37 weeks - EARLY TERM!!!
Yay, we've made it to 37 weeks! Although I'm still aiming for 39 weeks in the hopes of a primo birth outcome, I am SO HAPPY that my little subchorionic hemorrhage baby with the bad cord insertion has made it to (early) term :) That way, when Trump screws over the health care system for the rest of eternity, my daughters won't have to be denied coverage because of a family history of pre-term birth...such strange things to be grateful for!
I spent most of this week trying to improve my head space and prepare myself for labor, including preparing for another dysfunctional labor, about which I'm trying to get over my fear. I had an appointment with my midwife where we did a "bedside" ultrasound and confirmed that the baby is a) head down, and b) in a super amazing position for birth, LOA (left occiput anterior). Now if only she would stay that way until labor begins :) Maya tells her every day, "New baby! Tuck your chin!"
This week, I've been doing meditation, visualization, Epi-No training, and lots and lots of reading. I also finished packing all the hospital bags, decided on a "spirit animal" for new baby (fox!), set up the co-sleeper bassinet, and washed enough infant clothing to get us through a few days. My mom comes on Wednesday, which is so exciting - we need help getting the house clean enough to accept a new baby, and I am pretty out of commission. This baby is definitely bigger than Maya (I think she's about 7lbs now, and will be 8 by 39 weeks), and I am definitely feeling my (advanced) age. Bending over feels like hell. I can't believe my mom also had a baby at 37 (actually, she was almost 38), and I don't remember anything in the house falling off schedule while she was pregnant. Literally nothing - it was like she wasn't even pregnant. I don't even remember a single complaint - she was so much better at adulting while pregnant than me! Granted, she wasn't working a full-time job like I am, but my grandmother definitely didn't have to fly out and help her with something as basic as cleaning the house, that's for sure. And frankly, I didn't work full-time last week either, I just tried to recover - but I still didn't clean the house. My mom is simply a superstar :)
I want to do another "pregnancy in review" post, thoroughly detailing ways in which this pregnancy has been both identical to and very different from my first. In case I don't get to it, though, I have to say that the biggest physical difference has been with my pelvic girdle. There's way more pain, stiffness, and difficulty of movement than when I pregnant at 33. Pregnancy past 35 is no joke, and I am super DUPER glad that this is my last one. Hats off to the women who make it happen after 40, WOW!
The one other prep that I've been doing is to re-learn how to latch a newborn (and put one in a soft carrier). I can't believe how much I've forgotten! It was SO EASY to latch Maya by the end of our breastfeeding journey - I just generally plopped a boob in her direction and she latched herself. We nursed a lot while laying down, and while she still rolled and torqued herself into unbelievable positions that were never very comfortable for me (she never, ever, just laid quietly and nursed, it was always like trying to hold on to a panicked cat or something, minus the claws), it required very little active effort from me at the end. Now I have to re-learn it all, with a novice again, who will have a very tiny mouth! And since we will begin this immediately after delivery, the time to prep is now.
OK, time to assemble some chairs from Ikea - gotta run! I'll update again soon :)
Edited to add this gem photo that husband sent me this morning...when I said that Maya was in the throes of both imagination and Frozen obsession, I meant it.
I spent most of this week trying to improve my head space and prepare myself for labor, including preparing for another dysfunctional labor, about which I'm trying to get over my fear. I had an appointment with my midwife where we did a "bedside" ultrasound and confirmed that the baby is a) head down, and b) in a super amazing position for birth, LOA (left occiput anterior). Now if only she would stay that way until labor begins :) Maya tells her every day, "New baby! Tuck your chin!"
This week, I've been doing meditation, visualization, Epi-No training, and lots and lots of reading. I also finished packing all the hospital bags, decided on a "spirit animal" for new baby (fox!), set up the co-sleeper bassinet, and washed enough infant clothing to get us through a few days. My mom comes on Wednesday, which is so exciting - we need help getting the house clean enough to accept a new baby, and I am pretty out of commission. This baby is definitely bigger than Maya (I think she's about 7lbs now, and will be 8 by 39 weeks), and I am definitely feeling my (advanced) age. Bending over feels like hell. I can't believe my mom also had a baby at 37 (actually, she was almost 38), and I don't remember anything in the house falling off schedule while she was pregnant. Literally nothing - it was like she wasn't even pregnant. I don't even remember a single complaint - she was so much better at adulting while pregnant than me! Granted, she wasn't working a full-time job like I am, but my grandmother definitely didn't have to fly out and help her with something as basic as cleaning the house, that's for sure. And frankly, I didn't work full-time last week either, I just tried to recover - but I still didn't clean the house. My mom is simply a superstar :)
I want to do another "pregnancy in review" post, thoroughly detailing ways in which this pregnancy has been both identical to and very different from my first. In case I don't get to it, though, I have to say that the biggest physical difference has been with my pelvic girdle. There's way more pain, stiffness, and difficulty of movement than when I pregnant at 33. Pregnancy past 35 is no joke, and I am super DUPER glad that this is my last one. Hats off to the women who make it happen after 40, WOW!
The one other prep that I've been doing is to re-learn how to latch a newborn (and put one in a soft carrier). I can't believe how much I've forgotten! It was SO EASY to latch Maya by the end of our breastfeeding journey - I just generally plopped a boob in her direction and she latched herself. We nursed a lot while laying down, and while she still rolled and torqued herself into unbelievable positions that were never very comfortable for me (she never, ever, just laid quietly and nursed, it was always like trying to hold on to a panicked cat or something, minus the claws), it required very little active effort from me at the end. Now I have to re-learn it all, with a novice again, who will have a very tiny mouth! And since we will begin this immediately after delivery, the time to prep is now.
OK, time to assemble some chairs from Ikea - gotta run! I'll update again soon :)
Edited to add this gem photo that husband sent me this morning...when I said that Maya was in the throes of both imagination and Frozen obsession, I meant it.
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| Maya in full imagination mode |
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