Our Pregnancy: 34 Weeks
8/5/13 33w1d - yesterday was not boring and uneventful. Sigh. My uterus was deemed "irritable". I had been having some off and on mild menstrual like cramping since about mid-day and it wasn't going away when I got up, put my feet up, moved around, drank water, etc. I was having occasional Braxton Hicks contractions in there too - but it was the cramping that was disturbing me the most. By 4pm, after about 20 minutes of back and forth about whether or not to go in, I finally decided to pack up a few things for an overnight bag (just in case) and headed off to WellStar Cobb Hospital (all of my care has been through Emory, but Cobb Hospital is quite a bit closer to the house, and where I've delivered twice before and I knew they'd take good care of me - plus I had no intention of this visit resulting in delivery!!) I got there and was sent to triage; I gave a urine specimen and filled out all the paperwork for check-in. They hooked me up to the monitors and baby Lindsey was NOT a happy girl. She was VERY squirmy trying to get away from the heart rate monitor and there were several times where her heart rate was getting very high. I felt awful! :( After monitoring me for about 30 minutes the nurse came back and said I was definitely contracting, nothing regular or with a pattern, but "uterine irritability" and they were going to give me subcutaneous terbutaline and check again in 30 minutes. I was given a bunch of water to drink as well. They ran a fetal fibronectin test as well. I was given a 2nd dose of terb about 30 minutes after the first. She said my initial response to the medication was good - the contractions would stop, but then they'd pick back up around 20-30 minutes after the injection. The FFN test came back negative which was great news (she said with a negative result you have a less than 2% chance of going into labor within the next 2 weeks). They did a 3rd injection of terb and that time were happy enough with my response after 30 minutes that they sent me home with instructions to follow up with my OB and come back if I started getting crampy again. Unfortunately, today I am a little crampy again. Not quite as much as yesterday, but definite low menstrual like cramping along with some noticeable Braxton Hicks contractions. I contacted my Emory OB and left a message asking what they advise, and will hopefully get a response shortly. I have a feeling I'm going to need to go back in and be seen by them, and maybe start on Procardia... we'll see what they say. It is just way too early to be dealing with pre-term labor type symptoms! In another 3 weeks or so - yes, then I can have some cramping and contractions but I really want to forbid them at this point - please and thank you!! :(
8/6/13 33w2d - 3 of the final packages of super cute baby clothes arrived last night - I sorted through them all, ran a couple loads of laundry, and hung a few things to dry and put the rest in the dryer. When they were done Kenneth and I sorted them together (though his version of "helping" is to lay everything in one big stack - then I have to go through and still sort them by size! :) I love when he helps though - it is fun to share some of the "prep" things with him). There were several pieces in the bunch from last night that I thought were totally adorable! I told Kenneth I'm going to have to change Lindsey 5 times a day just so she gets a chance to wear everything at least once. He said not to worry - whether I want to or not I probably will be changing her 5 times a day at the beginning anyway thanks to all those lovely baby "messes"! I was doing some reading yesterday on "The Timeline of a Breastfed Baby" and getting a reminder about just what is coming once this little one does make her appearance... lots and lots and lots of time feeding, trying to sleep somewhere in between and messy diapers... It still seems surreal and far away at this point, even as I wish I could fast forward the next couple weeks and get closer to the end of the month where I won't feel so anxious about her arriving too early. We were working on assembling the pack n play (it has the infant inset with the changing table and bassinet, and "shelving unit") - it has been in the living room for the past couple days and every time I see it there, it is one of those "this is real" reminders that we will be needing and using that in a matter of weeks...! I think that is going to stay in the living room to make the first few weeks easier in terms of having a place to lay a sleeping baby and have changing gear right there in the living room - since I imagine that's where I'll be spending the majority of the day. We'll see how it goes though. I think we'll have the bassinet in the bedroom, next to my side of the bed for night time sleeping - we just need to move one small thing to make space for it. That's what we did with Kent for his first 3 months or so, and it was very convenient for night time feeding sessions and trying to not disturb either of our sleep as much as possible.
I have had the weirdest pain right between the bottom of my calf and my ankle on one side for the past 3 days - it feels tight all the time, like I pulled or strained something. It's just in a weird spot!! I'm not sure what I did or how I did it, but it bothers me every time I walk or put weight on it. Kenneth rubbed it for me last night, and that felt good - but I think it's just going to take time to heal from whatever caused it. I think soaking it in a nice warm bath is a good idea too. I've been wanting to take a bath most nights, and just haven't made time for it. It seems like there's always so many "projects" to work on when I get home and I want to be busy. Although most of the time, if Kenneth decides to have a say, I have to sit and put my feet up - especially if he notices I'm having a contraction (which happens on a fairly regular basis if I'm up and moving). I hope and pray my body can hold out for another 4 weeks, and keep Lindsey safe inside and growing where she needs to be... I really hope that I'll get to 39 weeks and be huge and uncomfy and longing for her to "get out" already - but right now, I'm just baby stepping and counting down 1 day at a time!
