Top 10 Signs You’re at the End of Your Pregnancy

Granted, a lot of people think I’m near the end of pregnancy long before I am. But I think that people don’t realize, or forget, what an 8 – 9 month pregnant belly really looks like because you see them so rarely. My nesting instinct is kicking in—not the cleaning kind, but the hurry up and run all the errands and buy all the things kind. Mostly because it’s getting harder and harder to go out and I’m looking forward to sitting around the house for the last few weeks. Which brings me to #1 on my list (this might only apply to women with short legs as it’s apparently not an issue for everyone).

1. The steering wheel hits your belly. Your driving days are numbered. (A short legs with big belly problem.)

2. Reaching things in general is more difficult. (A short arms with big belly problem. Cooking dinner is getting hard. Forget about being tired and food only sometimes sounding good. If I lean against the counter, the baby kicks back in protest and pushes me away from it.)

3. Your pregnant belly is not always round. It’s often misshapen and skewed in one direction or another as baby snuggles into one side.

4. Turning over in bed is a major production.

5. If you need to pick up more than one thing off the floor, you crawl rather than getting up and down and up again. Too much work.

6. It’s hard to see your own feet. Or if you have a small child who is shorter than your belly, she can hide underneath it.

7. Your maternity shirts are getting too small. Your limited wardrobe is limited further as you slowly have to put aside maternity shirts that no longer cover your belly.

8. Almost everyone opens doors for you. People even rush to offer to help you if you’re carrying something. (This same politeness doesn’t apply to all people driving through a parking lot. But let me tell you, if you’re not stopping for this pregnant lady carrying her toddler, you’re going to get a dirty look. Because come on, who doesn’t stop for that?)

9. You use the bathroom before you leave for the store. After the 15 minute drive to the store, you have to use the bathroom again before you dare start shopping. (A change of position can make you need to pee.)

10. Your four year old tells you that she’s walking slower for you because “pregnant ladies walk really slow.”

And every time you’re certain your belly can’t get any bigger—it does.

Pregnancy is Weird

Pregnancy is beautiful, amazing, hard. Whatever. Mostly, pregnancy is weird. There are a million strange symptoms you could have because of being pregnant, and most of the time, no one knows exactly why. Some pregnancy symptoms could either be a sign of everything being perfectly normal--or a sign that something is terribly wrong. Like nausea or bleeding early on.

I read lots--probably too much--with my first pregnancy. I read a little bit with my second, because I knew that there were differences with a second pregnancy. But no one told me until I complained of it that your third is an entirely new battle too. Everything is already nice and stretched out and so there's a lot more pain and discomfort a lot earlier. Lots of women with three children tell me now that their third pregnancy was so much harder. Well, too late.

I've been more tired, more sore, and more uncomfortable a lot earlier on. Plus I've had weird symptoms that I never had before. Maybe I was just lucky before.

Swelling--I had minor swelling in my hands and feet before. But I never had my feet (or more often, just my left foot) swell up into marshmallows and get deep lines in them from wearing shoes. I guess it gives me an excuse to wear sandals everywhere. Those give me lines too, but at least I can slip them off when I sit down.

Bloody noses--This has seriously been a completely new and annoying one. I've gone weeks without a bloody noses, but then I'll have them in clusters. They come on suddenly and often last for twenty minutes. It's so fun to have a bloody nose in public. Or to have to pick up your daughter from school while holding your nose with a tissue. Or, my favorite, getting a bloody nose in the middle of the night and sitting in the bathroom pinching your nose at 3 a.m. instead of sleeping.

Baby activity--This probably has more to do with the baby than it being my third. I felt him move at 11 weeks. And unlike my girls, I don't have to be resting to feel him move. In fact, if you're ever sitting next to me, just watch my belly. It moves and wiggles frequently. I'm pretty sure I have bruises. Late evening is his favorite time and I timed him moving nonstop for more than an hour and a half. I'm excited to meet this child, but a little afraid of his activity level when he's a toddler.

One thing that has not surprised me is the tactless comments. At about 7 months along (where I am now) with all three is when people started assuming I was due any day now. Nope. Next they'll think I'm having twins. But as you can see from the pictures, I have a long way left to go. My belly can always get bigger. And thus far, it's never "popped."

Baby #3, 30 weeks

Baby #2, 40 weeks