34 weeks! (very long update!)

How Far Along Am I?

Today I'm 34w2d. And I feel every single day of it! (Including the foot stuck squarely behind my rib at this very moment...*ahem*...)

I took this picture moments before I headed into my first NST of the week. Had I known the adventure that lay before me that night, I would've chosen a more comfortable outfit, but the tank tops ended up being rather perfect.

We'll get to that later, friends...












How Big is Noodle?
Noodle is over 5lbs and around 19" long. Or so the statistics would say.
I think Noodle is a little shy of 5lbs and probably closer to 17-18" long. Not because I think Noodle is behind the curve, but because I don't believe Noodle is going to be a very big baby. Or adult, for that matter...

Maternity Clothes?
As you can see from my picture above, I'm not ALWAYS in maternity clothes. I ended up throwing a man's button-down shirt on over those tanks, and that's pretty standard for me these days.

Stretch Marks?
Nope!

Sleep?
As usual, sleep is difficult for me. Now that Noodle has dropped, sleeping on my side has become incredibly difficult without a billion pillows between my knees, so I'm back to sleeping on the couch for the most part, because it's so much easier to accomplish an upright position. But that's not helping my insomnia at all...so...sleep is really just fleeting right now. Oh, and let's not forget that my son has been having horrible nightmares the last few nights, so he's up and down throughout the night with terrors, keeping me awake, too, even if I'm not battling insomnia. Hooray.

Best Moment of the Week?
Well, honestly...the best moment of the week was when I got some IV Dilaudid and for the first time in many, many months, nothing hurt at all and I was incredibly sleepy. As much as I hate taking narcotics, it was a beautiful feeling to just...rest...and be pain-free for a little while.

Miss Anything?
Running.
Sleeping.
Bending over.
Tying my own shoes.

Movement?
Noodle was VERY active earlier this week.
Since Noodle has dropped and become fully engaged, the movements are slower and smaller, but still there.

Food Cravings?
I'm on a red meat kick right now. I think I might need iron...

Food Aversions?
None. I'll eat everything and anything at this point. I'm STARVING.

Labor Signs?
OH...yes...so many.
Right this minute, I'm timing contractions. They're currently 2:45 minutes apart (average) and lasting almost 2 minutes long, accompanied by back pain, pelvic pressure and hip pain. If they continue for 45 minutes, I'll drink a gallon of water and lay down. If at any point my thighs begin to hurt, I'm going to the ER.

We'll get back to all this at the end of the post...

Happy or Moody?
I haven't been either, really. I feel like this week I've been much more distracted than anything else. With the holiday preparations, as well as getting ready for Noodle, my mind has been too busy to stay focused on one mood.

Looking Forward To?
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday! I'm looking VERY forward to that!

Random Stuff:
Alright...so, it's time for an update on what's happened this week...

On Monday night I went in for my NST, like usual, but it didn't end up that way. But let's start at the beginning....

Saturday, around 10am, I started feeling contractions. We were at my daughter's basketball skills practice, and I started to time them around 11, when I realized they weren't letting up. They weren't painful, but they were definitely uncomfortable, and I took several breaks from her practice to walk around outside to get them to subside.

They didn't.

Those contractions, in fact, didn't let up all day. Or night. At about 10:30pm, I took a hot shower in my last ditch effort to get them to quit. It certainly felt great on my back, but it did nothing for the contractions. They were steadily 2 minutes apart. It had been 12 hours. I was exhausted and trying to stay hydrated, but after my shower I literally laid down on my bed for a minute and passed out from the strain all day.

I woke up on Sunday morning, determined to have a better day. My contractions were still present, but they weren't getting closer together or hurting more than the day before. They were just...the same. After I'd gone to the bathroom, however, I noticed I was losing mucous. It wasn't a lot, but it was definitely there and that's when I started to get a little nervous... For the rest of the day I watched for more labor signs like a HAWK. No spotting, no more mucous, no fluid loss, no increase in pressure, no increase in contractions, no change at all! Zip! Zilch! Nada! It was just these stupid contractions on and on and on...

