Pregnancy update: 28 weeks

Wow. I’m amazed I am already writing a 28 week update. That I’m already in the 3rd trimester. That this baby could come (safely) in as little as 9 weeks. Everything is just flying by. Buuuut I’m not super sad about that and won’t be sad if the rest of this pregnancy feels fast, too. :)

How far along? 28 weeks/7 months!

How big is the baby? They are 2 1/4 lbs and 15 inches. I’ve started being able to feel distinct parts (they like their back on my left side, head on my right side, and arm near my belly button… Currently breech! Let’s hope that changes soon) which is really fun.

Total weight gain/loss? I started at 123 and right now I am 147, so I’ve already gained a total of 24 lbs. For those paying attention, that’s 5 pounds in the last 4 weeks, three of which I put on in the last week. Not only did I gain three lbs in a week, but in the 2 weeks between midwife appointments I gained 4 cm in fundal height (that’s measuring from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus). Talk about a growth spurt. Baby’s gettin’ big!

Maternity clothes? Shirts finally fit me and look ok instead of like loose baggy weirdness. I appreciate that even though I only have one real maternity shirt.

Sleep? I’ve been sleeping pretty well, but do feel like I’ve had more shallow sleep than normal. I’ve had some anxiety-ridden baby-related dreams. Last night I dreamed I had placenta accreta and had to get a c-section and a hysterectomy after the c-section. Sometimes my dreams lead me to wonder if I am a more anxious person than I think I am. Haha. Weird aside: I actually was worried after last night that the fact I was having such awful dreams was raising my cortisol levels, so I started looking it up. I found a couple studies talking about bad pregnancy dreams and linking them to less post-partum depression and shorter labor times, so I guess I’ll take it.

Overall, though, my sleep has actually improved since my last update.

Best moment this month? I’ve enjoyed feeling the baby parts, feeling a lot better than I did a few weeks ago, getting a bunch of really nice organic wool and prefolds cloth diapering stuff used and for free, and getting into the 3rd trimester!

Symptoms? I’ve still had some gallbladder pain, but it seems to be improving (I did add sunflower lecithin and topical castor oil to my routine) a lot and I am eating more fats. I have some heartburn, which is awful, but I know there is good reason for it at this stage of pregnancy.

Other than that my back isn’t the happiest it’s ever been, but overall I am doing pretty well.

Oh, I also feel like I am getting more nesting type energy. I’m at least being driven crazy by the fact that everything in my apartment isn’t organized, so I think that’s close enough.

Food cravings? Still nothing unbearable. I haven’t been craving much lately, though. I had a week where I was craving everything that was straight up sugar because I just wanted calories and couldn’t eat a lot of fat. That wasn’t fun.

Food aversions? None anymore.

Baby’s sex? Your guess is probably as good as mine. I can’t wait to find out, though! I even did a sex predictor test someone emailed to me randomly (they wanted me to try it and share it here if I liked it) and it told me it could go either way. Go figure. Side note: I’ve noticed with babies everything is about “gender” prediction and “gender” reveal, even though that is NOT the correct term and we should be using the word SEX, not gender. I think this template even was asking baby’s gender and I changed it to sex. That’s all I have to say about that.

Labor signs? None yet.

Belly button in or out? Out!

What I miss? Maybe eating anything I want to/whenever I want to, but other than that I’m good.

What I’m looking forward to? I’m VERY anxious to meet this little human.

Things I HAVEN’T done this month? I did the glucose tolerance test, but instead of the glucola drink I ate organic jelly beans (I ate 60 of what I think may have been this brand. I got them in bulk at my co-op, so I’m not sure.). Jelly beans have been tested as an alternative to the drink, so I felt confident that my results would be good with the jelly beans and I wouldn’t be cheating it while still not ingesting that drink which apparently tastes awful and has artificial colors and flavors I don’t want to eat.

How I’m trying to ensure a healthy pregnancy? I don’t think I have added in anything new in the last four weeks. Just…