BabyT: 35 Weeks

I took a little hiatus on the blogging front. No particular reason except that things are going great, and I’m horrible at consistency. Jason's gotten on to me many times that I’m way overdue for an update so here it is. Probably going to be long and not so interesting, but I've missed a good chunk of time so here are the last 15 weeks in a nutshell.

First, let's see that bump! A recap of my bump growth from 14 weeks to 35 weeks. I'm definitely feeling pregnant these days, but I don't feel as bad as I was kind of expecting. My ankles come and go, my rings aren't fitting, but I don't feel gross...yet.

Like I said, things have gone pretty great so far, but we have had a couple minor scares along the way. Not so minor in the moment but in the grand scheme of things, they were nothing. 

I was admitted to L&D for contractions around 27 weeks. They monitored me for a few hours, gave me some meds to stop the contractions (I figured out I still don't handle pain meds well), and released me once things quieted down. The whole stay was around 4 hours, and my cervix was closed so no real emergency, just a little scary...mostly for Jason. It was cute to see him worried.

I also had my first public panic attack. My heart has started racing like crazy after zero physical exertion (still does nearly every day). One day it happened in my office, and I felt like I was going to pass out behind my desk and no one would find me. And I freaked. I ended up in my boss's office hyperventilating with several people around me. After what felt like forever, but was probably 30 minutes, I was walked to my boss's boss's office, put on a couch, and Jason was on his way to come get me. It was so embarrassing, but everyone was really great about it. My poor boss, I freaked him out to high heaven. It's funny looking back.

I'm also writing this with a piece of toilet paper in my nose because I woke up with a nose bleed. Normal but annoying.

We've had 3 showers - my family, Jason's family, and my current/Jason's old work. They were all so awesome, and we got a lot of great stuff. It makes us feel so blessed to have all these people around us that love us and are excited about Levi's arrival.

We've got less than 5 weeks until his due date, and I'm still not done with his nursery. In fact, everything we've gotten from our showers is piled up on the floor. It looks like I'm a hoarder of all things baby. I'm going to try to make a dent in it today so we can figure out what we've got and what's left to buy. I did make the cutest crib skirt, I'm working on the mobile, and we're doing rain gutter bookshelves kind of like these below. I don't know when I turned into a crafty, DIY-wannabe but I've had a lot of fun working on all these little projects. I'll upload pictures when everything's finished.

Hmm...what else. I passed my 1-hr glucose tolerance test (GTT), meaning I don't have Gestational Diabeetus. This was pretty huge because PCOSers tend to be more susceptible to GD since we already don't regulate our insulin well so I just knew I'd at least have to take the more in-depth 3-hr test. Nope! 

I also broke up with my OB. Don't get me wrong, I loved Dr. G. Great bedside manner, very personable, just a fun doctor all the way around. There are just some things I want in my birth experience that doesn't sit well with her, which is understandable. I'm going to dedicate an entry to this and get into all the details, but for now, I've switched to Dr. T and with her comes a new hospital that's 3x's further away. I'm not excited about that, but in the long run, I need a provider who is on the same page and comfortable with my hopes for my birth experience and Dr. T definitely is.

I was also released from the MFM last week. That means, unless something comes up, last Monday was the last time I'll see Levi until he's an outside baby. He went from measuring over a week ahead 3 weeks before to measuring 4 days behind, weighing in at 4lb 12oz. I'm not concerned (neither was the MFM) since these measurements are so subjective and can be off by so much. I'm just excited he's growing, and I can't wait to see who he looks like.

I think that pretty much brings us up to date. So now for the normal stuff. I've edited the list to gear it more toward late-pregnancy stuff.

How far along: 35 weeks (as of 7/19/13)

Fruit: Coconut

 

Symptoms: I've been getting the wonderful 3rd Tri heartburn and sleeplessness. I wish I could get a good night's sleep without waking up in pain every couple hours, but I have a feeling I'm not going to sleep well for the next several months. My ankles turn into baby elephant trunks if I spend too much time on my feet in this Louisiana July heat. 

Weight Gain: I really don't know. 25lbs? Since I switched OBs, I didn't ask like normal.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing really.

Maternity Clothes: Yes indeedy! I've become obsessed with maxi skirts and dresses.

Movement: All the time. His feet/knees live in my ribs and his head is trying to teach me lessons on bladder control.

Labor signs: I've gotten tons of Braxton Hicks contractions but none of the legit ones.

Nursery status: In progress. Seriously need to finish this soon.

Rings On/Off: I wear my band on my pinky. My engagement ring quit fitting a while back but I could still manage the band until a couple weeks ago.

Doctor appointments: I'm down to only my OB and Endo. OB appointments will be every week starting next week and I my next Endo appt may be my last one.

Most memorable moment: There have been a lot in the last 15 weeks, but probably all my showers. I love spending time with family so it was nice to see a lot of family I haven't seen since our wedding.

Most anxious moment: Honestly, the panic attack was worse than hearing I was having contractions. The day after the contractions when the OB said my cervix was short and I'd need the steroid shots for Levi's lung development in case he came early was pretty nerve-wracking, but that ended up being a false alarm. With the panic attack, I seriously felt like I was completely losing control. It was scary.

Things purchased for baby: Lots and lots! If he came today, he'd have clothes, diapers, a place to sleep, food. He could actually survive. But we still have a few more things to get, like the stroller and the glider (which is paid for by the in-laws, just need to actually order it).

Milestones: V-day was awesome, even though I didn't feel more comfortable until around 28 weeks instead of 24. And 2 days ago was 35/35 - 35 weeks down, 35 days left to go. It's gone by in a blink and I can't believe we're in the home stretch. The last milestone is 37 weeks when he'll be term...then it's just waiting for him to get here!

Next appointment: I go see Dr. T's nurse practitioner on Wednesday for my 2-week check-up and Group B Strep test. Dr. T is on an Alaskan cruise. Lucky. It'll be weekly check-ups after that.

Looking forward to: I'm anxious to see if I'm GBS positive. Praying I'm not so I don't have to worry about those pesky IV antibiotics during labor. I'm also excited about 37 weeks being right around the corner and my prenatal massage I've got scheduled for that day. I need pampering. :)