35 Weeks

 

How far along: 35 weeks - EDD 09/10/15

 

How big is baby: The size of a coconut - Her hearing is fully developed, and she can respond to higher pitched noises.

 

What are we having: A sweet baby girl

 

Symptoms this week: I thought I hit the wall before, but I've really hit it now. My patience for anything is below zero, I'm getting frustrated with my lack of mobility, and I'm just tired and sore. Over the weekend I was up for all of four hours before I needed a nap... and I'm not a napper.

 

Weight gain/loss: So that pound I may or may not have gained last week has decided to stick around. Including this week's pound(ish) I'm going to put my total gain at 22 pounds at this point.

 

Food aversions/cravings: This week I've really just craved liquids, but I think that has more to do with it being about 110 degrees outside more than pregnancy.

 

The baby belly: Another week, another bit of movement downwards. My lungs have some more room this week, but I'm pretty sure they're still battling with my stomach for space because I seem to get out of breath from eating.

 

Movement: Baby girl is still wiggling, kicking, and moving around in there. She is consistently switching between my left side and right side, and it feels like I'm being stabbed with needles anytime she grazes past my belly button. I'm not sure why that happens, but it makes me super uncomfortable.

 

What is freaking me out: We hit the 30-day mark this week! J swears she'll be here long before my due date, but you never know. It's not freaking me out so much that it's "only" 30 days away, it's more like I'm so uncomfortable at times, that 30 days seems like forever. Can I really hang in there for another month?!

 

What I'm totally loving: Being in the final stretch. Well... it's really more of a love/hate thing. I can't wait to meet baby girl, but I'm also reallllllly looking forward to having my torso all to myself again. Of course, that makes me feel like I'm wishing away these last few weeks of my pregnancy, which makes me feel guilty. I will most likely not be pregnant again, and have loved almost every day of it so far, but it's so hard to be upbeat about it at this point.

 

What I'm looking forward to: My 36 week doctor appointment. I know I'll be excited if baby is engaged and I'm dilated even a little bit, but I have to keep reminding myself that it means pretty much nothing, and I can still go past my due date. Regardless, I get to see her again, so I'm really looking forward to that. The last ultrasound we had was 16 weeks ago!

 

34 Weeks

 

How far along: 34 weeks - EDD 09/10/15

 

How big is baby: The size of a butternut squash - She is can recognize and react to simple songs, and may reckons them after birth,

 

What are we having: A sweet baby girl

 

Symptoms this week: Back pain and some serious contractions. At my last OB appointment I was told it's only an issue if they're regular, increasing in strength, and last over an hour. So far I've made it to an hour and then they go away. I hope baby girl isn't planning on making to early of an appearance.

 

Weight gain/loss: I either held steady at 20 total, or I gained a pound. The scale flips back and forth between the same couple of numbers each day or so. I haven't had any rapid gain or loss though, so that's what matters.

 

Food aversions/cravings: Anything? My stomach is so crushed that I can only eat small portions, but then I feel hungry all of the time. I pretty much spend my days snacking.

 

The baby belly: She's moving down! All of my contractions have apparently paid off. She hasn't fully dropped, but I feel like I've regained some use of my lungs. Of course, the lower position is causing tons of pressure and back strain, but it's a small price to pay for breathing.

 

Movement: She is still moving a ton, and it is incredibly obvious. Her torso and butt can clearly be seen, and her legs protrude out quite far at times. She has started getting hiccups at least once a day, and sometimes they're so strong my whole belly jumps. She seems to get annoyed when they don't go away quickly, and will start squirming around.

 

What is freaking me out: It's August and I could potentially have a baby this month. I'm no where near caught up to where I'd like to be at work and it's starting to really make it hit home that I'm going to be on maternity leave soon. I need to get prepared on that front, but at least we're ready to go at home!

 

What I'm totally loving: I'd say I'm loving contractions and the baby dropping, but she needs to hang in there until at least 37 weeks. I just want her to get to that safety point, and then she can do whatever she wants.

 

What I'm looking forward to: I'd love to say that I'm looking forward to cooler weather, but we've been around 100 for a couple of weeks and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon. If this heat keeps up, I'll definitely be looking forward to having my torso to myself and being able to actually cool myself down with less effort.

 

33 Weeks

 

How far along: 33 weeks - EDD 09/10/15

 

How big is baby: The size of a durian - She is keeping her eyes open while awake, and her bones are hardening. She's also starting to coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing.

 

What are we having: A sweet baby girl

 

Symptoms this week: Back pain, contractions, shortness of breath... I knew I had it too easy all throughout this pregnancy so far!

 

Weight gain/loss: Another 2 pound gain for a grand total of 20. I've noticed my weight is starting to fluctuate a lot. The maximum I see on the scale is a 20 pound total gain, so I'm sticking with that... could be less though.

 

Food aversions/cravings: Sweets are still my go to snack, and my milk craving seems to be hanging around. This is also another explanation for my weight gain. Haha

 

The baby belly: Baby is high and curled around on my right side, but head down. I look like I'm smuggling a large beach ball under my shirt, since the rest of me is pretty much the same as pre-pregnancy.

 

Movement: She moves more now than at any other point in my pregnancy. Knees, feet, arms, her butt... She's all over the place, and I often wonder when this whole "running out of room" thing is going to happen.

 

What is freaking me out: It's almost August. Each week seems to go by faster than the last. We're ready at home for baby girl to make her appearance, but at work it's a different story. Everyone has been out on vacation, so while I was ahead on things for a while, I'm now behind.

 

What I'm totally loving: Almost being at the point where if labor starts, it's not going to be an emergency or need to be stopped.

 

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting our baby girl. I find myself thinking about it a lot more frequently... What is she going to look like? How will labor go? Is nursing going to come easily? It's a lot to take in, but I'm really hoping my anxiety will go away as soon as I see her.

 

32 Weeks

 

How far along: 32 weeks - EDD 09/10/15

 

How big is baby: The size of a squash - She is ready for her descent, and should be in a head-down position by now.

 

What are we having: A sweet baby girl

 

Symptoms this week: Oh hi, sciatic pain. I'm assuming this is going to be sticking around for the rest of my pregnancy.

 

Weight gain/loss: How did I gain 2 lbs this week?! I hope this isn't a new trend. I'm now up to a total of 18 lbs gained. I think a lot of the gain this week was due to the heat. It's been extra hot and humid, which is normal and not expected to end anytime soon, and I think it's finally affecting my weight.

 

Food aversions/cravings: Milk... And I'm not a milk drinker. At night though, I just can't help it. Cold milk is the best thing ever right now.

 

The baby belly: Baby is still high, so my belly is very... umm... dramatic looking. I'm definitely 100% belly.

 

Movement: So much movement! I can see limbs move across my belly, and can even feel (and sometimes see) the difference between her butt, torso, and head.

 

What is freaking me out: This baby is going to be here in less than 2 months. Holy crap! We have all of the baby stuff we need, but I still feel totally unprepared. I also had 20 minutes of real contractions at work this week, which just really made the realization set in that she is going to be here before we know it.

 

What I'm totally loving: The baby is going to be here in less than 2 months... I know, it's freaking me out, but I love it too. I can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like.

 

What I'm looking forward to: Honestly? Maternity leave. I'm getting increasingly uncomfortable sitting at work each week, which totally kills my concentration. I feel like I've slowed down physically and mentally, and work is starting to become exhausting. It's stressing me out, which it normally doesn't do, and I find myself really looking forward to not having to do it for a couple of months.