Pregnancy Update #13 - Ultrasound: big baby! extra fluid...

I haven't been posting regularly. I think, in part, because my energy is going towards dealing with these intense 3rd trimester symptoms. It really is like night and day. Up until 30-32 weeks, I had a relatively easy, smooth time of things, then, WHAM, 3rd trimester swoops in and transforms the experience.

Insomnia got real, and I would find myself awake at 2 even 3am in the morning, then if I did sleep, it would be in short, frustrating intervals. Every time I'd try to lay down, I'd feel hot and itchy and restless, both in my body and mind. I know better than to lie there trying to force it, so up I'd get. RC is working swing shift right now and starts at 4am, so he got a surprise morning greeting a couple of times when he came downstairs. After trying Benadryl to no great effect, the doctor finally prescribed Ambien, which at least allows me to sleep more soundly, though I still don't drop off until 1 or 2am.

The worst new symptom, though, is carpal tunnel. I won't even be able to make this post as long as I'd like because my hands are already getting tingly and painful. Anyone who has had serious carpal tunnel knows what I'm talking about. It's relentless. At the very least, I have tingling and numbness all. the. time. Then it regularly moves into aching and pain. Nothing completely relieves it. Icing, tylenol, and a couple of specific stretches can take the edge off a little but not for long. I'm wearing braces at night but am not sure how much they're helping. My doctor referred me for a cortizone shot, but the hand specialists who do these can't see me until the 20th. Argh.

I've also gained more weight and in addition to feeling overextended with a watermelon-sized belly, I get tired and winded fairly quickly and have to make use of chairs and benches that were mainly installed for the elderly. RC has been kind and patient overall and has helped me navigate these challenges. After I broke two glass carafes for our french press within a few days - thank you carpal tunnel and lack of feeling in my fingers - he took over the coffee making duties for both of us. lol

The news is not all bad, however. Our little Ellie is active and growing, and we are experiencing the thrill of big movement and little feet pushing against the top of my belly, so that I can touch them and give a little push back. So cute! I love it so much. :) She's so long, and, now that she's head down, I can feel kicks at the top and simultaneous churny, tickly feelings at the bottom. I'm definitely blessed with the gift of kicks and pressure on my bladder at this point, which really feels strange. I'm not losing bladder control, though, for which I'm grateful.

Which leads me to the best part of my post, our ultrasound yesterday. You'll never guess how much little girl weighs now...6lbs 4oz!!! That's birth weight, my friends, OMG! The doctor anticipates her growing to near 9lbs by 39 weeks, and says she is leaning towards a c-section, that being the case. She has told us that with her own pregnancy, she had decided that if her son were over 8lbs, she would choose c-section (she was on the older side, too, around 40). If I were lower risk, I don't think this would be the natural course, but all things considered...including that we discovered I have polyhydramnios or high amniotic fluid, which adds some risk, as well. My level is mild to moderate, and she said they will just keep an eye on it. It makes me nervous, though. Has anyone else had this diagnosis? There doesn't seem to be any particular actions I can take to address it, so I have just recommitted to getting some exercise every day and trying to keep up a healthy diet. I admit to eating chips regularly, but the doctor said it has nothing to do with salt intake. It's probably partly why my stomach feels so huge and distended...

Anyway, all the other news was good. She's still measuring big in the 70-90th percentile on individual measurements and over two weeks ahead developmentally. Her heart and organs look great, and we captured some amazing pictures. I will share a couple of my favorites below. That's all for now. We are going on our babymoon to Bend tomorrow through Wednesday, and I hope to enjoy it and spend some time outside. Baby shower (scheduled on the 28th) is coming along, and my sister generously offered to have it at her house - a great location - so that's exciting. It feels like we have turned the corner and are on the final stretch.😅

Pregnancy Update #12 - Early Third Trimester Ultrasound

We had another ultrasound last Tuesday! Some highlights:

• Saw little Ellie kicking her feet like she was tap dancing. So cute! I feel this sensation sometimes, so it's fun to see her in action.
• She's 3lbs 7oz, measuring almost two weeks ahead! Is this common? It was 28wks 5days, and she measured 30wks 3days. Our big girl. So glad she's growing well.
• I was given my Rhogam shot a couple of weeks ago, since my blood type is O-. Happy to have that done to make sure and protect her, in case her blood type is positive.
• At the end of Tuesday's appointment, the nurse gave me the TDAP injection. Big needle, a little uncomfortable, but the worst part is definitely the sore arm that lasts for several days. It's gone now, and again, it's worth it to keep her safe.
• We got a better 3D picture of her face. Such a precious little face. If you can't tell, I'm falling more and more in love! 

With regards to my own symptoms and how the pregnancy is progressing, I will say there has definitely been a shift towards greater discomfort. Here are some examples:

• My stomach now feels overextended on a regular basis. The feeling is akin to an overblown balloon that may soon pop. lol It really is quite uncomfortable. It's worse after I have eaten or if I'm bloated and/or constipated, which happens regularly. 
• Insomnia or, as one of my pregnancy apps calls it, "disrupted sleep." I have trouble falling asleep and often end up getting up for another 45 minutes to an hour before I can finally relax and nod off. Then I wake up every hour to two hours for the first half of the night to pee and/or change positions, get another chunk of sleep, wake up once more, then sleep for another hour or so. So. many. dreams. Stupid, overly and unnecessarily detailed dreams. I usually like analyzing dreams. Not these. I wake up and shake my head and try to forget and move on. 
• Physical limitations in terms of shortness of breath and stamina. We went to Costco today, and I knew I could not traipse all over that warehouse of a store like normal. So, I drove one of those little scooters with the cart on the front. heehee I cracked myself up, but it worked and was just what I needed. We went to the county fair the other day, and we had fun, but I had to take regular breaks to sit down and keep drinking water. 
• Basically, I feel like I'm past the "cute" pregnant stage and into the part where I look like a walking beach ball. I'm so big! I can't believe I have another 9.5 weeks to go.

