6 weeks to go!!!
This week Baby Veale is almost 5 pounds and between 17.5 to 19 inches long, the length of an American Girl Doll. (The vegetable was butternut squash...which has been used before, so I liked this better!)
This week Baby Veale is almost 5 pounds and between 17.5 to 19 inches long, the length of an American Girl Doll. (The vegetable was butternut squash...which has been used before, so I liked this better!)
This is Samantha, my first American Girl Doll. I'm sure Baby Girl will have a collection of her own one day even though I'm very disappointed in how Mattel has changed Pleasant Company's goal of historical dolls with educational yet fascinating books into a commercial money maker that has lost sight of the educational aspect, but I digress, Baby Girl will certainly have American Girl dolls. She'll have to settle with a hand me down Samantha though since she has since been retired because her stories were educational...oh there I go again!
My doctor told me that we have now reached an important pregnancy milestone. At 34 weeks, Baby Girl's lungs should be fully developed so if she were born today she should be perfectly fine! At this point she is probably covered in a thick coat of vernix, a cream cheese like substance that protects her skin from getting all wrinkled from hanging out in fluid all the time. She's definitely getting cramped in there and will often times stick what I think is her bottom out of the side of my belly. I can see the little bump pressing out and when I gently rub the area I feel her wiggle and move away.
I am feeling far more exhausted than ever before lately. My plans of working right up until delivery day is seeming a bit far fetched, but I will continue to try. I went out to breakfast with my brother on Sunday morning, came back and took the dogs on a short walk, then had to take a nap! At work this week I seem to only be able to make it until 11 am before getting the intense urge to just sleep. Part of this is because everything takes more effort now, but most of it is because I just can't get a good night's sleep. Last night I finally fell asleep a little after 9 pm. My first time up to use the bathroom was at 10:26 pm. That's how my entire night goes. It's pretty miserable!
Health wise, I only have two complaints. The back pain still and heart palpitations, which the doctor thinks are both from my body not knowing how to handle this extra weight. In the big picture these are just minor issues so I guess I can't complain!
This week I packed my hospital bag! The only thing I still need to pack are snacks for Hubby and for after delivery. We were also gifted some bottles which were literally the only thing left on our list for baby, so now I feel even more ready. I do sort of want to look at Walmart for a cheap nightgown that I wouldn't mind ruining to wear during labor instead of the hospital gown. Unless I get an epidural but I'm still hoping I can do without that. I have a feeling I will not want to be sitting in the bed the whole time and I'm not a huge fan of the rear coverage of hospital gowns. We'll see if I can muster up the energy to get to Walmart!
Also new this week is that I have accepted waddling. I can still walk normally if I try really hard but it's just so much easier to sink into the pregnant lady waddle. It's a bit of a penguin walk.
How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Up 17 lbs overall. No gain since last week.
Maternity clothes? Dan’s shirts are my favorite thing.
Stretch marks? Not really, I think I’m just now starting to get the linea nigra, a dark vertical line that appears on the abdomen during about three quarters of all pregnancies. I thought I had escaped it but I now have a reddish line that extends downward and upward from my belly button.
Sleep: :-(
Best moment this week: Hearing Baby Girl’s heart beat at the doctor’s.
Miss Anything? Hubby.
Movement: Lots of it, she’s got way more energy than I do!
Food cravings: Back to Mac & Cheese.
Anything making you queasy or sick: More of the same; bananas, sweet potatoes, and the trash can. I feel kind of queasy most of the time now though.
Belly Button in or out? Neither. It’s just flat.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Labor signs? Nope.
Looking forward to: Delivery Day!!! I’m so ready for her to be here!
You will be so amazed that things you would normally be embarrassed about or never do, you just don't care while you are in the hospital! The hospital gowns are not that bad, but once I was feeling better and able to take a shower it was nice to have my own gown to wear! You sound better prepared than we were! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks Megan! My mom delievered me almost 7 weeks early so I wanted to be ready just in case. Because I'm feeling prepared I'm sure she'll be a late arrival, haha!
DeleteI say if u can labor at home as long as u can tolerate. That's what i did with Elyssa and i felt amazing after i delivered her because i didn't have time when i got to the hospital for the medication. You can do it you are amazing Kristen and you are going to be an awesome mom.
ReplyDeleteThanks Amanda! I am hoping to do that, they stressed in the childbirth class to labor at home as long as possible, but I think Dan is going to freak out as soon as I'm in labor and want to get me to the hospital, so we'll see what happens! :-)
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