Our Greatest Adventure: Week 33

05/14/2013 

How far along: 33 weeks 

How big is baby: The size of a durian (these fruit are becoming more obscure to me) or a honeydew melon. Reese is now keeping her eyes open while awake and she is coordinating breathing with sucking and swallowing. 

I promise to get an updated picture soon, Reese has had quite a growth spurt!

Total weight gain: 13-14 lbs 

Maternity clothes: No changes, just lots and lots comfy clothing. I did buy my first and second nursing bra…so that’s exciting. 

Sleep: Getting as much as I can. There are lots of groans while getting comfortable, but once there I typically fall asleep pretty quickly. 

Best moment of the week: 

1) Things were pretty quiet around here this week due to last week’s events. I did go to work Mon – Fri but managed to work only one full day. Saturday was spent around the house, but Sunday I actually got out for Mass, a bridal shower, and my brother’s birthday party at Main Event. I didn't participate in the bowling or laser tag...but I had fun with the family.

2) A cousin that I don’t see a lot since she lives in OK was in town randomly for a couple days this week. She stayed with Becca and came to family Thursday night dinner, so it was nice catching up with her. 

3) On Monday the 20th I had my first dr apt since L&D. Unfortunately, Dr B was sick, so I didn't get to talk with him. I did, however, get a sono! The tech confirmed that Reese is head down. Good job, little one. There is a possibility that she could flip back over, but I hear that’s rare. The tech also said my fluids look good. Reese’s heartbeat was at 150 bpm and she’s weighing 5.1 lbs. That sounds so big! I know she has a little more to gain, but hopefully not too much. 

Food cravings: Why oh why must I be craving sweets?! I sit and stare at my Pinterest dessert board wishing I could enjoy some of the chocolate goodness, but no. 

Food aversions: You can fill in the blank here…. 

Symptoms: Still some tightening in my belly. When contractions pick up, I lay on my left side and they seem to slow down. Then again, sometimes I think the tightening is Reese pushing out or I ate too much. My feet still swell, but that shouldn't be a surprise. Some first trimester symptoms are making their way back, like nausea. I haven’t gotten sick, but I wake up feeling pretty gross and sometimes it doesn't go away. 

Movement: Reese still loves my right side. It was so cute, one night Husbandy was singing to her, and I could feel Reese moving over towards his voice. How cute is that? Thanks to my sono, I now know the jabs I’m feeling on my right side and what’s poking out is in fact a foot. I also know it’s a bottom at the top of my belly. Annnd Aunt Rebecca felt Reese this week! I'm pretty sure she was hiccuping at the time, but it still counts as a baby movement. :) We are very sneaky, Reese.

What I’m looking forward to: Next week I’m having a shower at my work! I’m so excited to have my first shower!

What I miss: Fro Yo, not worrying all the time! 

Next appt: May 28th (we are now going every week)

Workout/Fitness: Pregnancy stretches.

Our Greatest Adventure: Week 32

5/7/2013 

How far along: 32 weeks 

How big is baby: Baby weighs as much as a large jicama (about 3.75 lbs) and the size of a squash. Reese is hopefully positioning herself downwards (we will find out at the next apt). She has grown fingernails and toenails. 

Total weight gain: 14-15 lbs 

Maternity clothes: I’m finding myself less and less motivated to get dressed up. When I’m at home I’m most definitely in a t-shirt and pajama pants and when I got out, if I can get away with comfy pants, I do. 

Sleep: It takes me a while to get in a good position and I've noticed myself waking up having trouble breathing. Some of it has to do with my nose being stuffy and the other part has to do with the fact my insides are cramped. 

Notable moments of the week: 

This week I changed this section to notable moments instead of best moments…I think that’s what it should be called anyway. 

