Pregnancy Update: 40 Weeks! DUE DATE!

Today is my DUE DATE!! Wow! I am so excited that I've crossed this mini milestone. What's even more exciting is that I've started experiencing contractions! They started this morning around 1 am and I've had 2-3 each hour pretty consistently since then. I can't believe it! 

I hadn't been sleeping well last week or at the beginning of this week because, as I mentioned in my previous update, I've been struggling with control. I feared that I would start having contractions at night (which I did) and not be able to get control of my body enough to relax. But what actually happened was that I immediately and instinctually woke up and focused on relaxing all of my muscles. I felt in complete control. It made me feel so confident about what is to come! 

I'm going to do my best to update all of you on my progress! My baby boy could be here this evening or it could be a few more days, but I have a feeling it will be within the week! I'll post quick updates on my Instagram until I'm able to blog again. So go follow me @kristengenevieve !

Week: 40 weeks - Today is my official Due Date!!

Gender: Boy!!

Total Weight Gain: 28-29lbs total! I definitely did not expect that I would be able to stay right around 30lbs. It was my goal, but I wasn't sure what would happen! 

Exercise: Lots of walking and stretching! I went for four long walks this week in addition to just getting around. Helping baby get a move on! Still stretching but no more yoga.

Nutrition: I started easing into drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea on Wednesday after my doctor appointment. It's supposed to help with labor but not actually induce. We'll see! ;)

Food cravings/aversions: Still craving Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream. I've just totally given in at this point, it's bad!

Signs of Stretch Marks: Nope! Still using Burt's Bees Belly Butter!

Maternity Clothes: No new ones. In hind sight, I wish I had a few more shirts and one pair of pants. It's been nice wearing dresses again now that the weather's nice though! Remind me to having a summer baby next time. :)

Sleep: On & off. I slept horribly at the beginning of the week, feeling anxious about when I would go into labor. But the past several nights, I've talked myself into feeling good before bed and I've slept much better. Mind over matter!

Feeling: A mix of emotions but not too emotional! (If that makes sense!) I've been feeling anxious about when this little man will decide to arrive, but I'm actively trying to relax and let go as much as I can. 
Physically, I feel great. I am pretty much fully capable - something I never expected at this stage of pregnancy. I just do things a little more slowly than before. The only time I'm uncomfortable is getting up from the bed at night. :)

Labor Signs: I was beginning to feel more "crampy" on Friday night. By Sunday evening, I could tell something was happening. Then Sunday night, I started having contractions! As of Monday morning, they're 15-20 seconds long, roughly 20 minutes apart and not painful - noticeable and uncomfortable, but not painful. Banging my knee on the coffee table would feel 10x worse.

Baby Movement: Yeah! His kicks hurt! But I can't blame him, he must be feeling so cramped in there!

Belly Button In or Out? In - barely!

Wedding Rings On or Off? Off most of the time. :( They fit tightly but I don't want to force it.

What I miss most this week: Sleep! But I have a feeling I'll be missing that for a while. ;)

Best moment this week: Experiencing contractions and feeling totally in control of my body! :D

Looking forward to: Meeting my little one! Maybe today! Ah!!!

xo kristen genevieve

 

Pregnancy Update: 39 Weeks!

I can't believe how far I've come! Thirty-nine weeks blows my mind! Now we're officially considered "full term" and I definitely feel it! This part is tough because its a waiting game. I'm such a planner, its so difficult to not know exactly when this little one will join us. Anything within the next three weeks would be completely normal, and that window is so big when you're expecting a baby!

As I mentioned in my last post, my husband and I have been dealing with some major life decisions over these past couple weeks. It's nice to be able to control some things, but when this baby boy joins us is out of my control - and I'm finding that difficult to handle! Not only do I need to practice more patience, I need to learn how to deal with not being in control of everything, all the time.

