Week 29: My Pregnancy Diary

Can you believe I'm already in the second week of my THIRD trimester? The middle part of the journey has literally flown by. I definitely feel like I'm in my last trimester, both physically and emotionally. I can sense that the end (and beginning!) is in sight.
How Big is the Baby?
This week, baby Savannah has grown to be about 17 inches long and she weighs in at 3 pounds. That's as long as a large bunch of celery!

I definitely agree with the size in regards to how big my belly is getting and with all of Savannah's movements. She's been taking up a lot more space than she used to! I'll simultaneously feel her twitches behind my left hip bone and karate kicks to my upper right ribs. She has GROWN.  She no longer fits in the round spot in front of my belly. The bigger I get the more excited I get at the thought of her having more room to swirl around instead of competing for space with my organs and ribcage.

How I'm Changing?

I'm feeling a little slower and more exhausted this week. Simple tasks are becoming less simple to do and I'm having to ask for more help from amc. I really do appreciate and love that his initial responses are to help me. Over Labor Day weekend, I traveled to California to visit my sister and the blessing of their first baby boy, Parker. 

The plane flight was wasn't too uncomfortable and the simple task of reaching down to my bag from my seat was nearly impossible. But, I will say that strangers are so much more helpful and kind to me when I look like I have a basketball strapped to my belly... Allowing me to cut in line...getting the door for me...asking how I'm feeling. Just as my sister told me, I can get away with A LOT more things while being pregnant than I could otherwise.

Suddenly, sleeping is very uncomfortable and simply turning from one side of my body to the other is an athletic event. I had been squishing a King size pillow between my legs but lately it hasn't been enough support for my upper body. And with JCP having their fabulous sales I am excited to say that I purchased a body pillow. I LOVE it! I'm actually shamelessly sprawled out all over it right now as I blog. I can imagine it will become a permanent fixture on our bed. Oh, and my belly button is poking out and I now have that super hot linea alba line running beneath my belly (it hasn't darkened yet.)

As far as nausea goes, I'm still nauseated if I haven't eaten in 2 hours but instead of the horror of earlier months, I only need to replace lunch/dinner on average 1-2x week. In all honesty, it could be a whole lot worse like it was in my first trimester. Little Savannah can be such a diva these days.

What I'm Feeling
My OB said this was right about the time that babies position themselves in preparation for birth (head-down.) Last week was an extremely active week for Savannah and I specifically remember one evening she was flipping and rolling SO hard. I couldn't sleep for hours because of her rough movements. So, when my OB confirmed at my visit this past week that she was already positioned head-down, I knew that my little girl had big plans for that active and oh-so-restless night. I feel less side-to-side movements and more kicks in the stomach and pressure under the ribs. Sometimes I'll find myself at work seated down while being bent over a patient and I'll have this awful pressure on my lungs and upper abdomen that will cause me to jerk up and I'll have to use my hands to press her strong legs back down. I just love feeling her and cannot get enough of it. Ten minutes doesn't go by without me feeling her shakin' things up. A few weeks ago, as amc and I were snuggled up in bed together I found myself whispering to him to be quiet because I could feel that Savannah was sleeping. Of course, he bursts out with a loud laugh, and after realizing how silly my comment must have sounded to him, we died laughing together. Sure enough, Savannah woke up and joined us with her powerful kicks and jabs.
Even though I have felt her movements many times and generally know when to expect them, they never get less exciting or feel less special. The kicks feel like a conversation. A connection. Something she and I experience together that I can't quite explain or share with anyone else. And just like that, I feel like I know the baby inside me. She is mine. And I'm her mom. On my way home from work, I'll talk with her. Tell her about my day. Apologize for being so stressed out. Tell her how wanted she is. How much we have already fallen in love with her. How excited her daddy is to snuggle with her and to have her in his arms. And how many times he has grabbed the stroller and pushed it around the living room while coo-ing and talking excitedly pretending as if she were along for the ride.

As anxious as I am to meet her, I hope she stays in for a while longer to continue getting big and strong for her big debut on New Years.

Yours truly, Me