The Fruit: Weeks 33-36 (Month 8)

Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.

I'm not the first to say it.

Lady Gaga - you're trying too hard. Seriously. We know you're "different."

My bad.

Turns out we left our camera at the in-laws during my birthday dinner on Tuesday night, so I wasn't able to take a new belly pic. Whoops. I tried though! I was even going to take it in my new work clothes so my mom could see how they're holding up with my ever growing belly. (Hi Mom!)

I ended up going to the doc this morning instead of tomorrow morning because I had some concerns about the pressure I was feeling, as well as the hot flashes my contractions have begun to cause. The verdict? Everything's still the same. Baby's still head down, but will "float up" when pushed, cervix still thick, not dilated, but soft...which is their only concern. Weekly appointments are still on the books from here on out. I'm supposed to continue with the increased laying on the side...and they're not going to test me again for the fFN protein because in their eyes, with all my contractions and irritable uterus, I'm on their "slightly high risk radar" regardless.

And in Birthing Class news - we had our third class last night, which included another tour of the Birthplace at our hospital. I paid attention a lot more during this tour than our first tour (I think in April) and everything got a lot more real. It made me want to pack my hospital bag (which is on my list) just in case...

Today is panic day.

Usually, once a week or so (maybe every other week) I have a day where I randomly begin to panic about all the stuff I still have to do to get ready for this baby. I start making a shitty mental list of these items, and by the evening they've all since been forgotten because LOOK! TWO FULL HOURS OF FAMILY GUY ON TBS! Then, a week or so later the cycle continues.

So, I've committed myself to making a list - a real list - that I can carry with me, of all the things I have to do before this ninja/smudge/bebeh arrives.

As a side note - I'll like to sit down and talk to my frenemy - Sleep.

Listen up, Sleep. I know you and I really haven't been getting along well the past week or so. I know that my bladder makes most of the decisions around these parts - and you're not to blame. However...this whole "no position is comfortable so you may as well sleep in the closet on a pile of blankets" thing we've got going on isn't working...FOR ANYONE. I realized last night that what I thought was pregnancy induced carpal tunnel like symptoms is more than likely me sleeping with my hands balled into fists for some reason or another. Why, you ask? Who the eff knows. (Maybe because I'm waiting for you to show your ugly face so I can beat it to a pulp.) Also, my hips almost exploded out of their sockets overnight last night, despite the usage of a fafillion different kinds of pillows. And the boppy wedge that I chose to "wedge" behind my back in order to avoid rolling onto my back? Only made everything way WAY worse.

I dread nighttime now. I'm always so tired, and I look at our bed and I just want to cry. (Do you hear that Sleep? You're making a pregnant woman cry. You may as well off a couple puppies while you're at it.)

That is all.

(Tonight, I'll get a belly pic. Promise.)

32 weeks.

How far along? 32 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: +27 lbs, I think.
Maternity clothes? Yep. And I've grown out of some of the stuff I bought just 3-4 months ago. SCARY.
Stretch marks? Allow me a moment to address the stretchies. YOU DID NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO INVADE MY OTHER BOOB. *sigh* But, stomach is still stretchie free. THANK GOD.
Sleep: Past few nights have been the worst I've had. Up 2-4 times a night to pee, cannot get comfy, and this morning woke up with what I can only assume is the classic pregnancy induced carpal tunnel in my right hand.
Best moment this week: My birthday! I did exactly what I wanted to do, and the hubs gave me the most beautiful diamond stud earrings! My first pair of diamond earrings!!
Movement: Oui.
Food cravings: The hubs got me the cake I've been craving. Now I'm back to craving whatever won't set off the gallbladder alarm.
Gender: I'm still leaning girl.
Labor Signs: This past week has been better, still having BHs but keeping them in check.
Belly Button in or out? Flat as all get-out.
What I miss: Stomach sleeping and being able to help out around the house. The guilt I have while watching the hubs do everything is out of control.
What I am looking forward to: My next appointment. I'd like more confirmation everything's okay.
Weekly Wisdom: Eat small meals! I think wolfing down tacos and rice last night is what induced my uncomfortableness.
Milestones: I turned 29. :)

Birthdays - pre-pregnancy and pregnancy.

