35/35

Tomorrow is 35/35--which I think is the last milestone before labor. I will be 35 weeks pregnant and have 35 weeks left, although I keep talking to X about coming a little early. Like a week. I am pretty done being pregnant and every day it seems like I get more uncomfortable. On the other side, I definitely don't want him to come earlier than that, and we are definitely not ready. However, I don't see me doing a whole lot in a few weeks since doing much now is hard. I have been having insane pain really low in my pelvic area which is either pelvic girdle pain or the baby has dropped. I have no idea which, and I don't really care, but I am pretty over it. It seems like the baby floats up a lot when I sleep because I feel him really high and then have Braxton-Hicks during the night and he settles back down, so I am not sure he has really dropped. What it really comes down to is that I know nothing about any of this because I have never done it before, and reading just doesn't tell you how it will be for you. My belly button is also popping out. It has been for a few weeks, but now it is a little bit out and I can see it through my shirt. It is actually painful, or maybe just really sensitive and uncomfortable, but it is not nice. I mean, that skin has NEVER touched anything before. And now it is all out and rubbing against stuff. I am getting my maternity photos next week, and I REALLY hope I don't just spend the whole week developing other gross things like varicose veins and stretch marks. My belly looked really pretty yesterday, just let it last one more week, please.

Warning: TMI

I also have been looking into ways to prepare my body for childbirth. I mean, I already drink a million cups of red raspberry leaf tea every day to help strengthen my uterus, but there are other things I can do. So the other morning I was out for breakfast with a pregnant friend (which has removed all barriers from our friendship and opened conversations about everything completely normally unacceptable). We were talking about Strep B and evening primrose oil and such and she asked if I had started perineal massage. The thing is, there is no way I can do perineal massage--like I litterally cannot reach. How do I know this? I attempted to shave, um yeah, the other day. Shaving my legs is pretty rough in and of itself. I get really unstable and have a hard time reaching everything while standing on one leg. About a month ago I shaved without too many complications. It wasn't easy, but it was possible to just sort of lift up my belly or work around it. This time, no. Impossible. I can no longer see down there, and there is no way to move my belly. So, I had to use a mirror. Let me just tell you, it was damn near impossible and I will not be attempting that again. I felt like I did a great job, but I ended up with wicked razor burn and small nicks. I am not sure how, I mean seeing isn't really that important, but apparently it is. Regardless, I couldn't see or really reach very well with a razor--how the hell does anyone do perineal massage? And I love Mike, but that is so far over my comfort zone that I can't even handle it. Which slightly worries me about childbirth in general, but I don't care, I am not doing it.