This Is It, Folks!

How Far Along? 36 weeks and 6 days. Wednesday I will be 37 weeks and considered officially full term. To our surprise, we found out last week that at that point, my labor will be induced. So this is my last entry about being pregnant. Why not go out with a bang? I'm showing off my big ol' belly and pregnant body in all of its glory in a swimsuit. :)

Baby's Size and Development? At our ultrasound last week, Blasty weighed 6.75 lbs. What a healthy boy. :) Something unusual has happened with his development, though. At our ultrasound July 11th, the radiologist noted that Blasty's right ureter was larger than average. They waited three weeks and then we went to the perinatologist's office to have a better look. (We also had to start a series of non-stress tests twice a week to monitor Blasty's heartbeat because of my low PAPP-A.) We discovered that both ureters have a partial blockage that is preventing his kidneys from being able to release all of his urine into his bladder. This blockage has caused the kidneys to swell a little but no further damage is taking place at this point. They decided that as soon as I was full term they would induce labor and delivery him safely so the pediatric urologist can assess him and determine the best way to fix it. He is probably going to have to corrective surgery but we won't know for sure until he is born. This was very surprising news, to say the least! I felt very close to fainting when she said they wanted to induce in 1 week. It took me a while to get over the shock of it, before I could even begin to process all of the other information! I don't know if I have ever squeezed Dan's hand so tight!


Changes in Me?
Physically...Everything is the same and continues to be challenging. I fully understand now why everyone says the last 4 weeks of your pregnancy are harder than all of the rest. However now I have an early end in sight and I am grateful that I won't have to experience more. I don't see how I could have kept carrying him to the end without using a cane to walk and spending most of the time in bed!
Emotionally...Wow. It is all so surreal. I just can't believe it is happening so soon! I am so very excited to meet him, but I am also anxious about inducing labor, worried about his health, and nervous about being a new parent. I am so grateful for all of our friends and family who have shown tremendous support the past few days with texts, emails, phone calls, and facebook messages. I think it has truly helped me get through this past week without having an emotional breakdown! LOL.

Maternity Clothes? I've been rockin' that swimsuit quite a bit. Thanks to Melly for giving it to me, and thanks to the Sherwood 5 for hanging out with me at our pool. :) (The Sherwood 5 are the children of our friends, Matt and Gayle.)


Sleep? Awful. It is very difficult to fall asleep at this point because my mind is on overdrive. I still only sleep an hour or two at a time because of trips to the bathroom and hip cramps. I think waking to feed a newborn isn't going to be much different, huh??

Best Moment This Past Week? I got to see Blasty at 3 ultrasounds. They have been monitoring him every other day. Also since my last post, Dan and I had a date day (which turned out to be our last...Little did we know!) and that was wonderful. We went out to eat, saw Harry Potter, and picked up some treats at Whole Foods. (Dan usually gets a new beer he hasn't tried and some sort of stinky cheese, while I get some sort of gooey chocolate pastry and fresh fruit.)

Movement? Blasty is head down and curled up but continues to move on a regular basis, primarily his little feet and sometimes his shoulders and arms. I think he's pretty comfortable because he still has a lot of amniotic fluid to move in. I discovered at the first non-stress test (where they monitor both Blasty's heart rate and my uterine activity) that I am having contractions. I had no idea! The nurse could see it though, both physically as my stomach tightened and contorted and on the graph paper that charts the small arches as the contractions occur. I have noticed the tightening ever since I started nicknaming Blasty "Bulgy McBulgerson" because I thought it was him stretching and sticking his parts out. I didn't realize it was my uterus contracting. LOL. Well, now I know.

Symptoms? At long last, a little heartburn. (So maybe he'll have a little hair???) And Braxton-Hicks contractions! :) And I have to say I'm really happy to know that I've been having these all along (at least two months now) because my uterus needs the practice. It is in for a VERY rude awakening Wednesday night.

What I Miss? Rolling over like it's no big deal. Lying on my back and stomach. Being able to reach things and bend over without this belly in the way. Sleep. Beer. :)

What I Am Looking Forward To? SEEING BLASTY FOR THE FIRST TIME. SEEING DAN GET TO HOLD HIM. HOLDING HIM IN MY ARMS AND KISSING HIM, LOOKING INTO HIS EYES. OH MY GOODNESS, I CAN'T WAIT! :)

Emotions? Words can't express. I've never been more proud of myself and my love for Dan has just kept growing exponentially throughout this pregnancy. I can't even begin to imagine how much stronger these emotions will be after our little boy is born. What a journey we have taken together!