Week 36

Baby's development: Baby is now anywhere from 17 to 19 1/2 inches long and according to my most recent ultrasound, he weighs about 5 lbs (slightly smaller than the "average" baby, but still within the normal range). The lanugo that covered his body to keep him warm is now disappearing and he will be swallowing it to produce his first poop (called meconium). He'll probably put on at most another two pounds in the next month.

So far I've put on 20 lbs and I'm feeling pretty big. I'm sure I'll continue to say that for the next five weeks. During the most recent ultrasound, my doctor said that the baby is on the smaller side, but that he is within the normal size. He also has a slightly longer femur and already has hair on his head. I was also told that he has a small nose that is smashed in near my pubic bone. Poor baby is running out of room to move around!

Gloria and Gabe flew out this weekend for the baby shower. THANKS you guys! There was great weather, food, friends, and family. We had a great time and would also like to thank everyone for coming and hanging out with us. We feel very lucky to be surrounded by such great people.

Ryan and I fly out to San Francisco next week for my interview for the faculty position at the University of Sydney. My doctor says that it's OK for me to fly and Frontier airlines will allow you on the airplane as long as your doctor says you are fit to fly. So, I know I'm cutting it close, but at least I get to go for an interview. We'll get back June 2, which is less than 4 weeks before my due date, but I'm feeling pretty confident that everything will be just fine.

Week 35

Baby's development: Baby is now about 17 to 18 inches long and weighs 5 1/2 to 6 lbs. The vast majority of the baby's growth is complete after the 35th week. 99% of babies born now survive without any major problems. The central nervous system is maturing, the digestive system is almost complete, and the lungs are fully mature. There is now no more room for summersaults in the uterus because he's running out of room.

Six more weeks! To say that I'm feeling huge these days is an understatement. My belly now gets in the way of everything: putting on socks and shoes, picking things up, cooking, driving, etc. Additionally, it's not just the size of the growing belly that is hard to deal with, but it's the position that the baby has come into. During the last doctor's visit, I was told that the baby has settled now into the head down position. This means that his butt and legs are near my ribs and he's constantly kicking me and pushing against the right side of my body. My organs are getting a beating these days. I can't believe that he's going to continue growing still!

Ryan and I did a tour of the birthing center at the hospital this weekend. It's way nicer than I imagined! Every birthing room has it's own bathroom with jacuzzi tub and shower. Each room also has its own towel warmer, and a huge TV with On Demand movies (like laboring moms really want to sit and watch a movie!). The great thing about the birthing center is that they encourage mom and baby to spend as much time together as possible right after birth, so the baby is never taken away from the mom (unless there is an emergency). They do everything right in the room and never take the baby to the nursery. The birthing bed even has an attachment so that you can lean on a squatting rail during the pushing stage of labor. Pretty cool.

I also made our first purchase for cloth diapers. We are going to do a diaper service, but I went to a diaper service store today to purchase the plastic diaper covers. I got a quick lesson on how to actual use cloth diapers. There are a million different types out there. Cotton versus hemp versus polyester. Who knew there were so many choices?

This is all becoming VERY real VERY fast. Jun 26 is just around the corner!

Week 34

Baby's development: Baby is now about 17 1/2 inches and weighs between 5 and 5 1/2 lbs. The baby's lungs are almost at full maturity and his immune system is developing to fight mild infections. The end of his fingers now have sharp fingernails. Most babies born now have a very good chance at survival.

I'm feeling very stretched these days. I eat a little and my stomach is so full and I get very uncomfortable. The baby is taking up a lot of space! He also doesn't have much space to move around now, so when he wiggles, I can see my stomach stretch in strange ways. It's becoming very real that there is a thing growing inside of me!

My PUPPP rash has gotten a lot better this past week. I'm not sure what is helping exactly, but in the past couple of days, I've noticed that my stomach is no longer as red, and the patches that were red have turned darker in color and started to peel. It's almost like a bruise that is healing. I've been using the Grandpa pine tar soap and Cetaphil lotion, and taking Claritin during the day, Benedryl during the night, and also two doses of dandelion root. I'm hoping this combination helps! I'm still itchy at night, but I can see the rash disappearing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue to go away because if this rash comes back, I might just lose it. I need a good night's rest!

Ryan and I just recently decided that we are going to have a doula for the birth. Becky, who is our birthing instructor is also a doula and we have asked her to be ours. We were both feeling pretty confident about labor until the most recent birthing class. We watched a birthing video and afterwards felt really "scared." I think that if I'm going to do this drug free, it will be great to have another calm and confident person there during labor. Labor is going to be long, painful and tiring. Having an experienced doula there will be great for both of us. I also just found out that we can pay for the doula and our birthing classes through our health savings account. Yay!

Some good news: On Friday I received an email from the University of Sydney requesting an interview. This is first of eight faculty positions that I have applied for that I have gotten an interview. Unfortunately, they want me to give a seminar on June 8, which is way too late for me to fly. I'm going to ask them if I can go earlier and if so, Ryan is going to try to come with me. If they are not flexible, I will try to give my seminar talk over the internet. It won't be the same, but oh well. I knew this was going to happen -- I was finally going to get an interview right before the baby was due!

PUPPP

I just went to the doctor's this morning after a night of no rest from all the itching...I have been diagnosed with a classic case of PUPPP. Christine was hesitant to prescribe any steroids for me at this point and wanted try some basic over the counter stuff like Claritin and Benedryl. She said that there was really not much we could do. Once the baby came, the rash would go away. She also said that it's most likely a reaction to all the estrogen that my placenta is producing. Less than 10% of women get PUPPP. The only good news is that it doesn't usually reoccur, so if I got pregnant again, I probably wouldn't get this again.

