Great Expectations: 33 weeks

How Far Along: 33 weeks

Fruit Size Comparison: Darien Fruit

Weight/ Clothes: I'm doing much better on the weight front...I gained less than a pound again this week. I walk a lot around here, so I think that and my normal eating habits at home help a lot. We'll see how things go over the Christmas holiday in Virginia. I'm not too, too worried though.

Nothing new on the clothing front...though things are beginning to fit pretty differently. I've been told NUMEROUS times that I look small or I'm not THAT big...but I'm definitely BIGGER than I was and I can see it in the mirror and in how things fit, but that's to be expected and it's good because Baby Boy is GROWING! He's probably between 4 and 5 pounds now...how crazy is that!

Cravings: Sadly none...BORING!

Movement: I think the baby has had hick-ups occasionally. I can't see my whole belly hick-up, but I do sometimes feel a bout of rhythmical movements...so I'm guessing that's what that is.

Symptoms: I'm not a fan of Braxton Hicks! I have them pretty regularly now...though not regularly enough to be confused with true contractions, but they take my breath away and I don't like the tight feeling that ensues. At least it's not a painful thing. I can't believe these will go on now for the next 8 weeks or so. Oh well, I guess the practice can't hurt, right! Maybe it will help my labor in the end...then it and my crazy menstrual cramps from years past will have all been worthwhile!

I also HATE HEARTBURN! More like LOATHE IT! I just hate how it makes me gag and cough on acid if I don't take my medicine right on schedule. Thank goodness for the quick relief of Tums when I have it handy.

The pain around my ribs comes and goes now...things must be stretching and maybe the baby is dropping down a little at times, though I'm still carrying very high at this point. Tylenol is my friend when the pain really kicks in and it still does from time to time. Someone at my birthing class mentioned having similar pain, so I guess I'm not alone.

Mental State: I had an emotional meltdown at the beginning of this week over what even I felt like was the silliest thing...gotta love hormones. What was it, you're wondering? I was feeling uncomfortable and tired one evening after working during the day and I wanted to move our big ottoman over to the chair, which required rolling it across the living room. This wouldn't have been such a task if it weren't for the carpet, which made rolling it seem nearly impossible. I tried to move it myself a few times and crumpled on the floor in tears feeling helpless. These weren't light tears either...it was a full out cry fest! Adam looked at me and said, "You poor pregnancy woman" and he proceeded to move the ottoman for me. It took me a few minutes to calm down too...the tears wouldn't just stop and the whole time I felt like I was having this out of body experience watching myself melt down while also thinking, "this really isn't THAT big a deal." But it certainly felt like it according to my emotions.

This episode was interesting because while I was extra emotional and apt to cry in the first trimester, I have not cried really at all during the second trimester, even at times I would have expected myself to usually cry like when we found out we were having a boy. I was elated, but not a tear fell, which I found sort of odd for me. I guess the tears are back now that it's third trimester since I'm guessing there's another hormone shift and more fatigue in general, which tends to cause me to cry more easily.

On another mental state front...I've had a few moments here and there lately where I sort of forget I'm pregnant until I see myself in the mirror and then think, "Oh my, is that me?!" This happened most recently at the movie theater. We had gone to see Argo and after the movie I made my usual restroom pitstop and as I went to wash my hands, I glanced up at the mirror and startled myself because I had forgotten for a second that I had a BIG, PREGNANT belly. It made me laugh to myself!

Adam and I also started taking our birthing class this past week and we found out we can make up next week's class this Saturday so we won't miss any important information. Our instructor trains doulas, so we are considering hiring a student doula because they have the training but need practicum hours to complete their training and this results in being able to hire one for a fraction of the cost and we get that person's expertise, they get the practice...it's a win win! Adam liked the idea of having someone there to coach him in coaching me, so we'll see where we get with that new prospect.  I'm feeling more and more informed and excited for Baby Herndon to make his appearance!



Also on another mental note...we have been so blessed by how excited everyone is about Baby Herndon and his soon arrival. I have been blown away by the showers and I have been so excited to write Thank You notes to everyone because we are so grateful!

Appointment Updates: Adam came to my centering appointment this week because the topic was labor and delivery. All the dads were there I think, so it was quite a full group. We had some good discussion about what we were looking forward to and afraid of which was much of the same amongst everyone in the group...fear of the pain, looking forward to holding the baby, ect.

During belly checks, I found out my blood pressure was the LOWEST in the group! That's more like it...or more like usual for me. I was measuring right at 32 weeks and Peanut's heart rate was 145, which has been his usual. My weight gain was again under control, yay!

Then to round out the appointment, we watched our first BIRTH VIDEO. What an experience that was! Not only was the video from the late 80s, early 90s, but the couple was pretty awkward to watch for the most part. Overall, however, the video was informative of course. It was eye opening as to how long the labor and delivery process can take, since they showed the couple literally walking the halls of the hospital, laboring in a warm shower and continually trying out new positions to move the labor along. This was something that was reiterated in our birthing class...the importance of changing positions and how much it can help move things along as well as utilizing gravity to help the process. Then came time to push in the video and that's when things got really interesting or a little too detailed for Adam. Even I had to glance away a few times. It's just all so overwhelming. I did get teary in the end once the baby had been born and placed on the mother's chest. The video was over and boy was the room SILENT! I think everyone was thinking, "WOW that's about to be me. No going back at this point." We'll discuss the video a little further next class and I want to watch The Business of Being Born. It's come highly recommended and I also started reading Ina May's Birthing Book, which is FASCINATING!! Did you know a baby can actually be born within it's water sack...as in the water doesn't break and the baby could still be born...of course this is not likely in a hospital birth and more possible in a home birth situation. A home birth is not for me by the way, but the whole thing sounded pretty crazy!

Best Moment of the Week: My roomie, Thais, came to visit this weekend and she too is expecting (due in April), so we got some cute photos of the two of us preggos together and she was here for the SURPRISE baby shower the youth volunteers threw for me, which I was completely SURPRISED by!

We also had maternity photos taken this week and they turned out BEAUTIFULLY!! An entire posting will be coming soon for those!