*5 weeks left!*
Baby girl is getting pretty squished in there! She’s just over 18 inches long and 5 pounds. These next few weeks are all about gaining weight and estimates get pretty pointless. Baby’s typically weigh anywhere from 6 to 10 pounds, every one is different!
Ryan was 7 lb 9 oz at birth. They say second babies are usually bigger, but girls are also usually smaller than boys… so who knows!
She’s still kicking away – it’s pretty cool now that I know exactly where she is. I never knew with Ryan, probably because my OB never explained it to me. But my midwife had me feel her head and I know her back is along my right side (with her butt at my upper right) and her feet are curled around on my left side. Kicks and hiccups confirm!
photo by Mark Hensel
compare to week 35 from my last pregnancy
I’m doing really well – except for the fatigue. I think I enjoyed pregnancy so much more last time because I didn’t have a toddler and could nap whenever I wanted, haha. Props to all preggos with kids!
My uterus (normally the size of a fist) is now under my rib cage and it’s crowding out my other organs… which is why I get major heartburn pretty much every day now.
Our midwife is coming to our house next week for a home visit… it’s like the practice run before the real thing! So she can make sure she knows how to get here and figures out her way around our house in case things happen quickly…
At that home visit, I’ll test for Group B Strep. I wasn’t going to because 1) I’m not worried about having it and 2) even if I am positive, I’m not worried about passing it to the babe or having any complications from it. So WHY am I doing it?? Some studies were just published in Canada that say if your water breaks early (before you’re in active labor), there’s no increased risk of infection for up to 4 days if you’re GBS negative (and avoid vaginal exams, etc.). If you’re positive, risks begin sooner (can’t remember off the top of my head when, like 24 hours?).
SO by testing – and finding out I’m negative, hopefully – IF my water happens to break early, we’ll just be armed with a bit more confidence that we don’t have to worry about anything for awhile.
I’m also kicking butt on my baby bucket list and am feeling better about only having ~1 month left, eek!
Booked an overnight getaway in Wisconsin for me and Steve the first weekend in February.… our last hoorah! lol. And if there’s enough snow by then, we’re taking a sleigh ride 
Weight: 138.5 lb (up 1.5 lb from last week and up about 31.5 lb overall)
Hemoglobin: I don’t remember if I ever posted about this, but my midwife checked my levels just over a month ago. They were at 10, which is on the low side… but could be normal for me–with the increased blood volume during pregnancy, blood becomes more dilute. I’ve been working hard at upping my iron levels over the past month so hopefully when she tests again in a couple weeks I’ve improved! Why being anemic could be risky: it isn’t at all related to a higher hemorrhage risk, but IF I do happen to hemorrhage or lose a lot of blood, being anemic would not be good. That means less oxygen is being carried through my body, slower recovery from blood loss, fainting/passing out, higher likelihood of being transferred to the hospital.… and no one wants to do that.
Looking forward to: home visit with the midwife next week
My iron level was/is also at 10 and I was told 12 was normal. I’m to take iron twice a day to help out. I believe this happens in each of my pregnancies.
You look great!
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I also have low iron during pregnancy and it stuck around after too. I am now anemic and should be taking iron daily, but don’t. I certainly do before the olé monthly visitor though
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Following closely and learning what other tests I’ll have to have.
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its amazing what women can do
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