I've been feeling a little better this week... however, as I sit here typing, I'm getting shooting pains from my hips down into my legs (welcome back, sciatic nerve pain). It seems to come and go as it pleases.
I had my 32 week checkup on Thursday and it went well. I gained another couple of pounds, which puts me up to a total of 20 gained. My blood pressure was 120/70, which is holding steady :). I asked about my pelvic pain and he said the baby is just getting bigger and lower, which is what I expected to hear. There's really not a whole lot I can do besides wait it out.
The updates I've read are all over the map as far as the estimated weight of the baby... I'm guessing she's around 4.5 lbs and at least 16 inches long. My belly is starting to change shape a bit and is dropping. I already have a long torso, which means I have to wear longer maternity shirts but now I might have to find some tunics or something even longer so my belly doesn't start hanging out like a plumber. I've also read that the baby can gain half a pound per week from here until she's born, which could possibly put her at 9 lbs, whew. We'll see how that goes ;). That reminds me, please enter your birth guesses in my ExpectNet game! Just click on the icon on the right side of the page... you don't have to register for an account or anything and it's completely free :).
Contractions: I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions just about daily. They don't cover my entire belly like my labor contractions did with Logan, though. These are more like spot pains.
Cravings: Nothing this week.
Weight: My total is up to 20 lbs.
Swelling: My poor feet have been permanently swollen this week. They're ok today but I'm sure they will puff up again from sitting at my desk at work all day tomorrow. My hands have been slightly swollen in the evenings too but they aren't as severe as my feet.
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's been fairly bad this week. If I don't take something for it twice a day (around 1pm and 10pm) I end up regretting it.
Stretching: There's one specific spot on the left side of my belly that feels like it's stretching constantly and it hurts pretty bad. I've been using the Burt's Bees Mama Bee Oil on my belly twice daily and I think that has helped with the rest of the stretching, itching, and general discomfort.
That's about it for now. Will be back in a few days with week 33 :).
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
31 Weeks
So the main thing for this week is pelvic pain... or more specifically, lower pelvic pain. I feel like the baby is starting to drop. Either that or she is just growing and stretching out. My 32 week checkup is on Wednesday so I plan on asking the doctor about it. I've been feeling the baby's hands moving near my bladder and her feet right up under my chest. She's taking up as much room as she can :). I've been feeling what I think are her feet moving across my belly. I had Jason feel it a couple days ago and his response was something along the lines of "whoa... weird". Gotta love him ;).
I've been fighting a cold for the past couple weeks and I think it's finally almost gone. Combined with the normal pregnancy congestion, it has made any activity (including breathing) very difficult. I've been using my humidifier at night, which I think has helped but I'm hoping it will help even more when she starts to drop toward the last month or so of the pregnancy.
I found a great new (to me) website for my weekly updates - www.alphamom.com. I started reading the updates and was cracking up. They're very real and don't try to sugar-coat the unpleasant symptoms. Here are a couple of highlights from this week's post:
Your Baby:
New This Time Around: That said, I don’t think I ever had heartburn bad enough last time that I thought I was dying and should consider driving to the hospital, nor did my husband ever attempt to TIME MY WAVES OF HEARTBURN because he said I was acting exactly like I did when I was in labor.
I agree with pretty much all of the above ;). Now for the items that are becoming more important nowadays:
Contractions: None yet that I've noticed. Although now that I say that, I just felt a cramping feeling on the left side of my belly. Hrm.
Cravings: Nothing specific - this pregnancy has been pretty boring in that area
Weight: We don't have a functioning scale at home so we'll see what the verdict is at my appointment. Last week my total was +18 lbs.
Swelling: feet and sometimes a little in my hands - I prop my feet up at work a lot :)
Things to do: EVERYTHING, or so it seems. 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: Not as bad this week but that's probably because my doctor recommended taking a higher dose of Zantac. I'm still only taking as needed, though.
Stretching: and stretching and stretching. My stretch marks from Logan are stretching, gah. A few spots have really been hurting and itching this week. I bought some Burt's Bees oil to try on my belly tonight. I hope it helps to make the stretching less painful.
Well, I think that's all for now. I'm hoping my appointment this week will go well. Will post as soon as I can afterward.
I've been fighting a cold for the past couple weeks and I think it's finally almost gone. Combined with the normal pregnancy congestion, it has made any activity (including breathing) very difficult. I've been using my humidifier at night, which I think has helped but I'm hoping it will help even more when she starts to drop toward the last month or so of the pregnancy.
