35w6d - OB appointment

Had my weekly OB appointment today.   All is well.   They did the Group B Strep swab so that was pleasant.  lol.  I gained 2 lbs since last Monday so that sucks but I hardly have been eating so I don't feel bad as it's mostly all baby and fluid retention.  :)  

35w0d - Weekly update

(honeydew)

How Far Along: 35 weeks!!!  Only TWO more weeks until full term and 5 until due date!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!

Size of baby (from babycenter.com):  Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon).

My baby this week (from babycenter.com):   Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Stretch Marks: Don't remind me.  They are growing exponentially at this point.

Sleep: Well, with the damn UTI I have been chugging water so I am up more often to pee each night.

Best Worst Moment of the Week:  My appointment got cancelled Monday, only to have to go to a morning appointment on Wednesday, only to find out I have a UTI!  Hell of a fun week!   On good notes, the physician's assistant did feel around and determined he is head down!   I also got a tour of Labor and Delivery during my last birthing class.  It is so nice there!

Movement: He rolls all around in there.  I can see waves from his body parts.

Food cravings:  I've actually been pretty hungry and craving more food than usual this week.  Dangerous thing when I am so close to tipping 200lbs!  lol

What I Miss:  Not peeing when I cough.   Not having heartburn.   Not being gigantic.

What I'm Looking Forward To:  2 more weeks and he's full term!!  So I am looking forward to September 8th!!!

Milestones: Making it to 35 weeks.   My blog has also hit 30,000 views!!!

Emotions:  Excited to be so far along.  I can't believe we are just weeks away!

Symptoms:  Nothing new.

34w4d - Ughhhhh

Ughhhhhhhhh.   Soooooo.... I have a UTI.  :(  I was supposed to have an OB appointment on Monday, but some gigantic transformer exploded and a lot of the city lost power, including my OBs office.  So I assumed they'd squeeze me in yesterday, but no.  So they finally squeezed me in at 9 am today and everything went great!  Only gained 1 pound in a little over 2 weeks - so I'm happy!  lol.  Heartbeat was great.   Measured great.  She even felt around and said he was head down... which is great!  So I was on my way out of the office, and she ran up to me saying "Good, I'm glad you're still here!"  I knew THAT couldn't be good.  She said I had white blood cells in my urine which means a UTI.  Sigh.  So they put me on a twice a day for 7 days antibiotic called Macrobid.  I just took my first pill with lunch.  I googled it, as I probably shouldn't have, and Dr. Google just resulted in a lot of women freaking out because the instructions say clearly to not take it after 38 weeks of pregnancy because it could cause some blood disorder in the baby.  I will only be 35 weeks this Saturday but OF COURSE I am now freaking out (as usual).  I know the OB wouldn't prescribe something if it wasn't ok so I just have to relax and trust them.   It's just hard when I read that.

34w0d - Belly shots

34w0d - Weekly update

(cantaloupe)

How Far Along: 34 weeks!!!  Only 3 more weeks until full term and 6 until due date!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!

Size of baby (from babycenter.com): Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long.

My baby this week (from babycenter.com):   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.

Stretch Marks: More each day!

Sleep: Pretty good this week actually.  I still pee on average twice a night I have been sleeping soundly.   I still wake up and have hip pain but I just flip over and go back to sleep.

Best Moment of the Week:  I think everyday from now on will be the best moment of the week.  Getting closer each and every day to meeting my son is just amazing.

Movement: He kicks less but does whole body movements more.  I can feel him sliding around in there.

Food cravings:  Nothing really this week.  Eating is actually annoying these days.  Nothing sounds good and I just feel forced to eat.

What I Miss:  I miss everything now.  I can't even reach parts of my body to itch if I have an itch now!

What I'm Looking Forward To:  September!  With the rate August is going it will be here in no time.

Milestones: Making it to 34 weeks.  He now has a 99% chance of survival

Length of Pregnancy	Likelihood of Survival
23 weeks	17%
24 weeks	39%
25 weeks	50%
26 weeks	80%
27 weeks	90%
28-31 weeks	90-95%
32-33 weeks	95%
34+ weeks	Almost as likely as a full-term baby (which is 37 weeks by the way)

Emotions:  Excited to be so far along.  I can't believe we are just weeks away!

Symptoms:  Nothing new.  Still have that mid section pain but the doctor says its normal and its just pain from stretching.

33w0d - Weekly update

(pineapple)

How Far Along: 33 weeks!!!  Only 4 more weeks until full term and 7 until due date!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!

Size of baby (from babycenter.com): This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark.  Personal note:  Although some of my apps say he weighs more so really he could be well over 4 pounds!

My baby this week (from babycenter.com):   He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Stretch Marks: More each day!

Sleep: This week has been pretty crappy sleep wise.  I wake up and which ever hip I am sleeping on is killing me.  I guess my body is releasing a hormone now (ironically called relaxin) to help my hips start shifting for birth.

Best Moment of the Week:  Today!  My birthday and 33 weeks all in one day!  I can't believe he's almost here!

Movement: Oh yes.  He gets crazy in the evenings.  Mike gets to feel him more and more and my mother in law, Dotty, has also got to feel him move!

Food cravings:  Chocolate Orgain (chilled of course).  Enough said.  I could literally drink 10 of these a day.

What I Miss:  Oh my.  Even rolling over in the middle of the night is starting to get tough.   So I guess I just being able to move around.

What I'm Looking Forward To:  September!  With the rate August is going it will be here in no time.

Milestones: Making it to 33 weeks.  He's packing on 1/2 a pound a week!

Emotions:  Excited to be so far along.  I can't believe we are just weeks away!

Symptoms:  Nothing new.  Still have that mid section pain but the doctor says its normal and its just pain from stretching.

