Week 32

Well, we've made it through another week! Bailey is now 31 weeks old, and while it's still much too early for her to come join us out here, she seems to be growing wonderfully. She's strong now when she kicks me. Sometimes it hurts, other times it just makes me laugh. I love feeling her.

She had definate rhythms now. She wakes up with me pretty early and gets feisty if I don't eat breakfast. The bus ride to work seems to soothe her to sleep (lots of vibrations...and I'm always asleep then too). She's very active during the morning, but usually calms down in the afternoon. Then, the bus ride home seems to wake her back up. I love the bus ride home - she kicks and squirms and wiggles. Usually I'm hungry at that time, so it's pretty uncomfortable for me...but it's wonderful to feel her move around.

I'm doing okay. I'm starting to feel that sick-of-being-pregnant feeling that everyone talks about. It's not really about being sick of being pregnant, so much as it is about being tired of being uncomfortable. My body is large, heavy and takes a lot of manuvering. I have a pretty severe case of carpal tunnel in my left wrist and my heartburn is pretty intense in the evenings. I try to eat less, but I'm hungry a lot. And I'm pretty tired.

All in all, though, I'm still hanging in there. I'm so happy that the light at the end of the tunnel is getting bigger. It will be nice to be able to sleep on my back again (assuming that I get sleep!) and to drink wine when I want a glass. The little things...

Here's what's up for Bailey's development this week:

Fetal development in pregnancy week 32:fetus in eighth month

And in the latest developing reports, your amazing baby has now developed sensitivity to temperature! This means, you’ll probably get a swift kick if you put a hot pad on your ginormous belly. For the Elton John lovers out there: baby’s got blue eyes. At this point, all babies do, although depending on their chromosomal disposition, this could easily change after birth (or even between now and labor), but for the time being, blue it is. Thanks to their recently matured lungs and a remarkably strong immune system, over 90% of babies born in their 32nd week, survive premature births. So it’s pretty much a done deal. Even if your little monkey’s planning on heading out early, their survival odds are in everyone’s favor. Time to celebrate (no, no, wait until after the birth to crack open the champagne!) We’re talking baby-showers and alcohol-free punch!

And how's mom doing?

If your family or significant other is around and involved, it’s probably time to start discussing what’s going to happen when you really go into labor. Of course, the delivery itself can be quite overwhelming for first-time viewers, so make sure and openly discuss the fact there will be blood, sweat, mucous, and possibly even a bit of poop (if you didn’t know already, it’s likely that while in labor and pushing, you also push out a bit of the ol’ number 2—it’s totally normal if not a little disgusting). Even the weak-stomached birthing buddies can still help to make the labor-process more bearable with breathing assistance, massages, and constant reassurance and cheering: "Yay! That was a great contraction honey!" (Now run before she breaks your wrist!). For the more blood-bold and not so faint of heart, the positions of cameraman, baby-catcher, and/or umbilical cord-cutter are always available—just talk to your doctor or mid-wife beforehand so they can be prepared to deal with an extra person during the birthing process.

Surprise! Your third trimester symptoms aren’t going away yet. If you just got back from peeing, you already know that your bladder is nearing non-existent-land. These joys will persist till you’re on the birthing bench. Also, be careful of lightheadedness during these last weeks. Your blood tends to pool in the lower limbs, resulting in low cranial blood pressure, so watch out for the head rushes and get up nice-n-slow after sitting for long periods (such as after another Sex and the City Marathon).