How far along: 32 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Florida pomelo (18 inches, 4 pounds)
Milestones: BB is sucking his thumb, sprouting hair, and continuing to make his way into birthing position. At this stage, most babies suck their thumbs so much that if it comes out, he or she starts scrambling to find it again lol. He has a full set of fingernails and toenails and is still practicing breathing and coordinated movements.
Best Moment This Week: It never gets old hearing sweet BB's heartbeat! It was in the 140s at my 32 week appointment and his growth is still right on target! My OB was happy with my ability to control my gestational diabetes with diet and exercise so far and BB and I had an overall good report! I lost a little weight after starting my new diet, so I was glad to see I gained a couple pounds back.
What I’m Looking Forward To: Now that I have a good feel for all the baby clothes we have, I just need to pick up a few more summer and fall items, which will be fun to shop for. This weekend will be very busy with our Birth and Labor class for five hours on Saturday and getting the crib and baby corner set up on Sunday, but it'll feel good to have everything finally done!
What I Miss The Most: Earlier this week, I had a really powerful craving for an ice cream cone, but I was thankfully able to overcome it. There are some other types of ice creams I can probably eat like Halo, so if it happens again, I might look into it! One thing my OB wanted me to work on is staying off my back when I sleep to prevent oxygen deprivation from the weight of BB on a major artery. I'm normally a side sleeper, but I switch sides during the night, so there's no way for me to tell if I've been on my back. Rolling up my robe and wedging it behind my lower back seemed to do the trick, so I'll need to make sure to keep doing that the rest of the pregnancy.
Symptoms: I was pretty worried about BB earlier this week because he had another couple of "lazy days" where he wasn't moving as much without me waking him up. My OB said this is okay as long as I'm still able to feel ten movements in two hours during kick counts. However, today, he's been back to his energetic self, so that's a relief. I'm surprised I haven't had any back pain or many stomach issues despite my growing size, so hopefully that continues! Between the number of daily walks I take and my healthier diet, I've been feeling great!
Cravings: Since developing gastritis, I haven't touched many citrus fruits, but the other day, I had a couple Halo oranges and they were AMAZING! I had a little acid reflux afterward, but nothing too bad, so I might continue eating them in moderation. Still continuing with the cheese and Triscuits, fruit, almond butter and brown bread, and the occasional burger! Once BB is born and my blood sugar goes back to normal (hopefully), I will be having that ice cream cone!
How far along: 31 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Head of Lettuce (17 ½ inches, over 3.5 pounds)
Milestones: BB is about halfway to his birth weight with roughly three to five more pounds to go. His neck is becoming more flexible, so he can turn his head with ease, and his joints are also more fully developed now, making it easier to move every limb.
Best Moment This Week: With some of our baby shower money, I was able to order a few more things for our nursery corner like a lightweight rocking chair, a storage cart to keep diaper supplies organized, a storage cubby tower for baby clothes, a baby mattress, a set of glass storage containers that go from freezer to oven, and a couple decorative items. We’re getting the crib from our friend soon, so everything will come together in the next couple weeks. I’m really excited to get everything in place and do as much organization and preparation as possible before BB is born. A big thing I plan to do is make a bunch of freezer meals in advance so we don’t have to worry about cooking those first couple weeks at least. Time is moving fast now!
What I’m Looking Forward To: We have our Birth Basics and Labor Skills classes next week, so hopefully I’ll learn enough to make informed decisions, but not so much that I get psyched out! Actually, I feel surprisingly calm thinking about labor. I used to be terrified of the idea when I was younger, but I’d say it’s one of the less stressful things that I’ve had to think about during this pregnancy. Although, I’m sure this is all easy to say before I’ve even experienced it, so we’ll see what happens once the contractions start haha.
What I Miss The Most: The gestational diabetes diet has been going pretty well. I've already developed a lot of self-discipline from adhering to my gastritis diet, so this hasn’t been too horrible. I can’t say that I don’t crave an ice cream cone or some cookies once in a while though! It’s all worth it to keep BB healthy. I’ve been able to keep my sugars under control over 90% of the time, so the dietitian doesn’t think I’ll need to resort to insulin unless things change drastically. The key has still been taking at least a 10 minute walk after I eat.
Symptoms: BB’s movements are pretty different nowadays, much more tumbling and stretching than jabs and kicks. Luckily, he’s taken a break from kicking my ribs and I only get pain once in a while when he hits a nerve or shoves me too hard inside. It’s taking longer and a greater degree of focus to turn over in bed and I get stiff almost instantaneously.