I found a great new (to me) website for my weekly updates - www.alphamom.com. I started reading the updates and was cracking up. They're very real and don't try to sugar-coat the unpleasant symptoms. Here are a couple of highlights from this week's post:
Your Baby:
- Blah blah blah 3.3 pounds, bag of oranges, sock full of nickels, etc.
- Enjoys yawning, sucking his or her thumb, kicking mom in the diaphragm.
- Turn-offs include: getting the hiccups, really loud noises and you trying to do all that boring “sleeping” at night.
- Can totally round down your answer to “two months” when people ask you how much longer you have to go. DO NOT focus on the crazy week-to-month-ratio math at this point in pregnancy, particularly when there are breakable, smashy objects within reach.
- May be weirdly and inexplicably congested all the time. I, for one, appear to be allergic to my pillow. This is also prime time for pregnancy colds, as the toll on your body and immune system is getting higher by the week. Take it easy, slow down, take your vitamins and try try try to get enough sleep.
- Can now play everybody’s favorite game, Guess The Body Part That’s Sticking Out Next To My Belly Button! Elbow or heel? Head or butt? Did I seriously just maybe feel my baby’s BIG TOE?
New This Time Around: That said, I don’t think I ever had heartburn bad enough last time that I thought I was dying and should consider driving to the hospital, nor did my husband ever attempt to TIME MY WAVES OF HEARTBURN because he said I was acting exactly like I did when I was in labor.
I agree with pretty much all of the above ;). Now for the items that are becoming more important nowadays:
Contractions: None yet that I've noticed. Although now that I say that, I just felt a cramping feeling on the left side of my belly. Hrm.
Cravings: Nothing specific - this pregnancy has been pretty boring in that area
Weight: We don't have a functioning scale at home so we'll see what the verdict is at my appointment. Last week my total was +18 lbs.
Swelling: feet and sometimes a little in my hands - I prop my feet up at work a lot :)
Things to do: EVERYTHING, or so it seems. 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: Not as bad this week but that's probably because my doctor recommended taking a higher dose of Zantac. I'm still only taking as needed, though.
Stretching: and stretching and stretching. My stretch marks from Logan are stretching, gah. A few spots have really been hurting and itching this week. I bought some Burt's Bees oil to try on my belly tonight. I hope it helps to make the stretching less painful.
Well, I think that's all for now. I'm hoping my appointment this week will go well. Will post as soon as I can afterward.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
30 Weeks
I had my 30 week checkup earlier this week and everything went well. My weight gain is up to 18 lbs and my blood pressure was holding steady at 110/80. I saw a doctor I hadn't met yet so it was good to ask him a few questions just to get a different perspective. I asked about items that I'll be including on my birth plan (delayed cord clamping, walking around during labor, pulse ox testing, etc.) and he basically said that I can do anything I want as long as it doesn't endanger me or the baby. He used to practice medicine in Seattle so he said I can bring in bongo drums and burn incense for all he cares.... I won't be doing either of those, but it's good to know that they're flexible :).
Stretching
I was worried earlier in the week because I kept getting pains in a certain spot on my belly and I was thinking they could either be Braxton Hicks contractions or just the baby readjusting. When I was in the shower on Saturday morning, I looked at my belly (getting harder to do) and noticed my stretch marks are stretching and it looks like there's some blood starting to break through the layers of skin. No wonder it hurts! I think I might try using some Bio Oil on my belly go keep it moisturized. I've been using Me! Bath body icing (lotion), which feels and smells really nice but I think I need something more oil-based. I dunno. Any recommendations are welcome :).
Sleeping
Horrible. I haven't been sleeping well at all and it's due to a combination of things. First of all, I'm just uncomfortable and it's hard for me to get into any position without getting pains around my belly, pelvis, legs, etc. I'm having trouble breathing because my lungs are squished and I've been sick with a cold for the past 4 or 5 days. On top of getting up at least 3 times each night to go to the bathroom, I've been getting up to blow my nose and try to clear my throat by drinking water... which makes me have to use the bathroom even more. Finally, Logan has been waking up in the middle of the night (every night) crying for mommy so I've been getting up to put him back to bed. This has been going on for the past week and I'm hoping it's just a phase but I don't know what else to do. Jason wants me to let him cry it out but at that time of night, I'd rather just put him back in bed than listen to him cry. I'm sure most moms out there understand what I'm talking about. Anyway... any tips for that would also be appreciated.
