37 Weeks

Yep... still pregnant. Lets start with the good stuff first:

I had an AMAZING Wednesday with a full day at a mommy orientated spa, thanks to my amazing husband. He got me a gift certificate for all this pampering back for Mother's Day but I decided to hold on to it until I really needed/wanted it and I'm so thankful and happy I did it when I did. Just walking into Sweet Mama (name of the spa) I knew it was the real deal, I got introduced to Amanda who'd be taking care of me for the majority of the day... what a sweet girl, she was friendly and didn't make me feel uncomfortable about my yucky body. My first treatment was a "body polish", she exfoliated my feet, legs, belly, back, and arms then set me to have an amazing shower where they had yummy smelling organic shampoo, conditioner and body wash. After my shower I was given a bath robe and sandals and then sent to another girl for an hour massage... oh my goodness, talk about heaven. They had me lay on a water bed which was super comfy (but hard to switch positions in) she did my back, legs, bum (best part of the massage), and neck. Then I was sent for a pedicure back with Amanda, I have really ugly toe nails and was prepared to tell her that I didn't want her to paint the nails but I was just so comfortable with her I just let her do what she does best... I'm really glad I did, I ended up getting jewels on my toes!!

Half way through my pedicure another lady came in with a trolley on munchies for me! Herbal tea's, caramel muffin, fresh strawberries, and a bottle of water... yummmm. I felt like a queen! I felt bad eating while she was working on my toes and even offered her some of my goodies, she kindly declined.



After my feet she did my facial. I LOVED IT. I don't think I've ever had one before, it felt so nice!


THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU COLIN. I definitely felt rejuvenated and fresh... ready to tackle the last couple of weeks.

Now on to the poopy stuff:
- Wednesday night I was woken up about three times before 2am with contractions, mildly painful ones, enough to get me up for the rest of the night/morning. Colin was up that night with food poisoning, so neither of us were feeling that great.
- Thursday I was a walking Braxton Hicks. While Grammie and I went out to run some errands, they were constantly bothering me. I had this massive rock hard basket ball of a belly that is so hard to maneuver.
- Friday. I had my Dr's appointment. Waited over an hour (again... grr) I now weigh a whopping 169lbs. Baby's heartbeat was 130. I had the GBS swab done, a cervical check and a VERY fast u/s. If the swab comes back positive then I'll have to be hooked up to an IV and administered anti-biotics when baby's born. I'm not dilated but he said the cervix is very soft and the head is "right there". He whipped out a little ultrasound machine that fit in his backpack, put some gel on my belly and put it on my pelvis to confirm the head was there... that was it. I didn't really understand the point of that one, I mean, baby's so big now you can tell where her bum and head are just by feeling around. He gave me my hospital paperwork that I'm suppose to start carrying with me and will bring to the hospital when it's "my time". I also go weekly now... it's the final countdown!
- This weekend I've been exhausted. Friday night I slept 10 hours and felt like I could sleep for another 5! Also... warning, perhaps too much info... I've been tooting/pooping a bunch. I've got constant (mild) pressure on my "bottom".

On a more positive note... I have 19 days until my due date!!!! I'll try and post belly pictures in the next day or so, I still don't think I'm THAT big. Colin thinks that there's not much more room for her to grow but after looking at old pictures when I was pregnant with Robbie I realize that I could be a lot bigger!

This girl wants OUT

Holly Crow! She seems to like hurting me.

Last night my hips were really bothering me, I was up at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. Unfortunately my tossing and turning must be waking up Colin because he looked exhausted this morning :( I think I'm going to start sleeping downstairs, he shouldn't have to compromise his sleep for my aches and pains.

Today I was busy cleaning the house and trying to get the house in some kind of order, I started with the bathrooms and was cleaning our shower when I stood up to catch my breath and she started to throw a temper tantrum in-utero. It felt like she was reaching her hand downward and pushing/scratching my cervix and to top it all off I'm constantly getting Braxton Hick's! OWIE (not the contractions, just the baby's movements)

With 26 Days to Go

My rings came off today =( I was really hoping I was going to dodge the swelling this time around... pooey. My feet don't feel too swollen, thankfully.

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!!

December 12th

Interesting... I've just discovered that we're set to have a full moon on Dec 12th, exactly one week before my due date.

Ouchies

I've been avoiding making this kind of post, I've been trying to be optimistic and thankful that I get to go through what I'm experiencing... but it's so hard some times.

