Week 33

Face is getting chubby!! ;)

Drum roll please.....my baby has a gigantic head!  Shocker! lol  I had Aiden’s Ultrasound this past week @ 32weeks 2days  and as an added bonus to the cervical check, (which is crazy long at 4.5cm and closed) they also did a growth scan.  The Tech said he’s “Tall” as he’s wrapped entirely around my belly with his bum sitting above my belly button, spine curved down around my left side, head in position above my pelvis, and feet tucked under my right rib. The diameter of his skull is measuring 2 weeks ahead, and the circumference of his head is measuring 3 weeks ahead.  His femur length is bang on, but he has a little pot belly measuring almost 2 weeks ahead. His measurements put him in the 90^th percentile and his estimated weight is 4.8lbs. (Average at 32 weeks is 3.75lbs)  It was noted that he had a “high-normal” amniotic level...but Dr. Daisy said that’s not unusual with a big baby=big kidneys=more urine output.  She said she’ll keep an eye on my abdominal measurements and send me for future scan if there is a sudden “jump”.

I’ve been re-evaluating my birth plan from the first time and there are a couple of things that I’d like to make clear.  As we all know there is actually very little we are in control of, and being flexible is really important...BUT, I do NOT want Pitocin.  (Unless medically indicated) It’s amazing how unanimous it is across the board that synthetic Pitocin makes labour 100x more intense.  (VS natural labour via body’s own Oxcytocin which comes in waves) “About 80% of women who have had pitocin say that there is more pain with pitocin than without. Unlike natural contractions, you do not get the slow build up with pitocin induced contractions. Most women surveyed stated that they would rather try alternatives to pitocin with their next labor.”  I also would like a Saline Lock only, in place of the I.V. line.  AND, would like to delay cord clamping.  (Again, unless there is a need to whisk Aiden away immediately)  Did you know that by cutting  the cord immediately, up to 30% of baby’s blood volume is left in the placenta.  Not only does that come with the obvious repercussion, but it also means a 1-2 month loss of Iron stores. 

What’s happening with baby this week?  “This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance. These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.  As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course.”

Week 32

54 days to go?!  WHAT?!  It seemed to take a long time to get to this point, but now the time is zooming by way too fast.  I’m excited but also nervous at the logistics of managing 2 little lives.  :s

Not much new to report...except that I’m still getting larger.  Now my maternity work pants won’t stretch over my belly and I’ve had to “jimmy rig” a system with the Bella Band to keep them up.  AND, I’m barely able to button up my uniform shirt which I ordered 2 sizes bigger.  As Mom pointed out though, I haven’t yet reached the point where my belly is defying the law of gravity.  Technically 8 weeks to go, so I still have time!!  ;)

My Ultrasound scan is tomorrow.  Unsure if they will spend much time looking at Aiden as the requisition is primarily for the cervix.  It would be great if they could at least do a couple measurements to estimate his weight for me.  Although in hindsight, I don’t think they ever actually gave me a weight estimate on Bryce...except that he was going to be a “big boy”.

For some reason, I feel like I’m going to go early this time.  I may be jinxing myself by saying it (which would be OK because I want Aiden to finish “baking”) but I’ve just been feeling a lot of pressure, and mild achey cramps this week.  :s  AND I’m sure this is way TMI, but the terrible constipation that has plagued me throughout this pregnancy has transitioned to the opposite end of the spectrum.  (They say the body will “cleanse” itself in the week(s) before delivery).

What’s happening with baby this week?  “In the latest womb reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature!  Which means you’re likely to get a swift kick if you put a hot pad or bag of ice on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there - baby’s got blue eyes.  Actually, even if you're too young to know who Elton is, all babies have blue eyes at this point. This could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a strengthening immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week survive! So - go ahead and throw a mini-party right now because it’s pretty much a done deal - you've got a human-being that's going to make it! That's not to say you actually want your wee womb-squatter to pack their bags and move out now, because they'd still end up in the ICU for a good while, rather than in your arms at home. Babies are best when fully baked!”

Week 31

I've hit the 3^rd Trimester wall.  Ugh.  I am SO tired!! L  I think it’s a combination of many things.  Primarily the low iron, and low BP leaves me very short of breath with a racing heart...even with the smallest exertion.  Then there is the difficulty sleeping.  Up 3-4 times a night to pee and just unable to get comfortable.  And of course this time there is a preschooler to chase around...who really doesn't understand why Mommy is so tired all the time.  I feel bad for Bryce.  I spend a lot of time sitting on the bottom step while he chases around imaginary “bad” guys, begging me to join in.  He is my little helper though, and loves to “dispense” my iron pill to me before bed every night.  Takes him about 15 mins to work it out of its foil pack, but he is determined to “make me feel better”.  ;)

I had another Doctor’s appointment this past week.  Once again a pretty quiet, low maintenance visit.  She is sending me to have another ultrasound, to make sure the cervix is still closed and nice and long.  (As I mentioned before, the LEEP procedure can cause cervical incompetence)  If any issues are found, then she will probably put me on bed rest (HaHa-right) and give me steroids for Aiden’s lungs...just in case he comes early.  I definitely don’t want him to come too early but with the way I'm feeling, I wouldn't mind maybe a May 31^st arrival!  J  (I'm torn between not wanting this pregnancy to end-as it’s the last- and just wanting to feel normal again!!  Lol)  As for the scale, up another 3 lbs. At this rate...well I just don’t want to think about it.  That being said, my fundal height measures on target, but my circumference is 42inches!!  ( ONLY .5 inches smaller than I was at 36 weeks with Bryce.) 