(Now, for those of you unfamiliar with my situation, 2 minute contractions aren't necessarily a cause for me to run to L&D for evaluation. Because I've been struggling with these throughout the last trimester especially, and doing twice-weekly NST's, I've been advised to come in for evaluation if they change, increase, or are accompanied by other labor signs.)

I told myself Sunday evening that I had an NST the next day, so I needed to just keep it together and hang tough. While a few of my contractions were getting slightly  more painful, not ALL of them were, and the painful ones were several hours apart. If I could hold on until my NST, I could ask the nurses about it at that point and maybe get a cervical exam to be sure it was nothing to worry about.

Well, friends, that's when things got a little weird...

All through Sunday night I was awakened by contractions and the constant need to pee. My contractions had become more uncomfortable, were accompanied by more pressure and this constant need to empty my bladder. Not every few minutes...CONSTANT. I told my sister and Mister about my mucous and my contractions, and reminded myself that I was going to the hospital that night. Unless it became urgent, I could wait until then.

Then I went in for my NST.

By the time I got to the hospital, I was exhausted from days of contractions and it hurt to walk. Days ago, I felt Noodle drop, and at this point walking has become comical. So when I walked in the door of L&D, the nurse asked me immediately if I was alright. I was moody, pale and breathing heavily. As we made our way to the exam room, I explained what had been going on and how I was feeling now. I made it clear that the contractions had become much more painful, but were still bearable, and I was still convinced they were just Braxton Hicks contractions with a little attitude.

10 minutes on the monitor confirmed contractions 2 minutes apart.
The doctor on call was watching my monitors from his house and called the nurse to order a cervical exam and an FFN test. At this point, I was saying "ow" during the contractions and taking a deep breath or two, but I explained to the nurse before she began the exam that my contractions were starting in my back, not my front, and I could feel them in my hips.

The cervical exam proved I was beginning to dilate. I was a 1-2 all the way through (meaning my internal and external OS were both dilating). It also showed that I was 70% effaced. The nurse smiled up at me and said, "Your baby is so low I can feel the head with my fingers. You're fully engaged. I'm going to call it 0 station."

YAY! Wait...Noodle...stay put...

My contractions picked up because of the cervical exam and now I was having to stop talking and breathe through them.

The doctor called from home again and ordered some IV fluids while we waited for my FFN results. While the IV was administered, my contractions picked up even further. They were lasting more than a minute, were consistently 2 minutes apart and were picking up in intensity! I had to actually FOCUS through them. The nurse noted this and we both agreed they'd probably knock it off in a half hour or so and blamed it on the cervical exam.

20 minutes later, the doctor called from home AGAIN and ordered a shot of Terbutaline. It's another medicine that may help relax smooth muscles, like the uterus, and is often used to help stop contractions. The side effect of this medication, however, is a racing heart, sweats and shakes. And it burns like the dickens, I might add!!

After the first shot and a 20 minute wait, I was shaking like I'd just had about 4 pots of coffee in 10 seconds. And my contractions had become WORSE. At this point, they were making me tear up a little, lasting over a minute, a soft 2 minutes apart, and I had to talk outloud to myself and breathe, breathe, breathe. They were starting in my back, wrapping around the front, and were putting enormous pressure on my cervix. When my nurse came back in to check on me, she saw how much pain I was in and noted that the contractions weren't slowing and left to call the doctor back for instruction.

I got ANOTHER shot of that burny stuff! Ugh!

20 minutes later, we were both relieved to find that my contractions were now spacing out rather well. The problem was that they were hurting WAY WAY more. They were almost 100 on the TOCO scale (the external measurement of contraction intensity..it's honestly only about 30% accurate...) They were straight up PAINFUL. I was making it through them okay, but I had to focus and breathe and I was still tearing up. I refused to cry, but I said to the nurse, "This baby wants out. I can feel it in my cervix and all the vaginal pressure. The contractions are spacing out, but they're increasing and I'm telling you, this baby is trying very hard to get out. We gotta do something. Should I walk or shower or something?"

