34 Weeks

Time is definitely flying by! Baby time is really just around the corner. Today I am 34 weeks, 2 days pregnant, but today is almost done, which means I really only have 5 1/2 weeks remaining until my guess date. That's so hard to believe! I can tell George is feeling the closeness now too. When we laid down for bed last night, he stared over at the co-sleeper and said, "Can you believe Andrew will really be in there sleeping in just a few short weeks?" There was definite awe in his voice.

Right now, I'm definitely feeling anxious about the fact that due dates really are just 'guess dates'. I read somewhere that only 5% of babies are actually born on their due dates. Sometimes they can come as early as a month before or as late as two weeks after. With gestational diabetes, I know my doctors are NOT going to want me to go past my due date, so I'm really hoping Andrew comes a few days early so we don't have to deal with arguments about not wanting pitocin and such. I talk to him every day, encouraging him to come just a teeny bit early. June 10th'ish would be perfect! Haha.

How Far Along: 34 weeks and counting!


My Baby This Week:  Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. (From www.babycenter.com)


Weight Gain: So far, I am right at 20 lbs gained. Not too bad!

Baby Bump:


Sleep: I'm just trying to sleep whenever I can these days! I am up about every hour to hour and a half during the night to use the bathroom or toss and turn. I take lots of naps, haha.


Best Moment of the Week: Before I can get to the best moment, I need to mention the scariest moment. At my doctor's appointment on Thursday, she thought she heard a very slow heartbeat. They hooked me up to an older monitor and even though Andrew's baseline looked okay, he kept dipping below normal. Basically, she freaked me out and set up an appointment for me to have a modified BPP (biophysical profile) done Friday. I was honestly scared to death something was going to be wrong with my baby.

I barely slept at all on Thursday night. Friday, we had to sit in the waiting room at the hospital for about 2 hours just waiting for them to create an open slot. Finally, we got in and I was hooked up to a heart rate monitor and a contraction monitor for about 20 minutes. (This is called an NST or nonstress test, which I'll be getting very familiar with over the next 5-6 weeks.) Luckily, what the test showed was that Andrew's heartbeat is normal. Yes, it does dip down to about 105 every now and again, but the tech said it was nothing to worry about since it pops right back up. She said all he has to do is bump against the umbilical cord and his heartbeat will drop for an instant. Well, during our 3D ultrasound the little guy actually had the cord in his hand. For all we know, he's in there squeezing it! Hehe.

Hands down the best moment of the week was finding out he was okay. They also measured my amniotic fluid and all is normal there. I will have to go back now for weekly monitoring in addition to my normal appointments, but I think everything is going to be fine and we will have a healthy little boy. A trouble-maker maybe. But a healthy one. :)


Movement: He's moving around a lot. I think I'll miss that the most after he's born. I love feeling him in there. I'll never be this close to my baby boy again.


Symptoms: Aches, especially in my pelvic region! I guess everything is stretching out, which is a good sign! It's just getting hard to move around and get comfortable these days! Also, the heartburn never ends.

Food Cravings: I do have one major craving!! Honest Kids juice packs. It's insane! These are low sugar juice drinks for kids, kind of like Capri Sun, only organic with a lot less sugar. They don't spike my bloodsugar since they are only like 6 ounces each, and I've been downing them! Tonight, George actually bought me like 7 cases, haha. It's an addiction. I'm half afraid I'm going to OD on vitamin C!



What I Miss: Having a brain that works at full capacity :P.


What I'm Looking Forward To: Enjoying these last few weeks with Andrew tucked safely inside. I hope I can stay focused on the happy things instead of the aches and pains!


Weekly Wisdom: Try not to freak out and get worried about something until you know for certain it's a problem. Positive thinking is so much healthier in the long run.


Milestones: Completed our hospital tour and got all of the baby clothes washed!


Emotions: I'm so happy Andrew is healthy. I'm anxious to meet him, but determined to find happiness and joy in these last weeks of being pregnant.