35 weeks

Getting more Braxton hicks while sitting and lying still.

Regular backaches.  Lower back. They go away by morning and are also relieved by the birthing ball.

The baby's not kicking as much, but still moving a lot and sometimes it's quite painful. I think he's running out of room.

Measurements for knitting

I found a helpful resource that has measurements for people of different sizing.  It should be useful for when I sew and knit creating my own patterns. 

Here it is: http://www.northtipton.com/national.htm

Diaper Making

I just found a cool website for making diapers and they even have pre-cut diaper kits! I love pre-cut diaper kits!
http://wazoodle.com/

34 Weeks

I finally had some sugar (and chocolate) this week and it's not all it's cracked up to be.  I feel better if I stick to the low carb diet--other than the fruit restriction which I am now ignoring.

My acid reflux is back.  I switched back to Protonix yesterday.  I wonder if I'm just going to have to keep switching between Zantac and Protonix for the duration of this pregnancy.

I'm starting to feel really big and it's getting harder to move around, especially getting out of bed at night or rolling over. Every time I get out of bed during the middle of the night, the exertion causes a contraction.  However, the number of Braxton Hicks has gone down since I recognized that their frequency was due to not enough fluid intake.

I've been having a low backache this week, that is soothed by the birthing ball.

If I skip my afternoon nap, I sleep much better at night.

I weigh 194lbs now.  My pre-pregnancy weight was 177 (7lbs over my pre-pregnancy weight for Noelle), and then I went down to 173 when the hyperemesis gravidarum got bad but if you count from my starting weight, that's only 17lbs. If you count from 173, it's 21.  Either way, it's much better than with Noelle.  I think I was onto like 40 at this point with her.  Idk.  I went up to 55lbs with her, and then lost 5 lbs the last couple weeks of the pregnancy because I started walking a lot to induce labor, started teaching, and also started throwing up more frequently because i had no more room in my stomach.  In any case, my weight gain is GOOD, though I think I'd rather have terrible weight gain and feel better :-P.

The baby weighs between 5 and 6 lbs according to my midwife.  I feel that this is really big, but she says it's right on target and doesn't think he'll get as large as Noelle got.  She also says his head is not just down, but far down into my pelvis.

As I stated earlier, I seem to continue to need to eat low carbs, except I've added lots of watermelon, cherries, and strawberries.

Seltzer water has been making me gassy.  It's a double-edged sword.  I can stomach it better than plain water, but it doesn't always help.  So, if I drink it, I get more fluids down but have gas which is sometimes painful, if I drink regular water, I don't feel so well when it goes down and I don't drink as much, but I feel better later.

The baby's started getting hiccups regularly again.  They'd stopped for like a month or two there.

I'm finally able to start working on his room.  We painted over all the flowers on his dresser (formerly his sister's dresser) which means I was able to start sorting through his clothes.  It won't take much more to get the nursery all ready for him--a carpet clean, pulling up all the baby gear from the basement, and sewing some curtains, the latter of which I plan on doing this weekend.  We'll probably buy another shelf for his closet, too. 

Sewing Projects for my Baby Boy!

This little guy already has more cloth diapers than he'll ever need, thanks to a hefty stash passed down from his big sister, but still, I can't seem to stop sewing him more.  Diapers are so fun and easy to make--especially covers when you use Fold Over Elastics (which I buy from diapercuts.com).  I found this great PUL at Hobby Lobby and with my 40% off coupon I bought a yard for $8.99.  Mostly, I bought it because I need a couple new wet bags for the diaper bag--at least one--but I couldn't resist another diaper cover! What a pushover I am!



I also made him quite a considerable stash of newborn AIO diapers from a little online diaper retailer that closed awhile back.  They sold diaper kits which was basically everything you need to sew a diaper all cut out and ready for you to make it.  They were awesome and I'm so sad they closed, but I bought a bunch of their kits when they went on clearance as they were closing.  A friend of mine did too and I sewed them all and made a nice, hefty newborn stash for the two of us to share.  Here's one of those diapers--it's so cute!


My daughter used a doll and some of the new diapers to practice diaper changing for a bit. It was a great way for her to participate in what I was doing without actually being able to sew with me. She normally sits on my lap when I sew, but since my lap is quickly disappearing, that's not really possible right now.
 

33 weeks

At the beginning of the week I was feeling awful.  I think it was due to the low carb diet.  I was starving all the time.  I have a stash of deserts waiting til next Wednesday.  However, towards the end of this testing period, I was feeling really great--other than the constant craving of foods I can't have.  Today, as I start my 34th week, I finally finished testing and had a bunch of sugar.  Idon't feel so good on the sugar so I'm going to continue to monitor myself no matter what my midwife says--I'm just not going to be as restrictive unless it turns out I do have Gestational Diabetes.

