Week 35

Week 35 – February 18^th – 24^th

Baby is the size of – A honeydew melon and over 18 inches long.  He weighs around 5 ¼ pounds.  His kidneys are fully developed and his liver can process some waste products.  Most of his basic physical development is now complete.  He’ll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

How I’m feeling – One more week down.  Sleeping was difficult this week as the pain in my pelvis is sort of at a nagging point.  ***Sidenote – it randomly went completely away on Saturday and feels fine today (2/25)  It doesn’t even compare to the pain I was feeling from before but it’s just sort of always there now.  I notice I do things off to the side, like washing dishes, reaching down low for something and sitting.  I do favor my left side which is the weak side.  I’m honestly so tired of trying to figure out what’s wrong with me that I just need to have this baby and then let my body readjust and see what happens.  I’m driving myself nuts, trying to figure it all out when I need to focus on the little man and his safe and healthy arrival.  I cannot wait to see him and know that he is mine.  He is mine and Nathan’s 100% forever and always.  That gets me excited and less focused on myself.  We had 2 days off due to snow this week and I found myself wishing he was here so I had a buddy to spend the day with. 

I’ve had fewer leg cramps, but have been up more going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  I crave water all the time!  Nathan jokes because every time I am drinking from a glass, I choke on it.  I can’t get it fast enough! 

**Doctor’s Appointment 2/21/13 – This was my last 2 week appointment and now I am going every week.  They also did my Strep B test which swabs to check for a certain bacteria that can exist on anyone but that I could possibly pass to the baby when he is born so if the test is positive, it’s not a big deal; I would just need to be on antibiotics when he was delivered.  My weight was 164, blood pressure was 106/64. This was a short visit again because it was supposed to be in the afternoon but I went in around 9:15 to beat the snow/ice storm.  They actually got me in pretty quickly.  I have had no contractions yet, just a few sharper pains on one side of my abdomen which go away quickly.  I asked at what point is it not an emergency if I go into labor and since I’m 36 weeks as of Friday, I can go anytime and it’s not an emergency.  Crazy to think about!

Activity –

Monday – 16 min mile – walk 2 min, ran 2 min, Elliptical – 10 min, weights – 10-15 min

Tuesday – Rest

Wednesday – Elliptical – 20 min, 1.13 mile walk – 20 min, Weights – 15 min

Thursday – Swim 25-30 min

Friday – Rest

Saturday – Elliptical 25 min, 1 mile walk/jog – 15 min, weights – 10 min

Sunday - Rest

Weight – I weighed 164 at my doctor’s visit on 2/21.  I’m convinced their scales are not 100% accurate b/c two weeks ago, I was around 166.  And I should be gaining weight at this point.  Oh well, here are my stats (I stole a pic of my sheet with bp, weight since August)

Maternity/Baby stuff bought: Nothing that I can think of that’s worth noting!  I’m still washing clothes, organizing the nursery and putting his last minute things together.  This week’s goal is to get the car seat base in my car and his rocker/sleeper put together for when he comes home after being born.

Week 34

Week 34 Feb 11 – 17^th

Baby is the size of – A cantaloupe!  He is 4 ¾ pounds and 18 inches long.  His skin is smoother and his lungs are developed so much so that if he were born today, he would survive and not need much medical help to develop his breathing. 

How I’m feeling – My pain has pretty much gone away this week, so I am gradually trying to become somewhat active again.  My belly is big enough though that most running feels awkward so I’m trying to focus on walking, swimming and keeping my strength up.  I do feel as I’m waddling more and more so when I just get out of bed.  I am up 3-4 times a night going to the bathroom or getting water.  I don’t find that I have a hard time sleeping or getting comfortable, but turning over is difficult from time to time.  Mostly because I’m holding a pillow between my legs and that big thing has to go with me whenever I move.  I find that bowel movements are sort of difficult to have, but I’m still going a normal amount.  My belly is moving like crazy…I’m surprised he hasn’t run out of room yet!  I can tell that his feet are pushing up against my ribs and I feel little flutters down near my pelvis.  I can definitely feel where there is a head or butt pushing out.  He is curled up in a “C” shape a lot of the time.  Sometimes it does hurt but nothing probably compared to what birth will feel like! 

