35 Weeks

Source: The Bump

We made it to 35 weeks, and our baby is currently the size of a COCONUT?!?!  Wow, that's huge!!!  No wonder why it's increasingly hard for me to get out of bed from a laying position -- I basically have a small bowling bowl inside my mid-section weighing me down!

By now, baby's hearing should be fully developed, and according to The Bump s/he apparently responds best to high-pitched noises.  I guess that's good since I've been trying to shriek sing to baby more often.  ;)  In all seriousness, I have been reading aloud to baby more frequently, so I hope my voice is getting through!

I've been reading a Dr. Seuss book that my best friend sent me as a gift when she first learned I was pregnant.  It's a compilation of various Dr. Seuss stories, adapted for the baby-to-be, and is quite adorable!

Source

My favorite part is the end; I get a little teary each time I read it.  Here's a little excerpt so you can see how sweet it is:

It's a scrumptulous world

and it's ready to greet you.

And as for myself . . .

well . . .

I can't wait to meet you!

In terms of symptoms, I am SUPER tired -- mainly because I've been waking up as many as SIX times per night to pee.  Yes, SIX!!!!!!  It's quite ridiculous really.  I've also noticed over the past week or so that my ankles and feet {my right side in particular} has started swelling more frequently; a couple times per week.  When I notice it happening, I elevate my feet and try to drink additional water.... but some times it feels like I'm going to float away if I drink any more!  I have felt some pressure on my abdomen wall, but I don't think I've had any Braxton Hicks contractions yet -- it feels more like the baby stretching out or pushing against me.  I'm definitely waddling and wiggling when I walk, even despite my best efforts not to.  Interestingly, the four flights of stairs I climb ever morning from the train when going to work have gotten harder on my legs {because I'm lugging more weight}, but I don't find myself as out of breath as I once did!  Other than that, I've had a couple twinges of back/hip pain when I stand too quickly from the sitting position; but luckily nothing too bad so far.  I'm sure that will get more interesting over the next few weeks though as my belly continues to grow!  The only other weird new thing I've been noticing is that when I lay down at night to go to bed, I get a weird head rush / head pressure sensation, along with more noticeable heart beats, almost like palpitations.  It only lasts for a minute or two, and I assume it's related to my increased blood and fluid volume, but I'm going to ask my doctor about it at next week's appointment just to be sure.

This is my last week at my job before my maternity leave starts -- I can't believe I only have 2 more days!!  I think it will be bittersweet for me -- I consider all of my teammates friends and will miss seeing and talking to them on a regular basis.  But, I'm also looking forward to having some time to myself before baby arrives to get our home in order {i.e., try to cure the "reverse robbery" situation we currently have on our hands}, brainstorm some baby names, relax and sleep in more while I still can, wash the baby's linens and clothes, and generally prepare as much as possible for our little one's arrival.  We'll see once I stop "working" whether I:  (a) get bored staying at home alone, (b) turn into a total couch potato who refuses to get dressed, or (c) actually get anything from our to-do list accomplished.  I'll be honest -- it might be a combo.  ;)

And on that note, here's my 35 week bump watch photo!

Hello, Third Trimester!!!

I made it!  I'm in my final trimester of pregnancy, and oh-so-excited about getting this far!!!  Technically, if our baby needed to be delivered at this point, there would be a good chance of survival, which gives my high-alert nerves a little bit of relief.  Of course I want "Little Flippy" to stay put and continue to grow until May, but if s/he had to make an early appearance for some reason we would at least have a fighting chance.  For that reason, I celebrate reaching the third trimester!  Cue the streamers...

Since I missed last week's update due to our babymoon getaway, and because this mama-to-be is tired and behind in all of my life to-do lists, I'm going for efficiency and doing a combination entry tonight.  ;)

Source: The Bump

Source: The Bump

According to these guides from The Bump, our baby has grown several inches over the past 2 weeks, which explains the crazy-strong movements I've been feeling in there the past few days!  The maybe-not-so-little one has also likely gained at least a pound of weight, so I'm guessing we're in the 3.5 pound range, if not more, based on the slightly large measurement we saw in Week 27!  Yikes!!!  Grow, baby, grow!!!  {But please not too big that you have trouble making your grand entrance, if you know what I mean...}

My waist has grown a total of 7 inches and I've gained almost 22 pounds to date.  How's that for "not so little"?!  ;)

My nausea, which finally seemed to be on the mend for a few weeks, unfortunately seems to be coming back a bit stronger over the past several days.  Although I didn't get the full "second trimester break" where I felt great, energetic, glowing and all that other good stuff that lucky moms-to-be experience; I did get a little respite during the latter part of my second trimester from the constant nausea and puke burps that defined my first and most of my second trimesters, so that's something!  As long as the queasies don't come back as strong as they were during the first several months of my pregnancy, I think I can hang in there.

