The home stretch

At 36 weeks, I think it’s safe to say that I’m in the home stretch of pregnancy.

Besides the obvious four-week countdown, I have discovered that there are a few other ways to know when Baby is prepping for his arrival. Here are my top 10.

1. Your OB appointments are now once a week. (And, you look forward to them!)

2. During said appointments, your doctor feels the baby’s head while checking down below. When my midwife first told me she could feel the baby’s head during my appointment last week, I imagined her actually poking his skull. Considering she couldn’t have been more than a few inches into my birth canal, I was freaked out to say the least. Just as I was about to tell Tom to find a new form of entertainment, she quickly assured me that wouldn’t be necessary. Turns out, she was just feeling the PRESSURE from the baby’s head, not the ACTUAL baby’s head. Phew. (I’m not sure who was more relieved, me or Tom.)

3. Lightening pains. Until last week, I thought lightening was only something that happened in the clouds. I now know it happens in your uterus, too, when the baby begins to drop lower into the pelvis. Sadly, the feeling is appropriately named.

4. When people ask you if you’re excited, you can say “yes”—and mean it. For the last few months, folks have been asking me, “Are you excited?!” Of course, I said yes. I mean, no one wants to look like an ogre of a mother-to-be. But, really, I didn’t feel that excited yet. Jacob’s arrival still seemed like some distant reality, but now the reality has hit. And, YES, I’m excited!

5. The “style” criteria is a moot point in your daily wardrobe choice. The cleanliness factor is getting a little hazy, too. Hey, you are down to a single pair of capris and shorts that actually fit and who wants to do laundry every day?

6. It’s been weeks since you could paint your toenails, of course, but now shaving your calves is a lost cause, too. (Incidentally, you realize that your leg hair actually curls when it reaches a certain length. It’s not a realization you ever wanted. Your husband wanted it even less than you did.)

7. You check your belly for new stretch marks on an hourly basis, wishing they came in a color other than purple.

8. You decide that flip flops go with everything since they are the only shoes that still fit. Flip flops with an evening dress? Why not?

9. You remove your wedding ring because you’re afraid you might have to cut it off otherwise. (Note to married women: To avoid confusion, warn your husband before you try this at home!)

10. You pee more frequently than you breathe.