She said she agreed they were labor contractions and not Braxton Hicks, and wanted to keep me overnight and try something else, but she needed the doctor's approval and went out to call him.

I laid there terrified. What if we couldn't get them to stop? What else could we do to keep it from progressing?

The nurse came back in, changed my IV fluid bag to a second one and did another cervical exam. She concluded that I hadn't dilated enough to consider it progressive, but she was concerned that if my contractions continued to increase in severity that I would begin progressing very soon. The baby is so low! So she wanted to give me an IV narcotic to relax me (and take away my pain, she felt so bad!) and make me sleep. Her and the doctor both agreed that it was worth a try. If I could relax even further, perhaps the contractions would stop being labor contractions and return to inconsistent Braxton Hicks.

I immediately agreed. At this point, I was willing to do anything.

So, I called Mister and asked him to come stay with me, and they moved me into a room. I was grateful for the bed, believe me, but I was very nervous about the conclusion. This had to work!

After eating a terrible sandwich, the nurse administered the IV Dilaudid. It was AWESOME to feel so relaxed, I'll be honest. I fought through it for about a half an hour, just long enough for Mister to show up and talk to me for a few minutes, then I fell asleep.

And was woken up by a monstrous contraction!!

And fell asleep.

And woke up to another contraction!

The fell asleep again.

Then woke up again to more pain!

This went on for several hours. The contractions were DEFINITELY spread apart, but man did they hurt! Enough to wake me up from a full-fledged drugged-out sleep! It sucked, I'll be honest. At some point they hooked up another bag of fluids. Around 6am, the contractions finally started to taper off pain-wise. They were already very spread out, which was great, and now they were started to feel less like labor and more like uncomfortable Braxton Hicks again.

After determining that they were calming down and I wasn't progressing at all, I was released at about 6:30am.

I was told to be very careful and to come in for evaluation for ANYTHING from now until 36 weeks. We were all very glad I felt better, and we want it to stay that way!

Needless to say, Mister and I are exhausted. We're still trying to catch up from the rocky sleep at the hospital and my body feels like it got hit by a train. My contractions have started again this morning, but are very Braxton Hicks-ish and have already slowed down again. I'll go in if they pick back up, but I think I'm just going to have to deal with off and on Braxton Hicks today. Ugh.

It was a pretty scary evening for me, to say the least. I really want to stay pregnant as long as possible and it's obvious that Noodle disagrees! But I'm confident that we will make it to at least 36 weeks. I'm just going to be very, very careful and overly sensitive to contractions or pressure or anything else. All last night and this morning I've been losing small pieces of mucous, but if we can keep from having anymore progressive contractions, that mucous can grow back. That's my goal right now. It hurts to walk because of how low Noodle is and I have a very hard time standing up or sitting for too long because of the pelvic and cervical pressure. I have another appointment with Dr. John on the 11th, which is my first safe-zone week (meaning they won't stop labor at that point because Noodle will be 100% viable after delivery). I have an NST tomorrow after Thanksgiving dinner, and I'm going to keep it, despite the holiday.

I'll certainly keep everyone posted. For now, just keep us in your prayers and keep your fingers crossed. In 2 weeks, they stop preventative measures...

Until next time, friends...

33 Weeks and counting...

This is me at 33w2d, according to my count.
(Sorry about the dirty mirror. Boo streaks it up faster than I can keep it clean these days...)

If I make it to 40 weeks, that only leaves 7 weeks remaining. I have no reason to believe I'll last that long because Noodle has been trying to escape for weeks, but every night before I go to sleep I say a prayer and visualize myself making it to January. I don't want Noodle cursed with a Christmas-week birthday, neither before or after, and certainly not ON the holiday itself! And if we could skip New Years Eve and New Years Day all together, that'd be great, too.

