37 Weeks. Holy Smokes!

Here's one from last weekend, though the person taking the photo has a camera date that couldn't have been more wrong (unless it would have also said "B.C.E.").


Last night. So, does it look like I've dropped, to you?

This date means that this coming week, the baby will be considered "full term" (38 weeks.) Of course, there's some dithering about how they want to count the weeks: from last menstrual period (LMP)? (Terribly inexact, especially considering that I was tracking my ovulation and actually know what day conception occurred.) Days past ovulation (DPO)? Better, in my opinion, but both counting methods have their practical advantages and disadvantages.

For example, if you're not yet full-term, you can't use the birthing center and have to go over to labor and delivery instead (boo) where they do all kinds of intervention-y stuff whether or not you want it. I recently met a woman (birth instructor and chiropractor in common) who recently had her baby: she went into labor one (1!) day before full-term, so she had to go to labor and delivery anyway after all that planning.

On the other hand, they (meaning medical personnel) get skittish if the baby seems to be taking longer to ripen than the mean (or median or mode--not sure what measure of central tendency they use here) number of weeks/days, so if you go past a certain arbitrary deadline it's more and more likely you'll be induced. (Also boo.) Which is ludicrous and can be harmful unless there are specific things going wrong such as reduced amniotic fluid or weight loss in the baby. (Postdate versus postterm).

So, the upshot is that at this juncture, a few days counting one way or the other can make a huge difference simply because of standardized medical procedures. Now I don't know which date to insist on using, because I don't want to be considered "early" or "late"!

But here's my toss into the Limelet's birthday pool: hows about the 22nd, as that's 40 weeks and it's also the new moon (the conception was on the new moon)?

I have definitely been experiencing outer-toe numbness lately; also my feet feel tender and bruised on the outside edges. I assume this is because my feet are...which is it called--pronated or supinated? The outside edges of my shoes wear out first--there's just a lot more pressure on the edges due to my 50% weight gain (or whatever) and the bones are all squishy. And my sandals squish them mercilessly, when I can squeeze them on.

I had a somewhat low platelet count at last blood draw, so I recently had a new test. Results Wednesday. I feel very healthy and all that, and I'm really not worried about the outcome, except for what it could mean for my treatment. (If your count is too low, it can mean an increased chance of hemorrhage, obviously.)

The baby has been quite stretchy and pokey, especially the heels. I can separately feel the little head wiggling around, the fingers (down by my right hipbone), and the little bum sticks out like a giant bump when the baby's stretching. This is very impressive, when I can get TheLimey to look over before the stretching stops.

We now have an interactive game that we can both play with him/her. (I noticed this morning that I'm beginning to think of the baby as "he" again, but I'm not committing to anything until I see.) I can usually make the baby wake up and stretch or kick by pat-pat-patting on the feet or bum. Even Daddy can play this one. He loves seeing the actual little feet bumps kicking in direct response to his pats, though he's paranoid that the patting will somehow be harmful. Pfff. (I do it all the time, of course.)

Pat-pat-pat ... POIK...POIK-POIK! POIK!

Morse code from Beyond.