I've been waking up almost every single morning between 3:30 - 4:30 the past week or so. It is apparently my new internal body clock going off. I can usually fall back asleep after I get up to use the bathroom and lay back down, but there have been a few nights where I was just "up" at that point - and my mind was too busy to shut back down.
8/8/13 33w4d - today is the same point in pregnancy when I delivered the twins. I have been anxiously counting down to this date and am ready for the day to be over and past us uneventfully. I know it's very silly to think something will happen with this pregnancy today just because it did with the twins 1 1/2 years ago, but I can't help it. The date is stuck in my head as a milestone I desperately want to get past. I know baby girl would be ok should she decide to arrive at this early date, but all I can think about is the huge amounts of guilt I have felt over all those tiny 4 1/2 pound babies went through in their first 3-4 weeks of life, and my IPs spending those days with them in a hospital instead of loving on them at home.
Looking up all the various fetal development charts - there is a LOT that happens from 35 - 39 weeks of pregnancy for a little one. Lots of important "final touches" where they gain the most weight to prepare for life outside of the womb and their organs finish developing. So, just trying to take it still one day at a time, and enjoy each day as it comes and continuously counting down to September 1st and reaching 37 weeks in the back of my mind.
Last night was another night of up and down for me - I woke up I think the first time around 12:30 or 1:00am with leg cramps. I ate a calcium chew, took a potassium pill, got up and walked, ate a banana and drank water... I switched some laundry while I was up and then went back to bed only to be woken up a couple hours later with another cramp. I got up and walked that one off and got back to sleep with about an hour or so to sleep before my alarm went off. I'm still experiencing some sort of pain between calf and ankle on my one leg and nothing seems to make a difference. I soaked in a tub, I've kept it elevated, tried to take it easy, stretched it out - but it doesn't seem to matter. It just hurts. I'm assuming it must be a combination of the relaxin hormone at this point in pregnancy and the weight gain and I'm just going to have to deal with it and try not to aggravate it until it either heals up or I deliver. We'll see!
Our stroller / carseat combo was on sale so I ordered that this week and used the gift cards we'd received to pay for a little over half of it. We still need a crib, and then we'll pretty much be done with any purchases I can think of at the moment. I think we have all the important things ready; clothes, blankets, towels, burp cloths, bassinet, pack n play, diapers and diapering accessories... There are a few things to finish up in the nursery (aside from getting a crib in there) - like finishing all the sorting and organization of clothes and getting the larger sizes put away in the basement, along with a couple large toy items baby won't need for awhile that take up space... although maybe I'll just put those up on top of something, or in her closet if there's room. Kenneth still needs to install the hardware to put the hanging rod in the armoire - I was going to do it last night but he said he wants to. It would be nice to use that space for shelving; and I'm still debating on whether or not to keep it as a shelf and just move overflow hanging baby clothes into my closet where I currently have my maternity clothes hung.
We've decided to install a ceiling fan / light combo as well - in both Kent and Lindsey's rooms - and I sent a note to my in-laws to see if Kenneth's dad might be able to help with that in the next couple weeks or so.
I have the custom butterfly mobile I ordered that I can't wait to open, but I'm not going to until we have the crib in place and I know exactly where it's getting placed (it will tangle easily so I can't open it until it's ready to be hung)!
Last night I went through and filled up the nursery baskets that were empty - I had two. I put receiving blankets in one, and put that next to the armoire by the door for quick and easy access, and put all the soft baby hats in the other one to keep by the changing station. I had those in a drawer before - we'll see which makes more sense. I was thinking about using one of the baskets for socks and booties, but right now have those hanging in an organizer on the door of the closet... you can try to be as organized as possible, and think you know where you want things - but I'm quite sure when I get to the point of actually needing to use these things I will end up rearranging something, at some point!
My next OB appointment is tomorrow - we'll see if they give me the option to come back for my next follow up in either 2 or 3 weeks. If they do, I'll probably opt for 3 weeks. That will put us really close to our 37 week rollover and hopefully be the last real appointment!! We'll see what their thoughts are, after having the growth scan last week and baby measuring well, if they're open to discussing a 39-week induction still. I will be ok with it if they say that isn't really an option (especially since I've had a C-section), but I think it will be nice to have a date to count down to, and to know the anxiety of baby being ok has a definite "end date".
