34 Week Update

It's cold here in Texas. It sleeted a bit today, and we might get snow tonight. I don't like winter much, because I dislike being cold. It is actually painful to me. However, the upside of being very pregnant in the winter 3 times now is that the increased metabolism and blood volume tend to keep me just a few degrees warmer.

This drives my husband crazy. When I get into bed at night, the sheets are cool and I am a little chilly, but I hunker down. Dressed in a short-sleeve t-shirt, shorts, and no socks, by the middle of the night I am toasty warm, throwing the covers off my feet and flipping my pillow over to get a cool spot (normally, I hate having my feet uncovered). He, on the other hand, wears a long-sleeved shirt, sweat pants, and wool socks, and pulls the covers up over his head so that pretty much only his nose is sticking out. It's quite comical.

Ah, my hips! My only current pregnancy complaint. My chiropractic appointment today was canceled due to the inclement weather. I was just as glad not to get the kids on the road, but still. I was looking forward to walking normally again.

I did get a lot done this week. Ordered the birth kit, for one. The birth kit contains all the single-use supplies my midwife will need at the birth, such as sterile gloves and pads and cord clamps and such. There are a bunch of things I need to assemble and prepare; towels and sheets and extra film for the camera and so forth. It's always exciting to get the supplies in the mail; makes the impending birth seem more real.

I think I'm decided on the pool I want, and buying instead of renting. More on that later. Also need to work on who is coming to the birth and when. Got hold of two birth videos; one from the library and another borrowed. And checked out again from the library my favorite children's book, really the best and only one for homebirths, Welcome With Love. Highly recommended.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now. If you've been nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major long-term problems related to prematurity.