34 weeks: ultrasound and an embarrassing trip to labor and delivery

We had a growth ultrasound on Friday and baby's weight was estimated to be 4 lbs 7 oz, in the 40th percentile compared to other fetuses her age. She's continuing to put on fat layers and her lungs and central nervous system continue to mature. The central nervous system coordinates activities of all parts of the body. According to babycenter.com, babies born from 34 weeks on generally do as well as full-term babies. That's a relief given my risk factors for preterm birth (birth prior to 37 weeks).

At our ultrasound baby girl was head down, which is a good thing at this point, and hopefully she'll stay that way so she can come out head first. It's always cool to see her moving around up on the screen when she's on ultrasound. It just makes it all the more real that there's a tiny human in there. This time she was sticking her tongue in and out just like outside babies do. It was adorable. We got a few pictures including a fuzzy one of her foot with her big toe up and the rest crunched against my ribs. Yep, I felt that. She's running out of room!

And here's a profile picture:

I had an embarrassing trip to labor and delivery on Thursday. I really didn't even want to call the advice line. I had been feeling nauseous like I was about to puke (but didn't), decreased appetite, and had a general "off" feeling for a couple days. I decided not to diagnose myself and instead call in to be safe. I apparently had two symptoms of pre-eclampsia, and given my risk factors, the nurse advised me to go in. So in we went and got hooked up to the monitoring belt in triage for a half hour. I had the usual irritable uterus contractions but nothing really. My OB happened to be on duty that day so she came in and questioned me a bit. Diagnosis? Constipation. We picked up a bottle of Colace stool softener from the pharmacy and went home. Yep.

We're starting to feel the crunch of having things ready "just in case." Saturday we drove up to Seattle for Evan's sister's daughter's first birthday (happy birthday, Nora!). On the way I had a new experience - menstrual-type cramps low in my abdomen. Braxton Hicks? I had a few on Saturday, all mild, short-lived, and irregular. And then a few more yesterday. When we got home from Seattle yesterday I immediately installed the car seat in my car and practiced with the buckles and adjustments (thanks for the hand-me-down, Erica!). And Evan and I made a list of little projects we want to wrap up before baby gets here and divided them up. This morning I've had a few more of the menstrual cramp thingies -- maybe 8 over a span of three hours. All lasting less than 30 seconds and irregular frequency. Only one was strong enough to breathe through it a bit. We're going to pack the hospital bag today. And this morning I've been frantically digging into the Hypnobirthing materials I borrowed from my friend, Kellee. Our five-week preparation for childbirth classes start on Wednesday. We have a meeting with a doula scheduled for Friday, which I'm on the fence about in general. I really didn't want to call labor and delivery again because I thought it's probably nothing and I didn't want to go in to be sent away again. Yet at the same time the menstrual cramp feeling is on the "When to call" list so I just did. Thankfully the nurse said it's nothing to worry about unless I'm having at least four per hour. Phew!

33 weeks: hospital tour

Baby weighs about 5 lbs now and is about 18" long. She'll hopefully be moving into a head down position in the next couple weeks and stay that way until delivery. I think I felt her move transverse two days ago when I first stepped into the shower in response to the water hitting my belly - it's sort of a wrong feeling to me. Most of the time she's vertical, and since I feel "right" again, I think she moved back to her usual position. I got a food stain on this white t-shirt I've been wearing every week in the photos, curry I think. It doesn't look like you can see it in this picture. It also looks like this shirt is verging on Homer Simpson status. It just needs to last 7 more weeks, give or take. I feel committed to wearing the shirt.

Yesterday Evan and I went on a tour of the labor and delivery unit of the hospital where I'll be delivering (pictured below). I wondered if I would feel nervous for labor seeing everything in person. I don't generally get nervous about things until I'm walking into them. True to form, it didn't make me nervous, but I'm sure I will be once labor starts! We saw where to drop off and park, where to get wheelchairs if needed, where to check in, and the waiting room with snacks and beverages. Then we went behind the secure doors and saw the triage rooms where you get assessed to make sure you're truly in labor, which I'm familiar with from a few weeks ago. From there we walked down the hall to the labor and delivery rooms and on the way we passed by a room where we heard a woman that sounded like she was pushing and groaning at the same time. I could have done without hearing that but at least she wasn't screaming in pain. The rooms are all private and spacious, with dimmer lights, adjustable thermostat, a CD player, TV/DVD, and a couch with pillow and blankets for dad. There's also a fridge for bringing your own snacks, or you can order room service (which is hospital cafeteria food). There's a hotel-like bathroom with a regular tub, but then there are a couple big birthing tub rooms that you can labor in, too. They have birthing balls, birthing bars, and you can deliver in any position you want - on all fours, on your side, squatting, on your back, whatever. After the labor and delivery rooms we passed by the operating rooms where C-sections are performed but couldn't go in, so we headed up the elevator to the fourth floor to see the postpartum unit. You get transported up there 1-2 hours after delivery. Again, every room is private and has the dimmer lights, thermostat, fridge, couch with pillows and blanket for dad, TV/DVD, and bathroom except just with a stand-up shower. Again you can order room service as well for both parents. With a vaginal birth we'll stay here at least 24 hours after delivery, 3-5 days for a C-section. Baby stays with the mom the whole time, there is no nursery. The only time baby is separated from the mom is if there's a medical problem.

