Week 28. Wow.
View #1 at my parents house since I forgot to take week 28 pictures before we left for KC... sort of a weird (terrible) shot.
And week 27 for comparison.
How I'm feeling?
Pretty good given that I'm bigger and bigger and bigger. I mean, I thought I knew what "growth" meant before... this is a whole new level.
I also realized that I need to be more cognizant of when I eat. I got really busy at work one day and then went to the gym at lunch for my typical lunch workout. After a few rounds of weights I realized I needed to sit down or I was going to meet the floor in a hard core way... as soon as I ate something, I felt like a new person. Good reminder I guess?
I also went back to yoga this week which felt great. I can tell things are moving and shaking in my body and everything just feels sort of "off." My hips hurt, working out is really hard now, walking is getting tougher... I'm just getting bigger and things are shifting. It is to be expected but yoga really helped to stretch and re-center me. It was awesome.
How I'm changing?
Belly button is gone. It's an outtie. Officially. (Sorry for those of you who are grossed out by preggo belly buttons).
Oh, and shall we talk about another topic that's probably considered TMI? Suuuure. Why not? So, the other day I noticed that my, ah, nipples were moist. Aside from the first, WHAT IN THE HELL moment, I quickly found out that this is yet another pregnancy thing that no one really says much about but is completely and totally normal. I think I texted a couple of my pregnant girlfriends to ask if anyone else had leaky boobs and then when we were at the midwife later that week (and after doing some research on my own), I found out that it's quite common and is due to colostrum which is the earliest fluid produced for your baby's first few days before your "real" milk comes in. Most people start to leak during the third trimester, some never do, and some can prompt it as early as 12 weeks. Who knew?! I'm just glad I was wearing a padded bra, which is funny in itself since right now there's no way in hell I NEED a padded bra. Good unknown foresight.
What I'm eating?
Really nothing too notable here... I'm eating pretty normally though I feel like I get more hungry now. And the hunger doesn't really feel like hunger pains as most people are used to. It feels like all of a sudden I'm fine and in the next second, I feel like I've run two marathons and just want to curl up on the floor and sleep for DAYS. A tiredness that I can't even remotely begin to explain. And surprise, surprise, it's hunger. I eat something and I feel great. Apparently I need calories to build this kid.
Weight I'm gaining?
Still at 140... still stagnant here. I've been at 140 for the better part of a month. I totally frontloaded my weight. The midwives tell me that I am looking great and right in line with where I "should" be and the baby is growing as they measure him every time and sure enough my stomach continues to grow at a rate of about 1cm/week right now which just seems crazy to me.
How I'm sleeping?
Pretty good. I'm getting used to the 1-3 pee trips a night and can fall back to sleep like a champ. I don't remember the last time I slept more than 4 hours in a row but I guess this is the wimp version of the training I will need to have once the baby comes.
What's the baby doing?
-The baby is 14.8 inches, or the size of a a chinese cabbage and about 2.25 pounds (um, what is a chinese cabbage?? And also, can I just say, I have NO idea how in 12 weeks, he is going to gain probably 6ish more pounds and how is it possible that THAT much more is going to fit in there??!)
-Again, the baby just continues to grow- the lungs and immune system are continuing to develop for life outside the womb.
-The baby's brain is developing more tissue and has probably developed a more regular sleep schedule
-If your baby is a boy (check), his testes are migrating into his scrotum. (Good to know?)
-Your baby is still blinking his eyes, which now sport lashes and can see light through the womb (I can vouch for this...if we are in the sun, I get kicked more).
What we are doing to prepare for the baby?
