and not messing around
still not so impressive straight on . . .
front + center, with a lineup of drying onesies
yet the side view is getting slightly ridiculous.
seriously.
this face means: “i have to grow for HOW many more weeks!?
of note, the toms wedges i’m wearing in this picture [fine, essentially every picture] have been the MVP of my maternity wardrobe. seriously! we’ve been blessed with a very mild winter in NC, and as a result these babies have served as my work shoes, play shoes, and need-to-run-to-the-grocery-store shoes. i wear them approximately 75% of the time — basically any time i’m not in boots. they have just enough cushion and give that the increased weight doesn’t seem to bother my feet, and it’s been wonderful not having to let go of my heels [what? i need those inches!!!].
loooooooove
anyway, so 34 weeks! here’s the rundown . . .
details
feeling: ehh. i’m functioning, but starting to get a little tired — sometimes a lot tired. to be completely honest, i’m having trouble focusing at work [the one exception is while seeing patients, because happily that’s enough of a distraction!]. i’ve been sleeping for longer at night because a) it’s a bit fragmented with bathroom trips / position changes and b) i feel like i’d better do it NOW since my sleeping in days are getting very numbered!
i am really lucky in that other than fatigue, i’m not having too many issues. frequent urination of course, but that’s normal. braxton-hicks contractions — but they’re normal, too! no real pain to speak of, despite feeling gigantic. if i sit too long sometimes i feel a little short of breath [like my lungs are squished] but changing position always helps.
however, with all of that physical angst, i’m mentally getting more and more excited for our baby to arrive!! it seems REAL now that i could theoretically have a baby and take her home without a NICU stay in just 1 week. and only 3 weeks until the magical ‘term’ designation. so much waiting . . . and yet we’re close to the end of the line. sometimes i can’t even believe it.
eating: more or less normally, although admittedly with more ice cream than pre-pregnancy. i’d love to say that i’ve had a ‘perfect’ diet throughout this 34 week journey, but nahh — i’d just call it decent! for the most part, i’ve just followed my instincts and desires, and i’m assuming that mother nature is probably pretty good at making sure i take in the right nutrients for our baby to grow and thrive.
workouts: yep, still running 🙂 although i was basically a bump on a log for the last 2 days so i had better get to the gym after publishing this post so that i’m not making things up!
last week
just to clarify, my ‘runs’ consist of run/walk sessions on the treadmill. i generally have been doing 4 minutes of running at 5.5 miles/hour [~11 min miles] alternating with 2 minutes of walking to recover. once in a while, i’ll do a shorter workout of mostly running [ie, a mile run / few minutes walk / mile run].
sadly, i’m not doing much strength training anymore. recently, i’ve ended up VERY sore after just minor weightlifting/yoga, and i find that it really impacts my sleep and ability to get around. hopefully i’m keeping my muscles somewhat active just moving my [bigger] self around!
appointment stats
BP: 115/71. i’ll take it!
weight gain: up 19 lbs now — i’ve basically gained 1/2 lb per week over the past few months. slow + steady i guess! but i know this could change quickly if i start having any swelling [so far, i have pretty much none].
fundal height: measuring 35 cm at 34 weeks — still a little bit ahead. i think she is going to be big [my totally random prediction: she will arrive at 40 weeks + 6 days at 8 lbs 3 oz].
fetal heart rate: 140s – 150s. she was moving up a storm during the exam — and the OB pointed out that you could actually feel her practice breathing movements! so cool.
next visit: in 2 weeks at 36 weeks — then i start going weekly. i get the group B strep screen next time — lovely.
still on the to-do list:
✔ carseat installation
✔ breast pump setup [although this could technically wait, i’ve heard it’s better to get out of the way now!]
✔ nursery organization [all the major furniture items are now there, but we need some sort of system for containing all of the STUFF!] — including washing clothes and putting things on hangers/in drawers
✔ buying a few loose ends [lanolin cream, for example!]
