30 Weeks (!)

YIKES! We are really in the home stretch now, aren't we!

How far along? 30 Weeks!
Total weight gain/loss: Gained one over the past two weeks despite upping my calories and protein. Up 2 pounds overall.
Maternity clothes? Maternity pants every day and still trying to make my regular shirts work. I am hoping to buy as few maternity shirts as possible!
Sleep: I have to admit, it's getting harder. My hips and ribs HURT. But once I'm asleep, I usually sleep straight through the night, it's just getting to sleep that's the hard part.
Best moment this week: Making it to 30 weeks. I still can't believe it.
Movement: She bounces like crazy and I can't get enough of it. I already know I'll miss this.
Food cravings: Apple juice, apples, applesauce. Anything apple. (STILL)
Gender: GIRL! GIRL! GIRL!
Labor Signs: No, thank you.
Belly Button in or out? Going, going.....
What I miss: Nothing at the moment...
What I am looking forward to: Seeing Abbey at our US January 6!
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy every minute. I am so sad this whole experience is almost over. This is probably our last pregnancy so I know it's possible I'll never feel a baby bounce around and wiggle in my belly. I can't even talk about it without tearing up.
Milestones: Right now, every day is a milestone. I am more pregnant than I have ever been, so everyday is a huge deal. Our goal is 40 weeks, 37 at the earliest, so every day is one day closer to our goal. (I know this has been the same since the beginning but I honestly believe it.)



What is Abbey up to this week?

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleeping and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments.

All that^ stays the same until Week 32, so don't expect another fruit picture for the next few weeks!

And now for Show&Tell :)

**I can't find my 28 Week picture. I'm going to be really upset if I either (A) forgot to take one or (B) lost the pic entirely.

29 Weeks

30 Weeks


Yowza.


And now for the real Abbey update.

We had our regular appt yesterday with my OB and everything went great. Despite being on the different diet, I only managed to gain 1 pound, not the 3-5 they were looking for. BUT gaining is better than losing. My blood pressure looked great (117/77) and Abbey's heart rate was great (152bpm). We talked at length about why Abbey looks to be small right now.

1. IUGR which in my case would be due to lack of maternal weight gain. Like I said before, since we are fairly certain Abbey has no genetic issues (NT Scan and quad screen came back clean) and since I don't do illegal drugs, lack of weight gain on my part could be one reason she is small, which is why they are pushing me to gain gain gain.

(And here's where it gets tricky and it's really hard to explain, so bear with me.)

2. Metformin. I have to be on Metformin to control my PCOS and keep my ovaries from exploding with cysts. The Metformin helps the hormones going to my ovaries know what to do as to keep cysts from growing.However, Metformin is a drug most commonly used to treat diabetics. I am not a diabetic. If anything, my sugars run on the lower side of normal as opposed to the higher side. Metformin is also known for causing weight loss. Metformin is also starting to be related to smaller (yet still healthy!) babies. Let's try a flow chart of sorts.

-I need the Metformin to control my PCOS.
-I don't need the Metformin to control diabetes because I'm not diabetic.
-The Metformin is keeping me from gaining weight.
-I can't come off the Metformin because it is doing such a good job at keeping my ovaries disease free.
-The Meformin may be what is restricting Abbey's growth.

Simply put, we are stuck for the moment. The great news is all Abbey's major organs (brain, heart, lungs, kidneys) look great and are right on track. Her cord looks great. Her fluid levels are great. She's just a small baby. We have another US in 2 weeks to check her growth and come up with a game plan for the remaining 6-8 weeks of this pregnancy.

So. We are thankful. There is nothing wrong, just a little added stress for me. I am not considered high risk at the moment and Abbey is not in any danger. We just want her to chub up a bit.

And I think that catches everything up.

One more thing. I have made the decision to go private following Abbey's arrival. I will be moving to a new, private blog that will require you to have a username and password to log view the blog. I'm doing this for several reasons, but mostly for our privacy. I don't want pictures of our daughter just floating around on the internet for anyone to see. This blog will remain public and I might update over here once in a while (minus pictures) for those who don't want to make the move, but I promise nothing.

So if you want in, please email me at speakoftheblog@gmail.com. I think I can take 100 different readers so everyone that is a "follower" now should be able to get in over "there". Family will get invites first, then friends.

WHEW! That was a long entry! If you made it this far, go get yourself a cookie!

I hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Remember the reason for the season :)