Pregnancy 30 and 31 Weeks Update

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Hello Friends!

If you read the 29 week update, you know that a lot was going on before our trip to Washington. I had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes, was measuring 3 weeks ahead of my gestational date and had switched to a new OB doctor. It was a full week with ups and downs and the uncertainty of what it all meant for the baby and for us. But we took a day at a time and kept thinking positive. While on vacation, I got a call from my new doctor’s office informing me that I also had an UTI and had to go on antibiotics. This was a little bit of a challenge since we were 2.5 hrs from Seattle and in the middle of the forest- literally. The nearest pharmacy was in Forks (Twilight ring a bell?) and they didn’t carry the medication. The next option was Walgreens at Port Angeles, but we would need to wait until the next day to get it, which is what ended up happening. When you are stranded in between small cities and miles and miles of trees, you realize how much is available at your fingertips at home. It’s so eye opening!

 

30 Weeks Update

The 30th week was really fun! We hiked and relaxed by the lake and being in nature was something I had been craving for a while. I miss hiking and being in the mountains. However, Washington State is completely different from Colorado. For one, a lot more humid, it rains every day it seems. Everything is so green and moody! It was like walking through a movie. Quite lovely actually! If you want to see pictures of our trip, check out this post.

Two, it is at sea level, which means I can breathe! Hiking or just walking in high altitude at this stage of the pregnancy is just not possible. Did you know that in Colorado most babies do not get a high mark on their Apgar scores when they are born? That’s because of the altitude and the air being thinner. Crazy right?

Being almost 8 month pregnant made me slow down a lot, which was good for a change. Instead of trying to do several activities in a short time, my attitude was one of “if we don’t see much this time around, we can come back another time.”

When we arrived in Seattle, I walked a lot! More than I’ve walked the whole past two months I bet. For one, we stayed in a hotel a few blocks from the conference I was attending and two I was trying to exercise more even if that made me very sore. Sacrifices we make for the little ones, right?

I loved our time in Washington State, but when it was time to come home, I was ready. I could think of nothing better than to prop my feet up on the couch and have a lazy day!

 

31 Weeks Update

The 31st week started furiously with a series of doctor’s appointments.

• Meeting the Nutritionist: I had an appointment in which the nutritionist went over gestational diabetes with me and a game plan to follow. At the end of the appointment I felt a lot more knowledgeable and prepared to deal with this issue. She also gave me a blood sugar meter and some homework – to track my blood sugar 4 times a day for 2 weeks. If I am successful in controlling my blood sugar, then I may only need to measure it twice a day, meaning only 2 finger pricks, instead of 4. She also educated me on Ketones and a test to measure if I am eating enough carbs. It’s counter intuitive, but as a diabetic, there is a fine balance between not eating too much sugar (carbs) and eating enough. Not eating carbs at the right amounts can send your body into starvation mode with can affect your blood sugars- it’s like a catch 22. When I was first diagnosed with pre-diabetes 2 years ago, I didn’t have access to this info or a nutritionist. All the doctor told me was loose 5 lbs and you should be all right. Then when I got re-checked 3 months later, I was told that although I lost the 5 lbs, I needed to eat less sugar. I remember feeling super frustrated then, because I had already cut processed sugars from my diet and was exercising. So I vowed to cut all carbs and fruits from my diet. I lost 25 lbs over several months and my blood sugar was still high. Oh, how I wish I had had this nutritionist in my life then. It would have saved me months of feeling lost. But I am glad I am in good hands now.

 

