35 Weeks. Gobble Gobble.

Babycenter:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

How your life's changing:

Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.

From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she'll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). (Don't worry — the swab is the size of a regular cotton swab, and it won't hurt at all.) GBS is usually harmless in adults, but if you have it and pass it on to your baby during birth, it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. Because 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women have the bacteria and don't know it, it's vital to be screened. (The bacteria come and go on their own — that's why you weren't screened earlier in pregnancy.) If you're a GBS carrier, you'll get IV antibiotics during labor, which will greatly reduce your baby's risk of infection.

This is also a good time to create a birth plan. Using our form will help you focus on specifics — like who'll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won't follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time — and sharing your preferences with your caregiver — should take some of the anxiety out of the process.

Alphamom:

Week 35

Your Baby:

• Is over five pounds now, although these weight guesstimates will start getting very useless very quickly over the next few weeks.
• Since most of your baby’s organs are fully functional and major developmental milestones behind him or her, the next month is all about weight gain. And since “normal” weights for newborns these days can be anything between six and 10 pounds, it’s hard to predict how big YOUR baby will be from here on in.

You:

• Are the very picture of motherly grace and beauty. Also: waddling.
• Fatigue may be a big problem right now. You may need a daily nap, or find yourself crawling into bed by 9 pm. (I can barely make it to my toddler’s 8:30 bedtime most nights.) And while I’ve always seethed at people who love to cheerfully remind pregnant women to “Get some sleep! Once the baby’s here you won’t get any sleep!” I have to say…dude, get some sleep.

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Me: If 'nesting' can come in the form of massive online shopping, well then I Am So There. It's just so darn convenient. I watch the camelcamelcamel deals roll though, and before I know it, its: "The brown minky dot changing pad cover has dropped 4 dollahs with free shipping from Amazon? Must. Buy. Now."

Thanksgiving was fun, with lots of sitting around and eating too much. And got to meet some more California relatives.

I sure miss solid chunks of good ole' fashioned sleep. I'm up at least 3-4 times a night to visit the restroom, after I had taken forever to fall asleep in the first place, with the heartburn, knee RLS and general can'tfallasleep-ness. The next person that tells me to 'Sleep Now while you can!! yuk yuk yuk' will receive a baby shoe upside the head.

34 Weeks! Some fruit.. blahblahblah

Babycenter:

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.

Alphamom:

Week 34

Your Baby:

• Weighs as much as your average cantaloupe (4.75 pounds-ish) and is almost 18 inches long.
• Reaching the 34-week mark is a big milestone for anyone concerned about pre-term labor, as babies born at this stage usually do just fine (provided they’re otherwise healthy). Other than a slightly longer stay at the hospital, they generally don’t experience any of the long-term health problems that prematurity can cause.
• That said, don’t let your baby go and get any big ideas about escaping just yet. More baby fat and a few more weeks of lung maturity will still make everybody’s lives easier.

You:

• Fatigue, heartburn, nausea, frequent trips to the bathroom. It’s like the Return of the First Trimester, only much bigger and rounder and gruntier.
• Don’t forget to do your Kegel exercises, not only in preparation for childbirth but also to stop the unfortunate peeing-when-you-laugh-or-sneeze phenomenon, which can get pretty out of hand in these final weeks.
• SO NOT KIDDING ABOUT THAT.

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Me:

Things I am looking forward to doing:

1. Bending down without extra effort and grunting
2. Gorging on the 'no-no's': sushi, raw oysters, alcohol, and otherwise dropping this boring diabetic diet ASAP (assuming I'm cleared to do so)
3. Turning over in bed or getting off the couch with ease
4. No more sore knees in the evening (or RLS)
5. No more Fatigue (which I'm sure will be traded in for Sleep Deprivation)
6. Not having to answer dumb, personal questions or comments about myself
7. Pushing a stroller with a brand-new baby around the neighborhood
8. Smelling him
9. Seeing whom he looks like
10. Can I get a whoop whoop for 3 months of Maternity Leave??

33 Weeks! A Pineapple?!

From Babycenter:

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

How your life's changing:

As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.

You may be feeling some achiness and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can retain fluid, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" may end up pinched, creating numbness; tingling, shooting or burning pain; or a dull ache. Try wearing a splint to stabilize your wrist or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or on an assembly line, for instance), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks — which should be frequently.

Many women are still feeling sexy at this stage — and their partners often agree. You may need to make some adjustments, but for most women, sex during pregnancy is fine right up until their water breaks or their labor starts.