This is a photo of me yesterday on my 29th birthday, enjoying a virgin Bloody Mary on the St. Croix river in Stillwater. After an afternoon spent in antique stores and window shopping, this was the perfect next step - Virgin Mary's and dinner. We followed this up with cake from Woullet's and a couple scoops of ice cream at home.

Below is a photo of me on my 28th birthday. I am the one behind the shirtless Taylor Hicks look-a-like getting my freak on. (That's my friend Mandy in the front.) This all took place at a lovely establishment known as The Gay 90's - a gay friendly club in Minneapolis with the BEST DRAG SHOW EVER (don't let anyone tell you otherwise). I was drunk off my skull and had the time of my life.

Both of these birthday goings-on were my choice, and exactly what I wanted to do on that given day. The difference a year can make. Oh, and gestating a human being making my 29th the most sober birthday I've had in nearly a decade.

(Make no mistake - 30 will be an earth shattering event. We WILL be getting a babysitter.) :)

Cervix status, again.

And, best pre-birthday news ever - nothing has changed! Still not dilated, but soft, thick and closed.

The midwife I saw today said just keep doing what you're doing and continue to relax as much as possible. I have another appointment in a week with John the Midwife to get checked again, but I'm still feeling pretty good and optimistic that everything's going to be fine and I'll probably go overdue in the end. :)

To celebrate, I day dreamed about a Sausage Biscuit from McD's on my way to work this morning. And, instead of indulging in what might have been nothing short of a food-gasm, I had a blueberry muffin and a cup of fruit.

(I'm not scurred to admit that discussing the Sausage Biscuit is making my mouth water. BADLY.)

And in totally different news, the hubs and I have OFFICIALLY agreed on a boy name. For real this time. It's settled and set in stone, as far as I'm concerned. Now to work on a girl's name. And sorry to say, but along with the sex of the baby, this one will also be a surprise for the big day. Lo siento.

Foul language be damned!

Ninja rolls. from jenna bee on Vimeo.

Yeah, there's some swears in this video. But to make it worth your while, there's also Boo-boo the jerkiest cat in town, my monkey toes, and America's Funniest Home Videos in the background. Worth your 30 seconds, for sure.

Thursday musings.

I jumped the gun on Twitter/Facebook and said that I'm now 8 months pregnant. Actually, next Tuesday I'll be 8 months pregnant. But...technicalities. I feel 8 months pregnant so I'm going with it.

The past couple days I've been feeling okay. Today I feel okay too. A little crampy last night, and a little bit of an upset tummy, but I'll attribute that to lack of relaxing. (We had birthing class #2 last night.)  I'm starting to not be so paranoid, and I'm becoming more positive that I'm going to make it to the end without too much dilating, bedrest or pre-term labor. I don't know why, but I feel like that test was a fluke. Maybe I'm just being uber optimistic. Or maybe, like SC Rep Joe Wilson likes to charge - "You lie."

I met with an HR rep today who explained my leave benefits and short term disability blah blah to me. It's confusing, to say the least, but I feel like I understand it much more now. The sad part is that if I should happen to go on bedrest, my time off will come out of the 12 week FMLA business, decreasing the amount of time I would get with the babe after I deliver. I could get an extension, but it needs to be approved by my boss (which I don't think would be a problem) but it makes me sad, none the less. I'm VERY determined to work till the end...no matter when the end might be.

Tomorrow morning is my next internal. Again, very optimistic that there's been no change since Tuesday. I'll let y'all know what the results are when I have a chance.

Cervix Status.

My appointment didn't exactly answer too many questions, but I'm pretty sure my cervix did change over the weekend. This is basically what the MW said in a nutshell.

