32 weeks with Emelia: No More Breech Baby

Ah, friends. I love being pregnant. Really, I do. I love the baby kicks. I love watching my entire stomach bounce around wildly in the evening. I love seeing her little face on US every week because it makes me want to snuggle her RIGHT NOW.

But whew. I’m also hitting that part of pregnancy a lot earlier where all you think is: GET IT OUT OMG GET IT OUT.

I found out Monday at my OB visit that Queso finally headed south. She’s in the perfect position now: Face down, ass up like she should be. Olivia never did that. Queso was looking like she was following in the footsteps of her sister with her head stuck up by my ribs. But as soon as the sonographer started in, she smiled at the screen.

“Well would you look at that?”

“What?” I hoping she would say she was head down, but didn’t want to get my hopes up.

She told me Queso had flipped and was happily upside down, her legs tucked under her body. I have no idea how she managed to do that since her feet have been up by her face for weeks, but she did it. So I teared up of course and told the sonographer I was probably her only patient who cries at hearing that news when so many babies just… do it. But mine don’t, and so that was a cause for celebration.

She had to have flipped sometime this past weekend, because while I didn’t feel any large uncomfortable movement that so many talk about, she suddenly was kicking me a lot up under my ribs. A lot. She be crazy sometimes, y’all. Her movements can be fierce. So it made perfect sense when on Monday she was a lot more subdued. I think she exhausted herself after a weekend of partying up over my bladder because while she made her movements for the BPP, they took longer. And it was a lot harder to see her face, but that’s OK because MAH BABY IS HEAD DOWN!

She better stay that way, but it makes me feel better that even if she did go breech again, at least we know she’s capable of moving and she’s not stuck like Olivia probably was. I want to avoid an external version if I can help it, so here’s hoping she stays put for the long haul.

Anyway, all that to say, since she went head down, I’ve felt MUCH more pressure in my hips and pelvis and now my pubic bone feels like it’s going to split in two whenever I walk around. I haven’t been out on a walk because, well, I can’t really walk well without this intense pain there.

My blood pressure is… OK. I started checking it at home again (I think I’ve been so focused on the blood sugars that I don’t think to check my BP because it’s always been OK in the office) and it’s been slightly higher than I would like it to be being on 200mg of labetalol twice a day. I quit coffee and only drink decaf now on occasion along with green tea to see if that helps with it. I’ve also been doing magnesium baths a few nights a week. I know none of this can truly prevent preeclampsia, but at least I feel like I’m doing something. That day in the office it was 127/87 and I told her how frustrated I was that my diastolic has consistently been in the mid to upper 80s. I saw my doctor’s PA and she said it was fine and that she didn’t think we needed to increase the medication again, but we still have that option to go to 300 mg if needed. I told her I had been having some headaches in the evening the last few nights. Nothing severe and they only last a few minutes, but she wanted to run a urine and blood work to check for preeclampsia. Luckily, everything came back clear except my liver enzymes were a bit elevated so they’re going to recheck them again next week. She said it was nothing to be concerned about, but it may be a bit of fatty liver.

Thanks a lot, cheeseballs.

Anyway, I’m working on increasing my water intake so see if it helps with the headaches.

But honestly, it’s been hard. I wanted to make it to 32 weeks because I know some babies who didn’t even need NICU time at 32 weeks. Now my goal is to make it to 34. I feel like my blood pressure is causing me to be a bit of a ticking time bomb at the moment and when you’ve already had preeclampsia and know how fast and hard it can come on, every week, every day you stay pregnant is a win. Plus my doctor is on vacation October 1-15 and this baby will NOT come during that time. She just won’t, mmkay?

I started the NSTs (non stress tests) this week and will do those weekly along with the BPPs until I deliver. Queso was still sleepy from partying and I think they only got one acceleration, but the PA then said that’s pretty common this early in.

So all in all, everything looks good. Blood sugars have been great, even after the lunch we had at my parents for Chris’s birthday celebration. I had egg bake, a spinach salad, some corn chips with dip, a small piece of blueberry cobbler (low sugar thanks to my sweet husband), and a bit of ice cream and I was only at 101 an hour later (goal is under 130).

What’s going on with Queso

From the measurements they took Monday, she’s estimated to be just shy of five pounds and in the 67% for weight. I can’t believe she’s this big already. I think they’ll take another at 35 weeks. According to my app, all of her organs are now fully formed except for her lungs, and she’s no longer see-through (which is good, because that’s sort of creepy).

Since she’s now head down, I’ve been feeling more movements way up by my ribs, and feeling her little knees and elbows more. In fact, I can press my hand on my stomach while she’s rolling and feel those things distinctly. This weekend I actually felt her little foot, which is what made me suspicious she had turned because I had never felt that before. We can now feel her hiccups from the outside, much to both of our delight. She was being a bit of a kick tease to Chris for a while and now she’ll allow him some feelz before quitting completely and feigning sleep. The best is when she’s frantically bopping around AND has hiccups at the same time.

What’s going on with me

So far this pregnancy I’ve gained a total of nine pounds and I’m hoping not to gain more than 15 total. I learned this week that my nipples are looking darker so that a preemie baby can see them. It’s oddly satisfying knowing I’m walking around with two bulls-eyes for this baby just in case.

The Braxton Hicks have been in full force lately. I actually called my OB at 10:30 at night Sunday because I was having six of them in an hour and a bunch before that an hour early but wasn’t counting. It’s so weird because at my larger former OB clinic, I had to call an on-call doc, but for mine, I’m to call his cell phone and he answered on the second ring. At first, he was saying we may need to go into L&D to be checked out but then said if I could go to bed and sleep through them, I’m OK. Luckily, I did. But I definitely have a lot of them, and while I think they’re increasing in intensity, they still just feel like a tightening sensation.

This pubic bone pain sucks. I went to the chiropractor on Wednesday and she said my whole sciatic area is off which was throwing off my pubic bone. I felt good after the adjustment, but then it came back, though not as bad. She wants to start seeing me weekly until I deliver (but doesn’t everybody now?). I’ve been winding down with work and it’s a good thing because all these appointments lately are taking up my time.

After several nights of horrible insomnia no matter what I did, I’m back to sleeping better. But that sort of comes to my detriment when it comes to my bladder. Last night I slept so soundly until 5:00 am when Chris’s alarm woke me up and I had to hold onto bedroom furniture making my way to the bathroom because the pressure of a head in my bladder and bone was so intense.

Nursery progress

Still need to pack my hospital bag. Still need to write my birth plan. I know it’s early, but Olivia came at 36 weeks. I’m at higher risk for preeclampsia. Not that I’m not being entirely positive this baby will be held in until her 38-week induction, but I feel like I need to be prepared earlier than normal.

I did buy both Queso and myself a matching swaddle blanket and robe for the hospital. And I bought a labor dress from Latched Mama. (Same with the swaddle and robe.) I’m so excited about this because having a VBAC I need to be on continuous monitoring and this dress pulls away so the nurses can get to the monitor. The straps at the shoulders unsnap so that Queso can slip right in and go skin to skin when she’s born. And the back of the dress unbuttons all the way down for an epidural or a C-section if needed. Plus, hey, I can keep wearing it in the hospital and at home.

I just was given a bunch of baby clothes up through 18 months from someone from Olivia’s daycare and I’m so excited to look through them! Olivia is convinced they’re for her. This sharing-the-attention thing is just starting.

1st-trimester bump photos

2nd-trimester bump photos

3rd-trimester bump photos