In terms of other symptoms:  I've been peeing like crazy, am feeling pretty physically tired a lot of the time, and have definitely been experiencing "placenta brain".  My normally quick-strided NY walk has slowed into a bit of a waddle and I can officially no longer see my feet if I look straight down!  I've had the occasional back twinge or sciatica pain, but I'm thankful {and surprised, considering I'm basically carrying a 20 pound bowling ball strapped to my tummy} that it hasn't been too bad thus far!  I also noticed this weekend that the skin above my belly button is starting to bulge out a bit -- I guess an "outtie" is in my near future!  My actual belly button is so funny-looking.... it's almost totally flat and looks like it was sewn shut!

In terms of exercise, I've been relying on my walk to/from work, but I really, really, really, really want to make time to use the stretching and prenatal exercise DVD my thoughtful hubby bought me back in November for my birthday.  That's my goal for this Sunday!  Walking up the 4 flights of stairs from my train to street level in the mornings on the way to work has gotten considerably harder over the past few weeks, but {knock on wood} I can still do it!

We currently have 14 overdue items on our pregnancy to-do list {which seems to be a permanent issue -- by the time we finally work to check one off, several more have appeared!}, but we will keep plugging away to make progress and eventually, things will either get done... or they won't!  ;)  Regardless of whether we have a doula, pediatrician, night nurse, newborn photographer, birth plan, or a name lined up -- this baby's going to make an appearance when he or she is ready!

Luckily for us, one thing we don't have to do before baby arrives is "throw some values together at the last minute".  {Click the link for a sarcastic/comedic read, courtesy of my hubby and The Onion.}  We thankfully already have some of those.  ;)

Third Trimester, I'm so glad you're here!!!

April 24th

Today is the start of week 5!

Your baby's the size of an apple seed!

Your embryo is now measurable -- though at week five, that means a teeny .13 inches -- and she's gearing up for much more growth. In fact, in the next week, she'll almost double in size.  She doesn't look like much more than a tadpole right now, but she's already starting to form major organs (heart, stomach, liver, kidneys) and systems (digestive, circulatory, nervous). Grow baby, grow!

Pregnancy hormones kick in (if they haven't already).

During week five, those same hormones your pregnancy test picked up are likely starting to rear their ugly heads, causing some (not so fun) early pregnancy symptoms. The most common? Sore breasts, nausea and fatigue. Some nasties you may not have expected:

Frequent urination. It's something you expected later in pregnancy, right? Wrong. The urge to get up and go to the bathroom can be blamed on those pesky hormones.

Bloating. No, that's not a baby bump (at least not yet). That's bloating! The hormones are relaxing smooth muscle tissue in your gastrointestinal tract, which makes your gut work slower and translates into gas for you (sorry).

Heightened sense of smell. Every little whiff of perfume or food making you nauseous? That's par for the course too.

{Above images and facts courtesy of The Bump}

***

I woke up super tired today... probably because I was tossing and turning all night with nightmares.   I caught myself at lunch reaching for tomatoes with feta cheese...bad, feta!  Phew.  I worked late and then came home ready to take my Week 5 time lapse photo.  Unfortunately, although I know I’m not showing yet, I look like a blob in the photo.   I guess that’s because of all the bloating!   At least I can tell myself I’m not a porker.... yet!

Even though I ate a pretty filling and healthy dinner @ 8pm, my tummy is now loudly growling at 10:47pm!!

I took my first baby bump watch photo today, and Hubby and I devised a list of ongoing questions to answer along with each pic!  Here goes...

(1) How far along are you? 5 weeks
(2) How much weight have you gained to date? 2 pounds
(3) Visible bump? Maternity clothes? No way, Jose!
(4) Any cravings? Not yet!
(5) What symptoms have you had? Nosebleeds, sore breasts, bloating, VERY tired, excessive peeing. Vivid dreams.
(6) Who did you tell? Hubby, my primary care physician (when I went in for a check-up) and my chiropractor.
(7) What names are you considering? Too many to list!
(8) What “getting ready for baby” task did you do? Signed up for some websites & newsletters, bought a couple books, started a pregnancy calendar to-do-list, took some photos, started this journal. 
 (9) What are you most looking forward to? My first OB appointment when I hopefully confirm everything looks good and maybe even hear the heartbeat!
(10) What do you miss? Wine, not having to pee every hour, not having to pay such close attention to what I eat.
(11) Any funny/memorable comments or experiences? At my chiropractic appointment, I had to tell the Dr. I’m pregnant so that he wouldn’t use the electrode stimulator on me. He congratulated me and then said jokingly that I would “get fat” like the woman in the waiting room, who was 8+ months pregnant (and not fat at all). He was joking because when she walked in the office, he turned to me and said as a joke “she’s really fat!” because it was obvious that she was very pregnant.
(12) Any movement? Only gas so far!  ;)
(13) Belly button in or out? Stretch marks? In. Not yet, thank goodness!
(14) Overall mood/condition? Excited/nervous/very tired.