30 Weeks: Whoa

We’re under 10 weeks, folks. And if this little one decides to come a little early like his/her big sister, it’ll be even sooner.

Due to our short week last week and our trip to the Poconos, I missed another week with the belly photo and post. Oops. Sorry, baby. What can I say? Second-child syndrome. I’m doing the best I can!

So, what’s new this week? Well, I had a doctor’s appointment, and it was my last monthly one—from now on, I’ll be going back every two weeks. I know from last time that the increased frequency of appointments makes time go by even faster, so… I’m buckled up and ready for this wild ride.

Blood pressure was still good. I’m curious to see what it does in these last several weeks, since by the time I had Nora at 39 weeks, I had been diagnosed with late-gestation hypertension and was facing an induction the following week if she hadn’t decided to come on her own. Weight gain? I think I’m up a total of about 14 lbs. now. That’s a few pounds less than at this point with Nora’s pregnancy, but that’s understandable considering my 8-days-with-no-food stay in the hospital, during which I lost at least 4 lbs., if not more. My doctor confirmed that I passed the glucose test, thank goodness.

But the biggest thing about this appointment was my belly measurement—once again, I have started to measure small. Funny, because if you look back at my 30-week post with Nora, it was titled, “Measuring Small.” I’m only behind by one centimeter at this point (I’m 29 cm instead of 30), but if it’s truly going to be the same as my first pregnancy, that gap is only going to grow wider over time. I’m fairly certain (without referencing old blog posts) that by the time I had Nora, I was measuring FOUR WEEKS (that’s four centimeters) behind. *shrug* Nora was 6 lbs., 10 oz., so it’s not like it was really a problem. Anyway, when my doctor mentioned it this week, I mentioned how this what right around the time I started measuring small last time, too. After reminding her of that, the doctor didn’t seem too concerned. She asked how big Nora was at birth, and when I told her, she said, “We’re probably looking at the same situation here.” I can deal with that. I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up in the sonographer’s room for a growth ultrasound sometime in the next few weeks, though, just to be safe. I’m glad that this time, I have the experience to know that it’s not always a big deal to measure small—so I’m not worried.

Now that we are staring down the due date in little more than two months, I am entering “get shit done” mode. In other words, I think nesting is kicking in. I’m anxious to get into the nursery and get it going, which I am planning to do in the next few weeks here. I am also knocking off other projects around the house whenever I can, and it feels SO.GOOD. Man, I love nesting. :)

Still feeling lots of movement. The big kicks and flips are frequent, but I’m also starting to feel (and see!) the little “stretch” movements, too. The slow, gradual pokes that come from a tiny baby butt sticking out, perhaps. And I’ve now graduated to frequent peeing, too. Fun times! Any time I stand up… need to pee. Oh, and at night? This past week, it was normal for me to be up 3-4 times during the night for a bathroom trip. Ughhhh it is the worst. Even if I get a “full night’s sleep,” I still wake up feeling unrested. It’s the pits, but I know it comes with the territory!