I'm having some smelly discharge

I've been going to the chiropractor weekly now to avoid the baby being breech.

I get lots and LOTS of Braxton Hicks contractions every time I change positions.  I called Rosie and she said that as long as there aren't 5 or more in an hour and as long as they go away when I lie down and I can talk and walk through them, they are false contractions.  She also suggested more water so I've been trying to drink more than normal.  I've noticed that the more I drink, the less contractions I have, though I still get them when changing positions.  Also, I'm peeing more.  SO much more!

My body tires easily.

I've been exercising regularly.  It turns out that the belly dancing I've been doing is a lot of the same stuff Rosie wants us doing in preparation for labor and delivery.

I started birthing classes.  They were so much fun! We learned a lot and then practiced breathing, massage, and exercises.  IT was so nice to have Dave there beside me timing my breathing and telling me what to do.  I really feel that I'm not alone in this now.

Asher's been getting hiccups again.  I hadn't felt them in a long time.

He seems to be head down because I feel his feet up at my ribs or in my right side.  Also, I often feel his little hands in my pelvis.

I wake up frequently in the middle of the night, but I sleep very well when I sleep and I fall back to sleep easily.

I don't waddle all the time like I did with Noelle--only when I'm tired or at the end of the day when everything seems to be pushing downward.

I went off of Protonix sometime last week and thought I could be medicine free--I was for 3-4 days--but then started feeling the need for Zantac again.  I gradually got back up to taking it twice a day but I'm really feeling well.  My body doesn't seem to be hating on the Zantac like before. 

I didn't think I could survive on just sparkling and regular water during the diabetes testing but I did.  I think going back to Zantac helped.  I seem to tolerate it more when I'm on Zantac. 

32 Weeks

I started testing my sugar this week.  It's been right where it should be, except for a couple of times, usually in the mornings.  Exercise seems to really help keep it down.  Also, to keep my fasting numbers low, it seems to help if I snack in the middle of the night.  I've started eating salami and muenster once or twice a night.  Also, a snack of protein and carbs before bed helps.

I've been feeling better in the mornings since sugar testing.

I have total exhaustion.  I have been napping every day for over a week now.  If I don't nap, my body shuts down.

I threw up Kashi cereal once--Wednesday evening, the first night of sugar testing.

I have been feeling much better, overall.  I'm wondering if it's the new diet?  I hope not.  If I pass (as I feel I will) I plan on eating whatever I want. 

I threw up at Dave's family picnic.  I'm wondering if it was partly the exhaustion of a busy weekend and partly that I can no longer eat when I need to.

We've settled on the name I've been wanting forever.  I really wanted to make sure it was a name that my husband loved too, and he has grown to love it.

Sleeping (at night) is getting more achy and difficult.  I still sleep well when I sleep but I usually wake up a few times uncomfortable, hot, or hungry, and need to eat and then turn on the TV to go to sleep.  They say sleeping with the TV isn't good, but if that's the truth, why do I fall asleep every time I turn it on? 

I'm feeling like I'm missing out on Noelle's life again.  I get easily short with her and often need to just rest without her wiggling beside me.  I listen and watch her play with her Daddy and get so jealous that I can't be there with them.  I try to snuggle and pur into her when I'm capable, but it's not as often as either she or I would like.  I don't want to lose the wonderful relationship we had before I got pregnant.  I feel like I've been partly missing out on the past 7 months of her life.  When the baby comes, I'll be better capable of playing with her, but I'll also have less time to do so. 

Smells are bothering me again.  

31 Weeks

 

My glucose results came in and I failed.  This means that I either have to take a three hour test or test my sugar for two weeks.  Since the 3 hour tests requires actual fasting and then 3 hours of testing while hungry, there's no way I can do it.  I've opted for the 2 weeks of pricking my finger and controlling my diet. The nurse at the midwife's office thinks I might have failed since I took the test right after being sick.  My midwife seems to think it's possible that I have Gestational Diabetes because of Bunny's birth size and because of how quickly this baby is growing. 

I'm worried about this pregnancy now.  I'm worried I'm going to have to switch to an OB from my midwife, I'm worried that the baby is going to be too big and they're going to insist on a C-section.  I'm worried that my baby won't be healthy. 

I'm starting to feel sick again.

Friday, I had to ask Dave to pull over so I could throw up on the highway.

I'm trying to eat lower sugar and/or carbs but my body seems to want thinks like fruit juice and whole grain cereal.  Since I'm having trouble with the sparkling water alone sometimes, I've started mixing it with juice and that's seriously calming for my belly.

The bad taste in my mouth is back.

The baby likes to kick my ribs and the places deep in my pelvis.  It's painful.

Pregnancy insomnia has hit.  Last week, I was sleeping like a baby again.  This week, I'm uncomfortable an unable to sleep, though I suppose this is partly due to my recent glucose test results.