33 Weeks Pregnant

This is how my baby looks and how it sleeps right now!

Baby is sooooo heavy! Sources say that s/he could be up to 4.5 pounds and 17 inches by now and I think that might be a little on the small-side for guessing the current size of this one. My guess for baby's current progress is 5 pounds and very close to 19 inches. I can feel little ankles criss-cross over each other and knock together very often; sometimes in the process a leg will try to jut out for room only to snap back into the bounds of my womb. Hiccups continue as does the practice breathing, which is very visible for some time everyday.

A GE-HDLive image of a 33-week fetus.

I'm beginning to feel lucky for puking on a mostly-daily basis; I know that sounds odd, but let me explain. Other than extreme nausea and vomiting during pregnancy I have had no complications, nor has the baby. We are both healthy and gaining weight steadily. I don't even have any nagging complaints like stretch marks, back pain or varicose veins... in my legs. ;o)
I am not swelling that much (wedding ring is just a bit snug), my carpal tunnel comes and goes (and mostly goes), and my hip pain from SPD only occurs when I lie down in bed on my side... even then, I know how to get it to go back into place. So yes, when I'm having a puking episode and I finally realize the heaving has stopped, I start to feel normal again--and very, very lucky. I have come a long way and have only a short way more to go. I can do this!

Secretly Fabulous Friday

They say the devil is in the details. By withholding all details, I can say that today has (so far) been the most secretly fabulous day ever.
After trying acupuncture for my nausea and vomiting during pregnancy (NVP) on Wednesday I have been feeling... different.  I cried a bit during the appointment and it felt like some blockage was breaking up and being let out. Since then I have been crying a lot randomly and getting irrationally upset; for example I almost had a coronary last night over the fact that Sonic made my weeklong awaited Hot Fudge Sundae with freakin' chocolate syrup (which I HATE). My episodes of sickness have also become more mild but occur just as frequently (and thus are a bit more random and hard to see coming), which is what brings us to today.
I bought a new dress and a slip for it on Tuesday. I couldn't decide between pink and green but ended up going with the green one. I wanted the pink one so badly that my mom and dad offered to buy it for me; I just had to have the store look up the proprietary credit card and put it onto their account. We did that last night after tracking the pink dress down once more (over 2 stores) and I went home to wash it in order to wear it today. Luckily I also washed the green one, though it won't be apparent until later why that was lucky.

I got up today and was only a little sick. I started to feel better after a half hour and got ready, putting on my new dress with my new shoes and a leopard print cardigan. Some of my work gal pals told me I looked "so cute" in a little dress with my belly bump and I felt really good. I went to go get a burger at lunch and started to feel nauseous once I left with my to-go order. I sat and dealt with it a couple of times and thought it was over. I started down the road and it hit me like a ton of bricks, only this time I couldn't pull over and deal with it... I grabbed the emergency puke-towel in the car but it did no good; my poor dress, hair and sweater took it all. This was secretly fabulous because none of it got on the interior of the car.
I was only a block from work so I finished the drive, parked and called my boss to tell him what was going on. I After that I called one of my work friends to come and help me. Luckily she was already outside and came right over. She took my lunch and put it in the fridge while I went to the restrooms and tried to salvage my outfit in vain. She came to check on me and my dress was just not going to work. This was secretly fabulous because I ended up having to go home and change... into the green one! I also cleaned my hair out and had some cereal. I got back to work in time to stay for about an hour and a half; I have my first appointment with my backup doctor today.

So all in all, sparing any horrific details, I can say that today I got to wear both my new dresses, see my animals at lunch, and go back to work in time to leave again. What a Secretly Fabulous Friday!

32 Weeks Pregnant (tomorrow)

The midwife checked on me yesterday and my belly (and baby!) are measuring 34cm from my pelvis to the top of my uterus (AKA fundus), which means our growth is correlating to 34 weeks gestation. Baby is going to be big and healthy or even 2 weeks ahead of schedule/on time. I told anyone who would listen a while ago this would be an 8-pounder... I may be correct. Heart rate is 152 which is great (has been between 152-158 the entire pregnancy) and she said the baby feels and sounds really good.
We can see all kinds of jiggles and rolls now through my tummy and sometimes we can even make out a heel rolling across my skin. I can see the baby practice breathing several times a day (SO ADORABLE!) and I think it gives him or her hiccups because those are also happening several times a day now. I can feel little ankles and knees knock together with the jostling and I can tell the baby's bones are getting harder every day thanks to my addiction to milk, cereal, cheese, yogurt and ice cream. I'm feeding this one well.

I feel great on my good days. I only have bad puking days 1 to 2 times per week so I relish every other day when I am fully functional. Working full time is getting really difficult but I get up and walk around every hour and it helps a lot. Sometimes I'll just be sick because the baby keeps rubbing its butt and feet across my stomach (which is now located under my left ribs); the sensation makes my stomach invert itself. I can't wait for the baby to drop and take some pressure off of my lungs and tummy!
I know it's very late in the game to be trying methods of relieving Nausea/Vomiting in Pregnancy but I am going to try acupuncture tomorrow. I have an appointment after work and I hope it is the answer to my only complaint with this pregnancy. Can you imagine? The last 2 months without puking?
Oh it'd be heaven...

