36 weeks ... one month to go!

How far along: 36 weeks

Baby's size: A Honeydew

Ella's skin is getting smooth and soft, her gums are rigid, her liver and kidneys are in working order, and her circulation and immune system are basically good to go. Her lungs are the only organs that still need to fully mature, but every day she gets a little closer to breathing on her own. Most of her bones and cartilage are are quite soft (they'll harden after the first few years of life) - allowing for an easier journey as she squeezes through the birth canal at delivery. At this stage, the skull bones are also not fused together yet so that her head can easily (well, relatively easily) maneuver through the birth canal. Her growth is slowing down now, both so she can fit through the narrow passageway to the outside and also so she can store up all the energy needed for delivery.

Symptoms: My back pain is getting worse - I really need to get in to see a masseuse or chiropractor. My friend rib pain still won't leave my side. I'm also experiencing more discomfort in my hips. I'm assuming this is because they are loosening for delivery. After sitting or standing (or even laying) in one position for a while they are pretty sore. But I'll take that as a good thing if it means easier delivery!

Sleep: Same old story here. With my back pain, I can't ever seem to get comfortable at night. Sleeping on my side puts more pressure on my back. Sleeping on my back feels the best for my back, but that's not very comfortable with my belly weighing down on my. The best position is about half way between on my back and on my side - with a pillow propped behind and in front of me. Makes it pretty hard for hubby to get anywhere near me!

Total Weight Gain: 27 pounds

Maternity clothes: Did some outlet shopping this weekend. Bought a dress, a cardigan, a 3/4 sleeve shirt, a tshirt and a tank top all for about $40! None of which were maternity. I'm still having more luck finding styles that accommodate a belly, or simply buying a larger size. Maternity clothes just don't seem to fit me well - or if they do, they're often too expensive for my taste!

Best moment this week: Had my second "unofficial" baby shower on Sunday. Got together with all my girlfriends from college for cider, yummy fall desserts, and some good catch up time. They all went together and bought me a white and pink BabyBjorn. So sweet!

Movement: Yup, still moving! I never did get around to start doing kick counts. I guess she moves so much that it hasn't seemed necessary.

Food cravings: Still none ...

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None. Thankfully!

What I miss: Feeling comfortable.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my baby in 4 weeks!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestone: One month to go!


Emotions: Pregnancy hormones can be really annoying at times! A simple inconsiderate comment, that would normally just roll off my back, can send me into tears. Poor hubby doesn't know what to do sometime! But he is so sweet and considerate and never makes me feel stupid. He just listens - which is usually all I need anyway. Not sure how I got so lucky to have him!

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35 weeks ... 35 days to go

How far along: 35 weeks

Baby's size: A Honeydew

From now on, Ella's growth is mostly in the plumping up department - though she won't get much longer, she'll put on a pound or more of baby fat before birth. BAck in the middle of pregnancy, Ella's weight was made up of only 2% fat; now she's about 15% and will be about 30% by full-term.) Her hearing is totally developed (though she responds best to higher pitches.) Also continuing to grow at an amazing pace is her brain power. Luckily, the part that surrounds that amazing brain - the skull - remains soft. And for good reason: a soft skull will allow her to squeeze more easily through the birth canal. God was really thinking this one through - imagine trying to push out a rock-hard head ... ouch!

Symptoms: Back pain, rib pain, leg cramps, frequent bathroom trips ...and started getting a little heartburn in the evenings sometimes.

Sleep: Getting comfortable at night is nearly impossible. But once I fall asleep I seem to sleep well. Thankfully I don't really wake up to go to the bathroom much at all. But IF I do wake up for another reason, it most certainly means a trip to the bathroom!

Total Weight Gain: 26 pounds ... my weight gain seems to be slow lately - not that I'm complaining! Hopefully it's nothing to worry about. I continue to measure right on schedule at every OB visit, so I'll just wait and see!

Maternity clothes: My wardrobe is getting more and more limited. I've been pretty lucky so far that a lot of my regular clothes have still worked. But more and more of my tshirts are not making it over my growing bump! But I guess with only 5 weeks left there doesn't seem like much point in buying more maternity clothes, so I'll just make due!

