What changes are occurring with your body?

From your belly button it should be about 6 inches to the top of your uterus. By this point, you should have gained anywhere from 24 to 29 pounds. (umm, well if the scale i went on was accurate before i was pregnant to the scale i was just on today at kaiser - i actually gained like, ahem..uh, um a total of 43 lbs!!!!!!!!!!!!!BAHHHHHHHHHHHH)

If you have been short of breath, it is due to your uterus being underneath your rib cage, causing you to have difficulty breathing ( i was having shortness of breath, id say about a few weeks ago but recently it hasnt been a problem). Towards the end of your pregnancy, your baby drops, which is called lightening (well supposedly, he is really down low now and is in an optimal position). The baby is beginning to settle deeper into your pelvis which relieves pressure on your diaphragm, so you are not so short of breath (yeah, thats what i just said, but didnt you just say the opposite?). Lightening can increase the pressure on your bladder, causing more trips to the bathroom (so true, so true but what they dont say is how very little you actually pee).

How big is your baby?

Your baby is continuing to grow and most likely measures between 17 to 18 inches long and weighs 5 ½ to 6 pounds. (now our midwives say we have a petite baby but perfect none the less. so im not sure if this is particularly accurate for me).

What is happening with your baby?

The vast majority of your baby's growth is complete by 35 weeks (woo hoo!). His kidneys are completely developed, and the liver is beginning to process waste. Because your baby has grown so much, you will notice that he will no longer be performing an aerobic workout (uh, what are you talking about? he still likes to jab me quite frequently). There just is not enough room for somersaults. However, this does not mean you will not feel your baby move. His kickboxing routine should stay the same. (so supposedly you are supposed to count kicks and what not or whatever, but then i feel like its just there to once again freak a pregnant woman out as in - oh my god, yesterday baby kicked me like 15 times, today it was only lik13..oh no, he's lost his leg, he's lost his foot bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

So i had a kaiser appointment today to do some blood work to check if my iron levels are better this time - to which i was all shit, i forgot to take my supplements last night. the lab was crazy busy. you have to take a number and i pulled 72, they were only "serving" number 42 when i got there. and then, by the time i did get called, they register you and then you have to wait once again. so i get to the station to get my blood drawn and they supposedly are trying to amp up their "security" and kept wanting to see my id and kaiser card plus verify my stats and address. the blood guy looked at my paperwork and the stickers they print out for the work to be done and hes like - who registered you? cause apparently she printed out like the wrong ass tests or labels or something..great, thanks kaiser. its nice to know i am in good hands..security my ass.

anyway, i got to see lil choo choo today on a short split second (as in blink and you wouldnt have known what the ob had just shown you) ultrasound (sans cw, which i am sure he would have been disappointed to know that one was to take place today w/out him) - ob wanted to check position and heart beat. all was good. verifying what our midwives have said - he is already head down (way down). aside from the blood work i got my group B strep work done today. results in the next couple of weeks.

i told my ob how the closer i get to the due date the more stupid fears arise. like, am i drinking enough, am i eating enough of the right foods etc.. and you know what she had to say? well, you cant really hurt the baby unless you like do coke or something otherwise its all up to chance..this after she had shown me a mere nano second of an ultrasound where i could have made out a way too huge head or an extra limb or an elephant trunk or something. but of course, this is why we have our midwives. although, ill give our ob some credit - she was a lot better today than the other times. she wasnt so displeased this time around with the fact that i chose to have my baby at home. she gave nice alternatives and just simply mentioned that kaiser will be here for me if i (or baby) need or want.

one thing is for sure, its really hard to walk around these days. i feel a lot more pressure in my pelvic region and i dont know, im just tired of working i guess. that and i am just plain ol tired and unsure about a lot of things these days - mostly not about the baby but stuff in general.