I feel really good about delivering at Kaiser Permanente. I've heard nothing but praises both from coworkers and people outside of Kaiser. I really want a vaginal birth, if possible, and Kaiser Permanente consistently has the lowest C-section rate of all the facilities in Portland according to the State of Oregon Health Statistics Unit. Data is still being scrubbed for 2012 but for 2011 we rang in at 21% of deliveries being C-section compared to the rest ranging 29-33%. The state average is 29% and the national average is 32.8% according to the CDC. Our doctors are not paid to perform C-sections like other hospitals. I really hope we have a smooth birth experience, but, whatever happens happens and as long as we both come out alive and healthy then it's all good. I can't wait to meet this little one on the outside!

32 weeks: SO BIG!

Baby is about 17" long and weighs about 4 lbs this week. She'll gain about 1/2 lb per week from now until delivery. In other words, she's gaining 1/3 to 1/2 her total weight just in the next 8 weeks. Her skin is getting soft and smooth and she's continuing to practice breathing motions inside the womb.

We had a routine prenatal appointment last Wednesday. Fundal height measuring growth was right on track at 31.5 cm and baby's heart rate was 150 beats per minute within normal limits. My blood pressure is normal and I've gained a total of 28 lbs. All signs point to a healthy baby! We have our monthly growth ultrasound in two weeks so hopefully that will be another reassurance. We're on schedule for prenatal appointments every other week now and then weekly starting in a month. Weekly non-stress tests start in two weeks, too.

In the last couple weeks the comments on my body have suddenly gone from "You're so tiny!" to "You're so big!" and it's true. Each morning I wake up and I swear I'm visibly bigger. It's amazing how much this belly can stretch! A new development with me recently is the appearance of a faint linea nigra. It's a dark vertical line on my belly caused by hormones. At least I think I see a linea nigra, it's hard to tell for sure. I checked in with the OB about the separated symphysis pubis and irritable uterus since Wednesday was the first time I'd seen her since both diagnoses. She recommended I reduce my work schedule again down to half time to reduce stress and strain on my body. I used this as an opportunity to revisit the discussion about coming back to work half time after maternity leave, we could reduce my coded hours now instead of later. My interim supervisor is taking the request to an operations meeting today and hopefully I'll have an answer tomorrow. If the answer is no, then I'll use FMLA to cover the reduction in work schedule and look for a part time job within my company.

In other news, since I had to hang up the running shoes, I swam laps yesterday for the first time since becoming pregnant. I went to the Portland Park and Rec center near our house, Matt Dishman Community Center, during their free "open play swim." I didn't bring my cap and goggles because I didn't intend to swim laps, but the lap lanes were less rowdy than the rest of the pool so I got in the slow lane. It felt GREAT. Being in the water took all the pressure off my joints, muscles, and ligaments from the weight of baby. I almost forgot I was pregnant! I didn't attempt any flip turns, I rested at the wall a lot, and I only swam about 500-600 yards. I felt baby start kicking as soon as I got in the pool and a few times throughout the swim. Maybe she's in there practicing her kicking, too. A couple swim teams practice in this pool and I found myself gazing into the stands envisioning what it would be like to be a parent up there watching our little one compete. I hope she enjoys water sports as much as me.

31 weeks: baby is the size of a watermelon

Whoa, watermelon?? Another website says baby is the size of a pineapple now. Both big fruits! Not much to report with baby's development this week, she's basically just putting on the cute baby chub. She moves a lot and she's really strong. We've done kick counts three times now and her new record is 10 movements in 3 minutes. I can feel her body very easily through my belly although I don't know what's what. I can tell a big body part (head or hiney?) from a little body part (hand or foot?), and I think I can tell her back, but that's about it. Each week I feel her movements higher and higher as my uterus grows up and up. Check out this diagram from babycenter.com for what baby looks like this week in  the belly:

Aside from calling the baby "fat," I'm struck by how huge that baby is, and picture that going on inside me. Crazy. And there's still a couple more months left. My placenta is in the back, though, which is why it's so easy to feel the little munchkin. 

As for me, honestly, I'm pretty uncomfortable these days between a painful symphysis pubis and daily contractions with the irritable uterus. I don't even pay much attention to the minor aches and discomforts of pregnancy. I could easily write a whiney book about this but I won't. The bottom line is that baby is healthy and this is temporary for me. I will say I would not mind going into labor early as long as baby is fully baked. 

My hormones seem to have kicked into a higher gear since entering into third trimester. I cry all. the. time. Last Thursday I was pulling into the parking garage at work when Elton John's Rocket Man came on the Pandora station. I don't like Elton John and thought to myself, "No! This CAN'T be the last song I hear before work!" And cue tears. Seriously? I have lost it.

Oh, here's a new one. Yesterday we had friends over for brunch with their 8 month old baby. So fun, by the way. We did a pancake bar and ate out on the deck, it was such nice weather. At the end of their visit their baby crying inconsolably. Later I noticed my boobs leaked colostrum for the first time. A little icky, but hopefully that means the plumbing is working! It's funny because she suggested earlier that I start pumping before baby is born to start stocking up a supply. I think I need some time to wrap my brain around that one, but maybe I will!