Week 36

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.