The Home Stretch

April 25, 2013 (30.5 weeks)

This past weekend Gus and I pretty much prepped and cleaned the house and outdoor area for the baby shower we have on Saturday. Yes, we are hosting it and, yes, we are having a coed BBQ. How untraditional!? Untraditional is typical for us. Gus made some shelves in Sierra’s closet to increase our storage capacity for outfits etc. We also picked up some free baby items from my awesome hairdresser, Roxie. She has grandkids that are all grown up and doesn’t need them anymore. We gladly took them off her hands. I also checked out a book on cloth diapering, so I can become more familiar with terms and types of diapers etc.

This weekend seemed like the culmination of a bunch of pregnancy aches and irritations. My back hurt in a whole new way (which luckily went away), it was a shooting nerve pain instead of an ache. My heartburn advanced to the next stage… leaving that one up to your imagination. My allergies are out of control and I am not taking any allergy meds, because I am pregnant. Sneezing very hard for multiple times doesn’t really go well with pregnant ladies who have full bladders… Sleep: between not being able to sleep when I should and then sleeping until 10:15am my schedule was all off.  I also have been getting horrible Charlie horses (a.k.a. cramps) in my calves that literally wake me up at night. I figure I am just prepping for the baby. I can no longer bend down comfortably and tie my shoes or put on my shorts for that matter because my belly gets in the way and causes too much pressure. The run I was going to do on Saturday with the dogs turned into a walk because I tripped one time, and decided that was enough of that.  Luckily, we were in an area where there were plenty of hills so I actually got some real exercise in. On the running front, I think I am switching to walking (for the most part) from now on. Very sad to say, but I think it's time. On Sunday the UC Davis Rec pool opened up and Gus and I bought season passes, and asked Lyndsey to meet us. At least I can swim in comfort!

My doctor’s appointment on Monday went well. He even said my weight gain was good! 4 pounds since the last appointment which was 4 weeks ago (maybe he caught on after I brought it up at our last appointment). No gestational diabetes, great blood pressure, great fetal movement, and her heart rate is 148 BPM. He assigned us a pediatrician that will be able to see Sierra at the hospital, but after a month (when our insurance allows us to) we will probably switch to one that practices in Davis for convenience. My doctor did mention the importance of getting the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) vaccine, and anyone else who will be spending a substantial amount of time with Sierra early on. He emphasized the importance of this vaccine and especially how important it was in California. Apparently pertussis (whooping cough) can be fatal in infants and is considered an epidemic in California. So I have an appointment with my primary care doctor (that I have never been to) to get my shot on Monday. Unfortunately, that’s the only way my insurance will cover the shot, but I guess it’s good to get to know my doctor anyhow.

I think I may be saying goodbye to my Tuesday/Thursday Olympic lifting sessions. It’s hard to actually admit that I am going to stop at this point, but today I was noticing some things that normally don’t affect me. When I was snatching 50 kilos my elbows seemed to over-extend slightly, and my catch was farther behind me than usual. I also noticed that since my belly is getting so much bigger I have to lie way back and then compensate by jumping too far forward under the bar to catch it. If you look at this diagram you can get a better idea of the bar path in the snatch. 

Well now imagine 50 kilos making a bar path that swings out too wide because I am trying to avoid my belly… it forces you back as it counteracts the moving weight and then you have to jump really far forward so you make the catch. Anyhow, my cleans are still okay but my jerks at 60 kilos are looking wobbly at the shoulder and elbows. Eh, I suppose it’s better to stop before I get injured. I blame it on relaxin really. 

The hormone that us pregnant ladies release which loosens our ligaments (holding together our precious joints). At least I still have my M/W/F lifts (and I can still complete an unassisted pull-up)!!! For now (dun dun dunnnnn)!

The big news for the week is the baby shower on Saturday! We are so excited to see friends and family all together again! We also have a 3 hour baby birthing class to go to on Sunday… our first one. This is the week I wrote down on my calendar so long ago, and thought, “Well when we get to that point we’re at the home stretch.” Here we are!

Me at 30.5 weeks (26 pound weight gain):