Cravings: Been eating lots of berries, cheese and Triscuits, and almond butter sandwiches. I feel like this section is going to be a lot less interesting the last two months since my diet is pretty one-track now!
How far along: 30 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Cantaloupe (about 17 inches long, 3.5 pounds)
Milestones: BB's lanugo or "furry coat" that's been helping keep him warm is beginning to fall off since he's putting on plenty of fat to survive without it. From this point on, he'll put on about half a pound a week until he reaches the end of his journey in-utero. His eyes are still developing and his eyesight will be fairly poor until some time after birth. In four weeks, he will have vision that's as strong as it will be at birth. By that time, he will also likely be able to track objects moving horizontally and vertically. He's also making his way into the head-down position he needs to be in for birth.
Best Moment This Week: This has been a week of ups and downs. My shower was absolutely wonderful, and I'm so thankful for all of the support and love Leif, BB, and I received. It was a whirlwind, but I'm glad I got to at least get in a little time with everyone who attended. I took my first gestational diabetes class on Tuesday and learned that there's a lot more that I can eat than I originally thought. Carbs are not only allowed, but required at every meal. I'm supposed to get between 2-4 15g portions of carbs six times a day. The tricky thing is finding the right combination of foods and activity that keep my blood sugar from spiking. The first day of testing, I had two high readings (I'm supposed to call the dietitian if I have three or more), so I removed pretty much everything with more than a little added sugar and started walking 15-30 minutes after eating. This has done wonders and I haven't had a bad test since. There have definitely been some moments of stress, but I'm getting used to it. If I'm unable to consistently keep my levels down, I'll have to start on insulin and get weekly ultrasounds to check BB's growth and fluid, but it seems like I've got a good enough handle on it (fingers crossed). I was told that with just having gestational diabetes in general, they won't let me go beyond my due date, so that rules out any later June birthdays! If the diabetes worsens, they'll have to induce me early.
What I’m Looking Forward To: More and more, I can't wait to meet little BB! I'm happy that I'm taking better care of my health and getting more exercise to help him develop optimally in these last couple months. This weekend, I'm finally going to go through all of the wonderful gifts we got at the shower and start organizing. We finally figured out a good solution to keeping our cats out of the bedroom/baby room - we're going to buy an extra tall pet gate (about 43 inches) that you can step through and if the girls can clear that, we'll stack another plastic baby gate on top. I'm really relieved since we were in limbo and all of our other ideas weren't working out. Once we get the gates ordered and set up, we'll start putting together the few pieces of furniture and equipment, then all we'll need is BB!
What I Miss The Most: Sometimes I miss not having to think about everything I'm eating, but I'd say the bigger pain is testing my blood sugar exactly an hour after my first bite of food. I'm a slow eater, and if I want to get a substantial walk in, I have to shovel everything down pretty quickly. At the same time, I like that my eating patterns have a more consistent rhythm, and I'm still feeling much better since cutting the sugar.
Symptoms: Last weekend, I had a little scare when I had worsening upper right abdominal pain that they thought could've been preeclampsia. After running some tests, they couldn't tell exactly what it was but suspected that BB keeps repeatedly kicking me in that area. Thankfully, it hasn't been nearly as bad this week. My gastritis has been acting up a little most likely due to the growing pressure on my stomach and my pelvic muscles have been killing me, especially when I get up after lounging for a while, but otherwise, all is well!
Cravings: My favorite gestational diabetes snack has been one piece of whole grain bread with a few tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter with half a sliced banana. I save it for my last snack of the day, so it's something to look forward to! Now that I've cut sugar for the most part, fruit is so much more delicious! I've also been eating more cheese and crackers and berries.
*Wrote this last Friday... sorry that some of the information is outdated!
How far along: 29 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Pineapple (about 16 inches long, 3 pounds)
Milestones: BB is growing so big that he's starting to run out of room, so his movements are beginning to feel different (less uncoordinated kicks and more deliberate rolling and stretching). Other than that, he's continuing to work on muscle and lung development to get ready for his big debut.
Best Moment This Week: BB was really active the other day (to the point where I was actually getting concerned, if that even makes sense haha), so Leif got to feel him a bunch. I'm so glad I can depend on semi-consistent movements throughout the day as reassurance that things are going well.
What I’m Looking Forward To: I can't believe that my shower is almost here! I'm so excited to celebrate BB with everyone, but I know the party will be a whirlwind. I see that there's snow on the forecast, but hopefully it doesn't make driving conditions too dangerous for anyone. I chose April since I thought we'd be past all the cruddy weather but it's been a weird spring (even for Iowa)!
