Anywho, with 35 days left to go (and I'm thinking it will be less than that), I'm trying my best to not be overly anxious...I don't want to stress the little man out, but his mama is starting to get nervous (but in the best way possible). This week I've been concentrating on trying to get baby to turn into the head down birth position. This stubborn little boy has been breech since around week 29. On Monday night he finally flipped after I did some position practices from a website called spinningbabies.com. How do I know he flipped, you ask? I was able to recognize hiccups lower down in the pelvis on Tuesday. Then on Tuesday night I woke up to a lot of uncomfortable movement and to my dismay on Wednesday morning, I felt his hiccups right back up near my rib cage where they have been since about week 29. I don't know what on earth made him flip for less than one day; I guess he just doesn't like that position right now. I'm hoping he's just not quite ready to move yet, but that he will in due time. I have faith in him! In the meantime, I will keep up with the inversion methods and have even ordered some moxa sticks to perform what is called 'moxibustion'. This is an acupuncture method of turning a breech baby and involves the use of these herbal, Chinese moxa sticks which you light and hold at a certain acupuncture points near the feet. Hey - don't judge. I will try anything at this point to get him to turn and avoid a c-section, plus they were cheap so I figured no harm in giving it a shot! At least at the end of all this, if I still wind up with a c-section, I won't be able to say I didn't try everything I could to turn him! :)
Other than my concern with turning the baby, this week has been fairly low key. Rob and I both haven't been feeling so hot and have been turning in early in the evenings. On Wednesday my department had a Fair Day, so I was able to leave work early at 10 a.m.; I headed to the fair, checked in, grabbed a corn dog and went straight home. In my defense, my feet were killing me immediately and I most definitely have a legitimate excuse to duck out early. I think after last Saturday I had my fill of walking the fair grounds, so I just used the day as a much needed excuse to go home, relax, take a bath and put my feet up.
I haven't done 'stats' in a while, so here are they are; this may be my last one before he's here!
How far along are you: 35 Weeks, 0 Days
How big is baby: I haven't had a sonogram since week 28, but according to the websites, he's around 20 inches long and 6 pounds. So, I'd up the weight by at least half a pound since he was in the 93rd percentile at week 28.
How big is mama: Up 25 pounds, and wondering how I can possibly get any bigger in the belly...but I'm waiting for it.
Stretch marks: Still none, and I am thankful!
How are you feeling physically: Pretty much the same as the last couple weeks. Feeling pretty great during the day, although getting up for bathroom breaks is getting harder due to the pelvic pressure as baby gains weight and drops into the pelvis in preparation for birth.
How are you feeling emotionally: This week I've begun to experience what I read about in books as the nesting/elation period. Most women have a time towards the end of pregnancy where the nesting instincts kick in and they have wild elation as the arrival date closes in. I am just so happy and excited to meet my baby!
Movement: Crazy, as per usual
Cravings: Sweets - I love 'em! And I've never been like that. It's getting harder to resist the cravings and keep myself on track.
Labor Signs: None yet; not even any Braxton Hicks. It's like my uterus has no idea there is a baby in there. :)
Missing Anything: What it feels like to be able to bend over to put shoes on and do everyday things without a huge belly. I literally don't remember what it's like! Even Rob stated he doesn't remember me not pregnant.
Looking forward to: Meeting this adorable miracle that makes me laugh everyday with his crazy funny movements and hiccups.
Random Thoughts: What all we have left to do/get before his arrival. Some things on the list: have someone out to really scrub down the house (hopefully), get the carpets cleaned, have the car seat installation inspected, etc. My list never seems to dwindle because I'm always adding more to it!
Starting today is the 36th week of pregnancy. Baby D will grow to about 6 pounds (if he's not already) and just over 20 inches in length. Growth will experience a slowdown now, both so the baby will be able to fit the narrow passageway to the outside world and also so he can store up all the energy needed for delivery. By now, many of his systems are pretty mature, at least in baby terms, and just about ready for life on the outside. Blood circulation has been perfected and his immune system has matured enough to protect him from infections outside the womb. Other systems - like digestion - still need some finishing touches and won't be fully mature until sometime after birth. This is because in the womb he has relied upon the umbilical cord for nutrition, meaning the digestive system - though developed - hasn't been operational. It will take him the first year or two to bring that system up to speed.
Next Friday will begin our weekly doctor visits, so things should get interesting from here on out! My friend Leslie is due to have her little girl anyday now and my 'labor buddy' from my Facebook group (we've all been assigned a buddy to update via text message when in labor so that she can update all the 120+ girls on the board) had her baby yesterday. Things are starting to get very real!
Until next time!
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