Getting Closer



This Morning at 38.5 Weeks

I have 10 more days until the due date so that translates to anywhere between 0 and 24 days until I give birth. This means a lot of things. For one, I get almost daily comments about how round my belly is and how I look like I’m about to pop. Secondly, the woes of the last stage of pregnancy are just now starting to set in. Although my third trimester started 10 weeks ago, I’ve done my best to stay active and healthy and I’ve been fortunate enough to miss out on some of the common complaints that other pregnant women typically have. Until now that is. I still don’t have it as bad as some people, but I do find it pretty slow going when it comes to getting out of bed or a chair, getting out of the car, getting dressed, and doing other mundane things that I used to take for granted. Also, regardless of what I do in a day, whether it involves sitting for 8 hours at work, doing prenatal yoga, watching a movie, walking 3-4 miles at the park, or doing nothing at all, my body doesn’t seem to know the difference. Every evening my joints, legs, hips, and lower back act like I just finished my first half marathon! I am really looking forward to the massage I have scheduled for this weekend - a good night’s sleep is hard to get when you’re aching.

Speaking of sleep, I had my first bout of pregnancy insomnia last weekend. Around 3 am I woke up feeling like it was 3 pm. I couldn’t seem to quiet my panicky thoughts about the baby coming in two weeks. Chris woke up too so I read to him for a bit and after he fell back asleep I went upstairs to the baby’s room, sat in the glider, and read some more. The sun seemed like it was ready to come out by the time I crawled back into bed, but I slept until almost noon and haven’t had any issues since then.

So now we wait. I’m keeping busy with work, hanging out with friends that I might not see again for a couple months, and enjoying alone time with Chris. People keep telling me how close I am and constantly ask me if I’m eager for the baby to be out of me. The truth is that I’m not quite there yet, although I don’t know what I’ll be saying a week from now! Yes I am looking forward to some things like front hugs instead of awkward side hugs, tummy sleeping, and my pre-pregnancy yoga routine, but I have no clue how much recovery time I’ll need before finding some semblance of normalcy. Also, first time moms (who give birth naturally) typically go beyond their due date so I’m trying to mentally prepare for that possibility. Yes there’s a full moon the night before my due date and yes conception was on a full moon and yes my cycles typically match the moon, but I still want to be ready for anything. One of the ladies in my childbirth class had her homebirth 10 days after her expected delivery date! There’s no telling what can happen! Also, in all the cases of my friends going past their due dates, they’ve had positive natural birth experiences and their babies have been strong. So I tell my baby, “Take your time and grow. Be healthy and come out when you’re ready. On your birthday, mommy and daddy will happily welcome you. We will nurture you and we will love you no matter what!”