36 Weeks

March 3, 2014

Eleventh Doctors Appointment

Everything was fairly routine at this check up.  Weight, iron and blood pressure were all great.  Her heart rate was strong, as always.  I was still measuring at 34 weeks, so she had me schedule another appointment for next week.  I now get to go every week to see her until this little girl is here.  I also got checked for Strep-B, which is a normal bacteria that is quite common for women to have.  Basically it isn't harmful to the mother, but if you are positive for it, it can be harmful for the baby.  They would give you an antibiotic upon arriving at the hospital, so as the baby passes through the vagina, it would be less likely to get it from the mother.  I love that Seton now has all their medical charts online, so I got to find out this past weekend that I'm Strep B free - woo.  One less thing to worry/stress about.     

Week 36
Size of Baby Walker  5.8 pounds = size of a cantaloupe! 

Symptoms  I still don't feel a ton different.  I have noticed that this week my back muscles are tighter, almost constantly.  In the last few days, I've definitely been feeling some contractions (or surges in the hypnobirthing world), but not super frequent.  I basically have that same tightening in my lower back and it will wrap around my torso.  I also got to experience my first late (or early morning) call to the on-call nurse.  I got up at 4:30 AM to use the restroom and found a slight (TMI again, sorry!) pinkish tint.  I didn't think it really was anything, but felt if I didn't verify, I would stay up and worry all the same.  It wasn't associated with my water breaking/contractions or an abundance, so it was just one of those things.  
Cravings/Aversions  I actually had time to cook this week, which was amazing.  I made some homemade lasagna, more biscotti and even some blondies fro the hubs.  I forget just how much I love baking.  I know they weren't the best meal choices, but always better when it's homemade.  I've also stocked up on some items that are in my 'going to the hospital' snack bag.  This contains (currently) roasted almonds, dried strawberries/blueberries/cranberries and fruit leathers.  I will add more items to the bag as we get a little closer.  My sweet tooth has really come out this week... not the best thing.   

Exercise  We were able to take the pups on quite a few walks this past week, which was lovely.  It's nice to get out of the house and be able to exercise them.  

Sleep  4:30 AM is apparently my new wake up time.  I'm not sure why, but I'm constantly waking up right around then and staying awake for about 30-45 minutes before being able to fall back asleep.  
Best moment of the week... I was super excited to get started on a project that I really want to get done before this little girl is here, our headboard.  It's going to be a beautiful tufted headboard that's 8'x3'.  Massive, but amazing.  The hard part is done.  I just need to finish the edges.       

Changes  Well, we are a little closer to choosing the name for our little girl.  I think we have decided on her name, but now we say we are testing it out.  It's an exciting big step! 

Looking forward to...  having the hubby home over the full week for spring break! 

35 Weeks

Week 35
Size of Baby Walker  5.25 pounds = size of a pineapple! 

Symptoms  This week I've definitely felt more lower back aching through out the day.  I actually called into the nurse on Friday afternoon because (sorry if TMI) my mucous plug (or at least part of it) came out.  I wasn't freaked out by it, but thought it would be good to make sure I didn't need to do anything different.  I also talked with my doula, which is really nice to have a 2nd resource.  Basically, your mucous plug can come back, and unless I was having contractions or pains that wrapped around from my back, I was fine.  
Cravings/Aversions  This week's menu has been pretty random.  We've eaten pretty well during the week.  The weekend comes and with being busy and lack of food in the fridge, we eat not as healthy of meals.  I have also been loving all things dried fruit.   

Exercise  I endured the cold that stormed in last night and went to prenatal yoga.  It was great, and I figured stretching out before my massage today would be the good for my body! 

Sleep  Ugh, one night it's wonderful and the next I spend a few hours up on my phone on Pinterest.  I don't know what makes one evening more comfortable than the next, but hopefully I can get a few more good nights of sleep before she's here. 
Best moment of the week...  I just love spending time with my hubby.  I know it sounds silly, but I love having him help me with projects and spending time together.  I keep trying to just soak up the moments of just us.  He took me to get yogurt and ended up going with me to JoAnn's to get materials for our headboard.  He was actually being helpful with choosing the color, and at one point said he really liked the pattern and texture of this one fabric.  I about peed my pants in the aisle.  That's totally not a phrase my husband would normally say.  It was perfect and hilarious, but it was the fabric we ended up choosing.   

Changes  We got a few more things put together this week for the baby's room.  The monitor is up, and we got a few items we still needed to purchase.  Our car seat will be going in our vehicle this week.  I should probably start thinking about packing my bag for the hospital, but that is still a to-do.  We also have been working on a few projects around the house.  I mainly have some to-do's that I've been putting off but know need to be done before she's here.  One of which is a headboard for our new bed.  If it wasn't rainy and cold at the end of the weekend, we'd have much more done.  Instead, we got to just enjoy a few lazy days.  

Looking forward to... It's amazing to think that I'm now at 36 weeks and really can have her at any time.  She, although would be early, would only be preterm and hopefully nice and healthy.