8/10/13 33w6d - I am more than a little relieved to be past 33w4d and about to roll over to 34 weeks now. Things continue on about the same path day to day - an occasional painful contraction, a few Braxton Hicks here and there, some twinges or pains that come and go but nothing that's really worth noting or being concerned about. I did feel some nausea last night and again today which was new. It's sort of come and gone, so I'm not sure what it's related to. I've had a lot of sinus congestion and a headache today, so maybe something to do with that.
I had Kent take a few "belly pictures" for me outside in the sunshine and a couple of them came out ok - maybe I'll do this each week from here until delivery and then I'll have a few nicer pictures I can look back on and enjoy.
Just 3 more weeks to go to hit full term!! I am ECSTATIC to be counting down to 37 weeks and can't believe we'll be meeting our little girl soon!! Our stroller / carseat combo arrived yesterday and Kenneth put that together today and rolled it into the nursery. We have plans to go see a crib tomorrow that should go well with the furniture we have in the nursery and then I'll get to put the beautiful bedding set from my mother in law to use, and hang the butterfly mobile as well and then the nursery should be pretty much "together"!
Tomorrow afternoon is the cyber shower, so I can open up the stack of boxes that have been accumulating and have been piled up in the nursery, and then get those items put away as well; hopefully between now and next weekend I will have the clutter under control and have the room looking fairly ready to use. We're going to look at Home Depot when we go pick up fans tomorrow for one of those extending hanging bars you can hang from an existing dowel rod in a closet and have a second hanging rod - I figure if we can use the existing closet space for all the hanging items then I can use the armoire for more of the baskets and miscellaneous "stuff" that will need a home - but we'll see. Kenneth's parents are going to come by next Saturday and help install the fans which is great!
I have all of the baby clothes we're keeping boxed up, some in the closet, and the larger sizes in the basement - but I still have a couple of boxes of items I am hoping to get listed and sell on e-bay or craigslist to get rid of some of the overflow and extras! Especially is size 3-6 months, I have way more than we'll need or use. There is a lot of good stuff in there though, so I'm sure someone will be able to use and enjoy them!
My OB appointment went well yesterday - all my vitals are normal and the OB was really nice (one more new doctor I hadn't seen previously but really liked!) They are still VBAC friendly (I don't know why it still surprises me every time I hear it, I keep expecting someone to take it back!), and I am feeling hopeful. Baby is still head down and my belly is still measuring 1-2 weeks ahead. Her heart rate is beautiful in the high 130's to mid 140's. I love that sound!!
When I told the OB about the leg pain, she thought it was probably some type of strain and suggested heat, but to be cautious she sent me to Radiology at one of the adjoining clinics for an ultrasound to rule out deep vein thrombosis. After waiting for about an hour, the very nice tech took me back and everything looked fine. My leg was feeling pretty good this morning, but is sore again this evening... not sure what the deal is with it, but I might try a heating pad.
This has been a somewhat eventful week, and I'm hoping the coming week is relatively calm and "boring" - and there will be no surprises! The doctor I work for is on vacation this coming week so it will probably be a quiet week at work. I'll have to find some projects to keep me busy!
According to Baby Center:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
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| Hooked up to the monitors |
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| The monitor for baby's heart rate and contractions . |
8/6/13 33w2d - 3 of the final packages of super cute baby clothes arrived last night - I sorted through them all, ran a couple loads of laundry, and hung a few things to dry and put the rest in the dryer. When they were done Kenneth and I sorted them together (though his version of "helping" is to lay everything in one big stack - then I have to go through and still sort them by size! :) I love when he helps though - it is fun to share some of the "prep" things with him). There were several pieces in the bunch from last night that I thought were totally adorable! I told Kenneth I'm going to have to change Lindsey 5 times a day just so she gets a chance to wear everything at least once. He said not to worry - whether I want to or not I probably will be changing her 5 times a day at the beginning anyway thanks to all those lovely baby "messes"! I was doing some reading yesterday on "The Timeline of a Breastfed Baby" and getting a reminder about just what is coming once this little one does make her appearance... lots and lots and lots of time feeding, trying to sleep somewhere in between and messy diapers... It still seems surreal and far away at this point, even as I wish I could fast forward the next couple weeks and get closer to the end of the month where I won't feel so anxious about her arriving too early. We were working on assembling the pack n play (it has the infant inset with the changing table and bassinet, and "shelving unit") - it has been in the living room for the past couple days and every time I see it there, it is one of those "this is real" reminders that we will be needing and using that in a matter of weeks...! I think that is going to stay in the living room to make the first few weeks easier in terms of having a place to lay a sleeping baby and have changing gear right there in the living room - since I imagine that's where I'll be spending the majority of the day. We'll see how it goes though. I think we'll have the bassinet in the bedroom, next to my side of the bed for night time sleeping - we just need to move one small thing to make space for it. That's what we did with Kent for his first 3 months or so, and it was very convenient for night time feeding sessions and trying to not disturb either of our sleep as much as possible.
