33wks going on 34 wks

To answer C-note's question, I decided to just make a post about it since I haven't really gone into specific regarding my pregnancy progress lately...

On Monday, I met with my OB and we got another U/S. He says he's "100-200% sure that the baby is a boy". We saw "the sac" haha. The baby boy was super active during the u/s - kicking and punching like crazy. It was hard to measure him. However, the OB measured my belly and it's at 32cm, which is on track. At 33 wks pregnant, measuring 32 cm is normal he says. If I were at 34-35cm he'd be worried, especially since i have GDM.

Key differences between 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimester for tiramesu82, a recapo:

1st trimester - is there really life growing in my belly? - mild morning sickness:

• weight loss: only by a few lbs since I was trying to eat healthy - had to cut out a lot of desserts, candy, pastries... you get the pic
• low energy, feeling fatigued: on top of normal preg fatigue I also had life stuff to deal with: moving households, international travel, work, grad school (thesis)
• nausea: week 5-10, thankfully this wasn't too bad... never threw-up, just felt sea-sick
• issues with sleep: interrupted sleep for bathroom breaks
• food cravings/aversions: HATED chicken, craved japanese food, craved in-n-out, arby's, etc., couldn't watch Foodnetwork - made me nauseous
  
• exercise: walking
  

2nd trimester - honeymoon period - feeling like myself again!:

• very energetic: pulled at least 5 all-nighters to finish my thesis , would always be running errands, cooking, baking, working, shopping, exercising
• Got to travel and still have a good time - wasn't too tired
  
• belly getting noticeably bigger now but still not big enough to slow me down
• issues with sleep: still wake up multiple times throughout the night
• I had my baby shower at the end of the 2nd trimester which was good planning since immediately after the baby shower I hit a wall, hence, welcoming the 3rd trimester
• (I really recommend having a baby shower BEFORE the 3rd trimester since the 3rd trimester is pretty rough)
• food cravings: still had aversion to chicken, was able to watch FoodNetwork again:)
  
• exercise: walking, prenatal yoga, swimming
• injury: at end of 2nd trimester I pulled a lower back muscle and couldn't walk for 5 days due to too much activity - my body was telling me to slow the heck down!
  

3rd trimester - oh boy! getting frickin' HUGE and feeling exhausted:

• sinking energy level: my brain/mind wants to do so much still but my body thinks otherwise! last week i did a lot of cooking and baking - but my body is paying for it now
• got to travel again but this time i came back completely exhausted. Chuperman and I went to Vegas for a weekend getaway to see the Beatle's Love show and Spamalot:) Great shows but super exhausting trip!
• belly growing at an exponential rate: 3rd trim is notorious for the biggest weight gain for both fetus and mom, harder to move around, waddling big time
  
• exercise: walks - i've been more careful with not walking too fast - i don't want to pull a muscle again! preg momma's are more susceptible to muscle strain/sciatica
  
• sleep deprivation: been getting the worst sleep - this is the worst out of the 3 trimesters for me, esp that im sick this week... sleep is pretty non-existent at night.. i try to take cat naps to make up for it but still feel exhausted. also, the baby is super active and makes restful slumber that much harder
• public reaction: in general, very positive - now that i'm unmistakably pregnant - i find that ppl are nicer to me - opening doors, greeting me with more zeal, helping me hold/load stuff, compliments, looking (or staring) at me with awe and intrigue (prob from sheer size of my belly), im getting more free food, free iced tea, free stuff, ppl are getting out of my way if they see me coming haha
  

"Nesting Stage"

A friend told me that the "nesting stage" occurs at the end of the 2nd trim or beginning of 3rd trimester -- this is when the preg momma feels the need to get EVERYTHING ready for the arrival of the baby. Well, this hasn't happened to me yet haha but I figured that I should schedule it in since I never got that "need" to get everything ready in a jiffy yet. So the scheduled nesting stage was supposed to occur this week for me, but since I have a damn cold, it'll be pushed off by another week or so, until i get better. I think it's okay, b/c my belly hasn't dropped yet. When the baby drops, then I'm gonna go into turbo mode for sure.
After the shower, i hit a wall, and was super exhausted and couldn't get myself to do anything, let alone organize baby stuff. I still need to make a spreadsheet of all the baby stuff inventory we have. Then I have to return/exchange/purchase stuff at Baby's R Us and Target. We still have to get a stroller! And waiting for infant carrier...
Crib and pack'n'play stills needs assembly....

According to pregnancy books, the fetus at about 33/34 wks is approximately 4-4.5 lbs - and for the remainder of the term will gain 1/2lb each week!

Birthing Plan:

no epidural.
I know, I'm in the clear minority and ppl think I'm nutz. since studies regarding the drug toxicity and adverse health effects on the fetus, newborn, and mom from an epidural administered during delivery are inconclusive, and I feel that since our bodies are made to deliver NATURALLY - that getting an epidural is not for me. Since I have back issues, an epidural may actually exacerbate my problematic back in the long-term.

We're down to the last stretch - holy sheeeeit!! Just 6-7 more weeks!!!