29 Week Pregnancy Blog
Written on June 23, 2016
Well, I'm officially in the 3rd trimester and getting closer and closer to meeting our baby girl! In some ways, this pregnancy has flown by, but at the same time, I feel like I've been pregnant forever! Between the complications I've had, having to chase a toddler around, and moving, time has just sped by. It's hard to believe we are getting close to welcoming this little girl into our lives! This week in particular was probably one of the craziest weeks of my pregnancy thus far. I am officially writing from a new location -- our new house in Lizella, GA! We moved since I last blogged and life has been extra crazy, but very exciting! So far, we are enjoying our new house, new church, and new town. I've spent most of the week unpacking and trying to get things organized. Next up, prepare for baby sister's arrival! It's so different the second time around...I feel like I've done nothing to prepare at all! But that's mostly because I already have almost everything I need from the last time around...Grayson is not even 18 months old yet, after all! ;) Here's a look at how things are going as we head into the home stretch of this pregnancy!
How far along? 29 weeks 4 days -- officially in the Third Trimester!
Baby: Baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (about the size of a butternut squash or a small cabbage) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. Her muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and the head is growing bigger to make room for the developing brain. This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in the baby's hardening skeleton each day.
Total Weight Gain: This week my weight gain is 13 lbs. (118-119). I'm still slowly gaining which I am happy about and I'm trying not to gorge myself through this last trimester. I'm able to stay much more active which really helps! A lot of people say I look small, but at the doctor last week my belly measured 27 weeks (I was 28 weeks 2 days). My doctor thought that was right on target (as long as it's within a few weeks range) and he was happy with how my belly was growing. At the specialist, they did confirm that baby girl is in fact on the small side. I just don't make big babies!
Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing more and more maternity outfits and loving how comfortable they are! I'm definitely filling the maternity shirts out a little better now. I'm also wearing regular clothes that used to be a little big and wearing some of my regular shorts with the belly band -- I love that thing! Things don't always fit perfectly because my tummy is bigger, but the rest of my body is regular sized. Thankfully summer pregnancies allow for lots of tank tops, t-shirts, and comfy shorts. Now that I'm not working, I can basically wear what I want and what fits well, so that's nice! I'm already slightly sick of the selection, but I will make do since the end isn't too far away!
Stretch Marks: Still applying either the stretch mark cream or tummy butter (thicker formula) twice a day! I'm determined to do my best with preventing stretch marks. Applying the cream seemed like such a pain last time around, but it really doesn't bother me this time. It feels good for my tummy to stay moisturized because it can get itchy if I don't keep up applying the cream. I also know that being disciplined for this short amount of time can prevent stretch marks that last a lifetime. I'm really not that into appearance, but no one likes stretch marks, so that's enough motivation for me! :) I didn't get any stretch marks during my last pregnancy, but it looks like I may have a few already from this pregnancy. Not thrilled about it, but oh well! I will continue using the cream until the end!
Sleep: Last week, I was dragging, but this week I've been able to nap a little which always helps. We have so much going on that I can't seem to relax my brain enough to sleep longer than necessary. I wake up every few hours throughout the night and am woken up bright and early by a toddler. :) Grayson also hasn't been sleeping through the night much since we have moved. I assume he's just adjusting and it will go back to normal soon, but it's tiring being up with him in the night. I haven't missed it at all! We also have stairs in our new house (master on the main), so that gives a whole new meaning to him waking up during the night. I'm much more used to being tired this time around, so it doesn't bother me as much. I am noticing I am waking up more on my back though, so I must change positions throughout the night. Sleeping on my belly or side isn't that comfortable. After days of sleeping horribly, I'll usually have one or two really good nights of sleep or take a good nap.
Miss Anything? I've been so much more active these past few weeks and I'm feeling really good! Feeling like myself and like I don't have as many limitations helps me not miss much at all! My body does tend to hurt if I push it too hard. While unpacking, I've had a few days where my back was killing me afterwards. But as long as I am active in moderation, I feel pretty good! I do have to watch my activity level more this time than I did last time because my body reacts more this time. But I honestly think it's because I'm MORE active this time around. It may not seem like it, but I spend most of the day chasing Grayson around and picking him up. I rarely sit for more than a few minutes as opposed to sitting all day at work and then on the commute to and from work. Last pregnancy, I did work out, but that was only 1 hour of activity. This time around, I'm not doing official "workouts", but I am honestly much more active. Which is why I think I feel more pain more often!
