The development of babies in the mothers’ womb can differ very greatly but there may be one thing in common – all expectant parents find that process quite fascinating. So here, in short are the kinds of changes that a baby typically goes through in the 9 months that it spends in its mother’s womb.

Month 1
The all important process of implantation takes place about a week after conception, when the embryo attaches to the walls of the uterus and then the formation of the placenta (to nourish and sustain the baby) and the umbilical cord (that attaches the baby to the mother) begin to form. The basis of the spine forms and at around 25 days the heart starts to beat.

Month 2
This is a crucial time of development for the baby for all the major organs such as the brain, stomach, lungs liver, the rudiments of the bone structure etc begin to develop. At this critical time of development the baby is most vulnerable to factors that could result in miscarriage or birth defects. At the end of the second month the baby is called a fetus and the first indications of what sex the baby will be start to emerge.

Month 3
The bones start to develop now and there is some movement from the fetus which mother will not be able to feel yet. The head is about 50% of the baby’s body at this time.

Month 4
The baby now starts to do a lot of what a new born will do – sleeping, waking, moving, kicking, swallowing, and passing urine. Fingernails appear now, the teeth buds are formed, the body is covered by the fine pelt of hair called lanugo and baby is about half a foot in length. Baby can probably hear by now, and this may be the time that the parents start to speak with their baby.

Month 5
As some of the discomforts of early pregnancy fade about now, mother may feel more energetic and upbeat and for the baby it is a time of rapid growth as the baby develops bones, muscles, and starts to acquire some fat stores as well. The baby is nearly 10 inches now and the baby bump is very clear to see.

Month 6
Most excitingly, the expectant mother is now feeling her baby move though some women (particularly second time mothers) may have experienced this earlier on in the pregnancy. At this stage the baby looks much like a human being and may be 11 to 14 inches long.

Month 7
The baby is bigger now, and it’s getting cramped in there, so that there may be less room for baby to move and kick around in. The expectant mother may find that baby startles at sudden noises and may feel this very clearly.

Month 8
Baby puts on a lot of weight in these last couple of months and each day is becoming stronger and more likely to survive if he or she were born early. Baby is now nearly 4 pounds and measures about 16 inches. The mother can probably see quite easily now, the head sticking out here or heel pressing there through the stomach wall.

Month 9
The baby is just about ready to enter the world now, and is big and strong enough to survive as an individual. These 9 months were probably the easy part; the real work begins now, so Good Luck.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by ThePregnancyZone.com. The blog offers complete Pregnancy week by week information and topics relating to Preparing for the Pregnancy, Pregnancy Stages, Labor & Delivery, Pregnancy Issues, Health Issues, Parental care etc.

Related posts:

1. 19 weeks pregnancy appointment: Big baby, movement, and pregnancy weight gain I had my 19 weeks pregnancy appointment today.  Overall it...
2. 19 weeks pregnant: When will I feel the baby movement? At my last appointment, when I was 15 weeks pregnant,...
3. Unbelievable! We did it! We’re able to pay all pregnancy and baby doctor bills… and we saved our house! A few weeks ago I imagined what it would be...

It may seem a little funny for me (Tarzan) to be posting a blog post about how to lose weight and your belly after pregnancy, but bare with me here, I have a great reason!   You see, shortly before Monkey was born, Jane and I discussed the idea about her documenting her post-pregnancy weight loss story.

We knew it would add a little unwanted pressure on her because she’d be be taking weekly photos and sharing how she is losing weight and belly fat after pregnancy.  (And we all know the pressure we put on ourselves to lose weight sometimes is more than enough!)

After we discussed it for awhile, I told Jane to think about it and we’ll talk about it after Monkey is born and she can do whatever she wants.  Well, the other day I added a little blurb on the pregnancy week by week pictures page on the bottom that mentioned that we’ll be sharing some post pregnancy photos.  So I bet you can guess what Jane bravely decided to do!

So that leads me to why I’m the one writing the first of several posts (And don’t worry, Jane will be taking over blog posts on the pregnancy weight loss subject soon).

The reason is because Mommy Jane is working on a few blog posts and trying to write when she has time in between all the breastfeeding she’s doing.  (Breastfeeding a newborn as many of you know takes up quite a bit of her time!)  And before too much time passes she asked me to help her with the first one here, especially since Jane is breastfeeding at this very moment!

So what is Jane going to do to lose the weight she gained during pregnancy and lose the baby fat on her belly?  Well, let’s see what Jane wants me to write here…

First, Jane wants me to document her final pregnancy weight stats for you:

Total weight gain throughout her pregnancy: 37 pounds

Maternity pants size: 10

Maternity shirts: Medium

Dresses: Large

Stretch marks: None on her stomach, just a couple small ones on her hips

Belly button: It stayed in

Feet: Grew a LOT.  Went up 2 sizes and were wider = none of her shoes fit!

Hair: Got really long, past her bra strap in the back and none fell out while pregnant

Fingers: Unable to wedding ring – and still can’t

Now as far as Jane’s secret on how to lose weight and her belly after pregnancy, we all know there’s no big “secret” right?  I like adding it to make fun of the 1,000′s of “secret” weight loss tips out there and magic pills.  LOL  I figured the best way to do this was for me to act like a reporter and interview Jane for you.  (NOTE: Jane will be replying to any of your comments/questions below, so feel free to ask her questions!)

Tarzan: So my beautiful Mommy Jane, how much weight have you lost now that it’s been 2 weeks to the day that you’ve had our little Monkey?

Jane: I’ve lost 21 pounds.

Tarzan: You were on quite a dessert kick during the last couple of months of pregnancy, which by default made me gain weight, which is a topic for another day!  But let me ask you, do you still crave desserts like how you did at the end of your pregnancy, and what is it like now?

Jane: No, not at all!  I don’t even think about desserts any more.  I want to keep seeing those pounds go down on a scale and desserts wouldn’t help me in that department.

Tarzan: When do you plan on exercising?

Jane: I have to wait until my next doctor appointment, which is in a couple of weeks.  She has to make sure everything down there is healed correctly.

Tarzan: Does that mean we could have sex after that appointment!?

Jane: Ha ha ha!  If everything is heeled, heck YES!  But we will be for sure using four or five different forms of protection!

