Day 60: A Valentine's Day on Bed Rest

We had a fun Valentine's Day even with me being on bed rest.  B woke up to the gifts J set out for him last night (Superhero washcloths, gum, and fruit snacks) and B gave us the Valentines he made for us.  J and I spent time talking, shopping for a few things on our baby registry, and working on the computer together this morning.  J also got us takeout for lunch, and then we went to B's school for his Valentine's Day party.  I know I already had my field trip this week, but since I didn't have my field trip last week, I figured a half an hour sitting in a chair after literally being dropped off in front of the classroom would be worth it for B's sake.  We had a nice Valentine's dinner of pizza and had cupcakes for dessert.  It was a nice Valentine's Day and me laying in bed was hardly a factor.  Being up and around more today and spending time with my family has me even more excited to have my bed rest sentence lifted on Monday.       

 

Day 56: We Made It To 35 Weeks

 

Thanks to faith, medicine, hospital intervention at 26 and 28 weeks, and A LOT of prayer (ours and others'), I am 35 weeks pregnant.  If I make it past 10:40 tonight (and I have NO notions that I won't), I will have carried this baby longer than I carried B who was born at exactly 35 weeks.  I am only dilated to a one at this point and contractions are occasional and irregular, so we're still going strong.  I will be taken off of bed rest and all my medications in seven days!  I can't wait.  My contractions could very well go crazy once medicine and bed rest are taken out of the equation, but then again, maybe I'll go full term.  We shall see, and I'll keep you updated.

I also finally got my field trip in that I didn't get last week.  J and I went to lunch and then I rode around Target in a scooter (Jarom was horrified at my lack of scooter-driving skills and had to help me back up and maneuver down the aisles a few times so I didn't knock anything over).  We got our blue bath tub and a few clothes.  Our Pack N' Play is apparently on back order, so hopefully it will get here in time for us to bring Baby home.  I had fun going on a date with J and am so glad to be 35 weeks along, as I am confident Baby would be fine if born anytime from here on out.  I know we made it this long on faith and prayers, so thank you for sending yours!  Now we'll see if we can make it full-term!

Some of our loot:  the Superhero onesies have capes on the back . . so cute!

 

Highlights of Week Thirty-Five (33 week fetal age):

• Baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long (hopefully . . . we’re all short over here, and B was only 17 inches long at this point).  Just because he’s not doing somersaults, doesn’t mean he’s not still kicking and rolling.  I often see/feel a bum, elbow, foot, or hand protruding from my belly.
• He tips the scales at about 5 pounds, 4 ounces or more, about the size of a honeydew melon.
• Baby is head down in pelvis to prepare for delivery.
• Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks (hopefully) putting on weight.   Baby will put on about half a pound a week from here on out.  
• Baby Boy's body is growing rounder due to developing fat layers.  He still probably doesn't have enough fat deposits beneath his skin to keep warm outside the womb, but fat stores are accumulating in the legs and arms. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature after birth.
• Although Baby's central nervous system is still maturing, his lungs are nearly fully developed (boys' lungs do generally take longer to develop than girls' lungs, however).
• His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. 
• Baby's reflexes are coordinated.  He can turn his head, grasp firmly, and respond to sounds, light and touch. 
• Eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping.
• Baby is sporting full-length fingernails and toenails.
• Lanugo, the baby fuzz that protects baby's skin in utero is starting to disappear. The cheese-like coating on baby's skin, vernix caseosa, is getting thicker to keep Baby moisturized for the big day.
• Hair continuing to grow on head. 
• By end of week, Baby will start to develop daily activity cycles.
• Brain development continues to advance quickly.
• Baby’s digestive system is putting on its finishing touches in preparation to take baby’s first meal in a few weeks’ time.

Day 46: Taxes and Sleepless Nights

The last two nights, I've had A LOT of trouble sleeping.  I've started having contractions around 7 and they continue throughout the night, making it very difficult to get comfortable and sleep much.  I'm tired in the mornings, so I sleep in and then it creates a vicious cycle where I stay up late, and it's made worse because of my contractions.  I've spent the last two nights on the couch so I can be propped up (it seems to ease some of the pain), and we'll see how tonight goes since I'm having cramps and contractions at this very moment.  I'll take an Ambien tonight, and hopefully that will help me sleep and be more comfortable.  The contractions started to get bad around 33 weeks when I was pregnant with B, but hopefully I can hold on longer this time around and that the contractions won't do much to efface and dilate my cervix until this baby is further along.  Hopefully I can keep the pain manageable while I wait out these nasty contractions.

I started working on our taxes.  It gives me a project to work on while I'm laying in bed.  I'm using Turbo Tax, but gathering and compiling the information needed is more difficult while on bed rest and it's taking me a little longer than in past years.  But I since I have lots of time right now, I can't complain.  Being busy provides a distraction from my discomfort and the annoyance of being on bed rest.  J and I also worked on our budget and did some Amazon shopping for the baby today since we got rid of a lot of our equipment in the five years between pregnancies.  J is getting tired of me laying with my computer while he works on our desk top (not really interacting), watching movies, and bringing in takeout.  There's not a lot I can do while I'm on bed rest, and J isn't much of a board game player, so we'll have to get creative in the next few weeks and think of some things that we can do together while I lay in bed.  Any date night ideas you may have that are compatible with bed rest would be appreciated.