Weeks 37 - 38

I'm now less than two weeks away from my 4/22 due date! I'm still really enjoying my maternity leave, and trying to go on a walk everyday, sometimes with other moms I've met through a local mother's club. In the beginning of my maternity leave, I was keeping myself very busy, but the past few days have been more chill. We started our backyard projects (landscaping removed, deck being built), so I'm keeping an eye on that during the day when I'm home.

I can't believe our baby can arrive any day now... I'm in waiting mode, and am really excited (and scared) in anticipation of her arrival! I'm glad we've passed the "full-term" point, so she should be fine if she was to be born today (wouldn't be considered premature).

WuBerry Weekly Updates

- We got an ultrasound at the hospital last week, and they said WuBerry weighed 5 pounds, 15 oz (so basically, 6 pounds). That's kind of small (21st percentile), but totally fine/normal. Eric and I aren't big people, so I don't expect a huge baby, and it'll be easier to deliver a small-ish baby! I'm expecting her to weigh 6 pounds something when she's born (I weighed 6 pounds, 8 oz when I was born). Supposedly, babies can gain about an ounce per day (about half a pound per week) near the end.

I think I've gained about 25-27 pounds now ("normal" recommended weight gain is 25-35 pounds in total). Everyone I meet still comments that I look small for being so far along, and even though I feel big now, I do wonder how a whole baby fits in my belly!

- I'm still feeling pretty good physically, except I've been feeling itchy around my chest, armpits, and stomach for at least a week. I asked my doctor, and she said that seems normal, but I drew some blood to test my liver/bile functions just in case. (Haven't received the results yet, but she didn't expect that to be the issue.)

Everything else is fine -- baby's head is still down, blood pressure is fine, etc.

- Sleep is still meh. I'm not getting a ton of good solid sleep, because it's uncomfortable for me to sleep on my side, or even on my back (propped up on my wedge pillow). It's too bad that now that I actually have the time to sleep in everyday, it's hard for me to do so! I try to take naps in the afternoon though, and have found that it's easier for me to get deep sleep in short chunks of time.

- Eating/appetite is fine and normal. No specific cravings.

- Baby still moving a lot. Still having lots of Braxton-Hicks contractions. ONCE in a while, I feel a different type of contraction that hurts a little, and maybe those are "real" contractions. I had two in a row last night (about 5 minutes apart), and I commented to Eric that maybe it was starting! But then I didn't feel anymore and that was that haha.

Let's see if WuBerry is still inside for me to post another blog post next week!