32 weeks

As of yesterday I am 32 weeks! I can't believe that we only have around 8 weeks until our little one arrives! Yesterday I had my very first baby shower and got some ADORABLE things! I plan to do a separate post on that soon.

Here's the weekly babycenter.com update for this week:

Your pregnancy: 32 weeks

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (Kynlee is 4.3 pounds)...

(pick up a large jicama) 

 ...and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.

Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

Struggling...

I've come to realize that many women absolutely LOVE being pregnant and do not have a negative comment about it. Being pregnant comes easy for them. 

Well I'm here to say that this isn't the case for me.

Please don't get me wrong. I truly love being pregnant. 

The pros outweigh the cons, but there ARE cons.

Feeling the kicks, Seeing my stomach move in random ways/shapes, and hearing our baby's heartbeat... these are all things that make me feel completely blessed.

I know that God is the creator of this miracle inside of me that I often prayed for, although I didn't realize my prayers would be answered so soon. 

What a Mighty God He is!

That being said... I'm 32 weeks pregnant, extremely hormonal and I'm ready to vent.

Being pregnant is HARD. 

I feel like I am constantly complaining about neck aches, back aches, swollen ankles/hands/everything on my body for that matter. Getting out of bed - something that used to be a simple task - is even hard these days and requires great maneuvering skills.  I now have an overactive bladder and by the time I walk out of the bathroom my bladder feels full again.

I do not sleep good at night even though I'm constantly exhausted.
And the HEAT... don't even get me started on this HOT SOUTH GEORGIA WEATHER.
I break a sweat just turning on the A/C! It's ridiculous!

My mood swings are more often than not, and I am so thankful that my sweet husband and family puts up with them. Lately things will come out of my mouth and even I realize how hateful they sound- and have to immediately apologize. It's the hormones talking, not me!

I'm telling ya... these hormones are no joke and are way worse than the hormones/mood swings associated with PMS.  

All in all, I do not like this whiny, complaining person I've become.

I'm just ready to meet our daughter.

I know that once she gets here all of those "negative" things will seem even more minuscule than they do right now.

Until then... I'm going to try to stay positive. :)

Less than 60 days to go!

According to my baby countdown we have less than 60 days to go before we meet our precious Kynlee (give or take a few days, of course)!!!

How exciting and nerve-racking all at the same time!

I shared in an earlier post what the crib bedding looks like but just incase you forgot, here it is again:

I also want to share the other accessories that go with it that will help complete our nursery theme!

Diaper stacker:

Toy/Stuffed Animal Bag (that ties onto the front of crib):

Lamp shade:

Window Valance:

There are also some other little knick-knacks that will go in the nursery. 

We plan to use black furniture (crib, changing table, chest-of-drawers, etc).

We already have a set of chest-of-drawers that are wooden so we are just going to paint it black & make the knobs the same color pink used in the crib bedding, with [possibly] white polka dots on them.

What do you all think?

Next post I want to share our travel system pattern!

FREE NURSING COVER!

FREE Udder Cover-for nursing moms!

WOW! I just found a GREAT deal! 

Over at Udder Covers right now you can receive a FREE nursing cover by entering the code "onefree" at checkout. This will make the price go from $32.00 to $0.00!!! Just pay shipping!
I am not sure how long this will last, so hurry on over.

As a first time mom-to-be who plans to nurse, I have been searching for a nursing cover and I definitely had to take advantage of this awesome deal!

Below are some examples :) 

I ordered the black and white one!

Leave a comment and let me know if you order one as well!

31 weeks & 4D Ultrasound

Well, Kynlee did not cooperate at our 4D Ultrasound on Friday. We scanned for over an hour and couldn't get a clear picture. I was disappointed, but, oh well! Only 9 more weeks until I can see her in person :). She was still weighing in at 3 lbs, 10 ounces as of Friday! Here are a couple of the pics:

Sleeping baby:)

Foot:

Friday morning while I was getting ready for the 4D scan, I felt a sharp pain "down there." It wasn't unbearable, but it was uncomfortable and lasted for a few [long] seconds. I felt like she had turned into position, but not the correct position....meaning I thought she had turned from laying across me to breech. Why did I think this? Oh just because it felt like she was trying to stick her foot out of me! Haha :).

The ultrasound that afternoon confirmed that she turned, but she is in the right position-head down. Now let's just hope she stays that way!

Last night we celebrated my sweet Granny's 80th Birthday! Her bday is actually tomorrow, but we celebrated last night so that out-of-town family could join us. We also received some baby gifts at the party from the out-of-towners and we were SO excited and blessed with the gifts they gave us and Kynlee.

