39 Weeks

We made it to 39 weeks and could go into labor any time. The third trimester hasn’t been as bad as I expected. I started to feel more uncomfortable as I got bigger and bigger—particularly when the baby decided my ribs made a great place to keep its bottom. These discomforts have not been significant, though, and the first trimester was the hardest (at least so far). Nevertheless, I was still excited last Friday when the baby dropped. I got up that morning and things felt different: it was refreshing to have more space for my ribs and internal organs.

We’ve also had other hints that labor is approaching. The Braxton Hicks contractions are getting stronger and more frequent. A couple nights ago, I experienced a strong contraction that was probably real, but it was alone. Of course, none of these signs tell us anything we don’t already know: we’re close to the end of pregnancy and could go into labor within hours, within days, or not for another couple of weeks.

The past week has also brought a number of other changes. The third trimester discomforts have suddenly increased. I’m definitely glad they mostly waited so long to hit, but it’s been overwhelming to have so many all at once. Getting up to use the bathroom every couple of hours throughout the night has made sleep challenging. On the whole, though, I am doing quite well, and I am thankful to have the flexibility to rest during the day when I need to.

Things are more or less set up for the baby now, and we are feeling about as prepared as we can without knowing what to expect. It’s exciting—and crazy—to think that soon we’ll have a third member of the family. We sure are looking forward to meeting him or her!