By the calendar I am at 37 weeks of gestation. My official due date is November 29, though I've had various people tell me I'll be giving birth on the 15th, on the 20th, and on the 24th. Honestly, I don't care when it is, as long as it's the right time for Sweet Potato. If it happens today, great! If not till the 29th, great!
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am having a really good pregnancy (knock wood) with very few of the standard side effects that many pregnant women get. Oh I have a few, but they have all been very reasonable and easy to handle.
My side effects have been:
❀Heartburn: I have consumed over 175 Tums (and counting). I have chewed hundreds of pieces of gum (and counting). When I can feel the heartburn coming on, gum really does help. I can usually control the night time heartburn by not eating too late and eating smaller amounts. But some nights this just doesn't happen.
❀Pregnancy sinuses: This has been going on since about month four. They are worse at night, some nights worse than others. Generally lip balm and an occasional breathe right strip helps. However, these last few weeks have been quite bad. For Kurt. Apparently I have started snoring with a vengeance and he's had to go to the living room to sleep. I feel terrible! But at least it is temporary.
❀Swollen joints: About three weeks ago my fingers started getting sore and a bit swollen. My ankles have swelled slightly, but you can still see the anatomy of my feet. I suspect this will not be the case in a couple of weeks. My fingers hurt mostly at night and during the day they get better, but still achy. (I took my wedding rings off quite a while back.)
❀Shoe Size: This is different from swelling as the length of my shoes is an issue! I think my feet have become 1/2 to 1 size bigger. I have two pairs of slippers I can wear and two pairs of shoes that still fit. Some women tell me it was a permanent shift for them, others say the feet will return to their normal size. I am hoping for the latter, but if it is the former then hey! New shoes!
❀Weight gained: as of today I have gained 23 pounds. I've worked hard not to gain a ton or to "eat for two" because I want to be as mobile and agile as I can. I also want to be able to take weight off faster after baby is born. I have continued my 30-45 minute morning walks at least three, if not four times a week and that always feels good. Helps reduce back pain and helps keep my blood pressure nice and healthy.
❀Food cravings: the only really specific thing I crave and try to have in the house at all times, is Trader Joe's unfiltered apple juice. I don't drink it all day long but usually once a day I'll just jump up and have to suck down a big glassful. So refreshing!
❀Dreams: They ("they") say you dream more when you are pregnant. I don't know if that's true. I do know I wake up more at night to flop over from side to side, or to pee (luckily I only have to get up once a night to pee at this juncture). So I interrupt more dreams and remember them more. There haven't been too many strange ones. Mostly I dream about what's going on during the day. When the baseball post season was on, I dreamt about baseball a lot. During birthing class (and now still) I dream about bringing Sweet Potato home. Easy fun stuff.
❀Big Belly: okay, not really a side effect -- really that's the main effect! My belly has seemed to have gotten much bigger in the last 3-4 weeks. I bump into things more often with it, I forget that I need more space when getting in and out of cars, or sitting in a restaurant. I'm super grateful to live in LA because most of my maternity clothes are geared toward warm weather. Even as it cools off I can layer what I have and I don't have to buy all new maternity clothes for the last month. (Living in LA is also helpful for the above shoe issue as I can still wear slippers most of the time!)
I say it over and over. I am sooooooo grateful for the pregnancy I'm having. I'm healthy and happy and excited for the wee one to come!