Week 31

I have so little too complain about. Overall, pregnancy has been wonderful. I love seeing my belly grow big and round and there are a lot of symptoms that I can appreciate much more than mind. I try to focus on the fact that my body is changing in order to support our son, both now and after he is born. So, the leaking breasts, the low back pain, foggy brain, tiny bladder and swollen ankles are just reminders of a beautiful process that will lead to the birth of our baby.

Still, I would like to trade in the heartburn and carpal tunnel syndrome. The heartburn has been off and on since I got pregnant, but now, it's harder to avoid. Antacids don't really help me, so I don't bother, plus they can interfere with iron absorption and iron is so very important in this last trimester (more on that later). When the heartburn is especially bad, it really feels like my esophagus is corroding upward. Not fun.

The carpal tunnel syndrome started gradually with tingling and numbness in my hands during the night. It's progressed to the point that I cannot grip the covers to pull them up in the middle of the night and in the morning, squeezing toothpaste out of the tube is difficult. On the pain scale, I guess it's not as bad as, say a migraine, but it is annoying and I'm already having to pass some things off to Matt that my hands won't allow me to do. I may have to start sleeping with braces on my wrists.

Weekend before last, Matt and I attended a 1-day birth class at the hospital where we baby will be delivered. There were only 2 other couples at the class, so it was comfortable and we were able to get all our questions answered. The class included a tour of labor and delivery area of the hospital. I was relieved that the hospital provides a birthing ball and encourages the mother to try different pushing positions during labor. I was really concerned about being forced to be on my back during the whole delivery. Or should I say, my tailbone was concerned. For the most part, Matt and I are flexible about our birthing plan. We have the standard preferences, like a vaginal birth, breastfeeding baby after delivery, etc. The health of our baby and myself are the top priorities, so we will be flexible about our desires so that we do what is best for baby and me.

One thing we learned in birth class is that newborns don't get iron from diets. They have to shore up their supply during pregnancy. This is why it is so common for pregnant women to be anemic in their 3rd trimester. Women have to consume enough for her to deliver safely and for baby to store up for the first few months after birth.

More Baby Pictures

This morning, we had our follow-up appointment for the anatomical ultrasound. At 20 weeks, the technician was not able to get a good scan of our baby's heart, because of our little guy's position. Today, the technician was able to get a great view of his heart (all four chambers). The image was clear enough that Matt and I could see the valves opening and closing. Wow!

Baby is measuring around 3lbs and 4oz, a little bigger than the average size for this stage. Matt and I had each guessed he'd be 3lbs, so we were very close in our estimate.

Baby (aka Baby) at 28 weeks

During the exam, we also got to see him open his eyes and open and close his mouth several times. We are so in love with our son and beyond grateful that he is healthy, strong and still growing.


Added: Guide on how to see Baby's face on the ultrasound

I reduced the image size to make it easier to see. The baby is facing you and laying down on his side. I circled his face with magenta and put a green bow tie where he'd wear one if he was wearing one.

Monday's Appointment

We had an OB appointment on Monday that went very well. Remember the 10lbs in 4 weeks? The exercise and switching from ice cream to milk has paid off. I lost 2lbs over the last two weeks. That brings my total weight gain to 15lbs. I don't feel quite so out of control now.

Baby's heartbeat and all my vitals were good. Another great appointment!

Week 28

We are in week 28!

Baby's car seat and stroller arrived last week. We still need to order the crib and dresser we've picked out. I decided against the cube crib, because it has a glossy finish that apparently shows off fingerprints. Ewww!

Friends of ours from New Mexico have offered us a baby swing, high chair and a Fisher Price Jumperoo. We're going to see if my family can pick up the baby stuff and bring them the next time they drive to Tucson. We also received two handmade blankets from Carole. I need to post photos this week.

Baby and I are doing well. It's getting harder and harder to be on my feet, but I'm pushing through it. I have been good about exercising. Since the last appointment, I have made sure to do at least 20 minutes of walking 5 days a week. It's already made a difference. I can now make it around the block without having to sit down to rest my lower back. I also started using 3lb weights for an upper body workout after my walks. This weekend, I was able to walk 30 and 40 minutes on the treadmill. I'm surprised at how hard it is to carry around the extra pounds, but I'm relieved that exercising has made exercising easier.

Berta (aka Mommy) at 27 weeks

[Enter pregnancy silliness] I have 2 pairs of the same maternity jeans that are threatening to disgrace me in public. They look great and as long as I have the privacy to adjust everything, they fit well. The problem arises when we are out shopping or running errands. These jeans like to slide downward, pulling my undies with them. I'm able to pull up my jeans while we're out walking around, but the underwear will not come up with them. An hour of this nonsense will leave my underwear bunched up just above my thighs and my pants still wanting to slide off. There is nothing noble about this particular pregnancy symptom.

