Thirty-Six Weeks

Well, sort of...let me explain.

Way back in week seven, after my first u/s at the doctor's I was told that my EDD was 02.02.10. I had been charting and knew my exact ovulation date and conception date and calculated the EDD to be 01.30.10, but since the doc said 02.02.10 I went with it.

Well, last week at my NST the nurse said, oh you're getting close...January 30th will be here soon. I just smiled and nodded and thought, "Hmmm. Why does my chart say 01.30.10?" So this week at the OB's I asked. Turns out that even though that first u/s said 02.02.10 she decided it was close enough to my original calculation of 01.30.10 based upon my TTC chart that she kept it. News to me! And to Mr. Divasaur! Granted it only moves our EDD up three days but somehow, at least psychologically speaking, it has made a big impact because it now means that we're having our baby THIS month! Mr. Divasaur's eyes got big like saucers and after we left the OB appt. he was giddy with excitement. It had hit him!

And we are ready. The car seat has been installed. My coworkers threw me a shower today and this weekend I'll do a final load of baby laundry (with lots of cuteness acquired from today's party). We met with our doula tonight to go over our birth plan. And I had another NST which Libby passed with flying colors. My GD is under control (although I've had to increase my dosage of insulin to stay on top of my numbers...but that is to be expected the closer an insulin-dependent GD mama gets to her due date). Next week I get another internal exam to check for any progress (I declined the internal this week). And I am sure I'll continue to feel crampy and contractions as the days and weeks come to pass. I am feeling BIG. And uncomfortable and ready to have my daughter in my arms. I have a big meeting at work at the end of next week and then, mentally, I will be done with work. I may start working from home in week 38 and 39...we shall see. Sitting at my desk all day has become uncomfortable and causes my ankles to swell, even though I have my feet propped up on a step stool.

My coworkers threw me a baby shower, which was really sweet since I had't expected to have one. My assistant decorated my office and set up a card table with a cake and favors. People dropped by during the lunch hour and I opened their gifts and then had them displayed for the others to come by and oogle (a tradition in our office, I guess. It's very Southern!) I was sad that I wasn't going to get to have a shower, with all of my closest friends and family living 1500 miles away, but the ladies I work with went above and beyond to make it happen. It was so nice of them and they were quite generous...Libby got a bunch of cute clothes, some great books, coxy blankets and some fun toys.

So I am in the final stretch. Libby measured 6 lbs. 3 oz. this week. According to BabyCenter, here's what's up in there:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

image source