Week 28: Soccer World Cup practice…

I’ve gotten a bit off on updating as last week was really busy. I hope to stay more on track as we are now in the last trimester and Little One’s arrival is quickly approaching… or so it seems.

I think Little One is preparing for the Soccer World Cup! Well, at least I think they are feet that are getting me. He was moving for about 30 minutes straight this morning… at 4am. He still has his moments where he is quiet, but he has been quite active over the last week or so. Yesterday, I again sat and watched in amazement as my shirt jumped with some of his larger movements. I’ve started to somewhat keep track of his kicks as part of the third trimester “kick count”. He should have 10 movements in two hours each morning and night. When he’s awake I can get ten movements in a couple of minutes. I’m thinking this might be a good sign… when he’s awake, he’s definitely awake, but then he crashes. Will this behavior continue after he is born???

As I mentioned, last week was busy. We started our prenatal classes on Tuesday. We will have them for a total of six weeks. I thought that with the class going until December 11th we’d be “gestationally” young as you typically finish the class about a month before your due date and we’ll finish about six weeks before our due date. But we were right in the middle with some couples having due dates the end of December and others the end of February. Last week we looked at the discomforts of pregnancy and why they happen… hormones, hormones, and more hormones for a lot of it… gotta love them, sometimes really dislike them. We also started the relaxation exercises… less tension usually results in less pain. Okay, we need the practice, but you put ten pregnant women at 8pm in a low lit room doing deep breathing and tension releasing exercises and I am incredibly surprised I didn’t hear snoring… and that I wasn’t snoring! Tomorrow we are to get a tour of Labor and Delivery and start talking about labor and what to expect… and then we build on the relaxation techniques- this time on the floor with pillows… how will I stay awake? Each class brings more reality that he is coming!

We also had an OB appointment last week. Little One is doing great. His heart rate was in the 140’s and my belly measured at 28 centimeters… right on for 28 weeks. So far my weight gain is pretty close to being on track for my total goal of 20lbs… hopefully I can stick pretty close to it. I just want Little One to be healthy. He should weight about 2 ½ lbs. now.

Jackie and I are trying to make going to the Healthy Living Center a routine. I am finding swimming to be relaxing and I just feel great after going. My body is supported in the water and it seems to take the stress off my back. Yesterday I did 40 minutes of kicking laps and several side-stroke laps. I don’t feel like I get as tired working out in the water. My only question is why do they make maternity swimsuits in vibrant colors with wild prints??? Do we really need to accentuate our “largeness”??? I guess I really don’t care anymore… my belly is a rite of passage and I’m proud of it. I hope to keep swimming as long as I can.

Well, I think that’s it for week 28. Week 29 starts in less than 48 hours! Take care…