• Ultrasound and NST test: following the nutritionist appointment, I had a growth ultrasound and an NST (Non-Stress Test). I was super apprehensive for this ultrasound because our little munchkin had not been measured since the 20-week ultrasound in which he was measuring a couple days behind. On my doctor’s appointment before we left for Washington, I was informed my uterus was measuring 3 weeks bigger than my date and that with gestational diabetes the baby could be measuring large and inducing me early (36-38 weeks) was a consideration. Well, during the ultrasound, we found out that the baby is actually under normal weight and measurements. He is only measuring 4 days ahead of his due date, which still falls under average growth. He weighs around 4 lbs, and if he gains a half a pound a week until his due date he will be around 8 lbs. This was such a relief to us. It means our little one is fine, and not getting bigger than he should, therefore he can stay in longer, which is good for him and for his momma who started freaking out about having a baby earlier than expected. After the ultrasound, we had an NST. This test measures the movement of the baby during a certain period of time and contractions that I might be having. You have monitors on the outside of your belly just like when you go in to labor in a hospital. Our baby apparently is moving like a full term baby – the doctor called him “precocious”- which made my husband chuckle. You see, it’s well known in my in-laws family that my husband started walking at 9 months and had proclivities to do things independently and ahead of his time as a child, like dangling from chandeliers and riding his tricycle to stores on his own when left unattended, so having a “precocious” child is something we were already expecting, just not quite this early.

 

• HD ultrasound: my last OB’s office only offered the standard 2D ultrasound, so we paid out of pocket for the 4D/HD (in color). It’s a superficial test, but it gave us peace of mind before going on our trip since it had been 10 weeks since our last ultrasound and his movements had decreased quite a bit. We also wanted to see his cute mug of course. On our appointment we couldn’t see his entire face because he was lying close to the placenta and had an arm on his face. So they offered us a second try, which we did this week with no success. In two days since the growth ultrasound, he actually flipped (bridged) and is now facing my back. We could go back again, but I am content in waiting. We got a partial look and just to know he is doing great and growing healthy is all that matters to us, so we decided to opt out of the third try. Plus, because of gestational diabetes, it’s likely that we will need another growth ultrasound at 36 weeks. The new OB’s office offers 3D as a normal practice. Another plus of switching doctors!

 

Symptoms, Cravings and Observations:

 

• Probably the most exciting change is that the baby has been very active and since my uterus is now just under my breasts and the baby was facing downward until a couple days ago, I have been able to see the movements in my belly. Something that used to freak me out before, but now is highly amusing. I keep waiting for him to move and of course have tried to capture it on camera, but with no success. This kiddo is already showing me who is boss! lol

 

• For cravings, I haven’t had any other than some Japanese food when we were in Seattle. Other than that, with a higher protein diet and a couple servings of fruit a day, my ice-cream cravings seem to have gone away. I am feeling a lot like my old self in the third trimester, just a lot rounder and heavier. LOL

 

• I am not sure what this says about obesity in America, but a lot of people think I am just fat, and not pregnant. I am not talking about the awkward double take to make sure or the half opened mouth of “can I congratulate her?”. No folks, I am talking about the several people in restaurants that offer me the alcoholic drink menu even when I am wearing belly hugging clothes. Until the 6th month, where the belly was a cross of pudge and pregnancy, I could understand it, but now? I am the billboard screaming “Preggers” in bold neon letters! Maybe I need to get a t-shirt. Maybe that’s why a “preggers” t-shirt exists in the first place… No, no t-shirt. I should just be happy about going incognito. No unwanted advice and no weird ladies trying to touch my body!

 

• Knock on wood, I have not felt hormonal at all during the pregnancy so far. I have been very even-keel. No breakdowns, crying or blowing up moments. Just the opposite,  I feel grateful and blessed and stupidly happy even as it has not been the most pleasant of pregnancies. Now only a couple months until our little one arrives, I am holding on to the pregnancy, to the kicks and hiccups, to the little baby things, to the belly which is round and big, but beautiful to me. I am also feeling those nesting urges badly and I think I may be flooding with oxytocin (love hormone) because I “awww and ahhh” at all the little things that are happening in my body right now. Maybe I am a little delirious?

As for everything else, all is well. I have ordered my breast pump and registered with our new hospital. The nursery is moving along, packages of baby things are still arriving in the mail from our wonderful friends and family, and we have several baby classes scheduled for the next weeks, which is perfect because we will need it.

Have I mentioned that I have never changed a diaper in my life?

Have a great week and thanks for following the pregnancy along with us!

• First Trimester Update
• Second Trimester Update
• 29 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• 30-31 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• 32 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• 33 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• 34 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• 35 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• 36 Weeks Pregnancy Update
• Birth Story and Meet My Baby

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This website contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and participant in other programs, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.