When I went in for another ultrasound, the tech surprised me by switching to 3D. I actually didn't want a 3D ultrasound, but as soon as I saw his face I couldn't have cared less that she didn't ask me beforehand. I saw him snuggle up to my body, move around and watched his face grimace because he does not like being poked. He is not a submissive patient, that one. He moves every time someone tries to measure his heartbeat.
The bigger he gets, the more I'm aware of his position. He spends a lot of time nestling his head underneath my ribs. He favors the right side of my belly (possibly because I'm pregnant in my right uterus) and can travel pretty far to the right. No one ever told me babies can hang out on your sides and not just the front. It is not comfortable. He also uses my hip bones to push off and get into a more comfortable position. It startles me every time. He is constantly moving during the day and seems to settle down when I go to sleep. (Let's keep this routine going when you're out of the womb, too, okay baby?) We saw Iron Man 3 and The Great Gatsby recently, and both movies got him rocking and rollin' (by either my adrenaline or the level of noise). Speaking of which, ever since I could feel his movements, this little guy gets so excited by popcorn. I don't know what it is, but every time I eat popcorn he goes crazy. It's pretty cute.
We've decided on a name but we're keeping it a secret. People are much too opinionated and we don't want to hear it. We also want to make sure we're not sick of it by the time he's born.
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| 30 weeks at The Cloisters |
Having stepped into the 30's makes it feel like this baby is coming in no time. But who am I kidding? I still have 10 more weeks to go until I'm full term. This making a baby business takes forever. I mean, really, it takes almost a year. I was pregnant during Christmas of last year! As anxious as we are to have our baby in our arms, we are fine with letting him plump up for a couple more months. Joel and I both have our moments of feeling totally overwhelmed where we look at each other and say, "Are we really ready for this?!" But we also spend a lot of timing staring at my stomach begging him to just come out already. Pregnancy is full of conflicting feelings. That is an understatement.
I'm getting tired again. If I spend half of the day busy and next half napping/resting, I call that a successful day. Because I have a didelphic uterus, I only have half of the ligaments supporting my pregnant uterus. This means more strain on my ligaments and it can get painful. I'm going to buy a belly-support band (any recommendations would be helpful!) and hopefully that will ease the pain. My appetite is starting to change again. I am ravenous one day and completely disinterested the next. I still can't stomach most meat (I can't imagine ever eating chicken or seafood again) but I love spicy sausage and bacon. I eat through entire packages of Costco strawberries and grapes within a few days. Watermelon is my new best friend. Oh, watermelon. I've had taquitos for lunch every single day for months now. I don't understand the obsession but they're just so good. Give me Peruvian, Venezuelan, Brazilian or Mexican food and I am in heaven. There is no question I have a Latin baby inside of me.
As far as prepping for labor goes, I am nervous, anxious and excited. While I'm reading and practicing relaxation and breathing techniques I feel confident and as ready as I can be. I was blessed to grow up surrounded by women who have a very healthy and natural view of pregnancy and labor, but there are still times I feel panicky and unprepared. I have certain hopes for labor, but no expectations. I will do my best, and let my body do its best, and look forward to having a healthy baby (and me) at the end of it all. The human body is divinely created and it's been an incredible thing to witness during this pregnancy. I have a lot of faith in my body and I am so proud of how well it has done growing a baby so far. That sounds strange, but when I found out I have a uterine abnormality I never knew if my body could do what it needs to in order to create and sustain a healthy baby. It can! And it is! And I count every week that passes that I'm still pregnant with a growing baby boy as a miracle.