She said that there's two layers (or openings) to the cervix, and that she was able to get a finger through the first but the second was closed. She said I was soft but thick, and the baby was at -3. She said she would expect to see this kind of cervix in a woman that was more like 34-36 weeks along. (The MW I saw on Thursday seemed to imply that my cervix was right where it should be for a 30 weeker.) So, I don't know if I am officially dilated, but I have another appointment early Friday morning where I will get checked again. She thinks I have an irritable uterus, or something of that sort. Baby was good, heart rate in the 140s...ute was measuring on track.

Since I pretty much just sit at my desk all day, she said she wasn't recommending bedrest, but if I have a lot of contractions in the evening or morning before work, that I should probably stay home.

So...still, no drastic measures, nothing alarming, but they're definitely keeping a stronger eye on me. It's all just annoying now.

A recap of 4 days of couch laying.

Well, the obnoxious news that I tested positive for fFN was enough to put me on lots of rest, even if my midwife said "just don't do anything out of the ordinary." After talking to my mom & the hubs, we all determined that my "ordinary" is way more than most people's (I can't sit still anymore) so, I did a lot of couch and bed laying...and a little bit of walking around. The result? Lots of morning contractions (timable to nearly 3-5 minutes apart at times) and evening cramping...which was at it's worst on Friday night, and had another bout of on Saturday night. It's kind of scary- the cramping feels like menstrual cramps, but it radiates into my upper legs (which I read in What to Expect can be a sign of pre-term labor). The Midwife on call on Friday night recommended a bath and going to bed. It was 8:30pm. So, I took a bath and reassumed the position on the couch. I felt better.

Overall, the weekend was mostly without alarms, but I'm totally on high-alert and it sucks. I was able to get in today to get checked again to make sure nothing is happening, no progress is being made (instead of waiting until Friday which was the earliest I could get in before). That will ease my mind. I'm pretty hopeful that I'm not dilating...but if I AM, I want them to start intervening NOW. I can't go the next 7-9 weeks worrying daily that any contractions or cramping are dilating me and putting me more at risk of pre-term labor.

Good news is, the baby seems to be okay through all this - still moving and hiccuping like normal. I'd still wish they'd take a peek inside via ultrasound so I could get that reassurance as well...but I'll take what I can get at this point. Well wishes and prayers are still being accepted! I'm hoping I don't need them. :)

31 weeks.

How far along? 31 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: Up 25ish lbs or so.
Maternity clothes? Casual summer ended today, so I'm wearing my maternity style work pants, thanks to Mom! (I got 2 pair of pants and 3 shirts for my B-day, which is Sunday!)
Stretch marks? Belly is stretchie free!
Sleep: A little better. Was up twice last night to pee, and had my first kick that actually woke me up. That was new. :)
Best moment this week: I'm going to go ahead and say NOT going into labor over the weekend.
Movement: Oui.
Food cravings: (I'm going to leave this up because it still stands.) I would like a big slice of marble cake with vanilla frosting. (My birthday IS in 5 days. *cough*getmeacakejosh*cough*)
Gender: I'm back to girl. My Dad and MIL are the only ones thinking boy. Maybe Josh too.
Labor Signs: See below. *sigh*
Belly Button in or out? Flat as all get-out.
What I miss: Not being scared of going into labor.
What I am looking forward to: Getting checked again. I might be the only lady on the planet who's stoked about getting an internal. That...and making it to at LEAST 35 weeks.
Weekly Wisdom: If something doesn't feel right - call or head to the doc. It can't hurt.
Milestones: Making it one more week is a milestone enough. :)

Call me now for a free reading, dahrlin'!

Maybe I'm more in tune to my body than I think. Maybe I AM in fact, Ms Cleo's less-Jamaican intern.

I finally went to the doc yesterday because I was having a leaking sensation (again), and the midwife checked everything out and everything seemed good. He attributed the leaking sensation to the ridiculous amount of discharge I had. (gross) The tests he ran against it showed it wasn't amniotic fluid, and that my cervix was still thick and tight, but the baby's head was rightthere on my cervix. (PS - that makes my second internal - BOOO). He ran the test for the protein released when contractions are "going to work" and said he'd only call me if it came back positive, but that he didn't anticipate that happening since everything looked good.

