Friday, February 21, 2014

38 weeks.

This is my second to last Friday at work {at least I hope it is!} and I am not fully convinced that I’m truly having a baby in the next few weeks. It’s been a good week, a day short thanks to Presidents’ Day, and I’m trying to mentally gear up for my last five days at work…so let’s get an update!
Pardon the shadowy right side; our apartment has a couple of big boxes and not the best lighting currently. And this is how I look after 14 hours. Also, I wanted to wear a dark colored top to contrast more with our light walls but this white t-shirt is one of the things that still fits well/in an embarrassing way.

How far along: 38 weeks

Symptoms:

·      I had some of this in my right hand several months ago but it has flared up big time and into my thumb…I think it’s carpal tunnel syndrome. My thumb joint gets SO stiff and painful overnight and during the day it’s just in pain. My hand is weak because of it and I’m worried I’ll pick up something break-able and drop it. I’ve heard this can happen in pregnancy so I truly hope it goes away when our child has made her appearance.
·      Related to the carpal tunnel, I think, I’ve had a very tingly right arm. Sometimes it feels like it’s asleep but without any pressure on it. I’ve heard that baby can rest oddly on various nerves which explains this sensation and the midwives agree. I think it’s also what’s been making the top of my belly feel tingly. Lots of people say a tingly arm is a heart attack warning but this is definitely not that, it's baby-nerve contact.
·      I’ve been HUNGRY this week. Like, so hungry. I’ve been eating sandwiches at night after dinner.
·      A bit of the old back pain has been lingering but it’s not too bad.
·      My feet are bigger than they were nine months ago, though that’s not new…what is new is that last night when we got back from the midwife I noticed that my right leg was a bit bigger than my left and that it had a bit of pain. It got better after a night’s sleep but I noticed the pain and swelling again this evening. After initially telling me to lay down, the midwife, when she called back to check in, said to rest and call again tomorrow if things get worse/don’t get better.

Wait gain: 167. Though the midwives’ scale said 170 but that was wearing a ton of clothes and boots.

Size of baby: a pumpkin or a bunch of leeks.

Exercise: just walking at work.

Milestones: we had our last baby shower – with friends; it was so much fun and we are so grateful for the beautiful shower our fabulous friends threw for us…and for the dear, dear friends who came into town to visit with us and celebrate the baby.

I met and trained my substitute teacher…so tiring but so worthwhile to be able to spend two days at work with her.

What I miss
: for the first time in my pregnancy, this week I felt a twinge of “it’s no longer my body…it’s her body. I’m so glad to give our daughter all she needs from what I have, and I will continue to do so when breastfeeding, but it sure will be exciting to wear normal clothes again!

Sex: little girl.

Movement: strong and frequent, though she had a couple of “quieter” days. The midwife said that she’s in a “perfect” position.

Thoughts/questions/concerns: I’m not thrilled with this swelling/pain combination so hopefully a weekend off my feel things will feel better.   

I’d like to finish this upcoming last week at work so hopefully everything stays healthy and in position. It would also be nice to have a few days to myself at home after stopping work so hopefully baby stays put for a couple more weeks.
Gratuitous puppy shot.
Sleep: I’m up every two to three hours and I need to flip over to the other side each time I get up otherwise I get sore arms/backs/hips. I'm attached to my snoogle while in bed.

Goals: be/stay healthy through my last week at work.

Random: I’d like to order a few more things for baby before she gets here; changing table pad {to go on tope of our dresser}, some baby hand mittens, and a few other things. We also got a Moby wrap which I’m really excited to try out with an actual baby in the wrap rather than a big belly in the way of tying it around me.
xoxo, natty ♥

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