37 Weeks

How Far Along: 37 weeks, and what a week it has been!

On Monday I had a midwife appointment that just did not go well. I hopped on the scale, and I had gained 6 pounds in one week. WHAT? I have no idea. It was a great week exercise and eating-wise. The nurse and the midwife both wrote it off as swelling and water retention from the heat, but I still felt HORRIBLE about that weight gain. Then, the nurse takes my blood pressure and its elevated…for the first time this pregnancy (usually it’s REALLY low). They rush off to check my urine for protein, but there is none, and they therefore rule out preeclampsia. Ok, so that was just the beginning of this appointment. The next news I receive is that I am group B strep positive. This is actually very common during pregnancy, and just means that I have bacteria down there. It’s harmless to me, but if baby is exposed to it, it could be harmful to the baby. So basically I just need to make sure that when I am in labor I arrive on time to the hospital so they can pump me with antibiotics before I deliver. Not a big deal, but just one more thing.

Finally, the midwife comes in to see me and listens to the heartbeat (sounds great), and then measures my fundal height. She frowns and consults my past records, mentioning casually that baby is REALLY small. Like, a month behind. She says she is not concerned, but that it’s “bad” enough that she needs to order an ultrasound just to make sure that everything is ok. If my fluid levels are low or the placenta is not doing it’s job, baby should probably come out ASAP (even though its not an “emergency”). But, she says…don’t worry. Ha. haha. Very funny. So we go to the front desk to schedule our ultrasound, and they can’t get me in until THURSDAY. So not only am I not supposed to worry, I’m not supposed to worry for 3 days???!!???

Well, I made it to the car before I cried. But I sure did cry a bunch over that appointment.

Our next hurdle this week was figuring out insurance. Did you know that most people will say they “take your insurance”, but that DOES NOT mean you are 100% covered. Nope. So, at 37 weeks pregnant, we learned that insurance may not cover much of anything- prenatal appointments, ultrasounds, and the delivery/hospital. Theo spent a good amount of time on the phone with hospitals, doctors, insurance providers, SIM and plenty of chats with my parents…and it turns out we are covered! But that was scary for a little while…

So, anyways…we went in today for our ultrasound, and it turns out that everything is looking alright. My fluid levels and the placenta are great, so there are no “complications”. But, baby girl is TINY. She should be well over 6 pounds now, and she is measuring in right around 5 pounds. The doctor reviewed all the info and declared that she is just small, and that we will be monitored, but that they are not concerned about her health and safety inside the womb. PHEW.

After all that, I’ve been feeling like I just want this pregnancy to be over. It was such a tough week emotionally, waiting for news about whether or not our baby was ok, whether or not we would have to be induced to get her out, and whether or not the insurance would pay for any of the above. I have enjoyed pregnancy for the most part, but it has been a tough week on me. I know that life will not get easier after the baby comes…I’m not naive about that, but I’m just ready to have this chapter of pregnancy closed and the next chapter of parenthood begin.

I have really been praying and reflecting on the verse on the chalkboard this week (Psalm 139:13). How privelaged I am to have the womb that has been chosen to carry this baby girl! How fearfully and wonderfully He is making her, right now…even if that is smaller than “average”.

Size of Baby: The length of swiss chard, whatever that is. She’s tiny, as I mentioned above (just above 5 pds). Her head is so low the ultrasound tech had to push her wand around my pelvis bones this morning, haha.

Total Weight Gain: Uh…also, see above. A lot. Let’s just stop keeping track. At this point, I am so done with worrying about my weight and what I’m eating and how much I’m gaining.

Stretch Marks: So far, still clear on the belly!

Wedding Rings: Still on. No swelling this week, either! At least not that I’ve noticed…

Maternity Clothes: Um, yes.

Gender: Girl, GIRL!!!!

Movement: Tons of movements. She is head-down, and I think her head may be engaged, although I don’t look like she’s dropped. She has flipped her legs from the right side to the left side and back again in the past week, but otherwise her movements are just very calculated punches and kicks, and they can really hurt when they nail me in a certain way!

Sleep: Egh, it’s alright. I still sleep through the night, but have to get up to use the bathroom at least twice. I wake up and my whole body hurts from holding my belly in one position. But overall, I really can’t complain cause I’m still sleeping and napping on a regular basis!

What I miss: Being able to hop out of bed like I weigh 30 pounds less.

Food Cravings: None this week, really.

Food Aversions: Can’t think of any this week. Again, I’m just tired of all the “little details” of pregnancy, and am ready to have it over and done with. No more cravings, no more aversions, no more baby head jammed into my bladder. I’ll probably feel differently in a week, but for now…those are my feelings.

Symptoms: I’m pretty much just a walking example of pregnancy symptoms. haha.

Best Moment This Week: Seeing baby girl on the ultrasound this morning, and finding out that she is FINE. Phew, that was such a relief I didn’t even know how to handle it…so I cried (what else would you expect??!?)

Also, we finished working on the “nursery”, except for a few touches that other people are making for baby girl. It looks great! And I loved working on it with Theo!

Worst Moment This Week: See that whole long story above.

Exercise This Week: Walking the dog every day.

What I’m Looking Forward To: Meeting baby girl, not being pregnant anymore, and seeing my parents!!!