Inconceivable: The final countdown

I've reached the "every time you cough, you think your water might be breaking" stage of pregnancy.

It's the final few weeks before my due date, and I'm tired. My back hurts. My feet and hands are swollen. I'm battling acid reflux and the constant need to pee. I'm at peak pregnancy.

I'm at that stage where I'm so ready to meet this baby and start getting my body back into shape.

Having a second child has been such a long three year journey. I started IVF last May and all those hormones and shots left me feeling pregnant even when I wasn't. So I guess I am extra rundown because my body has felt pregnant for a year now!

And now I'm near the finish line. I'm finally going to meet this baby who we've waited so long to hold. What will she be like? Will the birth go OK? How will our son react to the new baby?

My son looked at me a few weeks ago and said, "It would be very rare if you didn't have a baby now." As much as we've tried to shield him from the losses, he is smart. He knows about the "baby seeds" that didn't grow before. He plays Fortnite, so he knows "rare" as being something that doesn't often happen. Even he has been wondering if this baby is really coming this time.

I can't even think about giving birth without crying. And I really start crying when I think about my son meeting his baby sister. I've been so apprehensive. Even though I can feel her move, a small piece of me will not exhale until she is in my arms.

Now we are in a waiting game and heading to the OBGYN every week. I'll be taking some time off from blogging to allow myself to prepare for maternity leave.

I want to take this time to thank all of you for supporting us through this journey. When I started this blog, it was a way to heal from our second miscarriage. And as I started writing, I soon found out that I wasn't alone. You supported me through IVF and emailed me to share your own stories.

We found strength in numbers and in each other.

I'm truly grateful for your support. ​

Kathy is a mom of one and Out & About editor for WRAL.com. She writes for Go Ask Mom about her experience with secondary infertility, followed by her pregnancy.