Best moment this week: Had my first baby shower on Saturday. It was SO fun to have so many come, especially a lot of my cousins who surprised me by driving up (many from out of state) for the afternoon.

Movement: She's moving just as much as ever. According to Dr. B and Dr. F, she's been head down for over a month, but she loves to stick her butt out near my belly button ... I told her daddy he's going to have to talk to her about being modest :)

Food cravings: Still none ...

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None. Thankfully!

What I miss: Feeling comfortable.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my baby in 5 weeks! And my second shower this weekend.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestone:

Emotions: Kind of freaking out about the whole labor and delivery thing - mostly because I simply don't know what to expect, so it seems impossible to have any sort of realistic 'plan' in place. But lamaze class is helping, so we'll see.

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lamaze childbirth education

We started our childbirth education classes on Tuesday. I mentioned Monday that I was freaking out about delivery, and was hoping these classes would help ... I'm not so certain it did. At least not yet.

I'm sure it didn't help that I had this picture in my mind of what Lamaze class would be like - all the moms sitting around on mats (think yoga class), with dads sitting behind them, practicing breathing techniques. In reality, this was not at all my experience.

She covered SO much information, and really made me realize just how much I DON'T know. I just sat there trying to soak everything in, and feeling like I should have been taking copious notes! But I didn't. Really because I know I can always go back and look up the information, and just wanted to take advantage of hearing someone explain it all rather than just reading it. But it left me feeling a little overwhelmed to say the least.

And then the worst part. We watched a birthing video. Somehow both hubby and I made it through high school health class without ever having to partake in this joy. I think hubby was scared for life. And I didn't enjoy it much more. It didn't help that the video - a VHS tape - was from the late 80's. It also didn't help that the lady giving birth was actually naked and moaned like she was having sex rather than delivering a baby! Thankfully we were warned about the naked part so it wasn't a shock, but the whole thing was a little weird.

Towards the end of class we learned some massage techniques and some relaxation techniques. I found it slightly awkward sitting around with seven other couples while my husband massaged my head and arms ... trying to use it as a teach time to tell him what did and didn't feel good. Also the "nonscented" lotion smelled like baby powder and made us both feel sick. The relaxation techniques were helpful but nothing to earth shattering, and hubby didn't really understand what HE was suppose to be doing during the whole thing. But when the times comes I'm sure we'll be happy to have these tools to use.

Don't get me wrong, the class was very helpful. And I'm looking forward the the next few classes. I just feel so out of place and unprepared. But that is exactly what theses classes are suppose to eliminate, so I am optimistic at this point.

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wordless wednesday: 34 week bump

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34 weeks

How far along: 34 weeks

Baby's size: A Honeydew

Ella can now recognize and react to simple songs ... time to start practicing my lullabies! In fact, she will recognize frequently sung tunes after birth and probably find them soothing. Her fingernails now reach the end of her fingertips and may even curl over the tip - sounds like a mother/daughter trip to the salon will be in order! Less cute news: She now urinates about one pint per day. Better get the diapers ready!

Symptoms: Back pain, rib pain, leg cramps, frequent bathroom trips ... I've been to the bathroom 4 times already this morning! Starting to feel more and more uncomfortable the bigger I get. Simply sitting on the couch is even more uncomfortable these days.

Sleep: Still sleeping well, just not all that comfortably. And I never seem to get enough of it!

Total Weight Gain: 25 pounds

Maternity clothes: We had dinner with some friends of ours this weekend who have a 2 month old little girl. She had just packed up all her maternity clothes, so she sent me home with two bins of clothes! She's quite a bit shorter than me, so most of the pants didn't work - but I did score quite a few long sleeve tops that will be great now that it's getting colder!

Best moment this week: Our crib and bassinet arrived! Hubby's mom brought over the bassinet, which was made by her father. And she picked up the crib down in the city - it's now prominently placed in our garage. We won't be putting it up until our new house is finished, but it's so fun just knowing it's there!

Movement: She is getting so big! Her jabs have started to feel slightly uncomfortable. It feels like she's jabbing me in the side with her elbows. And sometimes headbutting me in the bladder. So fun! But thankfully she's stayed away from my ribs so far.

