Weeks 35 & 36

The past couple of weeks have been kind of rough.  First off, carpal tunnel syndrome during pregnancy is a real threat to some of us!  I have developed it in the last couple of weeks and it's pretty painful.  Mostly at night, my hands and forearms start to get tingly and numb.  I also swell regularly in my hands and have some muscle weakness and joint pain.

We started our weekly OB appointments last week.  At the first one (the 35 week appointment), the Dr. thought that I might have developed pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy).  Here's why: my bp was slightly higher than it normally is; I was complaining of swelling in my hands and feet; and I had gained about 5 pounds in a week.  So, I had to do a really fun lab test, as well as give a few blood samples!  I'll spare you the details (no pun intended).

Thankfully, the results for pre-eclampsia came back negative!  It turns out that I just had too much sodium all week (too much eating out at restaurants and I had a convention).

At our 36 week appointment (just yesterday), everything was looking very good!  We had another ultrasound, which was exciting and fun.  The ultrasound tech plugged in the three measurements needed to estimate Spare's current weight (length of thigh bone, circumference of skull, and circumference of abdomen) and out popped 6 lbs., 10-11 oz!!!  That's right folks, we're having a giant Williams baby, just as I suspected!

Other good news included that I have begun dilating, but not a whole lot.  This is good because we would LOVE to make it to Easter day around noon before going into labor.  Of course, that's not in our control, at all (and we know it), but it's a good sign for us.

As a side note, Jared's church threw us a wonderful shower last Friday night!  So much fun!  I didn't have my camera with me, but I am fairly certain that some of the wonderful ladies at the church will tag me in some FB photos soon!  They were so wonderful to us.  We got TONS of handmade gifts, which were amazing and beautiful and made me want to learn to sew, crochet, and knit!  And we also got a bunch of stuff off our registry.  The generosity of these ladies overwhelmed me!  Not to mention, if you even say the word "potluck," 50 dishes appear in the Fellowship Hall!  It really was a good time.

On the whole, I am feeling a lot more tired this week.  I have just enough energy to do what needs to be done at work, come home, and put on comfy clothes.  Before, I used to be able to do a few things around the house before getting so tired, but now I am feeling a lot more tired without being able to get a few things done.

I am sleeping okay, especially now that I've figured out how to manage the carpal tunnel at night.  I am still walking about 3 or 4 days a week, with the dogs.  I think this helps with the swelling, but definitely contributes to making me tired.

Lastly, my belly is getting bigger each week.  Here are the photos from the last two weeks!

Week 35

Week 36