Baby Bump | 30 Weeks

The theme of this week: HEAT! I feel like an alien creature with a body temperature beyond the scale of human acceptance. I knew being pregnant in the summer was notoriously tough, but I didn’t realize how much it would make me feel like a displaced penguin. I yearn for the arctic. I also walk a bit like a penguin, so I think the comparison is fitting. At night my husband spoils me by letting me keep the thermostat set to 65 degrees and yet I still wake up at 3 am with sweat streaming down my back and heat radiating from every inch of me. Last night I nudged the thermostat closer to 64 and slept without any covers and was barely able to handle it. When I’m in the car I am happiest when the A/C is blasting and blowing directly at me constantly. You have to understand. I used to be livid during the summer when I walked into stores that were kept cold because I was always fighting off goosebumps. I used to be most comfortable when the air was at a temperature of around 75. This is so abnormal for me, I still haven’t adjusted to the whole concept. I am also jealous of the people who walk outside and don’t feel like they are on a new planet that is magically 10 degrees hotter than it has ever been. And, of course, I feel this way during one of the hottest summers known to my life-long existence. I’m not complaining, because I just handle this by keeping our A/C at a happy temperature and I only leave the apartment for the most important of excursions. I’m just still in shock that cold-blooded Brittany is even capable of these feelings.

We took a tour of the birthing center at Menorah Medical Center on Saturday and it makes it all feel so real and imminent! There had been moments where I was excited for the tour because I wanted to really know what to expect during the whole labor and delivery process. Not that I don’t want to be informed, but I realized I haven’t changed too much about how I feel about birth itself. I know it will be intense and life-altering, but what I really am there for is to help this little baby arrive safely into the world. I care a little less about the little details I hoped would make the process more comfortable or ideal, because either way I plan to push through (literally! Haha!) and just have it be done with. I might be naive and change my mind, but as nice as the facilities are at Menorah and as great as it is to visualize the arena, I am most excited about the moment I’ll leave the hospital with my hubby and my baby and start this new phase of our life.

Also, we had a few unexpected issues with the crib we were previously planning to use, so here we are a week later and I can finally say that THE crib is on it’s way!!! It will arrive anytime between today and Monday. Soon to follow will be the glider and little by little we will be getting it all together, finally! My second baby shower is coming up this weekend and I am so excited for it! Next week I will have a clear idea about what we will still need. I washed baby clothes this week and cleaned the changing table/dresser and crafted a few things. I’m quite proud of my progress since I have been having to balance my baby nesting with a heavy design workload. I’ve also been rotating between baby room cleaning/crafting and deep cleaning parts of the apartment. Yesterday I tore myself up trying to get a grasp on the laundry and start re-organizing our closet. I need to watch myself so that I pour my energy into the most pressing things and not get distracted organizing things like my Christmas stash. All in good time.

The Bump
 

Baby’s Size| Head of Cabbage (weight)

How far along | 30 weeks

Sleep | Pretty consistent. I’ve been drinking water like a fish so I’m getting up often for bathroom trips each night but it’s worth it. After my most active days my hips ache and it’s crazy when I stand up from bed and my whole being feels like it’s sinking to the ground and my legs have to learn how to walk all over again.

Clothes | I bought two new nursing bras over the weekend. They are so ridiculously expensive. I’ve felt really tight with my money lately (not very characteristic of me lol) so that was a hard purchase to make, but they are definitely more comfortable and will be useful. I’m debating exchanging it for a new size, though because it’s a little tight at the loosest setting. We’ll see. I also did a huge amount of laundry earlier this week and discovered that I have a few more things to wear than the 2 outfits I’ve been cycling through the last couple weeks. I just wish it wasn’t so sweltering, so I could wear cuter clothes. Next time I think I’ll be pregnant in the fall, thank you.

Cravings | The most persistent craving has been peaches. I’ve bought them myself and had them offered to me and each and every time I just consume it with record speed. In fact I think I’ll have to go buy some soon. Also watermelon and cantaloupe, soda of all kinds, candy, and juicy steaks.

Food Aversions |  Still eggs. Yuck. Thick, stringy cheese (like you would find on a deep dish pizza lol)

Symptoms | For almost a full week I actually felt pretty awesome. I couldn’t tell if I was actually feeling better or just getting used to it all. I do think my back has strengthened a bit. It’s a relief, too because I have so much I want to do around the place to get ready for baby. I am dealing with it in good humor, but I would have to say the most persistent symptoms have been that I’m short of breath (from the heat, my compressed lungs and the extra weight), clumsy, HOT, swollen when I sit or stand too long and sore in my back when I sit or move around too much. That sounds like a lot, but I’ve become accustomed to it and being able to work through it has encouraged me. Plus, knowing it will only be another 10 weeks or so of this doesn’t hurt.

Doctor’s Appointment | The sugar swill wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. They took my blood and I’ll hear back about that sometime this week. I met for my usual appt with a nurse practitioner that seems completely ignorant, but it doesn’t matter because I didn’t really have anything important I needed from her. Starting at my next appointment in two weeks I’ll be seeing my actual Dr. for the remainder of the pregnancy. I’m happy about this.

Movement | I love it so much. I can’t get enough footsie action. He is SUPER low right now. Sometimes I feel his movement on my legs!!! My legs literally will not close together when I sit. I feel hiccups in my butt. His feet are still in the same place they have been for the last few weeks and I have a general idea about where his head and arms are. Sometimes I think I can feel his little booty when I feel around. It’s adorable. Nothing beats footsie time with baby and daddy in the evenings.

Belly Button | I love to feel it and look at it all the time. I sometimes like to rub my hand on my tummy and laugh because it almost feels like I have no belly button at all. It looks that way sometimes, too. I still haven’t had a full pop out yet. We’ll see.

Gender | Gentleman.

Best moment of the week | I think on a whole it was just great to get some decisions made and complete a steady flow of projects. I hope the momentum continues. I’m really looking forward to my next shower!!! I can pretty much predict that will be listed in this category during next week’s update.

What I miss | My cold-blooded-ness. Actually, I’m not sure that’s true. I’d probably appreciate something right in the middle. It’s nice not to be cold when I walk into stores and restaurants during the summer, but it also sucks being over-hot so often. Oh I know! I miss going shopping and being able to look at normal clothes and shoes. I walked into a few stores of the weekend and there was no point whatsoever in even looking at non-maternity clothes. It makes me want to be post-pregs and down to a semi-normal size so I can buy a pair of shoes without wondering if they’ll fit me in 2 months.