Weeks 26-30 Bumpdate

Another month, another bumpdate! It's been a crazy month, too. I'm officially in the third trimester, and my body sure does feel it now. We also got an unwanted surprise at my last doctor's appointment...

When are weeks 26-30?

Friday, February 24, 2018 - Thursday, March 29, 2018

What’s the size of the baby?

According to my apps, by week 30 weeks baby is the size of a zucchini or a motorcycle helmet. They say baby boy is measuring around 16 inches and from 2.5-3.8 pounds, but he is most likely on the low-end of that scale...

At my last doctor's appointment at 30 weeks + 6 days, my fundal height was measuring 28 weeks - basically 3 weeks behind where I should be. As I mentioned in a previous bumpdate, he was measuring in the 20th percentile at my 20 week anatomy scan. So, we've known for a while he's a small baby, but my fundal measurements had caught up with how far along a was. Now, because I'm now measuring greater than 2 weeks behind schedule, they're scheduling me for another ultrasound to measure him again. Babies who are in the 10th percentile or less are cause for concern, because that might mean they don't have enough amniotic fluid or there is an issue with the placenta supplying the needed nutrients.

So, if he's too small, then they're going to need to do more regular testing to monitor that he's still growing and thriving. If the testing shows he's better off out than in before I go into labor on my own, then they will schedule me for an induction or c-section. We're hoping to have answers by my next appointment in two weeks. For now, I'm going to keep a close eye that he's moving and do kick counts.

Waist size?

At the end of week 30, I was measuring 34.5 inches around, which is only a 1/2 inch bigger around than I was measuring at week 25.

Symptoms?

Body: The past few weeks have been pretty rough. I completely understand what most women say about the third trimester being uncomfortable. This stage of pregnancy hasn't really included much pain (besides the ongoing issues I've had with my right hip for years), but it is definitely uncomfortable. I need to sit on my exercise ball and do stretches most nights just so I can tolerate relaxing and watching a TV show or movie with Jason.

I also have gotten to be big enough that putting on shoes, or changing my pants require some additional maneuvering. It's normally not too bad, but when he's sitting really low in my pelvis (which he's pretty low all day, every day), it's more difficult to do.

Sleep: My hip pain keep getting worse, and it makes it very hard to sleep. I think if I could lay on my back, I would be way more comfortable. However, because I'm constantly switching from side to side throughout the night, I'm not getting very many long stretches of sleep at one time. Plus, it doesn't help that I'm at the point I need to pee like three times each night.

Cravings & Aversions: Not much....

Nausea: Still getting some nausea at night if I eat to close to when I'm going to lay down. As long as I give myself about an hour before bedtime, it seems to be good.

Movements: Baby boy is definitely getting bigger and stronger, and so are his movement. I've also been able to feel little fingers and toes pushing against me. That is probably the strangest sensations... It feels like someone is tickling me from the inside, but I can't get away from them. Definitely can be more on the weird/creepy side of pregnancy, and is not my favorite thing.

Dreams: Still nothing too different than pre-pregnancy...

Stretch Marks: None yet!

Gender? 

It's a boy! Read more about our gender reveal here.

Must have items?

An exercise ball is a need-to-have item for me. Honestly, I don't think I could tolerate sitting and hanging out with Jason after he gets home for work without it. Being able to sit on it and bounce or sway from side-to-side makes a world of difference in my comfort level. Plus, the nights I use it, I typically get a better night's sleep. It's also really nice to know what helps relieve pressure in my back and hips when baby is sitting really low, because I think that will also help me find some relief when it comes to managing contraction pain.

What do you miss?

Not much... We did go to a nearby brewery, and I was a little upset that I couldn't try out a beer or two. That's okay, though. I only have a couple months left :)

What are you looking forward to?

I'm really excited for the upcoming baby showers. I helped my mom with the one downstate by designing some of the stuff like the invitations and tags for the party favors. It's seems to be coming together quite nicely, and I'm so excited to see everything she has in store. Plus!!! For my birthday my mom got me a pre-natal massage and pedicure, and they're scheduled for the day before the shower. So, I'm also looking forward to relaxing and getting pampered for a little while.

Best part of these weeks?

Getting the nursery set up and organized. I'm so happy to have our new carpet in, and the little guy's stuff in place. It's nice to know that we still have room to store stuff in his dresser and closet. It definitely makes me feel a lot more prepared to bring him home.

Challenges these weeks?

Besides the scare at my last doctors appointment, the next biggest challenge was probably having to take the three-hour glucose test... which should be renamed, because actually took closer to 5 hours in total... All because I failed the first glucose test, which only takes an hour.

During the glucose tests, you drink this super sugary beverage, and then have your blood drawn. For the first test, I had my blood drawn once after an hour had passed since I finished drinking the beverage. The three hour test was somewhat similar, but the drink had more sugar and I had my blood drawn 4 times - before drinking the juice then once every hour for three hours afterward. However, they had to wait for the lab to return my blood sugar results from the first blood draw, before I could drink the juice (which took around an hour). I couldn't eat or drink anything (not even water), and I was stuck sitting in the waiting room at the hospital's lab the whole time... Needless to say, I hope I never had to go through that experience ever again.

Hubby’s thoughts?

He is still in full on daddy-nesting mode. We got a lot of our projects finished, or to a point that I finish them after baby is here. The one project I was most excited about was the new shelving he build and installed in our garage. We don't have very many places to store things in our house, and there were some totes we were storing in the nursery (like our Christmas decorations). It's going to be so nice to have a place to store those things things, plus everything baby boy outgrows.