Best Moment of the Week: Like I said, we moved this week! We've had a good first week here and a good first Sunday at our new church. We've also had VBS this week which has worked out nicely. It's been nice to get acquainted with everyone and get familiar with the church right off the bat. We have felt very welcomed and loved by our new church already which really helps with the transition. We have also received some sweet mail at our new house from old church members that has been very encouraging when I'm feeling sad or lonely.
Movement: She still moves like crazy and I love it. She's always going and rarely keeps me guessing if she's okay because she never really stops. I can tell she is growing in there because her movements are slowing down some and I am able to identify more body parts! At my last appointment, they said she was breech, but last week, they said she has moved and is now head down! I could almost tell before the confirmation because her movements have changed and I can tell which body parts are which...so freaky, but amazing!
Food Cravings: Still loving sweets, salads, and coffee! We've been loving the fresh produce that our church members have been giving us. I've been eating a whole tomato chopped up with pepper and ranch dressing and that's hit the spot. I've also been eating a lot of cookies this week -- yum!
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Gender: Girl! We have continued to get little bits of girl items from friends and family and I couldn't be more grateful. It's all so cute and pink and girly. Such a fun change! Next week, I am going to start washing her clothes and working on getting her room together more. So exciting! :)
Symptoms: Having more Braxton Hicks contractions (1-2 a day), sometimes the baby will sit on something and I get really uncomfortable but then the baby moves and I'm fine again, bending over has gotten a little harder but I can still do it as of now! Round ligament pain really only bothers me at night when my muscles have been at rest for a while. They get stiff and will hurt right when I first get out of bed. Also having back pain when I am overly active. I'm definitely feeling pregnant, but I am in the 3rd trimester after all! :) In all honesty, I still feel really good, so no complaints!
Happy or moody: All over the board!
Doctor's Appointments: Last week, I saw all 3 of my doctors! My regular OBGYN appointment went well and I now go back to them every 2 weeks. Can't believe it's already that time! I got my lab work done for my thyroid and found out that my levels were slightly high (hypo), so my doctor is lowering my dosage a little bit. Lastly, I had another visit at the specialist. This appointment was particularly stressful for a few reasons. Last time I went in (1 month ago), my hemorrhage was almost healed! While this is great news, they also noticed that the baby's head wasn't measuring correctly. There was a flat spot on her head and the measurements were just a little off. My doctor believed that this was due to the way the baby was positioned. He said the baby's brain looked great, but he wanted to recheck her head. Obviously, I spent the entire month in-between appointments trying not to stress, but still feeling really scared. We went in last week and they told us her head looked fine! Thank God for that! Unfortunately, there is now another developmental "issue" that they will be watching, so I will most likely be going to the specialist until the end of my pregnancy. Her belly was measuring small at this last appointment and her "head to belly" ratio was off. This could mean a bigger issue such as fetal growth restriction is going on, but nothing has been diagnosed yet. At every appointment, I have a detailed anatomy scan with very detailed measurements. Technology today is such a good and bad thing. While it's wonderful that I can see a doctor that can so closely monitor my baby's health, it's also scary when they continue to find small issues that wouldn't ever have been noticed in the past. Most of the issues naturally work themselves out, but of course the doctors are going to be cautious and continue to monitor me. I'm choosing to be thankful that if there really is an issue, the specialist will be able to deal with it in the best way possible instead of not knowing it exists until birth. I go back to the specialist again next week, so please keep us in your prayers! Overall, baby girl's health is just fine, but we will be closely watching her growth and development to make sure things go how they are supposed to. There could be a bigger issue at hand (worst case scenario is that she could end up being born early), but as of right now, nothing is official and her growth will just continue to be monitored. While it's been a very long and scary road, God has continued to watch over and protect our little girl's life. I have no doubt that He will continue to do just that until the time of delivery. I'm also very trusting of my doctors and completely trust that they are going to do whatever is best for me and my sweet girl!
Looking forward to: Our first mommy and me music class in Macon tomorrow morning and getting into a routine here in Lizella! There are so many changes and transitions going on right now, but I'm clinging onto God and His promises which never change and are always dependable. Excited for the future!
