29-32 Weeks Pregnant

Size of the baby: Baby has gone from 2.5lbs at 15 inches to 3.75lbs and 16.5 inches. Q was 7lbs at 37 weeks (when she was born) so that’s kind of what I’m expecting for this baby too. That would put Baby at around 8.5lbs at 40 weeks, if we make it that far. That’s how big I was when I was born.

Baby definitely seems to be running out of room in there. My belly feels tightly stretched at all times and when Baby moves it rolls around like there’s an alien inside. It’s kind of creepy to watch!

Emotional stuff: We are getting closer to meeting this baby! It’s gone from something very abstract to something a bit more concrete as we try to prepare Q to have someone new come to live at our house! I’m very nervous about maintaining some semblance of normalcy for her and about how much smaller our place is going to seem with the addition of all the baby stuff. Also, our room (where Baby will be) shares a wall with Q’s room and I’m really worried about them waking each other up. Q is still up 2-3 times a night (I know, shoot me) and between that & newborn wakeups I anticipate a rather rough transition. I’m trying not to dwell on the stuff that scares me but I’d rather address it now so we can make some plans regarding how to deal with certain inevitabilities of having two small children.

Yesterday Q & I got home from an outing in the pouring rain and I had a “How the hell will I manage this with two kids?” moment. We have a dedicated parking spot but it’s three doors down from our apartment so there’s a decent walk to and from the car each time. I anticipate many “make it work” moments in my future! I’m not really looking forward to carrying the infant seat around again but it will only be for a few months.

On a positive emotional note, it really hit me this week that my two kids will never know/remember life without each other. T-Rex will come into this world recognizing Q’s voice and will immediately learn her smell. They will be a part of each other’s earliest memories and hopefully grow up to be great friends. It’s so exciting to imagine!

Physical stuff: I’m getting uncomfortable. There. I said it. Second trimester glory days are definitely a thing of the past! Baby is so far up in my ribs that I’m no longer able to take a deep breath, which is frustrating and makes me feel claustrophobic in my own skin. I’m feeling that way right now as I type. Baby is pushing out and rolling around and I can’t really breathe.

I’m not longer able to lie on my back at all if I want to breathe. It’s not a good position this late in the game regardless but I miss it. Sitting reclined feels best on my hips but it’s hard to get up and down and hard to breathe. Sitting upright on the exercise ball is best for breathing but doesn’t feel great on my hips. Sitting upright in a chair doesn’t feel good on my hips nor does it help me breathe. Can you tell I’m frustrated?

I haven’t had Braxton Hicks or other cramping in the past few weeks so that’s good. Walking has been easier as well. I just need to take it slow. I’m not waddling yet but I see it on the horizon.

Sleep sucks right now. Sleeping on my side hurts my hips, even with body pillows. I wake up to pee every few hours and Q wakes up every 3 hours at night lately so between the two I’m only getting 1-2hr stretches. It’s ridiculous. I spend all morning in a daze, then I try to nap during her nap time, then I’m wide awake late at night. Something to work on.

Also in the sleep vein. I take my DHA fish oil pills at night in hope of sleeping through the few hours afterwards where I am prone to fish burps and since I’ve been waking up for much I haven’t been able to avoid them. I tell you, gagging on a fish burp while trying to console a screaming toddler just adds insult to injury really.

I’m very happy that I haven’t had major ailments like headaches or nausea though. I recognize that it could be much worse. I just want to breathe and sleep.

I can’t stop eating: I know I should be loving food right now but I’m feeling very “whatever” about it. I’ll eat whatever requires the least effort. No cravings recently, just convenience. Someone said the other day “Doesn’t everything taste so much better when you’re pregnant?” and I wish that were true!

I can’t even look at: No food aversions right now except things that I threw up in first trimester.

Fitness: Still going for walks pretty much every day. That’s about it for fitness stuff though. I’ve started doing some yoga stuff too in hopes of helping my hip discomfort.

Birth prep: We had a three hour meeting with our doula this past week and it was very productive. We went through an outline for a birth plan. We talked about my plan for how long I want to labor at home vs at the hospital. Contingency plans for different scenarios, etc. It was good to discuss these things ahead of time. We are meeting again in a few weeks to talk about fears and comfort measures to use during labor.

We are starting a comfort measures class next weekend so we can be better prepared to labor without pain medication. I think it will help S and I come together as a team in this process. I wish we had done it the first time.

I found out that midwife is going to be out of town from Oct 19-30, which is the window in which I would deliver if I deliver at the same time as I had Q. So, that’s scary, and a bit frustrating. I really hope I don’t go that early again this time because I really want my midwife to deliver my baby and not some random OB who is on call. I’m glad our doula will be with us regardless so in case my midwife isn’t there we’ll still have a familiar face. I don’t want to be surrounded by strangers this time. I want to feel secure and supported.

Baby prep: Nothing new here. We need to get the car seat out of storage and pack bags pretty soon. I need to choose a coming home outfit. I think I am underestimating how cold it will be.

Breastfeeding: Still weaned, although a few nights this week I offered “Mommy Milk” in the middle of the night when absolutely nothing else was working to calm her down. She has forgotten how to latch but just the offer and being close to my breasts was enough to calm her down and get her back to sleep. Thank goodness. I anticipate her asking to nurse again when the baby comes but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.