I haven't been sleeping as well lately, not just because I have to get up to go to the bathroom more often, but because my anxieties about going into labor manifest themselves in my dreams. I wake up feeling so physically tense! One morning this week, I woke up with a charlie horse cramp in my leg, and I was so hazy, I thought that meant I was going to start having contractions immediately after! During the day, I feel confident about what's to come. At night, I'm afraid I'll be caught off guard and not be able to take control of my body and calm myself. Does that make sense?

Week: 39 weeks - officially considered full term now!

Gender: Boy!!

Total Weight Gain: About 28-29lbs total - I think it's half baby, half ice cream this week! ;)

Exercise: Not much yoga this week because it wasn't working for my recent lower back pain. Just lots of stretching and walking!

Nutrition: Still noshing on green grapes for lunch/snack time. I'm healthy with my breakfasts & dinners, but at this point, as long as I'm not gaining a ton of weight, I'm pretty unconcerned about what I'm eating during the rest of the day. I just want to feel good before I go into labor. Hello, ice cream!

Food cravings/aversions: Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. Mmmm...

Signs of Stretch Marks: No new ones! Still using Burt's Bees Belly Butter!

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new - doing lots of laundry and holding out until the end! I'm excited to get some new non-maternity clothes soon!

Sleep: Yeah, I wake up a lot. Every time I wake, I am in such a hazy state that I feel like I have to check myself to make sure my water didn't break or anything else crazy happened while I was sleeping. I also woke up to a killer charlie horse in my calf one morning this week - again, I thought my leg cramp meant that my uterus would start a few seconds later. Let's just say, labor is on my mind!

Feeling: During the day, surprisingly great! Once my back pain went away, I felt strong again. Sure, my feet swell every night and my belly gets wet when I'm washing dishes, but I'm certainly not in pain or uncomfortable. I just want to meet my little man and kiss his face! 

Labor Signs: No contractions yet, but my cervix is soft and baby boy has been head down ("dropped") since 35 weeks. I would welcome irregular contractions this week - it'd be nice to have my body start working for me before the hard work begins!

Baby Movement: Yes, but he's definitely cramped in there! Every time I go for a walk, I can feel his head dropping further - there's a lot of pressure down there. 

Belly Button In or Out? In - woohoo!

Wedding Rings On or Off? On during the day, off at night. This part I don't like!

What I miss most this week: Hummus. A few more weeks!

Best moment this week: Game of Thrones season premiere! Second, getting packages in the mail! :)

Looking forward to: Meeting my little one! Even some irregular contractions this week would be welcome!

We're so close now! Thanks so much for following along and caring! If news breaks with baby, I'll probably update my Instagram first, so go follow me! :)

xo kristen genevieve

 

Learning To Be Content

Lately, my husband & I have been making some important life decisions. It's important to me to try to be a positive person, but when there is no plan for what's to come, I tend to fall into an attitude of, "hope for the best, prepare for the worst." I admit it - I have a difficult time not feeling like I'm in control. 

This past year since moving to Massachusetts from Vermont has been a trial year for us to grow and decide where we want our lives to go. From the start, we've seen this place as a transition, something temporary that we would eventually move away from. We weren't sure where we wanted to be until we actually moved and realized that Vermont is our true home.

Since then, we've been trying to figure how to to get back to those gorgeous green mountains. We had hoped to move this June, before our son was two months old. Now that the time is creeping near, we've realized how little sense it makes to move now. For my husband's career, we have to stay. We have to be smart! It could be six months, or it could be two years, but the longer we stay, the more we fast track our lives so we can do things the things we want in life. 

While I'm disappointed that we have to postpone our dreams of moving back home, I feel strangely at peace having a more solid plan for our immediate future. I am practicing patience and learning to be content with where I am. I've spent so much of my life so far feeling discontent while struggling with depression. One year ago, I promised myself to not ever let depression consume me again - to do everything that I can to make myself happy & grateful for each day. It's great to have goals and things to look forward to, but not if those visions prevent me from appreciating my life now.

I think sacrifice is a normal part of life, especially when you're young. It's not easy being a twenty-something or even a thirty-something depending on how many turns you've taken in your career. It's also very different making life decisions when you have your kids to consider. Still, I know that I have so much to be thankful for. 

xo kristen genevieve