I have so much to catch you up on in my 29 weeks pregnancy update. I had a pretty big appointment last week at 28 weeks that included an ultrasound and then today I had an elective 3D ultrasound that was just the coolest thing ever.

Let’s get to it!

29 WEEKS PREGNANCY UPDATE

Well, baby boy has already blown these measurements out of the water. At 28 weeks he was already measuring 2 pounds, 14 ounces so I’m sure he’s well over 3 by now since he’s gaining about half a pound a week these days. He was also measuring long, I’m not sure what the official length was but his thigh bone was measuring at 31 weeks! I’m not sure where he’s getting that length from because neither mom nor dad are especially tall or long-limbed!

Things to note on baby development…

• Major developments are finished and baby is now gaining weight quickly and putting on fat stores.
• Baby’s already dreaming. Baby has sleep cycles, including REM sleep, which is when dreaming happens.
• Even though baby is starting to get cramped in there, he’s very active at this point and moving around a ton.

HOW I’M FEELING AT 29 WEEKS PREGNANT

Weight gain/body changes: still sitting at the 13-15 pound weight gain mark. I talked to my doctor about it last week and he said since baby’s growth was so good on the ultrasound that he’s not worried about it but told me I might want to try to get an extra calorie boost in each day. I was like, “I can do that. No problem.” 🙂

As far as body changes, my belly is REALLY starting to change and grow. I think it’s wild in the weekly photo comparison up top how much higher he looks this week than last. I have received so many comments over the last few days that I’ve really popped. Last weekend was crazy, I swear that my belly changed noticeably between Saturday and Sunday.

Workouts/Workout Modifications: So after discussing my hospital scare  + the Braxton-Hicks contractions I’d been having + everything else on my plate with my regular OB, we came to an agreement that I slow WAY down until I reach 32-33 weeks. He just really wants me to get to that point with no further complications because baby boy will be in such a better and stronger place. He said the issue isn’t with the baby but that I just have an “irritable uterus.”

He didn’t recommend bed rest but did recommend an overall reduction in activity. I’m giving up several of my classes (including all but one weekly strength class), taking two FULL days off of teaching each week and avoiding any HIIT-type workouts or running. I’m good to go on walking, a small amount of light/easy lifting and some yoga.

The only workout I’ve done since last week’s update is walking and I’ve been really okay with that. This is such a short season of life and my focus is 100% on growing this baby boy as big and strong as I can.

Symptoms: 

• Constant breakouts on my cheeks. My skin hasn’t been clear in months. I always have spots on my cheeks and it’s only my cheeks…nowhere else!
• Had my first bout of heartburn last week but it was only one afternoon and hasn’t come back since. Ahhh…I hope I can keep that at bay because it sucks!
• This is so random but one thing I have noticed with pregnancy is that it’s helped my Reynaud’s Syndrome. I have that thing where my fingers/toes go numb if I get chilled. It’s not unusual for me to wear gloves in the grocery store during the winter and typically my fingers are numb walking the dogs if it’s 50 degrees or under. I haven’t had it AT ALL since I’ve been pregnant! I still get cold but no numbness. It’s been amazing.

Sleep: has been on and off. Marginally better than last week. Starting to have to get up and go to the bathroom at least once a night, sometimes twice.

Food aversions/cravings: I’m a big no on seafood and most vegetables. I don’t remember the last time I had fish and the thought of shellfish is gag-inducing. I can eat vegetables but I’m never excited about them these days. A hamburger sounds doable but I was at Dorie’s last week and was offered steak and salad and I was like NO THANK YOU. Pregnancy is so weird. I’m still good with smoothies, pasta, bread, pizza, rice, chips, etc.

Watching/reading/listening: I’m currently listening to Brain Rules for Baby on Audible.

28 WEEK ULTRASOUND + APPOINTMENT

(Most flattering photo ever, right?) 

I had a pretty big appointment at 28 weeks for my gestational diabetes screen and an ultrasound to check the baby’s heart. Tanner could not come with me because he was on the yoga retreat (which I could not go on this year due to Zika) and I was unable to reschedule the appointment but BFF Dorie tagged along and my US tech let us record the ultrasound so he could watch it later.

The good news is that I passed my GD screen. That drink was rough but not too bad. I was SO grateful that I passed because given my carb preferences these days when it comes to food.

All looked good on the ultrasound but the baby still has the echogenic focus on his heart. It’s basically a calcification. Both the ultrasound tech and my doctor assured me that it is very small and can be common in boys but we are doing another ultrasound at 32 weeks to check him again.

He was so funny during the ultrasound. He was sleeping when she first started and then woke up and pulled his feet up over his head and would NOT move his feet from in front of his face.

Baby is head down right now!

3D ELECTIVE ULTRASOUND

Many of my friends recommended that I do a 3D ultrasound and after researching it, I learned that I was right in the recommended window to do one so I booked one for this morning at My Carolina Baby.

Oh my goodness y’all, it was the coolest thing. Ginger was our ultrasound tech and she spent a whole hour with us watching the baby. Look at those sweet lips and that nose!

He had his hands in front of his face almost the whole time and was super active. He was moving all over the place in there. We got to see him yawn a few times and he kept opening his eyes!

We can’t wait to meet you baby G! (He has a first name…we’ve gotten that far!)

If you are pregnant and have the opportunity to do a 3D ultrasound, I totally recommend it. If you’re here in Charlotte, we had a wonderful experience with My Carolina Baby.

QUESTIONS

Did you have a 3D ultrasound? Were you able to get good photos? 

Recommendations for baby shower dresses? Mine are in late March and mid-April so I’ll be looking for something springy. 

Did baby sleep in your room for a while when you came home from the hospital? If so, what sleeping arrangement/apparatus did you do/use? I’m thinking this is definitely something that I want to do.