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!”