Book vs real life: 35 weeks pregnant
January 26, 2017
This is going to be a quick update, because I really need a nap. And have a two-year-old’s party to organise. What was I thinking…?
Highlights of this week included:
Discovering the best hot chocolate in Dubai (photo here), which is covered in burnt marshmallows and salted caramel sauce. Can you develop gestational diabetes this late in pregnancy…?
Phoebe doing a few solid nights in her big girl bed – including one magical morning when I didn’t hear ‘mama mama mama’ until 7am. If only I could bank sleep for the future.
Having a much-needed session with Cecile de Scally from Malaak, who has massively calmed my birth fears. Read about it here.
Lowlights have included:
Heartburn (though dinner at Maria Bonita’s probably didn’t help).
Dreadful sleep thanks to Braxton Hicks/this kid kicking the crap out of me.
The exhaustion. The terrible, terrible exhaustion. Leading to terrible irritability. Apologies to all who have encountered me.
So what does Baby Centre say about this stage of pregnancy? And how does this knackered woman feel about the expert opinions?
The book says…
Your baby doesn’t have much room to maneuver now that she’s over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (about the size of a honeydew melon). Because it’s so snug in your womb, she isn’t likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same.
I say…
Too right. My belly is TIGHT. I keep leaning back and rubbing it like my grandpa used to do after Christmas dinner. I’m about 95% Buddha. Not much fits anymore, and I’d merrily wear maternity pjs at all times if I didn’t actually have to leave the house.
The book says…
The kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of the basic physical development is now complete. She’ll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
I say…
Not too much, please. At my last scan I hadn’t gained any weight, but the baby had put on half a kilo. The parasite…
The book says…
Your uterus – which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived – now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you’d see that there’s more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to pee more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you’re not grappling with these annoyances, you’re one of the lucky few.
I say…
“Ballooning uterus”. Lovely. Yes to the weeing and heartburn. It’s all glamour, I tell you.
The book says…
From here on out, you’ll start seeing your doctor or midwife every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she’ll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacterium called group B streptococcum (GBS).
I say…
I might start a band called Rectal Culture. I had the check last time, so am not sure if you need it second time around. My next scan is on Wednesday, then it’s every week from then until she arrives. Shit is getting REAL. My hospital bag is still only half-packed because there are things I need in the meantime, and I can’t decide if I should bring my laptop so I can watch The Good Wife. This is wishful thinking, isn’t it…?
The book says…
This is also a good time to create a birth plan, like who’ll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won’t follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time – and sharing your preferences with your doctor or midwife – should take some of the anxiety out of the process.
I say…
Easy. Trust the experts. Give me an epidural. Keep me informed. Don’t show me the placenta (you can’t un-see that) and make sure we have skin to skin. Then have a salmon lover’s bento box from Sumo Sushi ready.
Anyone else on the final stretch? Stretch being the operative word…