Tarzan: Hmmm… Anyway, let’s get back to your weight loss after pregnancy questions.  What do you plan on doing to lose weight and excess belly fat?

Jane: Lots of cardio including: The elliptical machine, riding a bike, walking, and trying to master running, even though I hate running.  30 day shred, which is a work out video we have upstairs somewhere you’re going to have to help me find.  Let’s see, maybe the video game Dance Dance Revolution, and ummm, free weights of course.  Although I may skip out of free weights and just lift Monkey in his car seat.  It’s heavy!  Oh, and I may join one of the stroller mom groups, that may be fun.

Tarzan: Wow!  That’s a lot of activity!  That’s great Jane!  So what about food?  Are you going to change your diet at all?

Jane: Ummm. No.

Tarzan: Ahhh, so you’re going to eat anything you want?

Jane: Everything in moderation.  I’m not going to diet or count calories.  I did think about doing Weight Watchers, but that’s not really my style.  I can’t even keep track of what boob Monkey last ate off of, so there’s no way I can keep track of numbers!  LOL  But on thing I’m thinking about is going back to being 90% vegetarian again.  That helped me maintain a good and healthy weight before.

Tarzan: Now Jane, I know a secret about you that no one here knows about – about you and weight loss.  Do you mind talking about that for a moment?

Jane: Ah, what?  What’s your secret?  Or my secret?  LOL, huh?  What are you typing?  I haven’t even said anything?!  LOL  Are you typing every word I’m saying?  Stop it!  LOL!  So what are you talking about?

Tarzan: In the past, you lost a lot of weight and kept it off up until around the time you got pregnant with Monkey.  If I remember correctly, you lost over 60 pounds in a few months.  What was your secret then?

Jane: That was when I started being a vegetarian and got serious about developing healthy eating habits and I danced my ass off for like 2 or 3 hours a day.

Tarzan: Oh yeah, you were addicted to that Dance Dance Revolution game.  For months I had those songs stuck in my head wherever I went!  So if you had a “secret”, it would be watching what you eat and doing lots of cardio?

Jane: Yeah.  Well, listening to what your body wants.  But yeah.  Because remember, I ate all the time.  Like at least six times a day!

Tarzan: Oh yeah, I forgot about that!  But you were always eating and snacking on healthy foods.  No desserts.  No fast food.  Nothing like that, right?

Jane: Yeah, that’s one thing.  I never ate fast food.  Ever.  But I would sometimes eat chips if I wanted them, remember?  But like I said before, the key is moderation.  If I wanted something I’d eat it, but stay in control.

Tarzan: Good advise for our readers there Jane!  So how much weight do you want to lose and how quickly do you want to lose it?

Jane: Well I hear that your body is different after pregnancy.  So even if you are at your pre-pregnancy weight, you may not be able to fit into your clothes.  I want to be my pre-pregnancy weight of course, but my goal is to be able to fit into all of my clothes again!  My “goal jeans” are a pair of “True Religion” are a size 27 waist.  And as far as how quickly, as soon as possible.  I have a closet of clothes just calling my name!  Oh, and shoes!  I miss all my shoes!

Tarzan: I miss the closet space we used to have before your shoes took over! Ha ha.  Will you be able to keep everyone posted on your pregnancy weight loss progress each week on our blog?

Jane: Sure if people want to read about it!  It would keep me motivated.

Tarzan: Well Jane, it’s been an absolute pleasure interviewing you today.  I’m your # 1 fan and read each and every single blog post you write!  In fact, I’m in love with you!  LOL  Anyway, is there anything else you’d like to add before we let you get back to breastfeeding?

Jane: LOL, awe, I love you too.  Well, I just really don’t know what to expect.  I mean is it a lot harder to lose weight after you have your first child?  I’d love to hear from others who have already been though this to let me know any advice they have for me.  I mean is it going to be a lot harder than before?

Tarzan: …. anything else?

Jane: …. Ummm, no.  (doooo laaa laaaa doooo leeee daaaa) *Jane signing to Monkey while breastfeeding*

Tarzan: OK.

Jane: Oh, I am worried about finding energy and time to exercise.  Why do you keep punching my boob!?

Tarzan: Monkey is punching your boob?

Jane: Ha ha, yeah.  He’s feisty right now.

Jane: I love you, I love you!  But you’re an eating machine!  Monkey, do you know I’m your mom yet?  Yeah?  Do you know?  Ohhh… Good boy.  Are you almost done with that?

Tarzan: Yeah

Jane: What do you want for dinner?

Tarzan: Hold on…

Jane: Little buddy, you’re acting like you’re starving.  I love you.  I loooove you!  You’re so sweet.  *end*

Whew!  My fingers are hurting after that!

Knowing Jane, she’ll do an EXCELLENT job documenting her journey showing how she lost weight and her belly after pregnancy.  She’s really excited about sharing her story with you – along with weekly photos and things she did each week to aid the post pregnancy weight loss process.

And any thoughts, wisdom, advice, comments, etc. you have to share, feel free to comment below – I know that Jane would love to read them!

P.S… The photo above is Mommy Jane’s (un)pregnant belly one week postpartum.  We took that last week and will be uploading another photo this weekend for Jane’s two weeks postpartum picture.

Related posts:

1. Postpartum weight loss update… if you want to even call it an update I’ll just go ahead & admit it right now:  I...
2. Revolutionary Weight Loss Program For Soon-To-Be Fathers Disclosed For The First Time Ever Pregnant Jane let my secret out of the bag in...
3. Day 1 of going to the gym to lose this pregnancy weight Let the losing of my pregnancy weight begin. *cue Biggest...

Today started off just like every other day.  39 weeks pregnant and still waiting… But then something strange happened that will (hopefully) make this day stand out as a little different from the others.

A couple of my girl friends were in town and they wanted to meet us for lunch.  We settled on Cafe Express at noon.  Tarzan didn’t really feel like getting dressed, but I persuaded him to go and am glad that he went.

Anyways…

Lunch was great!  I enjoyed my huge greek salad with chicken and Tarzan enjoyed his sandwich.  We told the Craigslist story about my pregnancy anxiety to some of the girls that hadn’t heard it yet and we were all laughing.  Good times for sure!

When it was time to leave, I had to make a stop at the bathroom.  No new news there.  But it’s what I saw in the bathroom at 39 weeks pregnant that makes this story just a little different from going to the bathroom every other time.

