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!