I haven't updated in so long, I'm not even sure where to start...
I'm currently 30wks3ds pregnant, and I honestly cannot believe it. I'm not entirely sure where the time has gone. One minute I was finding out I'm pregnant, and the next, it's almost time for her to be here.
I started weekly non-stress tests (or NST's) at 27 weeks. What happens with those is, I go in and they do a sonogram first where they check her size, the fluid level, and then they want her to do several things. I can't remember them all, but they're things like, she has to make 2-3 BIG movements, and then the big one is practicing moving her diaphragm. They need to see it move at least 4-5 times. When we first started the NST's it took for.ev.er. for her to move her diaphragm. Ugh. But I was reassured over and over that it was not uncommon for babies at that gestational age to not move it very much. When I went in yesterday, the sonogram was over in about 5 minutes. She made her movements, the fluid levels were good, her size was right on track, and she moved that little diaphragm like nobody's business. BUT THEN it was time to get hooked up to the monitor to watch her heart rate. Now, I've known this for weeks. She HATES, and I do mean that, when things are on my belly. If I lean up against something, or poke my belly, or rest my hands on my belly, she kicks and punches and moves around until whatever it is has moved. So, needless to say, she hated the monitor being on me. The nurse finally had to just stand there for 20 minutes and move the monitor around every few minutes because she kept wiggling away from it. Then after I'm on the monitor for what seems like forever but is only about 40 minutes, I see the doctor. This week the doctor told me that for a complicated pregnancy, mine is just not that complicated. So far, she's not measuring too big and she's doing what she's supposed to be doing at all of these appointments. So now we're just praying that she continues to not get too big and that when she's born she can maintain her blood sugar so that she doesn't have to go to the NICU at all.
Last week (the week before Easter), my mom and I traveled to Kansas to see Mary and Chris because Elizabeth and the boys were there, too. That was too much fun. Nathan is so excited about his cousin and we poked around on my belly until she finally kicked him. He thought that was so cool. But I'm not sure he understands that it's an actual person growing inside of me. I guess we'll see what he thinks when she's finally here. He knows what babies are, and that babies grow inside their mommies stomach, but I'm not sure he's connected the two yet. It may also be hard for him to process seeing as it's been so long since I've seen him and I STILL don't have the baby yet. I'm not sure my 4 year old mind would have understood that either. But the whole week with them was so much fun. I did swell a lot while I was there though. That wasn't fun. But after a week at home, my feet finally look almost normal again.
I've still be going to work 3 days a week like normal, but suddenly this week I wasn't sure how much longer I could work. I let my boss know and she said she knew it was coming soon, she could tell I was getting more and more uncomfortable. Aside from the swelling in my feet, on Monday there was a sharp pain right below my bellybutton that really scared me. Since I had an appointment on Thursday anyway, I waited until then to talk to my doctor about it. It didn't feel like a contraction or a Braxton Hicks contraction, it felt more like a pulled muscle or internal bruise. When I described it to the doctor she said it sounded more like the muscle pulling apart, which is normal at this point in pregnancy. I asked if there was anything to help with the pain (because seriously. It was bad. It hurt to do anything other than stand completely still) and she said, "Tylenol." I asked if a maternity belt would help and she said it might help to take the pressure off the muscle and that might ease the pain, but she couldn't guarantee it. I decided since the baby is so low and it's really painful anyway, to go ahead and try one on. It definitely helped with the belly pain, but it also helped with the lower back pain I didn't even realize I had until I had the belt on. Then as I started walking around with it on, I realized that it made me walk better. The waddle I had going on had stopped. Apparently, carrying her so low was putting more pressure on my lower half than I thought. She hates it, obviously, but my legs and back feel way better, so she's just going to have to get over it.
My doctor also wants next week to be my last week of work. Since I'm having to drive 40 minutes to work, and 40 minutes home, she wasn't comfortable with that. She didn't want me sitting for that long to drive. I was more than happy with that decision. She also said that at about 34 weeks I'll be started twice weekly visits, so that wouldn't be okay with my work. And honestly, I can't work as quickly as normal, and it's not fair to them to pay me to do half the work that needs to be done in a day. And I would really like to get to rest and get the house in order before I'm so tired and uncomfortable that I can't do it anymore...and I'm getting close to that. There's a lot that needs to be done around the house this weekend, but I told Derek that since next week was my last week of work, I was just going to take it easy and rest this weekend, and then after I'm done with work, I can get the house cleaned up. His first response to that was, "Well, don't over do it. You need to be resting, too." I told him that was why I was going to wait until I'm done with work, so that I don't have to push myself too hard trying to get it all done in a couple of days on the weekend. He was very happy with that.
Baby Girl's room is almost ready. We still have an armior that needs to be moved into the living room and then I can get the room set up how I want it. I just got the nursery bedding set that I registered for from my mom and sisters, and that came with wall decals, so I'm excited to get those up on the walls. I also need to paint the letters I got for her wall, but I don't have any newspaper so I'm not sure where or how I'm going to get those painted. I wanted to do it today, but I was too tired to figure something out. Oh, well.
As of right now with everything going as well as it is, baby will be induced on May 29th. That's just a tentative date, nothing set in stone yet, but it made it very real to hear an actual date. So I only have a little less than 8 weeks before she's here. It's still all very surreal.
