39 weeks and ready

The Final Stretch

Few people that have not had the joy of experiencing pregnancy and childbirth realize that the process to bake the bun in the oven actually takes 10 months to complete. That's right - 40 weeks from conception to due date. I have had the pleasure of observing many family members and friends go through pregnancy and going through this experience myself, I've learned that the 10 month sojourn is as unique as the little person that rests in utero.

All in, it's not been bad. I experienced the requisite morning sickness and fatigue in the first trimester. I chewed on ginger candy, I ate what I could when I could, I slept almost like a narcoleptic at random times and I wondered how something the size of a peanut could debilitate me so completely. Then around week 17 the haze of nausea lifted and my energy started returning. By no means can I look back and think I was anywhere as hard core as others going through the same period of pregnancy- who ran half marathons in those first delightful weeks (yes, it did make me feel ever so slightly inadequate). But, hey, I made it.

Haden & I aboard John Wayne's yacht, the Wild Goose, in Newport Beach. I was well into my 1st trimester.

Then the second trimester started and I was feeling good - almost back to normal. Normal except my body wasn't my own any longer. My burgeoning baby bump wasn't enough to make me look pregnant, only like a chubby girl who'd let herself go. Wade was incredibly supportive, despite my incessant complaints about the spread of my hips and the invasion of the body snatcher - as I so affectionately referred to the baby within. Then one day, the belly popped and I DID look pregnant. Which was great - I could focus lovingly on the little girl that would be a welcome addition to the Newhouse family. Wade and I decided on a name, Hannah Jane and we started making plans.

2nd Trimester hiking in a Redwood Forest along the Pacific Coast Highway - belly having just popped

Frankly, the third trimester started almost as a continuation of the second. I felt great. We vacationed (and maybe I overdid it with the whole sea kayaking thing in La Jolla - but it was fun nevertheless - and I didn't bust after the ride in on the waves and beached safely). Rebecca & Maria threw a great shower for us - replete with bobbing for pacifiers, baby bottle knee pass and who can eat the unidentified baby food.

3rd Trimester - Haden & I in La Jolla after sea kayaking

Aches and pains had been mounting throughout that last stretch. Some no one prepares you for as your body stretches itself in anticipation of delivery. Some just weight oriented - like sore feet and ankles. Some just plain annoying - like adjusting positions in bed at night resulting in a hip cramp or the perpetual need to go to the bathroom or lower back pain due to lack of abdominal muscle control and the growing weight in the belly.

So here I am. 39 weeks pregnant. Due date is September 20 (or the 21 if you look at my doctor's chart). There is a pool at work as to when this kid will show herself. The full moon is Monday, September 15 - so one bet is on today (there are no tell-tale signs that will happen, so Adam is going to lose); another is on the 18th, another on the 20th and yet another on the 22nd. My sister Maria is keeping her fingers crossed for the 26th - which is her birthday. She doesn't realize that if that happens, my ability to bake her the traditional birthday cake will be wiped out.

Haden is a literalist - so she is banking on the 20th. Period. Should Hannah not come on the scheduled due date, we will have to explain to her again that no matter how technologically advanced we become, predicting due dates is still more art than science. Wade is just laid back and is rolling with it. He has no predictions or expectations - just support. Now isn't that the absolute best? He has the directions to the hospital - knows to call Maria (and has all of the numbers to reach her) once I go into labor and is maintaining a stress less outlook. What a good husband.

Me? My hope is that it is soon. Although, the voices of my sister Michele, my mom and my stepmother, Linda all ring in my head - "don't rush it - you will miss the silence when it's gone." So, I've adopted a resigned acquiescence that there is yet another thing I cannot control (and for those of you who know me even a little bit - you know that this is a difficult thing for me). She'll be here when she's darn well good and ready. Already sounds like the kid my mom promised me - one just like me. Yikes.

Sunday, September 14 - Week 39

So I head into what should be my final week of pregnancy somewhat dubious. I'll head back to the doctor on Tuesday for them to update me on my progress - effacement and dilation - and presumably a game plan should I go past the due date. In the meantime, I'll waddle about on sore and slightly swollen feet and ankles, continue to work (I in fact have two networking events to attend on the 17th and 18th), clean the house, make dinner and perform all the other normal tasks associated with life until it is time to head out to the hospital.