Thoughts on Being 38 Weeks Pregnant

Another week almost done!  Less than 10 days from my official due date now – but I feel like this girl is going to be well late and am mentally prepared for an August baby. This was the first week with really no client work (okay, 2 hours – but that’s nothing) and I’ve sewn six throw pillows, read two books, had my shoes re-soled, watched five stages of the Tour de France and cooked like I’m running my own person postpartum soup kitchen. Here are a few random thoughts with photos of my ever-growing belly.

I’ve been feeling super-humanly strong this week. My superpowers: Capable of walking 3 miles, crushing 90 minute yoga classes, carrying groceries. So impressive, right? My kryptonite: Obsessed with hydration, needs to use the restroom every 20 minutes, unhelpful sidekick.

Very few things fit now. Wearing this dress to the movies was definitely pushing it. I’m down to the dregs of hand-me-down maternity clothes that I never thought I would wear and comfortable basics taken from Rob’s closet. If I never see another top with side ruching again after this, that will be more than fine with me.

However, I’ve actually lost a couple pounds since my last doctor’s appointment. I may make my completely-arbitrary under-40-lb weight gain goal after all! As you can see in these photos the belly and baby continue to grow unheeded. I think the weight has come off my slightly-less-bloated ankles. The midwife said that she’s not too worried about how big the baby may be – Rob and I were both large babies – but that maybe 9 lbs would be fine.

Continuing to be blissfully unstressed about delivery. I somehow have found a calming balance of denial and resignation. It helps me think that the Queen of England did it four times.

The baby feels much, much bigger this week than last and even stronger in her ability to push out with her legs. I can really only picture what her little feet will look like. With both of us being pale-skinned, I think she’ll likely look a bit like a boiled red potato at the start. The world’s most gorgeous, blue-eyed red potato in a tiny hat.