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2007-12-17 - 11.54pm��previous entry��next entry
32 weeks pregnant - how low can you go?!
Well, here I am at last. I am getting annoyed with my big gaps here! I really want to update regularly! I'm even missing belly pics here and there, which bugs me too!
I missed the 30 week picture altogether - the last one that was taken was at 28 weeks :( I am 32 weeks pregnant today (!!!!!!) and Neil took a belly picture, yay! So it's in the gallery.
Nathan has DROPPED. I mean, really, definitely dropped. And so I'm extra annoyed that I missed the 30 week picture because he dropped between 30 and 32 weeks, and the photos would have probably shown that nicely, tsk! I have scrutinized my belly galleries for my other pregnancies, and even though I carry ALL my babies low (and get comments aplenty about it from total strangers, which does annoy me because it's never a sort of "Oh you're really glowing!" type of comment, more like a "you look weird carrying like that!" sort of thing. Pfthth.), I have NEVER carried any of my babies this low! Certainly not at this stage anyway.
And I DO look weird (and am unexpectedly sensitive about it - hormones???) because my legs are short (and I do mean short) and my torso is extra long, so it makes my existing weirdness (!) even worse when I have the lowest baby bump ever, hanging over my (low!) pubic bone! And all that unoccupied torso above it! Just looks odd, and I feel self-conscious about it, which I don't like because it makes me feel uncomfortable about people seeing me and that feeling just sucks. When I go places anyway, people comment on how low Nathan is, and I just smile/laugh and pat my bump and say, "Yes, I always carry my babies low!" or just simply agree, "I know! Everything just dropped about a FOOT south last week!" and stay cheerful. But I feel a bit.... I can't even say exactly how I feel inside. Like a child who isn't sure she likes what that other kid just called her. Or something. Anyway. That part is probably hormones!
I have never noticed my babies drop into my pelvis before, so much as this one! Let's see, I'll try to pinpoint when it was.... Dec. 6th I went to a baby shower for someone at church who is due to have her baby next week (baby #2 of 5 at church in this year's "cluster" - we always do babies in clusters at our church! I'm producing baby #4, although I will likely produce the last baby in the bunch because I go past my due date and the fifth baby is due only a week after Nathan). Anyway, at the baby shower, people were saying, "Gosh, your baby has dropped hasn't he?!" and things like that. I was saying, "Yes, yes, I know he's low..." and so on, not thinking about the idea that he'd dropped down so much as just the fact that they probably THINK that he dropped just because everyone does - I carry so low in any case that people presume I have a baby who has dropped into place for birth when they look at me.
BUT, it played on my mind a bit later in the evening, because over the previous day or two, I had really noticed a few differences. I hadn't actually paid that much attention to the position/shape of my bump. But I was peeing more, sometimes not actually doing much but feeling like I had needed to go. That caught my attention because it's not normal for me, and I wondered if it could be a bladder infection or something? But I didn't have any other symptoms, so I just kept an eye on it.
At night, literally all of a sudden (I wish I could remember which exact night it started!), I started finding it way more uncomfortable in bed. Specifically, I have the most awful searing ligament pains at the sides of my bump when I turn in bed or try to get up. Sometimes I don't seem to have done much at all in the way of movement, and I wake and can't MOVE because a big old ligament supporting my uterus is hurting a little, and I know that if it's even a BIT painful I have to stay perfectly still until it completely goes away. If I try to move against an annoyed ligament, ohhhhh the burning fire! And it can't be relieved - sometimes I can curl into a not-so-tight-anymore ball (!) and that helps a little, but mostly I just have to wait it out. It's so so so sore while it lasts! I know that ligament pain in pregnancy comes from pulling on the ligaments supporting the uterus. I would get them a lot earlier on in pregnancy before my womb got big enough to rest on the bones of my pelvis - that's pretty common.
So, the fact that it has started again leads me to believe that my uterus has changed position or something, in such a way as to put strain on those ligaments again. There can't be enough support just from it sitting in my pelvic bones any more - it must be hanging out forwards more. Anyway, that happened literally overnight, and has persisted since. It was just before the baby shower - I must have been somewhere around 30.5 weeks then.
I am also having a lot more trouble walking and stuff! I was a bit waddly before, but I'm really having to waddle about gingerly at the moment. I went into town to spend some of the Christmas money for the boys that my mum sent, a couple of days ago. So they didn't come with me. I walked around the shops for a couple of hours and it was just so very painful and so very sloooow! I really was surprised at how slow I had to walk, and how carefully I had to tread. I was aware of the back of my pelvis with each and every step around town, and Nathan was awake some of the time I was shopping - I could feel him pushing a foot out of my front or side now and then (not comfortable - VERY cute but really really NOT comfortable!), and he seemed to completely fill the available space in there. I could feel him squirm his back and there was so much pressure every time he did. And when he turned his head as I was walking (I really can feel detailed stuff going on in there now!), it pinched and ground so much on my bladder and cervix and just some vague general low-pelvic-boneyness that I had to breathe easy and slow right down, and it was more comfortable to walk with my knees turned sort of in a bit, you know? I have no idea how I must have looked, haha!
Anyway. He feels so heavy in there, like he's getting really big now. At 32 weeks he should be about 3lbs 10oz and going on 17 inches long! That's so big!!! He feels at least that big - not that I KNOW, but he just feels enormous in there. I know it's just the way it FEELS to carry him around right now, and he is still teeny tiny really! But yeah, it is getting uncomfortable.
Oh! The other thing I noticed is that sometimes when I really need to wee, I can't seem to empty my bladder completely, like Nathan is in the way. I read somewhere that you can try peeing, then lifting your bump up a little and then peeing again! So I have tried that a couple of times and not really noticed much difference. I can't lift my bump much. Sometimes I think Nathan is posterior in his position, because I get limbs sticking out the front of my bump. And also, I am currently getting a lot of pain in the back of my pelvis, near where it joins my spine, low down. I don't really remember that from my other pregnancies. And I am NOT getting any significant pubic bone pain, which is very unusual for me. But it would make sense if the heaviest, hardest part of my baby's head is pressing on the BACK of my pelvis, and not leaning all its weight on the front, on my pubic bone. Other times, he seems to have swung round and I can usually feel his back out against my front, so I don't know. But if he IS posterior then I don't want him to stay that way, obviously. Right now I am probably happier for him to be posterior than otherwise, because I know how rotten the pubic bone pain will be once he swings round! I'd rather put that off!
Anyway, the first time I tried that lift-your-bump-when-you-pee thing, I was totally shocked by the weirdest sensation as I lifted my bump - Nathan must have been posterior or lateral, because I put my forearm across the underside of my bump to lift it up, essentially taking my baby bump in the crook of my arm, and as I lifted, SUDDENLY I literally felt my baby in my arms! I felt his back against my bicep on the side, and limp little limbs gathered themselves onto my forearm! I actually stopped in shock and just gasped at the sensation, just frozen in that position for a moment! I could feel him soooo clearly. As I held the position, I felt his legs? arms? slide over each other as he moved them gently, still kind of "gathered" over my forearm. He didn't wriggle about until after about 5-10 seconds when he seemed to get annoyed that I was hoisting him like that, and his back started to shift about off my arm! It just amazed me because when I am carrying a baby inside me, my round bump just feels like a firm round tummy, which sometimes moves and lurches, and through which I can sometimes feel the odd foot pushed out, etc! But for the first time, my pregnant bump WAS my baby, not just the main feature itself. It's ALL baby, and it seemed a very thin wall indeed between my little one and my arm. It was lovely, but I admit it made me feel ever so slightly squeamish as well! I don't even know why. I guess I just didn't expect the sensation.
The next day after all the walking in town, the bit between my bump and my ribs (BIG gap there now!) is feeling bruised like the very flesh has been stretched and pulled. It hurts a lot today, but not like muscles, just like pulled tissue or something. I also have either got a knotted muscle or another new cyst in my back/side just below my ribcage on one side, because there's a really painful lump there since the walking. Same height exactly as the pulled/stretched part on the front. I think it just has to be down to how very low my bump has become, and so it must be pulling on stuff that isn't used to being pulled on. Maybe I should dig out my bump support belt?
I am also feeling really swollen "down there" these days. I have felt that way much of this pregnancy, but it's definitely worse at the moment. If I squat to pick something up or to get down to the boys' level for something, specifically squatting, not sitting, the sensation makes me a bit panicky after about a minute, if I stay there long enough! I feel so swollen and congested that it aches and aches, and I get scared about getting some nice varicose veins just where I don't want them! I have the same problem when I am sitting on the toilet. It just really aches and feels tooooo swollen to be okay, and it worries me a little!
Neither of my other boys dropped into my pelvis anywhere NEAR this early! I think it was right at the very end of my pregnancy with both of them. I did look considerably lower at 34 weeks (compared with the 32 week pic) with Matthew, but not as low as I am now.
I also checked my cervix at 30 weeks, a couple of days after my 30 week entry here. Just randomly. I think I did the same at about the same time in Matthew's pregnancy. My cervix was complete mush! Which it isn't supposed to be, BUT it was the same way when I checked it during Matthew's pregnancy, so I guess maybe it's normal for me? If the cervix is soft, and there's pressure on it from a "dropped" baby's head though.... then I guess it could become effaced (thinned out) and then if it's effaced, couldn't it then get to dilating? Hmmm. The main thing of note that I COULD feel (it was hard to feel what was cervix and what wasn't, because it was so soft), was an unmistakable baby's head! So I presume I am dilated a little bit, which would be normal for someone who has had a baby already. I couldn't begin to tell HOW dilated because of not being able to feel what was cervix and what wasn't! Tsk. But it just seemed super easy to put my finger right ON Nathan's head! It was very hard so it had to be his head. At first I thought maybe it was a super firm cervix, haha! But I don't think so. I tried another cervix check a few days ago but I couldn't reach my cervix then, which is a good thing! It was RIGHT THERE before, but posterior.
I am not having so many Braxton Hicks contractions this pregnancy as I noticed with the others, so that's something! I have had 2 while writing this, and that's more than usual for me, so it's pretty quiet as far as my pregnancies go at this stage. When I get them now, they are tight and uncomfortable. I had an actual painful one in the car on the way home from church today, but it didn't last long and it wasn't too bad.
When Nathan sticks his bottom out now, it's BELOW or at the level of my tummy button! He's so low in there. Other people in my due date buddy group have baby bottoms (or heads!) crushing their diaphragms and aching their ribs right now. It seems odd to me that Nathan is so low. Not my norm either, but I guess it's just a different baby, different pregnancy.
I had a midwife appt at 30 weeks and 2 days, probably just after my last proper entry here, so I haven't written about it yet! Tsk! I saw a different midwife (the same one I had my booking appt with, not the one who usually does appts at my doctor's surgery). It was just an extra appt (they're usually 28 and 32 weeks) because of my breathlessness/palpitations the previous time. I'm still getting that, but it's not aggravated nearly so much if I don't exert myself. And sometimes it's exerting myself just to get up from the sofa, or bend over to pick something up! Neil is still out of work, and doing lots with the boys, so I am getting the chance to rest and not aggravate the breathlessness thing. It isn't affected by the fact that Nathan has dropped down. It doesn't seem to be a physical space issue with my diaphragm, more that my body feels like it's RUNNING and thus gasping for air and palpitating, only at the slightest thing.
The midwife acted concerned but she didn't even take my pulse!! My b/p was fine. I had leukocytes in my urine again (nothing else) so she sent it to the lab. I said it would come back fine :) I told her I always have something in my urine and it always comes back fine. Last time I had ++ leukocytes and the clinical report stated vaginal contamination. I DO try to mid-stream my urine samples! But hey ho, I guess I don't do very well because I always have some sort of contamination there. I do have a lot of CM when I'm pregnant though. I wear a pantyliner at all times after about 8 weeks!
Braxton Hicks again - very tight. I really need to wee though, so that might be why I have had a few in a row this last hour. I think I will just pop to the loo! I'll be right back (don't die, laptop, while I'm gone!).
