I have now been pregnant for 32 weeks, or 8 months. Wow, that is kind of crazy to think about! When I first found out I was pregnant a couple days before Christmas, I thought August was SOOOO far away. Now I think about how soon you'll be here and freak out a little each time. Mostly because we don't have your room ready yet. But I suppose that really all you need in those first couple weeks is some clothes, diapers and my boobs. So we're set. :) The big ticket item we really need still is a carseat; hopefully we'll receive that at a baby shower!
Next week is a busy week baby-wise. Friday is our next doctor's appointment. I think after this appointment I'll start seeing him every two weeks for a month, and then switch to once a week visits in August. Saturday morning we have our maternity photos with a professional photographer. We have a family and friends baby shower on Sunday afternoon. And we have several family members, and hopefully some friends, coming in from out of town. I'm excited to show them our house, orchard and garden because some of them have never been to our house. My coworkers are also throwing a baby shower for me after work on July 17.
This week you are about 4 pounds and I am expected to gain about a pound a week from now until your birth. An issue to look out for in the next 8 weeks is water retention/swelling. I think I have avoided swelling so far because I drink lots of water and try to exercise everyday. Even if I don't make it to the gym, I work in the garden, and I walk Freddy every weekday morning.
Symptoms this week:
- Insomnia. I wake up in the early morning hours and can't get back to sleep because my mind is racing. Usually about work stuff. We are in the middle of adopting new building codes and we're going live with a new software in the middle of my maternity leave. I'm trying to work ahead, but it's difficult to do while still doing my main job of plan reviewer.
- Frequent peeing - sometimes my bladder feels really full but barely anything comes out. And then I end up visiting the bathroom 10 minutes later and peeing like it will never end.
- Stretch marks. This Wednesday I woke up with bright pink stretch marks all around my belly button. They are really wide, and some of them appeared to even bleed. I've been putting lotion on them several times a day because they itch. My sister in law and I were talking about stretch marks recently; she's had two babies. She said she's OK with her stretch marks because "she earned those tiger stripes". I like how she thinks!
- Increased hunger - still. Which I guess is expected since I'm going to gain about a pound a week from here on out. Usually I am hungry about every 1-1/2 hours. I keep my desk and the work fridge stocked with fruit, yogurt, string cheese, granola bars, and Wheat Thins. And some chocolate. I crave dark chocolate and chocolate shakes everyday. And ice cream. (Which is why I bought a countertop ice cream maker recently. So far, we've had rocky road ice cream and coconut sorbet. This weekend I am making peanut butter cup ice cream.)
- I'm starting to get too big for some of my maternity t-shirts. They are starting to pop up and not cover the bottom of my belly. I anticipate more dress-wearing in the next 8 weeks!
- The joint paint in my hips is still there, but I notice it's worse on days that I don't exercise. If I go to the gym, or at least don't sit all day, then my hips don't hurt as bad. A perfect reason to stay active!
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