Week 30

Last week brought on several exciting events. New symptoms, new expanding belly, new cravings, and our first shower for Abigail.

Symptoms- Abigail seems to adore lying on my right side, almost in a sitting position with her head under my ribs and her butt/feet on my bladder. So, when I sit I can barely breathe and when I stand I feel like running to the bathroom. The discomfort of pregnancy has begun. She's stubborn too (guess she got that honest). I've been told by several that if I nudge her, she'll move and I'll get some relief. Ha ha. Not the case. Anyway, the shortness of breath has been the most difficult change, and I can only imagine it'll get worse. Having to take a break from getting clothes out of the dryer to catch my breath, or having to stop at work for the same reason ... I didn't even have to do that when I was a smoker. It also appears that my nasal stuffiness has returned. At least I got a short vacation from it. Back pain has become more frequent. Bending over to tie my shoes or pick something up that I dropped has become a challenge. On a plus side, Abigail seems to have more predictable sleep/wake cycles. She's very active during the day, mostly in spurts, and pretty still at night. Maybe this is something she'll stick to when outside of the womb. She almost always wakes up at meal time. If I am eating, she's usually moving.

Belly- This past week, there was a very obvious change in my belly from the week before. Even a coworker noticed it. It's like, week 29 was a cute belly just hanging out there. Week 30 brought on the "wow! she must be due in the next couple weeks" look. And my belly button has, well, pretty much disappeared at this point. The scar from gallbladder surgery (that was hidden inside my belly button) is oh so obvious now. Still only 1 tiny stretch mark though on the right underside of my belly. It looks kinda like a small, faint scratch. I'm thankful for this. The bruises from the daily Lovenox shots seem to be getting worse though. Both of my "love handles" are lumpy, sore and purple. Only 6 more weeks of these until after Abigail arrives though. Also, I've noticed that my belly is starting to itch. Mostly around my belly button area. This area has also started going numb. Too bad I can't get the Lovenox shots there!

Belly button at 30 weeks

New Cravings - Dairy products: Yogurt, cold cereal with milk, chocolate milk, ice cream. I eat 2-3 containers of yogurt a day. Chocolate milk and cereal usually at least once a day, and ice cream whenever I remember it's in the freezer -- usually once a day. Then I read in a "what to expect" email that baby is requiring at least 200mg of calcium a day at this point to build strong bones. Hmmm. Maybe there is some truth to craving what your body and baby need. Although, I'm pretty sure she's not requiring those new Reese's Peanut Butter Trees :)

Our First Shower - Last, but certainly not least, we were showered with love and gifts for Baby Abigail this past week. My hubby's "home church" family hosted a shower for us. We had a great turn out and got lots of cute things for Abigail. It was so great seeing all the familiar faces and meeting a few new ones. All Abigail's grandmamas were able to make it also. It's amazing how much love people have for someone they've never met. Abigail sure is one blessed little girl.

Abigail's Nana, Mammy, Mama, & Reesie

30w4d