Thirty-Six Weeks and Counting

The final countdown has begun. I have reached 36 weeks and am beginning my 9^th and final month of pregnancy. Although I am excited and can hardly wait for our new baby boy to make his appearance, I am also in disbelieve that in just another week, he will be considered full-term and could arrive at any time. What a thrill that is and at the same time ... a little scary.

As a first-time mom, I truly have no idea what to expect. I have read all the books, which provide lots of information and include several horror stories, I started the birthing classes a couple of weeks ago, and for the most part I feel ready, but still really have no idea what I have gotten myself into. The closer my due date gets, the higher my anxiety level gets.

Will I really be able to do this? As of right now, my plan is to go completely natural, no pain medication. I think this is the best decision for me, not only because of the simplicity of it for the baby, but also because of my tendency to panic in hospital situations. I do much better in situations that I am in control of, where I feel what I'm supposed to be feeling. To me, having an epidural and allowing the bottom half of my body to go numb is not normal, the pains of labor are normal, I am supposed to feel those. Hundreds of thousands of women over the years have given birth naturally. Our bodies are built for it, so I too am going to bite the bullet and go for it. We'll see how it goes.

The good news is that overwhelming the anxiety of giving birth is the excitement that we soon will have a little baby boy named Marshall to take care of, be responsible for, and to love! I can hardly wait. I know that the birth process will quickly be forgotten when I get to see my little guys face for the first time.    

So here we go ... the final countdown is on:

36 weeks - 4 weeks left till due date

Current ailments: swollen ankles, moving slower and slower, uncomfortableness rising, and a very itchy rash on my belly, legs and arms.