Week 27 - candid pic!

Week 27 – Dec 24^th – Dec 30^th 

Baby is the size of – the head of a cauliflower.  He is around 2 pounds and his lungs are maturing and if he were born this week, he could survive with medical attention.  He is increasing his fat storage and he is opening and closing his eyes from time to time. 

How I’m feeling – “Bulky” or so the TSA guard said to me right before they demanded a pat down.  Whatever floats your boat, dude.  I’m definitely getting to the point of discomfort.  I can’t find the right place to put my legs or body on the couch, it’s harder to move around, and Nathan has to frequently help me from a seated position on the floor.  I can still paint my nails, but that end is nearing I presume.  I got the worse leg cramp ever the other night and I’ve been using my foam roller to work it out but that was 2 nights ago and it still hurts.  Here is when most of the weight gain is coming and although my body is obviously pregnant, I’m wondering how all that extra weight is going to feel.  My ankles are still not swollen and neither are my feet, which my doc attributes to my workout regime.  I read a ton of books this week on our trip to Minnesota and can’t wait to share all that I’m learning and plan to do with our baby.  Next up on the “to-do” list is order our crib and dresser and attend all of our parenting/breastfeeding/childcare classes.  We have about 6 of them in January!

Activity –

Monday – Elliptical – 30 min; Ran 1.25 miles – 12 min; weights – 10 min

Tuesday – 42 min run- 4.31 miles.  Merry Christmas!!  Great run to start the day and cookies/treats =)

Wednesday- 28 min run – Pawnee – windy and brisk!

Thursday –Travel day – so lots of walking and busying around the St. Louis and Minneapolis airports!

Friday –  Treadmill run – 4.25 miles/ 45 min

Saturday – Treadmill run – 3.25 miles/ 35 min                         

Sunday – Treadmill run – 3.75 miles/40 min

Weight gained: Total weight gain in 4 weeks – 1 pound.  I weighed 165 pounds at the office and I weigh a little less on my scale at home. Total weight gain during pregnancy 15-20 pounds depending on whose scale we’re using.

Maternity/Baby items bought: Not really bought, but we got tons of stuff for him for Christmas.  I’m planning on taking pictures of some of it and posting it on here.  Of course, not every single toy, but the really cute onesies, bibs, books we got.  We already have too much!  But everyone has been very generous and that is a blessing.  He is already loved so much!

Doctor Visit 12/26/12: I had my last 4 week appointment today.  Now, I have graduated to every 2 weeks, which basically means his arrival is nearing!  I got there early to do my glucose test, seeing if I have gestational diabetes.  Luckily, my relatives told me I had to fast or at least limit my sugar that morning or else I would have been toast!  Needless to say, there isn’t much that doesn’t have sugar in it.  I had 2 eggs with cheese for breakfast with coffee and almond milk and then 5 hours later, had 2 small pieces of deer sausage with Swiss cheese.   My appointment was not until 1:45.  I was starving and not much fun to be around.  To make matters worse, Mom had Cinnabon rolls for breakfast and I had to watch everyone including my 2 year old niece enjoying theirs.  I saved mine and heated it up the second I got home though!

Anyways, I drank some sort of orange flavored drink that tasted like orange soda then had to wait an hour to get my blood drawn.  In that time, I saw my doctor.  Last time he told me I gained too much weight in 4 weeks (6 pounds).  This time, I only gained 1 pound, so 7 pounds in 2 months is right on point.  He said nothing.  He measured my fundal growth which is pretty much a tape measure from the bottom of my uterus to the top.  I was 26 cm and 27 is “average” so that was good, I guess.  He mentioned that it is a less accurate way for them to tell growth then doing an actual ultrasound. 

Several questions I had:  #1) I feel him moving all the time and worried that he might get the chord wrapped around his neck and cut off his air supply.  He said several things.  #1) I can’t do anything about it if he does get tangled up so don’t bother stressing about it.  #2) It is very rare to have a “chord accident”.  In my doctor’s 27 years, he has had it happen 5 times. #3) If I am worried about not feeling him, I should rest and count his kicks or larger movements in a 30 minute time period and see what I feel.  Most likely, I am moving around during the day and do not realize he is still at work.   This was all good information and I’m glad I asked it.

Another thing I asked was about a pain I feel during my cardio.  Sometimes I feel a sharp pain on my side when I run or do the elliptical.  It never feels life threatening to him and feels like I’m not breathing correctly.  He confirmed this thought by saying it is merely a sign of my lower lung capacity since I have more weight and baby on board.  It is not life threatening to baby.  Good news.

The last thing, and I’m thankful we didn’t leave one week later is that we are flying out tomorrow (12/27) for Minnesota to visit Nathan’s family for Christmas.  I asked if the X-Ray machines were okay to walk through and if I had any restrictions flying.  He said if I was one week later (28 weeks), I would have needed a note from the doctor’s office saying it was okay for me to take the trip.  Glad I missed that one!  

We were traveling for Christmas when we would normally take my weekly photo so I snapped this at the gym today (1/2/13) which is technically almost week 28, but hey, you get what you can get!