Weeks 30 & 31: "Freshly Showered"

Yes, I know, I've been slacking lately, so I will try to catch you all up!

Saturday the 21st (30 weeks, 3 days) was my baby shower! Grandma Dee and my mother hosted it, and with those two in cahoots I knew it would be a lavish affair! It was WAY MORE than I ever expected. It was a safari theme, to match the theme of his nursery, and there were animal prints, stuffed animals, and other kinds of themed decor everywhere! And then there was the cake...It was on par with my wedding cake!!! It was a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting and just as delicious as it was beautiful. For the "food-food" there was a Thanksgiving-esque buffet set up. There was a honey baked ham, honey baked turkey, corn souffle, brie cheese tray etc. etc. etc. Needless to say, no one left hungry. I got so many great gifts also! Everything from strollers, to carseats, to bouncer seats, to clothes, to gift cards! I couldn't believe the "haul". This kid is going to be the best dressed baby in Florida! Like I said, the shower was way more than I ever expected. I'm so thankful for those of you that came, and to Grandma Dee and my mom for throwing such a lovely party! I'm sorry I couldn't include more pictures, blogspot doesn't let you upload very many without it distorting the page.

The rest of that week was filled with miscellaneous appointments. On Monday, the 23rd (30 weeks, 5 days) we had an ultrasound with my mom's ultrasound tech friend, Jennifer. I look forward to our ultrasound appointments with her for weeks in advance! The baby was perfect. She measured his head, belly and femur, and concluded that he was measuring at about 34 weeks! That's about 3 weeks ahead of schedule! He was weighing in at 4 lbs. 8 oz. An average baby at 31 weeks weighs about 3.3 lbs. At this point, babies usually gain about a half pound a week, so he could potentially be a pretty big baby. She also said he has a lot of hair, and full lips! I know I always say this, but I really am getting antsy to see him in person!

On the 24th (30 weeks, 6 days) I had an appointment with my OB. She had requested to see me weekly to monitor my blood pressure. In the office, before my appointment, it was 138/82. I was very nervous going into the appointment, that it was going to be high, and of course, it was higher than normal. When I met with the doctor, she said, "Have we ever discussed the possibility of bedrest?" WHAT!?! I felt like saying, "SLOW DOWN! My blood pressure is only high before I get it taken in your office!" She said if it went over 140/90, bedrest would be "prescribed". Thankfully, its never been that high. We also discussed my upcoming Nephrologist appointment which was to take place about an hour after my OB appointment on that day, and what I should expect. She ordered blood work on my liver also. I'm not quite sure now why she did this, but I knew why when I was in the office. Haha! They didn't find anything "interesting" or they would have called by now. I wanted to keep her up to date with my out-of-office ultrasounds, so I asked her about the baby's weight being so high for a 30 week, 6 day old baby. She said he was definitely a, "larger baby", but she wasn't concerned. She didn't mention that I was going to be getting another ultrasound, but my cousin Lauren informed me that they usually do another one around 34 or 36 weeks to track growth and development, so I figured they would investigate more at that time. We had to get out of there pretty quickly to make it to our NEXT appointment with the Nephrologist...it was a fun-filled day.

The Nephrologist's office was gross. It was in a rough section of town, and the office itself smelled like soup. Yuck! Colt was making me laugh so hard, because he is such a germ-o-phobe. Of course, with his luck, got seated next to a woman wearing a medical mask! Everytime she coughed, Colt would lean over to my chair and say, "I'm not going to breathe, I'm not breathing." Haha! We waited for about an hour in the waiting room, which was ridiculous. We got to see a bunch of characters walk in and out the door. Not exactly the kind of people that a healthy person would want to sit next to. Finally, we got called back to see the doctor. They tested my blood pressure, which was 120/80! This was significantly lower than it was at the OB's office only a few hours earlier. To me, this is proof that I am just getting nervous about it being high at the OB's office, so it is. After my blood pressure was taken, we were taken to our room to wait another 30 minutes! The total wait time was an hour and a half! I guess it was worth it, because the doctor was really nice, and helpful. She asked if I knew what my protein levels were before I was pregnant, and what they were at the time of my last 24 urine test. Before I was pregnant it was 184, and at my last urine test, it was 354. She said the increase was normal because of the pregnancy, but anytime the numbers go over 300, Obstetricians tend to get nervous. She said since I had higher levels of protein in my urine before, I'm most likely just fine. In her field, anything under 1,000, "isn't usually something to worry about." The only problem is, because I'm pregnant, any tests that she would do on me at this point would have skewed results. She asked if I had ever had any kidney stones, urinary tract infections, or anything out of the ordinary. My answer was "no" to everything. She said that when the kidneys start to have a problem, they can get inflamed, and swell a little bit. Sometimes this doesn't go away. I could have had a problem several years ago, and the slight swelling and liquid in the kidneys which is causing the protein leak, could be old damage that hasn't gone away yet. She didn't seem worried at all. Just in case, I have another appointment with her the third week in December.

