34 Week Pregnancy Update

We are getting so close and yet it still feels like it is so far away!  I have to say that the planner in me does not love not knowing when baby will arrive.  But I guess that just adds to the fun of pregnancy <– I’m being slightly facetious here.  Regardless, the countdown is on!

This week, baby is the size of an: “average” cantaloupe (or approximately 17.75 inches and 4.75 pounds).

Due date: July 13, 2017

Gender: We still do not know, but I am definitely getting more and more anxious to find out!

Exercise: My main form of exercise throughout this entire pregnancy has been walking.  I went to a prenatal yoga class a few weeks back that I didn’t love.  However, my usual yoga studio is starting a six week prenatal session today, so I feel like it is a sign and something I should do!

Maternity clothes: I am living in dresses as often as possible.  I am also grateful that our dress code at work during the Summer is much more relaxed, as some of my only pairs of pants that fit are maternity jeans.

Belly button: Out and that is not changing!

Sleep: I have still been sleeping fairly good.  On average, I wake up twice per night to go to the bathroom.  My hips still get rather sore from sleeping on my side, but other than that I cannot complain too much.  I seem to be escaping a lot of the charley horse leg cramps (I’ve only had a few), so that’s a plus.

Food cravings/aversions: I do not have any major cravings right now.  My only real aversion that has held strong much of my pregnancy is for red sauces, like spaghetti or pizza sauce.  I also feel like vegetables are not sounding as good as they were towards the end of the second trimester, but I am still trying my best to get them in when I can.

Symptoms: My biggest complaint is the same as last time: frequent urination/bladder pressure almost constantly.  And because of that, I can definitely see why people say the third trimester is not the most enjoyable.  Other than that, I have had minor aches and pains, but nothing too crazy.  I’ve also had a little more acid reflux creeping in, but again, nothing super intense so far.  Let’s hope it stays that way!  Oh, and guess who definitely has several stretch marks now?  This girl!  I just keep telling myself, “anything for baby.”

Movement: I have definitely started to notice that baby’s movements are changing.  AKA he or she is running out of room.  Baby is still moving quite a lot, but the movements don’t feel like kicks and jabs anymore.  I like to tell Jeremy that it feels like the baby is clawing my insides.  Awesome description, right?

Labor signs: Not yet, and I’d like to keep it that way!  They say 34 weeks is a bench mark in that most babies born this early have the same chances of survival as a full-term baby.  That definitely makes me feel a lot less nervous.  But either way, I’m hoping to make it until at least 38 weeks, especially since we still have a lot of house projects to accomplish!

What I miss: I feel like I keep coming back to this, but I really do miss kombucha a lot.  I’ll probably make somebody bring me some in the hospital after the delivery!

What I’m loving: I am loving that the nursery is nearly finished!  I just have a few finishing touches, like purchasing curtains and a lamp, and then it should be all ready.  It has been fun to see how it has come together.

I love that my baby shower went so well.  Everyone was extremely generous!  Jeremy and I also took maternity photos yesterday, so I am excited to see how they turned out.

What’s coming up: The main things on our “to do” list right now are to complete our house projects, get our hospital bags packed, purchase anything else from our registries that we still need, install the car seat base (and get it checked), and do some deep cleaning of our house.  Not much, right?

We also have plans to take an infant care class at our hospital and will continue to read up on labor and birth.  Lately, I have been finding birth stories on blogs especially helpful, so please send me suggestions if you have any!