Baby Update - 36 Weeks

We have made it to 36 weeks, actually a little past 36 weeks. Just one more week and baby will be full term. Even at this point, the baby should be fine if it decides to make an appearance. That said, I need at least another week, preferably two, to make sure that I am ready for baby. Currently there is a lot of baby prep that needs to be wrapped up both at work and at home.

It feels like baby is moving lower and lower, which is good. I have also started feeling what I think may be Braxton Hicks contractions, either that or the baby is moving in some strange ways. I had my first check at this week's appointment and they did my Group B strep test. Not a whole lot is going on right now, but that doesn't mean much. 

Baby is still really active, but I can tell that it has less room. There is less rolling and more kicking and wiggling. The baby also likes to head butt my bladder. That is always a good time. There are many things that I won't miss about being pregnant, but I will miss feeling the baby move.

I am still feeling pretty good. In the past week, my feet and ankles have started swelling more and I have had more tingling in my fingers. Other than getting tired easily, I am feeling good and staying active. This morning I cleaned the house. Most days I am doing a walk or some prenatal yoga. The itch to really push my body is pretty strong, but I know it won't be too much longer.

Last weekend was my Florida baby shower. Baby Marron and I are really blessed to have some amazing and generous friends and family. My sister-in-law did a beautiful job putting it together. She also took all the photos, which was really sweet, but also means that I don't have any to post here. Poor planning on my part.

In addition to my Florida shower, my co-workers showered me at our quarterly team meeting this week. I am really lucky to work with such a great group of people. They will be missed while I am out on maternity leave, but I can't wait for baby Marron to meet them.

This weekend is all about getting things set up for the baby. We have just about everything we need, but should take it out of boxes and make sure a few clothes are washed and ready to go. Then the waiting begins.

Baby Update - 35 Weeks

Baby is getting bigger!

Baby and I have now made it to 35 weeks. It blows my mind that the baby will be here in about 5 weeks (give or take). I think I say that just about every week, but you won't be hearing it for too much longer.

I am definitely feeling bigger this week and I think the baby may have dropped a bit. There is more pressure on my bladder and more movement lower in my abdomen. After talking with my doctor, pregnancy related carpel tunnel is what is going on with my wrists. My left wrist has stayed the same, but my right one has gotten worse. I am sleeping with my wrist in a brace and that seems to help the pain a little.

Sleep has gotten a lot better over the last 6 weeks or so. I think that the pillow I got from this girl has helped a lot. I normally get up a couple of times a week, but am able to go right back to sleep. At this point I think I may be the only pregnant woman in the world who is still able to sleep this far along. I'll take it because I know that there will not be much sleeping after baby gets here.

We had an ultrasound last week to check on the baby's growth. The really good news is that the baby is head down, which is key. On a slightly less great note, the baby is measuring pretty big. According to the ultrasound, the baby is about 6 lbs 7 oz, but there is a huge margin of error in those measurements. That said, I am still expecting the baby to be about 9 pounds if I don't go into labor early. The goal is to be allowed to go into labor without any kind of medical intervention.

We have started to get some things done around the house. The baby's bouncy chair has been washed and the plan is to wash some clothes this week. We are also going to move some furniture around in the next week or two. Our glider will be here July 9th and I am super excited about that. We also have more than one diaper in the house, and I am thinking that is a good thing.

This weekend is my Florida baby shower and I am super excited to see everyone. I am really blessed with some amazing friends and family who are all really excited about this baby.

Anything I need to make sure to do before baby comes?

Post Baby Running Plans

So now that baby Marron's arrival is getting closer, I am really itching to run. Honestly, I have been itching to run since March, but trying to listen to my body and take the best care of it possible. Sometimes that is hard. While out walking this week I was really tempted to run for a bit, then I remembered how much it would hurt and kept walking.

What I am doing is looking at fall races and trying to determine what is realistic and what is a bit crazy. Part of my problem is that don't know what birth and recovery will be like. I know that officially it is at least 6 weeks for a vaginal delivery and 8 weeks for a cesarian section. That said there are a lot of variables to both. I know women who felt fine 3 weeks after a vaginal delivery and others who were still pretty sore 12 weeks after a cesarian. The goal is to get baby out naturally and hope for a speedy recovery, but I only have so much control over that.

I have pretty much decided that the Disney Princess Half Marathon at the end of February of next year is going to be my goal race. It is expensive, but it is local and gives me about 8 months to get back into racing form. I am comfortable that I can do that.

The Celebration Half Marathon, Lady Track Shack 5k and Winter Park road race are all possible spring races, but those shouldn't be a problem either.

I am also planning on doing the U Can Finish 5 Miler at UCF on October 13 of this year. I ran this race last year and it was a lot of fun. Running around the UCF campus will never get old, especially since I never did it when I was a student. I also figure I can walk some of the race or drop down to the 2 mile race if I really have to.

Here is where things get a little crazy. I would really like to do the Space Coast Half Marathon. It is December 1. That is about 18 weeks after the baby is due and about 12 weeks after I would likely "officially" been released for exercise. If I had some sort of base, this would not concern me, but at that point it will have been about 6 months since my last run and I will have a newborn to take care of.

Is running the Space Coast Half too crazy? Any tips for getting back to running once the baby is born?

Baby Update - 33 Weeks

I can't believe that Baby Marron is going to be here in 7 weeks (plus or minus a bit). I really think that time has picked up during this last trimester. (Remind me I said that in a few weeks.) Right now it really feels like the weeks are just flying by at this point.

Baby bump is getting big!

Part of it is that we have been incredibly busy. We selected a Doula and we wrapped up our birthing and baby care classes at the hospital. My parents were in town for Memorial Day weekend and hit up both Deleon Springs State Park and Gatorland while they were here. I am also trying to get things at work ready for maternity leave. For a lot of reasons, I need to get everything together and ready before July 4th.

The baby is about the size of a pineapple. At about 4 pounds and 17 inches (source). There are days when it feels like he or she is starting to run out of space. My belly is also getting lumpyer as various baby parts stick out more and more. I am still measuring big, but that is nothing new and baby seems to be a pretty normal size. I have another ultrasound to check on growth next week.

Other than just feeling big, I am feeling pretty good. I have been sleeping relatively well and that makes a huge difference. I still can't seem to get enough sleep, but that has been the case since November. My hands and feet are swelling a bit and I think I may have developed pregnancy related carpel tunnel, because my wrists have been aching and tingly. My husband also tells me I have been snoring more, but I think part of that is the cold I have been battling.

As for activity, I have been doing alright. I have been walking and doing some prenatal yoga. A little more activity wouldn't hurt, but I am normally pretty active on the days I don't have an official workout. 

I feel like I have been slacking on the baby prep lately. Entertaining guests, celebrating birthdays and taking care of other things have taken priority. I need to think about washing some clothes and where we are going to put the baby's stuff until we move. I am having a local baby shower in a couple weeks, so I may just wait until after that to figure out what to wash and put away. 

I am getting excited about meeting this baby!