35 Weeks: Still Limpin' Along!

Today marks the beginning of our 35th week. Overall, things are still going well but I am starting to feel very, very pregnant. I started having a lot of pain in my left lower back, especially when I walk, which causes me to limp a bit. I went to the doctor on Friday for my normal check up (with Dr. Rossi) who said that it appears she is head down with her head pushing on the nerves in my back. Basically, he said I'd feel much better once I deliver! He did suggest moist heat, a prenatal cradle, and some stretches. He also said I could try massage (but wasn't optimistic about it) and tylenol (which I'm not optimistic about). I did have a massage on Friday at the massage clinic at the hospital, but although it felt nice, it definitely didn't have a long term impact on my limping. The pain is constant but the severity ebbs and flows. The worst is if I try to stand on my left leg by itself (think putting pants on or getting in/out of the shower). I'm going to try the stretching portion of my prenatal exercise video today to see if that helps; hopefully my prenatal cradle will arrive early this week.

Other than the advice on the back problem, Dr. Rossi checked her position and heart beat on Friday. She is head down and seems to be descending (that would explain all of the kicking in my ribs!). Her heart rate was great and Dr. Rossi said it sounded like "she was having fun in there." We seem to get that a lot, so I think she may take after Paul and be pretty high energy! My weight and blood pressure are also well within normal. I've gained 30 pounds to date (about .5 since my last appointment -- luckily it seems to be slowing down a bit), which sounds like A LOT but I guess I'm safely within the recommendations. We really like Dr. Rossi. He is very funny - definitely a charmer. We made two more appointments - one for our next checkup on the 12th with the midwife, Karen, and one for our sonogram on the 16th. We are very excited about the sonogram. We will be close to 37 weeks at that point so it will likely be the last time we see her while she's still on the inside!

We also had another childbirth class this week. This one was about postpartum care and we had our hospital tour. Postpartum sounds like almost as much fun as the birth itself. Basically, the video talked about asking for help and using ice packs and other substances to help with the pain afterwards. They say it takes 6-8 weeks for your uterus to return to normal size and so on. I think it may take me longer to recover than I was hoping. The tour was pretty good. It was good to see where we will need to go and get a feel for the layout. The labor and delivery wing of the hospital is under construction (unfortunately). The parts that are finished are really nice. The delivery rooms are really large and have a pull out couch for Paul. The postpartum recovery rooms are pretty small though. They are first come, first serve and some are a good size (with pull out couches and gliders) while the others are pretty tiny with only a pull out chair that doesn't even recline all of the way. We're hoping there aren't too many other women when I'm there so that we can get one of the larger rooms for Paul's sake!

We also found out during class that the massage clinic in the hospital will go up to your room during labor and delivery to massage the laboring mom! I don't know if I will really want someone touching me while I have contractions, but it sounds like a good option right now!

Next week is a big week! Jacy & Joel (and Liam) get here on Tuesday and the baby party is on Saturday. Jacy and I are going to get prenatal massages on Wednesday and we were planning to do a lot of walking, but between her sciatica and my limp, I'm not sure how much we'll do. Hopefully Joel and Paul won't get too bored watching us nap!