here.
I am having Braxton Hicks contractions (false labor- practice contractions) here and there. They don't feel like period cramps this time around, they're more intense and feel comparable to shorter active labor contractions. I continue to have pubic bone pain. My OB's have said that it is because the ligaments in my pelvic bones are now too soft and separated too much. It is called Symphysis pubic dysfunction, or SPD. (You can read more about that here.) I experienced this with my first pregnancy, and have had the pain this time around since 20 weeks. It is not pleasant at all!
With my last pregnancy I was devastated to see my tummy gradually be covered in stretch marks. It was painful to see my body tear itself the way it did. By the end of my whole birthing experience and being over packed with fluids in the hospital, I had stretch marks cover my hips, inner thighs, lower torso and everywhere under my undies. I was stretched to the max and my skin paid for it. So, this time around I was very scared that it would only get worse.
I have been using Palmer's cocoa butter stretch mark tummy butter on it every day, and thankfully they have not gotten darker in color. Until this past week I actually hadn't been itchy or in pain. My C-section scar is starting to feel overstretched, sore and is now dark in color. the stretch marks that run through it are welted and swollen. They hurt to touch at this point. I hope this changes after my delivery.
Lastly, I am starting to really experience forgetfullness. I have been starting sentences and then I guess I just stop talking. My husband has been constantly asking me what I was going to say... and I don't even remember. I forget everything I need to take places with me, time and dates, etc. It is really getting annoying. I know this wont end soon... Exhausted mommy brain is going to be hitting me even harder in 2 weeks.
I have been trying to make myself feel better every day by doing something for myself. I paint my nails a new color every other day. I try to have my hair done at all times. I try to sneak in long showers during nap time at the expense of cleaning my house. I do my makeup every Saturday and Sunday. I wear perfume nearly every day to smell and feel pretty too.
It is ALL about self confidence this pregnancy.
I am loving myself just as much as my children and husband love me.
This is the very end of my pregnancy, and this is what we plan to be my last pregnancy. We still plan on expanding our family- just not biologically. The plan for a couple years down the road once we are done with school will be to open our home to foster kids and hopefully adopt 2 more children. Ideally we would be bringing in a set of siblings to keep them together. That is my dream and something I really hope happens. We have so much love to give, I know we will be great foster and adoptive parents.
I actually opted out of my weekly visit for this week and just scheduled my next visit for my 38th week. I will be scheduling my C-section at that appointment, so I will have more info on that next
Wednesday. :-)
Wednesday. :-)
On another note- the pregnancy cravings have shifted from breakfast foods (donuts) to milkshakes and french fries. Did you know that Five Guys is testing AMAZING milk shakes at certain locations? Well, you're welcome! They're delicious!!
xoxo, Chelsea.
