{what would have been} 38 Weeks

I would have been 38 weeks pregnant this past Sunday, April 13. The last two weeks of my pregnancy seem like so long ago. 

During weeks 37 and 38 I became increasingly uncomfortable. Ironically, my contractions lessened in frequency and intensity. This worried me as I thought maybe it would have slowed down my progression. I would get more exhausted quickly and definitely had a waddle going on from sore hips. My legs felt stretched and sore and I did have one mini calf cramp that ached for almost a full week afterwards. Baby was descending so that made my middle uncomfortable and I had to pee every 5 minutes since I couldn't empty my bladder in one go. Oh the end of pregnancy sure if magical! Matt was in the field for some certifications April 8-10. I was sure we were just tempting baby to arrive then! I definitely didn't want to have to birth baby alone!

Symptoms: all of the above. 

*baby dropped April 10. I sent the below picture to Matt while he was in the field to show him the change. 

*April 10 Dr. Appt- 4 cm dilated! 

*April 11 lost mucus plug- made me very excited that labor would be soon! 

*April 12 bloody show 

Cravings: mcDonalds burger, fries, vanilla milkshake. Don't even regret it! 

*apples 

*strawberries 

*donuts 

Aversions: Matt had fish one night that smelled horrible, but I always think fish smells horrible

*milk/cheese- sounds good and tastes good but my body rejects! Hopefully doesn't mean Daniel will be lactose intolerant

This picture is from the waiting room of the dr office at my last appointment. I "had a feeling" that it would be my last appointment. After the dr. confirmed I was 4 cm dilated I told our moms that I thought the baby would be arriving that weekend, middle of the next week at the latest. I don't think either of them really believed me. 

I was very ready to be done with pregnancy. I had gained 30 lbs. exactly and didn't have any major swelling in my feet or hands, so it's not like I was physically that large. I could still wear my wedding ring, which I couldn't so at the end with Jackson. Since a Daniel dropped I wasn't having any trouble breathing and he never was a kicker so my ribs weren't sore. I just was ready to sleep on my tummy again, and be able I bend over easily, and not bump my belly against the counters. Plus, I was very ready to hold my baby. I have missed the newborn stage! 

I was so excited for the end. Once 37 weeks hit I was so excited for the possibility of labor at any time. I didn't do much to jump start labor like I expected, mainly because I was too exhausted to do anything but make it through the day. But it turns out little man didn't need any help anyways! 

Stay tuned for our birth story.