How Far Along Am I?
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...
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