I know that all of this medical talk is probably totally boring to read, as I would be bored out of my mind reading this if it weren't about me. I'm trying to document everything as best as I can, so if I run into any similar problems in future pregnancies, I will have a resource to turn to for information. So...sorry for all of the boring parts!

In slightly more interesting news, feeling the baby move is different than it has been in past weeks. Instead of just a sharp kick, I can actually feel him move around. I can watch my belly, and see one of his body parts move from the left side of my stomach to the center, or right side. Of course, its not clear what body part it is, but its still fun! I can also feel him move a body part really low in my abdomen, and feel him move another body part on my left side, and another one on my right side, all at the same time! Its strange, because I tend to think of him as teeny tiny still, but he's really filling out! A 32 week (where I'm at now) old baby is supposed to be roughly 16.7 inches long from the top of his head to his toes, and about 3.75 lbs., but again, he was about 4 lbs. 8 oz, at almost 31 weeks, so he's probably taller than 16.7 inches as well!

The third trimester has proven itself to be significantly more uncomfortable than the second, as expected. I've started experiencing back pain for the first time in my life. I've never had a problem getting comfortable when I sleep, but now I have to switch from my left to right side frequently to prevent back pain. I'm also waking up every hour, to every two hours to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, which really disrupts the sleep cycle. I guess its just my body's way of preparing me for those late night feedings! Shortness of breath is a new, and unwelcome symptom that surfaces occasionally. They say its because the baby is getting so big, he puts more pressure on your lungs, which makes sense. I don't experience this all the time, so its not a big deal. I feel so out of shape when it does happen though! I am out of shape! Haha! Its getting harder to do everyday things like paint my toenails, zip up my boots, and fold my jean legs into capri pants. I hate dropping things because picking them up isn't fun. I think it has a lot to do with the baby's position though, because if he's lower, bending over doesn't really bother me, but if he's higher, it feels like he's cutting off my air supply! Another interesting symptom is what I like to call "facial hot flashes". My face and ears get really hot and start to turn slightly red for a few seconds. Its all hormones, and it doesn't really bother me. Its not ALL bad though. For the most part, I am enjoying the last part of my pregnancy, and being able to feel him move around inside my body. I'm sure I will miss it when he's out in the real world.

All of his clothes, blankets, extra sheets, towels, washcloths, etc. are washed and ready for use! I'm going to hold off on washing the bedding until after my 34 week ultrasound, when they'll have a better idea of when he'll be born. I can't seem to get the house clean enough or organized enough. We put the finishing touches on the nursery last week (31 weeks). We're still deciding whether or not we're going to put my old TV on top of his chest of drawers, or buy one (Colt wants a small flat screen for the nursery). Now we just have to get the carseat installed in my car, and our bags packed and ready to grab in a hurry!

Well that's about it for weeks 30 and 31. I am into my second day of the 32nd week now. I will try to be more diligent about posting! Thanks for reading!!!

P.S. I had doctor appointment yesterday (32 weeks, 1 day). It was very routine, and my blood pressure was 120/82, which is normal! The doctor said she wasn't concerned about Pre-Eclampsia after seeing the results from the Nephrologist appointment. My next appointment is December 17th for my ultrasound and routine checkup. My appointments are every two weeks now, until 36 weeks and then they'll be weekly! We're getting close!

P.P.S. I forgot to mention my birthday was November 30th. My sweet husband surprised me with a manicure/pedicure appointment at Somers & Company Salon and Day Spa in Safety Harbor. Its getting hard for me to paint my own toenails! He even went with me and ran errands while I was being pampered. I don't know how I got so lucky with him. He is one of the greatest blessings in my life.