35 Weeks

Bebs:  Bebs doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (like a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in the womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Hebs:  I got a pre-natal massage last weekend and it was wonderful. I felt relaxed, refreshed and most importantly, like I could actually MOVE again. That lasted for about two hours. Woot.

I was out of work Tuesday and Wednesday due to some cramping and (what I thought) were contractions. I called the ob/gyn on Tuesday with my concerns and was told to drink a large glass of OJ, lay on my left side, and count baby kicks and cramps for an hour. I had 7 baby kicks and 5 cramps. She told me to call back if I had 6 cramps in an hour because it could be pre-term labor.

By 5 p.m., I had 7 cramps in an hour. I called the on-call doctor, who told me to give a call back if I was getting a cramp once every 6 minutes. Ugh. Who knew there'd be so much math involved?

Yesterday was more of the same, except I called the ob/gyn again and kind of demanded to come in for an appointment. I was able to see a nurse practitioner who did a cervical exam (ow) and concluded that the baby's head was directly on top of my cervix. She is "ready to go" according to the nurse practioner, and all the cramping I had been feeling was mainly the baby pushing down on my cervix. The baby's heartbeat is a perfect 150.

The NP told me that feeling the Braxton Hicks contractions constantly did not necessarily mean labor was right around the corner. Just like some women find out they are dialated to 2 centimeters and are sure they'll have their baby that night...only end up to be 2 weeks overdue.

Pregnancy is confusing. And lonely. And painful. I've even lost my sense of humor in all of this. I'm just in this funk of "get this baby out of me NOW" that I know I'm losing sight of the things that are really important. There's a disconnect between my brain and the rest of my baby-ridden body.

An example of that....

Hubs went out for happy hour last night with his co-workers for their Christmas celebration. I asked him to bring me home some chicken fingers. He came home with a burger because the restaurant screwed up his order. I didn't just cry; I BAWLED my eyes out for a good 20 minutes, after locking myself in the bathroom. Jason told me he'd drive back to get me what I wanted, but my sadness had turned into anger by that point and I was just over it. And then I cried again. A lot.

5 more weeks, 5 more weeks, 5 more weeks...