This morning I was 179lbs, I have gained 23 pounds at 35 weeks pregnant. Im starting to get very uncomfortable! My baby is now head down, she flipped last week. Ive got little feet jammed in my ribs and little fists beating me down low. This baby feels very long, Im looking forward to seeing how big she is! She should be about 5 and a half pounds by now and a full length of nearly 20 inches! Born now she would need a little time in the NICU for a little help breathing, two weeks until she is classified as full term! For us that is Christmas day! As I said Im feeling pretty uncomfortable these days, my uterus feels like it is pressing on my ribs and lungs. I feel short of breath a lot and I have gotten back my first trimester morning sickness it seems. Its not uncommon apparently in the last part of pregnancy to start having tummy issues again. There isnt much room for food and such with someones feet jammed up in there. Ive got some serious heartburn again, which I remember from my other two pregnancies. Ive been following the regular recommendations, small meals, nothing spicey or acidic but blech! Nothing helps besides regularly swigging ant acids! But it wont be long now until my insides feel cavernous. Once the baby is born everything will be back to normal.
84 days to go!
I only have 12 more weeks to go, Im both dreading and looking forward to the coming weeks! By now my baby should be about 2-3lbs and a total length of about 16 inches. At birth we are expecting about an 8 pound+ 20-21″ long baby! By now the recommended weight gain is 17-24lbs, Ive gained 18.5lbs. My uterus is measuring a bit ahead, by two weeks, but normally at 28 weeks pregnant your uterus should be about 3 inches above your belly button, because of this you might be experiencing heartburn. I definatly have noticed it more often. I try not to eat anything after dinner, if Im very hungry Ill eat a peice of bread with a bit of peanut butter on it. That seems to not give me too much trouble. Milk though, that kills me every time so that peanut butter sandwhich is eaten with water to drink and I dont drink anything but lots of water between dinner and bedtime. I also keep my liquid mylanta handy. I experimented with a bunch of different brands, flavours and types of antacids during my other pregnancies and found that the mint mylanta (or mint mylanta ‘knock off’ ) worked the best for me. Tums and other chewables never did it for me unfortunatly.
Around 28 weeks some women notice a bit of ‘leaking’ from their breasts, its colostrum, which is the pre-milk your body makes for your baby. This is some seriously great stuff that is full of antibodies and important nutrients your baby needs. If you choose not to breastfeed its a great idea to give it a shot at least the first couple of days so your little one gets this stuff, breastmilk is best but there are many women who chose to use formula but those first few days are the most important for your baby. If you are not leaking by now do not worry at all! Its totally fine to not leak anything ever during your pregnancy.
Amazingly this is my last week in my second trimester. Ive been having mixed feelings about this, on one hand I cannot believe how absolutly fast this pregnancy has gone by and at the same time I have a bit of dread with the next 14 weeks, for purely selfish reasons though. My tummy is so big already Im scared of how wrecked my body will be again. My first pregnancy obviously did the most damage, my cute flawless tummy turned into a war zone of scars from stretch marks. I knew I would get them, and thought I was prepared for them but I wasnt prepared for how bad or how large they would be. I have stretch marks from puberty so I expected the same type, but what I got in pregnancy was completly different. So far I have only one very small little pink mark where my skin has again started to scar. Ive been riding on my loose skin from weight loss until this point but its starting to get tight again. This week I am up to 173lbs- which was my weight when I got pregnant with my second child. Ive gained 17 pounds at 26 weeks- thats a normal amount of wieght gain but Im scared of what will come in the coming 14 weeks for my body.
As far as my baby- at 26 weeks she should be about TWO pounds now!! And somewhere in the vacinity of a foot long. This week also marks a big developement with the eyes! Until now they have been sealled shut so the retina can develope but this week the baby’s eyes will begin to open!
Two thirds of the way there! At my prenatal check up I was 15 pounds up from my prepregnancy weight. I have a pretty good sized belly now! And my little baby should be 8-12 inches long and over a pound now. This week alone she should gain about 6 ounces!! Its not fat yet though, all those six ounces will be in bone, muscle, tissue and organ growth!
At this point both baby and you are probably going through a rather uncomfortable and noticable growth spurt which can cause you some back pain. Warm baths, massage and moderate exercise should help with your back pain. Watch your posture carefully and if you are having a lot of pain you can try a belly support belt to try and get the weight and pressure off of your back.
Heartburn is probably also rearing its ugly head around now, your uterus is pushing everything up and that can include your stomach. If this is a problem for you try not to eat or drink too soon before bed and antacids like Mylanta or Tums are safe to take in pregnancy.
You may also suffer from constipation- a few easy things to try is moderate exercise, a good daily walk will help keep things moving. Lots of fluids will help as well and lots of fiber from fresh fruits and veggies can be helpful as well. Bran cereal is also a good help but if its really a chronic problem you can take fiber supplements. If all else fails talk to your doctor about it.
My baby is 8-12 inches long now and should weigh about a pound! I however have gained 14 pounds. My baby very much looks like she will at birth minus that sweet chubbiness of newborns. She will fill out with fat in the coming months. Right now she is getting stronger and kicking up a storm. I feel her many times a day. Its a wonderful feeling knowing that if she is moving most likely she is doing well in there, growing and thriving! Four weeks until she is officially ‘viable’ and has a chance of surviving outside the womb. Of course its ideal to get to at least 37 weeks! But I remember feeling the relief with my other pregnancies as I ticked off 27 weeks on the calender. Its a huge milestone for a pregnancy!
Recently Ive been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, which is normal for this stage of the pregnancy. These contractions are just getting my body ready for the birth. They arent supposed to hurt but Ive had some really strong ones as of late. I remember my braxton hicks with my other pregnancies and they didnt seem this strong, but I suppose its been a few years and I may not be remembering accuratly.