36 weeks

So we are down to less than a month left! We are very excited and very ready. Honestly, if we weren't in the financial situation that we are in, I probably wouldn't be going back to work. I'm already worn out at the end of the day and the students aren't even there yet! After school today Dan and I went grocery shopping and we got home and my feet were sore (but I can't really see them). I sat down and looked at my feet and they were a bit swollen. I guess I'll have to stay off my feet a bit more. Below is a pic of my swollen feet. They may not look too bad to some, but I have REALLY narrow and skinny feet and ankles, you can notice it the most in the ankles.


We had a doctor's appointment on Monday. They did an ultrasound and saw that Landon is no longer breech, but head down. This is good news, however I'm still worried about whether my body can handle a regular birth with my hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hypotonia (low muscle tone). The doctor said that if I get to 39 weeks and I want a c-section he is more than willing. So we are in the process of deciding. I thinking about telling him that if Landon hasn't come on his own by September 8th then we will do a c-section on September 8th. I figure that if he comes by then I might be good weight and size-wise to have him the regualar way. However, if I have to wait until 40 weeks or more than I'm worried his size plus my medical conditions will make it tough.
They also estimated his weight at about 6 lbs and 3 oz at the 36 week mark. They say that just a little under 6 lbs is normal for that time, so he isn't that far off. However, they measured his femur again (they won't estimate height, but it gives them a slight idea of how long he'll be). They measured it twice and took an average and said that it was measuring at about 38 1/2 weeks and he's only 36 weeks... so it sounds like we are looking at long and skinny :)
I've been back at work this week for preplanning. Next week the students come back and I'll be with them for 2 weeks. My last day is going to be September 3rd and I'll be taking 12 weeks under FMLA. However, if Dan gets laid off that time, I may be going back to work after only 6-8 weeks due to financial strain (no paid maternity leave here).
Below are my 36 week belly pictures (I definitely have a serious waddle going on now!):

Here is what is going on with Landon and I this week:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position.

Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable, and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a bowling ball between their legs! You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each, coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding, fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or vision changes. Even if you're enjoying an uncomplicated pregnancy, it's best to avoid flying (or any travel far from home) during your final month because you can go into labor at any time. In fact, some airlines won't let women on board who are due to deliver within 30 days of the flight.