Swollen, Hot, & Tired (aka Week 37 Update)

My apologies to those of you who have emailed/called/texted/chat messaged me and have not gotten a response.  I'm reasonably inundated right now.  It's great that people care, but it's hard to keep up with who has been told what.  So, here's an update for Sam's Fan Club.

It's Week 37, so we are officially "full term".  This does not mean that Sam is ready to make his appearance.  It just means that if I go into labor they won't try to stop it.  He most likely still needs some time for lung and brain development, so we are not going to rush things.  I would definitely not mind if he decided to go ahead and come now.  I am huge, swollen, hot, and exhausted.  I've also reverted back to first trimester nausea and stomach issues - Yeehaw!  The last week or so has been difficult, and I have no doubt that this is the status quo until he gets here.  Pelvic pressure, ligament pain, constantly needing to pee, and miserable low back pain are just not fun.  But I know it's part of the deal and I'm trying not to whine (except to my husband and my mom - they have to let me whine, right?).  At my doctor appointment yesterday we confirmed that he is head down and has dropped, but I am still closed up tight.  This doesn't necessarily mean anything definite, but it's a sign that he's just not ready to come out yet.  I really can't blame him.  It's 852 degrees outside, and I have a black SUV with black interior!  Nice choice for Texas summers, Mom!

To answer the most common questions I get:

No, I will not choose to be induced.   Unless it's medically necessary I will wait and allow my body to do things on its own.  I firmly believe that God is in control and Sam will be born exactly when he's supposed to be.  My doctor is very conservative and patient, and although I like to joke about a "self-performed C-Section" using a kitchen knife I really would rather be miserable for awhile and let things happen naturally.

No, I do not have a "birth plan".  For months I read everything I could get my hands on regarding "natural" childbirth vs. birth with pain medication.  I have researched and considered just about every possibility, and I came to the conclusion that the more I thought about it the more uptight I became.  Remember that whole "control freak" thing?  I am convicted that I need to rely on my God-given instinct, my doctor (who I trust completely), and the people who know me best to help guide me through labor.  I have an idea of how I'd like things to go, but I also know that my control over this process is minimal.  We'll just see what happens and roll with the punches contractions.

Yes, my doctor thinks Sam is a big baby.  I know that sonograms and pelvic exams are not entirely reliable, and that there is no way to predict his weight or length with absolute certainty.  However, we can tell from the sonogram that his head is in the 80th percentile and he appears to be looong.  The sonographer actually said "Oh!  Look at that chubby belly!".  It's very likely that his stats will be unimpressive when D-Day finally gets here, but my doctor and I can tell you that when you compare his size to my size the space is rapidly running out.

And finally...YES, I have been told about "the way" to induce labor.  So many friends have been kind enough to share their experiences and provide recommendations.  My husband loves you all.  That's all I'm going to say about that.

I have several things I want to blog about before he's born, so I'm going to break it down into several posts.  We're feeling reasonably prepared - all we need to do is install the car seat and pack the hospital bags.  We're just trying to relax and enjoy the last few days with just the two of us.  Well, the two of us plus the two spastic dogs and the whiny cat.  In the meantime, we will watch lots of Women's World Cup Soccer and Star Trek: TNG (thank you, Netflix!) and spend several hours sitting in Sam's nursery talking and laughing at the bizarre circus that is my belly. 

And because people are constantly asking...here's a picture from our baby shower on June 25th.  Try to focus on my handsome husband instead of my gigantic swollen face.