Happy Monday, sweet friends! I feel like I’ve been a little out of touch lately. It was a big weekend: I turned 39 (HOW) and we packed up our home. Moving day is a week away and while I’m SO excited to get into the new house, there’s still so much to do. And you know, not a whole lot of energy because #34weekspregnant. Here’s a 34 week bump update with what’s been going on…
34 WEEK BUMP UPDATE
SYMPTOMS
Hmmm. Where do I start? This third trimester rivals the first trimester as far as exhaustion. I’m pretty much never not tired and my energy is nonexistent. The nausea is also back, but it’s not as bad as the first trimester. I’ve started taking Zofran when it gets really bad (while also weighing if the constipation that it causes is worth it. Sometimes it is.)
The swelling has set in – my fingers and toes look and feel like little sausages, especially first thing in the morning. And my ankles are definitely turning into cankles.
I’m winded just walking up the stairs (hell, I’m winded just getting up from the couch) and my heart rate is too high for comfort. (My blood pressure is still low, so no need for concern. Just annoying.)
I’m never not hot. Everyone else in the house is cold (blasting AC and all), and I’m still sweating.
Overall, I feel very uncomfortable and I’m counting down the days until I can meet my little guy and feel like myself again. This pregnancy has been by far the most difficult of all 3 – probably due to my age, but due also in part to having to chase around 2 little girls who are NONSTOP on the go. Yes, it’s all worth it in the end, but man, I’m dreaming about that end every day.
MOVEMENT
Still, by far the sweetest part of this whole gig. He’s kicking and punching and squirming and moving as much as his tight quarters will allow and I love every second of it. He’s also been getting the hiccups almost every night, which puts a smile on my face as I drift off to sleep.
BABY’S POSITION
As of right now, he’s transverse. (Fancy Dr word for sideways.) I’ve never had to deal with this. The girls were always head down pretty early on. I’m not freaking out yet because I know there’s still time for him to move, but I do want to be proactive to help get it going. I took to my Instagram Stories to ask for tips, and you guys gave me SO many. I’ll round them up in a blog post soon.
WEIGHT GAIN
My weight gain has actually slowed, and it doesn’t look like I’m going to hit the 50 pound mark. I’m holding steady at around 42 pounds gained, which is still well over the “recommended amount.”
(Also, can we take a second to talk about that and how much bullshit the recommended weight gain is?? For this week, my pregnancy app says “By now, you should have gained somewhere between 20-29 pounds.” UMMM. Dude. Come on. I mean, women’s bodies come in ALL shapes and sizes and handle pregnancy SO differently. How can we still be going by this archaic standard? I’m so thankful that my Dr hasn’t once been concerned about my weight gain. She knows that I’m healthy and taking good card of my body and my baby. As long as your blood pressure is still in the healthy range, you don’t have Gestational Diabetes, you’re not putting yourself or your babe in danger, and you have a plan to take the weight off after babe is born, I say screw that recommended weight gain amount. Enjoy your pregnancy and the good foods. Worry about the weight later.)
EXERCISE
Fiiiiine. Since you asked…
I haven’t gone to my workout class for about a week. Partly because of our crazy schedule right now and also because…well, it got HARD. Like, really hard. My legs felt like tree trunks on the treadmill and my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest during the floor HIIT workouts.
I don’t want to say I’m done working out (I mean if packing and moving boxes doesn’t count), but I just might be.
SLEEP
Oh, sleep. I can nap like the best of them, but nighttime is pretty tough. I’ve been going to bed by 9pm, but I’m almost always up at some point in the night, unable to fall back asleep. Not to mention having to pee at least 4-5 times in the night.
NESTING + NURSERY PREP
A WHOLE lot more to come on this when we get into the new house….
Find more bump updates here!
I’m 24 weeks pregnant and 41 years old and this is by far my hardest pregnancy. I had my girls in my early twenties. My little guy is transverse also and has been for a few weeks. I know it’s still early for me, but it’s still a little nerve wracking and hope he moves! I look forward to reading all the suggestions in case he’s still this way in 10-12 weeks!