Weeks 29 and 30: Let the pains begin!

Ha.  I thought I'd give this post an entertaining title to describe my last two weeks.  So the end of pregnancy pains have decided to partner with me.  Fortunately, the rib pain I mentioned in the last post has been almost nil.  I had it one other time but otherwise, I've been fine there.  Praise God.  I've definitely reached the point of almost constant low back pain.  I'm thinking I can blame that on the 24 extra pounds I've gained and the 22-30lbs of whichever kid I'm carrying off and on throughout the day.  I'm definitely feeling more exhausted by the end of each day.  My Braxton-Hicks contractions have kicked into full gear.  That's always entertaining.... or something... I've have more swelling in my feet this time then I ever remember having in previous pregnancies.  It's not a worrisome amount of swelling but there none-the-less.  Oh, and the best part, I failed my glucose test.  Yep.  Instead of taking the 3 hour in office test, I decided to monitor my glucose levels at home with a glucometer instead.  It should be more accurate in letting me know how my body is processing these sugars after real meals.  So far, my numbers have been pretty low, averaging in the 80s during the day but around 100 after dinners.  My midwife said if they stay on this same trajectory by my next visit, I can stop the hassle of monitoring them.

There's a little about the pains of my pregnancy.  On to the more encouraging things...  Abigail continues to move around constantly!  It's not obnoxious or painful yet so it's still fun to feel her move all over the place.  As far as I know, the pregnancy continues to be a healthy one.  I'm still physically measuring right on target for my gestation.  I usually start to dip at this point I believe,   though maybe it's further along in the pregnancy.  My midwife commented on how it would make sense for me to measure small considering I have a very long torso and the babies just tend to hang out very low.  All of my babies have been small as well (with my largest at 6lbs, 11oz).

In non-pregnancy related news, life has been more enjoyable lately.  James and I are both learning a great deal about ourselves and how those things affect our lives, marriage, parenting, work, friendships, etc.  We've been taking some measures to really step back from some outside responsibilities and focus on our souls and our family.  It's been very encouraging.  Life is still busy of course, but in a more controlled and orderly way.

We started school back at the beginning of week 30.  Since I have the joy of homeschooling, I can choose our schedule.  This year, I have a 2nd grader, a Kindergartener, a Preschooler and then the toddler and baby on the way.  I want to be able to take several weeks off school when Abigail comes so we got a jump start.  So far, it's going very well.  Zero complaints.

Until next time...

Take care,
Terra