Doctor Appointment

Sorry I couldn't come up with a more interesting and original title, but ... just another of the bazillion doctor's visits in my near future.  I am getting close to once-a-week visits.  Yikes!


Everything was fine today.  Her heartbeat was great, I was measuring exactly on, and, if you can believe it -- I didn't gain a SINGLE pound in the last two weeks!  Amazing!  Especially since I may or may not have eaten six pieces of of this amazing baby shower cake in the past week:

(Yes, I know I haven't blogged about the shower yet, but it seems like a big overwhelming thing.  But I promise I will!!)


My blood pressure was 112/78, which is still great, but I got a little nervous because for almost my entire pregnancy I have been very low, like 100/60.  So, of course I asked my doctor if I should be worried that it is rising, and he said no, that my blood pressure is amazing.  However, I think that means I should probably worry.  


I also told the doctor that I had a tiny (TINY) bit of spotting two days in this past week that were not associated with heavy lifting or strenuous activity.  So, the doctor said, "Let's take a good look!"  Great.  I kind of like to be mentally prepared for that, but she's the doctor.  


She was not kidding about getting a good look -- when she came back she had a nurse and two other doctors with her.  I figured this is a good preview of the circus attraction I will be when I give birth, so I went with it.  At one point, she actually said, "What is that?  Is that a cyst or a pollup?"  and I wanted to shriek "WHAT THE EFF????" but the nurse grabbed my hand and said it was no big deal, they just wanted to see if anything was irritating me to cause the bleeding.  So, both of the other doctors leaned in for a good look (and it was not a pollup, which I gathered would have been bad).  Three heads, VERY close to my lady parts.  Frankly, I didn't care for it.  


So, one of the other doctors (actually, my favorite) took a closer look.  In the end, they all concluded that things looked good and my cervix was closed and I should keep an eye on things but not get worried.  Yeah, right.  If I am worried about my blood pressure being below normal, I am going to worry about this little adventure.


I had also mentioned to the doctor earlier that she seemed MUCH lower in the past two weeks and was kicking SUPER low and I had an irrational fear that she was preparing for delivery or trying to kick her way out.  After the exam she also assured me that the baby was not, in fact, trying to kick her way out.  So that was comforting. :) 


They sent me off saying everything was great and I was doing a great job, but this appointment was certainly a mixed bag.  I'll take the bad with the good, though.  It's all worth it!

30 Weeks

Today the baby is probably about 16 inches long and weighs a little over over three pounds (and she’ll be packing on the weight at a rate of half a pound per week for the next seven weeks!).  Also growing daily is her brain, which is actually starting to look like the real thing with the characteristic grooves and wrinkles.  And now that she can regulate her own body temperature, she'll begin shedding her lanugo (the downy body hair that's been keeping her warm up until now).  Her eyes are also continuing to develop, even though she keeps them closed most of the day.  When she does open her eyes, her vision is 20/400, meaning she can only see a few inches in front of her face, but she will respond to changes in light.


I have been feeling okay -- just the normal "uncomfortableness" of being huge and waddle-y.  I have had some nausea return and am also having a little bit of heartburn off and on, but nothing too drastic.  The swelling in my ankles and feet have been MUCH better over the last few weeks, and I even found a new pillow arrangement that allows me three hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time before I have to wake up and roll over to my other side to give the current hip a break.  Before, I was waking up EVERY twenty minutes to flip over.  Not ideal.  I did have to steal one of Jeremy's pillows to create this new arrangement, but he seemed more than happy to have the constant flip-flopping stop!


And I just got home from my shower and got a belly picture, but I am much too exhausted to say anything about it.  That will have to be a post for tomorrow.