30 weeks!

    We've reached the 30 week mark today! Baby is growing still and we are getting more and more excited to meet him! It'll be here before we know it.

Symptoms: 

• Acid Reflux- I've had issues with this my whole life, but it's definitely worse being pregnant! I do my best not to eat before going to bed, and especially not anything spicy. I sleep with 2 pillows to stay angled enough that it doesn't get too bad. This symptom was WAAAAAAY bad when I had my cold. For some reason, being congested was a sign for the acid reflux to act up. Cough drops were needed, but also made it worse. So if i started coughing during the night and had to use a cough drop, I was done for. I'd have to sleep sitting up for the rest of the night. 
• Pelvic Pain- This comes and goes. Some days it's so bad it hurts to walk, other days I barely notice it. Certain things I do will cause stabbing pain, like when I roll out of bed in the morning. It feels like a knife is being stabbed right in the front of my pelvis (in the pubic symphysis). Not very pleasant, but at least it isn't as regular as it was during weeks 15-25.
• Back Pain- This is similar to the pelvic pain. Some days it's awful, other days it's not too bad. The more I walk, the more it hurts. This is just a fact of life!
• Frequent Peeing- This one has come and gone for me throughout the pregnancy. I guess it's getting to its worst phase now though, since some nights I get up twice in night to pee instead of just once like I was during the other trimesters. I wouldn't say I have to pee all the time though. Yet. :)
• Breathing- Since he's sitting breech, he's not kicking my lungs and ribs, so I don't feel that I'm really having any trouble with breathing yet. I get out of breath faster, but that's cause I'm carrying extra weight! This will probably get worse over these last few weeks as he keeps growing and hopefully flips.
• Swelling- Still don't have much of this! My wedding ring has started to feel more snug, but since I can still take it off I think we're doing ok. I still have my tiny ankles, so maybe I'll get through this pregnancy without having the dreaded "cancles" (or however it's spelled)!
• Emotions- I feel like I've started becoming more emotional lately, kind of like when I was in the first trimester. I'm more prone to crying over silly things, and having my feelings hurt more easily. Ryan is handling all of this like a champ, and just letting it happen. 
• Weight Gain- This one is hard for me. I know that weight gain in normal, cause I mean come on, I'm growing a human being! BUT, it's still hard to see the numbers increasing. Since I haven't been active and I don't always eat the way I should, I've gained more than is necessary. My OB says my weight looks fine and hasn't said anything else about it, but I'm getting more and more aware of it. I'm up 32lbs currently. Hopefully watching my diet better and walking regularly will help that not to rise to a much higher number by the end. 

Exercise: 

• I've started doing 30 minute walks around the track at the rec center with a friend. That seems to be the perfect amount of time. By the end I feel swollen, especially in my hands, my back starts to hurt & my waddle increases, but I feel good and not like I've over-done it. I think if we went for a longer time, those discomforts would become real pains. It is hard to find the motivation to go everyday like I want to, since at the end of the work day I just want to go home, have dinner, and veg. So it's a work in progress!

Other:

• I've been sleeping with a pregnancy wedge pillow thing to try and help with my back pain. I think it helps, but not so much that I think it's the best invention and I need to tell all pregnant women about it. We'll see if it becomes more important to me as my belly continues to get bigger and heavier.
• I ordered a maternity support belt at the suggestion of my OB, and I'm excited to give it a try once it arrives. It's supposed to help with both the pelvic & back pain I have.
• I've been making some of my regular shirts work as maternity shirts, but I'm at the point now that I won't be able to continue doing that. I do have maternity shirts, but even those seem to be getting snug. I don't want to buy more now since I only have 10 weeks left, but wearing the same things over and over gets boring. A sacrifice I'm willing to make though to save money!

Baby:

• He is still breech, but has plenty of time to flip before the big day. I don't mind not getting kicked in the ribs, so this arrangement works out great for now!
• He isn't a super active baby, so I cherish all of his movements. He's more active in the evening and later, although I'm starting to feel him during the day more frequently.
• He responds to music and flashlights that are placed on my belly
• He hasn't done anything that causes me pain, although I think he's found a nerve or something to bump in there on the left side that he'll hit sometimes. It sends this shocking feeling down my leg. Since it catches me off guard, it normally makes me jump. It happened at church once and startled Ryan when I jumped suddenly. Pretty funny!
• He should be almost 3lbs, and about 15-17in long. 

Overall, I still LOVE being pregnant! I'm going to miss feeling him move once he's out, that's for sure. It's still hard to wrap my mind around the fact that there is a BABY in there, and I'm not just gaining weight. It blows my mind how we're able to grow people. Take a second to think about it, like REALLY think about it, and you'll probably have your mind blown too! It's such an incredible thing to be a part of. I'm grateful to have this opportunity, as I know that not every woman does. Sometimes when I look at my belly (stretch marks and all), I can't help but feeling incredibly blessed.