Almost at the finishing line

Anne Wambua is on the last leg of her pregnant journey. She continues with her story, as she awaits the birth of her child with near bated breath. Though she will miss her pregnancy she cannot wait to see how her baby looks.

I am tired. Truly. It is 4pm and all I long for is for the day to end, so I can go home and sleep. Last night I tossed and turned till the wee hours of the morning. I could barely sleep, yet I was tired, my mind and body fatigued. I had just watched a movie, retiring to bed close to midnight. And last Saturday I slept late too, having spent some time at a friends’ bridal shower. But despite my fatigue I found myself up at 3am. I had to shower and read, to sooth myself to get back to sleep. I woke up as though with a hangover, and had to miss my Sunday mass.

I have a new walking style. I wobble: it is my signature walk. I hate it. yet I cannot help it. There are those days that I feel fat and ugly. And then there are those that I wake up feeling beautiful and radiant. I have become hard to predict. My husband tells me that I have become extremely sensitive. This I cannot deny or admit. He could be right though.

My EDD is almost here—I am 34 weeks pregnant! How glad I am. Yet I think that I will miss my pregnancy, and this thought makes me want to prolong it longer. But not when I remember the uncomfortable moments that accompany pregnancy. Just today morning I found myself throwing up. for the first time ever. I was brushing my teeth and somehow my body’s system could not take it. And so the bile came out.

I love my hair. It has become real long and strong. I hope it will not break when I start breastfeeding. But I think that my feet have increased in size. There are some shoes that no longer fit. I have resorted to wearing one pair that is really comfortable. I long tossed the idea of being smart aside. I tell myself that I would rather be comfortable than smart and under duress.

I look forward to any free time I have, when I can put my feet up and watch lots of movies. But most of all I will sleep, sleep and sleep some more. Sleep has become my favourite pass time. Sometimes I would rather do so than eat. Interesting. I know.

I am becoming increasingly heavier. Last week I went for my routine prenatal checkup. As usual the feedback was good, though I was a bit disappointed that I have added only 1kg in the last one month. I had expected to weigh more. But the doctor says not to worry. He tells me that my baby is just fine, that I should not listen to people—my friends keep telling me that my tummy is small. I have never been one to steadily add weight. I bet my metabolism is quite high, naturally. In any case it was the same with my first child, who came weighing a tidy 3.2kg.

My baby has turned, changed his position in the womb. I wonder when this happened, for at no time did I feel any major commotion in my stomach. He now faces down, and I understand this is the position that he will be born. Of course I want a natural birth. I would rather handle the pain there and then than postpone it. as is the case with C-section births.

His movements are much less now. My doctor told me that this would happen, all because the space in the womb is much more crowded. But the kicks and movements still come on. stronger ones at that. I understand that at this phase the baby sleeps 95 per cent of the time. It is no wonder, for sometimes I worry that the baby has been quiet for too long. Then I rub and poke my stomach, just to stir him from his slumber, to provoke him.

If you remember I went for a scan some time back when l was about 20 weeks pregnant, and got to know the sex of my baby. I however know that this is no guarantee to ascertain the real sex. And so I await whichever sex I have been blessed with; it does not matter. I already love my unborn child, totally!

END: PG19/12-13