Not that we are ready for her yet! We still need to get the room done (we are doing NW forest/forest animals theme), and I was finally just able to schedule the baby shower with my friend who is generously co-hosting it at my sister's house for Saturday, September 28th. I know it's really late to have a shower - my due date for induction/c-section is October 10th at 39 weeks - but it's literally the only date she was available, and I really need and appreciate her being in the hosting role. My sister is just too busy and not really into that kind of thing. I'm super happy she's opening her house for it, though. Anyway, tell me it will be okay to have it that late? Praying over here that I'll be physically able to enjoy it, and that Ellie won't decide to make an early appearance.

I have more life stuff to share, but I'll save that for another post. Suffice to say, I'm so grateful and full of gratitude and joy for my little girl and getting to feel - and share with RC - all her activity. AND I'm feeling kind of generally anxious and overwhelmed and would love to just hibernate and not deal with the world for a while.  More soon... hope you're having a lovely, fun-filled summer so far.

Pregnancy Update #7

My belly is continuing to grow, and it's getting harder, especially on the sides, which is exciting. Here's my latest bump picture of our baby avocado:

I'm not sharing these broadly or on FB, so you are part of a select few to see this picture. :)

We're in a sixteen day countdown until our next maternal-fetal medicine visit and ultrasound. Our last visit with the obgyn was a few days ago. Pudge's heartbeat was around 138-140, which is lower than before, but I've been reassured it's still great and in the normal range. I know the heartbeat lowers as the baby grows bigger. Today, on the home doppler, her heartbeat was so strong! yay! And seemed to hover in the 140s and occasionally jump into the 150s or dip into 130s. It's such an amazing feeling when it's beating along so strong and steady. I said to RC, "That's our little baby!" 💓

I'm still feeling good overall. Boobs continue to be quite sore and to grow. I will definitely need new bras soon. My neck is stiff from sleeping in the Snoogle pillow, but it totally helps my hips and body comfort, so I'm sticking with it. Did anyone else use a Snoogle and have advice for me to make my neck more comfy? I'm thinking about getting a soft, thin pillow to put over the head section. I'm able to eat a wider variety of food but still mainly getting my veggies from salads and veggies in soups or sauces.

The foods that have been my friends all along include:

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
• Chicken noodle soup
• Chicken pot pies for quite a while, but now I'm off of them
• Pasta, especially with creamy/white sauce, with ground beef or shellfish
• Potatoes: french fries, tater tots, baked or mashed.
• THINLY-sliced turkey sandwiches with tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, cranberry if they have it
• Mexican food: tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas
• Cheese/dairy in many forms, which is strange because I've been lactose tolerant, yet seem to tolerate it better (and crave it) in pregnancy. I still cough a bit at times but no headaches
• Salads, especially with apples and cheese in them
• Spicy chips; both corn chips and potato chips
• Sheep's milk yogurt - plain to dip my chips in and blackberry for breakfast
• Spicy nuts: mixed nuts, honey mustard nuts/pretzel mix, almonds
• Fresh fruit: melon, berries, strawberries, mandarin oranges, bananas
• Lately, cereal, honey-nut cheerios
• ICE CREAM in many forms but mainly Blizzards and milkshakes
• Breakfast breads and pastries, such as waffles, donuts, bear claws, muffins, etc.
• Almond milk

Aversions (which I normally eat) have included:

• Salmon, most cooked meat on its own, most of the time
• Bacon
• Eggs
• Cooked vegetables
• Squash, sweet potato, etc.
• Many fried foods (excluding potatoes and desserts) 
• Pizza doesn't sound great

 I'm still a little picky but I guess the aversions have lessened in number and intensity. Now, I'm really wanting a Blizzard! lol

My emotions flair up at times, still, but definitely less. It seems like I'm more apt to feel a wave of sadness and cry once in a while than to become irritated/angry and snap at RC unexpectedly, so that's better for RC. :) I still get super tired and take afternoon naps. I was hoping that would pass, so I could have that 1-2 hours back in the afternoon, but not yet. I'm lucky I don't have a set schedule in the late afternoon right now.

On the work front, my interview with the university went well, and they asked me to be available for a second interview next Friday, this one on Zoom/video. Those can be awkward, in my experience, but I will do my best! If I get this job, it makes me nervous (already!) about being separated from Pudge after maternity leave, down the road. It's also an exciting opportunity, however, and would open doors for us to buy into a cohousing community here, which would fulfill another long-held dream of mine and be great for our family. We have recently met some folks in the community and become associate members ($50/month). Construction starts in the fall on this great property on the river that flows through Eugene. Please send good thoughts!

Tomorrow, we are looking forward to heading out of town to Bend, OR and playing outdoors in the sun for a couple of days, as well as checking out the town, which has grown up a lot since I was last there. But first, GOT tonight! Woo hoo! 😆