Tonight I am going to shop for a couple of maxi dresses because I am SO over pants. Now that I'm less than 2 months away from the due date, I'm growing out of everything and I'm not buying new stuff unless I can wear it now AND after baby is born. People say to buy the next size up in maternity clothes so that this doesn't happen, but to me wearing ill-fitting clothes when you feel oh-so-sexy anyhow for 7 months and then having those clothes fit well for 2 months... just doesn't make any damn sense.

30 Weeks Pregnant... Happy Spring!

Baby is over a foot long now and should weigh around 3 whole pounds! That's almost 50% of the average birth weight, but it feels much heavier when you're only using your uterus to carry that instead of your hands. I'm starting to get that "breaking pelvis" feeling again... baby must be growing very fast now!

I have waited for so long to be 30 weeks pregnant. I don't know why; I just knew that my belly would be big after that for sure and that I'd want maternity photos done around that time. We have all kinds of plans for pictures, but I'm more excited to just be taking care of me intensively for the next 8 weeks. I plan to buy myself some dresses and shoes to get me through the rest of Spring, stock up on mommy supplies and make sure I feel pretty.
In other mommy-news, I am experiencing a revival of the first trimester via my stomach. I'm puking still of course, but instead of only eating cereal-fruit-mac'n'cheese I am eating cereal-fruit-supreme pizza. And sometimes ice cream. OK a lot of times, ice cream. It's all I want all the time, and I'm going to let myself eat it.

Everything plan-wise is coming together for the baby and it's time to let it fall into place. Shawn and I are changing so much as people. He talks to the baby and kisses my belly good-bye in the morning when he leaves for work and I can tell he doesn't feel as silly for doing it now as he maybe did 10 weeks ago. I even read aloud, which is something I hate doing, to the baby. I bought him or her one of my favorite Little Golden Books The Shy Little Kitten while gathering some pregnant-munchies at the store yesterday. I want to read it to the baby now so that s/he knows the story when s/he gets here. I think it just put him or her to sleep yesterday but I really enjoyed rubbing my belly and telling the baby a story my parents used to read me over and over.

The rest of the month we'll be painting and starting baby classes! Yay!!!

29 Weeks Pregnant

Holy crap! Usually I remember when I'm a whole week more pregnant than I was before, but this time it has snuck up on me. I start to lose track of myself when I get the babysick like I have been again lately. The only difference between 3rd trimester babysick and earlier babysick is the fact that I am emotionally and physically wrecked after puking (even once) the earlier I am in pregnancy. As time goes on, I feel fine but I physically just want nothing more than to ball up with my cats and Shawn in a blanket. It exhausts me and it makes my throat raw. I can't even worry about what it's doing to my teeth enamel. Seriously, who pukes mostly everyday for 6 months+? I've said it before and I'll say it many more times: Being Pregnant is WEIRD.

Tonight we are going to look at cribs and finish registering at Babies R Us. We are very excited for that! Last night we checked out the hospital near our home in case of transfer during the home birth and it is so nice! So quiet and so clean. I'm sure we won't need to go there but if we do, I'm happy with that hospital.
After the next 2 weeks go by it will be damn near all-baby all the time. Kind of excited for that, too. My first prenatal with the Home Birth Midwife is the day before baby classes start. Then we have the baby classes 2 hours/week for 6 weeks.
Nightly activities for now include eating ice cream in bed and watching the baby move ferociously between 7PM and 10:30PM while Shawn and I poke and play with him or her and s/he responds in kind. This is getting fun; we can't even imagine how amazing it will be to sit and stare at our actual baby. Every little common jiggle seems amazing!

The 10 (to 12) week count down starts next week! Belly explosion ahead!

26 Weeks Pregnant

 Everything is starting to really stretch out with the baby weighing over a pound now, especially in the positions s/he prefers to lie. At the first prenatal with the Midwife on Saturday, her nurse-practitioner (Midwife was actually delivering a baby and coudln't make it) felt my belly for baby's position and said it's already upside down!
YAY! Stay, baby, stay.
Baby has lately been hanging out either directly up and down with his or her butt behind my belly button (feels like my hips are breaking!), or to either side with his or her head in one side of my pelvis and the bum on the opposite side up behind my navel. I get lots of kicks to the sides of my belly and to my stomach and little punches down lower in my hips and bladder area. They're forceful and also visible to the outside. I might have to video this for you all to see.

As for me, I'm still puking. I have resigned to being one of the very few  women who puke the entire pregnancy. My mom even asked me if I was sure I didn't have the flu... Maybe baby-flu.
I can deal with it on a daily basis to my best ability but the thing that really sucks still is the lack of understanding from others in my community.
No one will help me and approve me for FMLA hours (that I EARNED all YEAR) for puking and the Midwife's office kind of didn't want to fill them out at all.  UM  I NEED THOSE so I can leave work for Prenatal Appointments that will occur during work hours... like the next one that is already scheduled. The Midwife's office doesn't know what kind of people I work with and this entire commuity has very little understanding of FMLA laws (especially for pregnancy).
For once in my life I am asking for what I need when I need it and I am refused help. WTF?
I told Shawn I hope I get a "warm-fuzzy" sometime at the Midwife's place or I'll only be slightly more comfortable there on baby's Birthday than I would at a good hospital.
I cry a lot lately and I blame hormones, sleepiness and stress. All the stress, it should be noted, is from trying to work full time while still having to puke all the time. The more stressed I am, the more I puke. And then I cry. It's getting vicious after 5 months of this.
I just want it to be May so I can have our baby and stop puking!!!