How far along: 36 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Romaine lettuce (19 inches, 6 pounds)
Milestones: BB is continuing to shed his downy coating of hair and the waxy substance that protects his skin, or vernix caseosa. Interestingly enough, he is eating the substances to kick his digestive system into action. He is definitely head-down at this point and running out of room as he puts on his final pounds of fat.
Best Moment This Week: It was definitely a week of excitement. At my 36 week ultrasound/appointment, everything looked great, but the doctor told me my amniotic fluid was low. The typical range for amniotic fluid is 5 to 25 cm. and mine was at about 6 cm. This was too far on the low end for my OB's comfort, so she scheduled me for another ultrasound and non-stress test the next day to see if it was continuing to get lower. My OB had a suspicion that I was dehydrated, but she wanted to make sure nothing else was going on. I loaded up on water the next 24 hours and my levels went up to 17 cm. It's amazing how much hydration impacts the fluid. BB rocked his non-stress test, but I was shocked to learn that some contractions were also picked up! I couldn't feel them, so my OB said that they must not be affecting my cervix yet.
What I’m Looking Forward To: With less than a month to go, I'm nervously looking forward to meeting BB and experiencing a long line of "firsts." With all the ultrasounds I had (even though he doesn't seem to like to show his whole face!), I have a pretty good idea of what he'll look like. I'm also really excited to see Leif hold and interact with him and all of us becoming a little family. I know there will be lots of challenges and obstacles, but I know there will be plenty of moments that make up for all of the struggles.
What I Miss The Most: As expected, my mobility has become considerably limited, which has made organizing the nursery area somewhat time-consuming, but I'm happy to pretty much have everything done. Our scare at the end of the week made me go into overdrive over the weekend cooking food to freeze, packing my hospital bag, finishing baby laundry, and organizing supplies. Leif was very helpful, building the changing table, crib, and moving heavier items. When I thought there was a possibility BB might come sooner than expected, I also had to scramble to get grants turned in and tie up loose ends at work on Friday. It was complete madness since I had planned for June 1 to be my last day at the earliest. The good news is that I got a lot of things done in record time, so now I'm basically prepared to leave work at any time.
Symptoms: Apparently contractions lol, but I'm unsure how often they are happening. It makes me worry that I won't know when I'm going into labor, but I guess I won't miss my water breaking and the painful contractions that follow. It might actually be nice to not know I'm experiencing early labor since it'll save me some suspense and anxiety. My foot is feeling better, although if I step on it wrong, it's still kind of tender and I get some pretty intense pelvic joint pain after sitting too long or sleeping.
Cravings: Enjoying having 1 1/2 mini bagels with cream cheese and protein cookies for snacks. Otherwise, it's been the same-old with meat and veggies, cheese and crackers, and low sugar fruit snacks.
How far along: 35 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Bunch of carrots (19 inches, 5.5 pounds)
Milestones: BB's skeletal development is nearly complete, and hopefully, by now, he is rotated into the right position for birth (still seems like it, I can feel him hiccuping in my lower belly right now as I type!). Within the next couple weeks, he should drop lower in my pelvis, known as "lightening," which will take some pressure off of my stomach and lungs... and place it on my bladder. Mostly, at this point, BB is refining his abilities, growing stronger, and gaining his last pounds of weight.
Best Moment This Week: It blows my mind to look back at the eight week ultrasound picture and know that my little peanut is a nearly fully grown little baby! I don't think I'll ever cease to be amazed by this whole process and the miracle of life. As this week comes to a close, I'm getting butterflies knowing that BB will be here in no more than four short weeks! Even though Leif and I have plenty of anxiety going into this, we're both experiencing the same level of warm fuzzies and inexpressible love for our BB.
What I’m Looking Forward To: We ended up splurging a little and getting a changing table, which we didn't originally plan on buying. After learning how much recovery time I'll need, especially if I end up needing a c-section, we felt like it was a good investment. Plus, this changing table will work as shelving for BB's room after he doesn't need it for changing anymore, and it was fun picking out a whale-themed cover for the changing pad. However, it's definitely been like a game of Tetris making everything fit in our bedroom. Thank you to Leif for building all of the furniture!
What I Miss The Most: So far, reducing my carb choices at each meal has helped stabilize my sugars for the most part. Only failed one test this week! I don't have to do nearly as much exercise to pass my tests, so unless things change, I'm crossing my fingers that I can make it through the last few weeks without insulin. The new diet and exercise have continued improving my energy levels and health issues I was experiencing, so it makes me miss my old ways less and less! I plan to hold onto a lot of the new dietary and exercise changes I've made during this time, but it'll be nice to have some more flexibility with meal timing and food choices again.
Symptoms: The added weight of my belly is causing more and more wear and tear on my body. Earlier this week, after taking a walk, my foot started hurting a lot and I noticed that I had a big bruise developing near my ankle. After a few days of little improvement, I had it checked out and my doctor thinks it's a case of tendinitis, so I'm trying to balance getting enough activity in with giving it time to heal. I already experience a lot of strain when I get on my feet in the morning, so now it's a lot worse with my foot muscles being out of whack. I've also had a few days of pretty extreme fatigue this week, which is battling my compulsion to clean, organize, and get everything I can ready for BB! Other than those things, I've been well.
Cravings: Found a white chocolate chip protein cookie that I can have as a snack, so that's been a nice indulgence. Been eating a lot of the same foods otherwise - just meat, veggies, a little rice, fruit, cheese and crackers, milk, lots of peanut butter sandwiches, and cheesy popcorn.
