32 weeks and counting...

We had a little excitement this week as I woke up around 1am on Monday morning with some terrible pain in my lower abdomen and major lower back pain. My monthly appointment was scheduled for Tuesday so I decided I just better move it up a day. Turns out that although those symptoms can be signs of preterm labor, the doctor wasn't sure exactly what it was. Could have just been some major gas pain or, well, something else- who knows? But it had subsided (the abdominal pain, not the back pain) but the time I got to the doctor so it is hard to tell what exactly it was. They did a swab of my cervix to see if the hormone fetal fibronectin was present. If the result is negative it means it's highly unlikely an expectant mother will give birth within the next two weeks or so- and mine came back negative today. So, that does set my mind at ease for now. It's way too early!! She needs to gain some more weight! (Not me, HER, but obviously right now we are one in the same...I will gain more too of course. Yikes.) I just don't see how she is going to move around if/when she gains more weight (they say 8 more lbs on average in the next 8 weeks) as it is already at full capacity in there!! And her little body parts are poking out all over!!

Anyway, turns out I am now a bit anemic and need to adjust my diet to include more iron-rich foods. I have a list- although I thought I was already eating a bunch of the items on it. I guess not enough. That's probably one reason I have been so tired lately- not enough iron/oxygen in my blood. And I have been just exhausted. Otherwise, the baby is measuring exactly where she should be for 32 weeks and is active and right on track. They believe she is already head-down...see, I knew she was ready to get out of there! I am ready too...

We have our first class tonight- "Baby Safe". Should be interesting and informative. I hope so. I am anxious to learn more about baby-proofing the house, even if we don't need to do it for awhile after she is born. We also learn infant CPR and the correct way to bathe her. (I think I could have probably figured that out but it's nice to have someone show you the best way.) They also walk you through installing the car seat and all that, which I hear can be difficult. We'll see!