✔ thank you notes
✔ stocking the freezer with a few things [hopefully!]
orla + uniqlo!
my beloved orla kiely is pairing with uniqlo! the sad part? the only US uniqlo is in NYC, and there’s no online ordering.
i’ll just admire from afar, then. this t-shirt is $19.90
[and awesome].
17 Comments
Which car seat did you end up with? Also, I’d definitely recommend finding a place (I’m sure your hospital knows of somewhere, or maybe they even do it) that helps you make sure the seat is installed correctly. They just now started offering that at my county health dept and I need to go. Our son’s seat starts leaning every so often, which I don’t like. Hopefully you don’t have too much trouble! We have had 3 different car seats so far and they are all varying levels of difficulty to install.
we have the chicco keyfit 30 (there were only a few options that worked with our bob running stroller). i am going to have the installation checked at the EMS station nearby — I have heard they do it there for free and I agree — I’ll feel better with a professional okay!
You look really, really great. You will get much, much bigger. I’m your size and I look back at my pictures and am shocked; it doesn’t even look human. My first was 8 pounds and 10 days overdue. I don’t even know if they still let you go that long. He…is headed to college in a year. Savor these times; it is really magical.
i personally was 17 days late 🙂 i think the max my practice will let us go now is 1 week – thank goodness!! i wouldn’t be surprised if she was that big, too — guess i’ll just have to see!
headed to college – that is amazing. it’s scary how fast time goes . . .
you look mahvalous
Sarah, my brother’s girlfriend is a manager at the New York uniqlo, so if there is something specific you are look for, let me know and I might be able to get it for you. 🙂
OMG!! that is amazing! i would LOVE that shirt, specifically. I can send a check to you!! (or paypal if you would rather). size small (assuming i will not be carrying this giant uterus forever 🙂 ) i will email you too so you have my address!
I want those shoes!!!!
You look awesome!!! I have also gained 19 pounds but I will just be 30 weeks on Friday! I do have some major swelling in my feet/ankles so I am sure this is part of it as well. Way to go with the workouts! I have been a major slacker! 🙂
I love your bump! When my mom was almost full term with my sister and I, she was walking down the streets of Chicago and a cab driver pulled over and told her he’d take her anywhere she wanted to go for free! Guess that means you’re really big then…
I agree with setting up the pump station now! I didn’t think of this and stared at the pump for a while in my just-home-with-a-newborn daze before I got the nerve to mess with it. Olivia is four months now and it seems like yesterday I just found out I was pregnant. So.much.fun!
Yay just 3 weeks left till term! I am at 33 weeks and feeling HUGE! I am so impressed that you are still running. You go!
Educated people should make their families happy with their education and knowledge. Educated people should give knowledge and give the awareness to their families. Educated people should teach their families and make them educated.
my dear – you are looking wonderful! Just radiant!!
Hello! I just started reading thanks to seeing your blog mentioned at KERF; I know as a pregnant woman everyone tells you what and what not to do, I hate to be that person but I just wanted to tell you that I intended on using lanolin also, but midwives and lactation consultants strongly suggested not using it as it was more prone to cause infections…. They just recommended using soothies ( gel like circles you put in your bra),I delivered at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Just my personal experience but I wanted to offer it as another thing I also liked was hearing what other people did for this and that, nothing ever seemed to work exactly for me as it seemed to work for others but I found I usually did a mashup of this and that to find what worked for me, my daughter and husband.
I look forward to continuing to read your blog, and wish you the happiest and healthiest journey to and through motherhood!
hi angela! thanks so much — and my officemate today was telling me about how she preferred the soothies to lanolin anyway (since the lanolin just came off!). i will be stocking up on them now!
Hey! I agree with Angela on the lanolin. I went to a breastfeeding class and the lactation consultant said not to use it because it causes yeast infections (trapped moisture). I didn’t listen and got the infection to prove it. Ask for the prescription for Dr. Newman’s Nipple Cream before you leave the hospital. It’s awesome and healed my cracked and bleeding self. Yeah, so, um, now that I’ve given completely unsolicited advice let me say that you look fantastic and you are NOT huge. I promise. You are so not huge.