Back again! Also, super thirsty, so I probably haven't had enough to drink. I have a big glass of water now :)
Anyway so the midwife appt went okay. Arthur wanted to come with me (Matthew was napping) so I took him, and he was just so incredibly good - I was so proud of him! He read a car magazine in the waiting room like a MAN, except that he rested it on his legs in a big chair and his feet only just stuck out off the chair, bless his heart! He did as he was told perfectly, behaved quietly, and when we were called in to see the midwife, he sat himself on the floor without me even saying anything to him, and read the car magazine from cover to cover, looking at the pictures! He was silent the whole time, and when he wanted to say something he whispered it! I don't know why! I never told him to be quiet, he just seemed to want to whisper. I told him he could talk normally after a while! He asked permission to touch things for EVERYTHING he was interested in, and asked permission really politely for me to give him his toy cars in my pocket. He was such a good boy!
The midwife asked how come I was getting so much more rest now, and I told her my husband was out of work. Arthur piped up from his magazine on the floor, in a tone that said he was taking part in an adult conversation (so cute!), "Yes.... We've got a man at home called Daddy. And a little brother called Mashew. And a big-little, little-big (he couldn't seem to decide, bless him!) boy called Arsur! AND, d'you know?! There's a tiiiiny baby in Mummy's tummy called Nathan!" Funny boy :) Later on, about 10 minutes later, completely out the blue, he finished off with, "... And we've got a girl called Mummy." ;)
We heard Nathan's heart beating, and it seemed really slow to my ears, but she said it was fine, just above 120. It sped up after a while, but not loads. That's like Matthew's heartrate. Arthur's was always steaming away at fast pace, which is a lot like he is still today :)
I refused the Anti-D injection, and she looked extremely concerned, but I told her I haven't had ANY this pregnancy because my husband is Rhesus negative - PROVEN! So, she relaxed a bit when I said that! I'm so happy not to be getting those this time!
I also talked to her about birth options. I am going to be re-screened for Group B Strep at my 36 week appt, and I HOPE it's negative, but it's likely to be positive still. Since my last proper update, I have been able to make a decision about where I want to have Nathan. I really want to give birth at home, like I always plan to. But I have to get IV antibiotics because of the GBS. There is a midwife-led unit at the local hospital (very popular these days!) which is just down the hall from where I gave birth to Arthur. I had to be in the obstetric labour ward with Arthur because I wanted an epidural after I transferred from my planned homebirth. The midwife-led unit will take me (so long as they are not full at the time, aargh!) So over the next week I was able to decide what to do.
I have pretty much 80-90% ish for sure (!) chosen to have Nathan in hospital, at the midwife-led unit. The "home" issues were also leaning me in that direction - that is, our teeny tiny home and our two little boys - not having any space to labour and birth in if it happens to be a time of day where the boys are EVERYWHERE underfoot! And my potential scary noise levels, which I didn't know about till my last birth! If it weren't for the whole needing space/horrible pain thing during labour, and the fact that I could make scary noises when delivering (!), I would much rather be at home, because when that bit is all done, everything's dandy and I just want to be able to fall into my bed and BE HOME already! That part would be waaaay better for all of us, the boys, Nathan, me, Neil, everyone. If we had a bigger house.... I don't know. If I could guarantee a night labour/birth, and heavy-sleeping children?! That would definitely fix it for me! ;) But I can't, and so that with the GBS thing means I think I will have my baby in the midwife-led unit at the hospital.
The midwife told me that as soon as my waters break I need to phone the unit and go in for my first round of IV antibiotics. She told me they only take about 20 minutes to administer, and then I don't need another dose for 4 hours! I had the impression that I had to have 4 hours of CONTINUOUS IV antibiotics, so I'm much relieved! I CAN use the birth pool if I want to, if I happen to be in a room with one there, but they'll have to take the venflon out of my hand (thank goodness!). The down side of that is if I haven't delivered a baby by 4 hours after my last dose of antibiotics, I have to have the venflon re-sited (which will be NO FUN, especially if done in the throes of hard labour!) and another dose given. That will happen every four hours till he's born. But it gives me hope that I won't be stuck with a drip in my hand for my entire labour, unless I choose not to have it removed at the time. Also I'm hoping to have a fast labour, and avoid more than one or two doses! I don't actually WANT high-dose antibiotics in either my system OR Nathan's, and we'll probably reap some consequences as a result, but I understand why it's important with the GBS.
