Week 34

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:
I am definitely wobbling a lot now and feel the weight of my pregnant belly. We had such a busy weekend that by the end of each day I was so sore and beat; I couldn't get into bed fast enough. Plus, my ankles started swelling. And the crotch pain is starting to get pretty bothersome like last time. There have been a few times that my hands have started itching. I'm hoping this is not the beginning signs of the itchy skin rash forming that I got while pregnant with Natalie. It's hard to believe that in no more than a little over 5 weeks our little girl will be joining us!

Two big milestones this week -- Airlines will no longer allow me to fly on their planes and most importantly, if our little girl comes early, I won't need steroid shots to speed up development of her lungs. Her lungs should be developed enough to handle it if she comes early. Relieving news!

Our baby responds as a newborn with its eyes open while awake and closed while sleeping. She is developing immunities to fight mild infection. Those sharp little fingernails are at the ends of the fingertips already. She probably weighs close to 5.5 lbs now.

My book club friends threw me and another friend, Suzi (she's having her baby no later than Nov. 2 -- very soon!), a baby shower for both of our second babies. It was very sweet of them and I had a great time. They all gave me board books for baby #2 which was such a great idea for a book club group. I'm sure baby girl #2 will enjoy having new books that haven't been chewed on by Natalie. And it turns out we didn't have any of the ones they got it. And of course, the cake and baked goods were delicious.


Some of the woman brought their little ones. We got a cute photo of the five of them hanging out together. I decided not to bring Natalie because she had a costume party that afternoon that she needed her nap beforehand. She would of had fun though hanging out with Brandon, Lily, Jude, Emma and Lucy.

Week 33

With Darling Daughter #2: With Natalie:
I had my 33 week appointment yesterday with Dr. Gunter. Given that my pregnancy has thankfully been low key and I've worked out my approach to VBAC vs. c/s, my appointments are pretty quick. He checked for her heartbeat with the Doppler (140 bpm), measured my fundal height (on track for 33 weeks) and confirmed that she is head down right now. He said everything looked good. I also got my seasonal flu shot during my appointment but will need to wait on H1N1 since they didn't have any available. I also saw Nurse Hilbert last Thursday; I was pretty sick with a cold last week. She put me on an antibiotic since it appeared like it was leaning towards bronchitis. I'm feeling much better now.

I got together with some other mothers last Wednesday for a Mom's-night-out dinner. They surprised me with a homemade cake that said Baby on it (made by Marie!), cupcakes from Callie and a few gifts for the baby from Callie (a dress) and Jen (a board book). It was very sweet of them and totally a surprised! We had a great time hanging out and chit chatting.

The baby is constantly punching and kicking me. It feels very different than it did with Natalie since the punches are all along my pelvic area -- it feels a little weird when she does it. I'm glad she's so active though. I am starting to get a little bit of the crotch pain that I got last time; however, it's no where near how it was before. Mostly I feel a little sore when I stand up from sitting or laying for too long. And I can feel it when I roll over. I have to support my belly with a pillow pretty much all the time now when I'm laying on my side unless my belly is resting directly on the bed or couch. Although I took my rings off a few weeks ago, I can still wear my middle finger ring and my engagement ring without it being too tight yet. I definitely can not wear my wedding band -- it feels so uncomfortable and hard to get on and off. Overall, my pregnancy is going great. We're looking forward to meeting our little girl soon!

Because of the swine flu (H1N1) that is going around, Rex Hospital has a new policy that anyone under 18 is not allowed in the hospital unless being admitted so this means we can not have Natalie come up to visit me and the baby after delivery. I'm sad about this as I always envisioned her getting to meet her little sister in the hospital with us. I'm slightly worried about being gone a few days and then just showing up at home with a new baby - that she might not react well to this but we're thinking we might have her at least come to the lobby when we are getting checked out. That way she can see the baby and me at the hospital and we can all drive home together. I suppose one good thing about her not coming up to the hospital is that she won't have to deal with separation anxiety of seeing me for a little while and then having to leave again while I stay there. Also, if I have a c-section, she wouldn't be able to climb all over me like I'm sure she would want to once she sees me.

Our little girl is probably about 4.5 to 5 lbs now. She will gain more than half her birth weight in the next seven weeks. She'll begin to move less now as she runs out of room and curls up with knees bent, chin resting on chest and arms and legs crossed. At this point, the amniotic fluid is at the highest level in the pregnancy. The amount will remain constant until delivery. Rapid brain growth has increased the baby's head size approximately 3/8 of an inch this week. Fat continues to accumulate which turns the baby's skin color from red to pink.

Week 32

With Darling Daughter #2:
With Natalie:

I'm starting to get pretty uncomfortable sleeping. I have to get up frequently to use the bathroom plus turning over in bed is very tedious. My tailbone hasn't been hurting that much which is a nice relief but my hips are a little sensitive while sleeping. DD#2 is still punching and kicking me a lot more than I recall Natalie doing. A lot of weird pelvic punches/pushes. The lower part of my belly is feeling very sensitive and a lot of pulling sensations. And not surprising, but my c-section scar itches a lot now. But overall, it's still been a very low key pregnancy which is a relief.

Our little girl is probably about 4-4.5 pounds now! Her irises are now responsive to light, dilating and contracting as needed. Due to deposits of fat under the skin, her skin is now pink rather than red. Her nails are now long enough to reach to the tip of her fingers or beyond and may need trimming as soon as she's born so she doesn't scratch herself. A loud noise near me may actually cause our little one to jump. She pushes back when we push on her feet or butt that pushes out of my belly.

Week 31

With Darling Daughter #2:
With Natalie:

Technically I'm 31 weeks 1 day today. Yesterday we were flying back from MN where we visited Natalie's Oma and Opa; I didn't get a chance to upload my photo. Last Thursday, I had an appointment with Dr. Gaines to discuss my VBAC vs. c-section decision. As I expected Dr. Gaines was very clinical and too the point about my options. In retrospect, I was pretty emotional about my decision and probably should have had Emile come with me to the appointment. In general, I came to the conclusion that I would schedule a repeat c-section. It was a hard decision for me; however, one of the main reasons for my decision was I don't think I was emotionally on-board for committing to the VBAC like I thought I should be for getting over my fears of the potential complications. My c-section has been scheduled for December 3rd at 12:30 p.m. I have a pre-test appointment the day before and a pre-op appointment on November 24th. If I go into labor before then on my own and I actually progress (unlike last time) quickly, then I may still decide to try for the VBAC. If I don't appear to be progressing, I will more than likely still end up in a c-section. I will be full term as of November 17th so I could of course still go into labor on my own between then and December 3rd (of course, hopefully I don't go into labor before 37 weeks). At the latest, our little girl will be here by the 3rd.

Having the c-section scheduled definitely makes her arrival seem so much closer. It's very exciting and coming up sooner than I keep thinking.

My tail bone pain has subsided thankfully. My belly feels pretty heavy when I lay on my side if it is not supported. My Braxton Hicks contractions are still pretty consistent -- a few everyday. She kicks and punches me constantly, making her presence known.

Our baby probably measures about 18 inches long from head to toe and weighs about 3.5 pounds right now. Rather than hearing vibrations, her nerve endings in her ears are connected now so that she can hear distinct sounds, like familiar voices and music. This week, a layer of fat will form underneath the thin, wrinkly skin. She'll also start practicing opening her eyes and breathing.