On Wednesday, I will officially be full-term. Which means that Gummy Bear could be born any day after that and (hopefully) be perfectly healthy. I am torn between my desire to no longer be pregnant in this heat and my desire for her father to finish all 7,016 home improvement projects that he is currently working on before we bring her home from the hospital.
The nursery is pretty much ready for us to put furniture in it, so there’s that.
I guess what I’m saying, little Gummy, is feel free to hang out inside me for a little while longer. But if you want to get your head off of my bladder, I wouldn’t complain.
I saw one of my doctors on Friday and she said that everything looks good. My feet continue to overfill with fluid, but I don’t have any other signs of preeclampsia so they’re fairly confident at this point that I am just one of the lucky few who seriously swell when pregnant. The fact that the swelling went down by half last weekend when I kept my feet elevated and we had a temporary abatement in the heat would also tend to indicate that this is all just heat related.
After talking it over with my doctor and with Kristian, I decided to start my maternity leave a week earlier than we had originally planned. I’m taking my leave unpaid and I’m limited to 12 weeks total, so the original plan was to work up until the week of my due date or the day I went into labor, whichever came first. But after this last week of waddling to work on swollen feet and enduring painful leg cramps, we decided that I need to make some time to take care of myself. This way I can get my feet up, relax a little bit, and hopefully enter motherhood when I’m not completely frazzled.
It felt wrong to be on leave without my baby there, but then I realized that I need to take care of myself so that I can take care of her. It’s that trite old airplane analogy, but it’s true. You have to put on your own oxygen mask before you can look to the people next to you. I’m no use to Gummy Bear if I’m completely burnt out before she even arrives.
Taking that extra week also means that I’ll be able to spend a week down in Bourne at the house where we got married and in the company of some truly wonderful family friends. I’m thinking that a week to put my feet up and float in the pool on a property that tends to be a few degrees cooler than Boston is just what I need. The doctor was ok with my staying an hour outside of Boston and that’s what pretty much sold me. I think that I will do a lot of reading for fun, because I will likely not be able to do much fun reading for the next couple of years. If anyone has any trashy novels to recommend, feel free to leave them in the comments.
Saturday was pretty much an oxygen mask day for me. I went to prenatal yoga, then used a free drink card to get a green tea frappuccino and walked to my new favorite nail salon to get a pedicure and a manicure. My toes didn’t even look that bad (and I usually only get manicures for very special occasions) but I wanted to pay someone to rub my hands and feet and to fuss over me a bit. Worth. Every. Penny.
Beans and I used to joke that pedicures are cheaper than therapy and are often just as effective. And I think there’s some truth to it. Feet take a lot of abuse and having someone tend to them is a great stress reliever. There’s another girl in prenatal yoga who’s just as swollen as I am, poor thing, and she confessed to me that she’s been going for pedicures every week and a half. I think I might let myself start splurging on more frequent pedicures as well. I’m trying to save money these days (see: maternity leave, unpaid), but I also need to do some nice things for myself. Plus, my doctor made a joke the other day about the ladies with fresh pedicures always being the most ready for labor. Which I’ve decided qualifies as a resounding medical endorsement.
So, there you have it. The house is a mess, but we’re getting there. I’m huge and uncomfortable, but I’m hanging in there. I finished the paper for my summer course, so now I can take some time to relax and unwind before our lives change forever.
How have you all been?
Yay for pedicures, and for Gummy Bear’s impending arrival. Hang in there, the waiting will be worth it!
Awww, Gummy Bear day is getting close!!! You’re doing amazing, mama, just keep taking care of yourself and Gummy Bear will be here before you know it.
I don’t have any trashy book suggestions, I’m going to stalk your comments and use any for myself.
SOOOOOOOO close!! I’m sending so many well wishes and good thoughts your way!
Gone Girl, Tigers in Red Weather. Both awesome.
I don’t read trashy novels but if you’d like some fun, spirited romances or sharp thrillers or anything in between I have recommendations out the wazoo.
I hope Gummy delays until Bourne, selfishly so I can see you. We’ll wait on you, pamper you and haul you up the ladder out of the pool if necessary.
And it was! It so was!
I guess my request for trashy books was a bit premature. Right now, People Magazine is about all I can handle. And I didn’t even read most of the articles. :p
I think your well wishes worked!
In 18 years, I will try reading them. :p
Gummy didn’t cooperate, but I’m glad you got to meet her!