Bryce has been very curious about how I’m going to get Aiden “out”.  lol  I explained that I had to go to the hospital and the Doctor’s were going to help me.  He wanted to know if they were going to do an “opration”.  (Obviously Bryce is paying much more attention to my occasional Mommy Medical shows than I realized!!!)  I told him I hoped not and that I was just going to push really hard and he would “pop” out.   Thankfully there were no more questions about the logistics of where he would actually “pop” from!!  :s

What’s happening with Baby this week? “This week, your amazing growing baby is around 3 pounds and 17 inches tall. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's wrinkly raisin skin starts to look more and more like it will when they're born. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Your baby's developing immune system has made some serious gains over the past weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Even so, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will need to come from your milk in the first year. Their cute little noggin’ is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As disturbing as having an infant with a soft cracked skull sounds, it's pretty much a necessity for passage through the birth canal during labor. If your baby is in your birth canal for an extended period, they'll come out with a bit of a cone head, as a result of their skull plates being compressed while in your rather snug birth canal. It's normal, harmless and their skull will even out into a more round, less cone-heady shape in the next few weeks.”

Week 30

Looks like I'm smuggling a basketball!

Let me just begin by saying I feel huge....and can’t believe I have another 10 weeks to go!! I know they say you get bigger with your second but I’m getting kinda worried!!  That being said, I read back to Bryce’s blog and had gained 30lbs by 31 weeks so I don’t feel quite so bad about the 29lbs @ 29 weeks.  Seems I’m kind of par for the course?!  Although, I was searching online comparing my belly/weight gain to other 30 weekers, and I found a few in the same “category”.  That made me feel instantly better...UNTIL I read they were carrying multiples.  lol

I’m so excited to go to the Chiropractor  this week.  My upper back has been aching for days – in the same spot I had a work injury years ago.  And of course my pelvis has been causing me pain after long periods of sitting/laying down.  I was reading about all the benefits of Chiro during pregnancy.  I had no idea how useful it could be - even endorsed by the American Pregnancy Association.  It can actually help to put baby in an optimum birthing position.  Wish I had known this with Bryce and perhaps I may not have had to struggle with his “sunnyside up”  presentation. 

I’ve been hearing a lot about “Evening Primrose Oil” on one of the community baby boards I read. Apparently it’s been promoted by Midwives for decades, to encourage cervical “ripening”, which in turn is suppose to speed up dilation.  From what I’ve read, mostly via community boards, the results are amazing.  Fast labours, easier deliveries, no tearing. It comes in capsule form which should be taken orally (and as a suppository) beginning around week 36.  Obviously I’ll run it by Dr. Daisy for her input....but given that I now have scar tissue to contend with, I’m willing to try anything that may soften the cervix.

So we all now know that 2^nd babies have “roomier” quarters thanks to the previously stretched (broken) Uterus....but I just read that 2^nd babies also develop longer umbilical cords!  Probably because they have more space to roam, and therefore need the longer leash?!  Isn’t Mother Nature smart!! I was commenting to MY Mother that I can feel Aiden’s movements differently.  Sure, with Bryce I had a lot of pressure and kicks but with Aiden, I can literally feel his limbs dragging across my belly.  Some days it feels like he’s doing Yoga in there! I know I’ve posted this comparison before...but you can really see the difference in uterine size from their 12 week scans. (Click here scans)

I think I felt Aiden's hiccups for the first time on April 2nd at 3:30pm.  I had just eaten cottage cheese and mandarin oranges.  (I think it was hiccups because it was so rhythmic?!) Probably not from what I ate...more so because he's swallowing a lot of amniotic fluid while practicing "breathing". Very cute! 

Oh....and I had to include a lovely picture of my swollen ankles...I mean "cankles".  Good news is, guess this means some of that 29 lbs gained is WATER!  :)

What’s happening with baby this week? “Woohoo! You can finally see the finish line now that you're in the final quarter of the race!!!Whether you felt like your pregnancy's been flying by or slower than a snail scaling Everest, you've arrived in your thirtieth week and your baby's cookin' beautifully!  In animal news: the fine lanugo hair that covers their little monkey-like body will start falling off this week in preparation for the big day.  Still, don't be too shocked if your baby ape is hairier than you’d anticipated. Some babies keep their lanugo after birth - which is totally normal, and it will fall off
eventually.  Checking in on the fat factory: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs, thanks to their ever-growing layers of subcutaneous brown fat.  In terms of numbers, your big ol' baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long! Keep up the good work you two!”