So...Noodle...Mommy is instructing you to stay put until January. Do you hear me? JANUARY.






How Big is Noodle?
At last week's ultrasound, the tech measured Noodle's head at 10.25cm. Which means baby is already bigger than the door necessary for escape...so...while I'm VERY happy Noodle is growing and thriving and doing well in there, I'm already plagued by the very real physical memory of delivery.

Heh. *ahem* Needless to say, my anxiety level has begun to climb higher as the weeks count down...

Noodle's head to heel length should be somewhere around 19". It's hard to know for sure, but that's the statistic.

The tech also measured Noodle at 4lbs 10oz last week, give or take. So we'll estimate at least 5lbs this week. Sound fair?

They say Noodle is around the size of a pineapple this week. A pineapple!

Maternity Clothes?
If I'm not wearing them, I'm in pajama pants, hoodies or the very limited amount of larger-size non-maternity tops that still manage to hide the belly.

Stretch Marks?
None so far, thank goodness. Not that I'd really notice anymore, honestly...

Sleep?
Sleep is beginning to elude me once more. I've suffered from TERRIBLE insomnia this last week. And when I finally DO fall asleep, I'm roused awake by brain-splitting headaches, the urge to potty, body-tearing contractions or the general feeling that I can't breathe.
Needless to say, I'm wildly uncomfortable and very, very tired from lack of any good sleep whatsoever.
I am, however, VERY clean from all the showers I take in the middle of the night in my feeble attempts to relieve pain and relax. So that's something, right?

Best Moment of the Week?
Truthfully, there hasn't been any good highlights this week concerning the pregnancy itself. I've been maintaining the status quo, and I think that's a good thing.

I did, however, get to watch my daughter play basketball for the first time last weekend. And while it was awkward because of my incredibly unsocial ex-husband's presence and I spent quite a while chasing a very grumpy toddler around the school, it was worth every second to see her out there! She's had to overcome SO much to be comfortable enough to play a team sport, I couldn't be more proud.

Miss Anything?
Sleep.
Running.
The ability to walk more than 8 feet without feeling like I've just run 10 miles.
Bending over.

Movement?
Noodle is moving around a lot these days, which is one of my biggest comforts as we near the end. It's very obvious there's limited room left in there, as the flips and turns are now capable of moving my entire mid-section and the same time. I've had a very good time watching Noodle's movements when I lay on the couch at night.

Food Cravings?
We're back to cold cereal and hot apple cider.

Food Aversions?
Not anything new, thank goodness.

Labor Signs?
(NOTE: From here until the end of the pregnancy, I may, at times, include graphic details related to labor signs, symptoms or other information that some readers may be too sensitive to read comfortably. If you have trouble with sensitive information or find it offensive, insulting or inappropriate, now would be a good time to stop reading my blog and return after labor and delivery has completed. Thank you for your understanding.)

 I'm still having those darn contractions, but they're apparently something I'm supposed to ignore. So...yeah.
Increase in mucous discharge.
Menstrual-like cramping off and on.
Increase in backache accompanied by contraction.

My doctor and staff are continuing to keep an eye on me, but at this time these symptoms are not seeming to do much progress, so we're unconcerned about PTL at this time!

Belly Button?
It's not changing. I don't think it's going to.

Happy or Moody?
This week I've been a bit moody and a lot emotional. The happiness creeps in, but due to life stressors and other factors, I've found myself doing more weeping and brooding than any smiling.

Looking Forward To?
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving next week, that's for sure!

Random Stuff:
I'm continuing to limit my activities because I feel that's doing more good than anything else at this point at keeping the contractions to a minimum. It's hard to try and keep myself inactive as the holiday season gears up, but I'm maintaining well and I'm still managing to get quite a bit accomplished from the comfort of my couch. I'm grateful for that.

