Week 34
How far along: 34 weeks, 5 days
Size of Baby S: 18 in, 4.75 lbs
Fruit/vegetable comparison (according to Baby Center): cantaloup
Total weight gain: 22 lbs. Apparently I like to gain a lot of weight every other week!
Sleep: Good. Forcing myself to sleep on my left side, but sometimes still realizing I am on my back (it's not an uncomfortable position yet). Consistently sleeping with the boppy wedge pillow now to help get comfortable.
Movement: Lots! She's squirming around in there and a couple of times her movements have actually been pretty uncomfortable!
Unglamorous body changes: Getting huge! I am afraid my belly button might pop out. :-/ I definitely had a noticeable growth spurt this week as the space left in my belly button decreased quite a bit.
Maternity Clothes? Yes. I still have a few tops and dresses that I can wear that aren't maternity, but the majority of my outfits have been maternity clothes.
Showing: Yes! I'm apparently to the point now where there's no doubt I am pregnant and people feel okay asking when I'm due and how long I'm taking off, etc. I've had more people ask this week than ever before.
Food cravings: Nothing really.
What I miss: Nothing this week. I indulged in a small glass of red wine at dinner with friends last night. It was delicious! :-)
Anything making you queasy: Nope.
Strange experiences: A couple of gals that are a few weeks ahead of me had their babies this week! It's so crazy to think that they have met their babies now and we could be in the same place in just a few more weeks!
Milestones: Madison is getting rounder and her skin is getting smoother. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to maure as well. Babies who are born early (between 34-37 weeks before they are technically at full term) are generally healthy with no major problems after a couple days in a neonatal unit. Comforting to know I guess, but we are not mentally ready for her to arrive yet, haha!
Best moment this week: Revealing Madison's nursery and the surprise shower my Bible study ladies threw for us!
We also had our 34 week appointment with the midwife on Tuesday. We got to hear her strong and steady heartbeat (always a joy!). She is measuring perfectly and the midwife said I am looking great - good skin, healthy size/weight, and minimal swelling. Madison has her head down and while there is still room for her to wiggle side to side and possibly flip around, the chances of that happening are very small. The midwife expects that she will stay head down so now we just have to encourage her to settle with her back on the left side (optimal fetal position) before she engages.
We have an appointment with the ob-gyn in two weeks so we can do one more ultrasound to see our baby girl before she's born! Then I will start seeing the midwife every week after that until Madison arrives.
Looking forward to: Reviewing all of the information we got at our birth class last weekend and starting to put together our birth plan for Madison. The course we took was really good and it was especially useful to find out what's "normal" for Norway compared to our expectations for what was/is "normal" in the States. I'm working on a blog post that highlights some of the differences and answers some of the questions people have asked me about how things will happen here. Hopefully I'll finish that and the birth plan this weekend!
