Week by Week: Week 40

Week 40! Ready for a swim on our due date (9.22)

Gonzalito is the size of a pumpkin

Week 40 was a very exciting week. The information below applies to the first 3 days of week 40. And then... our pregnancy finished, as our son was born! But that is for another post :)  During week 40, I worked from home, which was fantastic. It was so much more comfortable, plus I didn't have to take the train or get up quite as early. So, Week 40 was short, but sweet, with the sweetest ending of all!

How Far Along?  40 weeks!

Maternity Clothes? Yep!

Stretch Marks? Nope! 

Sleep? Very good! The nesting instinct was hitting me big time, but Julian did a great job of reminding me to sleep as much as possible. 

Best Moment of the Week? Celebrating our due date with one last pregnant swim.

Movement? Yes, lots of little nudges with his little feet.

What I miss? It is getting more uncomfortable, so I guess I just miss being able to move around easily.

Symptoms: Same as before, but now just a bit more uncomfortable. He is dropping lower and lower.

What I’m looking forward to? Baby's arrival! We are ready! 

Milestones: Baby G is the size of a pumpkin

Emotions: Excited and nervous- it's getting real!

Week by Week: Week 39

Gonzalito is the size of a mini-watermelon

We are so close to the end! I think we're ready- we keep finding new and different things to organize. Julian is nesting right along with me :) This was my last week to go into work. From now on, I will be working from home until Baby comes. I am very relieved, because it's so much more comfortable to work from home, and I don't have to take the train for an hour each way to get to work, which just makes everything a lot easier. Plus, none of my coworkers will be afraid of me going into labor near them anymore! Altogether, week 39 was relaxing... Baby is dropping more and more, but I am still able to sleep very well, and even slept for more than 11 hours the other night! 

How Far Along?  39 weeks!

Maternity Clothes? Of course, and wearing my new ones each day.

Stretch Marks? Nope! 

Sleep? Very good! We are taking advantage of our opportunities to sleep for long periods of time while we still can. 

Best Moment of the Week? Lots of sweet time with Julian, reminiscing about our history together, and looking forward to our future.

Movement? Yes, but smaller movements than before. He is running out of space. 

What I miss? Nothing specific. It's going to be strange to not have such a big belly soon (although I'll definitely still have "mummy tummy" for some time).

Symptoms: Everything is continuing.. the numb skin sensation is spreading a bit to a larger area. Also, I had bright red spots on my palms for a couple of days (like bright little polka dots), but not every day.

What I’m looking forward to? Baby's arrival! We are ready! 

Milestones: Baby G is the size of a mini-watermelon

Emotions: Excited!

We're ready for you, Baby G!

Week by Week: Week 38

Gonzalito is the length of a leek

Our 38th week was filled with rest, preparation, organization, and fun! I have been trying to be very productive at work, but also take it easy and really focus on planning for maternity leave. That means going into classrooms less, and playing with kids less, but it has been good to try and just document the things that need to happen when I am out. It has also meant coming home at a more decent time, and even working from home a bit! We are physically set up for baby's arrival- we organized his little room, and Julian installed our new car seat (thanks, Mom and Dad!) in our car. We are feeling more and more ready! At the end of the week, we went a friend's daughter's birthday party at a beautiful park, and enjoyed relaxing in the sun on the lake. We went paddle boating. We are trying to rest, but also to take advantage of the beautiful weather and our last moments as "just the two of us."

*paddle-boating*

*on the lake*

How Far Along?  38 weeks!

Maternity Clothes? Yes! We got some new ones thanks to freecycle, so I'm going to take advantage and wear something new every day until baby comes :)

Stretch Marks? Nope! 

Sleep? Very good! It's hard to turn in the middle of the night though.

Best Moment of the Week? Hearing Baby's heartbeat at our appointment, and organizing Baby's things with Julian.

Movement? Yep. He is running out of room!

What I miss? Nothing.

Symptoms: Still the numb stomach skin... the midwife said it is most likely from the skin being stretched, and not from the baby leaning on anything, which means that it will stay numb until Baby comes out!

What I’m looking forward to? Baby coming! Although he can take his time :) We know he'll come when he's ready!

