ready any time! I am feeling more and more uncomfortable as the days go on. Last night I woke up and could not get back to sleep....a typical occurrence lately. usually it is my stupid thoughts, stressing out about some random thing, that keeps me up. this time it started with that but then it was my aching back, legs, shoulders, and head. I could not get comfortable and I had to get up to take a couple Tylenol. now it is the morning and I still feel a little achy. Geez, I finally got my heartburn under control (with Gaviscon) and now this starts. I guess sleep at this point of the pregnancy is just a fantasy!
Yesterday I was feeling a lot of pressure between my legs when I was walking and actually when I was sitting. I went for two good walks to try to encourage pressure on my cervix. no contractions yet, but this extra pressure has to be a good sign of things progressing....I hope! I have also started to do the acupressure point on my inner shin bone (it is supposed to trigger cervical opening and maybe contractions). I am doing this several times per day. yep, I am ready to get this baby out! a combination of walking, bouncing on the yoga ball, sitting in lotus position (to keep my hips open), and the pressure points....hopefully it is doing something down there!! if not, it is all doing something for my sanity and patience!
2008-09-18 (39 weeks)
keep walking I went for my OB appointment on Wednesday. It was the fun internal exam. I was hoping that she would say I was starting to be dilated, but no such luck. nothing going on down there just yet. she said to keep walking! I have been taking at least one walk daily and also bouncing on my yoga ball. Thank goodness for the nice weather we are having, or else I would have to resort to mall walking...not my favourite thing. It is getting a little harder to walk these days though. I am feeling really tired and my legs feel more like I have been jogging than walking about half way through the walk. The dogs are good motivation to keep going. It would be harder to walk all by myself.
My sacroilliac joint is really killing these days. I am still wearing the belt, but it is only providing partial relief. I get a stabbing pain in my right hip quite often. It really hurts when I get up off the bar stool at our dining room table (where I sit to eat and use the computer). It sucks, but what can I do? If it gets too much to handle, I guess I will have a good reason to ask to be induced a little earlier than a week past the due date! I will have to get back to the chiropractor soon after the baby is born so that the joint doesn't stay out of whack. I think this is also the reason for the extreme pressure on my pubic bone again....that and the baby's head! some nights it is hard to even turn over in bed, which I do a lot of.
I am definitely ready for this baby to arrive. I have been watching all the baby shows on TLC and SLICE, like Baby Story and Bringing Home Baby. They seem way more interesting now that I am in the same position. I can't wait to find out if we have a little girl or a boy!! I hope it come soon!
2008-09-09 (38 weeks)
last week of work!
thank goodness...it is my last few days of work!! I am so glad I made it this far, but I am so ready to just relax. Although, I have a hard time just sitting and relaxing. I am sure I will be doing laundry, cleaning the house, walking the dogs, etc. But all of these things seem much more appealing than work right now. And the best part is not having to get up with an alarm. I will soon have my own baby-alarm to wake up to, but for now I can try to sleep in a little.
I am still having stiff and sore legs everyday. It seems to be getting a little worse. Each time I get up from sitting my hip flexors are so tight and I am forced to waddle. I also feel like I have done some great leg work-out at the gym. Unfortunately, that hasn't happened in months! My calves and hamstrings are tight...just like I have been to the gym or jogging. I actually can't wait to get back to doing both of those things even if it means similar soreness in my legs!
I bought a yoga/physio/birth ball....whatever you want to call it. I went for the cheap one at Walmart and it is a little small. But I am able to stretch out my hip flexors and groin while sitting and bouncing on it. I hope this also encourages the baby to drop down more and more. It is quite comfortable to sit on and my tail bone doesn't get sore, which is great. I have been trying to sit and/or bounce on it every night for about an hour. I think it will be great to do the same when I am in labour. I plan to deflate it and bring it to the hospital too. The only problem is the electric pump we have is SO loud. Hopefully the other labouring mothers-to-be won't mind a minute or two of loud air blowing!
2008-09-02 (37 weeks)
officially full term I am now 37 weeks, which is officially full term. That means if the baby was born now s/he would be fully developed with no complications of prematurity. Woo Hoo!! After working with some premies at my job this is a real milestone. I know all the problems that can happen with prematurity.
I am still having trouble sleeping and I am sure this will plague me until the end. My legs are so sore that flipping from one side to the other is a real chore. And I must do this several times each night because my hips get so sore from pressure. I must look like an old lady when I get up to pee in the night....I am so still that I am limping to the bathroom. The stiffness is in my calves, inner thighs, hands, wrists, and feet. I guess it is partly to do with water retention. Oh the joys! It takes me a while to loosen up in the morning but a hot shower seems to help. I also feel a little stiff after sitting for a while and it takes me a minute to get going.
I am thinking the baby is starting to drop. I felt a little less pressure under my ribs this morning. Also two people at work mentioned that my bump looked a little lower. I did have less shortness of breath today and no heartburn after my lunch. Perhaps it is lowering. I don't want to get my hopes up for an early delivery....but something has got to keep me going for the next few weeks! Come on baby....any time now!
