33 Weeks

Currently there are 48 days left until I meet my son! Hip hip hooray! Have I mentioned that I'm ready to be done with this whole pregnancy thing? My ankles are so swollen it looks like I have elephantiasis. Well, maybe not that bad, but pretty darn close!
.
I'm beginning to dread going to bed. It takes forever to get comfortable, and it seems like as soon as I do, I have to get up and pee. Getting up is a chore in and of itself! I now have 6 pillows on the bed that I use to prop myself up and keep me on my left side. I toss and turn in my sleep on a regular basis, so staying in one position has taken some creativity! Too bad Sinaka isn't still around - when he slept in the bed with me, he'd get mad if I moved! Who am I to argue with a Great Dane? Poor Thunder and Sabrina have been banished - they both kick in their sleep, and I'm afraid they'll kick me in the belly. Or off the bed entirely, which has happened in the past! Sinaka was a good sleeper, though - he would stay in one place all night (head on the pillow next to mine, of course), and he always wanted me to keep my arm over him. He'd actually wake me up if I rolled over and wasn't holding him! He was a strange one, but then again, he never ate a towel. Not that Thunder is retarded or anything - oh, wait a sec here...

.

I had another O.B. appointment today... My blood pressure was a little bit high - 140/82. Not nearly as high as it has been, but since my feet are so swollen they want me to go in tomorrow and get a non-stress test. Yay for me. Could you tell that was sarcastic? I also have to collect my urine for 24 hours. Again. Yay for me. Again. Ugh.

.

I did get to have another ultrasound today! My insurance only covers two, but mom said she'd pay for it so we can see the baby again. My O.B.'s office just got a 4-D machine, so we didn't have to go all the way to the northside this time. Of course, since I'm past 28 weeks, the pictures weren't just crystal clear. Most of the time he had his face turned into the placenta! Not a bunch of room in there anymore, I guess. Mom, Dad, Kelly, and Emily all came with me to see Baby Dolton. Here are a few of the pictures they took...


The first two are in 3-D, the last two are 2-D. The third picture shows his boy parts - click on the image to zoom in if you're really interested. Baby Dolton is looking directly at us in the fourth picture, but the image kind of reminds me of the movie poster from The Frighteners!

.

One of my current WIP's is this cute cat! I hope it turns out as well as the picture does... I'm using RHSS/WW instead of #10 crochet thread so it will be larger and softer. At the rate I'm going, Baby Dolton will have so many softies I won't have to buy him any toys for years!

I found the cutest shirt to wear to the baby shower!!! It's too perfect - of course, I've felt this way since I hit 6 months...

Time for another look from www.babycenter.com:

.

"This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches from the top of his head to his heels. His skin is becoming less red and wrinkled, and while most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. This will help him ease out of your relatively narrow birth canal.

.
"You may be feeling some aches and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can swell, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" end up pinched, creating numbness, tingling, shooting or burning pain, or a dull ache. Try wearing a brace or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or assembly line, for example), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks.

.
"If you're having trouble sleeping at night, try wedging a pillow between your legs and behind your back. If that doesn't help, try sleeping in a semi-upright position, with several pillows behind your head (or sleep in a recliner!). If frequent trips to the bathroom are robbing you of your zzz's, cut back on fluids by late afternoon or evening."

.

I sure hope Baby Dolton appreciates all of this!!! Ha ha, not a chance, right Mom?

31 Weeks

Nine weeks left, oh how I'm counting the days...

.

I went back to the O.B. on Tuesday. He scheduled my C-section for the 25th of April, on my due date. Yea! Hopefully, unless I go into labor on my own, Baby Dolton will have the same birthday as his grampa!

.

My gluco test results are in - ugh. The level was a little high... it's supposed to be under 140, and it was 156. There is a chance that it was high because of the round of steroids I'd recently taken, so Dr. Robinette wants me to do the three-hour test this weekend. How are you going to tell a pregnant woman not to eat or drink anything for 12 hours? Seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me! I'll post an update when I get the results of that test, too.

.

All the baby books state that you should talk to your doctor during the 30th week about your 'birth plan'... I mentioned that to Dr. Robinette on Tuesday as well. He asked what I wanted, and since I'm having a C-section (due to my pilonidal problems) I said, "Lots of drugs and you cut me open?" He started cracking up. The medical student (or intern or resident, I don't remember exactly which) who was in the room was laughing, too, and said, "I like her!" Dr. R. replied, "Yeah, Lindsey's always funny!"
.
I've been having fun ordering things baby-related on-line... Here is a picture of a ring I recently received. On the outside of the band it says "I made a wish" with a gold star, and on the inside it reads "and you came true". Not only is it too cute, it matches the theme of Baby Dolton's nursery! Of course, since I'm so swollen I can't wear it right now...

I also ordered Emily Paige a t-shirt that reads "I'm the new BIG cousin" - she'll look adorable in it! It was actually a bit hard to find... most shirts like this are for big brothers and sisters.

Here is the picture of a 31 Week gestation from the Baby Center website. It also says:

"This week, your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and he's beginning to accumulate a layer of fat underneath his skin in preparation for life as a newborn. As a result, his arms, legs, and body are filling out."

As for what's going on with me, the site goes on to say:

"You may have noticed some leaking of colostrum, or "premilk," from your breasts lately. Some expectant moms experience this leaking, others don't; either way, it's perfectly normal and you can rest assured that your body is doing what it's meant to do. If you're leaking, you may want to tuck some nursing pads in your bra to protect your clothes. And if you plan to breastfeed, you might also want to pick up a nursing bra. If your current bra is too snug, go ahead and wear the nursing bra now. (When shopping, choose a nursing bra at least one cup size bigger than you need now to accommodate the swelling that will take place when your milk comes in.)

"Have you noticed the muscles in your uterus tightening now and then? Some women feel these random contractions — called Braxton Hicks contractions — in the second half of pregnancy. Lasting from 30 to 60 seconds, they're nonrhythmic and irregular and, at this point in your pregnancy, they should be infrequent and not painful. (When you're within a few weeks of your due date, it's normal for Braxton Hicks contractions to become more frequent and even somewhat painful; in fact, they're often called "false labor" because sometimes it can be hard to tell them from the real thing.) Until 37 weeks, though, your baby is still premature. So if you're getting frequent contractions (even if they don't hurt), it may be a sign of preterm labor. Call your practitioner immediately if you have an increase or change in vaginal discharge (especially if it's watery, mucus-like, or pink or tinged with blood), abdominal pain or menstrual-like cramping, more than four contractions in an hour, an increase in pressure in the pelvic area, or low back pain, especially if you didn't have it before.

"If you're having a boy, you will want to take some time to think about whether or not to have your baby circumcised."

It's oh such much fun in Lindsey Land right now... ugh. I've actually started waddling!