I have had the weirdest pain right between the bottom of my calf and my ankle on one side for the past 3 days - it feels tight all the time, like I pulled or strained something. It's just in a weird spot!! I'm not sure what I did or how I did it, but it bothers me every time I walk or put weight on it. Kenneth rubbed it for me last night, and that felt good - but I think it's just going to take time to heal from whatever caused it. I think soaking it in a nice warm bath is a good idea too. I've been wanting to take a bath most nights, and just haven't made time for it. It seems like there's always so many "projects" to work on when I get home and I want to be busy. Although most of the time, if Kenneth decides to have a say, I have to sit and put my feet up - especially if he notices I'm having a contraction (which happens on a fairly regular basis if I'm up and moving). I hope and pray my body can hold out for another 4 weeks, and keep Lindsey safe inside and growing where she needs to be... I really hope that I'll get to 39 weeks and be huge and uncomfy and longing for her to "get out" already - but right now, I'm just baby stepping and counting down 1 day at a time!
I've been waking up almost every single morning between 3:30 - 4:30 the past week or so. It is apparently my new internal body clock going off. I can usually fall back asleep after I get up to use the bathroom and lay back down, but there have been a few nights where I was just "up" at that point - and my mind was too busy to shut back down.
8/8/13 33w4d - today is the same point in pregnancy when I delivered the twins. I have been anxiously counting down to this date and am ready for the day to be over and past us uneventfully. I know it's very silly to think something will happen with this pregnancy today just because it did with the twins 1 1/2 years ago, but I can't help it. The date is stuck in my head as a milestone I desperately want to get past. I know baby girl would be ok should she decide to arrive at this early date, but all I can think about is the huge amounts of guilt I have felt over all those tiny 4 1/2 pound babies went through in their first 3-4 weeks of life, and my IPs spending those days with them in a hospital instead of loving on them at home.
Looking up all the various fetal development charts - there is a LOT that happens from 35 - 39 weeks of pregnancy for a little one. Lots of important "final touches" where they gain the most weight to prepare for life outside of the womb and their organs finish developing. So, just trying to take it still one day at a time, and enjoy each day as it comes and continuously counting down to September 1st and reaching 37 weeks in the back of my mind.
Last night was another night of up and down for me - I woke up I think the first time around 12:30 or 1:00am with leg cramps. I ate a calcium chew, took a potassium pill, got up and walked, ate a banana and drank water... I switched some laundry while I was up and then went back to bed only to be woken up a couple hours later with another cramp. I got up and walked that one off and got back to sleep with about an hour or so to sleep before my alarm went off. I'm still experiencing some sort of pain between calf and ankle on my one leg and nothing seems to make a difference. I soaked in a tub, I've kept it elevated, tried to take it easy, stretched it out - but it doesn't seem to matter. It just hurts. I'm assuming it must be a combination of the relaxin hormone at this point in pregnancy and the weight gain and I'm just going to have to deal with it and try not to aggravate it until it either heals up or I deliver. We'll see!
Our stroller / carseat combo was on sale so I ordered that this week and used the gift cards we'd received to pay for a little over half of it. We still need a crib, and then we'll pretty much be done with any purchases I can think of at the moment. I think we have all the important things ready; clothes, blankets, towels, burp cloths, bassinet, pack n play, diapers and diapering accessories... There are a few things to finish up in the nursery (aside from getting a crib in there) - like finishing all the sorting and organization of clothes and getting the larger sizes put away in the basement, along with a couple large toy items baby won't need for awhile that take up space... although maybe I'll just put those up on top of something, or in her closet if there's room. Kenneth still needs to install the hardware to put the hanging rod in the armoire - I was going to do it last night but he said he wants to. It would be nice to use that space for shelving; and I'm still debating on whether or not to keep it as a shelf and just move overflow hanging baby clothes into my closet where I currently have my maternity clothes hung.
