32 Weeks: In which Ziggy and I take our leave of the "Natural State" (aka Arkansas)

Ack, it's been an entire week since I last posted! Time to remedy that. Today marks 32 weeks, and I must say, this week has brought some new symptoms. I woke up twice in the middle of the night with what felt like very mild cramps in my lower back, right where I usually feel menstrual cramps. I tried to shift position to relieve the discomfort but that didn't really work. Getting up and drinking about 8 glasses of water did though! I guess I was just dehydrated. I'm still trying to figure out if these two episodes could have been Braxton Hicks contractions. My belly did feel sort of harder and firmer than usual, but sometimes I think that's just due to how Ziggy's positioned.

Speaking of Ziggy, he has been quite the little Thumper this week! Aside from the usual rolling undulations of my belly, I have also experienced episodes of very rapid kicking that feel like a very strong flutter, which makes my belly jump and pulsate, sometimes in two locations at once. It almost seems as if he's saying, "Hey, it's getting cramped in here, and I need to stretch out!" Thump, thump, thump! He has episodes of hiccups at least once, but sometimes up to three times a day, which means he's being a good little boy and practicing his breathing. Another sensation I've noticed, especially if I'm lying on my side and place my hand on my lower belly, way down on the side by my hip bone, is the feeling of something rolling across the lower part of my belly. Since I know his head is down there, I imagine he's either turning his head or moving his little hand near his face. Anyway, it's a cool feeling--I wish I could describe it better.

Speaking of Ziggy's head being down low, my half Russian friend saw me this weekend and said my belly looked different, that maybe I had already dropped!? That surprised me since from what I've read, the baby dropping tends to happen about 2-4 weeks before delivery (although I also read plenty of anecdotal stories online of women going past their due dates even though their babies had dropped before 30 weeks!). I really hope Ziggy doesn't arrive in 2-4 weeks! Please stay in there at least till 37, little guy!

It's kind of crazy to think that full term could be anywhere from 5-10 weeks from now. That's such a large range of time. My friend asked me if I was eager to get the baby out and stop being pregnant, and honestly, I'm not. I still don't feel that physically uncomfortable (although admittedly I have experienced increased sinus congestion and wheezing this week), and I love the feeling of Ziggy's movements. I think I will really miss that aspect of being pregnant once he's outside of me. But, I did admit that I'll feel relieved once he's safely delivered. I don't actively think about it, but there's always the fear at the back of my mind that something could go wrong in the last few weeks or during labor and delivery. Of course once he's born, I guess there will be other things to worry about (SIDS, flu season, etc), so I really can't escape it. Welcome to motherhood, right?

Anyway, back to Ziggy's head dropping...I think it might be true because all of a sudden this week I have to pee every five seconds it seems. Sure I've been urinating with greater frequency for the entire pregnancy, but this is different. I have the strong urge to go again as soon as I get off the toilet, but when I go, usually only a small amount comes out. The worst was when I decided to walk around the track at the base gym on Tuesday. I don't know if it was the walking that brought it on, but it felt like something (his head) was literally resting on my bladder, and sometimes the urge to go would grow really strong and then subside just as suddenly. I had to stop three times to use the bathroom.

Afterward, a woman who had been shooting baskets in the gym below the track asked when I was due (the first time a stranger has asked!) and then said something about how she hoped all my walking wasn't going to induce labor. That gave me pause for a moment. I definitely don't want to induce labor prematurely, but I also know how important it is for my entire body, especially my lungs, to be exercised. I'd been feeling like a bit of a slacker in the exercise department for a few weeks (it's not that I've totally given it up--it just hasn't been as consistent and regular) and wanted to start exercising more regularly in these last couple of months before the baby comes (just walking and prenatal yoga now--the prenatal aerobics I was doing earlier has been way too jarring since I entered the third trimester). For a while now, it's seemed like I always had some excuse for not exercising (extreme fatigue, a bad night of sleep, aching hips, feeling overheated, stomach ache, too hungry or too full, etc), but all of a sudden I feel a lot more energetic and want to be active. Sitting around is not appealing and I feel the urge to clean and organize. I guess this is the famous nesting instinct I've heard about kicking in. Good timing too since we have to move out of our place by Monday (I'm flying to CA on Saturday, so I wont be here for the actual move out, but I plan to clean everything before I leave).

As much as I am sad to be separated from AC, I'll be relieved once I'm safely in CA and near my new doctor. It's a bit scary to be traveling alone at 32 weeks (unfortunately AC has to stay here for a bit longer--I'll update more about his plans as they solidify). So, chances are my next post will be written from the West Coast. Until next time then...