I keep getting smacked in the face with the realization that Noodle will be here VERY SOON. It's magical to me that the wonder and anticipation returns at the end of each pregnancy, even while I'm aware of the impending hardship and heavy workload.

With my first pregnancy, I hit that wall where I was very anxious for the pregnancy to be over so I could hold my beautiful baby, and I was very, very done being pregnant. With my second, I didn't really get that feeling at the end, so much as I just wanted to return to work at my normal capacity as soon as possible because I was tired of being on light duty. With this pregnancy, I'm actually DREADING the end of the pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to labor and delivery (so motivated am I to do it differently this time!), but even with all the anticipation, I don't want to stop being pregnant. As hard as it's been, I'm saddened by the idea that this is nearly over and the astonishing feelings of Noodle growing strong within me is almost gone. I know I've said that before, but it's ringing more and more true as the days and weeks fly by.

I talked with Mister yesterday about how quickly this holiday season is drawing this pregnancy to a close. With Thanksgiving this week, we'll hit full-term before Christmas and then it's A LOT of prayers that Noodle stays put until after Christmas and New Year. Because of all the hustle of the holidays, these weeks are mere flashes as they pass us by. Noodle could realistically be here within a month's time. All of these months of preparation and waiting...and here we are facing the reality of the end and it's flying by so quickly, I'm afraid I'm not enjoying it ENOUGH. So I told him that I wanted, very much, to do as much as we could to enjoy the rest of this pregnancy during our holiday season. We needed to pay more attention to Noodle and keep the busy holidays from stealing our attention away from these final weeks. I'm sincerely hoping we can do that. For all of our sakes.

Anyway, that's enough for now. I'm getting all emotional again and that's just ridiculous.
Until next time, friends...

T-Minus 8, or so they say...

I postponed the weekly update because I had an appointment scheduled with Dr. John today and I wanted to wait until I had all the information I could get for you, fellow readers. However, tomorrow I have an ultrasound now, so there may be yet another update after that. (There probably will be, you know me...) However, I didn't want to put off the weekly update that far into the week. So...here we are, catching up. Pour yourself a cup of whatever makes you happy and sit a spell...

How Far Along Am I Now?

According to me, I'm 32w2d.
According to my doctor, I'm 31w5d.
According to my fundal height, I'm 34w.

I'm going to say 32w2d, because that's what I know. So there. Mwahahahahaha!

My tummy is growing at a very rapid rate right now and will continue to do so until delivery, but I feel like a house. I'm looking forward to feeling like an apartment complex before the end of it.

I FINALLY had strangers ask me how far along I was. FINALLY. At 8 months pregnant. Sheesh! But 3 different people asked me all on the same day. It was nice to finally be recognized as pregnant and not just fat.






How Big is Noodle Now?
I'll know a lot more about Noodle's weight and length after tomorrow's ultrasound, but according to statistics, Noodle should be about 4lbs and roughly 19" long.

Noodle is certainly is long enough to push against my ribs and pelvic bones at the same time! While I secretly enjoy those painful rib stretches, they are indeed rather painful. It makes me happy, though. It means my baby is in there doing his or her baby thing! Stretch, Noodle, stretch!

Maternity Clothes?
I purchased a few more shirts this week so I could keep my belly covered. As you can see from the picture above, even my previous maternity tops are beginning to get too small. But if I'm not in maternity clothes, I'm in overly sized clothes for lounging. I only go out in public in maternity clothes, however.

Stretch Marks?
Nope. I thought I had one the other day, but I had just scratched myself. Tee hee!

Sleep?
Sleep is still a hardship for me, and beginning to get even worse. My insomnia has returned and continues to plague me for roughly half the week now. I'm getting up several times to potty and I have a hard time falling back to sleep, if I've fallen asleep at all. This has left me incredibly tired during the day, but I try not to take naps unless absolutely necessary, in hopes I can fall asleep later that evening.

