38 Weeks

How far along: 38 Weeks 4 Days


Total Weight Gain/Loss: Still at an even 200

Maternity Clothes: Just whatever I throw on if I even decide to get dressed at this point.

Stretch Marks: Are getting itchy

Sleep: Pretty good last night but there is a story to that. Friday night I woke up with an awful gall bladder attack that left me throwing up and in pain most of the night and pretty much useless on Saturday. Sunday I was feeling good again so I decided to deep clean the house and get things done so I didn't have to worry about it for a while. That afternoon I started to get some contractions but I knew it was due to cleaning and they weren’t anything close to timetable. By 7 my back was hurting which is normal after cleaning for me but then it started to get worse and my chest was hurting too. I kept an ice pack on it for an hour but no relief so at this point we called Labor and Delivery and was told to come on in. I knew it wasn’t labor but they were at least able to get me some pain meds and make sure my gall bladder had not become infected. It was an interesting trip to say the least. We were beside a room with a woman in labor going au natural so that was difficult to listen to. They finally got me checked in and started my iv which left my hand bleeding everywhere and after what seemed like an eternity they came in with my morphine and unhooked me from the monitor on my belly. Gracie didn’t seem to be phased by it at all and I think possibly enjoyed it because she was all over the place. Finally after 2 bags of fluid, 2 shots of morphine, an Ambien, and a prescription for Darvocet we were allowed to go home about 12:30. So that’s what you have to go though to get a solid night of sleep in the final weeks of pregnancy.

Movement: She is quiet most of the day with night time being her preferred time of day to stretch and prop her feet up in my ribs.

Labor Signs: A few good contractions here and there but nothing to get excited about and as of my last appt. I was still locked up tight so we will see if anything has changed at my next appt this Thursday.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Nothing really out of the normal

Gender: Still a girl!

Belly Button In or Out: Friday night it stuck out from eating so much but it still has a pucker at the bottom so it’s not completely stuck out.

What I Miss: Being able to sleep on my back or stomach

What I am Looking Forward To: Seeing Gracie for the first time. I would have much rather been in the hospital for that last night. I admit I was a little jealous of the screaming lady next door because before we left you could hear her baby crying and all of her family was waiting for their first look at her.

Weekly Wisdom: There are only 2 elevators in the entire hospital that will take you to the 5th floor where labor and delivery is. It could have saved us a lot of time if we would have known that beforehand.

Best Moment This Week: Going shopping and getting a lot of our last minute items purchased, thank you Daddy and Janet. Also getting the house cleaned well and RJ got the yard cleaned up so we can rest now that everything looks decent again. The weather has been absolutely beautiful so we’ve had our windows open and we’re both in the fall mindset. Now all we need is our little girl.

No more pictures so you'll have to settle for reading more:

Development is complete, baby's main job is to gain weight. The body continues laying on the fat stores at a rate of about an ounce (28 grams) a day, that will help regulate her body temperature after birth. The amniotic fluid, this is approximately equal to 4 or 5 cups. Baby may have a full head of hair now, an inch or more long, but some babies are born with only peach fuzz. Speaking of hair, most of the downy coat of lanugo that covered your baby for weeks has disappeared, but you may see some on the upper back and shoulders when he or she arrives. Almost gone has most of the vernix caseosa, the whitish substance that also covered baby.Your baby will swallow the lanugo and exterior coating, along with other secretions, and store them in their bowels. These will become your infant's first bowel movement, a blackish waste called meconium. Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium. This week, your baby weighs around seven and a half pounds and measures about 20 inches (51cm) head to toe.