When I was finished peeing and about to wipe myself, it felt a little different down there.  Maybe more moist, if you will.  Usually when I wipe, it’s toilet paper to vagina.  This time it was toilet paper, a slimy feeling, then vagina.  Totally different.

Then I looked at the toilet paper to see what this slimy feeling was and the paper was full of mucus-y stuff and blood.  Naturally I glanced in the toilet, but did not see a mucus plug, and since there was more blood than mucus, I figured it was the bloody show.

(Being that I’ve never been pregnant before, I purely make guesses on these kinds of things.)

Immediately I had a huge smile on my face.  Perhaps the stripping of my membranes on Friday at my 39 weeks pregnant doctor appointment and the spicy stir-fry last night did the trick.  I washed my hands and headed out to share the good news with my husband.

Of course I got a bit distracted by the desserts though.  We talked about getting a chocolate chip cookie and then he suggested we go next door to Border’s to get a rice krispie treat.  Yum.

While we were walking I looked at him and said, “So guess what?  I think the bloody show just happened!”  (I seriously said this with excitement in my voice.)  He stopped dead in his tracks and was like, “What? Do we need to get you home now?  Do we need to call the dr.?”

After I stopped laughing, I told him no.  I wanted to go to Border’s and walk around.  Plus, while I am hoping that labor and delivery starts soon (like today), I’m also well aware of the fact that it could take another week or so.  No getting my hopes up just yet.

He asked me why I thought it was the bloody show and I told him because there seemed to be more blood and a little mucus instead of a plug.  (I’ve totally googled “mucus plug” and have a good feeling that I know what to expect and that’s not what I saw on the toilet paper.)

We went into Border’s and started to twitter about what was going on.  It was like a natural high almost.  I feel so great and really hope that this means something.  Tarzan, on the other hand, seems a lot more nervous.  And I mean a lot.  I’m thinking it’s a typical response from a dad-to-be.

We got some goodies at Border’s and then went to walk around outside.  I wanted to keep on walking because I know that it can help to induce labor, but it was really hot, so we cut it a bit short and headed toward the car.  Tarzan kept on saying that he wanted to go closer to home (we were already close to home) to make sure that we could get the hospital bags in the car, have a plan for our dog, blah, blah, blah.  He also kept on saying that he just had a feeling that my water was “going to explode” at any minute and he wanted to be prepared.  LOL.

I gave in and we headed toward the car.  I told him that since we were going home we were going to have sex to try to induce labor.  He didn’t seem so sure about that.  He said something classic like, “If you had a penis, would you want to put it in a hole full of mucus and blood?”  Oh Tarzan.

I reminded him that we have always had sex whether on my period or not, so what was the difference?  I think his nerves were getting the best of him really.  He said that he was feeling really overwhelmed and here I was cracking up with laughter.  I’m just so calm about this whole process and he isn’t.  Poor guy.

Before he would let me get in the car, he put down a beach blanket on the seat.  I told him that it wasn’t necessary, and he responded with “at least I’m not putting down the garbage bags too“.  Okay, okay, point taken.

We drove home with me sitting on a big, comfy pink beach blanket while telling him that we were having sex and him seeming extremely nervous.  Nervous or not, I love this guy.  It’s so sweet to see him so excited about being a father, but so vulnerable and nervous at the same time.

When we got home I had to go to the bathroom again.  He was right there and as soon as I finished wiping myself there was a “plunk” on the toilet seat.  Yes, my friends, some kind of mucus-y bloody thing that didn’t make the toilet paper came out of my vagina and landed on the toilet seat.

The toilet paper was full of mucus and blood.  Tarzan and I examined it (I even wanted to take a picture because it fascinated me, but he said that would be disgusting) and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s probably pieces of my mucus plug falling out at each bathroom break.  I need to google the difference between mucus plug and bloody show because I’m not completely sure of the difference.

C’mon baby T!  Let’s get things moving and me to the hospital to meet you!!  Can. Not. Wait.

And now… here’s the perspective from Tarzan:

Jane's pregnant belly at Pregnancy week 39

My sweet little 39 weeks pregnant wonderful and beautiful wife Jane wanted me to write on this post as well, to document how the day went for me (so far – the craziness might just be getting started!)

I’m sorry if some (or a lot) of this is a repeat to the above, but this way you’re getting both sides of the story.  I didn’t read Pregnant Jane’s post above at all before writing this – so I have no idea what she wrote and she has no idea what I wrote.  So here goes…

Well, when Jane walked out of the bathroom I noticed she had a HUGE smile on her face.  I know something was going on.  When she told me that she thought she had her bloody show, I immediate thought about my recent blog post about wanting to ban that word and change it to the “stop sign” or “the show stopper”!

I then felt my stomach beginning to get tied into knots.  “How do you know?” I asked.  Jane replied and explained what had happened in the bathroom.

OH  MY  $&*@^!  GOSH!

I’m thinking we’re going to have to rush home ASAP and get our bags ready when Jane says, “Mmmmm, I want a cookie from the cafe in Borders.”

W  H  A  T ?!?!?!

“Are you serious!?” I asked.  ”What if your water breaks while we’re walking there?  What if it breaks while we’re in the bookstore?” Jane wasn’t phased a bit.  Why in the hell is she so $#&%* calm and I’m the one beginning to feel like I’m about to have an all-out panic attack and flip out!?

We walked into Borders and Jane ordered her cookie, actually, a cookie and a marshmallow square thing and a drink.  We then walked around the store a little and said it would be good for us to come home so we’re closer to the house.  Jane was fine with being out and about.  She wanted to be.  WTH!?!?

Jane then said she wanted to take the long way to the car and I was 100% positive that I was going to hear the “plock” sound and then “whoooooosh!” water was going to be spraying everywhere from Jane’s vagina like a broken fire hydrant in front of hundreds of people walking around town.

As we were walking, Jane was updating her Twitter profile with the play-by-play and we were laughing at some of the responses from people.

As we were getting closer to the car Jane said, “Oooh, I feel a lot of pressure down there.”

“WHAT!?!  Pressure?  Is it the baby? Is he coming right now?  Oh my God.  We need to get to the car.  I’m going to put garbage bags and towels on the seat.  This is crazy.  Wow.  We need to get home and be close to our bags!”

