My Pregnancy Journal: Weeks 29-31

Happy December! Now that we’re at the end of the year, I’m getting closer & closer to the end of my pregnancy as well. When I first got pregnant, I was looking forward to being pregnant in the winter this time- being 9 months pregnant in August in Vegas last time around was no joke. My doctor ordered me to not even get the mail because it was too hot out. This time around, it’s freezing- but I’m exhausted! I didn’t really do the math & realize that third-trimester fatigue would coincide perfectly with the holiday season. I guess the grass is always greener, right? At least it’s not 110 degrees outside.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, it seemed like I knew so many people who were pregnant. I still do, but now almost all of those people are due after me- because most of the people who were due before me already have their babies! It’s really starting to feel like I will get to meet this little guy soon &I can’t wait!

How Far Along: 31 Weeks

Due Date: February 6, 2014

Boy or girl: Boy

Baby’s Development:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3 1/3 pounds (about the size of a coconut) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy. –babycenter.com

Movement: Like the development update says, movement can be quite uncomfortable sometimes. I still love when he moves, because it allows me to bond with him & it lets me know everything’s alright, but there have been plenty of downright painful moments lately.

The Bump:

Symptoms: It’s been hard to sleep lately- I can fall asleep, but sometimes when I try to go back to sleep after getting up to use the bathroom for the 30th time, I can’t fall back asleep. My sleep schedule is all messed up, but it will be in just a few short weeks when baby comes so I may as well get used to it! Aside from being tired, my only other symptom is discomfort. I know there’s nothing I can do about it until baby comes so I’m just coping. I have SPD, a pregnancy-related condition where the pelvic bones separate too much. It makes it hard to walk after I’ve been sitting or laying for too long so I’m trying to make sure I stay pretty active- which is not easy to do when I’m exhausted & my belly has a mind of it’s own, but I’m trying!

Cravings: Nothing really.

Food aversions: None- I’ve finally been cooking consistently as I can manage to be around pretty much any food again. I still have moments of feeling sick sometimes, but it’s never triggered by food anymore.

What made me cry this week: My hormones must finally be balancing out {just in time to go crazy again} because I actually can’t recall crying once in the last few weeks.

Medical stuff/appointments:  I saw my doctor on Monday for my 30-week checkup & found out that I passed my 1-hour glucose screening. My blood pressure was perfect and my weight gain is on track- the only concern is that baby was measuring a bit large. I was 30.5 weeks when I went in, but baby was measuring at 33 weeks- anything above a 2 week difference is cause to keep an eye out. Since it was only a few days’ difference, he just said he’d keep an eye out next time {a week from Monday} & if baby is still measuring large, I’ll have another ultrasound to make sure everything is okay. There is no reason to believe anything is amiss since everything has been completely textbook to this point, the only concern would be if baby is too large. Since I’m attempting a VBAC, we’d have to induce on the early side to prevent a repeat C-Section if that were the case, but like I said, baby was only measuring a few days past the margin they allow so we will see what happens next week. Oh, and at the appointment baby’s heart rate was 164!

Something I am excited about: Justin’s painting the nursery this weekend so we can FINALLY start buying everything we need & setting it up! I’m so excited to finally have a room to imagine bringing baby home to, and also excited to get baby stuff out of my living room, and dining room, and hallways, and…

Something I am not so excited about: I think I’m pretty much in the clear with all the yucky things. I don’t have any more bloodwork ahead and since I passed the first glucose test, I won’t need another. Other than watching my belly expand more & more {which is great, but tiring & sometimes painful} I can’t think of anything that isn’t super exciting!

Baby purchases: I’ve been buying a couple of pieces of baby clothes pretty much anytime I’m at a store. I’ve also been receiving some items from some generous companies that I’ll be featuring over the next couple of months!

Shane’s Thoughts: Shane is trying to get a sense of what being a big brother will mean for him. He sometimes asks if he’ll be responsible for certain things, and I always emphasize that he’s more than welcome to help whenever he wants {with supervision & permission} but that he does not have to do anything. He seems a bit worried sometimes that he won’t know how to do certain things, but I reassure him constantly. On the flip side, I love that he’s already taking his job as Big Bro so seriously when baby isn’t even here yet!

Also, Shane hates the name we chose. He is constantly coming up with new names instead, like his favorite- “Boat”.

Read More:
Weeks 26 – 28
Weeks 24 & 25
Weeks 22 & 23 Update
Gender Reveal
Week 20 & 21 Update
Week 19 Update
Week 18 Update
Week 17 Update
Week 16 Update
Week 15 Update
Week 14 Update
Week 13 Update
Week 12 Update
Week 11 Update
Week 10 Update
Pregnancy Reveal

How did your older kids respond to becoming a big sibling?