How far along: 34 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Savoy cabbage (19 inches, 5 pounds)
Milestones: The slippery coat the protects BB's skin from the amniotic fluid is starting to fall off and his immune system is improving. His lungs are reaching their final stage of development and he's continuing to put on fat to keep him warm outside the womb!
Best Moment This Week: My post-delivery work schedule was officially approved except that I have to work my hours from home at a particular time, not whenever I can get to them. It's a relief to have that finally locked down. I had my 34 week appointment on my birthday and BB's heart rate and growth still look perfect! My coworker made me a low-carb dessert that I ate right before my appointment, so BB's heart rate on the doppler was a lot higher than usual from the little influx of sugar lol. In two short weeks, we have our next ultrasound to see how big BB is and if he's in the right position. If he's over 10 pounds, they'll do c-section at 39 weeks, but otherwise, they'll wait until he comes naturally or induce me when my due date hits. I think he is in or close to the right position since I primarily feel his hiccups lower down, but I'll know for sure soon enough. Leif and I took a couple more classes this week - Baby Safety and Preparing for the Unexpected. Preparing for the Unexpected was pretty eye-opening, but I'm trying not to think about it too much. I was just shocked to find out that sometimes when you get a c-section, the surgeon sets your uterus on top of you to repair it!
What I’m Looking Forward To: Even though I'm hoping to go into labor naturally, it's nice knowing that I'll have BB in no longer than a little more than five weeks from now. My friend just had her baby and she's been posting a lot about her extreme sleep deprivation on Facebook, but I'm hoping that Leif and I can tag-team it enough to keep me from hitting critical burnout.
What I Miss The Most: It continues to get harder and harder to control my gestational diabetes. My numbers have been spiking more lately, so my dietitian recommended eating the fewest carb servings allowed at each meal and see if that changes anything. So far, it has helped a little, so we'll see if it creates any long-term change. Still dreaming of the day when I'll be able to get back to eating my favorite desserts and snacks!
Symptoms: As my belly gets bigger, it's definitely getting more tender from the strain. I also feel like my memory is starting to go a little (not that it was that great to begin with haha!) and if I walk too fast or for too long, I get random stabbing pains in my abdominal muscles. I had a moment where I felt like I was going to faint the other day, but my OB thinks that I had either been standing too long or was locking my knees, so she wasn't too worried. Other than that, it's been smooth sailing!
Cravings: Thankfully, my family, friends, and coworkers have been really accommodating providing me diabetes-friendly birthday treats. I've been able to indulge in low-carb lemon-blueberry bread, lots of fresh fruit and some cheesecake.
How far along: 33 weeks – began September 11, 2017.
Size of Baby: Cauliflower blossom (19 inches, 5 pounds)
Milestones: BB is getting so close to being the size he'll be at full-term (which is 37 weeks, only four short weeks away!). He'll keep putting on about a half a pound a week until he reaches his birth weight. His eyes are almost always open when he's awake now (although I imagine the view can't be too interesting), and his bones are still a little soft, so they need more time to harden.
Best Moment This Week: Leif kindly built the majority of our baby furniture and spent some time further optimizing our space for all of BB's things. Now, I just need to arrange everything and put the few decorations that we have up! I still haven't received the final word from work, but it's sounding like my schedule will be working 30 hours a week (22 hours in the office and eight hours from home), so even though it's not ideal, I'm grateful that they were willing to meet me in the middle. BB will be at daycare those 22 hours, but luckily, I can clock out to nurse him throughout the day as my schedule allows. This schedule will be reevaluated after a year and I may go back to a regular schedule depending on how things go... but that's way down the line. I also got to attend a Mom's Night Out hosted by CR Mom's Blog, which was pretty fun. I talked to a lot of local mother/child-related businesses, listened to a helpful panel of experts answer common questions, and won a really nice car seat cover... one of the only items we were still missing!
What I’m Looking Forward To: Counting down the weeks until BB will be here! We have a few more prenatal classes scheduled, including Safety First, CPR, Medicated Birthing Options, When the Unexpected Happens, and a couple others. Our Labor and Birth Skills class went well, I learned a lot of ways to try managing pain without medication (it's hard to say if they'll be super effective, but good to know at least to help me stay calm) and learned about the different stages of labor. And, of course, we watched some footage of a few women giving birth! I was worried that this class would make me more anxious, but the way it was presented makes me feel better prepared and comfortable. St. Luke's provides a lot of tools to help make labor smoother too - aromatherapy, a jacuzzi-style tub, positioners, yoga balls, heating and cooling pads, and even comfort animals! I know that just having Leif there will make the biggest difference though, I can always count on him to make me laugh.
What I Miss The Most: Still missing my pre-gestational diabetes diet a bit, but I've been able to branch out and eat a cookie and found a relatively low carb ice cream that I can have a cup of. I tested high a couple times this week, but it was due to not having time to take a long enough walk after eating. I've found that with dinner especially, I have to walk at a pretty good pace for at least 30-40 minutes. I feel like I'm getting into much better shape, though, and I'm hoping this will pay off with an easier labor!
Symptoms: My belly is starting to feel stretched to the max! My skin has been really itchy on and off and even though I got away with not developing stretchmarks the whole pregnancy, they're finally starting to come in. However, stretchmarks are just one of the badges of motherhood, so they don't bother me too much. Many people are shocked that I still have about seven weeks to go since I'm popping out so much, but I'm guessing my frame just makes the bump look dramatic since BB is measuring normally. I haven't had too many other symptoms besides some occasional shortness of breath and rib pain.
Cravings: Loved the cup of ice cream I had the other day! Still eating a lot of meat and veggies, nut butters, cheese and crackers, and fruit.