I’m flipping out, but trying to be calm and Jane is as calm as could be.  IN FACT, during this long walk Jane was walking 10 times faster than she has ever walked since getting pregnant!  I was having trouble keeping up with her!  Usually I have to walk really slow with her and take my time.

But today I felt like we just entered a speed-walking marathon and 39 week pregnant Jane was in the lead by a mile.  She was on a mission.  She was happy.  She was excited.  She was walking so damn fast!

We finally get to the car and I quickly grabbed a beach towel and forgot the garbage bag.  ”Hurry, people are coming!”  I quickly put the towel down and Jane jumped in the car… literally.

While driving home Jane mentioned she wanted to have sex when we got home to help further bring things along.

I excitedly thought OK… but then had a mental image of the bloody show and mucus plug.  Urgh.  I was frazzled.  Jane’s water could burst any moment and now she wanted to have sex?  Huh?  I don’t remember exactly what I said, but in my frazzled state said something like, “How would you like to stick your penis into a hole filled with mucus?” Or something like that.  That cracked Jane up and that helped lighten my freaked-out frazzled-I’m-going-to-be-a-father mental state.

We made it home without any water shooting out all over the inside of our car and Jane went to the bathroom.  “Tarzan, I want you to look at it so you can see what it looks like.”

I just stood there at the door of the bathroom in shock with our house alarm still beeping from when we walked in the door, and within a few seconds the house alarm was about to go off.  ”Turn off the alarm!”  Jane shouted and I said, “Oh yeah”, put in the code, and turned it off.

Jane went to the bathroom, wiped, and   T H E R E   I T   W  A  S.

As far as what it was, I have no clue in the world.  It was red and chunks of stuff and snotty looking stuff that reminded me of the fat you sometimes see in a whole chicken or turkey when  you are cutting it.  It was nothing like what I expected.  The hairs on my neck and arms began to raise and I shuttered with a quick chill that overcame my body.

“What in the &%$* is that!?  Is that your mucus plug?  What is that!?  Whoooa!  Ewww.” I said.  At that moment I realized that my weak stomach is going to have one hell of a test coming up soon when we’re in the hospital.   (NOTE: We don’t think it was the actual plug, just pieces of… ummm.. it or other stuff or something.)

So here we are.  Jane wants to have sex.  My stomach is still feeling nauseous.  Seriously.  I’m not feeling too good right now.  I don’t know if it’s something I ate for lunch, or all of that excitement and my adrenaline kicking into high gear combined with being shown some bloody oozy pieces of who knows what that I have never seen before!

For the first time in Jane’s pregnancy, sex is the last thing on my mind.

Right now I need to eat some Tums and relax….

I can say that I would have never expected any of this!  From Jane becoming “Super Jane” and walking 100 miles an hour, to wanting to have sex now, and then wanting to clean the house after (WHAT!?  UH OH!), to me getting all worked up and feeling ill now.

What a day.  Once my stomach feels better a nice cold beer or wine sounds VERY good.

So stay tuned…  Jane tells me that this could be the beginning of something – or that this may be nothing and we’re still a week or two away.  Uhhhh…. I don’t know how many days like this my stomach could take!

Tarzan

Related posts:

1. Bloody show. Mucus plug. Lightning Crotch. Pregnancy and Labor Terms I Really Could Live Without Hearing! Jane is officially 39 weeks pregnant today and over the...
2. Signs of labor during pregnancy: Bowel movements, cramping, and spotting, oh my! 38 weeks pregnant and counting… and waiting.  Are signs of...
3. 36 weeks pregnant: Checking things off of my “to get done before baby comes” list Last week, at 35 weeks pregnant, I posted a checklist...

You’d think we’d be crazy to go to an Aerosmith concert while Jane is 39 weeks pregnant, right?  Well, maybe we are a little.  But hey, we’re trying to squeeze in last minute things we can do before Baby Tarzan comes into this world.

Over the last week or so, we’ve gone to see Phantom of the Opera, Jane’s been to 2 movies, and then last night we went out to dinner and to the concert.  We’re squeezing in as much as we can before the BIG day!  Jane even mentioned she wanted to go bowling today!  WHAT!?

Of course I told her “No way!  You’re 39 weeks pregnant and I have to draw the line somewhere!” We know that once he’s born, at least for the first few weeks, we’ll be staying home much more and tending to Baby Tarzan.  Although I’m game for being active right now, bowling is not going to happen.  Sorry Jane.  :)

So how did our adventure last night go?

Well, we took some pictures to document our little adventure yesterday… an adventure that led us to think that Jane’s water broke at the concert!  But before I fill you in on how that all went down, let’s start off at the beginning of our wonderful pregnancy week 39 journey…

Dinner.

Drinking beer while you’re 39 weeks pregnant?  What!?

If you’re 39 weeks pregnant and you want to get some people’s attention, order a Caliber non-alcoholic beer at a restaurant.  I ordered a glass of white wine, and Jane went with the non-alcoholic beer (sadly, they didn’t have Becks).

They poured the beer into a large beer glass and it looks pretty close to real beer.  As Jane sipped it, you could see people looking over, surely wondering if they’re seeing a woman who’s 39 weeks pregnant drinking a beer.

Before our dinner arrived, I looked at Pregnant Jane and saw her eyes get REALLY BIG as she looked to the left of me.  I looked over as Jane said, “MMmmmm… look at that!”  It was the dessert tray filled with just about every dessert you can imagine!  I thought for sure Jane was going to jump from the table and attack it!

I don’t know what has gotten into Jane lately with dessert, we rarely at it before, but now it’s nearly a must-have!

Once dinner was over, the waiter wheeled the cart over and it took him at least 2 minutes to go over each dessert – leaving no details out about the ingredients and what makes each one so special.  He was good.  Really good.  By the time we were done Jane and I nearly had drool dripping down our chins.  Heck, I was about to attack that tray!

Jane and I ordered a piece of cake that was beyond what anyone could imagine.  The cake nearly danced around in my mouth as the flavor exploded each and every one of my taste buds.  Jane and I fell in love at first bite.  It was incredible.

After dinner, the fairly long walk to the concert began.  Thankfully it wasn’t over 100 degrees as it has been for too many weeks on end here.  It was only about 90-something, plus humidity.  Just what someone who is 39 weeks pregnant wants to be walking in, right?

