Next month is baby month!
That can’t be right, can it?
Seven weeks left. The countdown is on.
I’ve been a lot more tired and achy this week than in previous weeks, but I think that is due to the fact that we just moved! This past week has been packed (pun intended) with boxing up all our belongings, scrubbing every surface in our old apartment, moving boxes, and unpacking. Phew! Gideon had several days where his nap was either super late or nonexistent thanks to the chaotic situation of our home (we had a carpet guy here laying carpet one day, my family here moving us in another, etc…). But we’ve finally got the main pieces of our master bedroom in place, and we’ve all been trying to catch up on our rest. Gideon’s room is still full of boxes, but hoping to get it set up in the next week or two!
This pregnancy is SO different than my first. With my pregnancy with Gideon, I was just slowly slogging through my days, anxiously marking every day off the calendar. My only goal was to keep Gideon inside as long as possible. With this pregnancy, I’ve had the luxury of not thinking about it that much. My first pregnancy was so all-consuming, that I’ve really shied away from putting too much mental energy into this one, focusing instead on my toddler, and the life that I am living. But now that I’m getting SO close, I really am feeling the pressure to start preparing for this baby more intentionally! Although, to be honest, all I want to do is unpack and get the house set up. I’m afraid I’m going to get done unpacking, and look at the calendar and realize that baby is due any day, ha ha!
What is baby #2 up to? Baby is busy packing on the weight–gaining half a pound a week! Baby is around 4.25 lbs, and 17 inches long. Baby now has his/her own immune system!
How are you feeling? I’ve been saying this for weeks, but I need to get in to the chiropractor. This week, I had a lot of lower back pain, and I know I need to get adjusted! Also, moving really took it out of me, but I am starting to catch up on sleep!
This week’s midwife appointment: I just can’t get used to the fact that my appointments are so quick (10-15 minutes) and so uneventful! It is SO nice to have an uncomplicated pregnancy this time around. The midwife confirmed baby’s position (head down, with his/her little butt on the upper right side, and legs over on the left). I had been really trying to pay attention to baby’s movements, and thought I had figured out his/her position and I had! I asked the midwife what I should be doing to prep for a vaginal delivery, at this point, and she didn’t really tell me anything new, but it was interesting to hear her thoughts. She suggested spinning babies exercises, red raspberry leaf tea, 6 dates a day, but she said honestly the absolute best thing I could do for myself was to stay really active until birth. Done!
How are you prepping for labor/delivery? I am drinking red raspberry leaf tea every night, trying not to recline too much (to help with baby’s positioning), walking 1-4 miles a day, watching our birth course, and this week I am going to work on getting back to the chiropractor, reading my birth books, and starting some spinning babies exercises.
Do you have any fears about labor/delivery? This is a question the midwife asked me this week, and I replied quite honestly: that I don’t! I am just SO pumped for labor to start. Part of it is that I didn’t even get the chance to experience it the first time, and I’m so happy that I can this time! I know it is going to be painful. Once it is all over and done with I might change my tune, but for now, I am excited!
Do you feel like the baby is low? Yes! This is another question the midwife asked me. With Gideon, by this point, I was having a lot of rib pain. He was really high up into my ribs–and they had a hard time getting him out when I had my C-section. I felt him kicking up in my ribs for months. This pregnancy is different, I haven’t had any rib discomfort, but I do feel like this baby is constantly kicking my bladder.
Have you had any Braxton Hick’s contractions yet? I haven’t had any that I could identify. I didn’t with Gideon either. I have had a few days (especially after all the moving) when my belly felt extremely uncomfortable, so maybe those were contractions? But I haven’t noticed any patterns of tightening/releasing that would lead me to believe that I’ve had contractions.
What symptoms do you have? Some soreness and lower back pain.
And, for comparison, here is my 33 Week Bumpdate with Baby #1