Just over a week—that’s about how much time we have before our baby girl is here, changing our duo into a party of three. I’m sure some of you are saying, “you’re a first-time mom. How can you be so sure she’s going to be here in that time frame? Most first-time moms are late.” You’re not wrong, but at our last appointment our doctor suggested we consider inducing on baby girl’s due date (July 4th) if she hasn’t made her appearance by then.
Now I know inducing isn’t for everyone and I know many people even feel strongly against it, but with a healthy pregnancy and baby who has consistently measured ahead since our 12-week scan, our doctor recommended thinking about it. His opinion is that after 40 weeks, the risk of complications only goes up.
We’ve done a lot of reading about induction and weighed the pros and cons, including the fact that we’re slated to move again within two months of baby girl’s birth. That’s about eight weeks to recover, get her birth certificate and other paperwork and start her immunizations—if she comes by the 4th. Push her delivery back a week and we’re really going to be scrambling.
We make our final decision at our next appointment on Wednesday. Until then, I’m trying to encourage baby girl to get ready to exit on her own by walking at least 10,000 steps a day and eating six dates each morning. Will it help? Who knows, but I love the exercise and taste of dates, so it’s worth it.
Quick sidebar: we did a maternity photo shoot in Toulouse at 33 weeks pregnant with Kristin Palmer from Kristin Palmer Photography. If you’re in the area and looking for a maternity or newborn photographer, be sure to check her out. Here are the images we liked best.
For this week’s update, I decided to take a cue from some of the other pregnancy blogs I’ve been reading and do Q&A. So here it is:
How far along? 38 weeks, 5 Days
How big is baby? At our last appointment (37 weeks) she was measuring about 7 pounds, 6 ounces. According to my Ovia app, she’s about the size of half a baking sheet of meringues.
Gender? Sweet little girl
Weight gain? 10 kilos (or 22 pounds) as of my last appointment (which was steady with the appointment before that).
Belly button in or out? Somewhere in between. It’s kind of flat—neither in nor out.
Sleep? It happens. I’ve kind of gotten used to lots of tossing and turning and getting up multiple times each night to use the bathroom, so I’m feeling fairly rested all things considered.
Workouts? Walking everywhere. I’ve been on a mission to get at least 10,000 steps a day for the last few weeks of pregnancy. I’ve heard it can help bring on natural labor and, if not, at least I’m staying healthy!
Baby movement? Constant. My belly looks like I’m harboring an alien fugitive who just can’t get comfortable.
Food cravings? Not really. I’ve loved fruit (I mean ALL THE FRUIT) this entire pregnancy, but I can’t say I’ve had any consistent cravings. I did discover my favorite crepe since we moved to France at lunch with a friend this week; it was a plain crepe filled with peaches and fromage blanc (which is somewhere between a yogurt and sour cream). Yum!
Anything making you queasy or sick? I’m not the biggest fan of meat these days, especially chicken or turkey breast. It doesn’t make me nauseous like it did first trimester, but I’m much happier with a plate of veggies, some fruit or a chocolate cupcake.
Labor signs? A sore pelvis and increasingly strong Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing worth running to the hospital over. In general, I feel great.
Wedding rings on or off? On for now, but summer has officially hit Toulouse, so we’ll see how it goes with the predicted 90-degree days later this week.
Miss anything? Getting out of bed without needing a forklift (or at least boost from my husband). A glass of chilled white wine on the patio. Running.
Emotions? Overall I’ve been in a good mood, though little things can annoy or set me off. Like being pushed and run into at the fruit and veg market. That drives me crazy on a good day, but at 38 weeks pregnant I’m ready to throw elbows. Stay away from my bump, people!
Best moment(s) this week? Having lunch with a friend who is due about four weeks after me and getting in as much “Matt and me” time as possible while we still can.
Looking forward to? Holding and seeing Matt’s and my baby girl, of course! Aside from that, we have a beautiful bottle of champagne from a small winery we visited in Champagne last summer chilling in the fridge until we bring our baby girl home. I’m pretty stoked about that.
Eat, Drink, Move (Repeat) 
You are healthy pretty girl!! Can wait to say welcome to your little princess!🌹🌹❤️❤️❤️😍😍😍👩❤️👩🙌🙏
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