Week 36

Hello all and Welcome to Week 36!

I guess this makes me 9 months pregnant, or at least a few days shy of that official mark. I am due in 36 days, November 29th. As far as my physical body is concerned the actual birth day can’t come soon enough. In terms of everything else I can afford to wait the 4 weeks or so. I feel a little like Jabba the Hut. When I’m down I stay there for a long time and it takes a huge effort for me to move. My couch just sucks me in. Eric called me a Weeble the other day. All of these analogies work. Pregnant women are funny. Our bodies are completely taken over by this alien growing inside us and we don’t mind. In fact, we find it exciting, even though our daily activities are dramatically altered by this unknown being in the bulging belly. My abdomen is a rock. If only it was this solid when I wasn’t pregnant! Eric is amazed daily by the hardness of my belly. It may give me the motivation to do some sit-ups after the baby is born. Probably not, but who knows.

I was speaking to my mom last night about how long it takes me to walk home now (about 36 minutes, just so you know) and how much it bothers me. In my head, pregnancy is a small issue and I should be able to overcome the physical limitations. Logically I know that I have to take it easier and that I shouldn’t be discouraged about how long it takes me to get places. But in my head I know how long it used to take me (22 minutes) and I feel that I should be able to still make that pace. I would actually rather take a 15-20 minute walk after I get home because I have no time or distance pressures being generated from my own head. It doesn’t make sense logically, but it makes sense to my ego. Some days I can get over it. Yesterday was not one of those days. Yesterday I didn’t get much sleep and was awoken by the worst Charlie Horse of my life. It brought tears to my eyes, my ears started ringing and I saw stars. My calf was sore all day and when it came to moving around my pelvis screamed out every time I took a step or tried to get comfortable. I was very happy that a co-worker offered to drive me home otherwise I would have probably taken a cab. Even with the ride I got home at the same time I would have had I walked. I need to get over this time thing and soon because, let’s face it, walking around with a baby I’m not going to be winning any time trials.

Everything continues to be going well. I have gained 25 pounds so far, which is completely normal. I was freaked out about gaining 6 pounds in 2 weeks, but the baby probably went through a growth spurt and I haven’t been shying away from the Halloween candy that has been lurking in my house and office. Generally speaking I eat healthy, but there is something about a tiny Snickers bar that calls my name and sings in my ear. Not a big deal, but I think I did my part in the 6 pound gain this last time.

Eric surprised me earlier this week by putting all of these weekly messages on a blog website. So if you ever want to go back and read previous weeks emails without the hassle of looking through your inboxes, you can now just go to the blog. Here’s the link: http://desireesbabyupdates.blogspot.com/
You can also reach Eric’s website and blog from my page as well. Let me know if you have any issues.

Now for the fun stuff: the baby is considered full term at this point and it looks completely developed. The soft, fuzzy hairs that once covered the body begin to disappear. The baby continues to add fat layers, which will help it stay warm once it leaves the womb. During these last weeks the baby has developed sleeping patterns, and it often has very little to do with night and day! The baby weighs in about 5 pounds, 10 ounces and stretches to around 12 inches from crown to rump. Weekly rendering are below.

Love,
Desiree

Week 35

I am tired. I am so tired. My belly is gigantic (at least to me) and it is difficult to turn in my sleep, get out of bed, off the couch, etc. I feel like a cartoon exaggeration of my former self. I’m all boobs, belly and butt. I’m an “S” curve. And moving around as a humongous S is a little humorous. I am working so hard not to waddle. I am not a duck. But, when my body becomes very tired at night and I am alone with Eric I let the waddle come home to roost. I have no reason to hide it at that point. However, at work, walking home and any other time I may be conscious of how I look, I walk with 1 foot in front of the other, in my heels and sashay down the street. Or at least I try. Sashaying conveys a little speed and attitude in your walk. My current pace is that of a snail and the attitude in my face is more of a pained strain, but I am trying. I find wearing my big sunglasses helps.

