This morning I had my weekly OB visit and whined to the doctor how miserable I have been feeling lately. While sympathetic, the only advice she could offer was nothing I hadn't heard/read before (move around as much as possible, take Tylenol or a hot bath for the pain, "It could be any day now!"). She gave me a cervical check to see if I am progressing at all, and I was sorely disappointed to learn that I am only 1cm dilated and 40% effaced. "That's it?!?" I wanted to yell. "Then why does it feel like this baby is between my knees???" The doctor then proceeded to strip my membranes in hopes of speeding up the process some. If you do not...

I am now 39 weeks pregnant and pretty miserable. Posts will continue to stay light as I continue to battle end-of-pregnancy symptoms (which include carpal tunnel so my time at the computer is limited). I hear that the west coast is having a heat wave (one friend wrote on Facebook that it's 112 degrees right now in LA) but we are cool and WET here in the northeast. It is supposed to rain for the majority of the week and while the dreary weather has dampened my spirits somewhat, I cannot help but be reminded that whenever something significant happens in my life, it is almost always accompanied by bad weather. Moving days? Rain. Trips? Thunderstorms. Even my own birth was marked...

I may just lose it. This week has been especially difficult on the pregnancy front. The baby has definitely dropped, which means that I can breathe easier (literally, since she's no longer pressing up against my lungs) but my hips feel like they're going to split apart with each step that I take. The "kicked repeatedly in the crotch" stabbing pain is now persistent. My feet and hands are now constantly swollen. Carpal tunnel is making it difficult to type. (And I haven't been able to play the piano in weeks due to my carpal tunnel. ) They say that in the last weeks of pregnancy, the baby's movements will slow down due to the decreased space available in the uterus. My baby...

I never intended on writing out a birth plan. I know some women go all-out and prepare pages-long documents full of their wishes, desires, and "what-if" scenarios regarding the birth of their children (one doctor friend even told me about a birth plan that filled an entire binder, complete with a table of contents), but I know that ANYTHING can happen during birth. And by my meticulously writing out a birth plan — keeping my type-A personality in mind — I will most likely become upset if everything doesn't go as I intended. As such, I have been reading and researching and have a very loose, general idea of what I would PREFER, but I do not have anything set...

I think this is the first time in MONTHS that I've actually posted a weekly pregnancy update on time. Aren't you proud of me? I may have cursed myself when I wrote about my belly remaining small. Because as soon as I compared this week's picture to last week's, and noticed how much larger I look, I whipped our the measuring tape and found my stomach a full 1" wider. Maybe it's because I had an extra-large brunch today? I'm not sure — all I know is that my belly has seemed to have gained a full inch in just a week. (Yes, I know I am wearing a Baltimore Ravens jersey in this picture and I am well aware that...

Four days ago, I hit 37 weeks and reached a new milestone: I am now considered full-term! Aside from the episode of false labor yesterday, the baby seems content on staying inside my belly for the time being. I am still experiencing contractions, but they remain irregular and completely manageable. I feel as huge as ever, but whenever I tell people how far along I am they're almost always shocked. "You look like you're only 6 or 7 months along!" they exclaim. I think that the fact that I am a first-time mom has to do a lot with my belly (seemingly) looking relatively small. I've read that women are more likely to "pop" a lot sooner and their bellies more likely...