From Alphamom:

Week 33

Your Baby:

• Weighs over four pounds and is 17 inches long.
• The skeleton is hardening, except for the skull, which will remain soft and flexible to allow it to fit through the birth canal, and also to grow and allow adequate space for your baby’s enormously brilliant brain.
• Kicks and movements are practically visible from space now, and you may look down and realize that your belly is no longer round, but pointed, as a knee or elbow stretches out for a few seconds before disappearing beneath the surface again.

You:

• Are big. Yes. And the whole world may suddenly seem like it’s got an opinion about when you’ll go into labor, and it TOTALLY DOESN’T CARE that you aren’t even full-term yet, it thinks you’ve dropped and popped and are going to give birth in like, two weeks. Tell it to shut the hell up with my blessings.
• May be waddling more than walking, and misjudging your circumference as you bump into counters and knock things over on tables.
• A lot of pregnant women start having strange dreams about those pronounced movements — legs and arms stretching out from under your clothes, or the perfect imprint of your baby’s face suddenly appearing next to your belly button. If these dreams creep you out, just remember that it’s your mind starting to wrap itself around the concept that there is, in fact, a actual baby in there rather than some hypothetical concept of a baby.

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Me: It's all just becoming a blur and running together and going by too fast. Occasional heartburn. Must get up and pee a few times a night, which usually includes a minor wrestling match with Peggy the Prego Pillow. But I always win.

In a week or so, it will be Thanksgiving (fried turkey...Mmmmm) and then the month of December will fly by and it will be Christmas. And then HE WILL BE HERE. ZOMG.

Had last Friday off, so I finally bit the bullet and ran around to tour daycare centers. Even had to give myself a little pep-talk in the parking lot before I went in the first one. Cause this is NOT what I had in mind, but hey, life and reality intervenes and.... Here We Are. I think the experience of daycare is a good one for a child, I mean I grew up in daycare and garnered many worthwhile experiences.... but it is also a whole new ballgame when you are handing over your 3 month old to a practical stranger to love and cherish through the hours of 7 -4. Sigh. ONE DAY my goals will be accomplished.

I think I'm leaning towards the daycare center at a church near the house; its the closest, cheapest, no waiting list and seemed the cleanest/newest/brightest out of the three I looked at. I think we will just have to start there and see how he does, and maybe try another one out later. The other church daycare I looked at was a close second.

We got SO MUCH DONE in the nursery last weekend.... it's all finally coming together. Just a few more things on the to-do list....

32 Weeks!

Babycenter:

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.

Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

Alphamom:

Your Baby:

• Is about three pounds, 11 ounces and 16 inches long.
• Is starting to get pretty crowded in there, so you may feel more subtle, rolling-type movements instead of sharp pointy kicks.

You:

• May notice a slight change in your belly shape over the next few weeks — kind of…downward sloping. Not so much of a nice shelf for your bowl of ice cream as you’ve had in the past.
• This change also might signal the retirement of some of your maternity clothes and you’ll need longer shirts instead of just roomy shirts. I can pretty much guarantee that the shirts that no longer fit will be the cutest ones, dammit.
• STAY HYDRATED. KEEP YOUR FEET ELEVATED WHENEVER POSSIBLE. DON’T MAKE ME STOP THIS BLOG AND COME BACK THERE.

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Me: As I sit here typing this (32 weeks, 6 days- Ha! Yes slacker am I), there is a painful tightening of my lower abdomen that kinda comes and goes. Yesterday there were sharp pains to what I can only ascertain to be the inside of my cervix. What does all this mean? Braxton-Hicks? Baby Boy is kicking me and laying hard against a certain area? You got me. I'm new and I don't know what to do...

The cold that didn't want to go away, finally did go away after about a week and a half. And one and three-quarters of bottles of cold medicine. And then I managed to burn the CRAP out of my thumb last night, when I was sauteing up some squash. But Dear Hubs rigged me up a aloe vera ice cream cone for my thumb and I was SO MUCH BETTA.

After about 15 coats of paint each, we have the armoire(s) in the house! The distressing is nearly complete, and may need some touch-up on the insides. The crib is ready to go, the changer-dresser only needs the rails attached, the glider is here and the rug should arrive today! Only 15 more things to accomplish on my To-Do List! Included is interviewing daycares, which I admittedly am kind of stalling (LA LA LA Can't hear you), but since we have Friday off, some of that time will have to be spent checking out future partial caregivers for our child. Sigh. On the bright side of things, I do have my next appointment the same day, as well as a scheduled 80 MINUTE prenatal massage. Courtesy of Dear Sweet Hubs and our one-year anniversary. Has it really been a year? I already had a 55 minute one last week and it was HEAVEN.