Baby
“This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark.” [Source.]
“Your baby is still gaining weight (about half a pound a week), and she could grow up to another full inch this week. With that much baby inside your uterus, your amniotic-fluid level has maxed out, which explains why some of her pokes and kicks feel pretty sharp these days. (There’s less fluid to cushion the blows.)” [Source.]
The baby has been moving around a whole lot lately! He/she stretches from one side of my body to the other, jabbing my lower right side while kicking up by my left rib in the same moment. The sensation is wild and really reminds me that this is real. I keep wondering just how the baby is positioned and how it’s possible for him/her to be so big already! I love having a side-kick with me at all times and I constantly tell the little one what’s going on around us. It’s going to be so crazy when he/she is actually here and I don’t get to have him with me at all times.
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Momma
Although most of my friends and family still say I look “small” for where I’m at, I feel like my belly has quickly caught up with other 8-month hapai bellies, growing exponentially every single day. It is amazing to me how incredibly different each Momma’s body grows for her baby – I’ve met women due the same time as me who have gained 50+ pounds and are extremely uncomfortable already, and I’ve also met women who have humungous bellies but are still running in races. I feel really grateful for all of my body’s abilities, and that I’ve had such an “easy” pregnancy thus far.
Nonetheless, I’m definitely feeling every bit of 8 months pregnant now. My hormones are amped up [I can’t handle nearly as much stress as I once did], my energy is dwindling and I’m constantly tired, I’m out of breath much quicker and easier nowadays, and I waddle. Oh, and “pregnancy brain” is real. My concentration is nil and I haven’t been able to remember the littlest of things.
The reality of childbirth has started to really sink in. Which is good since technically this baby could come in just four weeks and be considered full-term [wowzahs!]. I really appreciated the prenatal yoga class I went to on Monday and am looking forward to going again tomorrow because the instructor is great at offering practical tools to use during labor [like how to breathe]. I’m also really looking forward to our second Childbirthing class tomorrow put on by our midwife. It’s really special to be surrounded by other mommas and exchange stories and experiences.
Other than that, here’s week 33 in bullet form:
- Most excited for: Our baby shower this Sunday! I’m so excited to be surrounded by those who already love the little one and to celebrate this new beginning.
- Least excited for: The Group B Strep test I need to go in for in a couple of weeks [everyone needs to get it done in order to be admitted to the hospital for labor and delivery. Obviously we’re hoping for a homebirth, but we need to prepare for anything]. Also, Ben leaves for a 10-day trip to the mainland in exactly one week, which is giving me anxiety and making me incredibly sad.
- Hospital tour: Mom and I went on the maternity tour yesterday and I’m glad we did. It was nice to see that there would still be options available to me if I needed to have baby there. The best news is that my midwife will be able to come in with me; the worst news is that I would have to stay overnight and Ben wouldn’t be allowed to sleep in the post-partum room with me and the baby.
- Weight gained so far: Still up about 15 lbs. up since conception, but we’ll see how these next few weeks go… I have a feeling I’ll be seeing big gains.
- Cravings: Food – any and all! I’ve been bottomless lately… eating just about everything around.
- Prelabor signs: So far I’ve just been having some sensations in my groin area, as if my pelvis is opening up, but I hear that a lot of women start getting Braxton Hicks contractions right about now so I’ve been paying close attention… I’ve felt some uterus stretching – and maybe I just don’t know what a contraction feels like – but nothing big just yet.
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I can’t believe how quickly this is all going! I’m trying to savor every moment of the journey – even the not-so-fun stuff – because I know it’ll be over before I know it.
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