Friday, January 17, 2014

baby bump: 38 weeks

38 weeks 
how far along? 38 weeks, due January 28th.  (11 days!?)

how are you measuring? I’ve been measuring a little small when they use measuring tape, but when they feel the baby and the fluid levels, everything is fine. They do like to tell me that he’s not going to be a huge baby.

size of baby:
size of a pumpkin—about 19 inches, 7 pounds.

heartbeat: 125-130 bpm

total weight gain: + 30 lbs.

sleep: It’s hard for me to want to go to sleep at night because I don’t really feel comfortable laying down. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I have a little bit of trouble falling asleep. It’s preparation for not getting full nights’ sleep once baby arrives. Nolan hasn’t been napping, therefore I feel a little sleep-deprived in the afternoons.

movement: I had a really rough night sleeping on Monday—it felt like I was having some kind of contractions. When I woke up, the baby felt really low. Sure enough, the midwife confirmed that he had dropped. He moves quite a bit during the day!

food cravings: The usual… lots of cereal, hot chocolate, candy. I just got over a cold, so I’m enjoying having my taste back :)

symptoms I have: Acid reflux when I lay down, painful veins in my legs, and a pain in my lower left back. At this point in my pregnancy with Nolan, I was still moving easily and quickly. This pregnancy has been a lot tougher on my body—part of that is due to lifting and carrying Nolan.

stretch marks: I might see a couple new pink marks on my right side where he’s been kicking me.

belly button: Didn’t pop with Nolan, hasn’t popped yet.

doctor’s appointment: I’ve actually had three of my weekly appointments since my last pregnancy post. Two weeks ago, I had the Group B Strep test (I am clear). I had an internal exam—about 1 cm dilated, and 40% effaced. At this point, I was still thinking that there were 4 potential women who would deliver the baby: the doctor or one of the three midwives. But at this appointment, I found out that only the doctor and one of the midwives are currently delivering babies—which makes me happy. The one midwife that I didn’t quite vibe with left the practice!

Last week, I met the midwife who is currently delivering babies. I hadn’t had an appointment with her yet, and I was very grateful to find out how kind she is! She is probably about my mom’s age, and I like the motherly way that she treats me. We talked about ways that I can be proactive so that I don’t get scar tissue this time around (I had scar tissue removal surgery 6 months after having Nolan). I also had a swollen or plugged milk duct that she looked at—didn’t realize that could happen pre-breastfeeding.

This week on Tuesday, I met with that same midwife. She said that if my body seemed ready, she could strip my membranes. However, upon checking, I was still only about 1 cm dilated, and she didn’t think it was time yet. (I am grateful because I feel like 38 weeks would be a little early still.)

what I’m looking forward to: I can’t wait to see my baby, to name him, to hold him, to enjoy him. I’m getting nervous about leaving Nolan and going to the hospital. I’m apprehensive about going through labor again. But I’ve been pregnant since May, so I’m ready for the next step. We’re praying for a calm/easy baby, but most of all, a healthy baby.

And in case I don’t make it to my 40 week post, it’s been fun sharing this whole experience with you all!

 
Went to 41 weeks + 2 days with Nolan!

7 comments:

  1. Rachel: I heard once that when the mom is uncomfortable and therefore slightly stressed during the last few weeks that this aids your baby's brain development. I don't remember how, but I thought that was pretty interesting. Soon you will be holding your little boy! And the day after that, you'll be holding HIS little boy! ;-)

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  2. You are too cute, happy to hear everything is progressing well... Dropping is a big deal to me, Emmett never dropped :(
    God will provide the perfect day for this little one to be born... (secretly hoping for my birthday).... I've enjoyed reading your progress posts :)

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  3. I can't believe you're already 38 weeks! Wow!

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  5. You are glowing! That's so awesome that any day now you will be holding your little boy. Praying for a smooth delivery and healthy baby :)

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  6. How exciting! I'm jealous of how close you are!

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Thank you so much for your comments! I enjoy reading each one!

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