Week 34: "Cantaloupe"

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. (http://www.babycenter.com/)

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I feel and look huge! Here is my 34 week belly pic.

I've been battling a cold the last week, but I'm happy to say it seems to be going away. I started noticing Braxton Hicks contractions last week. I have them almost everyday now -- nothing timeable, but I have gotten quite a few in a row. I also have something called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). It is very painful for me to lift my legs one at a time (like when I put my jeans on), roll over in bed, and walk. Walking hurts during the day, but it is most painful when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom after having been laying down. I literally cry out in pain when I shift from one foot to the other while walking to the bathroom and sometimes wonder if I'll make it. Lately, I feel a clicking sensation in my pelvis in addition to the pain. I talked to my chiropractor about this today and she confirmed that is what it is. She said the adjustments she does to my back should help keep the front aligned too, which may help, but there is really no fix for it. My tailbone has been doing much better, but that discomfort has been replaced with this. Oh the joys of third trimester. I'm just hoping that I will be able to find some positions in labor that won't irritate it even more and cause more problems.

I had my 34 week appointment with my midwife today. I talked to her about the SPD as well and she said I can use a heating pad for the discomfort, but other than that there is nothing you can do for it. My blood pressure was high this week (130/80), I had a little protein in my urine, and I gained another 4 pounds in two weeks, which can all be signs of Preeclampsia, but may also mean nothing. Although I seem to be retaining some water in my hands, feet, and face, I'm not overly swollen. So the midwife said they will keep a close eye on everything, but she isn't too worried at this point. She also knows that my sister had Preeclampsia, so she knows it is in my gene pool. I was a little nervous going into my appointment because I had been to the chiropractor this morning and talked to her about the SPD and knew I was going to have to talk to the midwife about it too, etc., so my high blood pressure could have been high partially due to that. The midwife also said that my blood pressure was high for me, but wasn't high enough in general to be too worried about it yet. She said if I notice more swelling or other symptoms like headaches and/or changes in vision that I should give her call. Otherwise, my next appointment is scheduled for February 18. My belly measured 33 centimeters and we heard the heartbeat again, but I forgot to ask her what the heartrate was. The baby's head is down, which is a good sign seeing as there is not much room for her to move around in there anymore.

I'm done volunteering at City on a Hill now. With the way I've been feeling lately and being on the home stretch, I felt like it was time. I really enjoyed volunteering there and felt sad to tell Brooke, but hopefully I'll be able to help out again sometime in the future.

My prayer is that these minor issues won't turn into anything big and that my labor and birth of Bebita will go smoothly, but most of all that she will be healthy.