Pregnancy Update!

I will start by saying that I don't have a new belly picture. Yet. I'll try to put one up this week. Sorry to dissapoint.

So what's new in Babyland?

1. Not much new with the baby. Still head down, pushing against my ribs more and more, and packing on the pounds. I feel hiccups a few times every day, and Art can feel them too. There is less kicking, and more squirming. And that's pretty much all I can say about Baby.

2. I mentioned in my last baby post that I didn't feel like I was growing at all. I should know better than to say those types of things. Because guess what happens when I start talking like that? I go through a growth spurt. This is the fourth one I've had, and oooh, I tell you, I'm about as cranky as could be right now. Thankfully I'm on the tail end of it, but still; it HURTS!!!!!! Friday was the worst day. I practically had to shuffle around, because taking normal strides was too much.

My hips are also expanding again. I haven't been sleeping well for over a week now because of all the discomfort. So the combination of a stretching belly and sore hips and lack of sleep have really been getting to me, if you couldn't tell. I guess this is what they mean when they talk about the third trimester being really uncomfortable. "Uncomfortable" is bit of an understatement though.

3. I have more stretch marks on my hips and butt. I've had stretch marks on my hips since my late teens, but now there are more of them, and they're longer. Thankfully, they're of the silver variety. Not ugly reddish-purple like my other stretch marks.

I can't see the bottom of my belly, and I'm curious if I have stretch marks there or not. Because that's where I feel the growth pains the most. My midwife commented at my appointment yesterday that the height of my uterus is measuring at 30 weeks, even though I'm at 33 weeks. But she also said that it's right up in my rib cage, and has nowhere to go but straight out, so it's understandable that I'm having more ligament pain. My ligaments have to keep stretching and thickening in order to support my protruding belly.

Art and I have started calling my tummy a torpedo, because that's what it's going to look like by the time I give birth.

But because my uterus isn't growing any higher, she might send me for another ultrasound, just as a precaution. She's not worried, and I'm not worried. I'm definitely growing, the baby is definitely growing, and moving plenty, and has a strong heartbeat. It's just one of those things that she has to do, just to be on the safe side. So there might be another ultrasound in my future! I'll know in a couple of weeks.

Speaking of appointments, they are every two weeks now, which also means that they are much shorter, because not a lot happens between appointments, and she doesn't have many new things to ask. Just the usual questions about headaches, swelling, appetite, checking my weight, blood pressure, measuring my belly, feeling the baby's position, and listening to the heartbeat.

And of course, I get to pee in a cup and dip a stick in it at every appointment. It's fun. (But not really.) The stick has two dots on it, one blue, and one yellow. One tests for glucose, and one tests for proteins. If the dots don't change color, than that means I have no sugar or protein in my urine. This is a good thing. We want negative results on this one.

If the dots change color, there is chart to compare the colors to, so that I can tell my doctor how much glucose or protein is in the urine. I've had trace amounts of protein for the last few months, but it hasn't gone up from there, so we're still okay. And yesterday I reported negative on both!

The reason we need to know these things is because it could be a sign of preeclampsia. I'm having a hard time finding out what exactly it is, but do know that it could harm and even kill the baby. So if my blood pressure spikes, and I have swelling, and there are high amounts of protein in my urine, I would very likely be induced and deliver the baby early.

My friend Callie was actually in the hospital over the weekend because she had a preeclampsia scare. They monitered her but couldn't determine if she actually had it or not, so she's resting at home, and will hopefully have more conclusive results in a day or two. Thankfully she's at 36 weeks, so if she had to deliver her baby now, he's at a healthy weight, and would be okay. But if you wouldn't mind praying for her, I know she would really appreciate that.

4. I've been eating super healthy these past couple of weeks, and I'm finally feeling better. Things are returning to normal in the digestion department. For the most part, it hasn't been difficult to stay away from sugar and grains and dairy, because I know how it will make me feel. There is no reward in it. I miss those foods sometimes (especially when I'm craving a big fat cinnamon bun for days on end), but not enough to give in.

I need to drink more water though. Of course, that means more trips to the bathroom. Which is probably not such a bad thing. It means I'll be walking more. Considering how much sitting I do, and how difficult it's been to get to the gym, I need to be doing a lot of walking. And it's not like I'm going to get in trouble for slacking off at work if I'm frequently getting out of my chair and wandering away from my desk. Because I'm pregnant. One of the few perks of being pregnant is that you can use it as an excuse/reason for just about anything, and people won't argue with you. :)

5. Believe it or not, I'm not anxious to have this baby. I'm more than ready to not be pregnant anymore, but I'm not ready to actually have a baby. I feel like there are so many things to do (and buy) before our little one comes, and suddenly, I don't have enough time. Right now, I feel perfectly fine with going overdue, because it will give me an extra week or two. But I know that I should try to have everything ready by 37 weeks, just in case. And that's only four weeks away!

We're supposed to move sometime in the next month, we still don't have a stroller or playpen or dresser (or pretty much anything for the baby room), I need to prep the diapers (which is an all-day washing and drying marathon), I need to wash the baby clothes, towels, sheets, and blankets, I need to organize the baby clothes according to size, I need to buy a breast pump and nursing bras, I still have a ton of reading to do for our childbirth class, I need to buy a birthing ball and a heating pad....

Can you tell I'm freaking out? I was going to say that I'm trying my best not to freak out, but that's not true. I'm freaking out. I keep telling myself that I'll feel more ready once my next baby shower (or two) are over with, but more baby showers mean more things to prep and organize.

Oh, and I have to apply to renew my greencard before the end of March. No big deal.

But speaking of baby showers, Art and I are registered on Amazon.com. *Wink wink* Just in case you happened to be curious about that.

6. I mentioned our childbirth class. We're taking a private class, we've had two sessions already, and I love it. It's nice having the one-on-one attention. It's just too bad that it's only three weeks long. There's a lot of information to cram into six hours. But she gave us notes to keep, DVD's to watch, and of course, two fat books to read (which I don't know if I'll complete). We also have relaxation techniques that we're supposed to practice.

You think it wouldn't be hard to do homework that involves relaxing. And I need it now more than ever. We're just so busy! I hate being busy. Art asked me this morning if we're always going to be this busy. (I didn't answer him, because the truth is that we WILL be this busy, but that's not what he needed to hear before he left for work.) We'll be busy getting ready to have a baby, and then we'll have a baby.

And he's going to be in school for the next two years. Oy. I need to stop thinking about all of this so much before my stress goes through the roof. I just decided that I'm going to take a day off at the end of February. We're going to a concert down in Seattle, and it's on a Thursday. We're going to get home really late, so it's the perfect excuse to take Friday off. Okay, I feel better just thinking about that.

So, in summary: I'm sore, uncomfortable, not well-rested, cranky, and stressed. Awesome. It's amazing that my blood pressure was still low at my appointment yesterday. I think I'll go practice some deep breathing now.