35 Weeks Along and Heading in the Right Direction

35 Weeks

So today we had our ultrasound to check the baby's position and it also is the 35 week mark for us. I was feeling a bit nervous today but also really anxious to just know Baby Neufeld's position so we could move on with things. I'd been analyzing every movement of the baby this past week to try and figure out by myself where the baby was. I had a feeling the baby's head was down, his/her back was resting more on my right side with his/her bum being the big round bump I keep feeling just below my lower right rib, and the feet to my left side where I feel most of the more spastic kicks or punches. Guess what - I was right! Baby Neufeld's head is down and the position I thought he/she was in is the way he/she is laying in my belly! Such great news!

The ultrasound technician was really nice and she was very careful not to show me any pictures of the private areas of the baby so that Baby Neufeld's gender would remain a surprise. I got to see the kidneys, bladder, spine, heart, feet and hands, as well as details of the face like the lips and nose. Everything looked so much more detailed and much bigger in this ultrasound compared to the one I had at 18 weeks. The technician told me that Baby Neufeld weighs approximately 5lbs right now, which she said is right on track with being 35 weeks along, and all of his/her measurements match my due date so all looks well.

I am a very happy Momma today!

8 Months Along

So here we are at the 8 month mark! It's hard to believe that Baby Neufeld is due in 5 weeks!

So what's been going on since my last post....quite a bit actually...

Mike's Mom and my sister-in-law threw Baby Neufeld and I a lovely baby shower this month and we were so blessed with the company of such supportive and loving women and very generous gifts. We have washed all the clothes, blankets, sheets, towels, etc. now and we've got them all ready for Baby Neufeld to use.

Last week I had a midwife appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. That sound really never gets old. It's really just music to my ears. My midwife measured my belly and as it should be, she said it corresponds exactly to how far along I am in weeks. My midwife felt for the baby's position (head down or up) and said she wasn't able to determine for sure which way the baby was facing (she said she was 50-50) so she gave me the option of either going for an ultrasound to determine the baby's position or to come back in a couple of weeks to get her to try and feel the baby's position again. I opted for the ultrasound because I know that if the baby is breech the sooner you try to turn it, the higher the rate of success. My midwife said that 80% of babies are head-down at 35 weeks and by 38 weeks 95% are head-down, so Baby Neufeld still has some time. She also said that if the baby is breech that we will try and turn him/her through various methods, one of which is having an obstetrician physically try and turn the baby from the outside. That sounds pretty uncomfortable to me so I'd like that to be a last resort if possible. Apparently at 35 weeks most babies who are already head-down will stay that way, but 15% of babies who are not yet head down will turn before labour.

I talked to my acupuncturist (who is also a doula) about it and she told me that moxibustion before 35-36 weeks is 90% effective in turning a breech baby and she gave me some moxibustion sticks to use if my ultrasound determines that the baby is breech. Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique which involves burning mugwort (or moxa stick that looks kind of like a cigar), and holding it close to an acupuncture point on the pinky toe in order heat it up and stimulate bloodflow and baby's movements in pregnant women. I would have to do the treatment twice a day for ten days. My acupuncturist also said there are all sorts of acupuncture treatments she can do to help turn a breech baby as well and the sooner I do these, the better the results.

My ultrasound appointment is on Friday, July 23rd and I am really anxious to find out Baby Neufeld's position. I'm praying for Baby Neufeld to be head down, but if he/she isn't yet head down, I'm praying that with some encouragement and perhaps some moxibustion and acupuncture, he/she will move head down on his/her own. I've been completely analyzing every single kick and movement from Baby Neufeld since my midwife appointment to try and determine which way Baby Neufeld is sitting. I'm feeling all of the movements at the top of my stomach and in the upper left. I assumed that this was from the bum and feet of the baby, but I guess it could also be from the head and arms. It's hard to know!

The people I've talked to about all of this have all told me that it is great that my midwife is being so thorough and making sure she knows the baby's position instead of guessing. I've heard horror stories of women having been told their babies are head-down only to find out during labour that they actually are not and then having to have an emergency c-section. Yikes!

I'll keep you posted...

Hello Summer!

I'm in my 33rd week of pregnancy now and my belly is really starting to get big. I've had so many people comment on how much my belly has grown in the past few weeks. Apparently this is the time when Baby Neufeld is packing on the chub so he/she doesn't come out looking scrawny.

The summer has decided to peek it's head around the corner and it's starting to get HOT! I think a trip to Kits pool this weekend may be in order to cool down. Just this week I've noticed that my feet and fingers are starting to swell sometimes (mostly when I'm walking) and my back is starting to ache from supporting my growing belly. I guess these are the fun 3rd trimester things that come with pregnancy. I love that it's summer time though and I can wear non-constricting summer dresses and sandals. I've taken my rings off my fingers so they don't get stuck on my stubby fingers when they swell and I've booked myself a prenatal massage for the weekend to help with the back aches so I think I'm in pretty good shape for now.

Baby Neufeld is squirming around a lot these days and I'm loving every minute of it. It's so neat to see my belly moving and knowing that it's our baby inside doing that. Although my belly is making everything I do a little more awkward these days, I'm still really enjoying being pregnant and I am so looking forward to meeting our little rascal in the next couple of months.