Pregnancy Chronicles - Week 37

Nothing fits. All those maternity clothes I bought don't fit. I spent the day yesterday with my belly hanging out of my maternity shirt, and having to hike up my maternity jeans over my hips. I'm convinced maternity clothes were made for the 6-7 month bump. After that, they  just assume you'll be in slippers and your husband's sweatpants.

Well, not me. Today I'm in a dress. Yes, working from home, wearing a dress. It fits, it's comfortable, and it's the last thing in my closet before laundry day. Besides, it's not so easy to shave anymore so when I do, I'm showing some leg.

At least I get to stay home from now on. The boss agreed to let me telework 100% in the last few weeks of pregnancy. It was getting hard to get dressed, get shoes on, and haul my butt to work every day. I'm not as mobile as I once was. When I walk, I cover more ground side-to-side than forward.

Besides, this saves me from the asinine comments. I'm really tired of hearing, "You look ready to pop!" Yeah. Pop you in the face, you dumbass.

It also prevents those pity and sympathy looks as I waddle down the hallway. I don't need anyone to feel bad for me. I'm capable of doing my job still.

Meanwhile, I went my first week ever without gaining any weight! Woohoo! No idea what this means, but I'm excited. A 30lb increase is enough, thanks. The doctor started talking about what to do if the baby is 1-2 weeks late. How we'd have to make a choice to induce or keep waiting. Induction means more painful contractions and increased chance of a Cesarean. Waiting longer than 2 weeks past the due date is not done very much any more and goes against today's medical standards of practice.

Today's medical standards of practice also result in 30% of women getting a Cesarean, which is a lot higher than in other 1st world nations. The WHO recommends a rate of 5-10% nationally.

So I let the doctor know I wasn't down the Cesarean. We didn't talk about it any more than that because the due date is still 3 weeks away, and we're anticipating a very normal 7lb birth weight with a low chance of a breech birth.

I started making a checklist on what to pack for the hospital. The recommended advice is to have your bags already packed two weeks ago. I find that difficult to do since you have to pack clothes and slippers and whatnot and I'm already digging through my wardrobe to find stuff to fit. Besides, don't you have a few hours of early labor before you even go to the hospital? I'm sure I can find 20 minutes to pack before the contractions are 4 minutes apart.

Anyway, the checklist freaked me out more than you'd think. I realized I didn't have nursing bras and throwaway clothes to be ruined. I ended up panicking and spending $60 at Walmart. Whatever, it's dumb to spend money on clothes this late in the pregnancy. Who knows what size I'll be. It made me feel better though, so my hubby considers that $60 well spent.