40 weeks and counting....

Well here I sit, 40 weeks pregnant and BITCHY as hell! I have to say I never, ever thought this pregnancy would go on this long. The whole time I've had this "feeling" that I was going to give birth earlier than my due date predicted. HA! SO much for "feelings"! You might be wondering why I am so moody. Or you may have already been pregnant before (and gone past your due date) and you may know exactly how I feel. It's not that I am uncomfortable, because I actually feel pretty good. I believe what may be making me so irritable could possibly be all the lovely questions and comments that I have had to field during my last week or two of pregnancy. Here are a few of my favorites and what I WISH my replies could be. (Most of the time I just smile and try not to say anything snippy) 1. You're still pregnant??? ( NO, I'm not still pregnant, I just have a huge bulging belly and no baby in my arms....) 2. Where is that baby? Why isn't she coming out? ( I'm not sure. Let me yell up my cervix and see what the holdup is!) 3. You're still here?? (No, I'm not still here. I'm actually a mirage; a figment of your imagination. And I really WANT to be here too. In fact, I instructed the baby NOT to come out so that I can walk around and annoy people with the fact that I'm still here.) 4. Have you tried doing _______ to get her out?? ( Why no, I haven't. I haven't tried anything. I've just been sitting on my fat ass and waiting.) If there is one thing I've learned about babies its that they come when they are good and ready. I have been doing all kind of (SAFE) things to get this baby out. I've been walking at least 5 days a week (some days up to 3 miles), still working out with my stroller strength group and even doing squats and lunges. I've tried some light jogging and running up and down stairs. I even tried Mexican food not to mention some other fun suggestions people gave me. At 37 weeks, I was dilated to 1.5 centimeters and the nurse felt the baby's head. I thought, "Surely I won't make it to my 38 week appointment." At my 38 week appointment, I was dilated to 2.5 centimeters and I was 70% effaced. Again, the doctor felt the baby's head. I just KNEW she was coming any day. I packed and rechecked my bags and made a last minute game plan and to do list. At my 39 week appointment, I was dilated to 3cm (holy crap, 3 centimeters????). Hubby brought his laptop home last weekend because we just knew I wouldn't make it til Monday. Mom and dad arrived Friday night. Monday (yesterday) arrived and my husband reluctantly packed up his laptop and went to work. Mom and I headed to the doc for my 40 week checkup. Doctor asked if I wanted him to "help me along." He did something called "stripping my membranes". All I can say is OUCH!! I started at the bottom of the table and somehow ended up at the top of the exam table with my head almost in the wall. He said there was a 70% chance he would see me in 24-48 hours. Only a 70 percent chance????? He couldn't have told me that before he tortured me?! I left the doctor's office dilated to 3.5 centimeters. 30 something hours later, here I sit, still pregnant. Yes, I'm still here and yes she is holding on strong at 40 weeks. Yes, I'm moody and bitchy and trying to put on a happy face! Think of me this week and especially think of my poor husband. The man deserves a medal for dealing with me the last week. I see the light at the end of the tunnel! Somewhere......

I am a pregnant ninja

Well, it's hard to believe but I am now less than two weeks away from my due date! Part of me feels like this pregnancy has flown by and the other part feels like I have been pregnant forever... As I near the end of my baby's 40 week incubation period I am experiencing all kinds of conflicting emotions. Most days, I feel like I cannot WAIT to get this baby out! It's not that I'm uncomfortable or anything, in fact I've had a pretty easy and uneventful pregnancy. It's that I am beyond excited to finally meet my daughter. Hubby and I cannot wait for that moment when the doctor holds her up and we finally get to see her face. Okay okay, I am not being completely truthful. There are some things that are REALLY annoying about being pregnant, especially the second time around. 1. The VEINS: This pregnancy, I've gotten the UGLIEST veins and burst capillaries on my legs. One huge vein on the back of my leg actually looks like a bruise. It's really fun when people ask me how I hurt my leg. Hmmmm. Let's hope they go away after the baby comes! And thank goodness it's now "pants season" instead of bikini season... 2. MATERNITY CLOTHES: I cannot stress how SICK I am of maternity clothes! I'm tired of wearing the same outfits, especially the ones that are already stretched out from my first pregnancy. Half my pants are falling down because the elastic stretched, the other half constantly roll off my belly. It feels like so long ago that I was actually able to wear my normal clothing. Every morning when I'm getting dressed, I allow myself a longing glance at my size 6 skinny jeans and pray we will be together again soon! 3. NO PHONE CALLS: Perhaps one of the worst parts about the last 3 weeks of the pregnancy has been the fact that I theoretically could go into labor at any time. Because of this fact, every time I call family members, I feel like they are going to think I am in labor. Luckily, I remember this happening during my first pregnancy so I can now combat this. I begin every phone call with, "Hi. I'm NOT in labor!" 4. WARNINGS: TOO LITTLE TOO LATE: Another fun thing about being pregnant the second time is all the fun warnings you get about how hard things are going to be with TWO kids. Maybe I have been noticing it more lately since I am nearing the end. But honestly friends, you couldn't have warned me about this 10 months ago?!?!? It's a little too late now. The baby is literally about to fall out any day now!!!! 5. MY BLADDER!!! : If I thought my bladder problems were bad before, this is just ridiculous! Ever since the baby dropped my bladder has become her personal trampoline. All I have to say is OUCH! And oops... 6. CANKLES: Holy crap, I have swollen ankles. EWWWW! I look like a 70 year old woman! What the heck? This never, ever happened when I was pregnant with my son. I'm doing everything I can to stay fit too. I've been eating healthier, working out twice a week, walking twice a week, and drinking my water. So why are my ankles swelling???? 7. Low Belly in the WAY!: I am carrying this baby much lower than I carried my son. When I was pregnant with my son I was still teaching first grade. I prided myself on the fact that I could get down on the floor with them even a few days before I gave birth. I also shaved my legs with no problem and tied my own shoelaces on the morning we went to the hospital. However, this little baby girl is MUCH lower. Tying my shoes is a challenge every morning and so is any kind of shaving! Even bending down enough to put my legs in my pants can be difficult. The hardest thing for me though is getting from laying or lounging position to sitting or standing position. I swear I have ab muscles hidden somewhere under there, they are just not working at the moment. To solve my problem, I have had to learn to be what I call, "A pregnant ninja". Every morning instead of climbing out of bed I do a very graceful (ha!) roll to the left and spring up into standing position at the same time. I am a pregnant ninja!!! Now, despite all my complaining, there is a large part of me that will be sad to see this pregnancy end. I will miss feeling my little girl moving, hiccuping, and kicking inside of me. I can't lie; I will definitely miss all the attention and special treatment I received while pregnant! I'll miss the excitement that came along with each week of this pregnancy, especially the last few weeks while hubby and I have been anxiously awaiting her arrival. Every day feels like Christmas morning because we wake up each morning thinking, "This could be the day!" I don't know if we will have any more children and part of me is so saddened by this. Pregnancy and giving birth to a child is really such a miracle no matter what the ridiculous "side effects" are. The countdown has reached less than 10 days until our due date. Wish me luck! ESPECIALLY wish me luck that the veins, cankles, stretch marks, and pounds all disappear with the arrival of my little princess. Honestly, if they don't I'll be ok. I'll proudly sport all of those things if it means having another child who is HALF as awesome as my first. Because despite my bitching, in my heart I realize that having a happy, healthy baby is truly all that matters. Wish us luck! -CoffeeAddictedMommy