I’m starting to fully realize that in just a few short weeks, our lives will change forever.  No more just going out for a walk by myself or running to the store or sleeping in!  So we are trying to relish these times and be thankful for the 3 ½ years being married with just us that we have experienced.  It’s a good change but it’s still change and will take time to adjust.  I’m ready to not be pregnant anymore but not sure I’m ready for a newborn…but ready or not it’s coming!

**Physical Therapy update – I went back to the PT for just a follow-up and saw a female doctor this time.  She pretty much said the exercises I were given weren’t the best, which I could have told you.  3^rd trimester…doing curl ups and tons of exercises on my back, duh?!   Then, she had me walk down the hallway and back 2-3 times and said I have scoliosis.  Um, what?!  I have never been told this before by any doctor and have had recent X-rays at our Chiro’s of my spine.  Zero curve in it.  What the heck?!  I was pretty mad about her assessment when all she did was look at me.  I do have one shoulder higher than the other and one hip raised, which is the hip that hurts.  She said I was “lerching” when I walk.  Gee thanks, it’s not like I have 20 extra pounds only in the front of me!?  I tried not to let it ruin my day and my chiro quickly debunked her Scoli diagnosis so I will take her a picture of my X-rays when I go back to PT.  However, I did more reading online which is a good and bad thing, and found that I “may” have nonstructural scoliosis, which means that it is not a deformity of the spine but a muscle imbalance and exercises/stretching gets it back in place.  This, I can believe and will whatever exercises needed to fix it.  But for her to give a Scoliosis diagnosis without X-rays seemed a little ridiculous to me. 

Also, this week at school we had Parent/Teacher Conferences.  I was having a really bad day on Thursday, just missing my dad and not wanting to stay at school until 8 pm.  Then, my principal pulled me aside and wanted to go over my sub maternity plans at 3:15, which is during our only hour long break.  I was quite perturbed by this and asked if I could see him earlier.   Nope, come by at 3:15.  Okay, whatever.  Then I find out we have a teacher meeting about a student after my meeting with him.  Seriously, more meetings?!  I finished with my principal which was harmless and walked in with him to the teacher’s meeting.  I walked in and everyone yelled, “Surprise!” .  To which I responded, “I don’t get it.”  And I didn’t.  Turns out, it was a surprise baby shower for me!  I was so overwhelmed and everyone kept remarking how I wasn’t the most pleasant person to be around that day.  Sorry guys, but thanks for thinking so much of me!  It was a great start to the weekend!

 

Baby Shower at work...my face was about 10 shades of red if you can't tell!

 

Activity –

Monday – Elliptical 15 min, Ran .5 miles on treadmill, weights 10 min

Tuesday – Rest

Wednesday – Jog/Walk – 2.15 miles – 29 min

Thursday – Rest

Friday – Rest – shopping/running errands

Saturday – 1 mile walk on treadmill – 16 min, weights 15 min, swim 20 min

Sunday – Jog/Walk – 2 miles -28 min, Pregnancy DVD workout – 35 min

 

**BONUS - It's not much, but hopefully you can see the bump move in this video.  Around 20 seconds my thumb moves quite a bit...that's him!

 

Weight Gain – I think I’m up to a total gain of around 22-25 pounds, again depending on the day.  My scale at home read 163-164 this week.

Baby stuff bought – We got our boppy in from my friend Katie and it’s already washed and set up.  I put the mattress pad cover and sheets on the bed already.  The only thing left in the nursery is to organize the closet, bookshelf and hang our stuff which should be this week sometime.  I also need to work on our baby book before he comes.  I ordered some more cloth diapers from eBay and those came this week.  I also ordered special detergent on Amazon to wash them in.  It’s all coming together!

Week 33

Week 33 – Feb 4 – 10^th

Baby is the size of – The heft of a pineapple.  He is a little over 4 pounds and over 17 inches long.  His skeleton is hardening though still soft enough to fit in the birth canal.  He is losing his wrinkly skin.  I may experience Braxton Hicks soon.

