Week 32 & 33!!!

Hi everyone!

Well, It's been a little while. Along with being super busy, I've had a horrible cold. It's been miserable. A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in some severe pain in my rib area just under my left arm. When I couldn't move or breathe, I called the doctor's office and they sent me straight to the ER for fear of a blood clot (yikes!). I was thinking I had just pulled a muscle or cracked a rib or something from coughing. But, they wanted to rule out the blood clot. Apparently two weeks before me they had a woman with the exact same symptoms as me who did have a clot, so they were nervous.

Anyway, when you are pregnant and go to the ER, they automatically send you to Labor and Delivery first. There they hook you up to monitors and do all of the triage stuff to make sure the baby is fine. I knew he was fine, but it's good to know for sure, right? Well, after they decide the baby is fine, they send you back over to the ER to be seen for what you actually came in for! Ugh. When I got there, they did the whole triage thing again, etc., etc. The ER doctor called my doctor and was told to rule out blood clot, pneumonia, and kidney stone. So, I went thought all of the blood tests, ultrasound of both legs, and a CT scan of my lungs. This is when I received my very first IV ever. Crazy. I decided this was pretty much just a practice run.

After all is said and done, baby and I are just fine. They decided I had strained a muscle or cracked a rib and there's nothing you can do about that. I'd rather it be that, than anything else though! I've been sleeping on the couch basically sitting up and cuddling with a heating pad for the last couple of weeks because it still hurts way too bad to lay flat. I hate it. I'd rather be in my own bed, cuddling with my hunney. I'm so blessed to have Joe. He takes such good care of me. He is the best! (Smooch to you hon!)

Anyway, my cold is getting better and all really is going well. :o)

Here is what happened last week and what is currently happening. We reach week 33 on Saturday. It's going so fast!!! My belly is growing by leaps and bounds. I think it doubles in size every other day! Ha ha. I have really enjoyed feeling AND watching him move. I'm sure he thinks I'm crowding him in there. Ha ha. He loves to move and stretch. I look forward to meeting him!

Your pregnancy: 32 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

How your life's changing:

To accommodate you and your baby's growing needs, your blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since you got pregnant. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and crowding your stomach, the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. To help relieve your discomfort, try sleeping propped up with pillows and eating smaller meals more often.

You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. If you do, let your caregiver know right away, particularly if you haven't had back pain before, since it can be a sign of preterm labor.

Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing you, you can probably blame your growing uterus and hormonal changes for your aching back. Your expanding uterus shifts your center of gravity and stretches out and weakens your abdominal muscles, changing your posture and putting a strain on your back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen your joints and the ligaments that attach your pelvic bones to your spine. This can make you feel less stable and cause pain when you walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

Your pregnancy: 33 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

How your life's changing:

As your baby fills out even more of your belly, lots of things might start to change: Whereas before you were sashaying, you may find yourself waddling. Finding an easy position to sit in — let alone sleep — is becoming more of a challenge. And bumping into chairs and counters is par for the course. (Tell me about it!!!)

You may be feeling some achiness and even numbness in your fingers, wrists, and hands. Like many other tissues in your body, those in your wrist can retain fluid, which can increase pressure in the carpal tunnel, a bony canal in your wrist. Nerves that run through this "tunnel" may end up pinched, creating numbness; tingling, shooting or burning pain; or a dull ache. Try wearing a splint to stabilize your wrist or propping your arm up with a pillow when you sleep. If your work requires repetitive hand movements (at a keyboard or on an assembly line, for instance), remember to stretch your hands when you take breaks — which should be frequently.

www.babycenter.com

We hope you are all doing great!

Love, Joe & Kristen