Week 32

Welp, I guess there's likely one in every pregnancy.  And I'm happy to have it behind me and now I can just look back and say "that sucked, but glad it's over and everyone is fine..."  My first (and hopefully only) SCARE.  Ergh!  Last Thurs night I was doing some decorating in the nursery.  It didn't feel like it at the time, but maybe I pulled something in my back; I'm not sure?  I was sore from the work I'd been doing, so I did some stretches before bed.  I mean, maybe I pulled something stretching?  But these were my typical yoga stretches I do every week - I figured I know them by now!  I went to bed and found that I really couldn’t sleep in any position.  If any position, maybe only on my back.  But I was just so uncomfortable - I think I slept MAYBE 3 hours total.  Sometime around the middle of the night the left side of my back wrapping around to the front of my stomach was just aching/spasming and it seemed to get worse as the night went on.  By the morning the pain was so bad and my mind got the best of me - I started wondering if could be early labor, esp cuz I was having Braxton-Hicks contractions sporadically too.  I found that I was nauseous when I'd get up to go to the bathroom.  And then I surprisingly threw up!  Just water from brushing my teeth, but it was still alarming to me.  I was contemplating calling the doctor's overnight service, but wanted to make sure I was fully awake and thinking clearly so I got up and showered.  I had an appointment with my OB later that morning anyway, so I was hoping I could just wait until that appointment instead of calling all stressed out at 6am.

I made it to the appointment but felt SO uncomfortable there - it didn't help that I had to wait about half an hour for my appointment.  I almost threw up again while I was waiting.  I finally was in front of my doctor and she decided that I must’ve pulled my back because labor wouldn’t just be on one side like that.  She also said the nausea could be from the pain.  She wanted me to just rest and if it didn't get better in a day to definitely call her.  So I came home, I tried eating some breakfast but I couldn’t even sit to finish.  I went to lie down upstairs for maybe 15 mins and when I got back up I felt like a new person…?  Huh?  What just happened here?  Perhaps my back had been spasming non-stop and with that short amount of rest I managed to get it to stop.  Um and why couldn't my resting all overnight last night have done the trick?  None of it makes any sense, but I'm just happy it went away and that Baby is safe and sound, still baking away.

How far along: 32 weeks, 2 days -- sorry a little late this week, Thanksgiving plans kinda got in the way!
What did baby do this week:  We had our monthly growth ultrasound on Monday so I know that our baby weighs 4 pounds 6 ounces, which puts them in the 58th percentile compared to babies of the same gestational age.  This is perfect since we do these growth ultrasounds to make sure Baby isn't either too big or too little.  One funny bit of knowledge we got is that our Little One's legs are long - at the 87th percentile!  But note, the doctor didn't say Baby is tall - just the legs are long.  I think this tells me that Baby is going to take after Daddy...very cute.  I'm getting a little tired of the fruit/vegetable size comparisons because I feel like the further we get along here, the less they make sense.  But since I've been doing it for 30 or so weeks already, I'll just keep going.  Apparently this week Baby is roughly the size of a golden nugget squash.  This squash looks a lot like a pumpkin, but pumpkin comes further along the path - so let's pretend my picture this week is a golden nugget squash and not a pumpkin.  Baby is starting to shed the lanugo hair and continuing to fatten up.  Some babies will gain as much as a half pound a week from now until birth (um - if ours does, I sure hope we don't go to 40+ weeks!  That'd be a big baby!!)
Total weight gain: 25.2 pounds (not that I enjoy this - but I'm finally up a little from where I've been hovering back and forth that past couple months!)
Symptoms: I think the sciatica is back.  I thought it went away after my acupuncture appointment last week, but I spent a couple days doing a lot of walking and standing this week and it's definitely not gone.  The weird numbness around the edge of my heels is annoying too.  My constipation that I complained about a few weeks ago is nonexistent now, but I have been taking Colace twice a day.  A TINY bit of swelling on the tops of my feet and inside of my ankles but it's very slight and only after I've been on my feet a lot.  No leg cramps or even much back pain.  No acne, no hemorrhoids, no heartburn (but our perinatologist said Baby has hair!  I've read that heartburn and hair on the baby are related...)  Speaking of hair - OK, my hair is definitely about as good as it's ever been.  I do not have enviable hair when I'm not pregnant.  It's fine and kinda thin and oily.  I spend a lot of time to make it look marginally presentable.  But here we are finally in the 3rd trimester and my hair is awesome (for me).  It's not oily - I can go a day without washing it.  It's thicker than it's been in many years.  It makes soft waves around my shoulders after sleeping on it.  Really - I'm so happy to finally have hair I like.  I will absolutely enjoy this for the next couple months and mourn it when it starts to fall out.

