38

Thirty eight weeks. I've never been this pregnant before. People keep asking me if it's killing me and to be honest: no, it's not. I'm glad baby is cooking for as long as she needs. The only thing that feels different is that I've never played the waiting game before. Leah came before we started anticipating so we never got to wonder each day if "today's the day." And it's kind of fun.

That and the fact that I am now growing exponentially. At my 38 week check-up today, the midwife looked at my feet and said, "So it looks like your feet and ankles are starting to swell." This surprised me, so I looked down and had to reply, "Nope, that's just what my cankles look like all the time." She seemed embarrassed, but, after 30 years, I've learned to embrace the cankles. 

Also, at my appointment, the following conversation took place:

Midwife: "Looks like I feel a foot there."

Maren: "You mean a hand?"

Midwife: "No. I think it's a foot. And here's the head up here."

Maren: "You mean her bum. Not her head."

Midwife: "No. I think it's her head."

Maren: (spoken in desperation) "Please tell me she did not flip breech at 38 weeks."

Midwife: "She was head down last week?"

Maren: "Yes."

Midwife: "Well, let's double check with the ultrasound machine. ... Okay, I don't see a head down here, but she could be really far down." (Moves the magic wand up my stomach.) "Nope. There's the head."

Maren: Groan. 

I kept it together for a good 20 minutes and then lost it at the very end of the appointment. And then I sat in my car in the parking tower for a good 40 minutes as I used up every last tissue in the tissue box. TWO breech babies? And a complete 180 at 38 weeks!? That is my luck. We're hoping this one turns again this week (I'll know on Friday and I've done enough handstands that it's possible).

If she does, I will not leave that hospital until they induce me. Don't mess. If she doesn't, I'm scheduled for a c-section next Wednesday and our relationship might have a rocky beginning. 

In lighter news, a friend of mine who also had a c-section due to a breech baby brought me a pineapple upsidedown cake on Sunday because my baby is upside down (well, actually, i understand that she's downside down, but she's upsidedown of what she should be...). So I'm renaming it the pineapple breech cake. It made me smile. And it tasted good. (Just ask Ryan. He ate 90% of it.)