Update: At my appointment on Friday I was able to go back to seeing the midwife. And I felt really grateful to have selected the prenatal care that I have. I'm glad there are OBs on staff. I'm glad that I get to consult with a midwife and *hopefully* have her attend the birth of our son. Due to the nature of their practice, there's a chance that she won't be able to, but I'd be lucky to have any one of the OBs assist. They are all supportive and caring. And it was nice to have an ultra conservative MD with pre-term labor expertise in my court this last week. I'm still having contractions, random in both frequency and duration, which has them concerned and me on modified bed rest.
How far along: 29 weeks
Weight gain, body changes: I don't know how, but I'm down 2 lbs from last week making my total weight gain 16 lbs. I'm measuring the same around the waist, but I feel bigger! Maybe I feel bigger because the baby is growing but I have not...yet. I know that growth will come. My midwife estimated the baby to be 2-3 lbs right now (my fundal height is 29cm--right on target).
Stretch marks: Still nothing new. I'm feeling really lucky, but I know this kid has a long way to grow yet (see above).
Movement: Frequently now his movement feels more deliberate. Not that he's thinking, "If I put my bum here and my elbows here..." but that there's a method to the madness. He still moves almost all the time and we've even captured some big bumps and kicks on video. Maybe if I'm feeling brave I'll post it (not sure how I feel about my bare belly on the www).
Sleep: This changes nightly. Lately if I wake up to use the facilities between 1-2am I'll be up until 4-5am and then go back to sleep for another couple hours. Last night I slept solidly from about 10:30pm to 6am. That was nice.
Best thing about this week: (I changed this up a bit) Having the Captain home so much. He's really stepped up and is taking really great care of me. He even cut my toenails for me.
What made you cry: I just bawled like a baby watching a Tinkerbell movie on Netflix. My heart was breaking for Tinkerbell and her broken wing. It was just too much for my pregnant self to handle!
Food cravings: Food. I feel hungry all the time. Fruit. Right now I could go for some watermelon or mango or strawberries. Yum!
Something you miss: Now I miss sleeping on my back. I really miss it, but it's only comfortable for like five minutes.
Appointments: The Captain came with me to my appointment this week, which was so nice. He's come with me to all the big ultrasounds, but this was the first time he's been able to come with me to a regular appointment since he usually works in the Bronx on Fridays and that's the day that I had arranged to work from home making it the best day to go in. It was a good thing he was there. He acted as my brain and asked all the questions that I would have forgotten. He asked her opinion about vaccines and pediatricians. We got all the details on my treatment plan, which is to be super careful as we traverse the next few milestones and keep this kid inside a little longer. Once we hit 34-36 weeks, I'll be able to do a little bit more. For now, I'm on modified bed rest: working from home at least 3 out of 5 days a week, watching my contractions closely (if I have more than four in an hour or any less than 15 minutes apart I'm supposed to call and potentially go to the hospital), staying overly hydrated, and keeping my activity to a minimum. I really really really want to avoid any of those anti-contraction meds. I feel like taking something like that would be a sure way to require some other intervention like labor inducing meds later.
How's your mood:
Any surprises? They didn't check how dilated I am now. I was surprised to know that they aren't concerned about the state of my cervix, just the contractions. Which, I guess is good because as my sister said, I'll be grateful for every cm when I go into labor. If it's becoming soft and even dilating more, that's okay as long as I can keep the contractions under control.
I can't even tell you how grateful I am that I switched jobs at work, if only for the fact that I am able to work from home. Otherwise I'd have to go on disability which would shorten the amount of time I could take for maternity leave later. The closer I get to term with this baby and can still work, the longer I'll get paid to be a stay-at-home mommy. Which, let's be honest, is pretty great!
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