Queasy or Sick: I could be wrong about this but I do OCCASIONALLY feel the slightest bit queasy on some mornings.  It's nothing that stops me from doing anything and I usually just put it in the back of my head and carry on.  But I've noticed it maybe 1-2 days a week for the past couple weeks.  I've heard that morning sickness can sometimes come back in the 3rd trimester so while I hope that's not what it is, it might explain it.
Sleep: I still have no complaints.  I'm definitely up once or twice a night to use the bathroom now, but I can fall back asleep most of the time.  Though there's been a lot of excitement (friend baby shower last weekend, family baby shower this weekend, Thanksgiving in between) so I sometimes find myself waking up and staying awake at a time I'd consider pretty early in the morning.
Best moment this week: My friend baby shower which was this past weekend!  Even though I feel big - I guess I don’t look it.  All my friends at the shower kept saying that I don’t look that big.  That I don’t look [almost 32 weeks pregnant] and that I look fantastic overall.  This is JUST what every pregnant woman wants to hear!  Woohoo!  Especially since I know our baby is right on target in terms of size (and therefore not too small.)
Hardest part of the week: Obviously last Thurs night - I was so worried and uncomfortable.  When I took my fasting blood sugar level Friday morning it was higher than it's ever been (it's not usually very high) but my dietician said stress and pain can raise your blood sugar levels.
Looking forward to:  The family baby shower this weekend!
Movement: We learned in our ultrasound that if you are looking at me straight on, and imagine my belly to be a clock: Baby's head is at around 4-5, spine and back are along 6-9, butt is around 10-11, and limbs are over about 2-4.  When I lie on my right side (maybe because then Baby is upright?) I would swear to God there is a dolphin in my belly.  SO ACTIVE!!  But I like the feeling of course because then I know everything is good in there.  I've mentioned that we sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "The Alphabet Song" to the baby every night and almost without fail there is some movement during "Twinkle Twinkle".  We're wondering if they're recognizing (and liking?) the song.  Or maybe it's more like "OMG shut up out there - I can't stand when you guys sing this one!!!"  ;)
Food cravings:  I was happy to get through Thanksgiving dinner without my blood sugar numbers going too crazy.  I just avoided the mashed potatoes (carbs), not too much cranberry sauce (sugar) and of course I went easy on the pumpkin pie (carbs and sugar!!)  I was up walking around a lot too which really helps.  I also splurged at my baby shower last weekend and finally had my piece of chocolate cake with AMAZINGLY thick chocolate frosting.  I have no regrets.  I even brought some home and ate small bits in moderation the first few days of the week.  And my blood sugar levels were fine.  After being on the GD diet for a month, it's gotten easier in some regards (like how it's become routine) but harder also (because I REALLY miss certain foods).  But with under 2 months to go, I know I can hang in here.

Happy or moody:  Mostly happy!
Labor signs: No.  However, do I count Braxton-Hicks contractions?  I've definitely felt some.  Not a lot, but some.
Belly button in or out: In, but seems to be getting smaller.  I wonder if it'll pop before all is said and done here?
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week: If you are in labor (and having contractions) my perinatologist said that your belly will feel like your forehead: hard.  Otherwise it should feel soft, like your nose.
Final Thoughts: I don’t know if every pregnant woman feels this way - but I frequently still feel like all of this is fake.  Like even appointment after appointment and seeing multiple doctors and ultrasound pictures and feeling the baby move - I wonder is there REALLY a baby in there?  Are they REALLY going to come out and become my CHILD?  Since I just had my first baby shower, I noticed myself thinking at times - OMG, what if I find out there’s really no baby in there and I’ve tricked all my friends?!  It’s seriously crazy talk but I think very hard to imagine the truly miraculous thing that is going on inside my body.  I guess it really won't become real until we hold that little baby and look at their face.  I really can't imagine it!