I took this week's picture of Matt while he was looking over the crossword we were working on together. I could have given him a chance to pose for the camera, but I couldn't pass up the smile in this one.

Matt (aka Daddy) at 27 weeks

Double Digits!

We have less than 100 days until our due date. It is amazing to us that we have roughly 14 more weeks to go. Matt, Baby and I are doing well. I'm really noticing the weight. The pads of my feet hurt pretty much any time I am on my feet and my low back gets stiff after walking or standing for a while. None of the discomfort is enough to quell our happy moods. We are still just over the moon for our baby.

Our little guy is kicking a LOT! I think he plays two or three soccer games a day. Baby is also responding to touch. When Matt caresses my belly, our son will bump the area Matt has just touched. Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night and he is wiggling and kicking. I place my hands on my belly and just feel him move. I love those moments.

Berta (aka Mommy) and Baby at 26 weeks

I've been reading Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing to Baby (and Matt) during our morning commute to work. It's a nice way to start the work day and I'm enjoying the book. I hope baby is as well. Bedtime is when we read from the shorter books. Although, I have read to Baby from my grown-up books at night, too. I'm currently reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and The Lucky One. Not exactly, baby-appropriate, but a good way to mix up diction. And the first book makes Mommy laugh. That's got to be good for Baby!

Matt (aka Daddy) at 26 weeks

Matt continues to work hard, both at his job and at home. I'm learning to stop trying to do everything I used to do and to let Matt help me. I'm very close to needing his help putting my on my socks and shoes. He also gives me foot and leg massages. He has really been a wonderful husband and an excited Daddy-to-be.

Yesterday, I ordered a car seat and stroller for Baby. They should arrive this week. Even though I researched car seats beforehand and read countless reviews from different sources, I still hesitated clicking on the Submit Order button. It's my personality to worry that maybe I didn't choose the absolute best item. If I stall on every purchase, we won't have anything ready!

Now, that the order is in, I'm relieved and pleased with our choice:

Chicco Key Fit -30 Car Seat

Chicco Key Fit Stroller

Just for fun and reference and I guess, to frighten myself. I made a side by side comparison of my pictures from 18wks and 26wks. My how we've grown!

More About the Glucose Tolerance Test

Just some basic info. The glucose test is done to see how well the mother's pancreas is functioning. Some women can develop gestational diabetes while pregnant. This means, their pancreas cannot provide the insulin needed to absorb excess sugar in the blood stream. It may be that not enough insulin is produced or that the insulin that is produced is a lower potency. The extra sugar in the bloodstream can cause various health problems, but when she is pregnant, all that extra sugar gets sent down to the baby.

If the baby is receiving this extra sugar, his/her body must produce insulin to offset it. This might be marginally fine for the baby while in mom's womb, but it means he/she will pack on fat cells (a result of the insulin production). A bigger baby at birth is not be a concern outright, but one immediate complication can be the sudden removal of sugar to the baby's system. In such a case, the baby's body would be used to producing increased amounts of insulin and when he/she is born, the baby is no longer getting that sugar supply from the mother. This could cause an immediate drop in blood sugar in the baby which is pretty dangerous. In some cases, the baby has to be given sugar after being delivered to help ween his/her body safely off sugar.

This is why it is important for pregnant women to check the function of their pancreas between 24 and 28 weeks. It helps the mother determine if she will need to make changes (or in severe cases, take insulin injections) to maintain the health of her baby through the rest of the pregnancy.

This Week's Baby Report

I'd been holding off this post until we got the results back from the glucose tolerance test that I took during Monday's OB appointment. The results came back normal. Whee! I am very relieved. I was concerned, because Monday's appointment revealed that I have gained 10 lbs in 4 weeks. Yikes!

I can go on and on about how I'm not really eating that much and how I ate more before I got pregnant. That is sorta true. I haven't been eating a lot overall, but I have been eating a lot of ice cream. Because of my 10lb scare on Monday, I've made a point to cut down on sugar and to trade the ice cream for a glass of milk. I'm also trying to be more diligent about getting some exercise.

The walks this week have been tough. My low back and my feet hurt when I go outside to walk. The treadmill is a lot nicer to my body. We still have several more weeks before Baby is born, so I'm going to keep walking even if it takes me an hour to get around the block.

Our appointment on Monday went well. Baby's heart beat was good and he wiggled around while my OB tried to find his heart with the doppler. He's measuring right on for this stage--a very good sign. All my vitals were good.

As for the weight, I should mention that all the things I've read had warned me about a possible 10lb weight gain during this time. I'm now 17lbs heavier than pre-pregnancy. 2 lbs beyond what I'd wanted my total gain to be, but my doctor just wants me to stay under a 30lb gain. The best thing I can do for my health and the health of our son is to exercise and quit the dang ice cream.

We'll post pictures soon. My photographer has been busy with work, so we haven't taken pictures in a while. Soon, though. Then you can try to guess where those 10lbs landed!