Walk after the Aisle: Pregnancy: 29 Weeks & 3D Ultrasound Pictures

We are one week away from the big 3-0 (weeks that is)! I can't believe it's down to 11 weeks. 76 days on my countdown ticker. So crazy. July has flown by. Heck, the entire summer has flown by (now that it's almost over. If you'd asked me mid-June I definitely wouldn't have said that).

Today started off super early with a doctors appointment and our 3/4D ultra sound. We weren't going to do the US since it isn't covered by insurance and is an out of pocket cost, but after seeing the one 3D image we got last time I knew I needed more. More pictures of those squishy cheeks. It should be our last US of the pregnancy, so we tried to soak it in. We got there at 7:30, which is way early for me. Hannah slept through the whole thing because we are not early birds in our house. She usually nuzzles around when I drive to work right before 9, and then wakes up for a stretch around 11. 7:30 is not on her regular schedule. The tech said that was actually a good thing as long as she was turned the right way, meaning she wouldn't be wiggling all over and sticking her hands in her face.

She turned on the US thing, gelled up my belly and there she was! We found out that since our last appointment she's turned head down (yay! No breech baby!), her back is along the left side of my stomach and her hands and feet are on the right, which explains why most movement is on the right side or middle. She had her face turned in just the right direction to get some great pictures. She was also keeping her hand right in front of her face, which is something Andrew does frequently. It's so neat to think that even before being born she can have mannerisms, especially ones that mimic something her Dad does.

So now for the fun stuff!!

Open mouth for a second

Foot on my belly!

Serious face

This one, you can see her shoulder on the bottom, the umbilical cord is over her shoulder, and her hand is by her nose with her thumb under her index finger like she's playing "I got your nose!"

How far along: 29 weeks - 11 weeks left!

Symptoms: Slight heartburn/indegestion, knee pain, feet swelling is becoming more consistent, way less room in my stomach for food. I can only eat about 1/2 of the portion I used to, but I get hungry more frequently. I've started noticing Braxton Hicks contractions, but they're pretty random. It's most obvious if I've been sitting for a while, once I stand up my stomach gets really tight. If I have a full bladder I almost have to hunch over forward b/c it's so tight and uncomfortable.

Sleep: If I'd written this post a couple of days ago it wouldn't have been much different from last time, but as of last night I think sleep problems might be heading my way. I just could not get comfortable last night. I've cut out liquids in the hours before bed so I can now make it about 2 hours without having to pee. But the weight and size of my stomach is increasing and making it much more difficult to get and stay in a good spot. I'm hoping it was a fluke, but I'm not so sure. I have to sleep on my side, but wake up on my back throughout the night. That's kind of a no-no at this point, but I can't control rolling over in my sleep. Maybe since my belly is getting heavier it'll become harder to roll without waking myself up. I know it's hard to reposition when I do it on purpose!

Clothes: Today we had a break from super hot weather and I'm wearing jeans. This sounds silly, but it's only the 3rd time I've worn jeans since about May. It's just been too dang hot! On a more personal side, some of my under garments aren't fitting properly anymore, so things are definitely growing. You know you have to buy new tops and pants for pregnancy, but new undies, I wasn't expecting that one.

Cravings/Aversions: No real aversions at this point. Fried okra is about the best food ever invented. Diet coke from a fountain is still my favorite beverage. I've realized I drink ice cold water much better than cool or room temp water. I keep about six 20 oz water bottles in the fridge and refill and reuse them. I can chug almost an entire bottle when I'm at home. Thirst is intense, especially at night when I'm trying to limit myself. I bought a big thing of vanilla/chocolate swirl ice cream that I enjoy a small bowl of each evening. It's so good. Like too good.

Movement: This past weekend I think she was having a growth spurt because things were pretty calm and quiet. She still met the 10 movements in a 2 hour window minimum, but was much calmer than usual. Well that changed on Monday. Mon and Tuesday she was making up for lost time and going crazy. She is a lot stronger than she was even 4 weeks ago. The tech pointed out that she's turned head down and her limbs are on the right so, so that's where I feel most of her movements. She also has a new thing that feels like mini spasms from time to time. They don't last long, but it's a really weird feeling.

Random: She's head down, which is good. In some pictures you can see the umbilical cord sitting over her right shoulder. I'm concerned that it may wrap around her neck at some point, but since there's nothing I can do about it I'm trying not to think about it too much. Today when the nurse took my blood pressure she got 160/82, which is way high for me. I think she rushed it b/c when they redid it with a different nurse she got 126/80 which is perfectly in line with what it usually is for me. Fingers crossed it was a fluke and my BP stays good!!

Baby Size: She is approximately 2 and a half pounds and about 15 inches from head to heel. So length wise she's close to her full size (most babies are about 19-21 inches long). She'll put on a good amount of weight in the next 11 weeks. Apps say she's about the size of a butternut squash. Whatever that looks like. Can't say I'm familiar with that variety of squash lol.

Now for 29 week pictures!