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Pregnancy Update // 34 Weeks

DenaFebruary 17, 2015

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Listen to your body. You’re eight-and-a-half months pregnant. Listen to your body. Recently, I’ve been repeating this mantra to myself. There is no doubt that I am slowing down. My energy levels have certainly waxed and waned through this pregnancy and the past few days have found me absolutely lumbering like a big, old bear ready for winter hibernation. It’s difficult to be patient with my tired body when there is so much that I want to accomplish yet. But I tell myself that it will all get done when it gets done and try to be as kind to myself as possible. That is what I need now. That is what baby needs now. Patience, kindness, slowness. Listen to your body.


How far along are you? 34 weeks.

Sleep: I hit a new level of exhaustion recently. It’s been so extreme that sometimes I feel like I’m back in my first trimester. Gratefully, Roman naps for two or three hours each afternoon. Most days I nap while he does and it’s been my saving grace.

Nighttime sleep is still a challenge because I am up to use the bathroom every two to three hours. The good news, however, is that I’ve found a (sort-of) solution for my hip pain. More about that later.

Movement: She is still a little mover & shaker. She’s consistently been resting very low but one day last week, I woke up and it was like she’d traveled up to the very top of my bump. It felt strange to suddenly feel her so high up and it also changed the way my bump looked, making the whole thing sit much higher than it had been. It seems she has settled back down since then. I remember feeling Roman kick my ribs, but she never hits me that high. Most of her energy seems to be directed toward my pelvic region and my bladder. Lucky me.

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Favourite Moment: I really enjoyed finalizing the details for my “Sprinkle” and adding items to my registry. As I’ve mentioned, it’s such a different experience this time around, knowing how little is truly needed for a newborn. It’s been a joy to carefully select the sweet, little things that I know will be well-used and well-loved.

Cravings: My cravings have died down quite a bit. In fact, these past few weeks I’ve found myself quite nauseous on occasion and have had to force myself to eat to quell the nausea at times. Other times I am as hungry as a horse and will eat everything in my path. Still, my doctors are very pleased with my weight gain and state that I am right on track.

I’ve decided to cut out some of my “naughtier” snacking in favor of healthier options and I’m proud of that. I still give in here and there, but it’s all about moderation. I’m never going to beat myself up for being hungry or gaining weight. My number one goal is to have a healthy baby. Plus, recent research has totally confirmed what I knew all along — moms with fat bottoms make more intelligent children. 😉

Happy or Moody? It most definitely depends on the day and the hour (and the amount of sleep I’ve have and the amount of food I’ve eaten). Like I said last time, I am a giant, round toddler. My emotions are varied, but there’s no doubt that I feel everything more strongly at the moment — joy, anger, and sadness.

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Belly Status: The other morning I was coming back into the bedroom from the bathroom. M. was getting his first glimpse of me for the day. In his still-half-asleep state, he mumbled, “You’ve crossed the threshold and are now officially huge.” Oh, what a gem! He’s right though. My belly is epic and is nearing maximum capacity. My body has also responded with the appropriate “counterweights” all over the place.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — pregnancy is such a beautiful thing. I believe that every pregnant woman’s body is a complete miracle. We all vary so very much, but all of our bodies are working toward the same precious miracle. I resent absolutely nothing about the process. I am working hard to truly cherish it all, as this will likely be my last trip down this road.

Aches & Pains: As I mentioned, I’ve found a (sort-of) solution for my hip pain. For a long time, everyone had been telling me to sleep with a pillow between my knees to keep my hips, pelvis, and spine aligned. I had been sleeping with one there for awhile, but it wasn’t helping. One night I decided to try a thicker pillow and the difference was immediate. The pillow I had been using was too flat. I slept better that very first night and woke up with a dramatic decrease in the hip and back pain that had been plaguing me for months.

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I’ve also stopped taking the iron pills. At one of my recent checkups, the OB stated that my iron was never very low and as long as I wasn’t having anymore dizziness, I could stop the pills. This is one of the things that I don’t love about my practice. There are five doctors and two nurse practitioners and naturally there are differing opinions among them. I do my best to take their advice, do my own research, and follow my gut.

Looking Forward To: Spring! We’ve been absolutely pounded this month with subzero temperatures and snowstorm after snowstorm. We haven’t see our yard in a month, as it’s been consistently covered with three-to-four feet of solid ice & snow. I am so grateful that February is more than halfway over now. While we don’t get consistently warm weather until May, we do start getting some warm days come March.

Little girl is due on April 1st and Easter is on the 5th. I just can’t wait for warmer days, sunshine skies, and my little Easter bunny girl.

I’ve also got my final ultrasound coming up on the 26th and I am looking forward to that, as well. I’m excited to see how she is measuring and to hear if my due date is still on target.

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Changes to the Home: We’ve made a good deal of progress since my last bump update. The bassinet is complete, ready, and waiting. I’ve purged all of Roman’s old clothes & toys and put away what we’ve gotten so far for baby girl. I’ve got just a few more things to do in the nursery and then I’ll be ready to prepare the final details, like packing our hospital bag.


That’s all for this update. I am so very grateful that we’ve come this far and that everything is going well. I don’t take a single moment for granted and pray with my whole heart that things keep up for the best.

Hope you’re having a great week so far, friends. xx

/// To see my other pregnancy updates, click here. ///

Comments (3)

  • Tina

    February 17, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    Such beautiful photos! I wish I had take any when I was pregnant 🙁 I’m so glad your son still naps that way you have time to nap too! Only a few more weeks ’til she’s here 🙂

  • Gillian

    February 17, 2015 at 4:41 pm

    ohhhhhh these photos !!!!! these are stunning and will certainly be cherished by you forever! i loved getting caught up on your pregnancy, i can’t believe that the end is SO soon – it has gone by so fast to me who is just watching from afar 😉 i know full well that pregnancy doesn’t go nearly as fast for the mama who is actually experiencing it, especially with HG.

  • Momista Beginnings

    February 18, 2015 at 2:56 am

    Beautiful, glowing photos and mama! Love this little series, good for you for getting in front of the camera. I know you know I’ve been doing the same, something I didn’t do hardly at all with Mia. I don’t know about you, but I have no idea if this will be my last pregnancy or not…so that alone gives me more reason to enjoy, savor and celebrate this pregnancy. Maybe you feel the same? Glad to hear your days are going smoothly, overall. You’re due a week before my date (although, as I mentioned on IG, the ultrasound tech just informed me that due to my “big baby”, he/she could come anywhere between 3/15-4/7). I don’t feel like this is a big baby, but we’ll see. ANYWAYS…I also started tackling some home clutter/organization last weekend. So yay for us. Can’t wait to see these kids 🙂 -Misty

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