Another week gone by. Everyone keeps asking when I am due, and I think it’s partly because of how big the belly is and possibly how uncomfortable I may look at times. If I sit for too long, I feel like a 90-year-old woman trying to move. It’s special.
Tomorrow is June 1. The reality that my baby could be born this month is so crazy to me. I know it’s probably not likely, but the reality is that Bean will be considered “full-term” with still nearly 10 days left of the month. You never know? My brother’s birthday is at the end of the month, and my sister’s birthday is the first week of the next month. Maybe Bean will arrive on one of their birthdays. :)
Either way, tomorrow I will say Bean is either coming this month or next month, which is soooooon!
34 Week Rundown
Weeks Pregnant: 34 weeks
Baby is the size of a… Butternut Squash
Food Cravings: Cold water and sparkling water (I’m all about the bubbles) and cereal (the best midnight snack).
Food Aversions: Nothing’s coming to mind again…
Symptoms: Insomnia almost every night, sometimes for longer than others.
Back pain, particularly if I sit for too long. The stretches do bring relief, and I got new insight into some other stretches that may bring relief – more about that in the “new” section.
Swollen hands/carpel tunnel. This doesn’t happen all the time, other than just generally the fact that my hands/fingers are bigger. (I haven’t been able to wear my wedding rings for over a month at this point) This is normally when I wake up or if I sit for too long. They will get a bit swollen and tight/sore. Always goes away if I lay down or take a walk, though. Also lots of water helps this as well.
Reflux? Friday night, I woke up feeling what I am assuming is reflux. I heard this can happen, so to minimise my chances of throwing up, I came out to the living room and basically fell asleep sitting up on the couch for two hours. When I woke up and realised it was 5am, it was gone, and I went back to bed. Hasn’t happened before then, though.
Definitely Braxton Hicks at times. They tend to go away if I change positions, though. (Sitting to standing, or vice versa)
Peeing pretty much 20x a day it seems. Is this a symptom? I guess it would be. It’s ridiculous, and a midwife I know said, “Oh just wait until the baby drops.” I mean, honestly – can I just camp out in my bathroom when that happens? Also, Bethany Hamilton (Pro-Surfer) posted this on her Instagram this week, and I had to “regram” it. Too funny!
New this week: I went to a breastfeeding class on Monday, and I found it really helpful. I am so thankful for all the support they provide to breastfeeding mums here in Australia. I know that doesn’t happen everywhere, so I am super grateful! I found the class helpful in the same way that I found the Birth & Parenting class helpful. I wouldn’t say there was much that was totally new info just because of the books I’ve been reading. However, hearing it in person with examples goes so much deeper in my visual/kinaesthetic brain. I really found the class helpful, and I think it solidified a lot of what I’ve read.
A friend of mine shared a post on Facebook that a friend of hers had posted, and when I saw it, I jumped pretty quickly! Her friend is a massage therapist, and in the last season, she’s been doing the training to get her certification for prenatal massages. She needed some case studies to finish up, so my friend shared her post saying, “If I have any willing, pregnant volunteers friends…” Yes, yes, yes. I am pregnant. I am willing. I volunteer. Pregnant brain aided in me actually forgetting to call her for like a week, but alas, one night in my achy glory, I remembered and rang. She still needed a case study, so we set it up. I went for the first one this week. She was very thorough, asking lots of questions about my pregnancy and symptoms, etc. We had to do a bit of a health history for me and my family. Then the best part – a full-body, prenatal massage. It was heaven. AND, I have to go for two more sessions. I mean….if I “have” to…haha. One thing she did point out that was helpful was how tight my hips/glute/side area is, which she said is probably contributing to my back pain. I was anticipating my back being tender, but it wasn’t at all. When she got the my hip area, though – whoa buddy that was a different story. She encouraged me to be really working to stretch that area out. I go back for another one in 2 weeks! Hooray!
The car seat arrived, and we have installed it into our car. We’re going to have it checked, though, to make sure we didn’t miss anything. It’s pretty crazy seeing it in the car, though. I am glad we went with the seat we did, too.
The cot is all together now, and I have been doing various projects in our room to organize the space so it doesn’t feel too crowded. We even had a cute little friend test out the cot this week. She was impressed, and the cot did perfectly. She’s pretty much the cutest cot tester on the planet.
Looking forward to: Package should arrive tomorrow! Midwife appointment tomorrow. I think this is the appointment where I have to test for Group B Strep, plus I had blood work done last week that she’ll look at. I am curious to find out if the baby is still in the same position because sometimes I am not sure. AND, sometimes, I feel like there’s an octopus in my belly rather than a human baby. Good thing I’ve seen the scan and Bean has the appropriate two arms and legs :) I am also just looking forward to the fact that tomorrow is June. June 1st is the first day of winter in Australia. It’s the season Bean will arrive. I can’t wait to meet this little one!!!
Miss anything? When my body wasn’t producing that hormone relaxin that is making everything bigger and me unable to wear my shoes and rings, etc. Sleeping on my belly…or back…or just sleeping soundly. Not going to the bathroom all.the.time. Some of my winter clothes that absolutely do not fit right now and may not fit at all this winter season. Feta!
Exercise: Stretches and stretches and more stretches. I walk a bit, but I want to walk more. I just walk quite slowly now. I cannot wait to go for walks with Bean in his/her pram!
Books I’m Currently Reading: Here’s my lovely bedside table with all the books. 
Haven’t finished any, but powering through all at the same time. What to Expect and Up the Duff are both weekly reference sort of books, though, so I read those as I go along. Although the other ones will probably become references as well. Someone in my breastfeeding class brought up the Save Our Sleep book and basically didn’t have many nice things to say about routines/schedules/etc. The midwife wasn’t super affirming of routine/schedules either for breastfeeding/sleeping. I didn’t take too much from their comments, though, because it seems to me that just like everything else with pregnancy and what I know of parenting so far, what works for one person may not be right for another. So I am reading. I am getting informed. I am learning options, philosophies and techniques. We’ll see what works for us, and we will be ok.
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