Week 37 - full term!

I've reached full-term pregnancy!!
Yayy!! Alhamdulillah..

So now it's playing the waiting game. Either I wait for you to decide when you want to come, or I patiently wait to be induced. One way or the other, there certainly are plenty of people waiting to meet you. However, even if you decide to come today, there's nothing (and no one) can stop you from doing so (unless medically adviced).

To update, reading this week's development (below) made me just realized I had 'loose stools' yesterday in the middle of the day. 3 times. Usually it occurs only when I take Diabex before bed because that's a side-effect from the medicine. But I also had some milk coffee for lunch - could that have triggered it? I'll keep these things in mind. If it truly is a sign of labour, then I'm ready and happy it is. If not, well.. we'll just keep on waiting!

Week 37: And we're ready for take off!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 37: Fetus in ninth month It’s the calm before the storm. Changes in your baby's weight have leveled off with only a few ounces of fat added this week. At this point your baby should weigh in at around 7 lbs and 20 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls). Happily, as far as internal organs go, they are now developed enough to function in the outside world although the oh-so-important immune system is still developing and will continue to do so after birth. With a large boost of antibodies provided by breast milk when nursing begins. Fighting infection and staying healthy should be well within their physical capacity when your little fighter is born.

And how's mom doing? Your health care provider will assess the likelihood of where you are relative to your upcoming birthing process—seeing as you’ve now arrived at that waiting phase that could turn into labor at any time. Various charming indicators such as loose stools, expelling your mucus plus (along with the bloody show), a dilated cervix and increased Braxton-Hicks contractions are all signs that labor is only a few days away. The infamous water breaking may or may not be your first true indicator that labor has commenced. However, water breaks for only 15% of mothers and despite what Hollywood would have us believe, is more frequently just a slow leak rather than a large gush.

Be patient: if labor doesn’t start this week, or even next, keep in mind that only 4-5% of women actual deliver on their predicted due date. What’s more if this is your first pregnancy, you can expect to be anywhere from two days to two weeks late. You can distract yourself by keeping track of fetal movements, mostly to reassure yourself that all is well with your little miracle. In the off chance that movements do start to decrease substantially, try not to freak out and instead, call your doctor of midwife and discuss it with them.

If you still haven’t decided whether to breastfeed or not, here’s a good reason: some experts estimate that mothers excrete between 400-700 calories a day while breastfeeding, and to compensate, you should be eating roughly 500 extra calories a day (mmm that’s like one spoonful of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream).

I'm sorry, I've got to RUN!
by The Sarcastic Journalist

I’ve always found it amazing how our bodies just know how to make and have babies. Is there a manual in there for it to know about cell division and how to grow a placenta?

When the end of the pregnancy draws near, it is not uncommon for your body to start giving off signals that say “a baby is coming!”

Yes, your feet swell and your hips spread, but that’s not the only thing that happens. Your bowels, ahem, finally get moving.

Yes, that’s right. All those weeks of constipation are coming to an end! In fact, things are probably moving right along down there.

It’s hard for me to use these words, but in order to continue, I’ll just get it out in the open: You’re going to have diarrhea. The runs. The trots. Call it what you want, but you’ll be spending a bit more time on the potty.

For me, “the runs” always snuck up without much notice. One minute, I’m standing in the bathroom, brushing my teeth with my husband and the next I’m running down the hall screaming “I’ve gotta go!”

I think the worst part about the whole diarrhea while heavily pregnant thing is that it is almost impossible to look somewhat graceful while running to the potty. How can you? You’re trying to make it to the bathroom in two seconds or less all the while having a giant basketball protrude from your belly.

The sooner you learn to accept that you can’t do the Diarrhea Dash while looking graceful, the better. Who cares what they think? You’re nine months pregnant. I DARE anyone to mess with you.

I get the adorable BH contractions when sleeping sometimes. Most times I'm too tired to wake up and concentrate on my breathing so I just ignore it and let it go by either changing my position or.. well.. sleep it off. Other times, IT woke me up! Sometimes I wince and whinge in my sleep.

Yesterday we had some lovely girls and a boy over for dinner. Best thing is.. they do dishes. Definitely a guests list keeper! I managed to get cooking done on time before heading off to uni and immigration to get things sorted. Got home, showered, setup and prepare food then they arrived. With flowers!! Much love..