36 weeks

Today is actually the start of week 37, so I am officially super late in writing my weekly update.  However, I think I have a valid excuse for my tardiness...  This past weekend I was hit with the worst case of the flu that I can remember having in all my adult years.  It started Saturday evening with a mild cough and by Sunday had progressed to the full blown flu, complete with fever, chills, body aches, congestion, sore throat and a cough that has made my chest feel so raw that breathing and talking felt like hard work.  Monday morning Erik asked me if I wanted him to stay home from work and I said no, but by 10am I was feeling worse than ever with a fever of 101.2 - after a dose of tylenol.  He was as worried as I was (mostly about the baby since fevers can be pretty dangerous for pregnant women) and I was so grateful he left work to spend the rest of the day taking care of me at home.  I was in communication with one of the midwifes a couple of times on Monday and she told me some safe medications that I could take for symptom relief.  For someone who is hesitant to take a single tylenol even when I wasn't pregnant, and even more cautious about medications during pregnancy, I have sure made up for my lack thereof in these past few days.  It has taken the max amount of tylenol dosed round the clock to keep my temp below 100 degrees, and a decongestant/expectorant to make breathing possible.  Ugh...

Today I finally feel like I might have reached a turning point.  I was actually able to eat a full meal this morning (at the kitchen table no less) and finally feel well enough to sit up on the couch and type on my laptop.  I might even attempt to go outside for a few minutes later today to enjoy the sunshine, and it will be my first time setting foot outside the house in four days.  Party. time.  The timing of the flu is never good but it just so happens that this week I had a whole bunch of stuff scheduled - our maternity photo session, a meet & greet with the pediatrician we hope to use for baby B, our weekly birthing class, a breastfeeding class, a vet appointment for Lucy, dinner with friends, and my last week of working my normal schedule.  Needless to say, we have had to cancel every single thing.  But, I would rather have gotten sick now instead of the week that baby B arrives, or worse yet - after he is born.  So I guess that's the silver lining?

I am so thankful Erik has been here to take such great care of me this week.  He ended up taking a sick day both Monday and Tuesday, and his awesome bosses have allowed him to work from home today and possibly the rest of the week so he could be here with me (and also avoid potentially bringing the flu into his office - the week before Christmas.  No one wants that!)

So sadly since I was so sick I didn't get to take any bump photos this week.  This is the first week I have missed since I started taking them at week 10!  So let's just pretend there are some photos of me here - freshly showered with my hair done up, make-up on, a cute maternity outfit and a slightly bigger belly...  And I will spare you the real image of my current state - sitting on the couch wearing flannel pajama pants and Erik's old t-shirt with unwashed hair and a stuffy, red nose.  You are welcome  ;)

On to the weekly update!  At 36 weeks baby B is about the size of a head of romaine lettuce, weighing almost 6 pounds and measuring more than 18 1/2 inches long.  He is now shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that has covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. He swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, that will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

Last Friday I had my 36 week midwife appointment.  Surprisingly I had only gained a little over a pound since my previous visit, over 2 weeks prior.  This brings my total weight gain to right around 20 lbs.  I measured in at 34 weeks which the midwife said was perfectly fine and even admitted that their measurements can be quite subjective and there is nothing to worry about.  The heartbeat sounded great as usual, and during the examination I asked if she had to make a guess, what did she think he would weigh right now.  She felt around and said she would estimate around 6 lbs and then said "oh I don't think he will get too much bigger than 8 lbs."  I was quite shocked at that - I kind of figured that he would be on the smaller side at birth, maybe 6 or 7 lbs at the most.  She said he could be bigger than I think and that some women just "hide it well."  I guess it will depend largely on when he decides to make his appearance.  We will have to wait and see!

While at the appointment I mentioned to the midwife that I think the baby had "dropped" (meaning dropped down lower in my pelvis in preparation for birth) and during the exam she agreed.  She said she could feel his head way down in my pelvis, almost on my pelvic bone!  I knew this had happened early last week as I had a pretty significant increase in the amount of bathroom trips I was taking (day and night) and I also felt pretty much no discomfort in my upper abdomen/lower ribs area.  If I wasn't dealing with being so sick I think I would be feeling pretty awesome these days.  I am looking forward to feeling back to normal, and really enjoying these last few weeks of pregnancy.  I still feel a little sad that it's about to end... Although so excited to meet this little guy at the same time  :)

There is another post I am working on that I plan to put up later today... I am finally able to share the project I mentioned weeks and weeks ago.  It's finally done, installed, and photographed.  And I have to say - it's about time!  Stay tuned...