Within a minute of walking a decent pace, we hit the loooong line of people waiting to get in.  That’s when we started sweating and couldn’t wait to get in to down a few cups of ice water!

Pregnant Jane did a good job keeping up with the flow of people for awhile, but soon began to tire walking a non-pregnant person pace.  We had to slow down and moved to the right so people behind us could pass us.

As we walked, Pregnant Jane received several comments from people.  Even a couple of drunk guys came up to us with HUGE smiles on their faces and yelled, “Congratulations guys!  Whooo Hoooo!”  Jane and I cracked up.  That was very random, but very cool.

I noticed that whenever people saw beautiful Jane, they smiled at her.  Jane was a little reluctant to wear such a busy and wild dress for the concert, but I thought she looked GREAT – and it was the prefect dress to wear to an Aerosmith concert.  The heart on her dress even looked like their logo – and a LOT of people looked at her dress, I’m sure thinking it was.

As we were in line to get some water, Pregnant Jane continued to receive a lot of really nice comments from people.  Several people congratulated us and said, “way to go!” to Jane, and several others said that they were pregnant at the last Aerosmith concert they went to.

People were nice, cleared the way for Jane, and it was a lot better than I thought, except for the heat.  It was HOT.

And Jane wasn’t the only one who was pregnant – that’s for sure!  We saw several pregnant woman there – but I don’t think any of them were 39 weeks pregnant – maybe somewhere in the 20′s I’d guess.

Anyway, Jane and I drank a lot of water.  Maybe a little too much and Jane had to make quite a few pit stops to the restroom.

I told Jane to use the “Pregnancy Card” as much as possible like someone commented on a recent post.  Thankfully she only had to pull the card out once and cut a few people.  No one got mad and there were no harsh words or fights.

We made several bathroom runs while ZZ Top was playing because there were hardly any lines.

As Jane mentioned in her 39 weeks pregnant blog post, she chewed on a lot of ice, which kept the bathroom runs down to a minimum while Aerosmith was playing – great idea thanks to the fellow pregnant woman sitting a few rows from us!

So finally Aerosmith got on the stage and began to rock and the crowd went totally nuts.  It was deafening, which surprised me being that the concert was outside.  I think all of Houston heard the crowd cheering which made me start to wonder…

Will all this noise make Baby Tarzan decide to start his journey down towards the light?

Will Jane’s water break while we’re at the concert?

Will Jane go into labor while we’re there?

I started to plan out some routes if we needed to run out of there quickly, just in case…

And the just in case nearly happened!  It was about 1/2 way through the concert and Jane yelled to me, “My feet are soaked!” I said, “WHAT!?”

She then said, “My panties are wet!” I said, “WHAT!?”

Jane yelled, “You don’t think my water just broke, do you?!”  I said, “Oh S##t!”

It was dark, but the floor would light up as the lights flashed on and off to the music.  I looked down by Jane’s feet and there was a LARGE puddle under Jane.  “Did your water just break Jane!?” I told her to pull her dress up a little so we can see better.

She lifted it up and there was the big puddle.  Uhhhh Ohhhh.  My mind went into overdrive and I did my best to remain calm.  “What do we do?  Are you sure your water just broke!?” I asked Jane.

“I’m not sure.  I’m just so wet and my feet are soaked”, she said.  Oh no!  Our fears were right – Baby Tarzan is going to be born during the Aerosmith concert I thought!  All the loud music and bass made Baby Tarzan want to come out and dance with us!

I stood there and tried to think of a plan.  It was time to leave and get Jane out of there.  I then backed up a little and saw that the water was also around me.  Hmmmm…  I then looked behind me and saw that there was a stream of liquid running down from behind us.  Oh!  Someone spilled their water or beer! We’re in the clear!  I then told Jane to look behind me on the floor and she saw the streams of water.

Whew!  So that was a pretty good scare for us!  We were 99% convinced that Jane’s water broke – which with her being 39 weeks pregnant, of course wouldn’t surprise us at all!

So that was yesterday.  Who knows what pregnancy week 39 has in store for us this weekend!  I was hoping that Jane would go into labor today or Sunday around noon or so.  We wouldn’t have to fight traffic, we’d be well rested, and we’re ready to meet Baby Tarzan.  :)

Related posts:

1. 39 weeks pregnant: Aerosmith concert vs. labor and delivery Back when I was newly pregnant, we got tickets for...
2. Baby’s first concert: Pussycat Dolls and Britney Spears! Last night one of my girl friends and I went...
3. Who says I can’t go to a Britney Spears concert pregnant? My dad asked me what Tarzan got me for Christmas....

Pregnancy Weight: No change at 39 weeks pregnant!  Again I just want to reiterate how freakin’ awesome the end of the third trimester is.  In not one word of a lie, I have been eating dessert daily and the scale has not moved.

Who wouldn’t love this?!

And mark my word, I will continue on this path until this child is out of my ute.  Because we all know, after he comes out I will be saying no to dessert and anything else that will halt weight loss… until then, bring on the dessert!  Might as well enjoy it!

Blood Pressure: 97/66

Baby’s Heartbeat: He was in the 130′s and my OB made a comment that he doesn’t like me on my back.  I moved around a little and then his heart rate went up to the 140′s and 150′s.

Baby’s Position: No change here:  Head down.  Good little boy!

Weeks my belly is measuring at: 39 weeks pregnant.  My OB made a comment that he doesn’t seem as low as the week before.  Blah.

Internal: Checking the usual stuff did not hurt.  However, she stripped my membranes and I said “Ouch, ouch, ouch” out loud.  Not really painful, but very uncomfortable.  Good thing is that it only last 10-15 seconds at the most.  Anyone can handle that!

Internal stats: 80% effaced still.  Cervix OPEN.  Dilated 1.5 cm.  Went back to a -2 station.  Doesn’t he know that he needs to be dropping down instead of going the other way?  Oy.

Baby’s Momma: Most excellent!  I feel like I’m such a trooper being pregnant and still doing the same stuff as before.  I can’t tell you how many people were shocked that I was at the Aerosmith concert last night.  Not gonna lie, it felt good when people asked me when I was due and I simply replied, “Thursday”.

