37 going on 38. Blows my mind! How are we here?!

Baby:

Baby B is rocking and rolling like crazy, showing no signs of running out of room in there except for the more pronounced feet and elbows that I can now distinguish from a butt or a soft little leg.

He’s the most active at night, when I’m trying to sleep, and will definitely tell me if he’s not pleased with my resting position. I can see him moving from outside my belly daily, with my shirt shifting from side to side and my iPad falling off if I try to balance it on there for even a minute. I think he’s going to be super active, like his dad.

Oh, and my poor little guy gets hiccups at least once a day. I’ve noticed it’s usually after I eat, actually!

Physical:

I have officially sloooowed down and have to admit to feeling mostly just uncomfortable at this stage in the game. I had such a long stretch of feeling pretty darn great from the mid second to mid third trimester that it’s been hard to come to terms with feeling notably not great over the last week or so.

Heartburn has kicked in every night, I get these intense leg cramps that are quick but so painful that I double over while walking, and I feel so much pressure and cramping in my belly daily. And thanks to Chicago’s recent 90 degree weather with 60% humidity, my legs, ankles and feet are getting pretty swollen by the time the afternoon rolls around.

I’m trying to make myself take walks but with the aforementioned leg cramps and heat, I’m the least active I’ve been since probably high school.

I gave acupuncture a shot last week and while I wasn’t wowed by it, I’m going to try to stick with it since I know that the benefits are supposed to be realized in labor. I didn’t find it particularly relaxing because the Little Man went absolutely insane kicking around in there, and I find it hard to breathe while reclining on my back.

So yeah, pity party for one, please! I was totally exhausted last night and cried to Jason saying I couldn’t possibly do this for another few weeks. In the light of a new day, I can recognize it’s not all that bad (and in fact, I’ve had it pretty good) but this mama is officially uncomfortable and ready to feel like myself again… whatever that means.

Emotional:

Speaking of crying! I’m working hard to stay positive but if I’m honest, I just feel all over the place. One second, I’m so excited I can’t breathe, and the next second, I’m totally freaking out about birth and then sustaining another human life. No biggie. The nerves and physical toll of these last weeks are definitely getting to me.

Last night we had breastfeeding class and while like all of our classes at Northwestern, it was incredibly informative and well done, I left feeling totally overwhelmed. They strongly urged no pumping or bottles for 4-6 weeks, which I’ve naively been thinking I could attempt alongside breastfeeding. I’ve been thinking of the due date as this point at which I’d get ME back, which is obviously misguided. After Baby Bean is here, it’s going to be a totally new ball game. Being a mama is the new me, and that’s going to mean new responsibilities and realities… I just have to remember I’m in there underneath it all.

Jason reminded me how fast that 4-6 weeks will likely go and logically I know he’s right, and that our love for our little guy will far exceed any bumps that we face along the road learning how to be parents and adjust to being a family of “four.”

Speaking of our fourth family member, I cannot wait to see how our sweet little cat child does with the baby. He’s such a funny cat — as I type this, he’s laying in my lap facing me (a total rarity) and quietly pawing my hand to stop typing. Not into attention at all, should do GREAT with another small, cute thing that we’re paying a lot of attention to.

This morning we’re off to our (now weekly!) appointments… last time I had Jason time the amount of time the doctor actually spent with us and we clocked in at 3 minutes. I have to admit that I wish I’d explored a midwife more seriously — while our doc is nice and polite, I definitely feel like the process is very clinical and not personal. And what could be more personal than having a baby?

At the most, we have three weeks to go. And hopefully, it’ll be more like 1.5-2. I can’t believe it!