Week #26 Update

Last week I mentioned that I was going to start on a new project to go along with my two pieces of wall art I made for the nursery. Here's what I did:

I bought this 2-foot tall letter "G" and painted it yellow yesterday. We already had a nail stuck in the wall from when it was an office and so I just hung it up there for now to see how it will look. Eventually we'll hang up the pictures to go with it but I'm not quite sure how I want to arrange all of it. At first I was thinking of placing the G in the middle of the two pictures....but now I have the idea of keeping the G where it is and then staggering the two pictures off to the right. We've still got 3 months to figure it out :)

This week I had my 26-week appointment with the midwives. I took a random picture of the exam room while I waiting.

I met with the head midwife, Angela, and I could tell she was a bit more serious than the other ones I'd met with previously. We talked about a lot of different stuff this time and it was good. She asked me if I'd thought about my labor plan and I told her I'd like to sign up for the water birth study that they participate in. She told me I can't officially sign up for that until 36 weeks and even then my participation is dependent on many factors...there are things that can disqualify you from participating, such as high blood pressure.

Speaking of blood pressure, mine was 117/76. That's a bit lower than what it was last time I was there - so that is good. I was up 4 lbs since my last appointment - kind of a lot. We talked about exercising more and I have taken it to heart. I did my prenatal DVD yesterday and today I went for a walk in the sunshine. I really want to make working out more of a priority now that the craziness of the holidays is over. I'm preparing myself to say "no" more to friends when they ask me to participate in events/outings so that I can take better care of myself. Sometimes when I stay out too late on a weeknight I end up feeling so fatigued for a few days afterward that it's hard to catch up. So, my plan is to try and aim for walking on the treadmill at work at least 3 times per week. And then doing my prenatal DVD once per weekend. And each night I'm already doing preparatory stretching and exercises that will prepare me for birth - Ramin is even involved in helping me. The main thing I'm working on is strengthening my legs to stay in a full squat on the floor for multiple minutes at a time.

We listened to the baby's heart beat (which was really easy for her to find) and it was 145 beats per minute. I love hearing it every time :)  She also told me that from now on I get to have an appointment every 2 weeks until the last month, where I need to go every week. I'm very excited about this! Even though the birth is still 3 months away, I really feel like an actual pregnant woman :P

How far along: 26weeks, 6 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Angela calculated for me that I am up 17 lbs since my first appointment. It's not so bad but since I was overweight to begin with I really want to focus on making sure I don't go too much higher. 

Wedding Ring on?:  Yep

Major Symptoms: Achy back, especially at night. Doing my stretching really helps alleviate the discomfort. 

Stretch marks: Unfortunately yes.

Sleep: Sleep is hit and miss, sometimes it's good, other times it's not. I asked Angela about sleeping on my back and she said it was fine until about the last month where my uterus really will be too heavy and compress the blood circulation. So I don't feel so  bad about it anymore. 

Best moment last week: Hearing baby's heartbeat at my appointment
Movement: LOADS. On my way to my appointment I turned up the music fairly loud in the car and I started to feel the baby really kick (I hope that means he liked it) and then I felt a HUGE kick right near my upper right ribs. It was the hardest and biggest kick I've felt so far and it startled me a bit. I started giggling to myself afterward because I know right now it doesn't hurt, but eventually it probably will :P
Food cravings/aversions: I've noticed that I tend to grocery shop and buy things I'm wanting to have right this minute and then days later when I look for something to eat I think to myself "why did I want this?"....it's hard to plan out a weekly menu of food because my tastes change so much from day to day.

Belly button - in or out? In
Labor signs: Nope
What I miss: Nothing
What I am looking forward to: Getting my next glucose test out of the way!
Milestones: Moving into the every-2-week phase for my prenatal appointments AND hopefully receiving my "Maternity Parking" permit at work :)