32 weeks above
33 weeks above
153.5 pounds this 33rd week... I have officially met my 25 pound goal, 7 weeks too early lol. I have definitely gained more than baby weight, but at least she will be born in the summer so we can take lots of walks/jogs. Midwife appt is upcoming Tue... I have also been seeing a chiropractor past two weeks - 4 visits so far, and 2 more next week. I haven't noticed much difference, but I wasn't in that much pain before either. I think it has helped a tiny bit for my lower back/sacrum area and possibly will help keep me more mobile for the birth coming up... Ariel should be over 4 pounds now and still gaining weight rapidly. She's still moving a lot too and makes my whole belly twitch and move. She also gets hiccups at least twice per day that I notice. I will probably be starting perineal massage next week - week 34 and will try to remember to mention it to my midwife on Tuesday. If you don't know what it is, look it up! It helps to prevent tearing during birth, especially for your first birth and if you have had episiotomy in the past. You can see from the pics that I don't have any stretch marks YET except for the small 'X' over my top belly piercing hole. I'm sure it will get worse too as she continues to grow. The past couple weeks I have really felt the pressure on my skin to stretch... Finally, Hieu and I started childbirth classes 2 weeks ago with April Bolding at her West Seattle home. There are about 7 other couples that meet there Wed nights, all planning either home birth or birth at a birth center (like us). The most helpful parts so far are learning techniques for rhythm, relaxation and ritual, and also therapeutic touch. We have watched a couple birth videos and have had some sharing about our concerns/thoughts and talked about what pre-labor and labor signs there are. A lot of the info is stuff we have learned in nursing school, but it is definitely good to review it and have time to practice coping techniques. Ariel says hello and goodbye, she just swiped her little foot across my belly lol. I don't think many people have seen her truly in action, but when she is in an active period she just goes crazy in there. Ttfn!