32w6d - Long week

It’s been a looooooooooong week.   Monday, we had two doctor’s appointments.  One was a regular OB visit where I passed all tests/measurements with flying colors.  The second was for Mike and I to get whooping cough booster shots so I can help protect Victor when he is born.   Tuesday, we had the first of three 3 hour long childbirth classes.  The first 2 hours was learning the ins and outs of labor and determining between true and false labor.  The last hour was spent watching a video of 5 different women giving birth.  It was interesting to watch but I think I had myself believing that I could handle the pain of labor.  But after watching them scream, I don’t know anymore.  Wednesday we had our Breastfeeding 101 class when in only 1.5 hours they went over all of the ins and outs of breastfeeding.  I thought I knew what to do but now I feel even more lost!  Thursday, luckily there was nothing going on after work so I just vedged and watched the Olympics.  Friday, today, is luckily going to be much like Thursday….spend relaxing.  It’s been a long week!

Next week is the same except no doctor’s visits.  We have our second of three 3 hour Childbirth classes on Tuesday and our Babies 101 on Wednesday.  August is flying by.  I can’t believe I’ll be 33 weeks tomorrow!  Victor could literally come at any time and be perfectly healthy.  Although we don’t want him coming until at least 37 weeks.  I should really start thinking about packing my hospital bag!!!

32w2d - Whooping cough vaccination

So Mike and I were vaccinated again pertussis (aka whooping cough) with the TDAP booster.  If you think you will ever be in contact with my son, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get the TDAP booster now!!!!!!!!!!!

From the CDC’s website:
Getting vaccinated with Tdap — at least two weeks before coming into close contact with an infant — is especially important for families with and caregivers of new infants.

Pertussis, aka whooping cough, in the first three months of life is frequently severe and often fatal and it’s on the rise all over America:

Whooping cough is making a comeback, and health professionals say one reason is because parents are not getting vaccinated against the disease.

"We didn't recognize that parents were big carriers of it," said Abilene pediatrician Justin Smith. "We need to get better coverage for adults."

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a bacterial infection that most adults would consider just a nagging cough or a mild case of the flu. However, it has a much greater impact on children, especially infants.

"The thing with pertussis is that it affects little babies because their air passages are so small," Smith said.

As of July 30, there have been 895 confirmed and probable cases of pertussis in Texas this year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. This represents a doubling of cases reported as of this time in 2011, according to the agency.

Part of the problem is the lack of vaccination. The DTaP shot (which inoculates against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis) is administered to infants at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 year and at 18 months. Another shot is given between ages 4-6, according to DSHS.

The vaccine for preteens and adults is called Tdap. After getting the shot at 11 or 12 years old, a person should be vaccinated every 10 years.

It wasn't until recently that doctors became aware that adults were major carriers of pertussis and that they should continue to get the vaccination every 10 years.

"If you can't remember when you had your last vaccination, it's probably a good indication that you need to get one," Smith said.

The other problem comes from parents who aren't getting the vaccinations for themselves or their children because they are suspicious of them, believing that they can cause other medical conditions.

"When something gets in the popular media, people will start accepting it," Smith said, referring to anecdotal stories about vaccinations creating other health issues. "However, all the different concerns have been disproved by science."

He said the benefits of getting the vaccinations far outweigh any perceived risks.

The problem of not getting vaccinated is compounded by the fact that people who don't get vaccinations for either themselves or their children often associate with others who don't get them either. Because the disease is so contagious, it is spread quickly.

The vaccination isn't even as discomforting as it once was.

"That's because we're getting so good at creating vaccinations," Smith said. "They're so refined that there's less reaction to them."

Smith said whooping cough is not a seasonal illness and that it carries flu-like symptoms associated with upper-respiratory problems. He said it's a good idea for all adults to be vaccinated because it is so difficult to predict when they will be around small children.

"It's a real thing," he said about the increase in whooping cough. "Everybody needs to get the pertussis vaccine."

32w0d - Weekly update

(large jicama - don't aske me what a jicama is, I don't know)

How Far Along: 32 weeks!!!  Only 5 more weeks until full term and 8 until due date!

Gender: BOY!!!!!!

Size of baby (from babycenter.com): By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus.

My baby this week (from babycenter.com):   You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

Stretch Marks: Yes.  And they definitely just keep getting worse!

Sleep: I'm down to a routine now pretty much.  Up twice each night.  Not too bad.  My trick is to never ever look at the clock.

Best Moment of the Week:  Making it to 32 weeks was pretty awesome.  A friend of mine (from my pregnancy forums) had her baby at 32 weeks and she is doing great!  Just crazy it literally could happen at any time.

Movement: Oh yes.   But it has definitely slowed as he is running out of room in there.

Food cravings:  Nothing really sounds good anymore.  All I wan't to do is drink a chocolate Orgain for all of my meals.

What I Miss:   Well I was at a winery today.  Is it wrong to say I miss wine?  Honestly, if I had to give up wine for the rest of my life to have Victor here and healthy I would.

What I'm Looking Forward To:  August is going to fly by.  We have 5 more classes and 3 OB appointments in it!

Milestones: Making it to 32 weeks.  He's now going to pack on 1/2 a pound a week!  What a little heifer!

Emotions:  Excited to be so far along.  I can't believe we are just weeks away!

Symptoms:  About several days ago I started getting a pain in my mid section.  It doesn't feel internal in that it doesn't feel like an organ or anything important like that.  It's just my skin and just below (which would be my abs, right?) hurts.  It's like just to the right and just above my belly button in a several inch square area.  It only happens the later in the day it get and it really hasn't happened much today (Saturday).  All of my forum friends say that it's just my uterus/abs/skin/ligaments stretching and it comes with the territory.  They all say it doesn't really go away though until after labor.  Yay.

32w0d - Belly shot