As of yesterday, I’m officially 31 weeks! How is 75% of my pregnancy over already? I really need these weeks to start slowing down because I have things that still need to be done! Anyway, here is a peek at week 30 of my pregnancy journey:
What’s Up With Baby: According to BabyCenter, Baby H. is about 15.7 inches long now, and weighs around 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds baby and that volume will continue to decrease as he gets bigger and bigger.
Weight Gain: This week’s gain was 1.6 pounds. This now makes my net difference +13.9 pounds, but +22.9 if you include the 9-pound regain.
My midwife discussed weight with me a bit and she said not to include the 9 pound regain and that I am on track with just my net difference (based off my pre-pregnancy weight). This made me feel really good. Plus, baby measured 29.5 when I was 30 weeks 2 days. By “measured” I’m talking about the fundal height measurement. The measurement is from the top of the mother’s uterus to the top of the mother’s pubic bone in centimeters. It should match the baby’s gestational age within 1-3 centimeters.
Yayyy for baby and yayyy for mommy’s on track weight gain, regardless of the regain!
What I’ve Been Eating: Some of my foods this week include – taco salads, pancakes, spaghetti, plenty of side salads, Outback Steakhouse, mac & cheese, apples, carrots & dip, and cheese slices.
How I’m Feeling: Other than needing to ice my tailbone on a regular basis, I feel great. My energy is back to normal now that I’ve been sleeping better too!
How I’m Changing: I think baby boy is sitting lower and my belly button is shallower. I’m not convinced my belly button will actually pop to an outie, but this is really the first noticeable difference for my button.
I’ve also been having more Braxton Hicks contractions – makes sense as I’m getting further along.
Baby Movement: This week has been so fun for movements! He’s pretty much active anytime I’m sitting or laying down now. When I’m up and busy, I think I lull him to sleep or just don’t recognize that he’s moving.
Midwife Stuff: Our midwife orientation went really well and the midwife giving the session said all the right things! I don’t have to be confined to my bed during labor and can labor in many ways – birthing ball, walking around, in the whirlpool tub. I also don’t need to have continuous IV’s (unless it’s medically necessary), and just need to have the IV port. They will also do intermittent monitoring of baby so I’m not confined to the bed.
Two days after the orientation session, I had my first midwife appointment. The first midwife I met was wonderful! John was able to come to my first appointment and really liked her as well. She was very thorough with us since I’m a transfer patient and took her time reviewing my previous prenatal care. We got to hear baby’s heart beat and he is measuring on track!
Buying for Baby: Our dinosaur decals arrived for the nursery! We had a little date night over the weekend placing the decals in his room, and they look so cute! Here is a sneak peak:
Buying for Mommy: I found a nursing bra sale through Zulily.com and they arrived this week! I also had ordered a few more maternity shirts via Old Navy clearance and they arrived too! Everything is so comfy. Below you will see one of my shirts from Old Navy (I bought it in navy and black) and I love it! I really liked pairing it with this bright yellow scarf – but it was funny to see how pregnant (or not pregnant) I looked depending on how I wore the scarf.
John’s Thoughts: John will actually be having a whole post regarding his thoughts of the week tomorrow! Stay tuned – his thoughts bring up a really interesting discussion.
Baby-Related Accomplishments:
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Decals are up!
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Midwife orientation session and first appointment were both a success!
What We’re Looking Forward to This Week:
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My sister arrives on Friday for the weekend!
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Our Pennsylvania baby shower is this weekend!
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Completing a big project for me.
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Starting an exciting an project for me.
For all pregnancy-related posts, please visit my family page!
I love the nursery! SUPER SUPER cute:) I also can’t believe you’re so far along already. Time seems to be flying by… at least for me:) have fun with your sister and at the baby shower!
Thank you Karolina!! I’m really looking forward to this weekend and after it, the nursery should be even more complete!
You are looking great! I can’t believe you are 75% done too.
I would be interested in hearing more about the midwife experience at a later date (if you are open to sharing). My IRL friends all seem to be using OBs and I guess I am more curious about midwives so it would be cool to hear how this goes for you and why you opted for one.
When I was in Cleveland I had an OB and absolutely LOVED her. I would recommend her to anyone. However, since we both knew we were moving, we never had the “who will deliver my baby” talk.
My main reason for looking into midwives once we moved to Maryland was so I could have a female deliver my baby. Obviously, some people have male OB’s — but I never have and don’t feel comfortable with that. Soooo, when I did call doctor’s offices in my new area, they couldn’t guarantee that my female doctor would come into deliver for me and it would just be whoever it was on call (which could be a female, but could be a male). So anyway, that’s my main reason.
Just as a side note, my mom is a PA and I know how qualified she is within her practice. So I’ve always felt comfortable with mid-level practitioners (which is what midwives and PA’s are). Some people I know don’t have much exposure to mid-levels and might be a little nervous about them. But sometimes I think you might get even better care because they might spend more time with you.
Lastly, my midwife group does work under the care of doctors and if any complications were to arise during delivery, the doctor on-call would be right there. Best of both worlds 🙂
Time really IS flying by! You are looking fabulous as always. LOVE the dino decals – super cute!
Thanks Crystal!!
OMG, those decals? I die. Too much cuteness!
You look adorable!!! We need to get together ASAP now that you’re here! Email me soon :).