How I’m feeling – Better.  The first part of the week was pure misery.  I cried several times on the way to work from the pain and when I saw someone running.  I’m very dramatic when it comes to pains when I run.  I keep worrying that I’ll never run again.  Crazy, I realize, but I hate being sidelined.  I got a massage Monday night which felt good (read painful) but the pain was just as bad when I got home.  This entire week, I’ve been resting and trying to treat this phantom pain on my own.  I’m icing, stretching, foam rolling, heating, and doing hip/glute strengthening exercises.  The Internet can be terrible sometimes b/c if you look of any symptoms you’re having, you think you’re dying.  I have self diagnosed myself with sciatica, pelvic girdle pain, glute strain and him sitting on a nerve, bone, or my bones moving preparing for birth.  Randomly on Wednesday, it lessened a bit.  I didn’t push it, but Thursday was even better.  And Friday the same although it tightened up a bit after shopping and walking in and out of stores.  I scheduled a physical therapy appointment because I needed relief.  After seeing my doctor on Thursday, he thought maybe it was a minor muscle tear but recommended I still see the PT on Friday.  On Friday, I saw the PT and after pushing on my back bones, having me do some flexibility stretches and hearing exactly what my pain was, he thought my sacroiliac joint was moving and the muscles that support my glutes, hips, and muscles are loosening due to relaxing hormones during this point of pregnancy so it’s causing pain/pressure on my iliopsoas muscle.  He recommended several stretches which I do 2x a day.  They are things like pelvic tilts, clamshell, bridge pose and squats from a seated position.  He said I can walk (yay!) outside on a flat surface only, lift weights lightly and swim as long as I don’t have any pain.  That is all great news, but I still must remind myself that I can’t push it.  He said the pain should go away after birth as those muscles tighten back up. 

He is definitely moving lower.  I feel his feet up my ribs quite frequently and am either feeling a head or butt as he’s moving.  I am getting more and more uncomfortable, but thankfully still no stretch marks and I still feel like I look pretty good for how far I am =) 

**Doctor visit 2/7/13 – This visit was relatively short once again, but I did discuss my glute pain with the doctor to see if physical therapy is truly necessary.  He suggested it might be a muscle tear and to go ahead and see the PT and see what they have to say.  I am measuring right at what I should be for 33.5 weeks.  Blood pressure was 116/64.  My weight was 166.5 so .5 pound weight gain in 2 weeks.  I am scheduled out for the rest of my pregnancy which is crazy.  I go back on February 21^st and then start my weekly visits.  Also on the 21^st, I’m heading over to the hospital to talk to the birthing nurses to discuss our birth plan, register, and get admitted. 

Activity –

Monday , Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday – REST!  My pain came and went but was pretty severe most days so walking around school is about as much as I can handle right now.

Sunday – 30 min walk – Ran for 3 min – running felt good to get my legs moving again, but awkward b/c he has definitely settled lower.  My hip/glute flared up a bit so I walked the rest of the way home.  It was more of a nagging pain so I stretched and did my exercises when I got home and it’s better. 

Weights – 15 min

**A lot of people have been asking for pics of the nursery, and it’s just not quite ready yet.  As soon as I get organized, we get more clothes, toys, etc.  And nothing is hung on the walls.  That is the last step, but hopefully this weekend when I have 4 days off of work, I can get that taken care of.  His hospital bag is almost ready and I’m making frequent trips to Babies R Us using those coupons!

Week 32

Week 32- Jan 28^th – Feb 3^rd

Baby is the size of – A large jicama….whatever that is!  I’ve eaten it before but what a comparison!  He is 3 ¾ pounds and around 17 inches long.  Believe me, I feel every part of him kicking and moving around!  He has toenails, fingernails and real hair (if any).  He’s getting ready for his growth spurt and his skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps out before birth.

