33 Weeks

This week's post is almost a week late (sorry!) but here it is....

I'm 33 weeks (+5 days) and what a week it has been.  Last week Logan was sick (with a fever and a cough) Monday through Wednesday and he was still in a bit of a funk on Thursday.  He felt better Friday but then he kept throwing up on Saturday afternoon (in his carseat, on me, on the couch, etc.).  Thankfully he was back to his normal self on Sunday.  However, when he was sick, all he wanted was to be held by his mommy.  At one point, I carried him over to our coat closet to find a blanket that didn't have puke on it.  I didn't notice one of his toys on the floor and slipped on it with my right foot.  I didn't fall but I did a bit of pregnant "splits" (which wasn't really close to the splits at all) and I felt a strain in the lower part of my belly/pelvis.  I was still holding Logan and was in a LOT of pain.  Ever since then, when I try to get up and walk after sitting for a while, I have to move very slowly and deliberately because of the pain it causes.  When I got to work this morning, I called my doctor to see if he wanted me to come in earlier than Friday (my currently scheduled appointment) and they told me to go to Labor & Delivery at the hospital to get checked out "just in case".  I showed up around noon, dressed down in the hospital gown and they fitted my belly with the fetal heart monitor and some other monitor (I think for contractions?).  After monitoring me for about 30 minutes, the doctor told them to keep me there for observation for 2 hours and if everything was ok to send me home.  Everything turned out to be ok but I quickly learned that those beds are extremely uncomfortable!  I'm glad I get to move around while I'm in active labor, which reminds me that I need to work on my birth plan before my Friday appointment...

Last Friday at work, my coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower.  I was SO surprised and had absolutely no idea that they had been planning it for weeks, right under my nose.  I'm even more impressed that my boss was able to do it without me finding out.  I've been worried about buying all the stuff we'll need for the little gal, especially with our medical bills piling up, so this was a huge blessing.  One of the women from work found my registry and printed it out for all the men to do their shopping.  As a result, I got probably 90% of the items I really wanted/needed, which is a huge burden off of my shoulders :).  I still can't believe they pulled it off.  My coworkers are great :).

After the baby shower, I got all of her clothes, sheets, blankets, etc. together and washed everything.  They're now all neatly organized in piles on our couch and I neglected to think of where we're going to put it all.  We haven't yet gotten a dresser for her room so I guess they will stay on the couch until I find a place for them.... oops :).  I do feel a little better now that everything is washed and ready to go, though.  And now I know what to shop for when I get my 10% off coupon from Target.

And now on to the weekly updates:
Contractions: Still having Braxton Hicks contractions that are more "spotty".  They aren't full-on contractions, so I'm not concerned.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight:  My total is up to 20 lbs... I'll find out on Friday what the new number is :P
Swelling:  The swelling has settled down a little bit this week, which is think is mainly due to the weather being cooler.
Things to do: Still need to buy furniture and other items from my registry (Target), pre-make meals, write out my birth plan, pack the hospital bag, etc....
Heartburn:  It is under control but only because of my friend Zantac.
Stretching: I've continued using oil twice a day on my belly but the stretching is getting worse.  My stretch marks are stretching more and yesterday I noticed that I have a heat rash (or what looks like one) on my belly, which makes the itching even worse.  Gah... getting closer to being done!

I do need to note that everyone at work has been very supportive and has been looking out for my best interests.  I've started parking in the visitor's section right in front of the building and today my boss asked if I'd like my computer to be moved to an office downstairs so that I don't have to walk up as many stairs.  Sometimes I feel like they're a bit too concerned but I guess it's better this way than for them to completely disregard my safety :).

Anyway, I think this is long enough.  Don't forget to enter the ExpectNet contest with your guesses.  There are only 6-ish weeks left until my due date!

