Well, here it is...

My Baby

The moment you push your baby out (or feel him being lifted from your belly) is one of intense relief and joy -- at least for you. Odds are your darling baby will be screaming his head off. And can you blame him? Your baby just got squeezed out of his dark, cozy home (through an extremely small opening, we might add) and into a world filled with dizzying sights and sounds. The first hour or so of a newborn's life is definitely action-packed. Strange hands pick him up, wipe him off, and suction his nose and mouth to help him gasp those first breaths of actual air. Your baby will have his heart rate, breathing, skin color, muscle tone, and reflexes checked and graded (0-2 points each). This sum will determine baby's Apgar score -- an initial measure of his health (most healthy babies have an Apgar between seven and nine). What else: Your baby will have his umbilical cord cut, receive antibiotic eyedrops, and get an injection of vitamin K, which helps with blood clotting. Then he'll be inspected from top to bottom by birth attendants to make sure he doesn't have a dislocated hip (which can happen during delivery), heart murmur, or urinary tract abnormality, for example. Most of the time, you can hold and even try to start breastfeeding the little guy right away.

When you do see your baby for the first time, it will be a pretty mind-blowing experience. As amazing as it is, don't be alarmed if your baby's not exactly, um, as good-looking as you imagined he would be. Those delivered vaginally tend to have temporarily misshapen heads and puffy eyes. And your baby will probably be coated with vernix, but most of it will be washed off during the first bath. It takes most newborns a few weeks to get that adorable, chubby-cheeked baby look down pat.

My Body

While your baby gets the once-over, you'll be busy delivering the placenta -- the 2-pound, bluish mass of blood vessels and tissues that has nourished and protected your infant over the past nine months. Although you may continue to feel contractions, most new moms are too blissed out -- "I did it! He's here, he's healthy, he's gorgeous!" -- to notice them. If you've had a cesarean, the baby will usually have been delivered in the first 10 minutes of the procedure. Then your doctor removes the placenta before sewing you back up. The entire thing usually takes a speedy 45 minutes to an hour.

My Life

Baby's not here yet? Sit tight. Only five percent of newborns arrive on their actual due dates, but about 90 percent are born within two weeks of it. Most babies will be perfectly safe and healthy hanging out in your womb until 42 weeks. After that, your doctor will likely want to consider inducing your labor by breaking your water or stripping your membranes, or with drugs (synthetic hormones, actually) that either bring on contractions or prepare your cervix. You may not envision induction as part of your D-day, but just remember that it doesn't really matter how your baby's delivered, just that he's born healthy. And look on the bright side: Inductions are pretty convenient -- you'll know exactly when to head to the hospital and get to avoid much of the "is this it?" anxiety many other preggos face. (Induction, by the way, is pretty common. According to one recent study, nearly 20 percent of labors are induced these days.)

And no matter when or how your baby arrives, words cannot express the swirl of emotions you'll feel when you see him for the first time. It's an exciting, life-rocking experience. The tiny person swaddled tightly in that pink-and-blue hospital blanket may seem like a stranger -- or oddly familiar, like someone you've always known. You may feel immediately comfortable with your new Mom role, or a bit anxious about how you'll adjust. No matter what's racing through your head, one thing is for sure: For a good long while, all you and your partner will be able to do is gaze at your baby in complete awe. After all, he's destined to become one of the great loves of your life.

My Thoughts
Well, here we are - week 40. I am 39 weeks pregnant today, and entering into what "should" be my last week of pregnancy. I had a check up yesterday, and the doctor told me that I am still barely dilated, but he checked because of some discharge I had on Monday. Then he basically left it at "Well, we'll see you next week if you don't go into labor before. Next weeks appointment will be pretty much the same, except we'll talk about what happens if you go past your due date." Needless to say, my heart pretty much sank, because I've been so convinced that this baby was coming early my entire pregnancy, that to have made it even to TODAY and still be pregnant is incredibly disappointing for me. Not to mention the fact that I'm always uncomfortable, with lots of back and hip pain. It's normal pain that I'm having, because it's just the weight of the baby pulling my back forward, and the hip thing is because the bones in my pelvis are shifting to allow for the baby to come out.

Unfortunately, along with the physical discomfort comes a lot of other, more "psychological" issues. Mentally, I am uncomfortable with the way my body looks and feels, and it doesn't feel like "my body" anymore. I feel incredibly unattractive, despite everyone telling me that pregnancy agrees with me, and it's hard to want to do anything when it's uncomfortable to walk long distances, and I only want to wear pajamas.

Don't get me wrong - being pregnant has been a really cool experience, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, but it's so hard when it's something you really have no control over, and you're just ready to be done. It's also because I'm dying to finally see this little person that has been growing inside me for the last 9 months! I'm dying to see John as a dad, because I know he'll be a great one, and I'm anxious for my little family to grow by one!

Okay, I'm going to go on and rant a lot if I keep going, so I better stop for now.