10 Reasons the Last Week of Pregnancy Is the Hardest

You made it nearly 40 weeks, pat yourself on the back! I know your pregnancy has been a whirlwind of ups and downs. You very likely have discovered some REALLY weird stuff that happens during pregnancy that you weren’t expecting. I am so sorry for that, The Been There Done That Club’s messaging could be clearer. But now you’re in the homestretch, and you can practically see the finish line. You probably won’t be able to hobble your ass over it, but that’s OK! You’ll get there. But not before this last week of pregnancy, which is the actual hardest. Every stage of pregnancy has it’s drawbacks, but this last week is the worst.

The last week of pregnancy should be the best week, in theory. You’re almost done! Your baby is almost here! But before they arrive, you have one more week of this shit.

1. And by this shit, I mean hemorrhoids.

Perhaps you’ve dabbled in hemorrhoids at various points in your pregnancy. But the last few weeks, they can get bad. Like, fire in the hole, how can something itch like this, sitting hurts bad. And the kicker? You probably can’t even reach your butt to apply cream or rub the itchy away! The combination of your growing uterus (yes, it can get bigger), the constipation (so great) and your body ramping up the progesterone can wreak havoc on your butt. The upside: you probably won’t notice them after the baby is born, because that whole area is going to be a disaster.

2. You’re SO close. But time will cease to exist that last week. Minutes will feel like hours.

Pregnancy time is SO messed up. 40 weeks doesn’t seem like that long? But it will feel forever, and simultaneously feel like the fastest 40 weeks of your life. That will never feel more true than that last week. Things are happening, the baby is dropping, goo is coming out of your nethers, contractions are kicking up. But will it be today? Tomorrow? A year from now? No one knows, because time has lost all meaning. That last week will feel like the entirety of your pregnancy, just dragging on.

3. One of the reasons that last week drags on? You probably won’t be sleeping much. Or at all. Minor details.

If EVER there was a week you needed plenty of sleep, it’s the last week of pregnancy. But will you get plenty of sleep? LOL no. A few things about that last week: you will very likely be MASSIVELY uncomfortable, as you’ve officially run out of uterus space and the baby is like, I’m just chill here for a while and do back handsprings in my tiny space, nbd! You might be having contractions off and on, and good luck sleeping through those. Your brain will not STFU and your mind will be racing with a million different things (do I have enough diapers? Is that pee or amniotic fluid? What the hell was I thinking, I can’t actually do this?!). It’s great.

4. Speaking of pee…

I don’t even know where it all comes from that last week of pregnancy. But you might as well just set up shop on the toilet, because you will have to pee every three minutes, at all hours of the day. Don’t leave the house, unless you can guarantee there will be immediate access to a bathroom. Don’t sneeze or cough or laugh too hard, unless you want to wet yourself.

5. Getting comfortable that last week is damn near impossible.

The last week of my pregnancy with my oldest, I just laid on the couch like some sort of beached whale. Couldn’t move, didn’t want to move. But it never fails: as soon as I got slightly comfortable, I had to pee! Your body has done some amazing work for the last 39 weeks, and right about now, it’s DONE. Everything hurts, breathing is hard, what a beautiful and magical time.

6. People won’t leave you the hell alone.

During the last week of pregnancy, you will feel like the most popular girl in the world! Calls, texts, emails, drop-in visitors. Everyone wants to know if you’re in labor, about to go into labor, or have had the baby. Your friends and loved ones have been counting down the days too, and according to their calculations, you should have had the baby by now! Honestly, it can get a little annoying. Especially once you realize they’re all just trying to get the inside scoop for the baby pool they have $20 riding on.

7. The last week of pregnancy is the hardest because you don’t really KNOW if it’s the last week of pregnancy. It could be! Or it could … not.

Sure, you have a due date. And you will laser focus on that due date for your entire pregnancy. And during that final week, you will look longingly at that day on your calendar as the day this will finally end. That day will come, and that day may go, and you will still be pregnant. Because bodies are rude and babies are weird and guess what? They come out whenever the fuck they want to come out. You will go full I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MANAGER mode, and then realize that you are the manager, and then you will cry.

8. Regrets, you may have them.

It’s TOTALLY common to be scared as shit during your pregnancy. It’s a scary thing you’re doing! But then you get over it, and you get excited again. And repeat, approximately 1732564 times throughout your pregnancy. Here’s the thing: even though you are pregnant, and you know theoretically that you will indeed be having this baby one day, it doesn’t really feel … real, while you’re pregnant. It’s all very hypothetical leading up to that final week. But once that final week rolls around? Sheeeeeeeet. It’s real. It’s happening. This baby is coming and what the holy fuck was I thinking, I can’t do this, this is insane, why did we do this???? If there’s one thing worse than your broken body during that final stretch, it’s your broken brain. You are doing this, YOU CAN DO THIS, brains need to shut the entire fuck up.

9. If you leave the house, oh the comments and looks you will get.

Dealing with other people should be avoided at all costs during that last week of pregnancy. If you have to run to Target for a few last minute supplies, people are going to stare. The staring is easy to deal with, but people will also make comments. For whatever reason, the general population loses their ever-loving minds when it comes to pregnant women, and socially acceptable behavior goes right out the window. Would you ever approach a complete stranger to comment on the size of their belly? No. But people will do that to you in that final week. “Wow, should you be out of the house? You look like you’re ready to burst!” It’s OK to punch these people. Or pee on them! You’ve got plenty of that stored up.

10. It’s the last week of pregnancy. Meaning: it’s your last week before your life changes in ways I can’t even begin to describe. It’s emotional and terrifying.

It’s been real this whole time, but right now, it feels more real than anything has ever felt in your life. You’ve taken the leap, you’re pregnant, this baby is coming, and you’re going to be a MOM. The last week is when all those emotions and fears really come to a head. You can be the most prepared pregnant person in the world, but what comes next is filled with so many unknowns. And it’s scary. But you will be OK. You made it this far, and the next leg of the journey will be as wild and messed up and amazing as the one you’re about to complete. Let yourself feel that in those final days! You’re going to be just fine.

The last week of pregnancy is just so hard! But you made it this far. You will get through it. Then, the real fun begins.

(Image: iStock/TatyanaGl)