In other news, I am now 31 weeks as of yesterday! Here's what babycenter.com says:

Your pregnancy: 31 weeks

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. She weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges)...
 

...and is heading into a growth spurt (Kynlee weighs more than this). She can turn her head from side to side, and her arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath her skin. She's probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby's kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

How your life's changing:

Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Many women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Often lasting about 30 seconds, they're irregular, and at this point, they should be infrequent and painless. Frequent contractions, on the other hand — even those that don't hurt — may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have more than four contractions in an hour or any other signs of preterm labor: an increase in vaginal discharge or a change in the type of discharge (if it becomes watery, mucus-like, or bloody — even if it's pink or just tinged with blood); abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping; an increase in pressure in the pelvic area; or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before.

You may have noticed some leaking of colostrum, or "premilk," from your breasts lately. If so, try tucking some nursing pads into your bra to protect your clothes. (And if not, it's certainly nothing to worry about; your breasts are making colostrum all the same, even if you don't see any.) If your current bra is too snug, you might also want to pick up a nursing bra. Choose a nursing bra at least one cup size bigger than you need now. When your milk comes in you'll be grateful for that extra room!

Until next time...

30wk OB appt.

I don't even know where to begin to describe yesterday's OB appointment. 

First let me say that I was already dreading it because I was having to see a new doctor. You see, there are 2 other doctors in practice with MY doctor, and they like for you to see all three OB/GYNs at some point in your pregnancy since you won't know which one will be on-call when you go into labor (and that's another story- I'm annoyed that MY doctor of choice & the one who has dealt with my whole pregnancy won't necessarily deliver me...but I understand that these docs have to have lives, too).

Anyway...

So I'm waiting to see this mystery doctor who I've never met before. I keep waiting and waiting and waiting. FINALLY a nurse comes out into the waiting room to make a "general announcement." She informs us that the doctor whom I'm supposed to see today is across the street at the hospital, delivering a child. Wow. Perfect timing and just my luck. I don't mean to be bitter, especially since a new little life entered the world today... but geez! I waited 3.5 hours to see this doctor and then  he spends less than 5 minutes with me AND tells me I'm measuring 5weeks ahead of schedule! Wait...WHAT?! My jaw dropped. He requested an ultrasound to check the baby and turns out she is just fine and still measuring at a little over 30 weeks via ultrasound. Thanks for the panic attack, doc.

Kynlee's heartbeat was 142bmp on the handheld monitor and ultrasound, and she's weighing in at 3lbs, 10 ounces. :)

I go back in 2 weeks and will see the 3rd doctor in the practice, who is the other female doc. That male doc yesterday was not my fav. by any means!
After that appt. I will FINALLY be able to see my doc for the rest of the pregnancy :).

In other news, Kynlee has been draining me of my energy lately. I mean, I've been tired throughout the whole pregnancy thus far, but this past week has gotten worse. I have had to go back to sleep within 2 hours of waking up in the mornings because I am just so tired.

I'm ready for the "nesting" stage to take place!

And... my first baby shower is in 10 days! :)

I'm sorry this was such a long post- if you read this far, thanks for staying with me!

30 weeks pregnant!

Am I really 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy? Where has the time gone??

With only 10 weeks left until we meet our baby girl, reality is starting to set in and I'm stressing over everything that has not been done and needs to be done. I'll have my first baby shower in a little less than 2 weeks & I've got my 3D/4D ultrasound coming up soon!! :)

We just got back yesterday from our week-long "babymoon" at the beach & we had a blast!

Here's what babycenter.com has to say about 30 weeks:

How your baby's growing:

Your baby's about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds...

(like a head of cabbage)...

 A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it's not very keen; even after she's born, she'll keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she'll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20).

How your life's changing:

You may be feeling a little tired these days, especially if you're having trouble sleeping. You might also feel clumsier than normal, which is perfectly understandable. Not only are you heavier, but the concentration of weight in your pregnant belly causes a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, thanks to hormonal changes, your ligaments are more lax, so your joints are looser, which may also contribute to your balance being a bit off. Also, this relaxation of your ligaments can actually cause your feet to spread permanently, so you may have to invest in some new shoes in a bigger size.

Remember those mood swings you had earlier in pregnancy? The combination of uncomfortable symptoms and hormonal changes can result in a return of those emotional ups and downs. It's normal to worry about what your labor will be like or whether you'll be a good parent. But if you can't shake the blues or feel increasingly irritable or agitated, talk to your doctor or midwife. You may be among the 1 in 10 expectant women who battle depression during pregnancy. Also let your caregiver know if you're frequently nervous or anxious.

 

30 weeks: