Week 34: Lightening is Not Fun!

Hi everyone! Today we had another pretty cool doctor's appointment that included our 3rd and final sonogram (see previous post for those pics). Everything looks wonderful: my placenta looks fine, the amount of amniotic fluid is great, and baby looks good. Granted, we did not get very good looks at baby's face or reproductive organs because a) this kid is stubborn and once again refused to move its hands away from its face or move to a more favorable position, and b) its getting crowded in that uterus so there isn't as much room to manuveur. Baby is still thought to be the same gender as predicted in the past 2 ultrasounds, though. Baby was sleeping but did open its eyes a few times as you can see in the pictures. However, baby refused to move much other than to shoe us away with its hands. So, the pictures are not as complete as last time since the hands are screwing up the pictures, but you can see that baby has put on some weight and is plumping up niceley. In fact, its estimated weight at this point is 5 pounds 3 ounces, and it is still on track for its Oct. 31st due date. Baby should put on about a half a pound a week from here on out.

WARNING: pregnany-related information is contained in the next 2 paragraphs. Please skip if you don't like that sort of thing (really its not that bad, but some people are wusses, so there's your warning.)

After the sonogram I had my regular visit with my midwife. She confirmed that baby is head down and baby's heartrate is in the 120's. Then I told her about the uncomfortable sensations I had been having on Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday. I told her I was pretty sure it was "lightening" which is when the baby drops and engages its head in the pelvis. I was a big grump that day and a half because it felt like my pelvis was being pulled apart along with the ligaments that support it. I said it felt like I had been doing the splits for 24 hours straight. Some women find lightening more comfortable because it gives them more room to breathe and keeps baby from kicking them in the ribs. However, I have always been carrying this baby quite low so now its even lower, and because of my long torso, baby never reached my lungs nor ribs.

My midwife examined me and agreed that baby had dropped and told me I was 1 cm dilated (although not effaced at all yet)! I wonder if it was my pelvis stretching or the dialation that I was feeling. Either way, luckily most of the pressure is gone now and I have gotten used to baby's new position for the most part. The dialation thing took me by suprise, but she assured me that this wouldn't mean that I would necessarily deliver early. Some people dilate slowly or dialate a few centimeters early on but then stop for weeks before they actually go into labor. That is good because we are not ready yet! I told my child that it needed to give me at least another 3 weeks. Who knows, though; baby could end up taking its sweet time, and I could go for another 8 weeks even. Let's hope not!