The Countdown Has Begun

As of today, we're 37 weeks and 4 days along, and we've officially reached the "full term" mark. Of course, Rhys has given NO indications that he's remotely ready to leave his personal slow cooker, so we'll continue to be patient and wait for him to pick a birthday.

The SC summertime heat has been wreaking havoc on my ankles and hands, but the swelling has been fairly managable as long as I drink lots of water, stay inside as much as possible, and keep my feet elevated as much as possible. My blood pressure continues to be excellent and was 110/70 at my appointment on Monday. I also continue to be very fortunate with my weight gain, and as of Monday, I've gained a total of 2lbs for the entire pregnancy.

I am finding that I am tired a lot more often these days, and it's not uncommon for me to be in bed before 8:30 every night. I'm also up several times during the night for potty breaks, so I'm pretty sure my days of uninterrupted sleep are over. I'm planning on beginning to work from home 2 or 3 days a week from now until Rhys arrives so I can hopefully stay more rested and also get more work done before I begin maternity leave. I'm so fortunate that I work for a company that affords me that flexibility and that my boss is understanding and willing to work with me so that I can work right up until the baby gets here.

The pictures below are from the baby shower that the Women's Group at the church I grew up in hosted for us in early June. As you can see, we received a TON of wonderful things for Rhys. We have another doctor appointment on Monday (since we're now on weekly visits), and I'll do my best to post afterwards.

Sorry for being a slacker!

I apologize for not updating the blog more often. There honestly hasn't been anything terribly exciting going on, but here goes....

We'll be 35 weeks on Saturday, and from what I read and hear, we've had about the most uneventful pregnancy in the world. At my last appointment on Monday I had actually lost 2.5 lbs, so that means I've only gained .5 lbs during the entire pregnancy. Judging my the size of my tummy, that hardly seems possible, but I think the baby's eaten my brain and butt since both of those things seem to have disappeared. My blood pressure has been excellent (110/68 on Monday), and that's also surprising since work's been so ridiculously hectic lately. I'm measuring right on track, too, so baby appears to be growing well.

Jon and I have been attending maternity education classes, and so far, we've made it through our childbirth/Lamaze class and a breastfeeding class. We had to take the one-day Lamaze class, so it was a super-busy day. I'm glad we'd done a lot of reading and research on our own because we'd have been totally overwhelmed with information otherwise. I'm pretty determined that I want our birth to be as natural as possible....and yes, that means I don't think I want an epidural. Note I said that I don't "think" I do. I obviously have never given birth and have no real clue what to expect, but I strongly dislike the idea of being confined to the bed with an IV and being unable to move or walk for possible several hours after Rhys is born. So in preparation for the more natural birth I think I want, I have been practicing hypnosis for childbirth over the past several weeks. If the word hypnosis freaks you out, just think of it more as deep, focused relaxation. I'm not really sure how effective this will end up being when the time comes, but I really think this has helped me stay relaxed and calm (and kept my BP down) through the pregnancy.

The breastfeeding class was pretty informative, and kudos to Jon for actually sticking it out and going with me. As he so eloquently pointed out several times before class, his nipples are non-functioning; therefore, a breastfeeding class is not going to do him any good. But he's incredibly supportive of our decision to breastfeed, and the class did address a few ways for him to be more involved. Our next class is a baby care class on Monday night, and I can't wait to see Jon change a diaper and attempt to swaddle a baby doll. I'm sure the reality of Rhys' impending arrival will start to sink in more once we realize just how often we'll be doing these things in the next few months. After that, our final class will be a tour of the maternity floor at McLeod on June 15th. I've already had the (mis)fortune of getting acquainted with the triage area of labor & delivery earlier in the pregnancy after a fall, but we'll get to tour an actual room, meet some of the staff, ask some questions, and pre-register for the big event.

Our big baby shower is this Sunday at the church I grew up in. I call it the "big" shower because the guest list was almost as long as the guest list for our wedding. I guess that's the blessing of growing up in a small, close-knit community. I'm fortunate that my "family" is way bigger than those I'm related to by blood, and I'm really looking forward to seeing all of the neighbors and family friends that I haven't seen in a while. My car's been cleaned out in anticipation of all of the gifts we'll be coming home with, and I'm stocked up on thank you notes and stamps. We'll be spending the next couple of weeks washing baby stuff and packing our bags (Mom, can you come help?!), and then we'll be sitting on "go" for our "little dude" to make his arrival.

I'll do my best to post pictures from the shower next week, and if you're lucky, a "belly picture" might make its way into the mix. Our next doctor appointment is on the 15th, so I'll definitely update after that!