34.5 Weeks

We're getting closer!!!

• Feeling pretty good!
• getting used to being large and in charge
• feeling less aches and pains for some reason
• trying to find work clothes that fit for my last 7 days of work (next Friday's my last day!) (about to wear sweatpants at this point!)
• making checklists of what I still need to do/buy for Luke's arrival...sick of this never-ending summer feeling better from last week's nasty stomach problem
• still gained a decent amount of weight even though I was on a liquid diet (go figure)
• blood pressure's normal
• he is measuring right at 34 weeks
• more active than ever even though they say they are less active at this point; not my kid!
• I think that's it!

Funny story: whenever Matt puts his head on my lap to relax, Luke kicks him in the head!!! No joke. He knows his daddy's horning in on his territory. It's so funny! We also tried the flashlight trick and I got Matt good and freaked out as he watched the lumps and bumps of Luke's knees and elbows following the light around my stomach.

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.

33 Weeks & Childbirth Class No. 1

OB Appt.
His head is down!!! :D  You have no idea how much joy this brings me. I have been thinking he is transverse, breech, diagonal, doing a yoga pose in there, you name it, I worried about it. Of course! That is my nature. Yug. What a waste of time worrying. I asked my Doc yesterday at our appointment if he could tell me what position little Nuggie is in (that's my secret name for him) and he felt around my lower abdomen and quickly said, "Head down!" This is good. Now he just needs to stay that way, which I am hoping he will since it is tight in there and it is increasingly harder for him to move positions.

Doc also gave me a note to excuse me from doing tours (yay!) because excessive walking is not good for my pelvic pain. That was easy. I didn't even have to beg for the note; as soon as he heard that I am still doing the tours, he said he'd write me an excuse note! :)

I have so far gained 30 lbs. More than I wanted to by this point, but what can I do? I have been being good in the 3rd trimester; was bad in the 2nd, and okay in the 1st. I haven't done any exercising all summer because of the horrible heat and tiredness, so I am not surprised I am packing on the pounds from sitting at this desk all day and commuting for long periods of time. I will just have to watch my diet after he is born and try to get out and do a lot of walking.

Iron is good, Doc said I am healthy and everything's looking great, which I am thankful for!

Childbirth Class
What a trip this was!! Picture this: 7 couples crowded into a family room, all sitting on either chairs or cushions on the floor, cluttered bookcases, very eclectic knick knacks all over the room, and the musty smell of an old carpet. Oh, yes, and a bulldog/beagle mix sticking her head in occasionally to see what's going on! She was super cute!

The teacher is a Midwife/RN who works for the state. She's from Long Island, likes motorcycle tours, and is quite the character! I chose these kind of classes because I didn't feel that doing them at the hospital would have been a good setting for us since they are huge classes and impersonal. I have to say that I wanted to run screaming last night when we walked in and everyone was staring at us and I felt a little claustrophobic, but after about an hour we loosened up and had a good time. Sometimes you have to go through a bit of pain to get to the good stuff. :)

We went over some basic concerns, questions that many people have about childbirth and then she went into the stages of labor. We did some breathing exercises and had our "guardians" (husbands/S.O.) use massage tools on our backs to aid in relaxation. There was a lot of giggling and joking going on, which ticked the teacher off at some points, but it was hard not to since it is a bit awkward and funny to be doing this around complete strangers. She wrapped it up at about 9:15 and gave us binders of info and bags of free magazines to take home.

We have 3 more classes to attend before it's over - tomorrow night and then next Tuesday and Thursday. The last class we have is for a "party" and to return the borrowed DVDs and stuff. I am glad we are doing this, especially for Matt's sake, because he admitted he had no clue about this stuff. He was so cute and took notes about how to treat me during the different stages of labor, and was listening intently to the teacher. I think he is going to be a great coach and I would not be able to go through this without him.

Next step: meeting with my boss soon to tell her when I am going to take maternity leave. A bit nervous, not sure why since it is my right. All I can say is, I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!!!

31 Week Photo

I had a lovely baby shower on Sunday, August 29th at my friend Chrissy's house in Apex! It was small and personal like I'd hoped, and I had a great time answering questions from the married ladies about what it's like to be pregnant. We played some games and had some great food, and I opened the nice gifts they gave me. Unfortunately, one of the planners couldn't be there because she had just gone into labor the night before! But there was no place I'd rather have her be than home with her special little package!

This Friday is another checkup and I have a long list of questions to ask my doctor. Childbirth classes start next week.