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.