36 Weeks!!!

Your baby is still gaining weight
-- about an ounce/ 28 grams a day. She weighs nearly 6 pounds/ 2.7 kilograms and
is 19 inches/ 45 centimetres long from head to toe.

You may begin to feel an increased
pressure in your lower abdomen and notice that your baby is gradually dropping.
This is called lightening or engagement, and your lungs and stomach will finally
get a chance to stretch out a little -- breathing and eating should become
easier. However, walking may become increasingly uncomfortable -- some women say
it feels as if the baby is going to fall out. Also, you may still feel as if you
need to go to the loo all the time. Stock up on those last minute nutrients with
our eating well guide.

The good news is that by the end of
this week, your pregnancy will be full-term and you could give birth any day
now. (Babies between 37 and 42 weeks are considered full-term -- a baby born
before 37 weeks is premature and after 42 is post-term.) At your weekly visit,
your doctor or midwife may check to see if you've started dilating (when the
cervix opens) and effacing (when the cervix thins). The doctor or midwife will
also check what position the baby is in, in order to estimate how far the baby
has dropped into the pelvis. This information will be entered into your
maternity notes so that your midwife in hospital will know the position of the
baby when you go into labour.

Cervical (?) Pain

• Yesterday I was out and about doing Christmas shopping (and getting into the festive spirit) but I found the more walking I did the more sharp pains I got in my inner pelvic region.
  
• I think baby's dropping (or has dropped). I'm breathing a little easier and I haven't taken a Tums in about 3 days now!
  
• If I can direct you to my "ticker", the baby has moved into it's last box!!! VERY EXCITING!
  
• I got another leg cramp last night, thankfully Colin was already up and getting ready for work so my sporadic flailing didn't wake him up.
  
• I picked up Vit D for the baby (recommended for babies that are breastfed) and I got myself some super absorbent pads.... blech, I'm not looking forward to that part. I really enjoy not having a period.

Mucus Plug

This morning I was pleasantly surprised to see a small amount of my plug! It's nice to know that my body is slowly starting to prepare itself for the birth of this little one.

Aches and pains are still there but I think I might have found a different use for my Snoogle, I'm sleeping on top of it which gives my hips a little bit of extra cushion... the only downside is I'm mostly sleeping on my back, which they don't recommend. At this point, I don't care how I sleep just as long as I get some!

I'm in the market for some new shoes. The only shoes that still fit me are my sneakers and they're not the easiest to tie up! I'm thinking about buying crocs. My feet aren't swollen (yet) they just seem to be getting bigger (that happened with Robbie too)

http://s367.photobucket.com/albums/oo114/missstasiuk/
(is this one better, Dad?)

35 wk Development

Your baby now weighs about 5.25
pounds/ 2.4 kilograms and measures approximately 18 inches/ 45 centimetres from
head to toe. His elbow, foot or head may protrude from your stomach when he
stretches and squirms about. Soon, as the wall of your uterus and your abdomen
stretch thinner and let in more light, your baby will begin to develop daily
activity cycles.

This week, your little one is now
sporting fingernails and has a fully developed pair of kidneys. His liver can
also process some waste products.

There's much less amniotic fluid
and much more baby in your uterus, which has expanded to a thousand times its
original size. You've probably put on between 25 and 30 pounds/ 11 and 13.6
kilograms and your weight gain has hit its peak. Even your belly button has got
bigger and has popped outward. You may be feeling breathless now that the top of
your uterus is up under your ribs. Try getting down on all fours to take deeper
breaths. Although the pressure on your bladder will make the bathroom your
second home, don't drink any less water -- your baby needs the fluids. But you
may like to cut down on diuretic drinks like tea and coffee, which will make you
have to urinate even more often.

35 wk appt

Baby's heartbeat is 142 bpm. He's able to find her heartbeat in seconds, it's so strong and loud now!

It was another "uneventful" Dr's appt, she's measuring right on target and she seems to be still head down (when he wiggled her head I could feel it knocking up against my pelvic bone).

I go in two weeks where he forewarned me that they'll be doing the swab, an internal and a quick in-office ultrasound. I'm really eager for this appointment, I'll be in my final stretch and I'll be considered full term!

My first fall

"Heather, how bad do your hips hurt?" You may ask.

This morning I stood up to go get Robbie, I took one step with my right leg and then one with my left, I got a shooting pain in my hip and it gave out on me, I litterally crumbled to the floor.

I took a Tylenol last night because that's the only way I can seem to sleep through the night and that must have numbed the pain enough that I slept on it the wrong way... and now I'm paying the price today. I go to the Dr's today and I'll mention it to him but I don't expect him to resolve my issue, the only reason I'm having this pain is because of the baby and I'll continue to have this pain until she's born.

Tonight I'm going to try sleeping in my red chair tonight, I'm always so comfy sitting in it. Keep your fingers crossed!!