33 Weeks & Ultrasound Update

Today I am 33 weeks and 2 days along, which means less than 7 weeks to go until my due date :).  I've been feeling pretty good for the most part and I'm still fairly mobile.  I have trouble getting up from the couch and out of Jason's car, but am ok otherwise.  I only have a couple of complaints this week, which I think flow over from the past few weeks... The first one is pelvis/lower abdomen pain.  Every time I get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night or stand up from sitting for an extended period of time, I have to stand up very slowly because of the pain.  I assume it's normal for this stage of pregnancy, but I'm going to ask the midwife about it when I go in for my 34 week checkup next week.  The second complaint is sleep deprivation, which has been a problem for a couple of months now.  I know it's normal, but I really wish I could stock up on sleep now so that I'll be well rested when Logan arrives :).  I keep having to turn over because my back, hips, and legs hurt... and last night I had to get up to go to the bathroom 6 times!!!!  My doctor told me to limit my water drinking after 6pm, but I feel bad and get really thirsty if I don't drink much.

I had my 32 week appointment on Tuesday and it went well.  Since there are so many doctors and midwives at Kaiser Permanente, I've seen just about all of them at least once.  The doctor I saw this week I had only seen one other time and it was a few months ago.  As soon as he walked in, he said "we're all thinking of you and your baby", which kind-of surprised me.  He made it sound like everyone knows us and is familiar with our situation, which was nice.  He then said, "but thank God that we live in a day and time where heart problems can be caught early and taken care of".  He was very reassuring and made me feel very cared for :).  He asked about my ultrasound this week, which was Wednesday, and he said "oh good... we'll just check the oil and tire pressure today and Dr. Hamner will check the timing tomorrow".  Leave it to a man to relate pregnancy to car maintenance ;).

My ultrasound was on Wednesday with Dr. Hamner and it went pretty well.  His nurse, Sharon started the ultrasound by taking Logan's measurements and other general information.  She gave us a few pictures (which I haven't had time to scan, sorry!) and tried to get a good picture of him in 3D again, but he wouldn't cooperate.  The umbilical cord was floating in front of his mouth and he kept his hand in front of his face.  She printed a picture anyway, but about all you can see is the top part of his face.  He was asleep for her part, but as soon as Dr. Hamner came in to look at his heart, he woke up and flipped over, which made it so that he couldn't get a good view of anything.  He tried looking for about 40 minutes and was getting pretty frustrated, but I think he was finally able to see the things he needed to.  At the end, they told me that Logan is 4lbs 4oz and is still doing really well.  He still has the heart defect, but he's growing, strong, and active :).  So for all of you who guessed 9.5lbs or higher in our baby pool, you might want to enter a different guess ;).

On Friday, I went with my friend Christina to get a massage.  She got a regular one, but I obviously had to get a maternity massage.  I was hoping they would have a table with a hole for my belly, but they didn't ;).  Instead, the masseuse had combined 2 pillows to create a body pillow so that I could be comfortable and she would still have access to my back.  It was really nice... I requested that she use tangerine aromatherapy, so that's what the massage oil was scented.  She said that the right side of my back was really tense and she worked on that side for a while, but I probably should've said something to her when it started hurting (she was digging in a lot with her thumbs).  Today (2 days later) my back feels a bit bruised.  Even so, I still really enjoyed the massage and it was nice to be pampered for an hour :).

Finally, yesterday Jason and I got maternity pictures taken by a friend from church.  I think she took close to 400 (or more), so I'm hoping there will be some good ones to choose from :).  I told her that even though I'm pregnant, I don't want to look fat.  I know that's a difficult request, but I have faith in her ;).  If anything, I can just keep the belly pictures that don't include my face, ha.  I'll try to post some here and on facebook when they're ready :).

Okie dokie, here are the development updates for this week:

• Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring about 17 inches long, he weighs around 5lbs. And from this week, until 2 weeks before birth, he will gain about a half pound of weight every week.
• The bones in his skull are formed, but aren't fused. They actually don't fuse entirely until early adulthood, allowing room for his brain to grow through childhood. Because they aren't fused, the bones in his skull will be able to overlap, helping him to fit through the birth canal during delivery.

I forgot to mention that I've been buying little things for the nursery lately :).  I got a lamp, night light, a name sign for his door, and a couple of other random things.  Our goal for the next few weeks is to find a dresser, glider, and possibly a nightstand.  Please leave a comment if you know of any good (and affordable) furniture places.  

Don't forget to enter your guess in our baby pool via the banner on the right side of the page.  You can guess multiple times and you don't have to register for an account ;).