I heard so many comments like, “You’re such a trooper!”, “I’m glad that you aren’t letting pregnancy stop you from doing things!’, etc.  Even Tarzan told me how awesome I was for being such a good sport.  Sure I have a little slower walk in my step and I have to go to the bathroom more, but overall, I feel good and I’m not going to let something like being pregnant keep me at home.

And it must be said, even though it could sound very b!tchy of me and I don’t know her story at all, but there was another pregnant girl in front of us at the concert.  She wasn’t as far along as I am, maybe 26 weeks at the most (and that’s purely based on the fact that I’m basically a pregnancy expert now.  Only kidding.)

She was sitting down so much of the time and it didn’t look like she was having fun at all.  Obviously it’s not a competition, but I found myself glancing over at her while I was up dancing and singing along and she was sitting down and I wanted to pat myself on the back.  Again, I don’t know her story at all or how her pregnancy is going, but on a purely superficial level (yes, I completely admit that), I felt like I was a badass for being so close to my due date and dancing the night away.

And now to redeem myself, I friended a lady in a motorized scooter while in line waiting for ice.  Technically she could walk, but since it was such a long walk and since she has really bad arthritis in her back, she opted for the scooter option.  Anyways, she was really sweet to me and we chit-chatted while waiting in the ridiculously long line.

There are these weird things when it is your turn in line and I didn’t know if her scooter would fit through there, so I offered to buy her margarita for her.  She was so thankful and it made me feel so good.  People should help people more often.  Where has all the niceness gone in the world?

Stretch Marks: NONE.  Pregnancy week 39 is being very kind to me

Swollen pregnancy feet or hands: Nope.  (Thank you!)

Belly Button: In.  I’m glad that it is still in, but I am just a very teeny tiny bit disappointed.  Not that I want a gross protruding belly button (no offense), but I just thought that having one was part of being pregnant.  You know, like a turkey when it’s done.  I thought it would be popping out by now being 39 weeks pregnant.  Hmmm, guess not.  Maybe pregnancy week 40?

Next appointment: July 21st.  I hope there is some progress because I have a feeling that we will be talking about other options if there isn’t.  My due date is Thursday, July 23rd, and my OB will only let me go to 41 weeks pregnant, which means if an induction was to be done it would happen very close to being 41 weeks pregnant.  I do not want to go this route at all, but I also know that I would be in excellent hands if I had to.  You can bet your butt that I’ll be walking a ton, having sex, and doing whatever else can be done to get this baby out on his own.

Anything you want to share that helped you?

Funny story during appointment: If you were on twitter yesterday, you know that we had to wait a long time for the OB to actually see me.  Tarzan and I are really good at keeping ourselves entertained, which is a good thing.  We were taking pictures of the random stuff in the exam room (all the pictures you see on this post) and giggling.

While I was sitting on the exam table, with my dress hiked up, panties off, and using a paper-thin cover to protect my goods, I started to tap my fingers on the sides of the bed.  T. looked up at me and was like, “Do you hear that?”  This is about the time that my giggles turned to extreme laughter.  Like from the belly laughter.

As if laughing really loudly at the OB’s office wasn’t enough (the walls are so thin there), I was shaking the bed from laughing so hard.  I guess the bed is not in the newest condition because it was making a very loud noise upon each shake that I made.  So loud that it sounded like T. and I were messing around on the bed.  No joke.  To make matters worse, T. kept on saying, “Stop Jane!”  and that made me laugh and shake even harder, which increased the noise tremendously.

Naturally all of this laughing made me have to go to the bathroom, so I composed myself and hopped of the bed.  As soon as I opened the door, I saw two nurses standing outside of our door.  It was awkward and I have a feeling that they thought something was going on in our room too.  LOL.

Sure, sex helps move along labor they say, especially being 39 weeks pregnant.  But having sex in the doctor’s office would not be the best idea!  I still wonder if the nurses think we had sex!

Big milestones this week:  Aerosmith concert and feeling like I’m just in a really good place right now.  I’m more in love with my husband than ever (and vice versa) and I can’t wait to bring our little baby boy in this world.  We had a great dinner, complete with a non-alcoholic beer for me.

We reminisced about certain parts of dating from the past 6 years and how happy we both are.  I know it sounds cheesy, but it was really sweet.  It’s nice to have been together for so long, dating and marriage, and to still enjoy each other’s company.  I’ve also wanted to be the couple who is 80 years old and still in love.  There’s just something so sweet about it.

Anyways, T. told me that while he was driving a few days ago, he just felt really proud of his family: me, our dog, and our unborn baby.  It just made him feel really happy and proud.  Isn’t that sweet?

We are starting another beginning with one another and, while it was scary when I first got pregnant, it’s so fabulous now.  We are both so excited and can’t wait to have an addition to our family.  It’s a cool feeling to be so in love and to be on this journey together.

(Mushiness over.)

Tip for all you pregnant ladies: One word: Ice.  Instead of drinking tons of water while you are at a concert, movies (if you don’t chew loudly), or anywhere else where you don’t want to constantly go to the bathroom, chew/suck on ice instead.  I learned this from the above mentioned pregnant girl and it was brilliant.  I had a ton of ice and I didn’t have to leave the concert to pee all of the time.  Brilliant!

So here we are.  Pregnancy week 39.  The clock is ticking.  LOUDLY!

Related posts:

1. 37 weeks pregnant: Reminiscing about my pregnancy 37 weeks pregnant and reminiscing… Prior to actually being pregnant,...
2. 37 weeks pregnant: Full term OB pregnancy appointment Ahhh, I made it!!  Not only has my third trimester...
3. 38 weeks pregnant: OB pregnancy appointment, date night, & my labor dream I had a great appointment today at 38 weeks pregnant....

Back when I was newly pregnant, we got tickets for the Aerosmith concert.  Sure, we calculated how many weeks pregnant I would be (39 weeks pregnant), but there were a few things that I just could not have known at that time.

Like how uncomfortable being 39 weeks pregnant is.  Like how my little babe loves to press on my bladder and make me pee every 5 minutes.  Like how slow I would move.  Like how hot I would be in the middle of July in Houston.

Oh, and did I mention that the concert is at an outdoor venue?  (At least we do have a seat instead of sitting in the grass – I can’t imagine trying to pull that one off!)