To make matters worse, Noodle HATES when I sleep on my back, so now I've got to wedge a pillow behind my back to keep from rolling off my side. To keep this from happening, I tend to sleep on the couch more often than not.

Mister laughs at my nest when I do sleep in bed. I'm so surrounded by pillows and blankets now that he can't even see me! But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Best Moment of the Week?
We've kept it under wraps for the most part, but Mister and I went and had maternity pictures taken this last weekend! It was incredibly hard for me to do because we had to do quite a bit more walking than I've been doing lately, but we took it slow and the photographer was great about being patient and understanding when I struggled.

I haven't seen even ONE myself, but you can rest assured, when I do, I'm going to share those things with pride! We had a GREAT time and I'm really looking forward to seeing the end result.

It was absolutely WONDERFUL to be able to do that. I never got the opportunity to do so with my previous kids because my ex-husband was pretty...idle. It was such a fun experience, and Mister is such a good sport! I'm very lucky to be with a man that loves to experience things with me. It's not something I take for granted. I think we had quite a few stunning pictures, too, so I'm REALLY excited to see them! Hooray!

Miss Anything?
I still miss running, of course. But I've come up with some GREAT postpartum strategies and I'm more motivated NOW than I've EVER been to get back to running and get into shape. But...that's another blog, for another time...
I miss sleeping!
I miss feeling like I can breathe!
And unbelievably, I miss doing chores! (I'll regret saying that later, I'm sure.)

Movement?
Noodle is typically very active. There were a couple days that Noodle was a little more quiet than I'd like, and I had to do active kick-counts to be sure there was ENOUGH movement, but there always is, even if it's very subtle. With the cramped quarters, it's now very easy to see movement from the outside, as well. Mister got to watch the kicks earlier today at the doctor's office. However, as usual, Noodle is quiet when others are around and I have YET to have the opportunity to share kicks with either of my Moms or siblings. I keep hoping, though!

Food Cravings?

Ice Water!

Apple Juice!

Oreos and milk!

Fried kielbasa and potatoes! 

It's been a very crazy week for cravings. You can probably throw baked potatoes in there, too, but that's a fleeting craving. What a weird, weird food week.

Food Aversions?
Hot tuna fish.
This, of course, isn't appetizing to me when I'm not pregnant, either. But lately, just the THOUGHT of it makes my stomach turn. Ugh.

Labor Signs?
Nothing new, really. I'm still having contractions in clusters, sometimes up to 15 an hour for 3+ hours. I've got a pulling/tearing sensation in my cervix this week, and a bit more mucous discharge than before, but nothing really worth note.
(And for those of you who know the story...yes, I know what my cervix feels like. Ha ha!)

Belly Button?
It's still there. I'm not an alien, as we suspected!

Happy or Moody?

I've been kind of a jerk this week. Truthfully.

I could give you a million reasons, but it all comes down to me being an big, grumpy jerk.

Sorry, people.

I tried.



Looking Forward To?
The ultrasound tomorrow!!
I've never had a late term ultrasound before. I'm VERY excited to see Noodle this close to delivery! And it'll certainly put me at ease to SEE everything is alright in there. After all these scares, it'll really be a welcome comfort to have visual confirmation that things are truly alright.

Random Stuff:
Taking me off the Procardia has certainly taken away all of the near-fainting spells I was experiencing. It hasn't, however, taken away my shortness of breath. Dr. John and I are convinced this is just a symptom associated with my pregnancy, despite it's different sensation, and neither of us are concerned. My blood pressure, urine and lab work all confirm that I'm safely normal in every aspect, so my shortness of breath is just another thing not to worry about. I can easily manage it by sitting down with my feet up, so it truly is what it is.

Like I said before, my fundal height is measuring 34 weeks. That's perfectly normal at this stage. Dr. John isn't at all concerned about that and I look forward to getting an even more accurate growth measurement at tomorrow's ultrasound!

