Bumpdate #29 (36 weeks)

The nesting phase has started to set in more or less, but really, knowing we are 2 weeks away from being on baby watch has me wrapping up everything we haven't done yet. I finally started washing diapers which is good. After my baby shower next week I'll hopefully have some clothes to wash so this kid will have something more to wear than just diapers. Work is starting to wear me down so we'll see if I do keep working until I pop, or if I'm going to put in 2 weeks to give myself a real end date. If I get all the nesting nonsense done, it probably won't bother me so much to have my time split like it is.

Rainbow:

You're still just putting on the finishing touches and gaining weight. You're up to about the size of a crenshaw melon now! The inversions seem to be really helping because you're starting to spend more time in the center instead of just on the right side which is awesome for me. Your movements are definitely smaller now that there isn't much room left for you, but you're still as active as can be.

Me:

Thanks to a dog (cough, cough, Achilles, cough) that has learned how to jump the fence, I have been doing a lot of extra walking around which has started me having quite a few more Braxton Hicks contractions. The heartburn is starting to settle down which is great since my appetite has taken off again. Your proximity has me nervous that we won't get everything ready for you in time, but I am so excited to meet you and see your little face. This is also the week we start perineal massage so that's going to be fun.

Any tips for getting through the last month of pregnancy? Has anyone done perineal massage, Evening Primrose Oil, or the 6 dates a day trick to shorten labor and prevent tearing? How close to your guess date did you keep working?

Bumpdate #28 (35 weeks)

Ahhh!!! Time is still just flying by! On the plus side we finally have all the baby furniture put together. Now just to finish organizing the other room, and we'll be good to go! Just over a month left until our guess date. And we finally got our maternity pictures done :) I can't wait to get them back; I'm so excited!

Rainbow:

You're still moving around quite frequently throughout the day, and some of your stronger movements are giving me an opportunity to practice relaxing. Your kidneys are fully developed, and your liver can process some waste. Nearly all systems are a go! You're also about as heavy as a honeydew melon and putting on the pounds. If you are born now, chances are that you wouldn't even need to stay in the NICU at all :)

Me:

Really not much new for me this week. Still doing what we've been doing. I will say I'm starting to get more tired at work, but I'm also getting more hours lately thanks to it being summertime so it could easily be a combination of both simply working more and carrying around an ever growing baby.

For those of you that had maternity pictures done, are you glad you did? At what point did the final month start to stretch on and on for you? Anyone have a baby still flipping head up to down this close to term?

Bumpdate #27 (34 weeks)

OMG! It's getting so close to baby watch time! As much as I really think this baby is going to be late, I can't stop thinking about how I was born 2 weeks early. We could be 4 weeks away from having a baby! And it's our first Mother's Day. What a day.

Rainbow:

You definitely scared me making me think you were breech or transverse, but it's just the way you kick, you cause your butt to shove into me at the same time. Which by the way, if you could keep your butt out of my ribcage, that'd be great. Your vernix is getting thicker this week, and your lungs are starting to mature! A couple more weeks until breathing won't be such a questionable act for you to accomplish. You're about as heavy as a cantaloupe now, and your growth has leveled back out again. You're still very much so a right-sided baby with your head almost all the way down into my pelvis, and you've been more active this week than last week.

Me:

We finally have stretch marks on the belly! I realize most people would not be excited about this, but I am ecstatic that I have physical proof that a vegan pregnancy is just as normal as an omni pregnancy. My baby is having growth spurts and doing all the right things just like I knew we would. Heartburn is almost a daily struggle now, and I have a second hemorrhoid which sucks. I'm either going to start applying coconut oil or invest in some witch hazel since I'll want it post birth anyway. Or both. It just blows my mind because I poop more pregnant than I ever did before, and I am definitely not constipated so it has to be because of increased blood volume and flow. My blood pressure was slightly elevated at this last visit, but it could've just been an off day. A couple weeks, and we'll know if it's starting to be a more consistent thing.

How many of you did have your first baby early? How many of you still hadn't had your baby shower this far along (like me)? Anyone have any cures for hemorrhoids?

Bumpdate #26 (33 weeks)

Not much new this week, just final countdown jitters! I know being nervous is totally acceptable, but it feels weird to be nervous with how much preparation I have done. It's crazy to think how much my life is about to change and how much change has already happened this past year.

Rainbow:

This week starts your period of heavy-duty weight gain; we're talking half a pound every week for the next four weeks! You're starting out about the size of a pineapple. I'm excited to see just how big you get when we're all said and done. This week your skeleton is also hardening up (except for your skull which won't fuse for a while after birth). You're still incredibly excited when your dad gets home which as cute as it is, you're getting too big! Mommy has trouble getting comfortable and still being able to breathe when you're squirming all over the place.

Me:

My belly has been itchier this past week which considering how much growth we had, that doesn't surprise me at all. The iron pills I've been taking have not constipated me at all thankfully, but they have given me the worst gas! I feel so bad for everyone at work. And with a big ole' baby pushing on my intestines, there just isn't much I can do. Additionally, I had to start drinking an 8-ounce glass of warm lemon water to help balance my pH. Apparently it's not uncommon for vegans to be too alkaline and end up with a screwy vaginal environment. Fun stuff.

What helped you the most with the jitters? Did you go on a babymoon? What helped you the most with transitioning from childfree living to first-time parenthood?

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?