Week 35

Week 35 was rough!  I was exhausted all of the time and just wanted to sleep.  Of course, I couldn't sleep well, so that did not help.  I was stressed this week, because baby girl is still breech.  I am terrified of having a c-section, which means I have to have an epidural too.  I have a peaceful (needle-free) natural birth planned! We all know that babies don't read the plan, but a little help from her would be nice!  I am trying to come to peace with the idea of a c-section in case it is necessary, but sometimes it gets to me.  I know the important thing is a healthy baby no matter how she gets here.  

This week I saw a different midwife (mine was at a conference) and she scared me about baby girl being breech still, having to turn her, and the possibility of a c-section.  Adalyn has a a good heart beat and rate still.  We had another brief ultrasound, just to confirm that she is still head up.  They also checked and said I have an adequate amount of amniotic fluid.  At my appointment next week, I will see an OB instead of a midwife.  At this point, if she has not turned, they will discuss an external cephalic version to manually turn her from the outside.  Sounds scary to me, but we will talk to the doctor and get more information.  My blood glucose readings still look good, so no insulin still!  

I have been doing multiple exercises to help baby girl turn.  Most of these involve either hanging upside down from the couch or elevating my pelvis well above my shoulders so that she can get her legs out of my pelvis and turn.  Our midwife also recommended heat/music/light on my lower abdomen and cold on the top where her head is to encourage her to move toward the warmth/music/light.  I know it all sounds crazy, but if it works, who cares!  So far, she just curls up sideways to get away from the cold, but does not turn all the way.  Monday (Jan 28th) I go to the chiropractor for an adjustment called the Webster technique.  "The late Larry Webster, D.C., Founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association(ICPA), developed a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which enables chiropractors to establish balance in the pregnant woman's pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis has been clinically shown to allow for optimal fetal positioning.  With a balanced pelvis, babies have a greater chance of moving into the correct position for birth, and the crisis and worry associated with breech and posterior presentations may be avoided altogether."  Again, may sound crazy to some, but I am willing to try it!  Less stress on me and baby girl.  

We have done some more nesting this week.  Brandon put up the tree sticker in the nursery! It is adorable!  I organized some more and washed all of the newborn cloth diapers.  

How far along?: 35 weeks

Total weight gain?  19.5 pounds (I didn't gain anything this week)

Baby is the size of a:  coconut

Interesting facts about baby at this stage:   This week her growth is mostly plumping up.  Her kidneys are now fully developed, and her liver can process some waste products.  

Maternity clothes?:  All maternity clothes.  

Stretch marks?: No! :)

Sleep:   I have adapted to only sleeping for an hour or two.  Then, I have to change positions and usually get up to go to the bathroom.  

Best moment of this week?: Getting the nursery ready.

Miss anything?:   Deep breaths 

Baby Movement/kicks?: She is still a busy little girl!  

Food cravings?:  Mexican food, cheese, and milk.  

Anything making you queasy or sick?: Nope.

Belly button in or out?:  Pretty much flush with my belly.  It pokes out sometimes, depending on how she is laying.  

Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy most of the time and some stress.  

Looking forward to: Katie visiting next weekend!!

Symptoms I have:  Heartburn is mild with the Zantac, but is starting to occur again.   

Next Appointment:  January 30th with OB and Jan 31st for the Diabetes clinic.

Week 34

Week 34 is done!  We are still chugging along!  This post is a couple of days late, because I had food poisoning yesterday.  Yuck!  Being really pregnant and really sick is not fun.  Probably wouldn't be fun if I wasn't pregnant either.  Luckily, I still had some of my anti-nausea/morning sickness pills left.  They were life savers.  After about 16 hours of misery, I woke up this morning feeling much better and able to eat again.  

This week I have done a lot of nesting.  I washed baby clothes and hung them in the closet.  Washed blankets and other goodies which went in to the dressers.  I also put together the swing and Lamb bouncy chair.  We got a closet organizer and small toy box.  Brandon had to build the shelving/organizer for me :)  Then I got to organize my closet a little bit, which makes me extremely happy.  I love keeping busy by preparing!  I still have to wash our cloth diapers to get them ready and I need to start packing our hospital bags to be prepared.  I have a list for our hospital bags ready though! 

