24 Weeks



16 weeks (or 112 days) left to go!

Bebs: Baby is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Bebs' skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

My uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. Neat.

Twenty-four weeks is brought to you by the letter "B" for backache, baby wiggling and Braxton Hicks contractions.

Backache: Good Lord. I threw out my back last Tuesday, most likely from helping to paint the guest room ceiling. I've tried ice, heating pad, Bengay, emu oil, back rubs from Hubs, warm baths and a trip to the chiropractor without any luck. It feels like my right leg bone (femur?) is not in my right hip joint. The chiropractor said she could feel the muscle was all inflamed, which obviously makes it nearly impossible for her to put the bone back in place correctly. So for the past week I've been using the heating pad off and on for 20 minutes. It only hurts when I stand, sit, walk, lay down to sleep, and especially bend over. Oh, and breathe, haha. Today it feels better than it has been, so that makes me happy.

Baby wiggling: It seems that Bebs and Hubs shared some Daddy/Daughter time without my knowledge! One night when I was already fast asleep, Jason put his hand on my belly to say good night to the baby and she kicked! So Jason left his hand there and she kicked and wiggled and moved around for a good hour for just Daddy to feel. I was asleep the entire time and had no idea until Jason told me the next day. She must be a Daddy's Girl already!

Braxton Hicks: Ugh. This is the worst symptom so far. I'm not sure how I would rank Braxton Hicks, migraines or morning sickness, since they all suck...but this has probably been the most painful to deal with. In my post last week I said I woke up one morning thinking I was in labor; that the baby was using a knife to slice her way out. That seems to be pretty consistent with what BH are.

This morning for example, I woke up at 4 a.m. because I was feeling very sharp, very stabby pains in my lower abdomen (uterus). I shook Hubs to wake him up because I swore I was going into pre-term labor. I had him help me sit up and then walk me to the bathroom. I literally could not uncurl myself from the fetal position to sit up on my own. Going pee did not help, so I hobbled back to bed. I felt this pain at 4:17, 4:25, 4:40 and 4:50. Each time the pain would only last for a few minutes--it came in waves. I've always heard people say that but never understood what it meant really. I get it now!

Some ways you can attempt to relieve BH:

• Change your activity or position. Sometimes walking provides relief. At other times, resting eases contractions. (True labor contractions, on the other hand, will persist and progress regardless of what you do.)
• Take a warm bath to help your body relax.
• Try drinking a couple of glasses of water, since these contractions can sometimes be brought on by dehydration.
• Try relaxation exercises or slow, deep breathing. This won't stop the Braxton Hicks contractions, but it may help you cope with the discomfort.

I did some deep yoga breaths, put my body pillow between my legs and was finally was able to fall back asleep around 5 a.m., only to be woken up at 5:15 by my alarm and the baby literally turning herself upside down...or right-side up? What a weird feeling THAT was!

In other news, one of our goals from last week is accomplished! The striped room AKA the Phillies room AKA the grey room is now officially the guest room! Hubs did a fantastic job painting the ceiling, and then my parents came over to help move furniture in there!

view from desk

 

view from doorway

It should also be noted that this room will be grey forever. Last Spring, Hubs and I sanded the walls, painted 3 coats of tinted primer and 3 coats of grey paint in order to get rid of those awful red stripes. It took 3 coats of paint on the ceiling, as well as 2 coats of paint on the trim to finish this room. NEVER AGAIN! Grey will always be in style. :)

Here is what the room looked like when we bought the house.
(Pic stolen from Jeff's picasa album! :))

Hubs and I, along with my parents, went to another mother's market this past weekend. We got a TON of baby clothes, a few toys, some books for me, and....A GLIDER! We went from worrying that we'd never find a glider second-hand to finding too many! Nana and Pop-pop found a glider, too!

Hubs taking the glider on a walk for about 2 blocks.

Tonight Hubs and I have our first "baby care" class at the hospital. Very excited for that. I'm not sure exactly what we will be doing--I think it is learning how to change diapers, soothe the baby, etc.

We're also planning on getting our hands into the nursery this weekend! My goal is to clean out the remaining little things in the purple room, including the closet (eek!), prep the room, and....unfortunately...paint the ceiling. Bah. BUT! This will be the last ceiling we have to paint for quite some time, okay Hubs? ;)