Week 34

How far along are you? 

34 weeks. SO PREGNANT!

How big is the baby? 

Baby Girl is the size of a butternut squash. She’s about 17.2 - 18.7 inches long and weighs roughly 4.2 - 5.8 pounds. 

How I’m feeling: 

I love being pregnant in so many ways and have thought a lot about how sad I’ll be when I’m no longer in this state. In some ways I’m grateful for my increasing discomfort. It helps me to let go of my love of pregnancy and gets me more and more excited for the arrival of our daughter. Along those same lines, I feel increasingly prepared for her birth day and my focus is shifting to educating myself on how to care for her in the early days. 

Healthy eating? 

Pretty good. I still want something sweet each day but I’m definitely packing in more than my daily fruit and veg requirements. 

Food cravings: 

Fruit, fruit, and more fruit. Milk. 

Food aversions:

Large, heavy meals. Not that I have room for that kind of thing anyway. 

Exercise: 

I taught six yoga classes and attended Yoga for Birth. 

Total weight gain/loss: 

+29.5 pounds. I’m sure my weight gain has slowed down because I’m eating lots of light foods (because they taste good) and simply can’t fit a large meal in comfortably anymore. 

Sleep: 

Still struggling. I added a thick blanket folded lengthwise underneath me to provide a bit of padding for my hips. It helps! 

Maternity clothes?

One morning I threw on under the bump maternity jeans and non-maternity t-shirt I’ve worn throughout the pregnancy so I could run to the grocery store quickly. As I walked home with my hands full of shopping bags I caught glimpse of my reflection in a car window. There was a sizeable gap between the top of my jeans and the bottom of my shirt. My belly was totally hanging out and guess what? I didn’t care. Yep, I’m pregnant. Yep, my belly is HUGE. There’s a little person in there and it’s hard to contain all that awesomeness!

Stretch marks?

Not yet...

Best moment(s) this week: 

I am so grateful for Dave. If something needs to be done he always steps up and does his best without complaint. This past weekend he went to an all day hypnobirthing course with me, came home and mowed the yard, chopped down a bush out front, and we started building the IKEA furniture. On Sunday, he took me to breakfast, got a haircut, picked up new screwdrivers, built the remaining IKEA furniture, moved it upstairs, helped me decide on and buy a pram, agreed to pick up a secondhand sling I bought, cleaned with me, met the doula, went to the gym, made dinner, tidied the kitchen, and listened supportively when I got frustrated about being uncomfortable at bedtime. I’m sure I’m forgetting some of the other things he did but hopefully this provides a snapshot of just how hardworking, selfless, and loving he is. I am making a conscious effort to thank, praise, and recognize him for all he does for our family. 

We caught up with our friends Henry and James on Friday. Their friends very kindly hosted us for dinner so we could see the guys before they set off for nine months in America. Henry landed a fellowship at Harvard so they’ll be in the Boston area for the 2014-2015 academic year. They’re wonderful company and we had a delightful evening together. 

Our NCT class continues to be both educational and entertaining. Last week we covered pain relief during the birth, BRIAN (Benefits, Risks, Intuition, Alternatives, do Nothing), the importance of discussing expectations about the birth and life with a little one with your partner, and how to hold and sooth a baby. This week we talked about the inaccuracy of due dates, induction methods, interventions, postpartum care for mom, and what to take to the hospital. Something was a bit off on Monday evening. We were in a different room than usual, the weather was really strange, and everyone seemed a bit rowdier than usual (which is saying something because this group really gets along and has fun together). At one point, one women said something and it caused a couple of us to start laughing. Just when we’d almost get our giggles under control we’d look at each other and the laughter would build again. Soon the hormones kicked in and while attempting to get our hysterics under control three of us started to cry. We all tried to calm down, pay attention, and be respectful but then we’d catch each other’s eyes and the tears cascaded down our cheeks. This hearty laughing turning into uncontrollable sobs has happened to me several times in private but this was my first public meltdown. I felt very reassured that I am not the only pregnant lady to completely lose it over something mildly amusing!

Movement: 

Sliding and gliding, the occasional kick, more hiccups than ever! 

Belly button in or out? 

It depends upon how she and I are positioned. It could be in, flat, or out. 

Symptoms: 

Ongoing heartburn and acid reflux

Anemia

A little pelvic discomfort while turning over, etc. 

Feeling heavy and huge

There doesn’t seem to be much room left for both my organs and Baby Girl. But, it helps me to remember that if I am uncomfortable, she must be too. We’re in this together! 

Gender:  

Baby girl.

Labor signs: 

The very occasional Braxton Hicks contraction. 

What I miss: 

Hugs and cuddles. Between my giant pillow pile and big belly it’s hard to get anywhere near me. 

What I'm looking forward to:

I booked a maternity photo shoot for July 7th. We’re going to take the pictures at Hampstead Heath. I’m really looking forward to capturing this time in our life. 

Weekly wisdom: 

The last few weeks of pregnancy are providing us lots of opportunities to work together as a team. It is bringing us closer together and makes me feel more prepared for when Baby Girl arrives. If we can build a truckload of IKEA furniture successfully without bickering than I am confident we can tackle any parenting challenges side by side. 

Milestones: 

I had what will probably be my last scan before Baby Girl is born. It was a quick appointment just to check that the placenta had moved. The sonographer quickly showed me Baby Girl’s body parts. It is funny to think back and remember my first scan when I couldn’t see more than a little sac and the heartbeat wasn’t even visable yet. Now her body fills the entire screen. It’s amazing what can happen in a few short months! Anyway, the placenta is out of the way and she’s measuring right on track. The sonographer estimated she weighed 4 pounds and 10 oz. 

On Sunday we both met with the woman that will be our doula. We both really like her and feel like her presence will be an asset in the final weeks of pregnancy, during the birth, and in the early days after the baby arrives. She’ll send some paperwork through soon and we’ll make it official. 

Dave’s take: 

During the hypnobirthing class this week we did an exercise where I squeezed an ice cube in my hand for 60 seconds and we had to put the relaxation techniques we’d learned into practice. The first time we did this all of the men seemed a bit awkward and unsure of what to do. At one point Dave leaned in and whispered “go to your happy place” and I definitely rolled my eyes at his suggestion. By the third round of this exercise we were rocking it! It definitely built our confidence.