My glucose levels are still looking pretty good.  I have an OB and diabetes clinic appointment next week.  I am hoping Adalyn has decided to turn and be head down now, but I guess we will see.  I am still doing my workouts on the treadmill and my pregnancy cardio video.  

We also did some indoor maternity pictures with Bella Posa this week.  Kristy is amazing and I can't wait to see them!  We are still hoping for some snow (unlikely) to do outdoor pictures.  They will still be incredible without snow, but I just think for a winter pregnancy there should be snowy pictures!  

How far along?: 34 weeks

Total weight gain?  ?

Baby is the size of a:  butternut squash

Interesting facts about baby at this stage:   Baby girl is approximately 18 inches long (according to the book).  Her hearing is fully developed now.  She can recognize and react to familiar songs.  Adalyn and I listen to a lot of Carrie Underwood (Blown Away), The Band Perry (Better Dig Two), and Luke Bryan.  She is a country girl already.  She does seem to move a little more when we are jamming and singing :)

Maternity clothes?:  All maternity clothes.  

Stretch marks?: No! :)

Sleep:   Sleep has still been in short bursts this week, only about 1.5 to 2 hours at a time.  I have had a little better luck this week.  I am practicing my deep relaxation techniques from Lamaze class.  They are great for putting me to sleep. I am still having to get up to go to the bathroom every hour or two.  

Best moment of this week?: Getting the nursery ready! 

Miss anything?:   Deep breaths 

Baby Movement/kicks?: She is still a busy little girl!  I love to watch my belly and see her moving around.  

Food cravings?:  Mexican food as always!  

Anything making you queasy or sick?: No, aside from my Red Lobster food poisoning.  

Belly button in or out?:  Pretty much flush with my belly.  It pokes out sometimes, depending on how she is laying.  

Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy most of the time.  And tired.  

Looking forward to: The weekend. 

Symptoms I have:  Heartburn has been conquered by Zantac!  I have had some pelvic and lower back discomfort.  

Next Appointment:  January 22nd with OB and Jan 24th for the Diabetes clinic.

Week 33

Week 33 is over now!  We are cruising right along.  Let's hope that continues.  I have been feeling pretty good this week, other than not sleeping well.  I have just gotten used to only sleeping 1.5 to 2 hours at a time.  I figure it is baby training.  At least this week my small stretches of sleep are more solid.  The horrible heartburn has continued this week.  Adalyn has had the hiccups a lot this week.  Poor baby has had them at least once a day.  It is such an odd sensation.  She continues to be very active!  Our daily movement counts are not an issue!  

This week we had our OB appointment.  Adalyn's heartbeat sounded great and was around 130 bpm.  She was being difficult while trying to find her heartbeat.  Whenever our midwife would find it, Adalyn would move.  She does not like to pushed on!  I know this because I poke her when I want to her move.  My belly (uterine) measurement was the same this week as it was 2 weeks ago, so we went to ultrasound to do measurements and an approximate weight.  Again, Adalyn was a bit difficult.  She would not get in the right positions for her measurements.  We found that she is in the breech position now, which they said is why the uterine measurement was small (she had moved since the last visit).  The ultrasound estimated weight was 4 pounds 14 oz.  They said her measurements were about a week behind, but were not concerned.  They also said there is plenty of time for her to turn back to the appropriate position with her head down.  I also got a prescription for Zantac to help with my heartburn!!

We had our Labor and Delivery tour this week.  The nurses seemed very nice.  They are open to accommodating your personal birth plan, as long as there are no complications with mom or baby.  We are hoping for a natural medication free birth.  I pre-registered for admission today and had my meeting with anesthesia to go over options.  So we are all ready to go, at least at the hospital!  Not quite ready at home yet.  

I also had an appointment with my gestational diabetes nurse.  She said that my blood glucose levels still look good.  I just continue my  testing 6 times a day and carb counting.  I am still hoping that I will not need insulin, but she said it is still possible in the final month because of the major hormonal changes then.  

