38 Weeks!!

Whew!  We're at 38 weeks now and my belly has officially become what you would call "big."  :)  Even Michael says so!  My belly button is hanging tough, though, and has so far refused to pop out.  I keep thinking that my skin cannot possibly stretch any more . . . and then it does!  Bodies are truly amazing.

At the risk of sounding like I am complaining (because believe me, pre-pregnancy I promised myself if I ever got pregnant I would bear every ache and pain in silence), I'm going to tell you the truth about how I've been feeling . . . I honestly think that if I don't write it down, my "pregnancy brain" will forget all about it once I see that sweet little boy's face.

Sleeping has been a bit of a bear for about the past three weeks.  My tummy is so big that it's pretty uncomfortable when I'm on my side--even with a pillow under my belly and one tucked between my legs to help keep my spine aligned.  And if I'm on my left side (which is the side that is supposed to be the best to be on because it allows for the most circulation to the baby), I feel like he gets squished, since his torso and bottom are on that side.  A few times I've woken up early to take my thyroid pill and not been able to go back to sleep so have watched some really early morning t.v., read my book (currently The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) or just tried sleeping with pillows behind my back on the couch. 

I've discovered too, just within the last week or so, that I generally can't walk far or be out of the house for longer than a few hours or my back aches like crazy.  All I want to do is go home and sit or lie down.  Michael and I went for a walk last Saturday because the weather was just beautiful (one of the first really spring-like days we've had this year), and halfway through the walk I wasn't sure I could make it back to the house.  :)  It took a couple of short rest breaks, but I did in fact make it home.  Being this far in my pregnancy has definitely made me pay more attention to my body and the messages it sends.

I'm also quite short of breath lately . . . my diaphragm is being compressed by my massive womb, which, by the way, can grow up to 1000x its non-pregnant size.  Isn't that amazing?  I read that in a book at the library yesterday, and saw pictures of what my insides look like at this stage: my stomach and intestines are all shoved up against my diaphragm and my glorious womb with baby inside has first dibs on the available room in my abdominal and pelvic cavities right now. 

The late pregnancy symptom that I am enjoying the least is hands-down the return of morningsickness.  The past few days it has been my companion for most of the day, every day.  Sparkling mineral water seems to be the only thing that really helps.  Earlier on in my pregnancy I found that lollipops from YummyEarth did the trick, but I'm trying to cut out extra sugar where I can (so I can get it from fruit and the occasional ice cream), and am back to the sparkling water, which I love.  It helps, but dang, it certainly cuts down on my motivation to get things done around the house or in preparation for Baby's arrival.  I am just so, so thankful that I don't have to work . . . I really don't know how I would make it at this point. 

So that is the nitty gritty of Amy's pregnancy at 38 weeks.  If nothing happens by the end of this week, I'm going to make an appointment with Jelena to get some "jump start" acupuncture next Friday.  We'll be just a couple of days before the 40 week milestone and I don't want to go too far past our due date or I know Stempel will want to induce.

Sorry these pics are sideways--will try to flip them later.  :)