Week 31

Sometime this last week I seem to have gotten a lot bigger.  I feel bigger.  And I spent one day running errands and found that almost everywhere I went I got some pregnancy comment or other: from a nurse at a (non pregnancy related) doctor's appointment, the clerk at the post office and then a friend I hadn't seen in about 3 weeks said I looked like I'd "popped".  I don't think that I look HUGE - just very obviously pregnant now so it brings up conversation.  But this is good - I want Baby to grow, and if they're growing, then I'm gonna look bigger!  So I'll take the comments.  At least no one has said the dreaded "you're HUGE!!" or "are you having twins?" or "any day now, huh?"  At least they haven't yet...

How far along: 31 weeks, 1 day
What did baby do this week:  Baby is about the size of a pineapple at around 3.75 pounds and 15.2-16.7" head to heel.  Baby's not doing a whole lot more than just gaining weight, turning more pink (less red) and hardening their bones.  In these remaining weeks, Baby's brain and body will get bigger and lungs will become more and more developed.  Our little one is practicing their breathing 30-40% of the time.
Total weight gain: 23.8 pounds (my weight is all over the place - last week I was up 24, two weeks ago I was up 23.8 so it seems the GD diet is really keeping my weight at roughly the same place.)
Symptoms:  I finally realized that what I thought were some funny feeling Baby movements are actually Braxton-Hicks contractions.  My belly gets hard in one area while it remains soft in other areas.  These don't feel like what I thought they’d feel like, but when people describe it as if your belly is making a fist - yes, that is accurate.  I guess I thought they'd be painful, but my OB said as long as they're NOT painful I can have a lot of them without being concerned (I'd previously read that you should call your doctor if you have more than 4 in an hour, but she said only if they're painful).  I should probably knock on some wood, but OMG I think my sciatic pain went away after acupuncture last Thurs?!  Awesome!!  I've had some tingling in hands when driving for a while and when holding a book while I read in bed.  I guess this has been going on for a couple months (or more) but I thought I'd just mention it since I'd brought up the sciatica.  All these weird nerve side effects!
Queasy or Sick: Nope
Sleep:  Fine.
Best moment this week: We did our maternity photoshoot on Sunday morning!  It was a lot of fun, but tiring (we started at 8am, which if you work backwards to the time it took me to doll myself up - it meant getting up before 6am!!!)  I feel like the photographer captured so much variety; we did 5 outfit changes!  And photos were taken both in a local garden as well as in our home.  I can't wait to see them.
Hardest part of the week: Realizing that I just can’t do as much - and I won’t be able to for a long time!  I am a very busy, independent person and I've been noticing that it's taking me just the slightest bit longer to do things: run errands, get household chores done, make dinner.  Standing for [what I would not have previously considered a long period of time] kills my feet.  I keep thinking about how it'll be better once I'm not pregnant anymore - but then it hits me that it'll probably be WORSE!  Cuz then I'll have a little baby to lug around and tend to! Oh this motherhood thing is gonna be fun, huh?  :)

Looking forward to: My first baby shower this weekend - the one for my friends (thrown by my amazing friends.)  And I seriously can't believe Thanksgiving is next week.  Once these holidays pass we will be facing our little baby's birthday!  And we all know how quickly the holidays pass.  Eeeks!!
Movement: OMG SO MUCH.  I was sitting in a Dr’s waiting room the other day and almost wanted to hide my belly thinking people might be able to see it slightly moving on its own!  (that might be an exaggeration, but it felt like it to me!)
Food cravings: Really been craving flavored drinks.  Like lemonade or juice or even soda!  But of course I don't give in...
Happy or moody: Quite happy I'd have to say.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes:  I think next week I'm gonna remove this category.  I mean we all know I couldn't really wear non-maternity if I tried!  However, I did put on a non-maternity cardigan the other day, but just to wear to work.  I couldn't button it or anything.  It was just for my arms.
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week:  I had this realization earlier this week that is kind of odd, but not surprising.  All the rest of my life - when I repeatedly do an exercise week after week, it becomes easier.  This makes sense since your body gets stronger and more adept at completing the task.  But when you're pregnant, I've started noticing that doing an exercise week after week starts to get more difficult!  Not because I'm more "out of shape" but because my belly is growing, my lungs are losing some air capacity, I'm just not as flexible around my midsection, and my body/feet get more sore/swollen as I exercise.  Argh!!  But I still keep it up.  I really think it's done wonders to get me to where I am right now!
Final Thoughts:  A couple days ago Baby was having a very active morning.  Hubby not only felt Baby’s hiccups for the first time, but saw my belly jump on its own - something I’d been trying to show him, but hard it's always hard to get his attention at the right moment.

