My 36th week of pregnancy has brought some exciting changes:
- Foot and hand swelling. I had swollen feet in my pregnancy with Adelaide, but this whole hand swelling thing is new. Matt invented these awesome ice-pack-socks (ice packs, inside socks) for me that make it very easy and comfortable to cool down my aching feet at the end of the day. So very attractive, I know. I have yet to find a solution for my sausage fingers…
- I’ve passed the 35 pound mark in my weight gain….sad face…but the good news is that I’m still 20 lbs away from my weight-gain record with Adelaide and 5 lbs away from my weight-gain goal with this pregnancy! I’m staying positive that I can maintain my goal of gaining less than 40 pounds, unless these hands and feet of mine do me in….
- I’ve been having a handful of random contractions every day for the past couple of weeks. Nothing exciting, just a noticeable tightening and discomfort in my abdomen. It’s nothing like the for-real contractions I experienced while in labor with Adelaide, so I’m never very freaked out or excited when they happen, but it is exciting to know that my body is getting ready to have this baby.
- At my midwife appointment this week, our little girl was still measuring about a week ahead of schedule. That mixed with some of the other signs/symptoms I’ve been experiencing led my midwife to seriously advise me to “be ready”. In her experience, women tend to give birth around the same time, or earlier, with subsequent pregnancies (not a rule, just a trend), so since Adelaide was born at 38 weeks, she seemed to be confident that I could go into labor anytime now. This is both exciting and terrifying. I think I still have another two – three weeks, though. No idea why, I just feel like this baby will be born after Thanksgiving. I’ll get my “last supper” of sorts and then BAM… baby. We’ll just have to wait and see!
- Our little girl is still in a very optimal, head-down position! I had two different doctors verify this at my last appointment. It’s pretty much the only part of this whole birthing process that causes me any anxiety. Since last time, I found out at the last minute that Adelaide was breech, I’m super paranoid that the same thing will happen again. Truly, though, I feel her little feet kicking me up near my rib cage, so my experience and intuition keep telling me that she is head down…I just like the reassurance from the professionals.
- I’m enjoying the fourth, FOURTH!, head cold of this pregnancy. I guess this is what life with a two-year-old is like. No fun! At least with the other head colds I wasn’t as physically uncomfortable and could still get a decent night’s sleep. Now, with my enormous belly, that already makes it super hard to sleep, I have to also deal with a stuffy nose. On Wednesday night, I spent so much time awake that by 4 am I was noticeably hungry. Since I clearly wasn’t sleeping I decided to get up, enjoy a piece of peanut butter toast and a glass of milk, and surf the web for a while until I felt tired enough to crawl back in bed. 7 am came VERY early the next morning…
- Last weekend we finally started preparing our home for the arrival of this little girl. Our friend Joy came over and accompanied Adelaide and I to IKEA to pick up a dresser/changing table, and then she helped me build it. Seriously, it is so awesome to have help with both Adelaide and the preparation process! Then the next day, Joy’s other half, Brandon came over and helped Matt get all of the baby gear down from the rafters in the garage, where, coincidentally, he helped store them exactly one year ago, LOL! And now starts the process of washing and cleaning all of the baby gear and clothes and getting things set up. I’m enjoying the extra space we have, now that we’re out of our apartment. Adelaide got a single drawer in my dresser when she was born, but this little girl gets a whole dresser! We’re moving up in the world! ha! The plan is to have the baby sleep in our room for the first 4-6 months in our Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper. Then, once she’s sleeping through the night, we’ll move her into Adelaide’s room and the girls will share. Having Adelaide in our room with us worked out so nicely last time, hopefully things will go similarly with this baby.
That’s all the updating I have for now. I’m seeing my midwife every week now until this little girl decides to be born, so I’ll probably do more frequent updates here on the blog.
And now, some pictures of my enormous belly.
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