Week 38

Lots of people have warned me about the last few weeks of pregnancy so I am just waiting to start feeling really horrible, but it's just not happening (and I'm not complaining about that!)!  : )  I am having lots of contractions and they seem to be stronger than before but I guess they are still just practice (Braxton Hicks) contractions since they don't hurt at all, they can just be a little uncomfortable at times.  The baby is acting a little crazy though... last night I almost called the doctor in the middle of the night because she was going nuts in there.  She was moving all over the place for over 2 hours and it felt like she was scraping her heels against my insides and it hurt!  I did ask the doctor once about her crazy activity level and she said that it's never a concern that she moves too much, only if she is not moving enough, so I decided to spare the doctor a phone call at 1am. 

We had our 38 week appointment this morning, and unfortunately not much to report!  She measured my belly at 37 cm this week and had measured me at 36 the two prior weeks, so the baby is growing a bit, but she said in terms of effacement and dilation it was pretty much the same as last week (50% and 1cm).  We were hoping for a little more progress, but I guess that's ok!  She reminded us that everyone is different in terms of how much progress they make before they actually go into labor, some women don't dilate past 1 cm until they go into labor.  We are just anxious for the baby to arrive at this point, and I am also afraid of how big she could be if she stays in there too long.  : )  It is just so hard not knowing when she will come and sitting around thinking about how I could go into labor at any time! 

I used a gift certificate I had from work for a Mother to Be Massage on Monday.... it was so nice!  They had a special pillow to lay on with an opening for the baby belly, it was strange to be on my stomach at first since I haven't been able to do that in many months.  It was really relaxing and I enjoyed the pool/spa area outside for awhile afterward, but I didn't actually swim (didn't really want to bare the giant belly) and I didn't bring any sunscreen so I didn't want to stay too long.  But it was a great way to relax and be pampered before the baby arrives.  I can't say I would have done it without the gift certificate as it is pretty expensive, but it was fabulous anyway! 

I finished reading the Babywise book this week (by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam), it is a super quick and easy read and I thought it was a great book!  It has been recommended to me by many friends who have used it and it just seems to make so much sense!  I am hoping to follow it and have a baby that has healthy sleep habits and is able to sleep through the night (eventually) and fall asleep on her own, but we will see!  In the very early days/weeks they just recommend that you always try to make the baby take a full feeding to avoid the baby getting into the habit of snacking and eating a small amount very frequently which seems to make a lot of sense.  Then they are supposed to fall into a schedule of feeding every 2.5-3 hours, and the next most important thing you can do is make sure the order of their routine is feed, wake, sleep.  This avoids the common problem of a baby requiring a feeding to go to sleep, and also helps the baby to fall asleep on their own.  You are also to avoid always rocking the baby to sleep and sleeping with the baby in your bed for the same reason.  Anyway, to each their own on what philosophy you follow, but our plan is to  follow the Babywise program.  I will keep you posted on how it works out.  : )  Now onto the next baby books! 

Week 38 update from Babycenter.com:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.  Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)