Week #21

Physically, I feel great this week and emotionally I've accepted that my life is going to change and I've embraced the little boy who will make his mark on our lives whether we like it or not.  In hindsight, it feels like the past 5 months have flown by and now that the half way mark has passed, I've gone into panic mode about his imminent arrival.  We haven't set up the nursery, or even cleared out the room we're going to use for the nursery; the walls aren't painted; the crib, while it has arrived, is not set up.  I have not taken any baby classes, I have not taken a tour of the hospital and I have not written a birth plan.  In short, this kid is coming in less than 5 months and I'm. Not. Ready!

In all honesty, it's a good thing that the gestation period is 10 months - otherwise the baby would arrive before the parents have fully adjusted to the idea of becoming parents.  At my 20 week doctor appointment, Dr. Fredeen had asked me if I had signed up for prenatal classes.  And all I could think of was why would I have? I still have 5 months to go.  Oh, shit.  I only have 5 months left!  Or less: my sister-in-law gave birth 3 weeks early with her first, so it is a distinct possibility. 

I'm the kind of person who likes to be prepared.  For trips, flights and hotels booked on the day our vacation has been given the green light, transportation to/from airport taken care of and maybe even have some sights mapped out.  When going into unfamiliar territory, I like to be in control and to even have a backup plan, just in case.  And this, my friend, is why I'm freaking out: unless a planned C-section is in order, the baby will show up regardless of my wants, wishes or outright demands.  After his arrival, he will sleep and eat and poop when it damn well pleases him, not me, and the only thing I can do is go with the flow. 

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Baby K is now measured from crown to heel, so he's a whopping 26.7 cm (or 10.5 inches) and he weighs in at 360 grams (12.7 oz).  Originally I had thought that the baby was going through a growth spurt at this point in the pregnancy, but the growth comes from finally including the legs in the measurement.  My uterus should now be 1 cm above my waist line, thus heralding the death of my waist.  I should now be visibly pregnant to everyone, including strangers, so now everyone can stop whispering about how fat I've gotten.

Baby K has taken to swallowing his amniotic fluid to exercise his digestive system, which helps improve the condition of his digestive system after birth.  This week his stubby little legs will become more proportionate to his body (which is still stubby compared to when he becomes mobile).  His heart is growing stronger and it should now be possible to hear the heart beat through a stethoscope.

It is important to stay hydrated now, to replace the amniotic fluid that is being taken up by the baby.

How am I feeling?  Really great this week!  I feel less tired and my joints hurt less.  I've been getting more tummy action lately so that can be distracting, but every kick makes me think of my baby - even though sometimes I want to tell him to knock it off!  Especially when it's 2 a.m. and he kicks my bladder.  It feels like a jolt of electricity, by the way.  I do feel like I'm losing the strength in my legs, since I can no longer hold a lunge in dance.  Actually, I have to sit out of most of the warmup and strength exercises now since my belly gets in the way.

Any weird cravings?  Weird cravings, no; but lately I've been a nonstop eating machine and it feels like I can't help but stuff my face until I feel ready to burst.  This is bothering me because I have an immense fear of gaining 40+ lbs and thought I was doing really well in the first half of my pregnancy.  Sometimes I can even feel full, but I'll still want to snack on junk food.  I guess finding healthier snack food options are in order.

Mood swings?  I had a couple yesterday: one was a pity party which started out with me thinking about how my life changed so quickly right after I found out I was pregnant, which turned into "I haven't accomplished anything" as of yet.  The second one...I'm still not too sure what brought that one on.  Well, I do, and it all worked out, but I was still really upset about it for quite a while last night.

Any baby purchases?  No.

What about the nursery?  Well, the crib has arrived, so that's a relief, but I'm starting to really feel anxious about the nursery not being cleared out yet, so that might end up a priority.  If it weren't for the fact that most of the items in this room were too large to haul out by myself, I would totally do it.

Oh, and PS, I've decided Baby K is a misnomer: The Little Stinker is a more suitable nickname.