34 Weeks

34 Weeks




It's pretty crazy that we only have 6 weeks left. This week has certainly been an interesting one so far. On a totally positive note... I found out that my maternity leave is going to work out. It all worked out so that I can be placed in the sick bank and not have to worry about that as much anymore. I don't know how much time I will be taking off after the baby is born, and will have to figure that one out soon. I also need to find a sub for my classroom in the next 6 weeks.

On Thursday it was predicted that we were going to get a foot of snow. Thankfully, school was canceled for Friday. Then Thursday night I woke up an was violently ill the entire night. Basically I couldn't keep anything in or down, including water, the entire night. By 6 am I was so dehydrated that I was becoming delirious and having trouble walking or standing. Artie brought me in to the hospital (our local hospital since our normal hospital is 40 minutes away and there was tons of snow on the ground and I couldn't last more than 10 minutes away from a bathroom.) Hopefully this won't be a problem when it comes to our insurance paying for it, but it was an emergency.

When we got to the hospital we went to the emergency room, but they said they couldn't take anyone who was past 20 weeks pregnant so they sent us up to the labor and delivery section. There they were able to monitor the baby with a heart rate monitor and get an IV bag started on me. They gave me medicine to stop the vomiting and to stop the other symptom. I had some blood work done and the results came back a little low, so they did more tests, which came back fine. We spent the entire day Friday in the hospital, I received two IV bags in total, several doses of medicine, and was finally relieved of the symptoms after we got home last night. According to the doctor I had a severe virus that just attacked my body. Don't know where I got it from, but thankful that I feel much better now.

It was one of those situations that I wasn't doing too well myself, but with me being pregnant, I wanted to take extra precautions to make sure that I wasn't endangering the baby. When we were at the hospital they checked me out and I am already 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. We also got the really cool experience of hearing a baby's first cry from the other room. It was really amazing. Both Artie and I got a little emotional about it. Can't wait to hear our baby's first cry! Although, I can wait a few more weeks since I feel like there are definitely things we haven't prepared for yet.

Well, that was pretty much the beginning of our week 34. Hopefully the rest of it will be much better. I am on the BRAT diet, which I hate because I want food right now, and I'm craving things I can't have. The two last things that are supposed to be put back into my diet are the two things that I have wanted so much of the last few weeks anyway. I semi turned into a mean person today because I wanted them. Okay, on to the weekly quiz.

34 Week Quiz

How far along: 34 weeks and 3 days today

Weight gain: I was up 28 pounds, but after the sickness I stepped on the scale again and was up only 26 1/2 pounds again.

Maternity clothes: I love my maternity clothes. I do enjoy lounging around in my pj pants too though.

New Baby Items: So more fun stuff from our shower: We got our Pack 'N Play from Aunt Chris and Uncle Larry. It was one of those presents that I was so excited to get I made Artie help me put it together right away. We got our high chair from Maggie, Danielle, and Aunt Karen. Yes, I put that together as well. We also got some great teething rings and some cute toys.

Stretch marks: Keep using the cocoa butter.

Sleep: I obviously didn't sleep well Thursday night at all. Recently, the bathroom breaks have been coming much more frequently during the night, which is a little annoying.

Best moment of the week: It was not fun being in the hospital, but basically the entire day on Friday we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat, which was really cool. It was so loud that when my mom called, she was able to hear it. At one point it sounded like a barking seal, at another point it sounded like a dog that had a horrible case of the barks, and one other time you could hear the baby having hiccups. Pretty funny actually!

Movement: This baby moved around so much. Although, when we were in the hospital, I was able to tell the nurse where they usually find the heartbeat and it was there the entire day.

Food cravings: I love a good glass of chocolate milk, which we get ordered from our dairy service. I also love any kind of fruit right now. I want clementines and anything citrusy.

Labor signs: No, although the doctor did tell me that I am 1 cm dilated. I think that's kinda cool.

Belly button in or out: It's still in. I think it's staying there.

What I miss: Right now because I can't eat much I miss food, but I don't want to hurt my stomach again. I'll be able to have it again soon enough.

What I'm looking forward to: I'm looking forward to getting more things prepared, although I don't feel like I've done a very good job of it so far. I still have a lot that I need to do here at home and at school.

Weekly wisdom: Live, love, laugh!

Milestones: Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.




34 Week Belly Shot!