34 Weeks and Counting

I hit the 34 week mark yesterday. My midwife appointments are now every two weeks and I had one today. It was fairly uneventful - blood pressure normal, weight gain of 1 lb in the last week, for a total of 18 pounds for the pregnancy so far. I doubt i will gain too much more, because I am losing my appetite. Or, I should say, my appetite is fine, but my capacity is dwindling.

My midwife was totally backed up this morning, with two women in labor, plus they are shorthanded until the new addition to the team is trained, so the practice asked if I would see another provider. It was either that or wait for about two hours; Um, I'll see the receptionist if it will get me out of here faster! I saw a Nurse Practitioner who usually does only gyne appointments, so she was actually great - very careful to take a lot of time, ask me tons of questions, get to know some of my history, etc. I told her that i wasn't experiencing any unusual or painful symptoms, but I did give her my litany of complaints:

• nasal congestion
• breathlessness
• fatigue
• acid reflux
• trouble taking deep breaths when laying down
• trouble sleeping in general
• lower back ache
• groin and thigh muscle soreness
• itchy tummy
• tired, aching feet
• pelvic discomfort
• lots of vaginal discharge
• constipation (they just get sexier and sexier, don't they?)
• pee pee pee pee pee
• HOTHOTHOT

Anyway, it was a quick and easy appointment. I go back in two more weeks. This is going by so quickly. I think hitting 34 weeks has suddenly made me realize I need tie up all my loose ends (finish the nursery, work with Rollie on the big boy bed, get out the carseat and install it, arrange for people to take care of Rollie when we go to the hospital, and pack for the hospital). It is funny how I had all of this done by the end of the 2nd trimester last time!

I am starting to really kind of get excited about getting the show on the road. This time around, the element of the unknown isn't there as much, so I feel like I am enjoying the thought of meeting my daughter more than I did last time, when there were so many unknown variables in play. But I would be lying if I wasn't worrying about two things: Induction and breastfeeding.

Countdown: Anywhere from three to eight weeks left! Boy. That narrows it down - didn't I say something about the unknown variables I wasn't worrying about?