The Miracle: 39 Weeks

Not much time left now! Today has been a bit rougher than yesterday...I am definitely feeling heavy and achey and very much pregnant! I woke up with my lower back and hips really hurting, as well as a dull ache in my abdomen. Could be signs that I overdid it with my walk around the neighborhood yesterday, or it could be signs of early labor. It's kind of a toss-up at this point! I took some tylenol and Richard and I went for a shorter (and less hilly) walk today after lunch, which I think helped to loosen me up a little bit (well, Richard walked...I waddled!). We'll see what the rest of the day holds!

"E" has remained very active, in spite of having less room to move around...can't believe I'll soon get to feel his squirms and wiggles from the outside instead of the inside! Thanks to the website http://www.spinningbabies.com/, I was able to determine that he is in an optimal position for a relatively smooth labor and delivery. Since I am wanting to try for a natural birth (that's right...no drugs! call me crazy...it's just something I've always wanted to try...letting my body do what God designed it to do without unnecessary interventions), having him in a favorable position now can really make a difference in the speed and ease of labor. I know it won't be easy regardless, but it helps to know that it doesn't have to be even more difficult! So we'll see how it goes...you know I'll keep you posted!

I hope (and think) this will be my last post about baby "E's" progress in utero...from here on out I sure hope I get to post about how he is growing and changing out here in the real world! :o)

How your baby's growing: Your baby's waiting 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, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.