You are all getting this on a Thursday because tomorrow I am in the wedding of my lovely cousin Tara. It’s a blessing that Bridesmaids are not required to walk fast down the aisle. No one will have to ask me to slow down. When I found out I was pregnant I gave Tara the option of not having me as one of her bridesmaids because I knew I’d be 8 ½ months along and probably huge by now. I didn’t know how see had envisioned her bridal party and I didn’t want to mess anything up. But she’s a trooper and has no problem with me being in her wedding. I think I currently look and feel better then what I had projected myself to be living through at this point (thankfully), but I hope when she sees me in my dress tomorrow that she agrees.

Last night Eric and I had another birth class. Now we watch birthing videos every week, but this week’s video was so much more graphic then I had expected. The baby was crowning and then just stopped and she was held with the baby in that position for what seemed like 10 minutes. All of the other births we have watched had at least the head out after it started crowning. That did not happen with this woman and I have to say it was the most uncomfortable I’ve been watching these videos since the class began. A Baby Story it was not.

I have another doctor’s appointment today. This every 2 week thing is a little annoying, but I would rather them be on top of everything rather then leave it all to chance. I know Eric is a little tired of having to drive out to Bryn Mawr again, but what are you going to do. Now all the conversations are about what happens after the baby is born. Do we have a pediatrician (almost, we have great recommendation), if it’s a boy will he be circumcised (undecided), am I going to breastfeed (as long as I possibly can), do we have childcare picked out (it’s a very fluid thing right now, but we are working on it), etc. We have a lot of decisions to make but everything is coming together in its own time. I’m trying not to rush anything at this point even though its against my natural tendencies.

As a quick little side note, I was walking home yesterday down 12th street and a man comes up to me and says “Congratulations!” He pauses and then says “You’re having a girl”. I said, “thank you. We’ll see soon” and walked away.

So, here’s the fun stuff. According to Babyzone.com the baby’s muscles are maturing along with the rest of its body. The baby can hold its head up and turn it from side to side. The baby will practice its newfound muscle tone by stretching out its arms and kicking its legs (I can verify that this happens all day long!). If this baby is a boy then the testes have descended into their proper place. The baby’s eyes are now open when awake and closed when sleeping. The baby is about 12.8 inches from crown to rump and weighs nearly 5 pounds. Below are the weekly renderings.

Week 34

My week has been almost fully centered on the financial markets. It’s been stressful, frustrating and mind-numbing. My own personal life is a little more stressful as well, but that’s just because I have a ton of commitments over the next 3 weeks. I think all of this has possibly had an adverse effect on the baby. On Wednesday the baby seemed very sluggish. I was concerned, but not overly so because I was still feeling it move. Yesterday when I woke up the baby was not moving with me, which is not normal at all. So I called the midwives and they recommended that I have breakfast and then count the movements over and hour. The baby moved 5 times in 40 minutes, but I still wasn’t feeling better about the situation because the movements still felt sluggish. So Eric and I went to the Birth Center and I was hooked up to a fetal monitor for about an hour. Everything is fine. And by last night the baby was acting more like itself. So who knows? Maybe the baby was extra tired. Maybe it was telling me I need to slow down, de-stress and take it easy. Maybe it’s going through a growth spurt and the space finally became way too tight. All I know is that the baby was up with me today, moving and kicking up a storm and I am much happier feeling it all.

Overall, most of my anxiety over the baby and becoming a mother has subsided for the most part. Eric has been a huge part of my calming down process. He has been so cool this whole time. I know he’s excited and probably going through his own set of worries, but he allows me to freak out a little and then brings me back to earth. Also, I think he is the one that is actually doing the nesting. Eric has always done 80-85% of the household cleaning. In the last month of my pregnancy he has bumped that up to almost 100%. He has been an absolute dream. He also deals so well with my daily complaining now that so many things hurt all the time. He massages my back and feet, most of the time without having to be asked to do so. And he is very patient. I don’t know how I would have survived the last week without him being there. I’m not trying to get too gushy, but he really has been a rock and I want to acknowledge just how wonderful he has been. I know that I’m going to be fine and the baby is going to be fine because he is there for us and that makes me very calm inside.