What I Miss The Most: As some of you already know, I was officially diagnosed with gestational diabetes last Tuesday, so I have to begin taking nutrition classes and monitor my blood sugar. From what I've read, the risk of complications is pretty low as long as it's managed properly. So far, I've been instructed to cut all sugar from my diet and space out my meals a specific way to prevent blood sugar spikes. I've already been feeling a difference. Despite the inconvenience (especially right before my shower!!... although cupcakes do freeze well...), I'm staying positive since this will only help me eat healthier and be more active. Apparently, between 10-20% of the population gets gestational diabetes and the majority of the time, the cause is ultimately unknown. I'll do my best with it and hopefully develop some new lifelong healthy habits along the way!
Symptoms: I've been feeling especially heavy lately - I thought getting out of bed was hard last month, but now I have to always hook my foot under the bed and use all of my arm strength! Crouching down is also problematic... there was a time at a store when my legs could barely lift me back up. I've also been getting some different feeling round ligament pain, kind of like a shock or snap in my side muscles. I'm pretty sure some nerves are getting pinched too since once in a while when I bend my arm, it feels like electricity runs through my thumb, but that could also be my carpal tunnel acting up. Other than those things, everything is going smoothly!
Cravings: My new diet hasn't been too rough so far - I can still have cheesy popcorn and am allowed to have peanut butter sandwiches as snacks! I can have certain fruit, so that helps with my sweet cravings and I don't think I'll have to change my main meals that much since they're usually veggies and meat anyway. The only really problematic meal was my instant oatmeal breakfast with bananas and milk, but if I want to make it healthier, I just need to switch to steel cut oats, berries, and plant milk.
How far along: 28 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Coconut (16 inches long, 3 pounds)
Milestones: Officially made it to the third trimester! BB's wrinkles are starting to disappear as he continues to put on fat to help him regulate his body temperature. He's also developing millions of neurons in his brain and spends his time blinking, sleeping, practicing breathing, and making more coordinated movements. I distinctly felt him have the hiccups many times this week so that means his repository system is functioning well!
Best Moment This Week: The 28 week ultrasound went really well, everything looked perfect! He's three pounds, landing him in the 67th percentile, and he's growing right on schedule. I was grateful to hear that my placenta has shifted out of the way, so I won't have to worry about that as a possible complication. During the ultrasound, he was bottom-side-up, so it was hard to tell what we were looking at most of the time. The sonographer managed to get some shots of his face from an extreme angle, but BB didn't make it easy! He was holding his fists in front of his face, so the sonographer had to nudge him a bunch to get him to cooperate, and he started gasping in protest. I can already tell he has a big personality! There were a couple moments when his eyes were open and he looked incredibly mad that he was being spied on. Combined with his chubby cheeks, it was a pretty comical juxtaposition.
What I’m Looking Forward To: My friends and I had a final planning meeting for my baby shower a few days ago and I'm so excited to celebrate with everyone. The hosts have really gone above and beyond to make the day really special and I'm so thankful to everyone involved.
What I Miss The Most: The ultrasound part of my 28 week appointment went well, but I also found out that I failed my initial glucose test and am low on iron (requiring me to take a supplement). Additionally, I got my DTaP shot which is recommended for all pregnant women to protect the baby from whooping cough, and ended up getting pretty sick from experiencing all three events in one day. It was the first time I've thrown up in months and I felt completely wiped out over the next two days, but fortunately, I feel back to normal now. However, I have to take the three hour glucose test this Tuesday, meaning I have to consume twice as much sugar and have my blood drawn every hour. With any luck, I'll pass this one, but if I don't, then my diet will look very different for the rest of the pregnancy. We'll see what happens, but either way, I just want to do what's best for BB!
Symptoms: Rib pain has continued to persist, but it's a little better now that I stretch more every day. I've been feeling a little more emotional off and on and get hit with debilitating round ligament pain from time to time, but nothing terrible. BB is definitely putting on more muscle since his kicks wind me sometimes, and Leif was even shocked the couple of times he's felt them lately. He's reacting more to light and sound now, but his favorite is still me putting my hand on my belly.
Cravings: Even though I'm still craving the same old junk food, I have to be more careful from now on! I'm trying to incorporate more salads and low-carb snacks like popcorn into my diet. I know that sometimes gestational diabetes has more to do with genetics than diet/lifestyle, but I still want to do as much as I can to help improve my blood sugar levels. I just need to make sure I still get all of the calories and fat I need to maintain proper weight gain!
