Weeks Pregnant = 39

39 weeks pregnant! How did that happen so quickly??? I remember when I was just pregnant and I thought, boy do I have a long way to go. The time has come where I no longer need to know how big I'm going to get (pretty big, a total of 30 lbs), what my cravings are going to be (officially - ice cream, oranges, ice, and potatoes - in any form), whether swimming or walking will be my preference (swimming), if I'm going to be able to read all the pregnancy books in time (yes), whether or not we'll have a doula (we are), whether or not we'll circumcise (we will), whether or not my boobs will be huge (they aren't!). All this wonderment...is no longer there - or should I say, is different now.

I keep thinking to myself that the way I'm feeling right now, in this last stretch of pregnancy, is what I feel when I'm tapering for a marathon. For those who haven't run a marathon or any sort of race, I apologize, but I can't think of what else to compare it to. I will go on to say though that if you haven't run a marathon, it doesn't matter, it's what women are encouraged to do anyway to prepare for a healthy labor and delivery.

In these last 3 weeks, I've focused on how much carbs/proteins I've eaten and will eat, how much fluids I'm taking in, how much sleep and rest I've added to my days - I've been thinking about what I'm going to wear on the day I deliver (if I labor in clothes or hospital gown or nothing at all), and what I'll eat on that day as well. It's funny because my mom and grandmother are coming on Thursday and we've had to come up with a game plan on where they should go the day I go into labor - just like I would on Marathon day - like where they should be standing so they can see me run by! I think this is great, and it's really helping me stay focused and relaxed. Like, I've done this before, you know.

I like to compare the two, running a marathon and delivering a baby (SORRY for those moms who can say there is NO COMPARISON, but humor me here...) because when you prepare for a marathon, you invest so much time training and you prepare for 1 day. You have no idea what that day will look like, but you have some knowledge, some vision. And, that day could be an awesome day or it can be a really bad day. You won't know until you're going through it. This is how I'm feeling about delivering the baby. We've prepared, we've read, we've anticipated this day for a while now, and now all we can do is wait until the actual day comes and hope for the very best.

I'm working now and will until I deliver, and that has also kept me a bit distracted. It can be stressful at times, but I'm OK with it - it keeps me busy and it's fun to see my clients' reactions when I tell them I only have days left until the due-date. This whole experience has also made such a difference in the work that I do. I think my clients see me in a different light now that we can relate to each other even more. It's been so valuable for me to go through this and now be able to say to my clients, I really know what you're talking about. And, I love it when my pregnant clients say, "It's about time you're having a baby!" Some think I'm too old to be having my 1st...