My sleeping is going down the tubes, I've had to get rid of my Snoogle because it's giving me back problems and I can't lie on my sides because of the extra weight (and I'm sure my pelvis is getting ready for labour) so I've resorted to a pillow under my legs while I lay on my back. It's so hard to get my body into this position and have it be comfortable. As I lay on my back baby floats up to my lungs and I find it harder to breath (and then I get heartburn too). I have 39 days left... I can do it! 39 days with lack of sleep and then a couple months of no sleep... not a problem! I took a Tylenol at 10 last night and didn't fall asleep until 2... on the couch. I woke myself up around 3 and was able to crawl into bed.

I'm having a hard time breathing, too - I don't know if it's the weight of my massive boobs, the baby in my lungs or a combination of the two... but some times when eating I have to sit back and catch my breath.

I've got about one month and one week left, I can do this. I need to stay positive and strong.

Dear Snoogle,

YOU'RE FIRED!

Sincerely,
The pregnant one with sore hips and back.

34 Weeks

This is a BIG milestone for me. As of today, if I go into labour they won't try and stop it. One more week and I'm half way through the 30's and three more weeks until I'm considered FULL TERM! Hooray (as I do my little happy victory dance)

I have been feeling some serious pains in the nether region, I was walking around Michaels yesterday and had some pain that almost had me stop in my tracks. It felts like she was punching... maybe even scratching my cervix. It was a sharp pain. I'm still having a good amount of braxton hicks' (daily). I find that if I get up too fast I always seem to get one, I've stopped letting Colin know because it just seems to spook him out.

I picked up a new cover for the bucket this week. I recently discovered that the bunting bag that we used for Robbie actually voids the car seat's warranty, so I went over to our local baby store (which I'm slowly becoming addicted to) and picked up one of these:

This guy is all weather proof and reversible! I can still put blankets inside to bundle her up to make sure she's nice and cozy. I know Robbie's going to love opening and closing that little window (playing peek-a-boo), hopefully she doesn't mind!

Speaking about Robbie, I think he's in denial. Every time I lift up my shirt to rub the belly, scratch it, etc he's quick to try and pull my shirt down again and say "no belly, mommy" or "no baby". Does it spook him out? Does he not want to acknowledge it?

Sleeping has becoming increasingly more difficult. Every time I need to flip over I have to wake myself up, hold my breath and use every ounce of my muscles to raise my belly up and over.

My next doctors appointment is Thursday, I'm curious to see what he's going to do. At 36 weeks they usually do the Strep B swab so will he start me on weekly visits after next week? or will he have me wait another 2 weeks and then start weekly visits? Time will tell!

Your baby now weighs more than 4.7
pounds / 2.2 kilograms and is 18 inches / over 45 centimetres from top to toe.
She's filling out and getting rounder -- she'll need her fat layers later to
regulate her body temperature.

If you don't already talk to your
baby, this is a good time to start -- at 35 weeks her hearing is fully
developed. Don't feel ridiculous if you're already chatting in baby talk. Some
evidence shows that newborns pay closer attention to high-pitched tones.

If you've been nervous about going
into premature labour, you'll be happy to know that 99 per cent of babies born
at week 35 can survive outside the womb -- and most have no major problems.
Although your baby's central nervous system is still maturing, her lungs are
nearly fully developed by now.

Many women start to notice a
tingling sensation or numbness in the pelvic region or pain as they walk. This
may be caused by the pelvic joints loosening, ready for labour

First Signs of Pain

I told myself that I won't complain with the aches and pains that go along with the third trimester, so this post is purely for documentation. I was almost convinced that I was blessed with a painless pregnancy...

A couple of nights ago I did something to my Achilles tendon. It was so painful to put pressure on it so, I ran myself a warm bath and massaged it which seemed to take away some of the sharp pain but there was still an achy sore feeling to it so I took a Tylenol. That night was the first night that the Snoogle didn't help me :( My hips were so sore and every time I tried to switch sides they made me moan with pain... very uncomfy.

Tonight was the first time I've had a leg cramp this pregnancy, I can't believe I forgot how painful these things are!!! I must have pointed my toes while trying to roll onto my other side and it felt like someone just punched me in the calf. Poor Colin was woken suddenly by my "ouch"es and squirms. My calf was ROCK HARD! I tried to sit up to massage it but of course, I was like a fish out of water... what pregnant woman with this big of a belly can sit-up by herself?! Thankfully Colin gave me his hand and I was able to sit up and rub my knuckles over the calf muscle. Now it feels like a bruised muscle... awesome.

I guess these are all good signs - I'm that much closer to meeting this little girl!