Symptoms; Diagnosis: Pregnancy

For most of this pregnancy when people ask how I'm feeling, I have been able to honestly say, "GREAT! AMAZING!" with a look of delirium on my face. (Delirium over excitement about baby and also over the idea of not working for a little while.)

This past week when people ask how I feel, I have to say, "I'm getting uncomfortable." I still feel great and amazing in many ways. I can bend over to put on my own shoes if I spread my legs out wide, and I can put on my own socks if I balance on one leg. I do not have much backache or swelling in my legs- some, not a ton. But what is really bugging me is the feeling in my pelvic area:
1. Muscle spasms in right inner thigh that hit randomly when I sit or walk. Yesterday, it spasmed when I was seated. This has been the past four days and getting worse. It's because the baby is very low, about 3 inches from the outside world if you know what I mean. The spasms are getting more frequent and more painful.  

Note: don't let the teeny-looking belly above fool you. I am positively huge. That photo is from 2 weeks ago. In the photos I took last night with my petite friends, I look like an absolute MONSTER.

2. Shooting pains in cervix. These I actually like, because this to me says, "Something is happening in the part of your body that's supposed to open up and let the baby out." I've been feeling stuff in my cervix for about 2 weeks, but yesterday I got 4 sharp pains right after the other. "Ow!" I said, but secretly was hoping for more. My doctor says I'm not dilated, but that's OK. I like to think my cervix is getting READY to dilate.
I think these things only bug me because I have to be pretty active at work. It's annoying to have to stand up to get papers, or answer my phone, or go to a meeting, or do some stupid errand downstairs. My inner thigh and heavy belly just want to sit on a couch.

Other issues:
3. Peeing every 2 hours at night. I'm OK with that, but the problem is, at the 3rd wakeup at 4 am... I often cannot get back to bed. Like, at this very second it's 4:44 am. I woke up at 4:08, laid in bed until 4:25, then got up. This has been happening for over a week, and it's tiring me out. My days have been too busy to nap, and now I have a cold because I got worn down. I don't even think it's a cold; I think I'm just fatigued. This is not good, because I don't want to go into a possibly long labor when I am already exhausted.
4. I'm finally doing that slow pregnant walk. My pelvis just feels heavy, for obvious reasons. I've got 20 pounds of stuff chilling out below my belly button. Walking this slowly makes it harder to get stuff done at work. But believe me, I am wrapping things up. I almost have everything ready for whomever my sub will be. Kids' grades are basically done... if I had this baby tomorrow, I'd be ready.

I don't mean to sound complain-y. I'm still out of my mind deliriously happy and I feel great. I think I am so focused on the physical things because I so badly hope they mean I'll have the baby soon. I don't mean to be impatient, but I'd like to move on from "preparing for baby" to "taking care of baby." I'm ready for this new person to be around.

People are starting to annoy me with their (as if I didn't KNOW THIS) common comment, "First time moms are usually late."
a. No freakin' DUH.
b. That doesn't mean *I* will be late, thank you very much.
c. Do I have to tell you that I am having shooting pains in my cervix, or tell you that I can reach in and feel the baby's head (remember the top of his head is only 3 inches from us!) to give you a hint that I personally think this baby will NOT be a week late?

I know people are just trying to tell me, "It's OK if you're impatient for this baby, but it might take even more time, so I don't want you to start going stir-crazy when he's a week late." That's what they mean, but it feels like they are telling me what my body is doing, when I think it is doing something else.

This feeling of irritation from me is probably due to my fear that he WILL be late- I don't mind him being late, but doctors around here tend to really want to induce you if you are late, and I DO NOT want to be induced. Many of the birth horror stories I hear relate to pitocin, the drug they give to stimulate uterine contractions. Evidently, that either a) hurts like hell or b) doesn't work on you, so you have to have a c-section. I really want to see what my body will do on its own... if I reach 42 weeks, which is when the World Health Organization says it's fair game to induce, then I'm fine with being induced. But if 41 weeks is AVERAGE for a first time mom, why the hell does my doctor say they prefer to induce at 41? That just annoys me. I don't want that painful induction drug unless I really need it.

The doc says that's because 41 weeks is when the placenta starts to deteriorate and the amniotic fluid can get low. Well, the WHO says that happens at 42, so don't rush me at 41 if the baby's heartrate still looks good and if my fluid is fine! I repeat: I do not want to be induced! Listen, all I'm asking for is 41 and a HALF.

I think after I hit my due date Wednesday, I'm going to start my own little induction campaign.