1) On Wednesday I felt like my stomach was really tight/heavy all throughout the morning. I was wearing a dress that day, whereas I typically wear pants that have some support, but I still thought it was strange. As the day went on the tightening would come and go. I know Braxton Hicks are common at this point during pregnancy, but I thought these were too frequent. I ended up calling the nurse and she said it sounded like I could be having real contractions and that I should go home, rest, and drink lots of water. Yes, this freaked me out so I skipped a work girl’s night and went home. I was never in pain, I just thought the tightening of my stomach was happening too frequently. I’ve asked Dr B about it before and he was always like 4-5 a day is fine, but 4-5 an hour is too much. I decided if they persisted throughout the night I would go in the next day. 

I had no trouble sleeping that night, so I went in to work as normal. That morning I had a strange feeling I was leaking fluids, so after lunch I called to talk with a nurse again. She told me to come in and have things checked out just in case. So, I told my work I needed to go to the Dr and left. Thankfully, Husbandy was not too busy so he met me at the hospital. I went up to my OB’s office and they hooked me up to a machine that measures the baby’s heart rate and tracks contractions. I laid there for about 30 minutes until Dr B came in to look at the results. “Oh, you’re having contractions; you need to go downstairs (to L&D).” Excuse me? I was really just hoping they would tell me I’m paranoid and send me on my way. Instead I was carted down to L&D. 

At this point Husbandy and I thought it was best to call family and just let them know what was going on. I couldn’t really talk, cause I would just start to cry, so Husbandy called everyone. Once actually being admitted, I was hooked up to an IV, had lots of different tests done, and given a Tributaline shot. This shot is what slows down contractions, but makes your heart race; it does not affect the baby, however. Wow did it make my heart race, I felt like I just drank ten cups of coffee. Seeing as I haven’t had any caffeine in a real long time, my body was shaking. So, that was fun. After one shot, contractions had slowed, but were still present, so I got a second shot. During this time they also monitored my blood pressure. This was kind of laughable, especially when they first took it. Let’s think about this….I was just admitted to L&D 32 weeks pregnant because I’m having contractions….you tell me what YOUR bp would be. The nurse was like I know you are stressed out, so I’m not going to tell you what your reading was, just try to calm down. Over the next five hours I finally got it to fall. Both the urine test and fFN test I did came back negative which was a good sign. The fFN test basically detects Fetal fibronectin which is a protein that bonds the baby to the uterus. When the body is getting ready to deliver this protein breaks down and can be detected. The test is good for about two weeks, so the nurses said I have a low chance to deliver with this time frame. They also checked and said I was not dilated and no amniotic fluid was detected. 

Around 9:00pm the nurse called Dr B, gave him my stats, and he said I could go home. I was told to stay off my feet, drink lots of fluids, and monitor to see if the contractions occur. 

2) Friday I stayed home from work and Husbandy stayed with me. Well, I say he stayed with me….he didn’t go into work…but he did run around Dallas doing chores. He was literally go go go all day getting things done, cooking, cleaning, getting things done for Reese’s room, building a stroller, packing hospital bags, delivering food to a friend that just had a baby… I felt so bad just sitting there. I did have some contractions throughout the day, but definitely not as frequent as they were. 

3) Even though the day was pretty crazy, there was some good that came out of it. We got a small scale practice run, we got to spend a Thursday with each other, we got to hear Reese’s heart beat all day, some of my worries were put to rest, and it kick our butt in gear. 

4) The rest of the weekend I spent on the couch watching HGTV, Food Network and GSN. My mom came over Saturday night and hung out while Husbandy went to a dinner party with friends we were supposed to go to. I was really sad to miss out, but I didn’t feel comfortable going. 

5) Sunday was also spent on the couch. This was depressing cause it was Mother’s Day and we were supposed to go to the horse races with my mom, brother, sister, and families. :( I was thankful that everyone left the races early and came over to our house to eat dinner. 

Food cravings: None really. I'm eating eggs and toast for breakfast every morning, typically a salad for lunch and protein and veggies for dinner. 

