11 (Somewhat Ridiculous) Reasons I Don’t Want My Pregnancy to End

I'm due to have my third baby in less than a week. There are plenty of reasons I'm ready to be done--and lots on the non-gestational horizon I'm genuinely giddy about: drinking alcohol, sleeping on my stomach, getting my body back, meeting the baby. But I am not one of those women who gets to the end of a pregnancy and thinks, get this baby out of me! I'm lucky that I have easy pregnancies. I'm not uncomfortable (being 5'10" helps with that). And: Knowing this is my last time doing it (we are definitely done after number three) has me clinging to the final days. The past nine months have flown by, which is a great thing don't get me wrong, but I feel like I haven't savored the good stuff enough. And I'm just not ready to say goodbye to my pregnant self. Here, the nitty-gritty reasons why:

1. Being 30 pounds overweight and having people tell me I look great does not get old. As soon as I give birth, I'm on the clock for getting back in shape (my clock, which is certainly not a Kardashian clock, but I do want to look good by spring).

2. The baby is as safe and sound as she'll ever be right now. I feel like a pretty damn good mom to this kid so far. I've fed her well, I've protected her, I've taken my pre-natals religiously. I can only screw it up from here.

3. Ben and Jerry's. I don't knock down pints of Chocolate Fudge Brownie in my real life. It's just not my thing but in my pregnant life? Hell, yeah. Same goes for some of my other pregnancy indulgences (Carvel soft serve, egg and cheese on a croissant from Dunkin Donuts, Doritos). I'm not sure I've gotten my junk-food fill yet.

4. We still don't have a name.

5. Feeling the baby move in the last months of pregnancy is such a cool experience. It's also kind of creepy and alien-like and sometimes hurts, but I do love sitting on the couch at night watching legs and arms stretch across my stomach. I'll never feel that again after this week.

6. People are really nice to you when you're with child. They look at you like you have magic powers--and you do. I'm going to miss that. Once the child is actually with you it's all about what you're feeding them (that would be formula), how you're dressing them, how they're sleeping and judgment, judgment, judgment.

7. This is the last time in my life--the last few days of my life--where I won't have to hold in my stomach. Even when I am at my thinnest, sucking in my gut is a daily activity. One I don't enjoy.

8. I'm not ready. I have diapers and bottles and a loaner car seat so technically I can do this. But the nursery is unfinished, the clothes haven't been washed and I'm still on deadline for an HGTV magazine story, which is subsequently making me want to redecorate every room of my house before the baby comes. Not helpful.

9. I want a little more time with my family of four. My other two kids are so sweet and excited about this baby but I just feel like their world is going to be rocked when she arrives. I want to take them out to a special dinner and spend a day with each of them on their own and really enjoy them. I just don't know if there's time.

10. I have to go back on my cancer meds pretty much right away and I really like not having to take them. It's not that I have a ton of side effects--I really have none to speak of--but psychologically it was nice to swap my life-saving cancer meds for prenatals for nine months.

11. I'm anxious. About giving birth (I'll be doing it drug free-ouch!), about caring for a newborn, about lack of sleep, about how I'm going to juggle it all, about my other two kids picking up the baby when I'm not looking. I know it's my third and I should be a pro by this point but I am truly worried about all of it. Perhaps that's why I'm focusing on 1-10 when really the only issue is this one: I'm nervous. And I think think that's normal...right?

OK, that's it for now! So, did you get this way at the end of your pregnancy or were you ready to say goodbye to your belly and all that came with it?