I've been experiencing a KILLER nesting urge this week, so much so that I've done too much and overdone it a couple times. (Believe me when I tell you I pay for it later and have found myself in hot showers, sobbing, because I'm such an idiot!) However, I'm getting rather intrigued as to what my moon chart says because these instincts aren't typically this strong this early. While Dr. John and I are confident I'll make it to at least 36 weeks, I'm wondering if I'll make it much past that.

(Fun Side Note: 36 weeks is the 12th of December...!!)

Truth be told, everything is good. I'm still in loads of pain and dealing with very limited activities, but I'm finding relief from stopping the Procardia. The twice-weekly NST's continue and they're doing A LOT to put my mind at ease, as well.

Speaking of NST's, we've discovered that Noodle does NOT like it when I lay on my back. Noodle has no good accelerations when I'm on my back and only shows good heart accelerations when I'm on my side. I spoke with Dr. John about that today and he assured me that it's absolutely NOTHING to be concerned about. He explained that Noodle just isn't comfortable that way, but the lack of good accelerations in that position is no reason for concern whatsoever. Noodle is perfectly fine. So that took a HUGE load off my mind.

Well, that's about it for now. I am so excited about our ultrasound tomorrow that I'm sure I'll have a hard time sleeping. I feel like a kid at Christmas!

I'll update all of you fabulous readers just as soon as possible!
Until next time...

T-Minus 9!

I'm really having a hard time writing anything today. I have no idea why, but my brain just isn't wanting to function at it's creative capacity. I apologize for the mostly boring post today.

How Far Along Am I?

Definitely not the greatest pic, but it's accurate. This is how I look at 31 weeks along.

I spend most of my time in hoodies these days, as the weather remains chilly and I refuse to crank the heat up. The Procardia I take for contractions makes me even colder, so more often than not, I'm shivering anyway. And that hair...oh, that hair... I know, I know, I should do something with it. Truth be told, I spend so much of my time sitting or laying on the couch with my feet up that just about anything I do with it ends up getting completely destroyed anyway. So unless I'm making one of my rare trips out, I pretty much throw it into a messy ponytail.

So, yep. This is how I look. In fact, I took this picture about 5 minutes ago...





How Big Is Noodle Now?
Well, according to my research, Noodle is about 18" long, from head to heel. And over 3lbs. Some people say about the size of a Butternut Squash. I say big enough to roll around and move my whole tummy. :)

This week, Noodle can move his or her head from side to side!

Dr. John has confirmed that Noodle is still head-down, as well. Wahoo!

Maternity Clothes?
Like I said earlier, I spend most of my days in hoodies and maternity jeans. Beneath my hoodies are typically maternity tees or tanks. I can't fit into any "regular" clothes anymore and I've grown out of so many of my maternity clothes that I've started a donation bag in the basement!

Stretch Marks?
I have been quite lucky in this category so far. I have no new stretch marks at this point. In fact, my previous stretch marks aren't even stretched out yet.

Sleep?
Well, when I do sleep, it's pretty deep. I wake up several times through the night due to pain, and I almost always end up taking a hot shower at 3 or 4 am trying to get relaxed enough to fall back to sleep.

Unfortunately, I spend a lot more time on the couch than in bed now, too. Laying in bed is much more difficult than on the couch where I can easily prop myself into a semi-reclined position.

Best Moment of the Week?
Well, it sounds dumb, but I got through 4 IV needles and 2 hip shots without crying or losing my cool. I only cried during one, when the nurse accidentally tried to stick the IV needle through one of the valves in my vein. That hurt. But I managed to face a fear of new nurses with needles and made it through with deep breathing and focus. It was encouraging to me for labor.

Miss Anything?
Running, of course.
I miss being able to breathe comfortably. My diaphram is very squished right now and breathing isn't very easy.