How I’m feeling – Miserable!  My injury from last week has all but completely sidelined me.  I was able to stay fairly active this week, but at the cost of not being able to walk or move by Sunday.  So this week, and I pray I stick to it, I will be resting meaning not doing anything to see if the pain goes away.  I got more adjustments this week but those have not helped 100%.  As I’m reading and trying to figure out what is going on, a number of issues has popped up that seem to resonate with what I have.  My pain does not radiate down my thigh or hamstring, which is good.  It is on the left side of my hip, in the high butt area.  It’s not quite on my tailbone and is very tender to the touch.  Ice has helped a bit, no heat, and no medicines.  Stretching (crossing the injured leg over and leaning into a butt stretch) has felt relief.  Based on everything I’m reading and feeling, I would say it’s a combination of things.  First of all, during later pregnancy, the pelvis is loosening and widening due to the hormone relaxin and causing my joints to be out of their normal position.  My pelvis could be so moved that it’s putting pressure on my sciatic nerve in my butt.  Physical activity does irritate the area tremendously, so I feel it is my piriformis muscle.  It is probably weak or has surrounding weak muscles that cause it to be unstable.  While I’ve been running, no doubt my form has not been great, so those muscles have been weakened and strained (possibly putting pressure on the sciatic nerve once again that runs beneath it). 

Okay great, so I can’t walk and transferring weight is excruciating…7 more weeks of this??!?!  I think not.  I am going to rest this week, do stretches and ice everyday, and continue to get adjusted as often as I can.  I have scheduled a prenatal massage but couldn’t get in until February 16^th.  I’m hoping she can release that tension built up in the muscle.  I see my OB on Thursday.  If the pain has not lessened from inactivity, I am going to get a referral to a PT.  It sounds strange to say, but I’d much rather my pelvis keep getting wider to make this pain go away.  In the meantime, your prayers are appreciated.  I want to cry from the pain at times.  =(

Activity –

Monday – 2 mile walk – agony!

Tuesday – Elliptical – 30 min, weights 15 min

Wednesday – Swim – 30 min (ran some in the pool, and that pushing off motion definitely irritated the muscle)

Thursday – light weights – 25 min (squats, plank, curls, dips)

Friday – rest

Saturday – I felt decent-er so after getting adjusted I decided to really push it at the gym.  Dumb move!  I ran a 12 min mile on the treadmill and limped the entire time.  Elliptical – 20 min then weights and piriformis stretches for 15 min.  Saturday afternoon/evening was probably the worse pain I experienced.  So no pain, no gain…ugh, I’m done trying to push through this.

Sunday – REST!  You’d think I would learn by now?!

**I think what is hard for me as a runner/athlete and woman is seeing my body change along with my limitations.  I would do anything for my baby, but seeing your body not being able to do something you’ve trained for years to accomplish, is difficult.  It’s very prideful to admit and I’m really being vulnerable in my admission of all this, but I am scared that if I don’t exercise an entire week, I will A) get fat – not baby weight but you know… and B) I will lose everything I’ve worked to gain for 10+ years.  I know both are ridiculous and it’s time I listen to my body and relax these last few weeks, but I am going stir crazy when it’s 60+ degrees out in January and I can’t even walk outside!  I pray that the Lord will remind me that he can do all things and is in all things…including 7 more weeks of pregnancy.  Gosh, I’m so dramatic.  I pray God would remind me I am his 100% and it doesn’t matter if I can run or exercise or not, but that I am living this life for him and through him.  He has allowed me to do so much in this pregnancy for which I am so thankful.  I was never sick, ran many races including a half marathon and was extremely active until 32 weeks.  That is all amazing!  And he will surely heal me in time while also taking care of the little guy.  Thanks for listening to my rant and my fears.

Maternity/Baby stuff bought/got – I purchased our stroller and car seat because we got 25% off at Babies if you traded an old one in which we had from a friend so there you go.  Plus I got some doubles at Babies from our registry so we exchanged them and put it towards our stroller combo.  I’m still trying to organize things from the shower last weekend.  Wash clothes, put away books and toys, wash bedding, and generally clear a space in his room which is a mess!  Many have asked for nursery pics…hopefully soon friends.  It’s not quite ready to be seen yet =) 

Here’s to a pain-free or less painful week!