Today we are 39 weeks and 1 day pregnant!
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| 38 weeks 4 days |
Yes, still pregnant. I said weeks ago I was ready for our little girl to join us but I seem to keep finding things that need to be done. I finally packed our bag for the hospital yesterday. Granted we only live 5 minutes away so anything that didn't come with us in a hasty situation would be easy for Dan to stop by and get. Maybe now that it's packed baby York will decide it's time... Wishful thinking probably. I've been doing everything known to pregnant ladies across the country to "try" to go into labor. While I'll spare you the more personal "options", here's what I've been busy doing for two weeks now.
1. Sitting on a giant yoga ball. We use these in the labor and delivery room as a more comfortable option for those going through labor pains. While it is very comfy to sit on, the hope is that it engages the baby in the pelvis and aids in dilation. I especially enjoy eating dinner while perched on the ball!
2. Walking. Lucy continues to try to walk the baby out of me. I enjoy the walks we get to go on with Dan holding the leash. Gives me a chance to catch my breath and take things at my own pace.
3. Red raspberry leaf tea. Drinking 2-3 cups of this daily apparently gives you a toned uterus. So when those contractions start, they mean business.
4. Evening primrose oil. This comes in a capsule like taking fish oil. I've been taking two times a day to help prepare the cervix once labor starts.
5. Getting a pedicure. Twist my arm! An extra long foot massage can help start contractions.
6. Acupressure. Certain pressure points can also start labor. Dan's going to need to help me more with this one.
Some things I've had people tell me to do that I haven't gotten around to...
1. Eat a spicy meal. This sounds awful right about now as I have heartburn 24/7
2. Drink castor oil. Another awful sounding idea. I heard it tastes disgusting and I'm unimpressed with the effects it has on one's intestinal system.
3. Eggplant Parmigiana. What!!?? Just heard about this from a co-worker. Apparently an Italian restaurant in Georgia claims their dish makes women go into labor. In fact they have a wall of baby pictures at their establishment of all the babies born shortly after their mothers consumed this labor-inducing meal. Too bad we're not in Georgia.
Despite all of these things, I'm just fine with waiting on the little one to arrive. I'm a little uncomfortable at times. I'm still working, why not, I'm in the right place if I go into labor. Waiting for the moment for her to make her debut is kind of like a surprise party for Christmas morning. I look forward to Christmas morning for months in advance as I'm sure many people do. But imagine not knowing when Christmas morning is suddenly going to happen. That's how I feel. I'm so excited to see her little face and meet this person that has been growing inside of me. We've been waiting for her for so long now, the anticipation has reached it's maximum.
So, waiting for my surprise Christmas morning to arrive, I've managed to find things that still "need" to be done. One very special thing was for Dan and I to get a new car. Last weekend we got ourselves a pre-owned 2011 Hyundai Sonata! Finally, we have a grown-up car (gulp), equipped with four doors for easy access to a baby seat in the back. A huge purchase that we're very excited about. Now that the new car is in our possession I was sure to outfit it instantly with the car seat base, window shade for baby, and backseat mirror that allows us to see the baby's face from the rear view mirror.
I also managed to get our living room rug cleaned after all these years. It's not an expensive rug, but I couldn't imagine our little one playing on it before it was properly cleaned. After the dry-cleaners said it would cost me $100 for them to clean it, I thought we would throw it out and purchase a new one. But, the lovely lady at the dry-cleaners suggested something she used do to her rugs. So, I took her advice and took a hose, some laundry detergent, and a broom and got to scrubbing the rug in the backyard. Of course I had some help...
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| As soon as I laid this rug out, Lucy had to try it out! |
Another thing I've been doing to keep things ready for baby is vacuuming and swiffer-ing. How many times a week can one swiffer their floors? Every few days for me! We do have a dog with black fur that never ceases to gather in corners and on rugs, so I can't seem to swiffer my floors enough. It's calming to know that there will be a clean house to come home to when we return from the hospital with our little one.
As for this moment, right now, I think I'll kick back and continue waiting for Sophie =)
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| 38 weeks 5 days, waiting.... |
Love,
Jess, Dan, baby Sophie, and Lucy