We've decided to install a ceiling fan / light combo as well - in both Kent and Lindsey's rooms - and I sent a note to my in-laws to see if Kenneth's dad might be able to help with that in the next couple weeks or so.
I have the custom butterfly mobile I ordered that I can't wait to open, but I'm not going to until we have the crib in place and I know exactly where it's getting placed (it will tangle easily so I can't open it until it's ready to be hung)!
Last night I went through and filled up the nursery baskets that were empty - I had two. I put receiving blankets in one, and put that next to the armoire by the door for quick and easy access, and put all the soft baby hats in the other one to keep by the changing station. I had those in a drawer before - we'll see which makes more sense. I was thinking about using one of the baskets for socks and booties, but right now have those hanging in an organizer on the door of the closet... you can try to be as organized as possible, and think you know where you want things - but I'm quite sure when I get to the point of actually needing to use these things I will end up rearranging something, at some point!
My next OB appointment is tomorrow - we'll see if they give me the option to come back for my next follow up in either 2 or 3 weeks. If they do, I'll probably opt for 3 weeks. That will put us really close to our 37 week rollover and hopefully be the last real appointment!! We'll see what their thoughts are, after having the growth scan last week and baby measuring well, if they're open to discussing a 39-week induction still. I will be ok with it if they say that isn't really an option (especially since I've had a C-section), but I think it will be nice to have a date to count down to, and to know the anxiety of baby being ok has a definite "end date".
8/10/13 33w6d - I am more than a little relieved to be past 33w4d and about to roll over to 34 weeks now. Things continue on about the same path day to day - an occasional painful contraction, a few Braxton Hicks here and there, some twinges or pains that come and go but nothing that's really worth noting or being concerned about. I did feel some nausea last night and again today which was new. It's sort of come and gone, so I'm not sure what it's related to. I've had a lot of sinus congestion and a headache today, so maybe something to do with that.
I had Kent take a few "belly pictures" for me outside in the sunshine and a couple of them came out ok - maybe I'll do this each week from here until delivery and then I'll have a few nicer pictures I can look back on and enjoy.
Just 3 more weeks to go to hit full term!! I am ECSTATIC to be counting down to 37 weeks and can't believe we'll be meeting our little girl soon!! Our stroller / carseat combo arrived yesterday and Kenneth put that together today and rolled it into the nursery. We have plans to go see a crib tomorrow that should go well with the furniture we have in the nursery and then I'll get to put the beautiful bedding set from my mother in law to use, and hang the butterfly mobile as well and then the nursery should be pretty much "together"!
Tomorrow afternoon is the cyber shower, so I can open up the stack of boxes that have been accumulating and have been piled up in the nursery, and then get those items put away as well; hopefully between now and next weekend I will have the clutter under control and have the room looking fairly ready to use. We're going to look at Home Depot when we go pick up fans tomorrow for one of those extending hanging bars you can hang from an existing dowel rod in a closet and have a second hanging rod - I figure if we can use the existing closet space for all the hanging items then I can use the armoire for more of the baskets and miscellaneous "stuff" that will need a home - but we'll see. Kenneth's parents are going to come by next Saturday and help install the fans which is great!
I have all of the baby clothes we're keeping boxed up, some in the closet, and the larger sizes in the basement - but I still have a couple of boxes of items I am hoping to get listed and sell on e-bay or craigslist to get rid of some of the overflow and extras! Especially is size 3-6 months, I have way more than we'll need or use. There is a lot of good stuff in there though, so I'm sure someone will be able to use and enjoy them!
My OB appointment went well yesterday - all my vitals are normal and the OB was really nice (one more new doctor I hadn't seen previously but really liked!) They are still VBAC friendly (I don't know why it still surprises me every time I hear it, I keep expecting someone to take it back!), and I am feeling hopeful. Baby is still head down and my belly is still measuring 1-2 weeks ahead. Her heart rate is beautiful in the high 130's to mid 140's. I love that sound!!
When I told the OB about the leg pain, she thought it was probably some type of strain and suggested heat, but to be cautious she sent me to Radiology at one of the adjoining clinics for an ultrasound to rule out deep vein thrombosis. After waiting for about an hour, the very nice tech took me back and everything looked fine. My leg was feeling pretty good this morning, but is sore again this evening... not sure what the deal is with it, but I might try a heating pad.
This has been a somewhat eventful week, and I'm hoping the coming week is relatively calm and "boring" - and there will be no surprises! The doctor I work for is on vacation this coming week so it will probably be a quiet week at work. I'll have to find some projects to keep me busy!
According to Baby Center:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.
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