How Far Along: 35 weeks (Pic: 35w2d)
Isla Comparison: Here
Size of Baby as Relative to Common Household Fruit or Vegetable: Coconut
Total Weight Gain: Up 21 lbs., which is a pretty big jump from last week. I have really puffed up in the last few days, and I think it’s probably mostly water weight gain. Also: birthday cake.
Sex: Boy
Movement: Still wiggling around in there.
Sleep: Sleep can still be kind of frustrating. Beside the multiple wake-ups and general discomfort, I’ve been having vivid, bizarre dreams (last night there was one about an underwater Easter egg hunt and another about having slugs all over my bathroom and not being able to get rid of them) and waking up randomly with a sense that something is very wrong. It can be hard to get back to sleep after the weird dreams or waking up in a panic.
What I Miss: My ankles
Cravings: I could still go for a taco supreme, although I haven’t had any Taco Bell in several days.
Symptoms: I’m starting to feel a lot more uncomfortable. I’m having a lot more Braxton-Hicks contractions. My back and hips are hurting more. I can tell baby is moving down, as it’s putting pressure on my pelvis and tailbone, which means spending a lot more time in the bathroom. There’s a lot of swelling in my hands, ankles, face. Yesterday it was so bad, I could feel the swelling all the way up into my knees. I know in part some of this is because between the crummy weather, nesting, and getting ready for Isla’s birthday, I’ve been on my feet a lot, but I haven’t been doing yoga or any of my usual exercise. After a long walk yesterday afternoon with Kellen and Isla and some yoga before bedtime, I’m feeling much better today. And overall I feel really grateful that I’ve stayed comfortable for as long as I have this pregnancy. I definitely feel like an anomaly.
Maternity Clothes: I’m so done with clothes. Everything is too tight, and I feel like I’m constantly having to tug my shirt down over my belly. I wish I had an entire wardrobe of nothing but muumuus right now.
Preparations: This weekend, I washed all of our bottles and pump parts, and Kellen reorganized the kitchen so we had a place to put all the clean bottles. I also took stock of my wardrobe and realized I have very few clothes that will work for nursing, so I ordered some nursing clothes. As soon as those come in, I’m packing a hospital bag. (EEK!) I also bought clothes for the whole family to wear for the baby’s newborn pictures.
Emotions: It’s simultaneously impossible to imagine having another human in our house and completely overwhelming thinking about all the things, little and big, that will change when we have another baby. I’ve forgotten so much about what is involved in taking care of a baby, and while I find myself wanting to say, “Babies don’t need much!” I start remembering all the extra things we did and had to lug around to take care of Isla when she was a baby, and it quickly adds up to “Holy crap! Babies need a lot!”
PgAL Thoughts: I’ve still been having some worries about stillbirth and things going majorly pear-shaped during the birth. I think it may be why I keep waking up in the middle of that night with the sense of imminent doom. It’s just hard to wrap your head around things going smoothly and ending up in a healthy baby and healthy mama when you have a history, both with prior pregnancy/birth and prior loss/infertility, like mine.
Best Moment(s) This Week: Isla turned 4 last week. I have so many things to say about how grown up she is and what a great kid she’s become, but I’ll save it for another post. Generally speaking, though, we spent last week celebrating our daughter, and that made for a great week.
Leave a Reply