If my waters don't break but I am in labour, I have to phone the unit to tell them. They may let me labour at home for a while, but given my history of things going rather more quickly than expected after 3cm, the midwife said they'll probably ask me to go in for the IV anyway. Oh well.
I might not get to have my mummy at the birth this time :( She will look after the boys with my dad while Neil and I are at the hospital. That's too important a job, so it makes sense - but I am a little shaky about it because I really want her with me! She's a great birth partner because nobody knows me better, and she and Neil were just the team I needed last time. I'm not sure how I'll do it without BOTH of their support! If she isn't around, Bennie (my brother) will come and look after the boys. I'm so relieved! He will do great. They came to visit us yesterday for an hour or so, and the boys get on so wonderfully with him, and love Thea (she's 7 months old, already!). Matthew is particularly fond of Bennie, and we have no idea why, because he has only seen him a handful of times really, that he might remember. He just smiles and smiles at him, and takes him books to read - and then SITS STILL for an entire story (never does this with us!) if read to him by Bennie! And he takes his favourite toys to show him, one after the other. He asks for cuddles, and to be picked up, which he has never done with anyone but Neil and I. And when they left, Matthew CLUNG to Bennie and cried, and wouldn't let him put him down! Bennie tried to give him to me, and Matthew wouldn't have me!!! So I am feeling very happy about the idea that Bennie will possibly be the one looking after them, especially if it's night time. I don't think they'll accept anyone but us at night if they wake, but if there's anyone who MIGHT be accepted, it's probably Bennie (for Matthew). Or my mum, for Arthur. I'm not sure if Matthew would accept my mum at night, hmmm.
Anyway. So that's all good. I hope I don't have to be away from my little loves for long when the time comes! I'll be home as quickly as I can be. We have decided I will come in the house first, without Nathan, to greet the boys and kiss them and love on them. I might not be up to standing and stuff, so if that's the case, Mummy is going to warn them in advance that I will need to go up to bed when I come in, and when I'm in bed the boys can come upstairs and we can cuddle there. THEN they can see Nathan. If I am able to spend a couple of minutes with them downstairs first, when I come in the house, I will have somebody (Mummy? Neil?) out at the car with Nathan in his car seat - the little bucket one that we lent to Bennie and Sarah for Thea, and they will only bring him in when the boys have had a few minutes with me first. Then, to bed! And hopefully I will rest more this time, in the first couple of weeks after the birth. I read (on the large family blogs I read!) that it bodes well to get complete rest for the first 2 weeks. It means you're able to get up and go by 6 weeks, and if you don't rest well in those first 2 weeks, it will take you much longer to feel back to normal again, months instead of weeks. So I plan to REST and breastfeed and snuggle my little boys! How blissful! I am sure it will also be exhausting and hormones will make things seem overwhelming and stuff, but it's a good thing to do.
Okay it's craaaazy late and I am getting too tired to write much more. I'm trying to think if there was anything else.... Oh, Nathan has SO many bouts of hiccups! Arthur was the most hiccupy boy ever - he would have 4-5 bouts of hiccups a day (2-3 on quiet days) from about 20 weeks! Matthew didn't have his first bout of hiccups until 28 weeks! That seemed soooo late to me, after Arthur. And he never had quite so many per day as Arthur did. Arthur still gets hiccups easily - he had two bouts today from laughing so hard that he could hardly breathe at two different times :) Matthew occasionally gets hiccups from laughing very hard too.
Nathan's norm is six or seven bouts of hiccups per day! It's a quiet day when he only gets them 4 times. Sometimes I feel like the blipping on my low abdomen/hips has barely stopped all day, although obviously it doesn't take up all that much of the day, just a few little bouts of hiccups! They are very clear to feel and you can see my bump jerking with each hiccup :) I let Arthur feel Nathan hiccuping this week! He seemed amazed and smiled a lot while he felt my tummy blip. He pretended to hiccup along with Nathan!
Matthew is finally noticing my bump in the run-of-the-mill daily stuff like when I'm sitting with him on the sofa, but more as, "What's this large mound in my way?!" with none-too-gentle shoves and slaps! We are trying to teach him "be gentle" at the moment, and he does know what we mean and responds appropriately. I hope he'll be okay with having a baby brother....