Stress
I think I'm just starting to let things get to me more than usual but I'm trying not to let them stress me out. We've had a bunch of medical bills come in recently and even though I'm covered by 2 insurances, the charges aren't being covered like I assumed they would be. The ultrasound place I've been going to is apparently considered a "specialist" practice, so they're billed differently than if I had gone to a different place. That would've been nice to know. I'm also starting to get anxious about making sure everything is ready for the baby. The walls are painted in her room but nothing else has really been done. I'm trying to collect a couple pieces of clothing for her each month but we still need bedroom furniture and other items from my registry. Logan will also need a "big boy" bed so that we can move the crib to the baby's room. I know that everything will fall into place but I'll blame hormones for the time being. I just feel like there's SO much left to do and very little time (about 10 weeks or less!).
Contest
I added a link to the upper right side of the page to "Expect Net" where you can enter birthday, birth weight, length, etc. guesses. It's just a fun competition to see who guesses the closest to the real thing. My due date is December 11th... if anyone guesses past the 17th, I'll be coming for you. I was told by the doctor that if I reach 41 weeks (as I did with Logan), they will do a c-section. Labor has to start spontaneously in order for me to have a VBAC so I'll be trying all of the 'old wives' tricks.
I think that's about it for now other than announcing that my youngest brother and his wife are now parents, yay! Their little boy Briggs was born yesterday and is probably one of the cutest babies I've ever seen. I can't wait to meet him :). I love it when people I know become parents so that they will know the joy (and stress...) that comes with having kids ;). Love you guys!
Stretching
I was worried earlier in the week because I kept getting pains in a certain spot on my belly and I was thinking they could either be Braxton Hicks contractions or just the baby readjusting. When I was in the shower on Saturday morning, I looked at my belly (getting harder to do) and noticed my stretch marks are stretching and it looks like there's some blood starting to break through the layers of skin. No wonder it hurts! I think I might try using some Bio Oil on my belly go keep it moisturized. I've been using Me! Bath body icing (lotion), which feels and smells really nice but I think I need something more oil-based. I dunno. Any recommendations are welcome :).
Sleeping
Horrible. I haven't been sleeping well at all and it's due to a combination of things. First of all, I'm just uncomfortable and it's hard for me to get into any position without getting pains around my belly, pelvis, legs, etc. I'm having trouble breathing because my lungs are squished and I've been sick with a cold for the past 4 or 5 days. On top of getting up at least 3 times each night to go to the bathroom, I've been getting up to blow my nose and try to clear my throat by drinking water... which makes me have to use the bathroom even more. Finally, Logan has been waking up in the middle of the night (every night) crying for mommy so I've been getting up to put him back to bed. This has been going on for the past week and I'm hoping it's just a phase but I don't know what else to do. Jason wants me to let him cry it out but at that time of night, I'd rather just put him back in bed than listen to him cry. I'm sure most moms out there understand what I'm talking about. Anyway... any tips for that would also be appreciated.
Stress
I think I'm just starting to let things get to me more than usual but I'm trying not to let them stress me out. We've had a bunch of medical bills come in recently and even though I'm covered by 2 insurances, the charges aren't being covered like I assumed they would be. The ultrasound place I've been going to is apparently considered a "specialist" practice, so they're billed differently than if I had gone to a different place. That would've been nice to know. I'm also starting to get anxious about making sure everything is ready for the baby. The walls are painted in her room but nothing else has really been done. I'm trying to collect a couple pieces of clothing for her each month but we still need bedroom furniture and other items from my registry. Logan will also need a "big boy" bed so that we can move the crib to the baby's room. I know that everything will fall into place but I'll blame hormones for the time being. I just feel like there's SO much left to do and very little time (about 10 weeks or less!).
Contest
I added a link to the upper right side of the page to "Expect Net" where you can enter birthday, birth weight, length, etc. guesses. It's just a fun competition to see who guesses the closest to the real thing. My due date is December 11th... if anyone guesses past the 17th, I'll be coming for you. I was told by the doctor that if I reach 41 weeks (as I did with Logan), they will do a c-section. Labor has to start spontaneously in order for me to have a VBAC so I'll be trying all of the 'old wives' tricks.
I think that's about it for now other than announcing that my youngest brother and his wife are now parents, yay! Their little boy Briggs was born yesterday and is probably one of the cutest babies I've ever seen. I can't wait to meet him :). I love it when people I know become parents so that they will know the joy (and stress...) that comes with having kids ;). Love you guys!
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