32 weeks

 

Total weight gain thus far: 25 lbs

Gained back the 2 lbs that I lost. So, we are back at the same weight as we were at 28 weeks. That was one month ago, so I'm a little nervous that I haven't really gained anything. Yesterday, my fundal height was measuring 1-2 weeks behind at my OB's. Same conversation regarding difficulty eating with the hiatal hernia. However, recently (as in the last couple of days) I noticed that the pain has been much less, I have been able to eat more, and I've had less issues with reflux. Breathing has also been a little easier. I should have known there was a reason for this. It is known as "lightening." It is when the baby "drops," and the head becomes "engaged." This typically happens in the last month of pregnancy, and sometimes not until active labor begins.

This is an "engaged" baby at a 0 station. +4 is crowning, for a reference.

The OB said our little guy was at about a -1 station, meaning he is almost engaged for birth. Yikes! It's exciting, because we are so close to having him. But it's also scary, because it's still so early. She said you can be "engaged" for weeks, though. Only time will tell... For now, I will enjoy being able to breathe a little better, and I will take full advantage of being able to eat more! Hopefully, I will gain some weight by next week, and he will be measuring on track. The only disadvantage to him dropping this much is that my bladder has to share that space where his head is now residing. Not so much fun for mommy at night.

Little man was doing well at our ultrasound yesterday. He was drinking and swallowing perfectly. So cute to watch. 8 out 8 BPP score again. Little guy is a rockstar! Next week we get to check his growth, and we have another fFN test (the swab test I refer to every 2 weeks that rules out real labor in the next 7-10 days). Still dilated at about 1 cm. My cervix was dynamic, meaning it was changing during the ultrasound, lengthening and shortening (possibly due to contractions, but I couldn't feel any). The shortest it got was 9 mm and the longest was 16 mm. 9 mm is a little nerve-wracking. Typically, there is a good distance between his head and the cervix on the ultrasound, but not this time. Yesterday, his head was on top of the cervix; not a smidge between the two! Speaking of between the two, we did get to see some fuzzy little hair on top of his head! Technology is so amazing. 

I'll add some more 32 week pictures that I edited (boredom...)

I may not have gained weight, but my belly has definitely grown!

This picture reminds me of that 80's music video "Take Me On"

Sandwiching the bump