I look like I’m in pain in the picture this week, but I’m not. The countdown is definitely on, though. 33 weeks down, 7 weeks to go. Meghan was a week early, so who knows. This baby could be coming in 6 weeks. Either way, in a very short time a brand new life is going to be brought into the world and I can hardly wait to meet him.
Doctor’s Visit
This week marked my last monthly visit. From here on out, I’ll be seeing the doctor every two weeks. Everything looked great; here are a few stats for you.
Blood Pressure: 118/70
Weight: +2 this month, for a total of 22 pounds gained so far
Baby’s Heartbeat: jumped between 125-140
I also presented our doctor with our birth plan at this visit. When I first handed it to him he joked that as much as mothers love to plan, babies can’t read. How right he is.
He was very open to everything in my plan, with only two concerns. He suggested that if I didn’t want to have an IV for fluids that I have a hep-lock attached for an emergency situation. A hep-lock is basically tubes inserted into your arm and taped into place, a stand-by IV, in case you need something (fluids or medication) quickly. This leaves me free to move about and labor in places other than the bed. I thought this was a great compromise and agreed.
The other issue he had was with my wish to avoid Pitocin after the birth. He said he routinely administers it as a preventative measure to prevent excess bleeding. Pitocin is a medicine that makes your uterus contract, which is exactly what breastfeeding does.
I feel that our bodies are made to do this, so why assume it’s not going to work properly? I understand that if something goes wrong, steps should be taken. But if I have a normal birth and am able to breastfeed right away, why would I need to have medicine to get my body to do what it’s already made to do? He said that while he highly recommends it, the choice is ultimately mine. I’m going to do more research, pray about it, and then decide what to do.
How I’m Feeling and What’s Happening with my Body
There are no major changes in how I’m feeling this week. Some days I feel full of energy and all-around wonderful, and then other days I’m exhausted, cranky, and feel gross. It’s quite the pendulum to swing between.
The biggest change I’ve noticed is that the baby seems to be positioned lower now. I feel more pressure and I need to pee practically every 15 minutes.
TMI Alert: Stop reading if you are a.) male b.) squeamish
The other change that’s going on is my body seems to be gearing up to breastfeed a little early. Those of you who have breastfed before know that there is a tingly feeling that comes when your breasts are “filling up” before feeding. It can happen if you’ve gone too long between feedings or even be triggered by your baby crying in the early days. What ensues after the tingly feeling is leaking of fluid. This, strangely, has been happening to me once or twice a day.
I didn’t experience this until after Meghan was born, so having it happen during pregnancy is new to me. I totally spaced and forgot to ask my doctor about it, but according to Dr. Google, it is completely normal for this to happen in the third trimester.
Exercise Goals Update
Last week I lamented that I hadn’t been getting as many workouts in as I’d like. I set a public goal to get at least 4 workouts in this week. Knowing that I’d have to report back this week totally motivated me, so thank you, dear readers, for helping keep me accountable! Here’s how the week went:
Sunday: 45 minute walk w/ Meghan in the stroller. Felt good.
Monday: Lindsay Brinn’s 3rd trimester Pregnancy Fitness DVD. Felt good.
Tuesday: 20 minute walk (no stroller). I felt awful so I had to cut this walk short. I had pain in my right side, extending from my lower back to my lower pelvic and abdomen area.
Wednesday: off
Thursday: off
Friday: 50 minute walk (no stroller). Felt good, but it felt like I couldn’t walk very fast. I guess that’s to be expected by this point.
I made my goal and if I get a workout in tomorrow I will have exceeded my goal. Thanks again for you help in keeping me motivated and accountable!
WOW,what a BEAUTIFUL pregnant belly you had at 33 weeks Maryea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
oh you are so ready! it will be here before you know it! And i think that going medicine free is a great idea. I hope that you can continue down that road come post baby.
hooray for rocking your goals! Hope you have more of the energetic days than the cranky ones! =) Though latley i’ve been cranky allll thhheeeee tiiiiime! ack! save me from myself! haha
I love reading your updates! You look great!
You look amazing! and wow only 22 lbs weight gain, all that healthy whole foods has really paid off. You are a perfect example of pregnancy health.
I had the whole filling of breast milk before I delivered too and I know exactly what feeling you are talking about.
About the pitocin, I feel like you do. If your little one begins nursing right away, then I would just let nature run it’s course. You can also give yourself a “fundal” massage. The fundus is the top part of the uterus that they check to see if it is firm and contracting as it should be.
You will be able to feel it, you may remember it from your first pregnancy, but if not, it is the point that feels hard at the top of your uterus, it will feel like a ridge. Just give yourself a massage in that area and your uterus should firm right up. I’m sure the nurses will be doing this to you and showing you how to do it.
I used to work on the mother baby unit many years ago and have given several fundal massages. It works.
Good luck in making your decision.
Thanks for the tips. I think the nurses may have done that after Meghan was born, but my memory is a little fuzzy so I’m not sure. 🙂
Your belly is huge!!!!! You look great though! Thumbs up on the exercising this week. I am so excited for you. He will be here before you know it!!
Isn’t it huge?! Tim was in Chicago for work this week and when he returned he said, “I swear your stomach grew three inches in the three days I was gone”. Baby must have had a growth spurt this week!
I’m sure my “exercise” doesn’t seem like much compared to what you were doing during your pregnancy, but it definitely is enough to make me feel better. 🙂
You’re doing great!!! 🙂 I bet it feels so close now that you are to you bi-weekly appointments! I’m glad that you and your doctor are having such an open dialogue, that has to be awesome.
YAY for only somewhere around 7 weeks left! 🙂
6 weeks 5 days now…but who’s counting? 🙂
Aw, I know what you mean about pitocin after birth. So many hard decisions! I opt for it, simply because a lot of bleeding can happen really fast and I’d much much much rather have Pit than have to get blood, major surgery and more time in the hospital because of losing so much so fast, which is what happened to my MIL after her last child. She didn’t have time to nurse her daughter it happened so fast. But at the same time, I would like to avoid it too… I mean honestly, our bodies were made for this!! So glad you found a better alternative to the IV, I know I would hate to be hooked up to an IV the whole time! It’s hard to believe you’re so close already! It’s been so nice to follow you this whole time 😀
Your concerns were the same that the doctor expressed. What I really remember after Meghan’s birth was how strong the contractions were during breastfeeding. It was so painful! I hate all these big decisions, but I’ll figure it out.
That’s not just the best answer. It’s the bestest answer!
That’s a smart answer to a tricky question
I agree with you on the pitocin matter. After watching the documentary, The Business of Being Born, I am so weary of pitocin. Ultimately, it IS up to you, so I hope he doesn’t pressure you too much to agree with him. : )
Lookin’ great!
I still need to see that! I think I need to watch it to help me feel better about my decision. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
I think you are the cutest pregnant woman I have ever seen, I mean that. You look great and you’re in the home stretch now. Thanks for sharing with us. Glad everything is continuting to go well with the baby.
You are so sweet, Lisa. Thank you!
You look great:) I’m glad you and your doctor were able to make some compromises. I’m not pregnant, nor do I plan to be in the near future, but one of my worst fears is not finding a doctor that will listen to me!
Almost there!
If you end up with a doctor like that, the good news is you can switch! (Assuming you live in the USA…)