Week 33 and 34

Week 33

This week our baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (half a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. She's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal. 

Changes

I have had a much harder time breathing lately. It feels like there is a brick on my chest. Also, I can barely eat because it is getting so crowded inside that my stomach is so small and squished. Charlotte is running out of room, but she is still super active. The difference is that she is rolling and protruding rather than kicking. I actually saw her foot sticking out of my upper belly the other night. The rolling and protruding is much more pressure than the short quick kicks. 

Nesting

I have been nesting lately. Nesting is quite controlling and has taken over my life really. I get these urges and have to do them. Mark says I will say I "need" to do something and within minutes be up doing it and can't stop tell it is done. The other day I spent 14 straight hours purging the house and put 18 garbage bags and countless boxes at the curb. It was about 2:30am when Mark made me go to bed. It is random things each day, for instance: reorganizing closets and cabinets or cleaning the baseboards. So, my life has been consumed by random urges, but it has been really comical. I tell Mark I am losing my mind. 

Dr. Appointment

We went to the doctor this past Monday. We were able to hear her heartbeat. Everything came in great. And, I am right on track with my weight and blood pressure. The one thing I am doing that is concerning is swelling a lot. They told me to watch my sodium intake and drink lots of water. So, I have been looking at the labels on what I eat and I apparently eat quite a few mg of sodium. I am going to pay more attention to my sodium intake, which is weird because I never really pay attention to labels when I eat. We go back in 2 and half weeks because Mark's day off is changing from Mondays to Fridays with his new job. 

Houston

We made a trip to Houston this week for our nephew's second birthday. The trip was nice. Mark's parents drove Mark and I in their brand new Ford Fusion. The party was nice, it rained some during it, but the kids didn't care too much. It was good to see our brother- and sister-in-law. Next year will be fun because Charlotte will be almost one at Colton's third birthday party. 

Week 34

Our baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (an average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. So, baby Charlotte can arrive anytime now :)

Speaking of....

baby Charlotte's arrival. This past Thursday night I had a hard time sleeping. After being up almost all night I noticed that when I got out of bed early Friday morning there was much more pressure on my pelvic bone. I already carried the baby low and had a lot of pelvic pressure, but I could definitely tell there was more. I put on my maternity belt for support and got ready to go out to Canton. (Mark took our friend Annie and me to Canton) In the car on the way I started to have (Braxton Hicks) contractions. I was having contractions about every ten minutes, if not closer together, but I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Surprisingly, when we got there and were walking around they seemed to go away, or I just couldn't really feel them. But, when we got back in the car to go home they started up again. I realized that night that the baby had dropped and I was in fact having Braxton Hicks Contractions. 

My skin has been stretching and I feel like at any moment, my bellybutton will burst open. Since the baby dropped I have had much more room in my upper stomach. So, I can eat more and bigger meals because my stomach isn't so squished. Although, now I probably eat too much, because I am constantly hungry! 

Saturday Night we went to our friends wedding. I could feel the baby almost the whole time. By the time we left I had contractions in my back as well. When we got home that night I was so uncomfortable. I was up until 5:30 am with contractions. From 2:45 until 5:00 am I had contractions every 13 minutes for about 40 seconds. I was debating on calling the doctor, but the contractions weren't painful really. I probably would have called to see if there was something I should or could do to stop them, but it was the middle of the night. I tried drinking 3 full glasses of water, emptying my bladder, laying on the left side, taking a bath... everything I could think to try. 

Nursery

I have made quite a few advances in the nursery. I finished her quilt and her valance. Also, we picked up a few more items in Canton (a small table and chair set). I have been acquiring little trinkets and decor for her room the past few months. I found a few things this past week on clearance at Hobby Lobby. I will have to post a full post of the final nursery but her are a few more sneak peaks. 

Still Growing