I'm doing it early this week (by a day?!) as we have a lot to do to prepare for this weekend. DIAPER PARTY!!
What I love: All of his rolling movements, and how I swear Kit is playing a game with me. He'll get to rolling a ton, then I'll look down to catch a glimpse at it, and he'll stop mid-roll! Like, dead stop. It's ridiculous. Then I'll look away and he'll go at it again!! He does this all the time. This time, we went through that rigmarole, then as I kept my head up, I peered my eyes down to my stomach, and I saw a few HUGE rolls. HA! Take that, Kit!! ;) Caught in the act!!
What I hate: My bigger belly, if only because I’m super self-conscious about it. My weight, but I’m trying to get over that. And the fact that reaching my shoes is getting harder, even if my belly is “tiny”! [Same]
What I miss: My body, lol. And some wine!! [Same]
What I’m looking forward to the most: I’m looking forward to our St. Patrick’s Day diaper shindig.
[Same] My friend at work here is doing a maternity shoot for me, too, this Saturday! I'm so excited!!Worries: Cesarean delivery. I’m still freaking out a bit about that. [Same] I'm also getting increasingly freaked out about birth itself, so that's... yanno, not fun.
Symptoms: A bigger belly, pregnancy rhinitis, soooooo tiiiiiiired, RLP. The third-trimester exhaustion is kicking in, I think. Yikes… [Same] It was also pointed out to me that I have the pregnant waddle now. LOL AWESOME
Mood: Up and down, mostly due to outside influences. I feel good for the most part, but PEOPLE, I swear.
Sleep: Good when I sleep. I AM getting up regularly during the night now, once or (usually) twice. So I'll pee before going to bed, twice at night, and once when I wake up. Good times!
Movement: Lots of it! Mostly rolls and nudges rather than hard kicks, it’s coming down to, but he still moves a LOT. [Same]
The belly (and the button!): Bigger belly, much more shallow belly button. STILL not flat, even if it is much more shallow than before. It’s starting to pucker. LOL [Same] (STILL NOT OUT!)
Wedding rings on or off: On!
Weight gain: I’m up 19lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. I lost some weight after the norovirus, and while my weight keeps struggling to get past a 20-lb weight gain again, it's having a hard time staying there.
Milestones: 6 weeks away from my due date and 2 weeks from them not starting labor when it happens! I'm almost at term, which is exciting and scary all at once. :)
How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.How your life's changing:
By this week, fatigue has probably set in again, though maybe not with the same coma-like intensity of your first trimester. Your tiredness is perfectly understandable, given the physical strain you're under and the restless nights of frequent pee breaks and tossing and turning, while trying to get comfortable.Now's the time to slow down and save up your energy for labor day (and beyond). If you've been sitting or lying down for a long time, don't jump up too quickly. Blood can pool in your feet and legs, causing a temporary drop in your blood pressure when you get up that can make you feel dizzy.
If you notice itchy red bumps or welts on your belly and possibly your thighs and buttocks as well, you may have a condition called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP for short).
Up to one percent of pregnant women develop PUPPP, which is harmless but can be quite uncomfortable. See your practitioner so she can make sure it's not a more serious problem, provide treatment to make you more comfortable, and refer you to a dermatologist if necessary. Also be sure to call her if you feel intense itchiness all over your body, even if you don't have a rash. It could signal a liver problem.
Slide your way to slumber "In the third trimester, turning over in bed is a nightmare. The solution? Big satin pajamas and even satin sheets — the slipperiness of satin helps tremendously!" — Carrie
This Week's Activity:
Make a labor contingency plan. You may go into labor early or have a complication that requires you to be in the hospital longer than you anticipated. Give at least one friend or neighbor the keys to your house in case you need something and can't get home. Line up people to do the following on a moment's notice:- Take care of children
- Drive older children to and from school and to any afterschool activities
- Feed the dog, water the plants, get the mail
- Fill in for you at work or any other obligations
Aww try not to get freaked out by birth. I know that that's easier said than done - the anticipation leading up to it and the unknown factor multiplies the anxiety - but it's not so scary once it begins. I spent my final weeks questioning everyone who had a baby how did they know they were in labor because I had a hard time believing the 'you'll know' response. But it really is true, you'll be able to differentiate between BH and true labor pains - I think if you are questioning it, then it's probably not labor. But then again, I was induced so for the most part, the uncertainty was removed for me.
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you. That actually does help a lot. :) I think I just get to thinking about it far too much, and because I already have issues with spiraling thought patterns, it just follows the same spiral until I'm freaking myself out about it. Doesn't help when you hear horror stories from others, either.
ReplyDeleteBut hearing stories like yours -- where they're as normal as they come and it's not as bad as people like to portray it -- calms me down and makes me think that, yeah, maybe I CAN do this. I'm certainly going to try, and it's not like I can turn back now or anything. ;)
Oh yeah, you definitely can do it! I know for me, once real labor started, not the pitocin induced contractions, It was sort of calming, knowing that there definitely was an end in sight. I do wish that I tried to do active labor for longer before getting an epidural - it definitely stalled out my labor a bit, but I don't feel like I failed at giving birth. Even with the epidural, I had her within 24 hours of starting true labor. Maybe the next baby with cooperate and present posteriorly for birth so I can try again without an epidural.
ReplyDeletelol, I just checked my OR report from my hospital stay - I got the epidural at 7:51 pm, and i was ready to push less than 12 hours later.
ReplyDeleteI love your picture!! you look amazing! I read what you posted about your weight and your belly and it's funny, because I just have the reaction of "You're pregnant! You look great! Don't worry about it!" But I've found myself falling into that trap already. I'm getting fat and pudgy and it's not a baby bump yet and it's just....not my body. Other people don't get it either. How weird what happens to us, huh?
ReplyDeleteAw, thank you! <3 It's amazing how much your body changes, and even more strangely, how quickly you get used to it. NOT being pregnant is going to be sooooo strange.
ReplyDeleteIt's a terrible trap, too. The first trimester is easily the worst, as your belly is sensitive to any pressure and you feel like a bloated whale, but I can assure you, having BTDT, it's all in your head. And you are beautiful, and like I said, you'll be beautiful at 38 weeks, too. :) Once you start getting the bump, you feel a bit better because it's like, "SEE?! I wasn't JUST eating a ton of donuts, those donuts were growing into a baby!!" LOL
... the things I need to remind myself, too.... :)