A Real-Life Pregnancy: Week 38

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Photo Credit: Dean Lipoff

I'm working on being patient. And I'll admit, it's a challenge. This week I went and had my Group B strep test done. Then I started my first week of honest-to-goodness maternity leave. So, what to do? Well, actually, lots!

This week my nesting instincts truly set in. I got out all the baby clothes and washed them along with all the new linens. The bathroom was cleaned along with the whole kitchen. I found myself on my hands and knees washing the floors and vacuuming (even the corners!). I don't think I've ever used the vacuum for that long. I now have a very clean house; what to do in it? Wait for the baby.

My Little Kickboxer

During the last couple of months the baby has been pretty active, but the last couple of days the baby has really been active—to the point that I am in real pain. I found that it was happening regularly during certain times of day; sometimes there were just a couple of short bursts of kicks and pain, and other days it would last for a couple of hours. This didn't just feel like kicks, I felt like the baby was squeezing and pulling my internal organs. Sometimes I would wince or even cry out from the pain. At first I wasn't sure if this was normal behavior, and after doing a little online research and making a quick phone call to the nurse practitioner at my OB-GYN's office, I was reassured that everything was fine.

The cleaning wasn't taking up all my time, and the days were taking a long time to pass with my husband at work and all this waiting. I made sure to make a plan for each day so I could start getting a routine set.

Getting Bored

It's hard sometimes to find ways to pass the time. I made plans to meet up with a couple of friends, took the time to do some shopping just for me, and also made sure to keep active.

Not many exciting and new things happened this week and it's challenging to find things to write about. My body, I think, has been pushed to its limit—I don't think I can gain any more weight! I'm even looking forward to sleep deprivation—I'm ready for my newborn to wake me at all hours of the night. I'm uncomfortable and starting to feel somewhat challenged from just the basics, like walking. But I'm still walking tall with a smile on my face.

During the weekend, we had some fun trying to install our car seat. My husband read the instructions, shoved the seat around in the back of the car, and felt he had it in right, right? We went to a local store that offers assistance with child seat installation to see if we were anywhere close to right. Turned out we needed some help! We received lots of helpful instructions—and finally got it in correctly. Make sure to install your car seat before your baby comes, and ask for help! Your local fire station should offer assistance. Some baby megastores offer help too, but they often charge you for installation, so make sure to ask first!

However you're spending week 38, make sure to take some time to put your feet up and relax. You might not get a chance to do it again for a long time!

Sarah's Stats

Waist measurement: 44 inches
Weekly weigh-in: 175 pounds
Pregnancy symptoms: Lots of kicking—hurtful kicking. I'm told this is normal (but it sure doesn't feel good). Evidently, the baby just doesn't have any room left!
My pregnancy advice for the week: Don't worry, it will be over soon. (How soon? I'm having a hard time waiting ...)
Pregnancy "first" of the week: Same old, same old. Big, pregnant, and tired.
Doctor's visit: Yes—Group B strep test. Normal procedure for this point in pregnancy.

About the Photo: The above picture of the author was taken during her 38th week of pregnancy by Dean Lipoff.

Read the next installment: week 39