Honeydew--Holy Crap!

Growing has slowed down, the circumference of my belly has been the same for over a week and I haven't gained any weight in about a week too--which truly is a blessing, I felt like my belly was going to literally rip open. I had been experiencing some new pains though and I am honestly thinking I won't make it to 40 weeks. Although I am completely healthy and I don't have any complications all of my mom's pregnancies ended around 38 weeks. Obviously this isn't science, but I just feel like the baby will be a little bit early. Granted, that may be wishful thinking. This week I have been having crazy Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are completely normal. Most people describe them as painless tightening in a portion of the belly lasting less than a minute and fading. Mine are not like that, they are painful. The only other time I had BH was when I was sick and therefore dehydrated. Now I am getting them pretty regularly, and I wasn't even sure it was BH until I read up on different people's experiences. To me it feels like my stomach is too small for the baby and like he is pushing to get out, but all over, in way more places than he could possibly push, and not lumpy like arms and legs and back, but as if you put a large bowl over him and let him push it outwards. I also get cramps during them and feel like I did a bunch of situps. At first I was concerned, but I found a lot of other women that experience this type of thing, so I am not worried at all, but I do think it is a sign of more imminent labor--not like next week or anything, but it seems like my body is practicing pretty hard so I assume it is getting close. Regardless, it is exhausting and painful and often makes me stop walking or change position (which is how my mom told me to tell between real labor and false labor--false labor will not stop with a change in position and you won't be able to continue with the same activity, you will change what you are doing). I also have a miserable time picking stuff up from the floor, which makes putting away the gigantic pile of baby stuff that erupted in my living away pretty impossible. It is the last foot or so that makes it hard, so large items are okay if they have way to life them like a handle, but small things, oh my god, it is impossible.

I also have another baby shower on Sunday from the teachers I used to work with at Welby. I am super excited to see everyone. I am expecting pretty small things--clothes, blankets, things other people know I will need :) It is a double shower for me and another guy, so I am assuming presents will be less since people have to buy two, they are all teachers and it is coed. Mostly I am excited just to see these people, I LOVED working with them and I can't wait to just visit. Plus, I get a haircut before that which I desperately need :)

I am starting to feel the pressure to get things done--baby clothes washed, other items bought, nursery finished, house cleaned, hospital bag packed, birth plan written, etc. It isn't really nesting since I am not doing it, I am just stressing about it, but maybe it is pre-nesting or something. Six more weeks at the most, well seven I guess, seems so soon.

In baby news:
Baby's now the size of a honeydew!
Baby can recognize and react to simple songs...time to start practicing your lullabies! In fact, baby will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Get the diapers ready!

Your baby weighs five pounds or more, about the size of a bag of sugar. He will continue to gain about two or more pounds in the next six weeks. Now that your baby's brain has formed billions of neurons, it must accomplish the even more complex feat of hooking the neurons and synapses together. Your baby's brain is forming trillions of connections, making it possible for him to learn in the womb. All of this brain development may be the reason that your baby sleeps frequently at this stage. He may even be dreaming—his eyes dart around rapidly just as an adult's might in REM sleep. Your child's development is in no way complete at birth. In the first year after birth, a baby's brain triples in size and becomes three-quarters of its adult size.

The loveliness of pregnancy:
No, it's not (just) the lack of sleep that's making your vision fuzzy. Pregnancy hormones and fluid buildup can affect your eyes' curvature and tear production, making them extra-itchy and sensitive. No matter what your vision's like, take a look toward the light -- less than two months to go!

The volume of your uterus is five hundred to one thousand times larger than before you got pregnant, so it's safe to say you're feeling huge and slow. You're still running to the bathroom frequently and probably will from here on out. Try to drink a lot of water early in the day, so you don't get thirsty at night and make things worse. If you haven't purchased your baby's car seat and installed it facing rear-ward in the backseat of your car yet, do it now. You'll also want to start thinking about what you want to pack in your hospital bag.