32 week doctor appointment:
I had my 32 week appointment this past Thursday. It was a good visit. I had some questions following my Braxton Hicks contractions I was experiencing the previous week and the doctor informed me that she didn’t think it was Braxton Hicks. She thinks it is related to that stubborn little fibroid tumor I had back at 18 weeks and that it was causing muscle spasms. The difference is that with Braxton Hicks, I should’ve only experienced mild discomfort for 60-90 seconds at a time and I shouldn’t have had more than 4 in an hour. And that simply wasn’t the case. These were small pains. I was in the middle of a conversation and had to stop because it took my breath away. I was quite uncomfortable for about 30-45 minutes but it did fade away. Since the pain did go away, I guess that’s why I wasn’t too concerned about pre-term labor. She made me promise that I would call her next time this happened.
Lil Spud:
At 33 weeks, Lil Spud is between 4-5 pounds and about 17 inches long. The baby will gain about 1/2 pound a week from here on out focusing on fattening up. And in just this week alone, Lil Spud will grow a whole inch! That’s nuts! The lungs are almost fully developed and this week baby will coordinate breathing with sucking and swallowing. My doctor did a quick exam to make sure that it wasn’t pre-term labor. We listened to the heartbeat (145 and going strong). The little sucker was quite the mover and shaker during the exam. Baby’s head is down (which is why I feel so many jabs to my ribs). Dr. Joan actually recommended that I get a prenatal massage and encourage Jim to massage my lower back (ha, yeah right). She encouraged me to take it easy and I promised I would slow down a bit. Spud has hiccups as I type this. So cute!
Jim:
Things are good on the home front. Our basement is just about finished and Jim is pretty excited about his man cave!! They are putting in the carpet tomorrow so that means we can start moving everything in Monday night. Woo-Hoo! Our friend, Matt from New Jersey is coming in town Wednesday. Little does he know, he will be helping us move our furniture. That’ll teach him to come and visit Colorado without Keri. Don’t feel too bad for Jim and Matt, they will be busy on the golf course Thursday and Friday “working”. Jim set up our crib and it looks lovely in the room. The room is coming together nicely and Jim has been a big part of that!
Me:
I am definitely feeling more fatigue these days. Not the coma-inducing fatigue you experience in the 1st trimester, but fatigue none the less. I am not exercising as frequently, that’s for sure. I hate that! So this week I am making more of an effort to do so (more swimming and walking). I didn’t run at all last week, just walked and I only made 1 trip to the gym for weight training. But I did go to my pre-natal yoga class which felt delightful!! There are about 6-7 other women in the class of various stages of pregnancy. At the beginning of class we go around the room introducing ourselves (your name, how far along, what the gender is if you are finding out, and any issues you are currently having). One woman stated that she wasn’t sleeping well because of violent nightmares and she went on to describe how she would be chased into a room and then the room would be set on fire and she couldn’t get out. How horrifying. I had some wacky and vivd dreams about 1/2 way through my pregnancy but never any nightmares like that. The only thing that keeps me up at night are Jim’s snoring and my frequent trips to the potty. I felt so sorry for this woman. Our instructor is so wonderful about addressing each of our issues during the class and she offered some belly breathing techniques for poor sleeping. I highly recommend prenatal yoga classes for anyone who is pregnant or wants to become pregnant. You learn different positions to help with pain and discomfort, you learn how to focus on your breath during that discomfort, and at the end (my favorite), you relax by getting in different positions that the instructor puts you in for what is causing you discomfort at that time (mine was lower back pain). I always feel wonderful when I walk out of there.
Stella:
Stella is chasing a rabbit in her sleep as I type. She’s had a big week. Her favorite friend, Leia (Nina’s dog) has been staying with us this week. It is so great having them both here to keep each other entertained. They are exhausted at the end of the day. It’s great! We went to Chatfield State Park for them to run, chase squirrels up trees and play in the creek.
Click HERE for the latest of the Belly Bump Watch.
Thanks to everyone for all of your ongoing encouragement and support. It means so much to us to have such wonderful friends and family, far and near!
Tags: 33 weeks pregnant, Braxton Hicks contractions, exercise, exercise during pregnancy, fibroid tumor, pregnancy, pregnancy dreams, prenatal yoga, Stella
Sometimes Noah rubs her nose to make it all better.
She doesn’t let this stop her from checking out the squirrels running along the back fence.
She is still quite the poser.
I had contractions early Saturday morning pretty steady from 11:00pm through 5:00am, but they subsided and nothing like them since. They were 10 minutes apart lasting about 1 minute for several hours and then, BAM, nothing. But, I’m feeling good and trying to stay busy and keep my mind on things other than the little Tater not being in my arms. I know the baby will come when it is ready. I know I should be more patient. I know I should simply enjoy the time of silence. And I do, I promise. It’s just hard.