-We continue to do our weekly baby class. This week for class we had to pack our bag as if we were going to go to the birthing center. It was actually a really good exercise since we now have a pretty good start on our bag ready to go in the case that we need to grab it quickly. Here's the contents:
Diapers for mom and diapers for baby. Seriously, one of the most depressing parts of my week was going to Walgreens and buying depends. Our midwives and our baby class people (who are doulas) recommend wearing depends for the first week after labor as you bleed so much that a pad really doesn't cut it. Literally, you bleed as much post-baby as you would if you had 10 menstrual periods (approximately)... doesn't that seem unfair? I mean, you go through the whole pregnancy which is not really all that much of a walk in the park, then labor which is REALLY not a walk in the park (supposedly) and then you bleed the equivalent of every period you missed for the past 10 months in a WEEK? So much so that while you are trying to recover and hope to god that your vagina doesn't look like roadkill you have to wear freaking DEPENDS? Oh man.... this motherhood thing is just a giant lesson in humility, I think.
A layout of the bag.... we'll look at it in detail.
Clothes for the baby including diapers, a newborn outfit and hat and olive oil (apparently awesome to put on their butts for the sticky meconium poop they have the first couple of days). Otherwise I guess it's a real pain in the ass (ha, no pun intended) to get that poop off them... basically meconium is the stuff that sits in their intestines in utero so when it comes out it's like a sticky black tar (lovely, no?) Oh, and another lesson in humility: the bag at the front of this picture. As a firm NON-BARFER, I was horrified to learn that many people do indeed throw up during labor and sometimes this can happen en route to the hospital or birthing center... so, JUST IN CASE, I packed a barf bag (which after class I subbed out for a ziploc bag as apparently those are better because they SEAL... at which point I think I got that visual and turned to Justin and said, seriously? Shoot me)...but then again, it's all part of the process.
Next up, from left to right- swim trunks for Justin for the birthing tub, shower toiletries, and clothes for me to go home in.... although also post class I learned I may need to bring another outfit for during labor. Apparently it can get messy.... although I think at that point, I would have already lost any sort of modesty and would just go buck naked but maybe that's just me.
And last but not least: snacks. Sparkling water for me (seriously, I am obsessed), wine (Justin's call- hey, whatever works), and various snacks for labor and post-labor. I picked all things that I would not mind puking up (seriously, I have issues)... oatmeal, electrolyte tablets, watermelon, almond butter, protein smoothie, protein bars. I think this part of the bag will be more solidified as we get closer to actually going to the birthing center. Things that weren't in there that we will add eventually: knee pads for Justin in the case that he has to squat a lot, a car seat (clearly), and a copy of our birth plan in case we both can't dictate what we really want to happen.
Other than that this week, we also got a BUNCH of stuff for the nursery! We are heading to Kansas City for a long weekend so the putting together will have to wait but it is exciting, regardless.
We also decided for sure on a doula. We confirmed with her, she's free in August, we are in. I am very happy with this decision and like her a lot. More to come on her in future weeks, I'm sure.
We also interviewed a pediatrician this week and decided to use her. Again, we like her a lot. She is a naturopath which was the type of care we wanted to use for the new baby.
AND, last but not least, we did see the midwives for our once every two week visit. My glucose test came back totally normal (yay!), the baby is growing and his heart rate sounds great. He was head up and basically sitting on my ribs, but it's still normal right now for him to move all over as he still has lots of room in there (again, how, I'm not sure...it sure FEELS like it's tight). By week 34 or so, he should move to a head down position. The midwives also lectured me for a good 20 minutes on making sure I do completely bed rest for a week post baby to heal and recover. Most people don't do this and have worse post-partum symptoms and a harder time recovering. It makes sense but my initial thought was that will be rough. They assured me I will not be bored and they are probably right.
Random thoughts on pregnancy (pregnancy brain?)
As the baby has gotten stronger, so have his kicks. And you know what? The whole kick counter thing? I don't get it. How much is he supposed to kick and how long? And how do I count these? Is one kick every time I feel something? Or is one kick actually like the 5 "pows" in a row I sometimes get? I DON'T KNOW. I find the whole kick counter thing utterly confusing and you know what? I don't care. He's clearly kicking and moving in there so that's all I really need to know.
