Bumpdate Weeks 29-31

At this point in my pregnancy, I’m starting to feel like I’ve been pregnant forever. I know these last weeks are going to probably go the slowest but so far the weeks have been flying by. Crazy to think that AT MOST, I’m 10.5 weeks away from meeting my baby girl (my doctor said she won’t schedule me to be induced until 2 weeks past my due date which is something I’m very happy with since ideally I’ll have a totally intervention-free birth).

It’s funny because although I feel I’ve been pregnant forever, to the public eye I’ve been pregnant a month or so because I haven’t been blatantly showing. Only recently are strangers/acquaintances at work confident enough that I’m actually with child and not just chubby to congratulate me or comment. My weekly baby update email this week said that this is the time that people start telling you that you must be ready to pop, but I’m having the opposite reaction as everyone is telling me it has gone so fast when I tell them I’m already 31 weeks. It’s interesting how different everyone’s bodies are when it comes to carrying a child. I must admit I’m happy to finally be visibly pregnant! Now I just have 9 or so weeks to celebrate that.

How Many Weeks: This covers weeks 29-31.

Size of Baby: Over 16 inches long and about 3.3 pounds, the size of a coconut.

Belly Button In/Out: It has definitely changed and is more flat but has not “popped” yet.

Stretch Marks: Not any yet. I’ve been religiously applying Mambino Organics Belly Butter to my belly twice a day and praying that it works (either way the belly butter helps with itching).

Rings On/Off: My rings are still on and don’t seem to be much tighter (besides when I go for a long walk and my fingers turn to sausages) which makes me hopeful that I’ll never have to take them off! I also don’t seem to have any swelling in my legs which I know can plague a lot of pregnant women around this time.

Symptoms: General sleepiness, occasional leg cramps in the middle of the night, waddling. I am thankful that my symptoms have been so mild.

Sleep: Mike was out of town this past week so I finally slept with my Snoogle. I think that it did help. Although my doctor did tell me that I could continue sleeping on my back at times, I have found that I’m less comfortable in that position lately.  On the weekends I try to sleep as much as possible since during the week I only get 7.5-8 hours since I tend to wake up at 5:30 several mornings to work out. Ideally right now I think I need closer to 9-10 hours of sleep based on how it goes on the weekends. Even after 9 hours I’ll still take a nap on a weekend afternoon if possible.

Purchasing: These last 3 weeks were all about the nursery! I’m happy to say it’s almost complete – all we need are the final touches on the decor but I’m waiting until my shower because my friend Allison who is hosting has made several decorations for the shower that she thinks would fit in well in the nursery (the theme is mint, coral and grey with arrow print accents). Over 4th of July weekend Mike’s parents came over and helped us paint the nursery and put together the crib and changing table. The glider was delivered the following weekend and I picked up some great finds at Home Goods for decor and storage as well. We ordered a floor rug from Target and it came last week. Now all we need are the final touches and a baby to put in it! I’ll be posting pictures once it’s done!

Interesting Moments: Now that my bump is getting more obvious, I’ve had a lot more interaction with strangers. The man serving my lunch last week told me I was for sure having a girl because of the way i’m carrying and he has 3 daughters so he’s an expert. A woman at the mall over the weekend then told me I must be carrying a boy because I “don’t look pregnant from behind” and apparently girls make your whole body grow (clearly she doesn’t know that it has grown…).

I’m still wearing heels (not every day) and every time I do I get multiple comments about it!

Best Moments: Putting together the nursery was definitely the highlight of the last 3 weeks. I kept going back into the room after it was painted and the crib was built and staring at it in disbelief. We’re going to have another human being LIVING in our house! It’s crazy!!!

I also feel my best after a great hike or yoga session with friends.

Exercise: Still going strong with the squats (up to 290/day last week, headed for 350 a day by the end of the month!), yoga, barre, hikes and even some runs! I workout on average 6-7 times a week plus get in shorter walks a few times a week, still occasionally putting in a double day (ie workout in the morning, workout at night). The intensity and duration is nothing compared to pre-pregnancy but I’m getting out there! I feel good during most workouts but definitely feel the best during yoga. I’m also doing exercises to prepare for child birth (read more here).

Cravings/Aversions: Nothing crazy here, just lots of cold, refreshing foods. Lots of cold, fresh fruit, the occasional diet soda (only 2-3 a week, but highly considering making all soda off limits!) and my nightly ice cream! I’ve noticed lately that I can’t eat as much at one sitting as I was able to before and I’ve been staying full longer. I’m sure that my stomach is getting cramped in there thanks to the growing baby.

Baby/Child Birth Preparations: We only have ONE Bradley Method birth class left and I’ve scheduled our hospital tour. I already got my breast bump from the insurance company and the nursery is almost done. I still need to wash the clothes, blankets, sheets but will do that after the showers. I also need to select our pediatrician (I have a recommendation and will probably go with that one but have yet to call) and we pack the hospital bag and install the car seat, but we have a little time for that (or so I hope – one of the girls in our birth class already had her baby at 35 weeks).

Missing: I must admit an ice cold beer sounds really good since it’s been so hot!

Looking Forward To: My showers! I have my first shower, which will be with friends and some family on August 1st, a 2nd shower with my mom’s side of the family on August 8th and a work shower on the 10th. I can’t wait to spend some quality time with friends and family. Some of my friends who I rarely get to see are coming from out of town so it’ll be a treat to catch up with them in person.