Bumpdate #25 (32 weeks)

Y'all, I really, really like my job. I haven't had the pleasure of working for such amazing and considerate people like this before. It's going to be hard to not go back. Hopefully we can figure something out so I can still work there because of how much I enjoy it. But back to baby stuff! We've got our maternity shoot booked, and it'll be the same photographer for the birth! It's getting so close!!!

Rainbow:

You're starting to lose your lanugo which is great! You'll look quite person-like without all that extra fuzz. Your skin and hair are becoming soft and smooth. From here on out, you're mostly just putting on weight and fine-tuning your existing systems. Lungs still need more time for sure, and I think the breathing practice must be getting tricky for you considering how often you have gotten the hiccups lately. Poor baby. You're still very firmly on the right side of my uterus and pretty active, but your kicks and elbows have lost their wallop now that you're running out of room. My fundal height grew 4 centimeters in 2 weeks (holy cow!!!), and your heart rate has mellowed down to around 130. You're about the size of a large jicama now (16.7 inches, over 3 pounds).

Me:

The only really new thing with me is I can't spend any time on my back including leaning back while sitting because it causes some serious lower-mid back pain and hinders my breathing. Heartburn has gotten progressively worse and more frequent. Still no stretch marks anywhere aside from my boobs. As this pregnancy progresses and the places where my hip piercings were continue to stretch out, I have realized it's a good thing that they got ripped out before they ended up just falling out XD.

How many growth spurts did your baby have? When did you notice the movements becoming less vicious? Did you have a maternity photo shoot?

Bumpdate #24 (31 weeks)

Happy belated birthday to me!  (it was the 21st in case anyone wants to know) It was awesome. My mommy came to town and surprised me by bringing my daddy, too!! We got to do so much catching up and just being together. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend as well :)

Rainbow:

You've settled into a more regular sleep pattern. You tend to have pretty consistent active times as well. But my favorite development this week is you recognize Daddy's voice and prefer him over other people around me. When he finally got home from his training, you were so excited to hear him. You wouldn't kick or move around for other people like my mom, but as soon as you hear Daddy again, you start kicking up a storm. Your irises are now able to dilate with light even though you really aren't able to practice that in your dark world. You're about 16 inches long now (about the size of a bunch of asparagus), and you take full advantage of your length by stretching from my left hip to my right lung

Me:

I keep forgetting that I have a belly because I really haven't gained any weight anywhere except the three lumps on my front side so I keep bumping into things/people and forgetting that I don't fit through spaces like I used to. I feel so bad for everyone at work because they're usually my victims XD. And I had to take the belly ring out this week since it was starting to get painful. Made it 3/4 of the way through with it!
Other than that, though, not much else new.

For your pregnancy, did you notice that you had more changes in the beginning and baby had more towards the end? When did you have your baby shower? When did your baby start recognizing people other than you?

Bumpdate #23 (30 weeks)

70 days. 10 weeks. That's all that's left until our guess date arrives. Baby will probably get here sometime after that, but still. We're in the final stretch! Appointments are every 2 weeks now.

Rainbow:

You are so active now, it's blowing my mind. We can see your movements even when I'm standing. Truth be told, I'm a little excited for when you get too big to have as much force behind all those elbows you keep throwing. You're focusing mostly on putting on weight this week. Your eyesight is still progressing, but even by the time you're born, it'll only be 20/400 (I know that pain, mine has been way worse for most of my life). You're about 15.75 inches long and almost 3 pounds now which is about as big as a cabbage!

Me:

There really isn't much new with me other than the belly keeps growing. So far, only new stretch marks are still on my boobs which are still leaking through the night. Passed the GD test, though! The only thing that's needing some extra attention is my iron which is very borderline. I haven't been craving ice at all so at least I have avoided that pregnancy craving!

Were you anemic through pregnancy? What did you do (if anything) to correct it? How prepared did you feel when you hit the 3/4 mark?

Bumpdate #22 (29 weeks)

Y'all. I know I've said this before, but seriously. Time is flying. The nesting is starting to kick in. I have a cleaning/organizational project in mind for each week for the next 4 weeks so hopefully the only things I'll have left to do for the last month and a half or so is all labor preparation and collecting birth supplies. We have almost all of the essentials, now just to plump out our diaper and clothing stashes!

Rainbow:

You've had the hiccups twice so far! Such a cutie. You have settled on a normal day schedule and do a lot of your sleeping at night when I do. You are so active and using all of your 15+ inches to kick me in the lungs while there's still enough room for you to move around. You're starting to accumulate white fat now in addition to the brown fat you already have so your skin is getting less wrinkly. Your head is getting bigger to make room for more of that rapid brain development you started last week. You're now up to the size of a butternut squash and about the third of your final weight.

Me:

I'm up to 155 pounds so I'm at 19-21 pounds up on my pre-pregnancy weight! My boobs are still growing right along with my belly. Energy is still staying pretty consistent even though my sleeping has gotten worse. Now instead of just having trouble staying asleep, I'm having a hard time falling asleep. We're also now at the point that sleeping on my back is unbearable. I used to be able to prop up a little and make it work, but it wrecks my lower back now to even attempt.

Did your baby have the hiccups often? Did that transfer through to life outside the womb? When did the nesting really start for you?

Bumpdate #21 (28 weeks)

Third trimester!! OMG!! I was checking my app, and I didn't even realize we had gotten into the double digits. Only 84 days to go!

Rainbow:

Your brain is getting more grooves, and your sleep schedule should be getting more regular (even though your sleep cycles are still pretty short). You have a bad habit of waking me up at 4:30 in the morning demanding food, but then of course instead of going back to sleep, you won't stop kicking me with your new burst of energy XD. I'm so ready to see how that's going to play out when you're out of my uterus. Even your little kicks are visible on the outside now when I'm lying down, and you love playing kicking games with Daddy. You're also now the size of a Chinese cabbage (14.8 inches, 2.25 pounds).

Me:

The boobies are still leaking pretty much every night. I have yet to leak during the day. My areolas have gotten a little bigger, and I now have stretch marks all over my boobs. And we now have the wonderful leukorrhea so that's been fun. My emotions are still all over the place, and I get heartburn from water.

Now that we have less than 3 months to go, let's go over the old wive's tales one more time!

Morning sickness - so much, GIRL
Moodiness - definitely, GIRL
Heartbeat - 171 bpm settling down to 150, GIRL
Craving - savory foods, BOY
Husband's weight gain - still don't think he gained any, BOY
Acne - yes, GIRL
Clumsier - yes, BOY
Necklace/wedding ring - circles, GIRL
Chinese calendar - GIRL
Mayan gender predictor - odd, odd, GIRL
Baking soda test - almost no fizz, GIRL
Carrying - low, BOY
Sleeping side - right, GIRL

Anyone have new gender guesses? Did the rest of the third trimester fly by for you, or did the last month drag on forever for you? Anyone have a favorite pain management method (hypnobirthing, lamaze, visualization, breathing)?