Week 30

I've complained before about how it's so hard to find maternity clothing (not a lot available in stores to try on - it's mostly online.)  Well add to this joyous reality - a maternity photoshoot.  Photos (for most ladies) at their heaviest weight, and perhaps their least attractive feeling, so you really just want to find some pretty clothes which will flatter you and your belly without making you look like a behemoth wearing a tent.  AND you really can't go try on that many outfits in person at the mall so if you're like me - you start ordering stuff online AS IF YOUR LIFE DEPENDED ON IT!!

SHOPPING!!!

Unless you are highly self-disciplined and organized (I tend to be this way to an annoying level some might call "anal retentive") I'm not sure I would recommend this, but as of this writing I have perhaps $600-worth of clothing in my possession which will need to be returned to some online store or other.  And this is AFTER I already returned $1000 worth of clothes I ordered off asos.com.  Man, I was sweating a little as I threw those return packages into the bin at the local USPS and worried about them getting lost.  So after shopping at asos.com, Motherhood online, Macy's online and LOFT online (because none of the local stores had the sizes/colors I was looking for), and buying probably 30-40 pieces of clothing (different colors, different sizes), I came away with 2 dresses that fit, were the style I was looking for and will work overall (even maybe to be reused for a baby shower.)  OMG what an exhausting exercise.  I don't know that I would recommend it.  But I'm READY for my photoshoot and feeling very confident that I'll look halfway decent - so there is a lot of comfort in that.

Yes, yes, you are allowed to call me bat-shit crazy nuts.  I'm really not that high-maintenance of a person, I promise.  I just have to work REALLY hard to look good... :-/

How far along: 30 weeks, 2 days
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of cucumber (ok, hold the phone here - in whose world is a cucumber larger than a head of lettuce?  I'm onto you, pregnancy apps and websites!!!  You're just pulling this stuff out of your butt each week!)  I'm going to rephrase that to say a LARGE, likely English cucumber - those tend to be much longer, so maybe somehow the baby is roughly the length of a large English cucumber?  Around 16" from head to heel and close to 3 pounds.  Baby is very conscious of its environment as all of its senses are working.  I also read that Baby is strong enough to grasp a finger at this point - how cute!!
Total weight gain: 24 pounds (which is still down .2 pounds from week 28 which is awesome!)
Symptoms: I do believe that the annoying symptoms are starting to catch up to me.  For the past month or so, in my weekly yoga class, I've noticed a tightness in my left butt-cheek/leg and I also sometimes notice it when I'm out walking in the evenings.  It suddenly dawned on me that I'm pretty sure this is sciatic nerve pain!  This is very common during pregnancy because as the baby gets bigger they can press on this nerve which runs from your back, through each side of your butt and down each leg to your feet.  Fortunately I'm mostly just noticing it on my left side and it's not that bad - more annoying than anything.   However, I've also noticed something very odd for the past month or maybe more: faint numbness on my heels.  I did a little Googling tonight and it SEEMS to be related to the sciatica.  I'll check in with my doctor on that next week.  I do have some ever so slight edema (swelling/water retention) in my ankles and just a bit along the top of my feet - also worse on the left side.  So I'm wondering if the numbness has anything to do with that.  But my online "research" seems to point to the sciatic nerve.  And that makes a lot of sense - if it's painful in my butt/hamstring, it's probably affecting other points along its path too.  Joyous.
Queasy or Sick: Nope
Sleep: For the first time in a very long time I got up twice in the night to use the bathroom a few days ago…Oh boy I wonder if this means we're back to getting up multiple times a night again?
Best moment this week: Working on the nursery!  Furniture was delivered last week so I've been filling in the gaps with curtains, pillows, bedding, etc.  We've been getting hand-me-downs and those registry gifts which started arriving last week are slowly finding places to live in the nursery.  It's SO HARD to believe a little baby will sleep in this room some day.  But it'll be here before we know it!
Hardest part of the week: Feeling like all those “symptoms” I mentioned up above are catching up with me.  I feel like I had so few things to complain about the first 2/3rds of my pregnancy - but I had this feeling the third trimester would start to get more uncomfortable and here it starts!

