34 Week Bumpdate

I was told this week at work that I look like I'm ready to POP!  Here's me at 34 weeks and 4 days pregnant.  What do you think?  I certainly feel a little more uncomfortable these days.

When I look at my belly in this picture, it doesn't seem so bad.  But, they way I'm FEELING, I feel big.  This week, the "average" baby is weighing 4 3/4 of a pound and measuring 18 inches long.  I say AVERAGE, because, for some reason, I'm not thinking she's weighing this much or is this long.  I have a feeling she's in the lower part of the 4 pound range.  I just feel like my belly is too small and compact for her to be weighing that much and be that long.  I can also feel her flip flopping around a lot.  She's supposed to be in the head down position right about now, but I keep feeling her hiccups everywhere in different places on different days which tells me that she's switching positions often.  She obviously has more room to wiggle.  I haven't gotten much of the rib jabs these days, and for a while, I thought she was lying transverse for a couple of days this week.  Who knows.

This past weekend, my dad and I got the nursery furniture put together.  Tyson helped with the dresser, but had to get to work, so we finished it up.  All I can say is HALLELUJAH that it's COMPLETE!!!  Well, actually, the glider had missing hardware so we couldn't finish putting that together.  However, Tyson ordered the hardware, and the glider is easy to put together, so that'll be up in no time compared to the crib and dresser.  I don't have pictures of the nursery, yet because I want to get it a little more set up.  But, what I DO have is the pictures of the masters at work!

Getting the dresser all put together.

UP IT GOES!!!

I'm SO very grateful and thankful that my dad came over and helped.  I was starting to have a panic attack because the boxes were just sitting in the room and I feel like time is dwindling away before Brynlee's arrival.  Today, my sister and I were running around doing some more stuff for Brynlee and some nursery stuff.  On the agenda:  washing her onesies, layettes, P.J.s, washcloths, and towels, etc. and getting some things organized in the nursery, as well as running some baby errands.

This past Tuesday, I had my final two week prenatal appointment.  Starting at 36 weeks, it will be EVERY week, now.  Everything went great.  I'm healthy and Brynlee sounds healthy.  Hearing her heartbeat sounded a little different this time.  It sounded WAYYYYY stronger and sounded like it was beating differently..... a good different.  The nurse goes, "147 beats per minute and just ticking away!"  This whole pregnancy, they've been taking her heartbeat from the right side of my tummy, but this appointment, they had to get it from the left.  She has apparently flip flopped, what ever that means.  At my 36 week appointment, I will be getting my blood drawn....AGAIN!...UUUGHHHHH!!!!! and getting swabbed for a strep bacteria to see if I'll need antibiotics during delivery. Then, my OB will start checking me.  She'll check whether I've started to efface and dilate and whether Brynlee is head down, yet. From what my OB told me, it's going to be an eventful appointment.  I REALLY would like to know an estimate of how big they think she is.

At my appointment, we talked a little about my birth plan....all the more reason I'm panicking to get everything done because my OB made the statement, "Now that we're getting down to the wire..."  We talked about if I plan on getting an epidural, which I'm going to be realistic and say that I AM....BUT!!!!....I'm going to put it off as long as I can.  My doctor fully supports my decision, which makes me very happy.  She said that she actually likes her patients to go as long as they can until they really need it. I told her that I've been reading (and heard) that it can slow down the progression of labor, AND it gives you a higher chance of possibly having a c-section.  She said that's one of the reasons she puts it off and that's because it CAN slow things down.  But, she also said that some women benefit from having the epidural early because the pain causes them to tense which slows things down, so the epidural could possibly speed things up.  On the other hand, though, she said she doesn't believe giving it to her patients when they say, "Oh I've had one contraction, it hurts, can I have it?"  I couldn't agree more.  I think I can suck it up a few extra contractions.  So, I'm SO glad that my doc is on board with me.

So, that's it for this week!  Time for the survey!
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How far along? Posting this at 34 weeks and 6 days!

Total weight gain/loss:  Up 23 lbs. from pre-pregnancy weight.  Gained two pounds in two weeks.  Doctor still says weight gain is excellent.  I still plan on staying in that "excellent" category.

Maternity clothes?  Nothing this week.

Stretch marks?  None, yet.  Hopefully none, EVER!

Sleep: I feel like I'm sleeping fine.  Sometimes I'll wake up to my hips or back hurting form all of this weight.  I also have to wake up to middle of the night pee trips.

Best moment this week: Getting the nursery furniture set up and hearing a 1st grader at the school I teach at say point to me to one of her friend saying, "Look!  She's having a baayyyyybyyy."  I thought it was cute.  And one more thing!  Tyson getting me a Valentine's Day card "from Brynlee."  Melted my heart.

Have you told family and friends: That would be terrible if no one knew at this point.

Miss Anything?  Being a little more comfortable and not like my body is being taken over.

Symptoms: Back pain, shortness of breath, achiness in the belly, frequent bathroom trips, just a tinge of heartburn; and then on Thursday night, I had my first bout of indigestion   Hurt.  So.  Bad.  I NEVER get heartburn and indigestion, so I'm not used to the feeling, nor do I understand what to do to help myself.  I had to text my hubby at work to help me.

Movement: Wiggling, flipping, rolling.  Not so much kicking anymore.  She's probably crunched in there.

Food cravings: Anything sweet.  Tuesday night, I had an INSANE craving for Little Debbie's Swiss Cake Rolls late, late, late in the night.  On Valentine's Day, Tyson gifted me with Little Debbie's Swiss Cake Rolls AND Zebra Cakes.  I could kill him for bringing TWO boxes of junk into this house.  But, I love him for being so sweet.  And of course, I've eaten a couple...  So much for that "excellent weight gain," huh???

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not this week.

Have you started to show yet: I have students telling me congratulations and saying, "Look she's having a baby," strangers asking me when I'm due, co-workers telling me that I look like I'm ready to pop...

Gender prediction: No more predicting....It's a girl!

Labor Signs: Yep!  Good ol' Braxton Hicks.  Either Wed. or Thurs. night, they were starting to become a little more painful.  Felt like I was about to start my period there for a while.

Belly Button in or out?  Still slightly in and out.

Wedding rings on or off? On.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Overall, happy.

Looking forward to: Organizing Brynlee's nursery and getting that more put together.