35 Weeks

Feeling: I had a rough weekend, well rough Saturday night...as long as I'm at work, I'm up on my feet, running around constantly, walking with patients, and working so I'm ok. Over the weekend, I was busy shopping, packing for the hospital and running errands...but at night Steve and I had a movie night planned. I could not get comfortable on the couch at all, laying on the left, laying on the right, sitting up, I just could not get comfortable. I felt like the baby was up in my chest and could not shake it! It was so painful, I had tears in my eyes.  I tried sleeping on like 100 pillows, on my side, but then my back hurt, ugh, luckily I haven't had a night like that since! I haven't had any contractions yet, hopefully they won't be like that because it was almost constant pain stabbing me in the chest. Ugh! Other than that, I've been feeling ok, my back hurts at the end of a workday, especially now because my caseload is really busy. I can tell baby's limbs are a lot bigger now with kicks and pokes into my side, which is exciting! I'm tired, but don't sleep the greatest between pee breaks and frequent position changes in the night. Laying on my left is the most comfortable, but I can't stay in one place all night, my left shoulder has actually started hurting from being in that position too long at times. Baby birth class is going well, Steve and I are learning some great skills that will hopefully help me through my labor. I'm still on the fence about the pain killers, I've decided I just have to wait and see how I handle the pain before I decide to do the epidural or not! I go to the doc on Thursday and then I'll be going every week until baby arrives!

Fun Facts About Week 35: Your baby is standing tall (so to speak) this week at about 20 inches and continues her steady weight gain (she’s about 5.5 pounds). While she won't get much longer, she will continue to pack on the pounds — including large amounts of baby fat — right up 'til delivery day. Something else that's moving at a mind-boggling pace these day: fetal brain development! There’s a lot going on inside that tiny head, which is, by the way, still soft to allow an easier exit through the birth canal.

Now that your baby is head-down in preparation for delivery, chances are your bladder is feeling the squeeze, causing you to leak a little every time you sneeze (or cough or laugh) or making you feel like you have an urgent need to pee all the time. Whatever you do, don’t cut back on fluids! One way to improve your body's holding power instead: Do lots and lots of those pelvic-floor exercises called Kegals. They can help strengthen your pelvic muscles (important now and postpartum).