Uhhhh.... Week 32

Oops, in all the craziness that was Labor Day, we completely missed Week 31. Well, not really, but I forgot to update here. The biggest news of that week was the heartburn that hit Heidi like a Mack truck, right on schedule. We have since discovered the 8th wonder of the world, Gaviscon! Safe for CL and works better than Tums.

Also on the health front, Heidi's gotten short of breath on longer walks, or from climbing stairs, and the pain in her back and legs have increased. She's trying to rest often and load up on calcium.

Anyway, as far as Week 32 is concerned...

Mother:

As you begin to have more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions you may begin to wonder more about labor and what it will entail for you, your family and your baby. You aren't alone in having these thoughts.

Most women have questions about labor and birth, for example:

Is this really labor?
When should I go to the birth place?
How do I time contractions?
Who should come with me? (Partner, doula, parents, siblings, etc.)
What should I pack?
Will labor be really painful?

I want to address the last question specifically. About 10% of women will tell you that labor is extremely painful, while 10% of the women will tell you that they experienced no pain. The rest, 80%, will fall someplace in the middle of the two extremes. You really need to look at the sources of pain in labor and birth. We do know that women who have taken childbirth classes tend to report less painful experiences and have fewer complications than women who have not taken classes.

Baby:

Your baby's movements will peak this week. From now on the will change in quantity and quality. Remember to do your Fetal Kick Counts. Most of the wrinkles are disappearing from your baby's face, and there may be a lot of hair on their head! The weight gain has been fairly incredible recently. Your baby has put on about 2 pounds of weight, mostly fat and muscle tissue, since last month, bringing the total to about three pounds eleven ounces (1.7 kilograms), and measurements to 40 cms or 15.8 inches!

Babies who are born at a younger gestation than this will most likely having difficulties sucking or nursing. This also applies to babies who weigh less than 1500 grams at birth. A good sucking pattern is a sign of neuromuscular maturity.

Well, regarding the questions in the Mother section, I'll definitely defer to our "Great Expectations" classes (during which Dickens hasn't been mentioned once).

On Knowing When It's Labor:
Some signs are

• A sudden burst of energy or the "nesting instinct"


• Lightening or Dropping of the baby


• An upset stomach


• Diarrhea


• Bloody show (this may be the cervix beginning to open)


• Loss of mucous plug


• Weight loss


• Slight increase in blood pressure

Other than the "nesting" and the baby dropping, none of this sounds like any fun.

One of the biggest signs of labor is the bursting of the "bag of waters", which for some reason I sense will happen in my new car. It's certain it's a pretty dramatic sign, and should be followed quickly by a phone call to the doctor, if we're not already at the hospital or simply stuck in rush hour traffic, for which I'm also mentally preparing myself -- Murphy's Law being what it is (or should I say Finagle's Law?).

Also, I was interested in the topic of Fetal Kick Counts, which is a way to determine your child's wellbeing, as well as to potentially frighten yourself to death should you not feel the amount of movement you'd like. Here's the info online:

The Fetal Kick Count is done in many ways. This is but one of the ways of counting and recording your baby's movement.

The first thing you want to do is pick your babies most active time of the day to begin. Do not set yourself for panic by waiting until the quiet times. Take a piece of paper and write down the time you start paying attention, put a check mark on the paper every time you feel movement (kick, twist, punch, turn). Do not count hiccups. When you have felt ten movements, write that time down as well.

Doing this at the same time every day will help with the accuracy of the test. If your baby is having a slow day, try walking for five minutes, eating, or drinking juice and then go lie down on your left side to see if that will perk your sleepy little one up. Keep in mind that we do not feel all the movements of the baby. We actually probably are too busy moving ourselves to notice the majority of movements. Also, a placenta that is anterior or a mother with some extra weight may provide yet another barrier to feeling all the movements.

Your baby should move ten times in four hours. If this does not happen call your practitioner for advice on what to do next.

Remember, there are different methods of kick counting. Ask your practitioner which they prefer, or use the one provided here.

Can a mom tell the difference between a hiccup and a turn?

All I know is that Crazy Legs has been pretty active lately, particularly when Heidi cranks up Franz Ferdinand on the car stereo. I'll guess I'll only really start to worry if CL has the same reaction to Barry Manilow.



Know what I'm sayin'?