Food aversions: Same ole same ole. 

Symptoms: Hmmm….contractions?! I'm also still getting pretty tired in the middle of the day.

Movement: Lots of rolls and some kicks. Reese loves my right side. Often times, my right side has a huge bulge and my left side is flat. I try to tell her she can use my entire stomach and push her back to the middle, but she doesn't listen. Guess what?! My mom finally felt her! While she was over Saturday night she got to feel Reese not once but twice. Yea! Now a total of three people have felt her. 

What I’m looking forward to: Baby showers! My first is on the 23rd at my company and the other two are June 8th and 9th. I’m really hoping Reese is not physically present at these. :)

What I miss: This week I miss not having to worry about Reese coming too soon. My Dr and Bradley teacher told me, some people just have contractions and active uteruses…awesome. 

Next appt: May 20th 

Workout/Fitness: It’s a hard balance when the Dr says stay off your feet. I’m trying to do pregnancy stretches to prepare my body for labor.

Our Greatest Adventure: Week 31

4/30/2013 

How far along: 31 weeks 

How big is baby: The size of a pineapple! That just seems really big. Reese is going through major brain and nerve development (bring on the Omega 3s) and all five sense are in working order. Her eyes continue to develop and her iris' can react to light. 

Total weight gain: Around 14 lbs. 

Maternity clothes: No big changes here. I still have money on my Destination Maternity card which needs to be used. I’m imagining a dress for baby showers. 

Sleep: No changes here either. Just lots of pillows and trips to the bathroom. 

Best moment of the week: 

1) Monday I had a Dr appt and everything looked good. There was no sono, so we listed to Reese's heart (147 bpm) and Dr B measured my tummy. I am measuring a little big. Dr B's voice always sounds more concerned than his words, so I'm not too worried about this. Dr B also thought Reese might be head down, but we're going to check next time with a sono. All in all, it was a pretty good appt.

2) May 2nd was Husbandy and my 4th anniversary! I cannot believe we have been married four years already. Best years of my life. :) We ended up celebrating on Saturday night and went to Steve Fields for dinner. We wanted to try a place we had never been and it ended up being really good! Husbandy got a bone in filet and I got sea bass. They even surprised us with a huge piece of chocolate cake, which I of course had to take some part in. 

After dinner

3) Bradley classes are going well. This week we learned about what to expect right after the baby is born, breastfeeding, and bathing newborns. All very informative. 

4) On our way to Thursday night dinner, I was sitting in the back with Aidan and he was giving me such good smiles! Oh my goodness, it just melted my heart. I tried to get pictures, but they turned out kind of blurry...I'm sure you'll enjoy anyway. :)

5) Friday night we went to a BBQ at a friend’s house. He is incredibly good at smoking meat. We had ribs, brisket, pulled pork, and chicken. I also got to see people I grew up with that I haven’t seen in a very long time annnd we played 42. It was a fun night. 

6) Sunday we had a happy birthday dinner for one of my best friend’s sister. It was nice catching up with her (as she lives in NY) and the rest of her family which I haven’t seen in a while. 

Food cravings: I would love to have a nice pasta dish, but I’m sticking to my protein and veggies. 

Food aversions: Still won’t try garlic. 

Symptoms: My swelling went down this week which I am very thankful for. I do get aches and pains in my belly every now and then and continue to get pretty tired throughout the day. 

Movement: She is still getting in her number of kicks. On Friday, at work, she was in fact have punching practice inside my stomach. I wish I would have thought to take a video cause it was pretty crazy. I’m not sure that I want to have a boxer, so we’ll have to think of some other way to use this talent. 

What I’m looking forward to: For my mom’s birthday, we got her tickets to Lone Star Park, so next weekend we are going to the races! I really enjoy horse races and the whole family is going, so it should be fun. 

What I miss: Pasta 

Next appt: May 20th 

Workout/Fitness: Walking, either on the treadmill or around the neighborhood.