Thirty-Eight Weeks

Weeks along: 38
Weight: 216
Waist: 43.5
Progress: 1 cm+ dilated, effaced a little bit
Symptoms: Prilosec has mercifully taken care of the heartburn. I do, however, still have swollen hands (just a little) and feet (enormously swollen). My joints are becoming more and more loose. That makes my knees sore in the morning and evening.

I feel like I'm in a constant state of contraction, but not the kind that hurt. I think I've only had one of those. If I am the luckiest woman to have ever walked the earth I can hope that all my contractions will feel that way. When I think that the contractions are (hopefully) doing something useful, I don't mind them so much.

Basically I'm ready to be done being pregnant. My first two trimesters passed like a dream, with hardly any symptoms or inconvenience. I have since learned that all bets are off in the third trimester. The weird part for me is trying to think of how it will be after I'm not pregnant anymore. Will I really go back to normal? Will I really be able to walk without waddling or roll over in bed without grunting with the effort? Will I really be able to fit back into my shoes? I can't wait until I can sit like a normal person again. Especially if that means my tailbone won't kill when I stand up.