Food cravings: Still none ...

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None. Thankfully!

What I miss: Jeans that fit.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my baby in 6 weeks! And my first shower this weekend.

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestone:

Emotions: So much to be done. But I don't even know where to start! This whole building a house thing really complicates the planning process. There is so much that I would normally be doing right now, but I'm waiting until we're in our new house to do. However, I know there are things I should be doing right now to prepare for this baby that I'm just not thinking of! Thankfully my mom is coming this weekend for the shower, hopefully she can help me make a plan!

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freaking out

I kind of broke down to hubby tonight. The realization that I'm going to have to actually 'birth' this child inside of me VERY soon has really been hitting me lately. And, I'll be honest, I'm kind of freaking out!

My whole pregnancy has really been pretty easy. Sure I've had constant pain in my ribs since about 21 weeks, and frequent back pain about as long. I've experienced the round ligament pain and the leg cramps. I've even been feeling my hip joints loosening up lately, which isn't so pleasant either. And you certainly can't ignore the frequent trips to the bathroom! But really, all of that is pretty easy to deal with. And the excitement of it all definitely overshadows any discomfort. I actually feel bad telling other moms that that I feel ok, because I know that not everyone is as fortunate!

But very, very soon, I'm going to have to deliver this little girl (and hopefully she stays little!) I have no idea what to expect. Sure I've done my research, and I've talked to many women who have gone through it. But there are SO many horror stories out there! Including my mother-in-law (both she AND my hubby almost died) and my sister-in-law. It's hard to hear those stories, and not let my mind run wild.

On the completely opposite end of the spectrum is my own mom. She had all of us in about three hours of labor, and never even experienced early labor - just went right into phase two. So she was able to go through three deliveries without ever needing drugs or an epidural. She did have some complications with my younger brother, but that was because he was a footling breach and had his arm caught up over his (very large) head. They simply wouldn't allow that to happen today.

So I'm caught between expecting the worst, and expecting the best. I certainly don't want to dwell on all the things that COULD go wrong. But I also don't want to go in expecting an easy three hour delivery and then have it last for 12 hours!

Tomorrow we start Lamaze / Childbirth Education classes at the hospital. They say knowledge is power, and I'm really hoping that holds true for me. I'm hoping that this 4 week class will help me feel more prepared, and more at ease about the whole thing.

I have such an amazing husband. I really couldn't ask for a better partner in this whole thing. I let him know that I was nervous and really uncertain about everything. He reassured me that he will not only be there for the class, but he'll really be there. I love him so much, and can't wait to go through this experience with him.

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33 weeks

How far along: 33 weeks

Baby's size: A Honeydew

Things are heating up inside! Ella may grow up to a full inch this week alone, and her brain is developing like crazy. Pretty soon, she'll be able to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. Also, her bones are hardening, and she's started to keep her eyes open when she's awake. The level of amniotic fluid in the uterus has reached its maximum this week, making it likely that there's more baby than fluid now. That's just one reason I'm feeling lots of nudges and pushes - there's less liquid to cushion the blows. Ella has reached another important milestone about now as well: the development of her own immune system (along with antibodies).

Symptoms: Back pain, rib pain, leg cramps, frequent bathroom trips ... a new one this week is achy hip joints. I can feel that the ligaments are getting looser!

Sleep: Still sleeping well, just not all that comfortably. And I never seem to get enough of it!

Total Weight Gain: 25 pounds

Maternity clothes: Comfort seems to be key these days. Fewer and fewer things in my closet are fitting. But I'm also loosing interest in buying a ton more maternity clothes; seems like a waste with only 7 weeks to go!

Best moment this week: We found out at last weeks appointment that she's already in a head-down position. Looks like she's just as excited to meet us as we are to meet her!

Movement: She is getting so big, and moving so much!

Food cravings: Starting to think I may never have any ...

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: None.

What I miss: Not having a constant pain under my ribs. It's getting more severe lately, and extremely uncomfortable!

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting my baby in 7 weeks!

Weekly Wisdom (aka what I learned this week): 

Milestone:

Emotions: Stressed beyond belief with everything that needs to be accomplished in the next 7 weeks!

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