9 weeks until I stop working

11th October 2010

Still 9 weeks at work. That doesn’t sound long.

But just read this one: Still 14 ½ weeks until the baby is due.

Or what about this: In 11 ½ weeks my baby would be classed term and
could be born (week 37)

Do I start to get nervous? No, it’s okay actually. I am just starting
to get really excited. 40 weeks of pregnancy sounds like such a long
time. I guess I should have been aware of how quickly it all passes.

• The first 2 weeks were IVF treatment
• The next 2 weeks desperate waiting

Those 4 weeks felt really long.

• Then 8 weeks of living from day-to-day, check-up to check-up and
hoping that the baby will stick.

That was an incredibly long time.

Suddenly you are in the 2nd trimester which is marked by

• Waiting for the 12 week scan (which might take place later than week
12) and any tests you might have (e.g. Downs syndrome)
• Telling family, friends and colleagues
• Waiting for your mid-pregnancy scan around week 20
• Waiting for week 25 when the baby is legally viable and could
survive outside of your womb if it would be born early

Now I have to

• Wait just under 3 more weeks until I am in my third trimester (week 28)
• Then wait 6 weeks until I finish work
• Then wait 3 weeks until I am term
• Then wait 3 weeks until my due date.
• Then wait a maximum of 1 weeks until I would be induced if Little
One does not come voluntarily

And that’s it. Then I am a Mummy and hopefully my little princess is well.

Pregnancy is broken down in so many milestones that it feels as if
time is flying by. Especially when you think how massive an impact it
will have on your life. Everything will change. And there is so much
to sort out in between, such as buying all the baby things (and
figuring out what you need) or decorating the nursery or deciding on a
name or reading about what happens during pregnancy or once the baby
is born and what you need to do.

I shouldn’t be surprised how quickly the 40 weeks felt. After trying
something stupid like 104 weeks to get pregnant in the first place, 40
weeks will always fly by.

Every morning I now wake up touching my belly and smiling. And shortly
after my princess wakes up and starts twisting and kicking, which
makes me smile even more. Of course I worry.

E.g.

• I am sure she is meant to react to sound now but I don’t think she is OR
• I still can’t really work the fetal Doppler to pick up her heartbeat
on a regular basis and from week 25 it theoretically is possible for
the partner to hear the heartbeat by pressing and ear to the belly and
my husband didn’t succeed (saying so, he is even more useless than me
in locating it. He started listening just below the breast and went
down in big steps to my pubic bone…) OR
• What if she isn’t well OR
• I think she still hasn’t turned head down and we are soon running
out of time and I’d really prefer a natural birth to a caesarean OR
• What if I don’t know what to do with her and how to look after her
once she is born OR
• What if I can’t breastfeed her OR
• …

Well, you get the picture. But I guess every mom-to-be has similar
fears and emotions. And above all I am excited that I won’t have to
wait too much longer for her arrival.

I always expected that my husband would find pregnancy strange and
difficult to get involved. He is not really a baby person. Yet! J But
somehow I am sure that our little princess will wrap him around his
little finger the moment she is born and at the latest when she starts
crawling about he won’t be able to take his eyes of her.

But because I know that he is a little scared of the changes and of
‘being a father’ I tried my best to involve him in this pregnancy. I
occasionally motivate him to feel the baby kicking (first time I had
to physically hold his hand down as he felt so awkward!) and to listen
to the heartbeat and talk to the baby. He was quite hesitant in the
beginning and still only touches the belly when I suggest it (I don’t
have to ask twice, though). But when I lie in bed and move the blanket
down so my stretch mark cream can dry he is quite fascinated by
watching my belly popping up left right and centre! And when in the
beginning he laughed when I talked to my little princess and felt very
awkward when I asked him to say hello to her, we had several
conversations with her over the dinner table when I said something to
her and he continued the conversation with the little one (of course
she doesn’t answer yet!)

I am really impressed at how well he is adjusting. On days like this I
know why I love him. So much.

Not long now and we are three.