35 week (actually 34w5d) BPP today. And the appointment was a shocker.
Me: He’s been active today. He’s totally off-kilter. [Pointing to right side of stomach, which is a solid inch higher than left side.] That’s usually where his legs are, but that must be his butt?
Me & Ultrasound Tech (we’re friends now): {Both laughing}
Ultrasound Tech (placing wand on what we thought was the butt): That’s not his butt. That’s his head. He flipped since last week! He’s breech!
Me: Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.
Of fucking course. I mean that kiddo was locked and loaded head down for the last few months. So he waits until all babies are supposed to be head down and decides to flip?!? The ultrasound tech was shocked. She said she can only recall at most three times she’s ever seen a baby who was head down flip back up this late in pregnancy. DAMMIT!
I have been furiously researching breech position, and I’ll have more on that later. The good news is that there’s still a chance that he’ll flip, and I can already tell he’s been moving around today and is not in the position he was in during the appointment (which is not to say that he’s head down, of course).
In the meantime, while I put together my thoughts on this most unwelcome development, let me complain about how I am sick of being pregnant. This pregnancy has not been as easy as my last one!! Maybe it’s because I was younger, or that I was soooo happy being pregnant that I ignored the bad stuff, or that I gained less weight last time around. Or maybe it’s because every pregnancy is different.
Whatever the reason, I feel like ass.
In no particular order, I have the WORST heartburn. I vaguely remember getting mild heartburn once or twice at the very end of my last pregnancy. A TUMs and I was all better. This time? Raging heartburn starting at 32 weeks. Eventually I was taking 3 TUMs before bed and then 2 more in the middle of the night when a bout of heartburn (it’s really awful!) would wake me up. My Dr. said it was time to move to something stronger at my 34 week appointment, so I’ve started taking Pepcid. It mostly helps, but I still have to be careful to stop eating or drinking 2 hrs before bed, and sleep propped up. (I literally have 10 pillows in bed with me. My family calls it the fortress.)
Swollen feet. Again, I think I might have had swollen feet right at the end of my last pregnancy. This time, I completely lost my ankles at 32 weeks, and have only a few pairs of shoes I can squeeze these fat tootsies into. The only good thing about the water retention is that I hope it might explain some of my excessive weight gain. (I am now well over 45lbs+, and I still have 5+weeks to go!!) I read that taking a bath with Epsom salts can help, so I’ve been doing that recently and noting mild improvement.
Constipation. I have never, ever, had constipation in my entire life. I had no idea how lucky I have been. Apparently constipation is pretty normal in pregnancy, as your digestion slows down. Whatever the reason, a couple of weeks ago I hadn’t pooped in days, and when I finally did… well, let’s just say it’s the first time I’ve ever feared childbirth. I talked to my doctor about it and she suggested a fiber pill, which I now take every morning.
Back pain. Now this is something I had last time around, but I managed it with prenatal yoga and massage. Because I was in such good running shape when I got pregnant this time around, I continued to focus on my cardio—running (until 32 weeks, when my hips told me it was time to be done), swimming, and doing cross-training.* Ironically, I have gained far more weight this time around doing cardio than I did last time when I focused on yoga and lighter exercise. Anyway, at 34 weeks I started doing prenatal yoga (finally, although did it cause my baby to turn??) and I also have a massage scheduled.
Hip pain. This is also one I remember. It’s gotten worse since I stopped running and started doing yoga. I’m hoping the yoga will eventually work its magic but I just might be too big at this point for anything to help.
Weight gain. Like I already said (repeatedly), I have gained soooo much weight. Everyone I see says I look great, but I know the (naked) truth: NOPE. I gained 35+lbs with my son, which was I was totally fine with. This time, though, I am up more than 45lbs and I still have at least 5 weeks to go!! I have not been eating enough to gain that much weight—some of it has to be water weight!! (I cannot face the thought of trying to lose 30+lbs of fat!!)
Vaginal discomfort. The other week my V was just really, really uncomfortable. I ended up doing some internet searching, which suggested a cold compress. That did the trick, and I now have (in case of another flare-up) a wet rag sitting in my freezer in case I need a compress again. UGH.
Hopefully this will all be worth it!
Okay, standby for more on breech babies soon….
*I think I’ve mentioned this a number of times—exercise during pregnancy is good!
Indeed, as big/swollen as I have gotten, my blood pressure is amazing. My doctor tells me—keep exercising!
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