29 Weeks

Wow, every time I sit down to write a new post, I feel like the week has flown by... and here I am at 29 weeks!  It still seems like my due date is pretty far off (about 11 weeks away... after Thanksgiving) but at the same time, I know the weeks will go by really quickly. 

This week has been a pretty good one.  We've been trying to go on family walks at night since the weather has cooled off considerably.  They're pretty relaxed walks but they're walks nonetheless :). 

A few things that I've noticed this week are:

Heartburn
I've had heartburn almost daily for the past month (at least) but it has gotten worse this week.  If anyone knows of any home/natural remedies that I can try, please let me know!

Aches
My legs have been kind-of achy a few times this week, almost how your muscles can feel when you have a fever.  When his happens, I just try to stretch them out but that doesn't seem to help.  I haven't experienced it the past day or two, so hopefully it was just a random thing that won't come back.  Another pain/discomfort that seems to be back is my rib pain.  I don't think it will ever get completely better until after she is born.  I might have to go back to the chiropractor to get it pushed back into place.

Swelling
I think I have to say goodbye to my ankle bones until after the baby gets here because my ankles and feet have been puffing up quite a bit this week.  As long as my blood pressure stays within a normal range, my doctor doesn't seem to be overly concerned about it.  It just means I have been spending a lot of time after work with my feet up on the couch... and at work, I've been putting my feet up on a pulled-out desk drawer.  The men at work know that it's in their best interest to not say anything about it ;).

Nursery
I'm slowly getting items together to decorate the nursery.  I will try to post pictures in my next weekly post if anyone is curious about the 'theme'.  I'm excited to see how it all comes together :).

Sleep
Basically I'm not getting much of it.  I keep waking up because I'm uncomfortable, I have acid reflux, I have to go to the bathroom, etc.  Also, Logan has been waking up more frequently in the middle of the night so I've been getting up to snuggle him and put him back to bed.  I don't know if it's an attention thing or what but hopefully it's just a phase that passes quickly.  Also, I've been snoring lately which has been hard on Jason (poor guy) and Breathe Right nasal strips don't seem to be helping much. So whenever I wake up for one of the aforementioned reasons, I feel guilty about keeping Jason awake from my snoring which makes me sleep lighter because I'm trying to make a conscious effort to not snore.  Ugh. 

Missing Feet
My belly has officially caused my feet to disappear, which is really saying something when you consider that I wear size 12 shoes.  I told Jason the other day "I feel like I'm following something" when I walk around because my belly is quite prominent.  My boss was cracking up the other day while watching me attempt to put socks on.  I guess he can laugh all he wants... because I'll be laughing while I'm on maternity leave, thinking about the amount of work he gets to do ;).  Anyway, my belly has a definite presence :).

I think that's about all for now.  My next appointment is on Wednesday so I'll post an update soon after that :).

29 Weeks

This week has been an extremely busy one.  I had my ultrasound with the cardiologist on Monday (see previous post for details).  On Tuesday, I had my 28 week checkup with one of the midwives at Kaiser Permanente.  This was a very "loaded" appointment :).  I haven't had many questions to ask at my previous appointments, but this time I brought post-it notes covered in them.  She was great and answered everything I asked.  For example, I asked about episiotomies, childbirth classes & alternatives, breast pumps, etc.  She was very helpful :).  She also gave me a packet of information to prepare for labor and delivery including forms to pre-register for the hospital.  That was definitely an eye-opener for me, because it means (as my friend Ginger likes to say) this is not a drill!!!  This is for real, people :).  I'm excited to get everything taken care of, though, and I really appreciate that they allow their patients to register ahead of time so that I'm not huffing and puffing through contractions and trying to fill out paperwork.

I also showed her my birth plan and she read over it.  She said everything should be ok, but she wants me to have the specialist doctor look over it first before adding it to my file.  Anyway, she listened to Logan's heartbeat and said it sounds good.  She also looked at my stretch marks because I told her they've been stinging lately.  She said that it looks like some of them are close to bleeding (?!?!?!).  I had no idea that could actually happen, but she said to keep using cocoa butter creams to help my skin stretch easier.  Also, I have a slight rash on my stomach (which I believe is also a result of stretching) and she said again, to keep using the creams and to let my belly air out as much as possible in the morning after my shower.  I'm trying my hardest to keep from scratching it because it itches sooooo bad!  Oh, the joys of pregnancy!!!

Also at this appointment, I had to do the 1 hour glucose test again.  I passed it last time (at 14 weeks, I think?) with a 105.  Anything under 130 (I think) is passing, so I was hoping for the same result again.  This time they didn't even give me an option of the flavor so I ended up drinking the orange variety.  It wasn't bad, though.  Just like the lemon-lime, it tasted like a melted popsicle.  After a failed attempt of taking my blood from my arm, they ended up filling 2 vials from my hand.  As a side note, if I need an IV when I'm in labor, they had better be on their game!!!  I'm not a pincushion!  Anyway, I passed the test again this time with a 110, woot!  They also tested my iron and I'm not anemic, woot woot! :)

Tuesday night, I attended a Breastfeeding Basics class, which was very informative.  We (pregnant women in attendance) watched a 30 minute video on proper latching and then we spent the next couple of hours talking about latching positions and asking questions.  She also gave us a book and a lot of other information (pamphlets, etc.).  She even included a couple of magnets to put on our fridge, HAHA.  I don't think either Jason or I would want breastfeeding information plastered on our fridge :).  Anyway, I'm glad I took the class and I'm feeling more comfortable with breastfeeding when the time comes.

Also this week, I have an ingrown toenail that became infected, so I got to go to the doctor for that today.

Finally, another pleasant symptom of pregnancy has popped up this week:  swelling.  My poor ankles and feet start to get puffy, especially if I've been walking around a lot or working all day.  I'm trying to prop them up as much as I can, though, and I'm looking into buying a new cute pair of wide shoes to start wearing :P.

Anyway, I think that's all for now.  Sorry if this has been rambly.  Here are the development details for the week:

• Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring roughly 15 inches long, he weighs close to 2 1/2 lbs. For the first time, his head is in proportion with the rest of his body!
• By 29 weeks, his brain can control his body's temperature. His eyes can move in his sockets and his muscles and lungs continue to mature. His bone marrow is now producing red blood cells and fat continues to develop under his skin.

Thanks for dropping in to check on us!  I need to go to bed now, cuz I'm going to the circus in the morning, yay! :)  Have a good one :).