But even though I could not have known all of the above things, I still told my husband that I wanted to go.  He was more nervous about going to the concert so close to my due date than I was (shocking, I know!).

I have been so adamant about not wanting to let pregnancy slow me down, so I’ve been quite excited about the concert… until a couple weeks ago.

Now you have to understand just how much we love going to see Aerosmith.  We’ve been to a handful of their concerts and have had a blast each and every time.  Yes, alcohol has always been a fun part about the concert too, so it will be a little change for me this time around, but I’m still game.

(Seeing that I’ve been to a few concerts while pregnant, I can say that I remember the concert in its entirety, as opposed to having some moments that are a bit hazy due to alcohol.  It’s actually nice when you can remember the whole thing!)

I just worry how often I’ll have to drag my ass to the bathroom during the concert.  An outdoor concert is not like going to the movies where I can pace myself with water to avoid so many bathroom trips.  We’ll be outside and I know I’ll be hot.  I will NEED water, which means I will need the bathroom too.

Hmm, maybe I can try to find the playlist for the concert so I know the opportune times (read: song I don’t care too much about) to run/waddle to the bathroom.  Now there’s an idea…

Today is also my 39 weeks pregnant OB appointment.  My husband has heard from quite a few people that this appointment is THE time for the wife/fiance/girlfriend to go into labor.  I don’t know where he gets his information from, but he wants to take the hospital bags with us to the OB appointment.  (The hospital is right next door, so technically it would make sense.)

As I’m blogging, I’m also wondering where I will be tonight:  In labor and delivery at the hospital or outside singing to Aerosmith. (I hope it’s the latter.)

The whole waiting thing is just weird to me.  Now I’m not extremely anal with having to have a plan at all times, but the fact that the baby will come when he wants is beyond my comprehension.  It’s weird to be “depending” on my unborn son to lead the way.  I’m hoping (as is Tarzan) that he waits until tomorrow, at the earliest, to start his journey into the world, but again, we have no say in this matter at all.

There were a few things that I wanted him to wait for before entering the world:

1.  Nice dinner & Phantom of the Opera last week – check!

2.  Aerosmith concert tonight – only time will tell (If I go into labor while at the concert, I guess we’ll just have to name the babe Steven Tyler.  LOL!)

3.  Coming after July 24th so he could be a Leo – only time will tell

He’s made his mom proud that he let us go to the Phantom of the Opera last week, now if only he could stay inside until tonight is over, I will be even more proud.  Being a Leo has its advantages, but really, if he wants to come out before and be a Cancer, I’m okay with that.  It will mean that it is less time for me to be pregnant and that much sooner that I get to meet my son.

And that sounds completely awesome!  Here’s to 39 weeks of pregnancy!

Related posts:

1. 39 weeks pregnant: Dinner, Aerosmith concert, and did your water just break Jane? You’d think we’d be crazy to go to an Aerosmith...
2. 38 weeks pregnant: We finally packed the hospital bag for labor and delivery I am a woman of my word, I’ll have you...
3. 38 weeks pregnant: OB pregnancy appointment, date night, & my labor dream I had a great appointment today at 38 weeks pregnant....

38 weeks pregnant and counting… and waiting.  Are signs of labor during my pregnancy starting?

It’s funny because I know that I’m 1cm dilated and 80% effaced and I keep getting my hopes up with every little sign.  I’m also quite aware of the fact that dilation and effacement doesn’t necessarily mean a thing.  It’s such a tease really.

I find myself looking for signs of labor approaching and then I think “Is this it?” and it never is.  I need to remain calm and stop worrying.  I really just don’t want to have to worry about being induced, but no sense in worrying about that now either.

I had my last pregnancy internal on Friday and I must say that I dislike having my appointment on Fridays.  It was much better when I had my appointment on Wednesdays because the office was always open should I need to call about a question.  With a Friday appointment I can’t just call the office.  Well, I technically could call the emergency number, which pages my OB, but the key word there is emergency.

Anyways, after my internal on Friday my OB told me that I could expect a little spotting since there was a little drop of blood on her glove.  No big deal, right?

Well I had spotting the whole damn weekend, accompanied with menstrual cramp feelings.  I wanted to call the office, but did not deem this quite an emergency, so I refrained.  Naturally I was super excited when the office re-opened yesterday and I was able to place my call to the nurse.

Wouldn’t you know that she called me back while I was in the produce section of the grocery store?  Perfect location to talk blood, mucus plug, cramping, and labor, isn’t it?

Anyways, the nurse said my OB said it was nothing to worry about, most likely my cervix ripening and shedding some blood.  She also said that my OB thinks it will be just a matter of time now (another tease, no?).  I was told that I should not be having period-like blood, so if I do to call the office or the emergency number if the office is closed.  So far, so good (as far as having no period-like blood).

So now I just sit and wait and continue to look for other…

Signs of labor during pregnancy week 38?

For example, and consider yourself fair-warned about this TMI topic coming up, pregnancy bowel movements.

Up until four days ago, I was not pooping.  I swear that a week had gone by, or at least it felt like that.  It could have only been a few days.  Obviously I wasn’t keeping track.

But four days ago, everything started to move in my bowels and this was without changing up my diet.  No diarrhea (really, I did warn you about the topic!), but not extremely “solid” either.  And it’s been happening daily at least 2-3 times.  This is brand-spanking new for me and I like to think that it’s a sign.  Pregnancy bowel movements is not my favorite topic by far, but it’s a sign my body is preparing for labor!

I’ve read and heard numerous times that bowel movements at the end of your pregnancy is a sign that labor is soon because your body will start to cleanse that unwanted stuff before labor.

The only reason I remember that is because there were about six signs of preliminary labor and I checked off each item to Tarzan as we were watching a DVD on the signs of labor – which we will be reviewing on here within the next day or two.  The only thing that I hadn’t experienced on the signs of labor list was “diarrhea”.  Lovely topic.

And then things started to move, so maybe I can check that item off the list too.

Even if I can, it doesn’t really mean anything.  My baby will come out when he is ready, no matter what I do to help him along the way (spicy foods, sex, walking, etc).  I wish it was easier to get him to make his appearance, but I know that when he does it will be special and I will be so thankful to hold him in my arms instead of him pressing against my bladder.

All. Of. The. Time.

