Week 35

How far along are you? 

35 weeks. 

How big is the baby? 

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

How I’m feeling: 

Good!

Healthy eating? 

Mostly healthy with a sweet treat a day. 

Food cravings: 

My passion for fruit continues!

Food aversions:

Still not hungry for heavy carbs or large portions of meat. 

Exercise: 

I taught four yoga classes. 

Total weight gain/loss: 

+ 30.5 pounds

Sleep: 

The same as in recent weeks. 

Maternity clothes?

I bought a dress on eBay for £7. It is so comfortable and makes me feel pretty. 

Stretch marks?

Nothing on the bump... 

Best moment(s) this week: 

This week flew by! I barely remember what I did. 

Dave and I had a nice time at dinner on Friday. It wasn’t anything too wild or crazy but still very enjoyable, especially because I know our Friday dinners will be going on hiatus soon. 

Our neighbors across the street invited us over for a BBQ on Sunday. They were eager to test out their new charcoal grill and we were happy to be their guinea pigs. The weather was miserable but we weren’t going to let that spoil our fun! They cooked burgers, sausages, and salmon with a couscous salad on the side. Delicious! We had ice cream, strawberries, and cherries for dessert. Their daughter is about to turn one and kept us entertained with her love of an inflatable ball and attempts to walk from chair to chair while we ate. 

Movement: 

Busy as ever! She’s a little live wire! I predict we’re going to have our hands full. 

Belly button in or out? 

It is mostly flat to out these days. 

Symptoms: 

Heartburn and acid reflux

Anemia 

A bit of pelvic discomfort, especially at night

Feeling tired, heavy, and huge

Gender:  

Girl! 

Labor signs: 

Occasional Braxton Hicks. 

What I miss: 

Having my organs in their usual spots. 

What I'm looking forward to:

I am trying to organize a location and yoga teacher for my Hatha yoga students so they can continue to practice while I’m away. The logistics are tricky and I’m eager to have this sorted. I can’t wait until it’s all taken care of and I can start maternity leave. 

Weekly wisdom: 

Roll with the punches!

Milestones: 

For the first time since my own birth I spent the night in a hospital. Don’t worry; we’re fine!!! On Sunday night right before bed I discovered I was bleeding a bit. I checked Google and it said to call the doctor, so I did. The midwife at the labour ward advised us to come in to the maternity triage unit to get it checked out. She said we could stay at home until the morning as long as the baby kept moving like normal and I didn’t have any pain. So, we decided to get a few hours of sleep and go before Dave was scheduled to start work. We woke up early and took a night bus to the hospital. The Whittington is under construction so it’s a bit of a maze! We had to ask a nurse to let us through a restricted area to get where we needed to go. We got there in the end! At the maternity triage they hooked me up to monitor my blood pressure, pulse, and uterine contractions as well as the baby’s heartbeat. All were within the normal range. Then a doctor came and performed an internal exam. Things looked okay but there was some new blood so the doctor decided to keep me there for 24 hours of observation. 

They offered us breakfast and then Dave ran home to get me some essentials. I settled into my space - a section of the ward screened off by a curtain with a bed, chair, and side table within it. This area was for pregnant ladies being monitored (for a short time or a longer time before scheduled Cesareans) and those who were in postnatal recovery. There wasn’t much to do but put my feet up and relax. I had lunch, played with my phone, read a bit, and had a nap. 

Occasionally a midwife would come to check on me and take my vital signs. Ria visited in the late afternoon and we had a lovely chat. She finally got a chance to feel Baby Girl move and hear her heartbeat. Just before dinner the midwife hooked me up to monitor the baby’s heartbeat and my uterus to see if I was having contractions (I wasn’t). Her heartbeat started out really steady but then I ate. She became REALLY active and her heart rate was erratic as she moved around causing the alarm to go off every few minutes. They wanted her to calm down so they had me drink a lot of water and kept me hooked up for about an hour and a half. Dave arrived and she was still being wild. So, the midwife took me off the machine and sent us for a walk to soothe her. We got back, hung out for a bit and then they hooked me up again just as visiting hours ended. Happily, the stroll worked and she settled down. They took my vitals again and I tried to get some sleep. It was pretty noisy at first and the lights didn’t go off until after 11pm. However, the bed was very soft and I was able to elevate my head without a jumbo pillow pile which was great. In the end I got some quality rest with less discomfort from the heartburn and pelvic pain than usual. 

I woke up at 6am and they put the baby and I back on the monitors. Everything looked good. I had breakfast and waited until the doctor made her rounds. I had some really lovely chats with the midwife and student midwives. Then the doctor saw me. She said they weren’t able to determine the cause of the bleed but since it had stopped and they were happy with the monitoring I could go home. She asked me if I was still working and if so, what I did. I told her I teach yoga and it turns out that she works closely with one of the main prenatal yoga teacher training organizations. She advised me to rest and start my maternity leave early. Then she suggested yogic breathing and massage techniques to prepare for and cope with the birth. I am still so amazed and inspired that a medical professional showed so much enthusiasm for this complementary therapy! It’s brilliant! They completed my paperwork and I headed home. 

While I would have preferred NOT to have a preterm hospital stay, it all worked out pretty well. I had a preview of what to expect in terms of facilities and care. The medical team was cheerful, competent, and caring. So, I actually feel more confident after the experience. 

Dave’s take: 

In typical Dave fashion, he created a spreadsheet to compute the probability of giving birth to Baby Girl on a given day. Nearly every day he announces the chance she’ll arrive within 24 hours. At the moment the odds are 1 in 455 (0.22%).