Pregnancy and Motherhood at 36 weeks

It’s been a while since I announced this surprise pregnancy. How about a little update on Baby Fence #6?

This week, the due date tracker on my phone alerted me that I have officially reached 36 weeks, leaving a mere 4 weeks until my “due date”. You know, that is only 28 days. In 5 pregnancies, I never made it that long. Due date, psh. Everyone knows babies come when they like, so this time, I only say I am due at the end of September. It may be less specific, but it feels more accurate. Not only that, the less I speak a specific date aloud, the less I care about that date looming on the calendar. Instead, I am focusing on being healthy and preparing for a calm, peaceful birth.

Said as my abdomen squeezes with a gentle, yet noticeable, Braxton-Hicks contraction. Er, “pressure wave”, as the hypnobirthing affirmations suggest. The hypnobirthing is great so far. The music and affirmations often put my toddler to sleep. I’ve had some great naps, er, deep relaxation hypnosis while listening as well. I tell myself be at peace, to relax, to embrace each new pressure wave with joy because I will then be that much closer to holding my baby…it is fabulous now. I will tell you how well I manage after this boy is born!

At 36 weeks, I waddle when I am tired.

The roundness of my belly, home to a roughly 6-pound baby boy (so say the averages for this week), cannot be hidden.

Daily, questions abound from curious strangers about when this kid will arrive.
Some people ask how many children we have…and most of them think I am crazy when I answer “6”. Crazy happens.

My kids find it both amusing and horrifying to watch the baby move in his cramped quarters.

Getting off the couch requires intentional effort, sometimes with a helpful pull or push from my husband.
Rolling over? Please. Try attaching the heaviest bowling ball to your abdomen and then attempt to roll over. Fun game.

Heartburn haunts my dreams and sleep, no matter what I eat, nor when.

My emotions erupt all over the place lately. So many hormones. So much exhaustion. So many messy emotions.
I have about 6 or 8 pieces of clothing which fit right now. Soon, I will make the school pick-ups and OB appointments in Fence’s t-shirts and the maternity yoga pants that mercifully keep stretching.

Nesting? Forget it. I am too tired to nest. If I wasn’t conscious about our health or the food we’d waste, it would be take-out or delivery most of the week. Time to tap into the freezer meals my mom helped me prepare.

Names? Hahahahahahaha. I laugh when asked if we have a name. Nope. Not even close. Fence and I created a list last weekend with names that sound acceptable to us, but not a single one seems like a good fit. Baby Boy Fence might not have a name until after his birth. The kids have ideas, like “Anakin”, but that is definitely *not* on the list. They also have strong opinions against some of my faves.

His quilt? Needs to be quilted.

Carseat? Needs to be purchased.

We do have a stash of diapers, thanks to a deal at Target not long ago. Also, thanks to having 3 boys already, I have a fairly decent start to newborn clothes. And yet, decent might not be enough. Who knows how big he will be! Or what the weather will be like later this month and in the beginning of October.

36 weeks. My time of waiting, time of preparation, time of anticipation. It is exciting, and calm. I anxiously await this child’s birth, but I am also content to spend the days as normal. About 4 weeks to go. 4 weeks to pick a name!