Week 34 Update
I skipped an update after our last appointment so I'll try to remember what all has happened in the past 4 weeks. Much of this post has been directly pilfered from the email I sent out to the family yesterday with additional detail and more complaining. :)
In the 30 week update I mentioned that baby was sitting head up. A day or so before the 32 week prenatal check, baby turned and was pressing her tiny cranium directly into my bladder. She has settled in head down according to yesterday's check. I was really curious about her position because I couldn't feel her knobby head anymore. The midwife said that very often you only notice when they first turn. She could change directions again but most likely will be head down for the remainder of her stay at Chez Womb. Thankfully, she's been hanging out pretty low so while indigestion has been a faithful companion, I've so far missed out on most of the traditional heartburn and shortness of breath.
Her heart rate continues to be nice and strong and she is still active every day, though the movements are smaller now that she's getting bigger. The books say she should be 4-5lbs at this point and about 18 inches long. Our next prenatal check will be December 13th (36 weeks) and they'll do a routine test for Strep B and check to see if I've started to dilate at all. After that we will be going in every week until labor starts. I am starting to notice some initial Braxton-Hicks contractions finally. It pretty much feels like someone replaces my uterus with a bowling ball for a little bit. No pain, just tightening in the belly that slowly releases.
Our birth classes have been going well and we're down to 2 more sessions. On Monday before class we will meet with our doula (who is also the instructor for our classes) to go over the plan for the big day. She's mentioned a couple times that she will be unavailable from December 22-28, so while I may *want* to will this child to come early (but after 37 weeks!) I officially still want her to be a January baby so that the doula can be there.
My blood pressure is still totally normal (120/80), though I have had some swelling. This week that might be attributed to the canned soup I was eating as a result of catching a cold. Holy sodium content, Batman! The variety I usually eat while sick turns out to have nearly 2000mg per can and I had it several days running before bothering to read the label. I got my most recent thyroid results back and am a bit confused. The endocrinologist wrote "looks great" on the sheet that her office mailed to me but my TSH went from 1.54 to 2.63 (higher is "worse" with TSH, it is inversely related to your actual thyroid function) and my T4 dropped down into the "low normal" range. I dunno if that is just normal for near the end of pregnancy or if someone has been hitting the crack pipe at their office.
I'm definitely feeling more unwieldy now -- there is me and then there is The Belly. I think one of the more disturbing things is that I only have 2 pair of shoes that I can wear and one of them is a pair of men's size 9EE width. That's what happens when you start out a women's 10D, I guess. I *really* am hoping that my feet will go back to their previous size after the baby is born because finding shoes was already a challenge. Anecdotal evidence says it can go either way. :) I'm also now at the point where the 44DDD bras I bought in the first trimester no longer fit. I have to use a band extender to keep the band from putting too much pressure on my abdomen. Have I mentioned that I don't understand why anyone would pay to have huge boobs installed? This is freakin' ridiculous. And they'll get bigger a few days after birth when my milk comes in!!!
I've found myself craving milk lately (only ice cold, nonfat need apply). Some days I drink more than a quart and it has never tasted better. I never did get any cravings for bizarro concoctions but I have had some bouts of compulsive cravings. Like for olives that I can't have. Not because they're on a magic no-no list but because they're olives cured by a guy that my dad knew who has been deceased for probably 10 years now. Those were the best olives ever (RIP, Mike). I also plowed through most of a 3lb box of fresh pineapple from Costco last week. Damn was it good.
Well, I think it is time to go eat a bowl of milk with some cereal thrown in for texture. :)