Our birth class continues to be great!  The midwife is a great teacher.  And we found out she actually delivered one of our close friends' sweet daughter.  We have learned some relaxation techniques, coping/calming methods, and all about labor.  She also gave me some techniques to use to try to get Adalyn to turn into the proper position.  

How far along?: 33 weeks

Total weight gain?  19.5 pounds total (0.5 pounds in 2 weeks)

Baby is the size of a:  honeydew melon

Interesting facts about baby at this stage:   Baby girl is approximately 4 pounds 14 oz (according to the ultrasound) with a total length of 17.25 inches (according to the book).  She keeps her eyes open while awake.  She is also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.  Her bones are now hardening and she is going through some major brain development.    

Maternity clothes?:  All maternity clothes.  

Stretch marks?: No! :)

Sleep:   Sleep has been in short bursts this week, only about 1.5 to 2 hours at a time.  I have had a hard time getting comfortable and staying that way.  I am still having to get up to go to the bathroom every hour or two.  

Best moment of this week?: Getting to see Adalyn on ultrasound.  And finding sugar free Milo's sweet tea made with Splenda!!  

Miss anything?:  Cheesy yummy indulgent Mexican food. 

Baby Movement/kicks?: She is still a busy little girl!  I love to watch my belly and see her moving around.  

Food cravings?:  Mexican food.  

Anything making you queasy or sick?: No

Belly button in or out?:  Pretty much flush with my belly.  It pokes out sometimes, depending on how she is laying.  

Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy most of the time.  And tired.  

Looking forward to: The weekend. 

Symptoms I have: HEARTBURN!  Heartburn all of the time!  Tums aren't getting the job done anymore.  Hoping the Zantac will help.  Some lower back/pelvis discomfort.  

Next Appointment:  January 22nd with OB and Jan 24th for the Diabetes clinic.

Week 32!

We are now at the end of 32 weeks, which leaves only 7 weeks (approximately) until Adalyn's arrival.  Brandon thinks she is going to make an early appearance, because he says she is impatient like us!  We will see.  We started our Lamaze birth class this week.  It is going to be a great class.  Lots of information, which I love, and a great midwife, with 32 years of experience, teaching us.  We have five more classes, so hopefully Adalyn will wait until after that to come.  

I have been completely exhausted this week!  Even if I managed to get some good sleep, I was still beyond tired.  Good sleep has been hard to come by though.  Not as many crazy dreams this week, but I can not get comfortable.  Even with my snoogle pregnancy pillow I can't get comfortable for long and I get hot!  I am also having to get up to go to the bathroom every hour or two, so that is not helping.  I have been working out 6 days a week to try to help with my gestational diabetes.  It takes quite a bit of motivation to get up and do a workout sometimes, but I am sticking with it.  Thank goodness for my treadmill in the basement!  

How far along?: 32 weeks

Total weight gain?  ?

Baby is the size of a:  squash

Interesting facts about baby at this stage:   Baby girl is approximately 3.75 pounds with a total length of 16.7 inches (according to the book).  This week she now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair!  

Maternity clothes?:  All maternity clothes.  

Stretch marks?: No! :)

Sleep:   Sleep has been bad again this week.  I have had a hard time getting comfortable and staying that way.  I get hot and can't lay in one position for more than an hour or two.  I also have to get up to go to the bathroom every hour or two.  

Best moment of this week?:  Relaxing at home with Brandon (since he was off Monday and Tuesday for New Years).

Miss anything?:  Sleep 

Baby Movement/kicks?: She is still a busy little girl!  I love to watch my belly and see her moving around.  

Food cravings?:  Milk, as always.   I did have a major cheeseburger craving this week.    

Anything making you queasy or sick?: No

Belly button in or out?:  Pretty much flush with my belly.  It pokes out sometimes, depending on how she is laying.  

Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy most of the time.  And tired.  

Looking forward to: Our next appointment.  

Symptoms I have: HEARTBURN!  Heartburn all of the time!  Tums are my friend!  Lower back, pelvis, and hip pain/discomfort.    

Next Appointment:  January 10th with OB and the Diabetes clinic.