There isn’t much to talk about this week, so let’s get to the fun stuff. The baby’s senses are continuing to develop. If I talk to the baby it can hear me. Its whole world is full of sounds now. It can hear my stomach growling, my lungs breathing and my heart beating. The baby’s skin has turned from red to pink and it has started preparing for life outside the womb by storing iron in its liver. The baby stretches to about 12 inches from crown to rump and it weighs in at about 4 ½ pounds. If it continues to grow at this rate I will have an 8 pound baby. We’ll see what happens. I’m hoping for something in the 6 pound range! Below are the weekly renderings.

Week 33

I really, really, really think this baby is a boy. I can’t tell you why, it’s just a recent development for me. Like our politicians, I have been flip-flopping on what gender this baby is. However, now I have a strong feeling that it’s a boy. And although I really don’t care what this baby turns out to be, there is a part of me that wanted a girl. I know girls. I have so many girls in my family. I feel equipped to deal with a girl. A boy scares me a little, but they are terribly adorable as well. And then they grown into wonderful men (like my husband). I would be very proud to raise a little boy that closely resembles his father in temperament, kindness and humor.

But who knows. This baby could still be a girl. I would be shocked, but it could be.

Eric and I had another doctor’s appointment yesterday and the heartbeat has slowed down dramatically to the 120/bpm range. Eric just smiles every time the heartbeats get slower. Supposedly (according to an old wives tale) a slower heartbeat is a clue for having a boy. I think he’s as nervous about having a girl as I am about having a boy. He’s now getting more excited thinking that it’s a boy. There was a period of time a couple of months ago when the heartbeats were in the 150/bpm range that Eric thought it may be a girl. I know that made him a little apprehensive. But when we left yesterday he had a smile on his face. I think he likes the idea that if our baby is a boy then he will have a little boy cousin to pal around with too. Even though our nephew Julian will be 1½ years older then our baby they are still close in age and we hope they will grow up to be close friends. Eric never had any cousins close to his age. His brother is 7 ½ years younger then he is and his cousin is 9 years younger. Because I was lucky enough to have so many cousins and siblings close to my age there was always someone to play with, talk to, etc. I want that for my baby and my future babies. I want them to have someone their age to share anything they want with. It’s a special bond between siblings and cousins. And if my family begins with 2 young little boys playing around and having fun then I really couldn’t be happier. I really hope Julian and this baby have so much fun growing up together. I’m very excited to see what the future will bring.

So I have gained 19 pounds as of yesterday. Right on schedule and doing fine. I have 57 days until the official due date, but then again that’s at best a guess. I could have this baby on Christa’s birthday (12/12) and it would still be considered on time. Anywhere from 2 weeks before the date to two weeks after is normal. It’s a birth month approximation, not a due date. I think I will be highly disappointed if I don’t have this baby until mid December. I’m already tired and in some type of pain most days. Bedtime is my favorite time of day. I can’t wait to go to bed with my big body pillow. I don’t want to do much else once I get home. My back is tired, my feet are tired and my belly is tired. I can’t imagine going through another 7 weeks+ feeling this way and getting bigger but I am also not the only pregnant woman that feels this way 32 weeks in. I feel fine, I’m in good spirits, I’m just pregnant.

So here is the fun info. The baby is head down now. It’s been that way for a few weeks, but I guess the baby has settled. So hopefully he/she will stay there! The baby also has a daily routine. There are definite times during the day where the baby is active and times when I believe it is sleeping. According to some, once the baby is born it’ll most likely continue with its in-utero pattern. Along with its routine, the baby has favorite positions. Right now the baby is more on my left side, and it has been that way for quite a while. The baby weighs about 4 pounds and stretches to over 11 ½ inches in length from crown to rump. Below you will find the weekly renderings.