Week by Week: 30 Weeks

Our Baby (a.k.a Lil' Feisty): 

• Is almost 17 inches long and weighs a whole 3 pounds! If family history holds true, that's about 1/3 of Feisty's predicted birth weight! 
• Will have to grow more in weight than in length in the last 10 weeks. 
• Is more and more crowded, but there's still plenty of room to get in some good rolls here and there. 
• Could be in any position (head down, breech, transverse, etc.) but it's still early enough that there's no reason to worry.
• Can tell the difference between light and dark now, and can even follow a light source!
• Is strong enough to grasp a finger now.  

I (traditionally): 

• Continue with the usual: heartburn, aches, pains, discomfort, trouble sleeping, etc. 
• Notice definite swelling in my extremities. 
• Will have more and more trouble breathing as the baby continues to nestle up right inside the bottom of my rib cage. 
• Am in the thrall of my hormones once more. Mood swings are back and they're here to stay. 
• Could also start noticing my feet spreading and getting bigger--thanks again, hormones. 
• Have a large enough belly now that people don't hesitate to talk to me about it or give up a seat or place in line for me. 

I (actually): 

• Have had very little heartburn compared to some women I know. My aches and pains are brought on by excessive physical activity and/or remaining in one position for more than an hour. It takes longer for me to falls asleep, but I still sleep super hard once it happens. All in all, I'm thinking I've got it pretty good right now. 
• Swelling IS happening. My ankles are trying to catch up with my calves, and my toes are looking much more . . . sausage-y than normal. 
• The breathing is getting more difficult, sure, but I haven't had any panicked moments yet where I feel like I just can't get a breath. 
• Ah, mood swings. They are here, and they're here in spades. I've cried twice in the last week. First, when some plans for an evening were unexpectedly thrust upon me. Second, when I was hot, sweaty, and tired and a bee decided to fly at my face. I cannot stress enough how much I. HATE. BEES. 
• This belly is coming in handy right now. It was super awesome while flying. People told me congratulations right and left. Everyone was too busy for small talk or advice about it, too. No one blinked when I got on the shuttles and took one of the last open seats. In fact, they gave me smiles that said, "I'm glad you got a seat!" Not hating the positive attention coming from strangers at the moment. 

So I had another midwife appointment this week. This is because I'm finally at the stage where it's time to go in every two weeks. I'm feeling like a pro at this by now. I've got the routine down, and I don't have to save up a ton of questions for every visit. Plus, nothing is more reassuring than going in and hearing her say the words, "Everything looks perfect." 

Let's take a moment and talk about bras. Here's the thing. A bra is not an optional thing when you're pregnant. The giant, heavy breasts definitely need some support. A barrier between boob and belly is also needed because, ew, sweat collects there. Plus, everything is just that much more.....noticeable when you're pregnant, and something to holster the girls helps in that area. The problem comes in when you either have a short torso or a baby who's riding super high. At some point, the band of your bra just has to sit on your belly. And when you're an underwire-exclusive girl like me, well, it's painful. Those wires bear down on my belly, cutting into the top with well over 5 pounds of weight (combined).  

I've decided to accept the fact that I'll probably wear two bras each day. The underwire and structured bra will be worn while out and about or engaged in social situations. The stretchy and gently sports bra will be worn around the house. And let me just say, here's what I've found: Since I had to buy new bras about halfway through, I just got underwire nursing bras that were a bit too big. It's not noticeable under my clothes, and they actually have a really great shape. Plus, they're here and waiting for me once Feisty arrives. And sports bras? Honestly, the cheaper the better. Those insanely structured and supportive sports bras are actually MORE uncomfortable. The cheaper ones hold up the boobs just enough while also giving my ribs enough of a break so I feel like I can breathe. 

Freak-Out Moments:

I learned an interesting tidbit while in Texas. Levi's grandmother weight a whopping TWELVE POUNDS at birth. I don't think I need to explain too much of why that was a freak-out moment. 

I did have one bad dream recently that I couldn't shake. I rarely remember my dreams, but when I do, they're always noteworthy. And since this one was also a pregnancy dream, it left a rather intense impression once I woke up. I was sleeping on the couch and Levi was on the floor beside me (and it was totally because this was the most amazing couch in the world and I wish I could sleep on it for the rest of my pregnancy), and I got down on the floor and curled up next to Levi, crying. Rough stuff. 

Ok, internet. I know I've continually said that I won't be discussing my, ahem, vaginal discharge with y'all, but I guess the time has finally come. Mostly because I was appalled at what came out of me on Monday morning. I asked my midwife about it, and I guess I've finally reached the point where it'll become necessary to start wearing a panty liner. See, there's got to be something to keep that cervix tightly closed, and it's called a mucus plug. It's exactly what it sounds like. A big, dense, plug of mucus. Snot-like mucus, essentially. And as pregnancy nears the end, it can either fall straight out or it can start shedding bits of itself--or both. And mine has apparently begun....shedding. Pardon the imagery, but it's pretty gross and alarming when big globs of snot are coming from someplace other than your nose. But despite the gross-out factor, at least it's normal. As most things in pregnancy are. 

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Phew. We got pretty personal there, huh?

Well, as usual, I'm just keeping it real. Y'all do the same.