Related posts:

1. Signs of labor? 39 weeks pregnant and the bloody show or mucus plug arrived today Today started off just like every other day.  39 weeks...
2. 38 weeks pregnant: OB pregnancy appointment, date night, & my labor dream I had a great appointment today at 38 weeks pregnant....
3. 38 weeks pregnant: We finally packed the hospital bag for labor and delivery I am a woman of my word, I’ll have you...

Today one of my girl friends and I went out to lunch and then saw the movie, The Proposal (soo good, by the way).  The last time I was at the movies was about 2-3 weeks ago.  I paced myself with how much water I drank just so I didn’t have to go to the bathroom a lot.

My movie experience was a lot different today being 38 weeks pregnant.  I drank so much water during lunch and hardly thought about the fact that we were going to go to the movies after.  I really should have thought more about it though.

I thought I had everything under control by stopping at the bathroom two times before the movie started, but boy was I wrong!

Do you have any idea how irritating it is to return from the bathroom only to realize that you have to go again? Of course our seats were in the middle, so that meant that I had to walk through people’s legs to try to make it to the restroom without having an accident.

In addition to the two times of going to the bathroom before the movie started, I also had to go twice during the previews of the movie.  Ugh.  I kept on apologizing to the people that had to move, but I could tell that some were starting to get annoyed.  Really, I can’t imagine getting pissy with a pregnant lady, but whatever.

One of the times I had to get up I decided to walk out to the left of my seat so that I could give the people on the right side a break of having to move.  Well, wouldn’t you know that the exit was only on the right side of the theatre, not the left where I was.  Oh and there was not a path going across from left to right in the theatre, meaning that I had to walk up to the screen and then over to the right side.

Talk about drawing more attention to myself than I wanted!

In total, I went to the bathroom 5 times in a very short period of time.  Then I had to go again, like really bad, like it didn’t feel like I had previously gone to the bathroom, but I did my best holding it.  Probably not the smartest thing I could have done, but I just didn’t want to deal with mean looks from people who wanted to be asses.

The movie couldn’t have ended any sooner.  I waddled my way to the restroom and then let out a huge sigh of relief.  No joke, it was just about orgasmic.  I have never before been so excited to see a public bathroom in my entire life .

After having this experience, I’m pretty sure that I will not be partaking in the movie theatre anymore while pregnant.  I thought I could handle it at 38 weeks pregnant, but I couldn’t.  I honestly don’t know how I made it through the Phantom of the Opera the other night either…  perhaps it was the intermission that saved me.

Related posts:

1. Instant Amber Alert: A great idea and something we’ll be getting. Obviously this is not a subject any of us likes...
2. 6 weeks pregnant: Hair everywhere… Oh, great. I subscribe to a daily email service that tells me...
3. 19 weeks pregnant belly pictures: Jane’s Pregnancy going great! Jane is officially 19 weeks pregnant pregnant!  Although for some...

Here’s a little video I created for Jane’s pregnancy week by week belly pictures we’ve collected for the past 38 weeks of pregnancy.  I was going to hold off on doing anything with it until Baby Tarzan arrives, but I figured, why not?  So, without further ado, for your viewing and listing pleasure, I present to you the…

Pregnancy Week By Week Video

Related posts:

1. Pregnancy Week By Week: Weeks 36, 37, 38 Pregnant Belly Pictures Added. Jane is 38 weeks pregnant.  And yes… OK, OK, OK,...
2. 20 weeks pregnant belly: The official half way point of pregnancy! Jane’s 20 weeks pregnant belly picture is a milestone in...
3. Tarzan’s Ultimate Guide To Baby Sizes Week-By-Week For Soon-To-Be Fathers YES! The Guide To Baby Sizes Week-By-Week for soon-t0-be fathers...

Pregnancy week by week 38

Jane is 38 weeks pregnant.  And yes… OK, OK, OK, so I got a little behind adding Jane’s pregnant belly pictures on our pregnancy week by week page.  But the good news is that I added the pregnancy weeks 36, 37, and 38 pictures to the page linked above.  Doing so made made me realize how CLOSE we are to the end of this journey.  Sure, it’s hit me many times over the last few weeks – but lately, it’s been hitting me BIG TIME.

I just spent a few minutes looking at all of Jane’s pregnancy week by week pictures – minus week 22, darn it!  And I couldn’t help remember when many of these photos were taken.  As I mention on the page, many of the photos were taken when Jane’s hormones were swinging in high gear.

Believe me, there were many days taking a picture was the last thing we wanted to do – sometimes no words were exchanged after an intense battle with the pregnancy hormone queen.  And sometimes taking the pregnancy week by week photos created some memories I’ll cherish forever.

Pregnancy week by week 37

For some reason while looking at Jane’s pregnancy week by week photos, a blog post that I wrote awhile back popped into my mind.  If you haven’t read it, check out my “father’s letter to unborn baby” attempt here: A note to my child.

It was fun reading that again… my own writing gave me tears in my eyes I’ll admit!  LOL

Another post I found was a post Jane and I created listing our favorite blog posts to that point, found at: favorite His Boys Can Swim Pregnancy blog posts.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy looking at Jane’s pregnancy week by week photos we’ve taken… we’re coming to an end of that chapter.  I’m going to miss taking those pictures.

But on the other hand, I’ll be taking thousands of pictures of Baby Tarzan, so that’ll more than make up for it.

pregnancy week by week 36

Oh, I had mentioned that we will be running a contest soon.  It’s actually going to be a series of give-aways.  We’ll of course find ways to make it fun – and there are some cool products and gifts we’ll be giving away.

We’ll a little behind on getting some reviews out – which we will be working on over the next couple of days – and the give-away will be launching soon after.  :)

Tarzan

P.S…. Jane and I are ALL PACKED!  I think we have everything ready to go.  Once “it’s time” it’ll only take us about 4-5 minutes to throw last minute stuff in the bags that we’ll be using daily until the BIG DAY.  I’m getting REALLY excited!

Related posts:

1. 19 weeks pregnant belly pictures: Jane’s Pregnancy going great! Jane is officially 19 weeks pregnant pregnant!  Although for some...
2. 20 weeks pregnant belly: The official half way point of pregnancy! Jane’s 20 weeks pregnant belly picture is a milestone in...
3. Pregnancy Week By Week Video Here’s a little video I created for Jane’s pregnancy week...