34 Weeks

In case anyone missed it, I had a post earlier this week about our birth plan and journey thus far.  If you feel led to read it here or have already, it is my only hope that new moms or expecting moms use it as a spark to make sure they are educated about their births, babies, and bodies.  My choices aren't for everyone but they came after we did research and we are making informed decisions that best fit us. 

How Far Along: 34 Weeks, 1 Day  Is it really March already?!?

Baby's Size:  Butternut Squash Average size: 17.2-18.7 inches, 4.2-5.8 lbs (Another source says baby weighs about 5 lbs and could be approximately 20 inches head to toe.)
Baby can recognize and react to simple songs.

Total Weight Gain:
Home scale: 2.7 lbs this week (I give up! Holy cow!) bringing me to 24.6 lbs total
Doctor’s scale: 3 lbs this week and 27 lbs total at our 34 week appointment yesterday
Weight gained with Grant at this point:  33 lbs

Maternity Clothes:  Of course nearly all of the time now.  There are still a couple non-maternity shirts that fit comfortably though.   

Baby's Movement:  Most of her movements seem to be isolated to the left side now which makes sense since as of now her head is down with torso on the right side meaning I would feel arm/hand and leg/feet movements on the left side. 

Food Cravings:  Ummm apparently everything in sight! 

Food Aversions:  Again, I don't think I could turn food down if I wanted to.  Obviously by the looks of the scale!

Sleep:  A little more restlessly... waking several times a night for no reason.  Still not back to making a bathroom trip just waking for no reason then back to sleep.  I also always fall asleep on my left side but when I wake up I am almost always on my back.  Maybe that is why I am waking?   

Symptoms:  Lots of baby hiccups down low... good sign for position!  Feeling a little pressure/achiness between my legs but not all the time.  It comes and goes.  It is getting a little tighter putting my wedding ring on even in the mornings but my feet/legs aren't really too swollen by the end of the day.  And boy oh boy is this belly firming up and getting tight.  I have also noticed my urine is very cloudy usually until about noon or mid-day and then clears up.  This has been associated with some back pain in my kidney area.  I brought it up at my appointment yesterday and she suggested we take a urine sample because sometimes in pregnancy you can have a bladder infection and not know it.  I haven't heard back yet with the results.  I am sure it is nothing but wanted to be on the safe side.     

Best Moment(s) This Week:  I am running out of stuff to do around the house to "get ready."  That must mean we are pretty close to having it all done and me being satisfied. 

What I Miss:  Not being paranoid about sitting in the recliner and relaxing for the night.  I have done tons of research about baby position and recliners or any type of bucket seat which causes your pelvis to tilt backwards should really be a no-no at this point so I have been avoiding those seats as much as possible.  They can actually contribute to mal-presentation whether baby is breech or posterior.         

What I Am Looking Forward To:  Enjoying the next several weeks with Grant.  Nearly everything is done and now I just want to soak up as much time with him before we meet this lil' girl.  I also want to do a little cooking and make and freeze some meals for after baby.  It will help that my mom will be here and I can put her to work cooking for us as well :) 

What's Different This Time:  I don't feel as panicked as I did with Grant because it was at 34 weeks we found out he was breech which sent me into a baby turning frenzy.    

Appointment update:  Overall my appointment went great.  Baby is absolutely head down right now and her heartbeat was clocking in at 142.  My belly measured right at 34 weeks and everything was still closed up tight aka no signs of dilation.  She also did the Group B Strep swab so we will see how that comes back.  I was negative with Grant. 

Next Appointment:
March 21st - 36 week appointment  Boo... I don't want to wait 2 weeks for another appointment.