He just said to take it easy and come back in a couple weeks for my normal appointment.

And then at 8:00pm last night he called. The test came back positive. He said this test result means I have a slight chance of going into labor in the next two weeks. BUT he also said I could go full term, too. So, he basically said I have to come in next week for another internal, and I shouldn't do anything out of the ordinary. Bed rest not required. If the BHs get close together again I need to come in and get hooked up to the monitors. He really was surprised that it came back positive. He said NOTHING from his exam pointed to this test coming back positive. He didn't think steroid shots were necessary at this point (to mature the baby's lungs).

(This is the webpage explaining the test.)

It seems like a lot of women have this test and still carry their babies to full term, but I'm still freaked out. I took today off so I could just lay and rest anyway...and I plan on doing that a lot this weekend.   I'm still having contractions, and of course, they're more uncomfortable than before, but I'm hoping that's just because I had a dude's hand up my vag for like, 10 minutes yesterday.

I was totally fine and being the calm one about it until I called my mom last night to tell her and then I cried like a baby. I'm not ready for an outside baby yet. AT ALL. Esp at this point.

But, it's really kind of out of my hands. The whole pregnancy really is. I'm doing all I can to keep this baby healthy and inside...and if my body wants to be a jerk and send me into pre-term labor, then it will. Of course, I'll still fight it till the end to keep this baby inside, but I can't control anything. Which is a really shitty feeling.

Thoughts, prayers, good vibes - whatever you have to offer would be appreciated. I'l take what I can get at this point to keep this baby inside.

This will be random.

I'm going through a weird time with this pregnancy...filled with odd anxieties and excitement. Maybe it's just par for the course at this point in the 9 months...but yeah...freaking myself out.

I have this irrational fear that something is wrong. That I'm somehow leaking amniotic fluid or that the baby has developed some weird issue. Do I have anything to back up these feelings? No. Not really. I'm thinking it's mostly due to the insane amount of braxton hicks I'm having and the fact that I haven't technically seen the baby for 2.5 months. I'm all worried that I'm going to go into labor like, tomorrow. Again...unfounded. I'm worried that my belly doesn't seem to have gotten any bigger in the past couple of weeks.

I don't have another appointment until the 17th. I don't know if I can wait that long to have someone reassure me that everything looks okay.

In other, less stressful news - our first birthing class is at 6:30 tonight. HOLY CRAP. And the baby's room is coming along quite well. Still waiting to take some more pictures until a couple more prints have been hung.

30 weeks.

How far along? 30 weeks.
Total weight gain/loss: Still about + 25 lbs, give or take a pound.
Maternity clothes? Yup. And my fav maternity jeans are getting a little tight. NOOOOOO!
Stretch marks? What stretch marks? (Still refusing to look at my thighs.)
Sleep: HORRID. The steady decline of comfort hath officially begun. I'm now sleeping with 3 down pillows, a body pillow and the boppy belly wedge.
Best moment this week: Seeing my parents!!!
Movement: Yes. The hubs got to see some pretty crazy stuff last night.
Food cravings: I would like a big slice of marble cake with vanilla frosting. (My birthday IS in 12 days. *cough*getmeacakejosh*cough*)
Gender: Most are leaning girl. I'm just going to stay neutral until the end.
Labor Signs: Effing Braxton Hicks. Hate you. HATE.
Belly Button in or out? Both. And it's starting to look gross.
What I miss: Not having sciatica when I walk and an awesome night's sleep.
What I am looking forward to: A full day at the State Fair!
Weekly Wisdom: Even if you feel like superwoman while pregnant...REST. Rest often and for long periods of time. I haven't been and I pay the price for it frequently.
Milestones: Uh, holy crap. Only 10 MORE WEEKS. (70 DAYS PEOPLE.)