Baby

Jen's Updates - Week 33

Sunday, March 2nd, 2003 - 7 weeks to estimated due date

As I write these updates through the week, I think, "What can I possibly have to say this week? It seems like I've already written about everything." I've been amazed that things change so much every week... I never tire of keeping track of the details and my feelings (though I'm sure that a lot of you are amazed at my ability to write so voluminously about this experience).

Once the baby is born, I'll probably switch to a livejournal format, so I can write stuff when I think about it and have it immediately posted. That makes more sense to me than sending out a huge long email once a week. I know these missives can be pretty daunting!

Baby Development

He probably weighs about four pounds now. According to some information I found on the web (and we all know that is all true), he will be moving less frequently now, because it is getting crowded in there. He'll still move, but fewer kicks and more shifting. He's fully formed, so now all he needs to do is bulk up!

Midwife Visit

I went to the midwives and everything seems to be fine, as usual. I'm at 32.5 cm fundal height. His head is still snugly down in my pelvis... good place for it, because he's pointing in the right direction! He's probably lying with his back to my left, and possibly a little toward my back. That could be a problem, because if his back is against mine, that means that his little skull will be pushing into my spine during labor. That's called 'back labor', and it can be very painful!

It isn't a big concern yet, because there is plenty of time for him to move, but there are exercises that I'll be doing to try to get him to put his back against my belly, instead of my spine. The midwives suggested doing a lot of pelvic rocks on my hands and knees, and also climbing up and down the stairs on my hands and knees! Sounds crazy, I know, but I'll do whatever it takes to avoid an unnecessarily painful delivery.

Movement

Not the baby's, mine! I am at the stage at which moving while lying down is a little difficult. I am a restless sleeper in general, and now it is difficult for me to turn over. It is possible, but it is more effort than it should be. When I get out of bed, I always roll my legs out to the floor, then push myself up with my arms. My stomach muscles are capable of doing these things, but when they are as distended as they are, it is easy to cause a hernia, so I'm careful with what I use them for.

Travis helped me out of bed the other day, just because he was standing there and I figured that I might as well take advantage of it. He told me that I could wake him up at night if I needed help getting up. That was very sweet of him (didn't I say that he is great?), but I don't think he realizes how many times I get up in one night. No wonder I'm tired all the time! No time to get any uninterrupted sleep.

Symptoms

I love garlic. Yum! Travis hates it when I eat garlic. He says that it is worse now that it has been before, and he suspects that it is due to my changed body chemistry. If I have garlic now, I reek of it for at least 24 hours. I can even smell it and taste it. So, I try to eat it less frequently, but it is supposed to be good for you, and it does taste good! I also like it when Travis kisses me, though, so it is a tradeoff.

The worst symptom I have right now is that my thermostat is broken. Not the one in my house, the one in my body. I am constantly hot, probably because I'm carrying around so much extra insulation. I can't stand being hot! It is making me very cranky! My office is a sauna. I can barely breathe when I'm there. It is making working at home seem very attractive!

Travis and I have had trouble sleeping together, too, because in the winter he is always cold. I have been sleeping under a sheet, and he's been sleeping under all three comforters. Not very good for snuggling! The heat has been contributing to my insomnia, I believe.

I don't think that I mentioned this before, but I haven't been wearing my engagement ring. It just got to be too tight, and I can't tolerate having tight rings on. So, I quit wearing it. Luckily, my wedding ring is slightly too big normally... I have to wear my engagement ring to avoid losing it. It was too big when I got it, but I figured that I'd only gain weight through my life, so it was pointless to get it sized. Not to mention that once I was married, I didn't want to take it off!

Exercise

I went to the prenatal yoga class on Monday night, finally! It was fine, but not extraordinary. I really WANT to enjoy yoga, and I do like it in theory, but I just don't. It is kind of boring, and my mind never stops working like it is supposed to. I know that I probably just need practice calming my mind, but I really prefer more active types of exercise. Anyway, it was much like other yoga classes that I've been to, but there was lovely soothing music playing, and the instructor avoided poses that would put pressure on the baby or put him in a bad position. There were only two people there, so it was pretty low key.

I went to the ballet class again on Tuesday night. It is still fun, particularly the barre work, which has always been my favorite. I also enjoy looking at myself in tights and a leotard... my belly is enormous, but the rest of me looks pretty normal. It looks pretty funny. I got a leg cramp again, but not very painful and not for very long. No big deal.

I'm still walking nearly every night. I took Monday night off because I got home so late from prenatal yoga that by the time I ate, I just didn't have time to let my dinner settle, walk, and calm down again before going to sleep. Same thing happened on Tuesday after ballet. Two days in a row! Yikes! At least they were both days when I had already done some kind of exercise for at least an hour, even if neither was as intense as a good walking session.

I did get to walk every other night except for Friday. Ronnie and Sheryl were here, and so I just didn't get around to it. It was more fun to sit around and chat and play games. I always do at least three miles every time, and a little longer if I was feeling good or if the show I was watching wasn't over yet.

Other People's Babies

I really appreciate all of the information that I'm getting from my friends who have already had babies. It is fun to talk about, first of all, and I'm learning so much! My childhood friend, Angela, has been an immense help, and the best part is that I am back in touch with her! She moved to California after 6th grade, which was so sad! She has a little girl who was born in April last year, so she has a lot of recent information to share. She just sent me the journal that she kept after Shannon was born, in which she discussed breastfeeding and how difficult but rewarding it is. It was really nice to see the details and the truth about what it is really like, and not what the magazines and books tell you.

Gifts

My friend Julie sent me a gorgeous 'baby' blanket. It looks nothing like any baby blanket you've seen, because it is very shiny silver and furry. It is very soft. I wouldn't think that it is very practical, from looking at it, but it is absolutely beautiful and it says that it is washable. The tag says that it is for the 'hip spoiled baby'. Julie has always been my number one fashion consultant, so it is a very appropriate gift!

Travis's grandparents sent gifts for us with Ronnie and Sheryl, who stopped by for a few days on their way up from Florida. Little bitty outfits with sailboats on them, which is appropriate because Travis is a sailor and his parents have sailboats at their house. They also sent a rubber ducky, as well as a little afterbath outfit that has a hood on it to make the baby look like a rubber ducky! That will be very cute!

Miscellaneous

Diet

I've discovered yogurt! I never thought I'd like it, because I thought that all of the varieties had fruit in them, but it turns out that isn't true. My coworker Ellen brought me several flavors to try, and I decided that I love the vanilla! I'm trying to eat three a day. They say that when your bowels are as squished as they are during late pregnancy, it is easy for problems to occur, and eating lots of yogurt is supposed to help digestion.

Along with adding the yogurt, I've been trying to cut out the sugar in my diet (or lack thereof). My glucose readings have been a little high at my past few midwife visits, so I'm trying to lower them. I don't eat candy much, so what I need to do is cut out juices, unfortunately. I love juice. No big deal, though, because I love milk, too, and that is supposed to be all good, as long as it is skim milk, which is all I drink, anyway