Baby Update

33 Weeks, 6 Days

Wow, I've been doing a lot of blog posting this week. Go me!

I had yet another prenatal doctor's appointment this morning. Everything is perfectly normal. I only gained 3 lbs since my last visit. Yay! My doctor said the weight gain will taper off now that the end is near. I shouldn't gain more than 5 additional pounds. My blood pressure is perfect, and the baby is measuring exactly where he should at 34 weeks. The doc pressed around on my belly and said the baby's head is definitely down, and he's lying on his side so that his butt is pointed straight up toward the top of my uterus and his feet are firmly planted into the right side of my abdomen. His heart rate was in the 150s, but it spiked to the 160s as the nurse was monitoring it due to the baby stretching and squirming. She laughed because she could see his feet pushing out on my right side. Love that little guy (who is approximately 5 lbs now!)

I asked my doctor about the frequent Braxton Hicks contractions I've been having and she said they're perfectly normal. I also mentioned the pelvic pain and she recommended buying a belly band to help support my growing bump which is putting some strain on the ligaments in my pelvis. I'll check it out, but it sounds really uncomfortable. Like, worse than Spanx.

She also asked me if I planned on getting an epidural. I said TOTES! Apparently, my doc is very liberal about administering epidurals (music to my ears) so as soon as they determine I'm in active labor, I'm allowed to get one. She said it's ideal to wait until I'm at least 4 cm dilated to get one. I'll try to hold out as long as I can so that we don't unnecessarily slow down the labor process.

She'll see me again in two weeks, and then once a week until my due date. I'm getting so excited!

My sister Ashley had a prenatal visit today as well. What are the odds? She reports that baby Emma is doing great!