39 Week Update

Yes, I am getting tired of my mom, my stepmom, my mother-in-law, my sister, and my best friend calling me to ask "if anything's going on". And I know most of them read this blog, so please take no offense. But we will call you. I promise.

Questions I get:
Do you think the baby will come soon? Yes, I do, but what I think means diddly-squat. I thought the last two would be early, and they were 41-weekers.

When does your midwife say about when the baby will come? She, very wisely, says nothing. She knows better. In fact, I am the one with the calendar, so my due date is based on the dates I give her, not the other way around. And we don't do weekly cervical checks, because that too tells you nothing. One woman could be one or two centimeters dialated for a month before she goes into labor, or have prodromal labor for weeks before going into active labor. Another woman could be tight and "unripe" in the morning and have the baby later that same day. Doctors or midwives who try to predict when the baby will be born are foolish, in my opinion.

About the only thing I can tell you is that, apart from a slight backache and a rather sporadic nesting urge, I am not having any pre-labor signs.

What I did learn at the midwife's this week: Baby is ROT and about 7 lbs. Fundal height 38 1/2 - 39 cm. I gained just one pound this week (completely normal to loose weight or have slow gain at this point, and my appetite is way decreased). My urine stick looks great, no glucose, leukocytes, or protein (very good, since my feet are still swollen). Blood pressure great as usual.

My dear sweet husband salvaged our waterbirth plans today. The distributor of the first tub we ordered was out-of-stock, and we had pretty much given up all hope since we had waited so late to order. But today he got on the phone with the owner of YourWaterBirth.com and arranged to have a La Bassine overnighted. So we are getting the tub tomorrow and I'm so excited! All I have to do is try not to go into labor in the next 12 hours or so.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby's ready to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) Your baby's organs are fully developed and in place, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.