30 Weeks

30 Weeks!!! We only have 10 weeks left!  And only 7 weeks until Peanut is considered full term.

30 Weeks, 1 Day

How are you feeling?  Still really good, although I am having problems working out now.  If I try to pick up the pace at all I get this weird tightening in my belly muscles, so not easy hiking, brisk walking, or anything of that sort right now.  I looked it up and found lots of ladies with this same issue, supposedly it is braxton hicks already.  I read that getting a pregnancy belt really helps, so I am going to try that.  I still have ten weeks and it is prime hiking weather so I really hope that the pregnancy belt works.  Sleeping is still pretty good.  I had one hard night this week but I had a lot on my mind and terrible allergies for some reason.

Weight Gain?  Dunno, have to wait until my next Dr. appointment.  I see her in three weeks now instead of four.  And my next appointment is with the other midwife in the office, just in case she is on call when I go into labor.

Cravings/Aversions?  Not really.  French fries sounded really good last week and I was able to satisfy that craving with some of the best waffle fries I have ever had in Big Bear.  Craving cake again, but had some at the wedding.  Oh yeah, a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks!  Someone want to come get coffee with me? :-) No aversions this week.

How big is Peanut?  Baby is 3 whole pounds!  Or so they say.  And about 15 3/4 inches long.  I read that he/she is able regulate her/his body temperature and is going to start putting on a lot of fat to help with that for after birth. It is also still so much fun to feel all the wiggling around in there.  It makes me smile every time I feel it.

Milestones?  We had our first real birthing class last night!  We practiced breathing and relaxation techniques and watched a couple of births on tape.  We also learned more about how the baby actual travels out, which was interesting.  I knew babies had the soft spots on their head so the head can condense in order to fit through the birth canal, but I didn't realize how much the head condenses.  It is truly a miracle. We are supposed to practice these relaxation and breathing techniques every day along with birth affirmations.  Like I said, a major part of this class is about taking the fear about of birthing because we have all been conditioned to see it as an incredibly painful, horrible, traumatic event.  According to this method, we should not see it that way.  It is really hard to take away the fear of it though.  I am still so nervous when I actually think about going into labor.  I guess I have way more practicing to do. :-)

Interesting Notes?  I passed my glucose screen and anemia test with flying colors.  My doctor was really surprised at how high my iron levels were.  I have really good prenatal vitamins that I have been splurging on so I really recommend them.  You can buy them through Vitacost for pretty cheap.  I know they look expensive, but I have only had to buy three or four of these big bottles for my entire pregnancy (that is ten months people!), when you add it up that way, they are a great deal.  They are the Garden of Life Raw Prenatal vitamins.  Here is a link for all you pregnant ladies out there  http://www.vitacost.com/garden-of-life-vitamin-code-raw-prenatal-180-vegetarian-capsule-2