Dear Baby #3 (4ish): Ready to go!
Dear Baby #3,
Left at 36 weeks, Right at 37 weeks
Well, baby we have made it to term! That means you can come out any day now. Literally, any day. Yesterday, Daddy finished his mega-trip to NYC with 140+ middle schoolers, parent chaperones, and staff from school which was really the one and only day we truly worried about you coming on. It wouldn't do for you to arrive while your father was 3+ hours away! So now that's over and we are ready for you.
Seriously: we're ready.
You have just about run out of space inside my belly; Heidi the midwife remarked that "you've got a very long, skinny baby in there" and "there's just no more room to move". This is a really good thing because you are *still* in perfect position (LOA) and you simply can't seem to rotate any more. That doesn't mean that things are truly comfortable, because you're using your feet to dance along my ribcage and my hipbones seem to be your favorite punching bags. Let's not forget how you squirm around on my bladder and use your fingers to poke my cervix, either! All of these wiggles and movements set off Braxton-Hicks contractions which are painless but still not enjoyable, and those coupled with a major heat wave this past week (85+ degrees in May!) made me feel very uncomfortable.
You don't like it if I sit down for too long, which is hard when there's meetings I'm attending or when I'm trying to write this letter to you! I think you're going to be a baby who enjoys being in the sling this summer, being gently rocked while I do some gardening or watch the boys playing.
I can tell that things are getting close now because I've finally been able to overcome my lethargy with insatiable nesting urges. I re-packed and organized the birthing kit this morning, adding in your first outfit (which is adorably cute!) and some newborn diapers that I'd forgotten previously. Then I moved on to clearing out closets of random extra pieces of carpeting left here by the the former owner. These remnants have been fine for the 2+ years we've lived here, but now they have to go! I forced myself to sit down and write this before I tackle the linen closet upstairs. As long as I'm nesting, I'm trying to keep myself focused on one task and not get distracted by a million others, like picking the weeds along the driveway as I'm taking out the recycling...
I'm also having to be very aware of not pushing too hard, as sometimes my legs are going numb when I stand and walk. I think it's because your little head is resting on some of my peripheral veins, making it hard for blood to get back to my heart. Heidi thinks it's because my blood pressure is a little too low (100/66 on Monday, whereas I've been sitting at 115/60ish every other time). Not sure what else I can do to fix that other than staying hydrated and maybe increasing my salt.
So now that we're officially full-term and Daddy has finished his big trip and my semester is over (commencement on Saturday), you can come any time you'd like! Honestly. I know you'll probably hang out until a few days past my due date if the two previous pregnancies are anything to go by, but you could pull a surprise and come early! Just please, please don't come late! Your birthday is already going to be super close to Ben's-- I'd rather that you each have your own special day instead of sharing one.
Waiting for you to give us the heads-up that you're ready. We're ready to meet you!
Love,
Mama
PS-- Some pictures of the big boys playing on my yoga ball, which is supposed to be just for me to sit and rock on!
Left at 36 weeks, Right at 37 weeks
Well, baby we have made it to term! That means you can come out any day now. Literally, any day. Yesterday, Daddy finished his mega-trip to NYC with 140+ middle schoolers, parent chaperones, and staff from school which was really the one and only day we truly worried about you coming on. It wouldn't do for you to arrive while your father was 3+ hours away! So now that's over and we are ready for you.
Seriously: we're ready.
You have just about run out of space inside my belly; Heidi the midwife remarked that "you've got a very long, skinny baby in there" and "there's just no more room to move". This is a really good thing because you are *still* in perfect position (LOA) and you simply can't seem to rotate any more. That doesn't mean that things are truly comfortable, because you're using your feet to dance along my ribcage and my hipbones seem to be your favorite punching bags. Let's not forget how you squirm around on my bladder and use your fingers to poke my cervix, either! All of these wiggles and movements set off Braxton-Hicks contractions which are painless but still not enjoyable, and those coupled with a major heat wave this past week (85+ degrees in May!) made me feel very uncomfortable.
You don't like it if I sit down for too long, which is hard when there's meetings I'm attending or when I'm trying to write this letter to you! I think you're going to be a baby who enjoys being in the sling this summer, being gently rocked while I do some gardening or watch the boys playing.
I can tell that things are getting close now because I've finally been able to overcome my lethargy with insatiable nesting urges. I re-packed and organized the birthing kit this morning, adding in your first outfit (which is adorably cute!) and some newborn diapers that I'd forgotten previously. Then I moved on to clearing out closets of random extra pieces of carpeting left here by the the former owner. These remnants have been fine for the 2+ years we've lived here, but now they have to go! I forced myself to sit down and write this before I tackle the linen closet upstairs. As long as I'm nesting, I'm trying to keep myself focused on one task and not get distracted by a million others, like picking the weeds along the driveway as I'm taking out the recycling...
I'm also having to be very aware of not pushing too hard, as sometimes my legs are going numb when I stand and walk. I think it's because your little head is resting on some of my peripheral veins, making it hard for blood to get back to my heart. Heidi thinks it's because my blood pressure is a little too low (100/66 on Monday, whereas I've been sitting at 115/60ish every other time). Not sure what else I can do to fix that other than staying hydrated and maybe increasing my salt.
So now that we're officially full-term and Daddy has finished his big trip and my semester is over (commencement on Saturday), you can come any time you'd like! Honestly. I know you'll probably hang out until a few days past my due date if the two previous pregnancies are anything to go by, but you could pull a surprise and come early! Just please, please don't come late! Your birthday is already going to be super close to Ben's-- I'd rather that you each have your own special day instead of sharing one.
Waiting for you to give us the heads-up that you're ready. We're ready to meet you!
Love,
Mama
PS-- Some pictures of the big boys playing on my yoga ball, which is supposed to be just for me to sit and rock on!