Christine has also induced many women who have had PUPPP because it becomes pretty unbearable. Imagine having poison oak itch all day long for seven weeks. She said that if I couldn't take it, we could induce labor on June 17, about 10 days earlier than my due date. I'm not sure if I want to go down that road, but I'm also not sure how I can take seven more weeks of this rash. It's truly unbearable! ARGH!!!

Week 33

Baby's development: Baby is now about 16 1/2 inches long and about 4 1/2 to 5 lbs. The baby is now putting on weight quickly and developing fat under the skin. This makes the baby less red and more filled out. His bones are also hardening, which makes those little kicks so much more painful (especially in the rib area). His skull bones will remain soft though, so that he can make it through the birth canal.

In the past week, I have developed a pretty serious rash all over my belly and chest. It's hard to tell from the belly pic, but I am covered with small red bumps. I called my doctor and I'm going in on Tuesday to have it checked out. She said that it might be PUPPP ("Pruritic Uticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy"). It's a rash that develops in some women during the third trimester. People are not sure what causes it, but it's usually associated with women who are carrying boys; it could be an allergic reaction to male DNA. It can be so bad that some women have their labor induced early because it goes away once the baby is born. PUPPP is not harmful to the baby, but it is driving me crazy. There are steroid creams that can be used, but I won't see my doctor until Tuesday. I've been trying some home remedies, including using "Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap," a miracle soap that some women claim on the internet blogs. I've used it twice today, so I'm definitely hoping for a miracle. I would seriously consider inducing early if I will continue to be this itchy until week 40. It's pretty unbearable! I don't wish this upon even my worst enemy. I hope I don't go crazy from all this itching!

Other interesting news...we got a rocker as a gift from Sue and Brendan. It's the same rocking chair that they have in Costa Rica. I sat in this rocking chair a lot when Ryan and I were there visiting and they decided to get us one for the nursery. Very thoughtful! It's really comfortable and it's going to be perfect to rock the baby to sleep in.

One last piece of news. Ryan and I are moving back to Boulder August 1. We decided it would be easier for Ryan to commute to Fort Collins twice a week than for me to commute to Boulder once the baby is born. We are moving into Sue and Brendan's house and we rented out our house in Fort Collins already. We signed a lease with our new tenants today. I'm pretty excited at the prospect of being close to the baby when I go back to work. I'll be able to come home for lunch!

Week 32

Baby's development: The baby now measures 16 inches and weighs around 4 lbs. All five senses are now developed, although the baby won't be able to taste anything until he's out of the womb. The lungs are still developing and won't reach maturity for several more weeks. The baby's bones are all developed, but are still soft and pliable.

I have gained another pound since the last doctor's visit two weeks ago, making total weight gain so far 17 lbs. It's hard to believe that of that 17 lbs, only 4 lbs is the actually baby! My doctor also felt my stomach for the position of the baby. He is currently laying sideways so that his head is on the left side of my stomach and his butt is on the right side. This explains why I keep feeling him kick my right lower ribs and I feel him hiccuping on my left side.

Ryan and I had our first birthing class last week. We learned about the anatomy of labor. It was nice to meet all the other expecting parents (7 couples) and it turns out that one of the couples lives three houses down from us. They also have two dogs, and I've seen them at the park before. In fact, both Frida and Charlie have played with their dogs before! I'm excited that they live so close. I'm happy to say that after talking about labor and contractions during class, I feel less scared of actually going into labor. I'm feeling more confident that I'll be able to deal with the pain and get through everything OK. The nice thing that was also emphasized in class was the importance of not having a strict "birth plan," so that I would not be disappointed if things don't go according to how I want things to go. After all, having a healthy baby is the ultimate goal.

I'm off to Washington DC next week, and this will probably be the last time I fly for a while. 32 weeks is still OK to fly, but my doctor advised against flying past 35 weeks. Maybe I'll try to take a belly pic with Obama.

Week 31

Baby's development: The baby is now about 15 1/2 inches in length and weighs about 3 1/2 lbs. The baby's growth slows down, but he will continue to put on weight. Eye color also appears around now, but the real color won't show for six to nine months after birth (my bet is that it will definitely be brown). His pupils start to dilate in reaction to light that filters into the uterus and his eyelids are frequently open during active times and closed during sleep. Also, for all those funny jokes about the kid being hairy, well, yes, Ryan is hairy, but we've had our fair share of hairy jokes. This kid will be more than just a ball of hair!

This is the start of month eight! We finally made two big purchases: a crib and a stroller. Ryan put together the crib in about an hour and it was fun to watch him do it. The crib turns into a toddler bed and then a full size bed, so it seemed like a pretty good investment. We also chose an awesome jogging stroller made by BOB. Everyone raves about it, so we went to go check it out. The front wheel swivels for easy maneuvering down supermarket aisle, but you can also lock it for when you want to go jogging. You can also put an infant seat in there so that it can be used with a newborn. It cost a lot more than some of the other models that we checked out, but I think it will be well worth it. We can even take it on some trails. My goal is to run the Bolder Boulder next May with the baby, so this jogger will hopefully help me achieve that goal.

I've recently started to swim pretty regularly with Jess and I cannot believe how amazing swimming has been in relieving the uncomfortable pains with my sciatica and lower back. I was in so much pain just two weeks ago, but since then, I've been swimming twice a week. My pain has gone away completely and I'm feeling stronger already. I'm not sure what swimming does exactly, but I'm guessing it helps me loosen muscles. It's AMAZING! Plus, it feels so good to float! All you pregnant ladies out there -- go swimming during your third trimester.

Ryan and I start out birthing classes next week. I'm really excited. I'm looking forward to learning about the details related to labor. Now that the end is somewhat in sight, I want to know what I'm about to get myself into. I'm finally ready to hear about all the gory details.