Well, friends — I wasn’t sure I’d get the chance to write this update, but here we are and I’m still pregnant! I’ll be 40 weeks tomorrow (Thanksgiving Day), so while I’m not technically quite 40 weeks yet, I’m close enough. As you’ve probably heard, we have a C-section scheduled for Friday because the baby is still breech, though she could always decide to arrive earlier. Time will tell. If you want faster updates, follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
If you missed earlier updates, here are the posts that tracked this pregnancy from the start:
- Sharing our big news
- 1st trimester recap / Q&A
- Boy or girl?!
- 16 Week Pregnancy Update (all the emotions, all the carbs)
- 18 Week Pregnancy Update (all the sandwiches, not feeling the snoogle)
- 20 Week Pregnancy Update (in the sweet spot + starting to feel movement flutters!)
- 22 Week Pregnancy Update (still in the sweet spot!)
- 24 Week Pregnancy Update (emotional roller coaster)
- 26 Week Pregnancy Update (officially looking pregnant, dealing with hip/lower back pain)
- 28 Week Pregnancy Update (realizing my old bras were now way too small)
- Our Baby Shower!
- 30 Week Pregnancy Update (nausea is back a bit)
- 32 Week Pregnancy Update (emotional hot mess)
- Pregnancy, Body Image, and Intuitive Eating
- My Maternity Leave Plan
- 34 Week Pregnancy Update (still an emotional hot mess)
- 36 Week Pregnancy Update (sharing my favorite pregnancy-friendly workout tights + tanks!)
- 38 Week Pregnancy Update (bags are packed!)
40 Week Pregnancy Update
Baby size: Around 7 to 7.5 pounds — about the size of a small watermelon. I love that this is the last food-size comparison because watermelon has been my top pregnancy craving.
Symptoms: Physically I’m doing pretty well for being 40 weeks. Bending over and tying shoes is awkward, and digestion is still a little off, but overall I feel decent. The biggest challenge is my bladder — it feels extremely compressed. If I have more than a tablespoon of urine in there, I feel like I’m about to burst and urgently need to go. Charming!
Currently missing: Going longer than 30 minutes without needing to pee.
Sleep: I’m prioritizing rest. I wake up often to change positions and use the restroom, and sometimes I lie awake for a bit, but I’m spending 9 to 10 hours in bed each night, which feels good even if I’m not asleep the whole time.
Cravings, favorite foods, and aversions: Food has been hit or miss, especially at dinner. When I want veggies I go for them, and salads sometimes sound great as an appetizer, but mostly I’m craving comfort foods: grilled cheese, pizza, burgers, fries, chips, pasta, tacos, etc. Lately I’ve been especially into Mexican food — last night we had a delicious dinner at Guajillo in Arlington: carne asada with refried beans and rice, plus the obligatory chips, guacamole, and queso.
Eggs remain a favorite — I’ve been all about brunch lately. Yesterday I had a fun breakfast date with college friends at the Four Seasons in Georgetown for Sarah’s birthday. We shared a truffled veggie frittata and chocolate croissants — so good.
Exercise: Two weeks ago I thought I was done with boot camp classes, but this week I decided to take one more class with the girls. I modified every move for low impact and enjoyed the social time — and no, my water did not break during class. Phew. Lately I’ve also been walking a lot, swimming occasionally, and taking prenatal yoga. I’m grateful for cool weather — being heavily pregnant in summer would have been rough.
Pre-contractions / labor sensations: Still nothing to report. I know some people go into labor with no early signs, so this doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
Mood: All the feelings: excited, nervous, happy, weepy, impatient, ready and not ready all at once. I read some birth stories recently and it made me a bit sad that I won’t experience a vaginal birth, but I’m reminding myself to go with the flow and focus on what really matters: a healthy baby and a safe delivery. A C-section wasn’t our plan, but life rarely follows a script. If you have empowering or positive C-section birth stories to share, I’d love to read them.
It’s hard to believe this pregnancy journey, which began back in February, is wrapping up and a new chapter is about to start. We feel incredibly grateful and excited to become parents and can’t wait to meet our little one.
Thank you for reading and sharing in this special time with us. I might pop in on Friday morning with some Thanksgiving photos before we head to the hospital, but if not I’ll share when the baby arrives. I’ll likely take about a week off the blog after she comes, but I’ll post a quick update to let you know she’s here. Instagram will probably be the first place I announce her arrival.
See you on the other side — and a very Happy Thanksgiving to my American readers!