Looking forward to: Our maternity photoshoot this weekend!  I was so happy to find a photographer who does GREAT newborn photography and she offered a deal on a maternity package once you book her for newborn.  It'll will be mostly outdoor photos but she'll also be coming to our house to take a few in the nursery and some other spots.
Movement: More and more all the time.  I love feeling Baby move - but sometimes the kicks/punches (esp those hits to the bladder) seriously make my eyes bug out of my head!  Movements are still mostly along the middle part of my belly - like if I was to draw a line along the sides of my belly from where my belly button is - and lower.  No jabs to the ribs yet.  And I definitely notice the most movements on my right side so I wonder if baby is still transverse like they were in our last ultrasound...and kicking little legs and feet on the right side of my belly?
Food cravings: I'm really not a big chocolate person (said no woman ever.)  But no seriously, I'm not.  However I really have been finding myself craving rich, dense, moist chocolate cake with thick chocolate frosting.  OMG - having just typed that I might need to go out and find a piece of cake and splurge for ONCE!  But I'll refrain since I think some splurging will be happening at my baby showers...  My OB actually told me that they give out chocolate cake in the hospital to all the new moms.  Plus a sandwich with tons of bread!  That'll probably be the worst chocolate cake I've ever eaten and yet it will taste like the best!  #&%^@*$ gestational diabetes!!!!!
Happy or moody: Happy for the most part.  Feeling well prepared so I'm not anxious or nervous - YET.
Labor signs: No
Maternity clothes: Um, see my opening paragraphs...do I even need this category anymore?
Belly button in or out: In
Wedding rings on or off: On but nowhere near as loose as it usually is.
Stretch marks: No - whew!
Learnings from the week: I've been reading Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth which is a VERY interesting perspective if you are used to thinking about childbirth strictly happening in a hospital.  I am a fairly conservative person - try to be healthy but I don't go overboard eating organic or buying natural/green products.  We recycle, but I probably put the wrong things in the bin...  Before picking this book up, I was pretty sure I'd be asking the hospital for an epidural as I was checking in, but this book has really made me think about what I want to do and why - not necessarily changing my mind, but helped to open it a little.  The book is a bit "natural" or even "hippie" - but it is well worth reading.  It puts a very interesting spin on labor and delivery and the power a woman has over her body just by going into childbirth with an open and unafraid attitude.  It also talks about the stages of labor and really at the end of the day has made me think about what I'd LIKE my birth experience to be like.  We all know these plans often change quickly in the heat of the moment - but I'll still be so glad to have read the book.
Final Thoughts:  We took a breastfeeding class at the local hospital last night.  This is the second class Hubby and I have taken (Newborn Care was a few weeks back and Childbirth is two weeks away.)  I have to say that the breastfeeding class was WELL WORTH the time and I think we both took a lot more learnings away from it than we did the Newborn Care class.  Or maybe we just didn't know very much about breastfeeding (um yah - that is definitely true for Hubby) compared to taking care of babies.  If you are at all interested in breastfeeding your baby I'd highly recommend looking for a class at your hospital or even reaching out to your local La Leche League for tips/pointers.  Breastfeeding is very important to me and I'd definitely rather start learning about it now rather than when I'm in the hospital about to take my little one home.  This book was suggested to us at the class, and while I haven't yet gotten it I thought I'd still throw it out there to you.

Week 29

It's another one of those weeks where I feel a little bored with my pregnancy (as if it hasn't thrown me for enough loops though, right?) and don't really have a whole lot to talk about...  I know what you're thinking:

*GASP!!!!!!*

"Kristin, there are actually weeks where you DON'T have much to say??"  No really, it's true.  Come on now, you don't really want to read a big huge blog post this week after the doozies I turned out the last couple weeks, do you?  Plus, you're still slothenly reveling in that pile of Halloween candy that I didn't get to touch (ok maybe I snuck 1-2 pieces, but I kept track of it in my Food Journal!)