Arthur tells me I always have milky, even after he's been breastfeeding for a while, so I guess I have colostrum all the time, which is good! I am not leaking at ALL though - different to my other pregnancies, but I do have TWO little nurslings drinking it up! Perhaps that makes for less leakage issues?!
I am not so keen on the jelly and pickles this week :( Shame, I really liked that one! I have no idea what I weigh still, as we have no battery for the scales. I bought a pair of size 14 maternity jeans cheap on eBay, as I have outgrown pretty much all my size 12s now. I was a size 10 at the start of my pregnancy, maternity-wise, and maternity sizes are very generous. I know that the biggest size I ever needed in my previous pregnancies was at the end of Matthew's, and I needed a pair of size 14 jeans RIGHT at the end. I have needed them this time since 29 weeks! But still squeeeezed into some of my more generous size 12s. When I had given birth and my tummy was flatter, my thighs required size 16-18 trousers and jeans in non-maternity clothing!!! So the maternity sizes are really generous. I know my legs would be a size 16-18 right now, if I wasn't pregnant. Yeurgh! That's such a big change from pre-pregnancy, for me! Thankfully (?!), I got my stretch marks on my legs in my first pregnancy, and more of them in my second, so my skin seems satisfied to be containing this much flesh at this stage still! ;) It has already been stretched. I'm slightly nervous that I have 8 more weeks to go - the big weight-gain weeks too!
Anyway, the jeans arrived and they are a pretty snug fit!!!! Yikes! I mean, they do fit, they're not too tight. But they're not roomy for more weight-gain like I'd expected. I know I am going to need to buy a couple omore pairs of comfy trousers/jeans for the remainer of my pregnancy, because all I have is those jeans at the moment. I am thinking it's likely that I'll even need a pair of size 16 jeans for the last few weeks, as I doubt I'll squeeze into these by then. I'm wearing my new size 14s in my latest belly pic! :) I bid on and won (soooo cheap - yay for Christmas distracting people from bidding on stuff like maternity clothes!) a pair of size 14 maternity tracksuit bottoms, and they are soooo comfy. They are also a snug fit though. Yipe. I'm calling them Christmas presents and using some of my Christmas money from my parents to buy them, as we haven't got any otherwise, at the moment. I'm so glad it's Christmas :) And it's fun to choose my own presents!
Uh-oh, Matthew is awake again (he's had a few nights like this in the past week) - it's now 2am and he's still awake, but not seemingly windy this time. I don't know why he's awake but he wants me near. If it's not teething or wind then it CAN'T continue! I can't do it come February! Aargh. He is not going to be happy in a couple of mins if I don't hurry back up and I really need to go to bed now it's got THIS late, so I'll just finish this and post it quick, and hurry to bed. Will write anything I might have missed next time. I have my 32 week appt with my GP on Tuesday. Hopefully I'll be back to write about that this week.
P.S. Shelley, I used a TENS machine (hired) for my labour with Arthur, and found it helpful so I bought an Elle TENS machine at eBay during my pregnancy with Matthew. It was great - well, it still hurt like diddly-heck but I was too scared to stop using it incase it made things worse! So I have my own TENS already and won't need to hire one, which is good! I'll definitely use it :) And, I forgot to answer a question you asked a while back - not sure if you remember but I did make my own cloth pads during my first pregnancy! I didn't use them much because I didn't sew them very well! I made some fab ones during Matthew's pregnancy and used them instead of disposable ones with no problems. I always have disposables on hand, and prefer them for the first couple of VERY yucky days (I just can't beeaaaaar the immediate stuff and just want it out of sight as fast as possible, I don't know why I'm soooo squeamish about lochia when I'm fine about basically everything else!). But they were packed away with my homebirth stuff when I was bleeding around the middle of this pregnancy, so I stuck with disposables. Yuck.
Hmmm, no sound from Matthew - perhaps he's gone back to sleep! Yay! Well it's way too late to still be up, so I'm going to bed anyway.
Can't believe I only have 8 weeks to go!!!! Yikes!! :)
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