I am so excited for this post/amount of weeks. 36 weeks is the gestation age I was born at, so even though I want this baby to hold out for another week at least so I can have a home birth, I feel full term in a way.
How far along? 36 weeks/~9 months!
How big is the baby? About 6 lbs and about 20 inches. I’m really hoping for a 7+ lb baby, so I’d love for them to be a bit bigger than that right now since I feel like they’ll come a bit early. I was 6 lbs 10 oz at 6 weeks, and my midwife or doula told me last night that babies tend to mirror their mom’s size, so I’m hoping that is true and the baby is already almost 7 lbs.
Total weight gain/loss? I started at 123 and right now I am 156, so I’ve gained a total of 33 lbs so far.
Maternity clothes? I think I have decided that maternity clothes are pointless (except on the bottom). For top pieces I have one maternity shirt that got too short the second it started actually being filled out by my belly completely. I have one actual maternity dress and while it accommodates my belly it just looks weirdly unflattering. I think, assuming I am pregnant again, in the future I’d like to make my own maternity clothing.
And then bottom pieces, although necessary, mostly suck in other ways. Like sagging pants!
Sleep? Sleep has actually been way better than I expected (Umm… except last night. Haha.), so I am happy about that. Getting out of bed is another story altogether. It’s not so fun. Sometimes I also wake up for an hour or two at night and can’t get back to sleep, but perhaps it’s just my body prepping to have baby wake ups at night.
Best moment this month? I like that I have been feeling good and getting a lot done to prepare for the baby getting here. I only have a few more things I absolutely want to have before the baby gets here, though I do have a decent list of stuff I want to get done. Overall, though, the feeling of being ready has probably been the best.
Symptoms? Right now the worst thing is my left SI joint. It just started getting semi-hellish about 4-5 days ago and now I kind of limp half the time. I’ve been trying to do specific exercises to help it and they help a bit, so that is great.
I sometimes get reflux but I can usually make it subside by taking what I call my “pregnant lady’s shot” of apple cider vinegar.
Food cravings? I’m not really craving anything specific other than a good salad. I haven’t been eating much salad because olive oil triggers my gallbladder pain. What’s an awesome dressing without any olive oil or vegetable oils? Anyone? Recipes appreciated!
Food aversions? None anymore. I’ll eat anything that doesn’t aggravate some symptom. I blessedly have been WANTING cooked green again. It’s great.
Baby’s sex? I’m back to having no idea. I can’t wait to find out. :)
Labor signs? None yet.
What I miss? I miss going on harder hikes. My SI joints can’t handle it anymore. Wah!
What I’m looking forward to? LABOR! I can’t wait to get this baby show on the road and meet this little human.
Things I HAVEN’T done this month? Even though I took a test for GBS, which is standard, my intention was that I would try to treat it naturally if I was positive (I wasn’t) rather than taking antibiotics during labor, which is that standard protocol.
Here is something I haven’t done and probably should have by now: Found a pediatrician. Shamefully, I never go to the doctor unless I am dying, so I’m having a hard time imagining taking the baby to the doctor for wellness check-ups. However, I think I will I just need to find a pediatrician that I like. Am I totally late in getting this part started? I think I might be.
Something I HAVE done a lot of is laundry. I seriously can’t even imagine how much laundry is going to suck after the baby right now. I’ve been washing used clothing and diapers that I have gotten from people and am thinking “I’m going to have to do a load of diapers like every other day. Holy crap!” In addition to cloth diapers, though, I plan on doing elimination communication, so hopefully I will quickly start to decrease the amount of diapers I am going through. I definitely had a bit of a freak out this past month about how hard it is to be environmentally friendly with baby diapering, even if you are doing cloth, since of course cloth diapers use a lot of water and a good majority of people use regular detergents even if they’d rather use the natural. I’m trying to stick with the natural stuff I use (this is the only “natural” detergent I have found that is any good, personally) for now but being extra cautious and adding borax to help soften the water and such. Hopefully it works out!
How I’m trying to ensure a healthy pregnancy?
- Good diet
- Positioning exercises and SI joint exercises
- Walking a lot
- Working on gallbladder health (this has mostly not been hurting unless I eat trigger foods, though.)
- Working on being consistent with eating dates and red raspberry leaf tea. :)
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My babies were 6lb 2oz (induced bc of IUGR at 38 wks), 7lb 8oz (induced bc I was miserable at 39 wks), 8lb 1oz all natural labor and delivery at 40 wks 5 days. Try not to be discouraged if you see your due date come and go. A lot of babies are born after 40 weeks. And I noticed this time with a natural labor and delivery and letting him come when he was ready that my recovery was a piece of cake. Hang in there! Can’t wait to see and/or hear about baby! Good luck!
Thanks! I definitely won’t induce without reason (though if I get close to 42 I would maybe consider a membrane sweep as my most “artifical” induction to hopefully avoid a hospital birth).
I know I am setting myself up to get annoyed by predicting an early baby, but it does seem rather likely for me. Who knows! I’m anxious for them to come, though.
Omg, I’d say some kind of tahini/water combo for a nice oil-free dressing. Throw some garlic and lemon juice in there too, maybe even avocado? And cilantro or other herbs you’re into? Throw it in a blender and make it all nice and creamy ;)
Tahini base is the one thing I have done! I like it, it’s just so much better made with some oil, too. I might try avocado and/or hemp oil and see if my gallbladder reacts negatively to those.
Hey Hanna, that was a nice one…reminded me of my time around 2003 when I was expecting. Now my son is 12 :) I wish you all the best!
Thank you!