Week 39 Bumpdate - Still Here....

Already trying to steal the show from Baby Sister. (And this time, we'll gladly let him do so.)

Sigh.

I honestly never thought I'd be writing a week 39 bumpdate. Those of you that know me know I predicted that I'd be having this baby at least two days ago by now. Well please remind me never to make a labor-related prediction - and then tell others about it - again.

On top of the frustration over not yet meeting Baby Sister, after 9+ months of having a relatively easy pregnancy and being super healthy, this week my body decided to revolt. I developed an awful cold (which I blame on the change of seasons, as well as Sammy's many snotty nose-filled friends) and it has made me downright miserable.

Do you know what sucks? Being 38 weeks pregnant and not being able to engage in strong medication. Being 38 weeks pregnant and having a head cold that makes you feel like your head will explode at any minute. And... being 38 weeks pregnant and feeling pretty confident that you've blown your nose so many times that you have now developed multiple holes throughout your inner sinuses (similar to a condition usually reserved for D-list celebrities that hope to make a comeback via Celebrity Rehab).

(And yes, this entry will pretty much be negative throughout. Feel free to skip it unless you, too, feel like you've been under a perpetual rain cloud this past week.)

Alrighty then. Let's get to the task at hand - the bumpdate. This week, my What to Expect app congratulates me for reaching the end of my pregnancy, but it also reminds me that many pregnancies go beyond 40 weeks.

God help everyone around me if that becomes the case.

Baby sister will apparently weigh in around 7 1/2 pounds (my doctor believes she's just over 7 pounds), and measures between 19 and 22 inches. Apparently she is done developing as that's the extent of what I'm told will happen this week.

Total weight gained: I actually went down a couple pounds, most likely due to the amount of mucous I've blown out of my nose throughout the past week. Pretty picture, huh? This is sort of ironic though as I'm pretty confident that my belly has grown three-fold over the past week. I know I've complained before about feeling huge, but that was all a lie. This week, I am huge. Like, for real.

I will now scatter adorable pics of my first born throughout this post so as to achieve some sort of balance from all the complaining I'm doing.

Belly / movement: The amount of movement I've experienced near the end of this week has been downright insane. It leads me to believe that Baby Sister is clearly ready to depart my stomach - she just doesn't quite get how to go about it. Here's a video I captured the other day. (The 0:08 mark is where it gets weird.)



Signs of labor: Contributing heavily to my current state of frustration is that I've had a million labor signs over the past week. I'm not exaggerating when I say that every day I have thought, this could be it. At my weekly appointment, I discovered that I hadn't changed any in dilation or effacement, but Baby's head is definitely lower, and now at the -1 station. At that time, I had the doctor sweep my membranes, which resulted in a ton of cramping and contractions, as well as the departure of my mucous plug the following morning. (Apologies, as I don't think there is anything more gross than the term - or thought of - "mucous plug.")

The crazy movement of Baby is apparently another labor sign. (At least from what I've read on other blogs.) I've had contractions pretty much non-stop for days now, but nothing consistent. And on top of everything, I've been an absolute emotional disaster. I remember the day I went into labor feeling of a similar emotional state, and yet this time, my irrational crying fits have led to zilcho.

I know all this means that the end is super near, but it's just annoying that this time around, I am having to experience each and every labor sign - every day - whereas when pregnant with Sammy, things hit me one day, and boom - that night I had him. This all leads me to believe that one of my biggest fears is happening - we were totally spoiled with Sammy, but with Baby Sister - it's going to be a whole new ball game....

Sleep: I've gotten in a couple multi-hour stretches here and there, but this cold has thrown quite the wrench into my regular lackluster sleeping patterns. Almost every night this week, I've dragged myself down to our living room couch at some point as it seems to be the only place I can breathe, and it's a bit stiffer than my current bed.

My view every morning for the past week.

Food cravings / aversions: I've had absolutely no appetite, but have forced myself to eat to keep up my strength. Few things stink more than not being able to taste your food due to a stupid cold.

Best moment of the week: As miserable as I've been, Sammy has made the days somewhat more tolerable. The other day, we went for our daily walk down the street, and though he usually is quite independent and runs his little heart out, hoping I will chase him, twice, he reached for me to pick him up, and then proceeded to give me long little hugs. Mind you, my son is not a big hugger, so this was quite a surprise. It's the little things sometimes....

Final thoughts: I drafted the majority of this post on the day I officially turned 39 weeks pregnant (a Saturday). I think my mood that day was pretty obvious. 

But today - a Sunday, I have decided that it's a new calendar week. I'm done being anxious, I'm done being miserable, and I'm (nearly) done being sick. For some reason, with my due date now officially this week, I feel like there is at least an end date set in stone and thus I can relax. (We won't get into what will happen if I go late.) Besides - a May Day birthday baby might not be too bad, right? 

(And a special thank you to all my friends and family that have been checking in. Believe it or not, it really does not bother me to be asked if I've had the baby yet. If it were up to me, I likely would have spent this past week locked in a closet being completely anti-social, so the calls and texts have been especially welcome.)