Movement?
Noodle moves A LOT!
When I went in for my first NST last week, they had me push a button every time the baby moved so they could track movements in accordance with contractions. Noodle was easily moving an average of 15-20 times an hour. That's GREAT!
It is obviously getting more cramped in there, however, and the movements now are more pronounced and painful. But they're happy! I love all the movement!

Food Cravings?
Not really anything pronounced. My apple craving has dwindled. Except for hot apple cider, I still want a lot of that!

Food Aversions?
Nothing really makes me queasy right now, either. Isn't that great news?

Labor Signs?
Frequent, painful contractions lasting longer than one minute at intervals of 3-5 minutes apart for more than 3 hours.
Extreme pelvic and vaginal pressure.
Rythimcal back pain associated with contractions.
Consistent painless contractions...more than 8 an hour for the majority of my day.
Thigh pain.
Irritability and emotional outbursts.

...yeah...I'm a joy right now.

Belly Button?
My belly button isn't going to pop out. As a matter of fact, I was noticing yesterday in the shower that the two "lobes" of my belly have become more pronounced on the sides of my belly button, as opposed to flattening out more. While my stomach is certainly getting tight, my belly button seems to be staying on top of the majority of my uterine growth.

Happy or Moody?
I don't think I've been moody, exactly. I've been much more emotional than grumpy. I've been getting syrupy sweet over things or crying over nothing or really sentimental. I haven't exactly been happy, though, either, because I've been in such consistent pain and worry for the last week or so. But I'm not unhappy.

Looking Forward To?
I'm looking forward to going in for my next NST tonight. I've become familiar with a large percentage of the night staff at L&D and they're all fun to hang out with. It'll also give me an opportunity to listen to Noodle's heartbeat....and that's always one of my favorite things in the world!

Symptoms to Note?
Oh, that's just funny now.

Random Stuff:
Well, everyone should take comfort in the fact that the 2 steroid injections went well. I was terrified of them because of all the things I read about pregnant women claiming it was incredibly painful and oh, so horrible! But honestly, an IV hurts worse than those shots. They burned like a bee sting for about 10 minutes, but that's it. I wasn't impressed. I am glad, however, that I have that peace of mind that if I do go into active labor in the next couple of weeks, Noodle has more respiratory protection than not.

The Procardia I'm taking to help ease my contractions doesn't seem to be having too much of an effect on me at this point. It's been less than a week, so I'm anxious to see if it gets more helpful as I continue taking it. It makes me cold and tired, but my contractions have remained the same throughout this regime so far. I'll certainly keep everyone, including Dr. John, updated!

The last two days, my contractions have been accompanied by menstrual cramp-type pain. That's somewhat discouraging for me and in a couple instances, made me rather nervous. To make matters a bit worse, Noodle has shifted or lowered or something because now walking more than about 10 feet causes some pretty extreme vaginal pressure and I have to stop walking all together. It hurts to sit with my legs together or lay without something between my knees to keep my pelvic bones separated. I'm bringing both of these things up with the L&D nurses tonight at my NST.

Twice, however, those menstrual type cramps have woken me up from a deep sleep. They're inconsistent, mostly, and aren't accompanied by any other worrying symptoms. But I'm going to keep my eye on things and report everything to my medical staff.

Needless to say, my nerves are a bit shot. I'm constantly concerned about going into active labor or my waters breaking or losing more mucous... So I've hunkered down even more than last week. I sit or lay constantly, only walking from room to room when necessary to take care of my son or keep my blood flow active. I flat-out refuse to go the store, lift anything, walk anywhere, or any of it. I just can't handle anymore worry if I'm going to reduce my stress. So...here I am. And truthfully, I'm making the most of it. I've accomplished a lot of Christmas projects and I've got a lot more to do before the holiday season gets in FULL swing. It's not all bad! And my son and I have had a lot of time to just hang out and watch cartoons and talk about Noodle.

Well, that's it for now. Sorry I'm not too eloquent today. I'm tired and a bit scattered. Maybe next update will be better!
Until next time...