Milestones: Baby G is the length of a leek

Emotions: Feeling more and more ready!

Week by Week: Week 37

Gonzalito is the size of a bunch of swiss chard

We started off our 37th week with a maternity photo shoot from our friend, Mein. He is a fantastic photographer, and he brought all of his equipment to our house. We had a wonderful time taking pictures and documenting this very special time in our lives. We also had our weekly checkup, where we found out that my blood work looked good, and that I was GBS negative (woohoo! an answer to prayer!). Very very very good news, meaning that I don't have to be hooked up to an IV for antibiotics during labor.

At the end of the 37 weeks, we were blessed with a baby shower from church friends. It was a wonderful afternoon, filled with chatting, laughter, and cute baby gifts. At the end, they all prayed for us, which was just beautiful. So thankful for these women!

How Far Along?  37 weeks!

Maternity Clothes? Yes!

Stretch Marks? Nope! 

Sleep? Very good, still. I am feeling very fortunate that I have been able to get good sleep throughout the pregnancy. 

Best Moment of the Week? Well, the maternity shoot was really fun, and seeing the pictures was even better. The baby shower was another highlight, as was learning that we are GBS negative at our midwife appointment. So many wonderful moments this past week!

Movement? Yes! Some days he likes to push against my ribs, which can be a bit painful, but mainly the movements are just fun and nice. I like to think of Gonzalito as my sleeping troll. He sleeps under the mountain, but sometimes he wakes up and makes a little earthquake :)

What I miss? Nothing!

Symptoms: The new symptom for this week is that on the top right side of my stomach, it feels like the skin is falling asleep. It is very strange and has only been happening for a few days, but from what I read it seems like this is common, and a result of where baby is laying inside- he is cutting off the blood supply to that area. It is a strange sensation!

What I’m looking forward to? Another positive midwife visit. At our last visit, the fundal height hadn't grown, so I'm hoping it will have grown this week. 

Milestones: Baby G is the size of a bunch of swiss chard (I don't really get it, but that's what the Baby Center comparison says!)

Emotions: Feeling less overwhelmed with preparation than before, and more excited for Baby's impending arrival.

Week by Week: Week 36

Gonzalito is the size of a head of romaine lettuce

36 weeks! This week we had one of our big midwife appointments. I had blood drawn, and a GBS test- if I am positive for GBS bacteria (25% of women are), I will have to have antibiotics through an iv during labor. I am praying for a negative result! I was also checked to see how baby is doing, in terms of being ready for labor. It looks like he is head down (although the midwife couldn't quite grab his head to confirm), and is starting to drop. We also had a home visit from our birth assistant, who reviewed all of our home birth materials and organized them. She walked us through the whole process, and a lot of paperwork, so we are feeling more ready! 

At the end of 36 weeks, we went out on a date to the jazz concert in the art sculpture garden. We are trying to enjoy as much special time together as possible before our little boy comes. It will be much harder to go out on spontaneous dates after a few weeks from now! :)

On our date at the national mall

How Far Along?  36 weeks!

Maternity Clothes? Yep.

Stretch Marks? Nope! 

Sleep? Still very good. I had a reality check this week when I realized that this sleep, when I get up now 1-2x a night, is going to be much more than I will get for the unforseen future... trying to enjoy as much sleep and rest as I can, while still getting things ready!

Best Moment of the Week? It is always fun to hear Baby's heartbeat at our midwife appointments. He is moving a lot, and kicked the midwife as she used the doppler to listen to his heart! Meeting with our birth assistant was very encouraging as well.

Movement? Yes! I started kick counts this week, too, so I am trying to pay special attention to all of his wiggles. 

What I miss? Nothing, really. At the jazz concert, we danced to one slow jazz song. It was wonderful, but tiring! I wished we could have danced more, but it was still nice to listen to the music, and even dance to one song while 9 months pregnant.

Symptoms: Same as before, with maybe more heartburn than before. Hopefully that will decrease as baby keeps dropping. 

What I’m looking forward to? The results from our last midwife appointment, and being in the "full-term" zone!

Milestones: Baby G is the size of a head of romaine lettuce :)

Emotions: Feeling good, and more ready than before.