Also, I may have gestational diabetes and I do have low hemoglobin. I'm not that surprised about my iron levels; I've always been low (not anemic, but right close to it) but my first two trimesters seemed to actually boost iron levels. However, I can just take some iron pills and that should help. Not a big deal. The gestational diabetes has me more worried. I got a 147 on the 1-h glucose test; a good score would have been 139 or below, while a "definitely gestational diabetes" score would have in the 160s. So, I'm in the middle range and have to do an intensive 3-day diet and then 3-h glucose test. I start the regimen on Sunday and my test is Wednesday, so I know I'll be freaking out. Gestational diabetes upps the odds of me having type 2 diabetes later in life, but, more troubling, it can predispose the infant to diabetes and/or obesity. Gestational diabetes can cause preeclampsia and high birth weight (larger chance of C-section) and a host of other difficulties. It stresses me out tremendously.
Week 29: Three-hour glucose test came back negative---no gestational diabetes! Thank goodness!! I was really worried about it but everything looks fine. YAY! The doctor also suggested using some straps to lessen back pain. Adam and I went and got some and they have been A MIRACLE. Of course, the straps aren't that sexy, and you can see them if I even wear a simple scoopneck, but who the heck cares. My back pain has virtually gone away!
The doctor said that most women don't start wearing these straps until the last month or so, but I don't care. I know I have back problems (hello, severe scoliosis), so I'm perfectly happy to wear something that helps me even if it's comparitively early in my pregnancy. And, oddly, wearing the straps reminds me of the days when I wore my back brace. It's intrusive; anyone can see that something doesn't look quite right (shape-wise for back brace and strap-wise for pregnancy), but I know I dealt with wearing a back brace for 5+ years, so I'm happy to wearing some straps for a few mere months.
Week 30: Dang! A lot of crazy movement is happening inside me. Our little baby apparently wants to squirm all over the place. I like feeling the movements, but it's also odd. I find myself wondering if he's moving too much or what. My bump feels a bit more solid or hard at times, which also kind of freaks me out. Speaking of my bump, it's definitely out there for the world to see. Random people have started asking what I'm having (Is "a human" the correct answer?), and, since the random people just ask without any delay or qualms, I guess it's safe to say that I look definitely pregnant. I feel big and I think I kind of waddle a bit, but I know I still have SO MUCH TIME TO GO! But, how big can I actually get? Oh, I'm a bit scared to find out!
Week 31 and 32: Insomnia. I've often had insomnia throughout my life, so maybe this symptom doesn't bother me as much as it should. But it's still annoying. I can usually fall asleep pretty quickly, but then I wake up after 2-3 hours, go to the bathroom (of course), and then lay awake for another 3-4 hours. Then I'm usually able to nod off for another 2 hours or so before my alarm pulls me out of bed. I feel sluggish during the day, of course, but the pattern just keeps repeating. And, of course, because we're buying a house and having all of those issues and questions, etc, I think too many thoughts during those insomniac night. But, on the other hand, I don't want to get up and do work or read because then I'm afraid I'm just feeding the madness.
Week 33 and 34: The heartburn is out of control. I've been eating small, multiple meals through the day; I don't eat less than 2 hours before bed; I drink plenty of liquids. However, when I lay down, it just burns. Ugh. The doctor prescribed me some Pepcid and I guess it helps a little bit.
Me and the baby in our new kitchen!
Week 35: It's been an exhausting week. We're painting the dining room and we had a few guests over already. It was GREAT fun to show some friends our house, and to see Mr. Oliver joyfully running in the yard, but I'm just not used to the limitations on my body. For instance, before my pregnancy, I never noticed how often I would grab something from the floor or clean/paint walls close to the floor. Now it's a giant production to get down on the floor...and to get back up!
Week 36: This has been a tiring week. We're moving this weekend into our new house. While exciting, it just means that there's so much to do. Sometimes, especially with the pregnancy, it just feels overwhelming. And I feel absolutely massive. Although the scale says about the same amount of weight, I feel like my bump is the size of Alaska. Sigh. My ring on my right hand started to feel really tight almost all day, so I decided to pull it off and store it until after the birth. It's the ring that I got from my parents when I was 11 or 12, and I miss it terribly. My wedding ring and watch (both worn on my left side) aren't getting any tighter, so at least I have those though.
Week 37: I'm technically full-term! My shoes still fit, but I noticed that my feet look puffy. And my ankle bones, which I have always thought were quite fetching, are fading into the rest of me. Is this cankles? Adam says I look like I have a slight swelling--like I twisted my ankle or something. But I'm not amused.
Weeks 38 and 39: Pregnancy is good training for sleepless nights, I suppose, since I have to get up every 2 hours or so. I feel (and am) huge. People have started looking scared that I might give birth during meetings or in class or while I'm in line at Target. I want to tell them that I don't think birth is exactly going to be quick.
I have been very scared about giving birth.It's a daunting task, but I'm glad to have Adam supporting me. I just hope I can tell when it's actually labor and not the Braxton Hicks contractions that I'm always feeling. I've organized everything for my classes in the event that it starts, but I'd still like to go to the 23rd. Weight-wise, I'm at 159.2. I started at 118, and I keep telling Adam that I don't want to break the 160-lb mark. We'll see if I'm able to stayunder my self-imposed limit. Ugh, gaining 42 lbs! I hope it's not too much....I feel a bit like a failure for not staying between a weight gain for 25-35 lbs. We'll see how fast (if?) it falls off.
In front of our new house (with some of the plantings that my parents did).
We're excited for baby!!!
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