Pregnancy Journal: Twenty-seven Weeks

It was just brought to my attention that I have been delinquent.  22 weeks?? I thought maybe I had posted at 24 or 25. I'm so sorry baby boy that I am not chronicling your development better.

How far along: 27 weeks

Weight gain, body changes: After losing and not gaining, I finally have started to catch up. I am now 18 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight and have gained a whopping 8 inches around my middle. At our last ultrasound (we're going every 4 weeks because his kidneys were mildly dilated at our 20 week ultrasound--more on that later) the tech estimate his weight at 1 lb. 1 oz. I think he may have doubled in size in the last couple weeks.

26 weeks

Maternity clothes: I have moved into third trimester maternity clothes. Some of the maternity clothes I was wearing earlier no longer fit. None of my non-maternity clothes fit anymore. Not true, I have some extra long, blousey tops that will continue to work. Shoes are getting harder to put on, which makes deciding what to wear to and from work a little challenging. I keep a supply of flats in one of my desk drawers at work, but as it's getting colder, my commuter footwear is tricky.

27 weeks

Stretch marks: Still nothing new! Keeping my fingers crossed (my sister said she didn't get any until the last few weeks).

Movement: OH man. Acrobatics, Kung Fu, Karate, whatever he is practicing in there it is getting more intense and even painful on occasion. I hear I will miss the sensations of him moving in my belly after he is born. Don't get me wrong, it still amazes me every time I feel him, but I don't know that I'll miss it. We'll see about that. I can definitely see him moving under my clothes now... at work, on the subway, at home, in bed in the middle of the night :). The Captain really likes it when I wake him up in the middle of the night by rolling my belly over against his back. It's just an experience that I don't want to hog all to myself! (he actually does like it.)

Sleep: Hmmm, how to answer this one. I think I'm sleeping better than I was, but it is getting more inconsistent.

Best moment this week: Hearing the Captain tell me about the benefits of a medication-free birth. It's so nice to hear it from him and feel his support as an unmedicated birth has always been my plan.

What made you cry: I don't remember crying this week. Christmas Eve had a rough patch, but the Captain came through and we had a really nice Christmas.

Food cravings: I'm still hungry a lot of the time, though I don't really crave anything abnormal.

Something you miss: I miss sleeping on my stomach. Luckily, if I have a pillow under my knees I can still sleep on my back for short periods.

Anything making you queasy or sick: The nausea has finally subsided... as long as I get enough sleep at night. So, that means I either take the unisom at night or zofran during the day. It's still far from ideal, but as my dad said recently, "New York City has got to be a nausea producing powerhouse with subways, taxi rides and skyscrapers that tower over you and look like they are swaying as you walk by." The days that I stay home and don't have to ride the subway, I feel a lot better. I have gotten sick a couple times this winter. The Captain and I are currently passing a cold back and forth--that is not fun.

Appointments: (I just added this one) My glucose tolerance test came back negative. I also have no issues with my hemoglobin or hematocrin (?) which the dr said means I am one of the few who have no issues with iron deficiency.

How's your mood: Ha! As I get bigger and more uncomfortable I am finding myself to be a little less patient. But I'm still doing okay.

Any surprises? How much the baby is moving. I really thought that I would feel kicks a couple times a day, maybe some hiccups. But, this kid is constantly on the move with short periods of sleep between.    

Okay, so now for the down and dirty. The baby's kidneys. When we first found out that they saw hydronephrosis in both kidneys I had a pretty hard time. My first real experience with mommy guilt. We looked up the causes for prenatal kidney dilation and first we found out that 40% of the time the problem does not persist after birth. That was comforting. We also learned that the #1 cause is a UPJ obstruction. That's exactly what I have, congenital UPJ obstruction which means the tube that connects my (right) kidney to my bladder has an area that is constricted, making it difficult for my right kidney to drain and if I am not careful can cause swelling and infection. Not fun. But of course, even though I know I have no control over it, I think "I am passing this problem down to my baby. He's inheriting it from me." Luckily, the dilation is mild and likely will not turn into anything after he's born. That's what we're praying for at least.

Speaking of, my urologist is planning to do a procedure while I'm still in the hospital for the birth that will prep for a surgery to fix my UPJ obstruction.