How far along: 29 weeks, 1 day
What did baby do this week: Baby is the size of a butternut squash at between 15"-16" from head to heel.  Really the main thing Baby is doing is putting on fat and continuing to grow.  Skin is looking less wrinkled and all the internal organs are continuing to mature in preparation for functioning on their own after birth.
Total weight gain: 23.8 pounds.  This is down .4 from last week so perhaps I'll be able to stick to the 3/4 pound weight gain per week for the remainder of my pregnancy (which my diabetes dietician requested last week.)  Ahh the silver lining of the diabetes diet: the only person gaining weight around here is my little baby and that's just fine with me!
Symptoms: OK so maybe I've been noticing my nails growing longer and stronger again...and I think I've concluded that it *IS* due to my prenatal vitamins...since I had to change them yet AGAIN.  I talked about this in Week 25 - that I went from one type of Stuart prenatals, to another kind and just about a month ago switched to Nature Made.  So I think the Nature Made vitamins must be similar to the first Stuart since my nails are growing super long and strong again.  Maybe I'll keep these vitamins up after pregnancy!
Queasy or Sick: Not really.  I have noticed an occasional, very faint, doesn't last very long feeling of nausea.  It's not at any particular time of day nor can I connect it to anything like a meal or activity.  So it could just be my imagination.
Sleep: Still doing pretty well here.  The last few weeks I've been trying to fall asleep lying on my side, and (as my OB said) not being too concerned if I wake up on my back.  It's working for me.  I don't get dizzy or lightheaded lying on my back, which means it shouldn't be a problem.  I've definitely been getting up a bit more at night to use the bathroom - but typically only once.
Best moment this week: Watching all the baby registry gifts show up at our door!  Since I've had 2 sets of baby shower invitations go out (1 for friends and 1 for family) and our biggest registry is on Amazon, we're getting a lot of gifts shipped to the house.  It's so convenient - but also means we have a TON of cardboard to dispose of each week!
Hardest part of the week: Continuing to deal with the GD diagnosis - though it's getting very manageable and I really do love that my weight gain has screeched to a super slow pace.  Really, I complain about this - but it's very doable - especially knowing it only has to go on like this for another 2 or so months.  And now that I've identified some good breakfast ideas (2 slices of whole wheat toast with 1 T peanut butter on each, 2 eggs and 2 slices whole wheat toast, 2 slices Sprouts whole wheat raisin toast and 3/4 cup of cottage cheese) and some good snack ideas (3 cups of popcorn, Kind bars - my fave is Dark Chocolate Nut & Sea Salt, string cheese, a bowl of cherry tomatoes, 6-10 whole wheat crackers with goat cheese, 1/4 cup of pistachios, Chobani Simply 100 yogurt, 1/2 cup of grapes) I'm feeling a lot better about grabbing some food.

Looking forward to: My 2 baby showers are coming up in just a few weeks!  And then the Holidays follow right after!
Movement:  Lots of movement.  Sometimes I feel such a big movement it's like someone poked me from behind.  I feel my whole body move!  For some reason it seems like when I'm lying on my side to fall asleep, Baby is more active when I'm on my left than on my right.
Food cravings:  I think this will continue until the end of my pregnancy now: all desserts and carbs!!!
Happy or moody: Happy - feeling good.
Labor signs: No.  Waiting for Braxton-Hicks contractions, but don't think I've felt any.
Maternity clothes:  Um, yes.  Oh this belly of mine.  But as big as I feel like it is, it's not as big as some of my fellow 29-weekers in my babycenter.com Birth Club.  Wow!!
Belly button in or out: In, but stretching.  Maybe I *will* get an outie before the end of this pregnancy?
Wedding rings on or off: On, but more snug.
Stretch marks: No
Learnings from the week: We met with a potential pediatrician on Tuesday.  We have another meet and greet in about a month with a different pediatrician and then I think we'll decide between the two.  It was great to just get to sit and chat with a pediatrician - especially since I had a couple questions about items on my registry (like my bassinet.)  Very handy to chat with them.
Final Thoughts:  At my OB appointment last week, I got my necessary TDaP vaccination.  It is suggested that pregnant women get this booster shot between 27-36 weeks, but the earlier, the better.  TDaP stands for Tetanus, Diphtheria, Acelluar Pertussis but really the big scare these days is the Pertussis (whooping cough).  Whooping cough has made a huge resurgence lately which could be stemming from fewer parents vaccinating their kids, but it's also been suggested that there could be limitations in the vaccination.  Either way, I got the vax and Hubby will be getting vaccinated soon as well.  In fact, the pediatrician suggested anyone who will be spending a lot of time holding our baby (all grandparents, even those who do not live close by but might be visiting for a few days) should get the TDaP booster.  For what it's worth - MAKE SURE you really massage the medicine into your arm after you get the shot.  I didn't do this and it was super painful the next day (More painful than the flu shot I get every year...and I'm really not a sissy when it comes to shots either.)  Then perhaps even another day later it almost looked/felt like a big bug bite: slightly red, raised welt, itchy... fun times!  But it faded within a few days and I don't even feel anything now, almost a week later.