Just five weeks to go! Just five weeks to go! *sob*
We had a heat wave this week and I have unfortunately been experiencing the effects of that….I’m so swollen, I look like the stay-puffed-preggo-girl. None of my shoes fit my feet, my wedding rings (which are normally sliding off my fingers) can’t make it past the first knuckle, my bracelet-style watch is now leaving a mark on my wrist and the bottom of my belly is peeking below almost all of my shirts. The good news is that it is raining today and so hopefully I will start to de-swell over the next few days. I am just trying to drink lots of water (great for the bathroom), sit in front of fans and generally keep my feet elevated. None of those things are working. 
I had another doctor’s appointment yesterday. Weight gain is still good, despite the sympathetic clucks of the 16-year-old masochist. I’m definitely retaining water (duh) but still just 23 pounds so far. I remember that I did the exact same thing with Anne and was feeling so proud of myself; then in the last 4 weeks, I put on 15 pounds. 
So stay tuned….
My blood pressure and everything else is great. The big news is that the baby has completely dropped and even engaged in my pelvis already. This didn’t happen with Anne until 38 weeks. I knew that this was happening because of two reasons:
1. I have to pee every 16.5 minutes. I actually cried about it on Sunday.
2. Whenever Brian asks how the baby’s doing, I have said that it feels like it’s burrowing. Turns out I was right.
Doctor was actually quite shocked and kept saying “Wow, this one’s ready to go! It’s already really far into your pelvis.” Of course, I asked if that means that we’re “ahead of schedule” (i.e. will I be delivering any sooner?) and my doctor just had to be honest and say “No.”
Drat her. 
She said it doesn’t mean that anything is happening sooner; it just means that I get to have the discomfort of the last two weeks of pregnancy for five weeks – aren’t I lucky? Since the wee one is already locked and loaded, this means that I don’t have a lot of flexibility these days and I’m rather out of breath and uncomfortable. I’m trying really hard to settle in for the next five weeks – I don’t want to lose the “mental game” and start to believe that I’m going to go early. Because then, by your due date, you feel two weeks overdue. Not cool.
The heartbeat of the baby was very strong – 154 this time. So this wee one is trying to keep us on our toes – the first half of the pregnancy, it was in the mid to high 150s, then dropped to the high 130s for weeks and now its back up. (The old wives’ tale is that if it’s over 140, it’s a girl. Under 140, it’s a boy.)
In other news, we bought a new stroller while we were in the States. We got one of those Sit n’ Stand ones. I thought we could get away with just our single stroller as Anne is a great walker. But a few girlfriends of mine – including one that NEVER buys ANYTHING she doesn’t *need* and her kids are the same months apart- told me I was stark raving mad. So we did some research and I think we found a good one. I’ll let you know. Anne seemed to really enjoy it. I liked that it fits our old carseat and so I don’t need to buy a new one.
Also, I have good news to report on the sibling rivalry: Anne loves babies. I’ll post some pictures from holiday to the States tonight along with some stories, but suffice to say, she spent 4 days with a 5 month old and did wonderfully. she seemed to really love the baby – she wanted to lay down on the floor next to her and play, she shared every toy, she wanted to touch her and love on her. She wasn’t even jealous when Brian gave the baby a lot of attention. So all of that set my mind at ease. I’ve always thought that the majority of little kids just love other littler kids. She hasn’t ever seemed like a very jealous kid and so I didn’t have too many worries (for instance, she never snatches toys from other kids, has never shrieked “MINE!” and doesn’t freak out if another kid snatches a toy from her – she just looks at them like “What the hell’s your problem?”) but it’s still nice to “see”. She was rather sad to leave “Baby” and has been asking for her every since.
Your baby now weighs about 5.25 pounds/ 2.4 kilograms and measures approximately 18 inches/ 45 centimetres from head to toe. His elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when he stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily activity cycles.
This week, your little one is now sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can also process some waste products.
There’s much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its original size. You’ve probably put on between 25 and 30 pounds/ 11 and 13.6 kilograms and your weight gain has hit its peak. Even your belly button has got bigger and has popped outward. You may be feeling breathless now that the top of your uterus is up under your ribs. Try getting down on all fours to take deeper breaths. Although the pressure on your bladder will make the bathroom your second home, don’t drink any less water — your baby needs the fluids. But you may like to cut down on diuretic drinks like tea and coffee, which will make you have to urinate even more often.
Your doctor or midwife will probably want to start seeing you every week until you give birth.
• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently — even in utero. These fetal development pages are designed to give a general idea of how a fetus grows in the womb.
