39.5 weeks and into uncharted territory

Warning: This entry is a bit of a whinge.

I'm now only 5 days out from the official due date of 19 October. This date is based on the ultrasound conducted at 5.5 weeks when I had bleeding issues. Apparently the earliest scan is the most likely to provide an accurate date since there is greater variation between fetuses at later scans. At the time the baby was only 2mm long from crown to rump...it's a lot bigger now!

I've now entered uncharted territory as Cassie was born 6 or 7 days early, so my first pregnancy didn't actually last this long. I was optimistic that I would go a little early this time too, but after some false-start tightenings on Saturday and again this morning that amounted to nothing, now I'm not so sure.

Actually, I'm feeling pretty crappy this week. I walked to Belconnen town centre last Friday when I was still feeling great and smugly thought to myself: "39 weeks pregnant - ha!". But since Saturday a more intense kind of back pain has kicked in and now I am having real mobility issues just getting around the house. Not to mention lifting 13 kg or so of Cassie in and out of the car seat...she can mostly do this herself but still needs a bit of help sometimes.

I'm not sure if the back pain is because of the size of the baby or because it is tending towards being posterior, which makes me want to bend forward all the time. My joints are also extremely loose and I have to be really careful with any kind of twisting motion or I feel like my hips are about to dislocate.

I also don't remember my tummy being this itchy last time! It is infuriating. A playgroup friend suggested taking a photo of my bare tummy but as it's covered in red scratch marks and horrible purple stretches it's a sight I'd rather not see (and certainly won't post on my blog). Bugger - maybe I won't be wearing my bikini this summer after all!! (Something tells me there'll be other priorities to worry about anyway...)

Anyway, I guess I'd better sit tight and be patient. I hope the baby swings around into a better position before the labour starts for real. I got Geoff to read up on accupressure points to ease posterior labour pain just in case it doesn't move:

http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Acupressure/problems.aspx.

There are some videos linked to this website that are also really helpful. Apparently some of these points are also good for inducing labour if you are overdue. Obviously, I feel a little cautious about random advice picked up over the internet this way, so I hope I am coherent enough to ask the midwife about this next time I see her (particularly if I go into labour before the next appointment on Monday!).