full term

According to my baby ticker, the bun in my oven's been cookin' for 37 weeks as of today, which means I'm officially considered "full term." Which means if I went into labor this afternoon, Baby G would not be considered premature. Which means I should probably try to get more than one or two things done each day from my long list of pre-baby tasks. Actually, we've made a lot of progress in the past few weeks, but even when I have a productive day, I lay in bed (when I wake up at about 5 a.m. every morning, like clockwork) thinking about all the things I still want to get done, about how if I went into labor the next day I'd be freaking out about x, y, and z still being on that list! I know it's unrealistic to think that I'll get to everything, especially considering much of what I'd like to do is not necessarily baby-related but in anticipation of several weeks, perhaps months, of baby-related craziness that will keep me from getting certain things done in time for the fall semester, for example.

Having officially finished the business of the spring semester last weekend, I'm essentially already on (unpaid) maternity leave for the summer. So in theory I have lots of time every day to get stuff done. But having a lot of unstructured time to work on a list of non-time-specific (well, other than that June 12th due date) tasks is tricky for me. On top of that, the fatigue of the first trimester has returned. It's not quite as consistently bad as it was those first few months, but there have been many days when, despite being in bed for 9-10 hours, I wanted to lay down for a nap by about 10:30 in the morning. Granted, those 9-10 hours are not exactly quality sleep. I tend to sleep pretty well until the first time I have to get up to use the bathroom, usually 2 to 3 hours after I go to bed. I'm so tired when I wake up the first time that I have no problem getting back to sleep (and the thought of feeding an infant in this sleepy state seems impossible), but the past few weeks I've spent the next 3 to 4 hours switching sides every half-hour or so due to some pretty intense hip pain. Keeping in mind, of course, that it takes me several minutes and a few low moans and grunts to flip from one side to the other; needless to say, I'm awake for most of these rotations. Something wakes me up around 5 every morning - I eventually notice Baby G squirming around, but I'm not sure if this is what wakes me up. It could be the birds chirping outside (why do they chirp so vigorously right before the sun rises?). At any rate, by the time I'm almost fully awake, I realize I have to go to the bathroom again, and I'm parched, and by the time I get back to bed, in a somewhat comfortable position, I'm wide awake, staring at the cracked paint in the ceiling that I'm just certain will fall right into an unsuspecting Baby G's mouth one day, post-partum. The other night the hip pain was so bad I decided to try the couch for a bit. It was like heaven (the cushions allowing me to sort of lean back without rolling over completely) for about an hour and a half until my bottom hip started hurting. Turns out getting up and flipping over on a couch is even more tedious than rolling over in bed with a uterus that feels like a sack of potatoes hanging on to my front by a couple of threads attached to my lower back. This must happen for a reason. I can't imagine having to feed a newborn on top of all this, but the sleep deprivation must be practice on some level, right?

I've also had very specific cravings lately, much more so than during the first trimester. Nothing too unusual (although I was thinking how tasty pickles seem to be lately), but very specific and sudden. A frosty and fries from Wendy's, for example, or Honey Smacks cereal. I haven't given in to either, but I have indulged in my sudden obsession with Quizno's a few times. I think it's because I miss sandwiches with cold cuts and since they toast their sandwiches (which the nutritionist told me was sufficient to kill any Listeria bacteria that might be lingering there) I feel pretty safe indulging in an oven-roasted turkey and cheddar or turkey swiss ranch sub.

What else is new? I can no longer wear my ring at all, not even first thing in the morning, when I'm usually least puffy. I'm wearing a "friendship ring" instead, which used to slide right off my ring finger. Most of my shoes still fit, although I do have one pair of black ballet flats that are awfully snug. Have my feet grown or are they just temporarily swollen? Time will tell, I guess.

Anyway, all that said, I'm not feeling too anxious to have this baby before he's due. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help but read the What To Expect message boards from time to time, especially now that some "June Mommies" are having their babies a bit early. I'm obsessed with birth stories and pictures of newborns. But so many women seem to post about how they're 37, 38 weeks along and making no progress as of their latest doctor appointments. Yeah, I'm getting to that point of feeling physically ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I can't see feeling too impatient until I'm overdue, or 39 to 40 weeks, at least. Maybe if I was still working full-time, as I'm sure many of these women are, I'd feel differently, anxious for my maternity leave to kick in. As it is, I'm not ready just yet. And on that note, back to that to-do list...