Traveling while pregnant...a trip to Atlanta

This week is a huge week for my company. We are exhibiting at the largest trade show we have ever done. This means this week is also a huge week for me. I am down in Atlanta for 6 days and am a bit nervous about traveling in my 28/29 week of pregnancy.

My doctor said everything will be fine, but sent copies of my medical records with me just in case. (They were fun to read through and will be a valuable addition to my baby journal.) He told me to keep drinking water, and when I can't take another sip, then drink some more.

I have taken a few steps to be safe and comfortable during my trip.

1- I brought comfortable shoes and will be walking to and from the exhibit hall with them on my feet. No black leather heels for me this week, I got a pair of comfy Mary Jane flats to wear while at the show.

2- I brought Burt's Bees Mama bee foot and leg lotion. I put it on after the flight last night and I was in heaven!

3- Snacks! I brought snacks for the trip and at my hotel. I also am making myself eat healthy this week, which, if you have ever traveled for work, know it can be very hard to do. I was upgraded at my hotel and have access to FREE cereal and fruit each morning! :)

4- Reminding myself to take it easy. I am used to hauling and lifting at shows, which I can't do now. My co-workers have been great with doing the heavy lifting for me this week.

I will keep updating the blog as my week goes on. I have a sneaking suspicion that I will owe myself a pedicure next week when I am back.

Week 28 Highlights

How your baby's growing:
By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week. If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.

Updates- Monthly Dr. Appt

As you sit reading this, I sit with a bouncing baby in my tummy. The activity level has really increased over the past few weeks.

I had a glucose screening test last week, I will get results back this week. If all is well, I don't have anything to worry about. If the results are abnormal, I am back in for a 3 hour test to see if I have gestational diabetes.

Stats from the appointment:
Blood pressure: 112/68
Total weight gain: about 12 lbs.

The baby is measuring great and the heart beat is still strong.

Week 27 highlights

I thought it might be fun to post a picture of me...this was at 26 weeks! Look how baby is growing!


This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, your baby's brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

The second trimester is drawing to a close, but as your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs. Unfortunately, the cramps may get worse as your pregnancy progresses. Leg cramps are more common at night but can also happen during the day. When a cramp strikes, stretching the calf muscle should give you some relief. Straighten your leg and then gently flex your toes back toward your shin. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf sometimes helps, too.

Good Lord, I hope this is partially wrong

I went to a birth prediction site, answered some questions and here is what popped out:


The day you deliver, outside will be overcast. Your baby will arrive in the late afternoon.

After a labor lasting approximately 11 hours, your child, a boy, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 13 pounds, 7 ounces, and will be 22 inches long. This child will have dark brown eyes and a lot of blonde hair.

I don't think brown eyes are possible if the parents both have blue/green eyes. Also, a 13 lbs baby...Lord have mercy!

Week 26 highlights

How your baby's growing:
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

How your life's changing:
Are you rushing around trying to get to childbirth classes and prepare your baby's room while still taking care of all your other daily tasks? Make sure that you also continue to eat well and get plenty of rest. Around this time, your blood pressure may be increasing slightly, although it's probably still lower than it was before you got pregnant. (Typically, blood pressure falls toward the end of the first trimester, and it tends to reach a low at about 22 to 24 weeks.)

For the record, my blood pressure has been wonderful through the entire pregnancy so far.

Odd thoughts, crazy feelings and nesting

I am starting to have paranoid thoughts about situations beyond my control. For example, I worry about Jeff dying in a car accident on the way to work or the baby dying after they are born. I don't like it when Homer starts coughing because I believe he is choking and will die. I have thoughts, small thoughts, about dying during childbirth and leaving Jeff with the responsibility of raising our child on his own.

The books I am reading say these feelings of the unknown and "worst case" are normal for a mother to experience. Between the hormones and changes my body is going through daily, thoughts like these are going to pop up. When I start to have these thoughts, I think about the books saying this is normal and that calms me down.

Another interesting symptom I have been experiencing is nesting.
Here is a definition:
Nesting is the term used to refer to an expectant mother’s instinct which gives her a surge of energy which prompts her to clean and do various chores around her home. Nesting usually arises as the mother nears her due date.

What Does Nesting Feel Like?
Some women are nesting and are mentally unaware of it. Their nesting instincts may be subtle, yet they are going around their living quarters doing tasks in preparation for their child’s birth. When nesting is subtle, it is thought to be because the woman may be energetic or active naturally, regardless of her pregnancy.

Other women report a surge of energy that is impossible to still. These women know they are nesting and they are unable to quell the surge of energy.

Thoughts about nesting will make some women nervous about their pending labor and delivery.

What Do Some Women Do When They Are Nesting?
Each woman will nest in a way that is unique to them. Below is a list of possible things a nesting mother do.

Clean out the cabinets, Mop the floor, Rearrange furniture, Clean out closets, Clean a child’s nursery meticulously, Steam clean upholstery and carpets, Clean the bathroom

While these may seem like normal household chores, when a woman is nesting, she will probably carry out the tasks more meticulously and persistently than usual.

For me, nesting thoughts and actions have been the following:
"Honey, we need to rearrange the furniture in the baby's room....NOW."

Cleaning the kitchen-in a psycho NO GERMS WILL ENTER HERE kind of way

Driving home having the urge to stop at Target to get bedding for the crib...even though our shower is not for another month.

These thoughts and feelings come on strong then fade away quickly...for now. I have the feeling as we get closer to our due date, it won't be unusual to find me cleaning the cabinets at 3AM on a Monday night.

Week 25 highlights

We got results from last week's ultrasound, baby weights 1 lb. 6 oz.

How your baby's growing
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

How your life's changing
Your baby's not the only one with more hair — your locks may look more full and lustrous than ever. It's not that you're growing more hair, but thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that you'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual. Enjoy the fullness while you can — the extra hair will fall out after you give birth.

You may also notice that you can't move around as gracefully as before. Unless your caregiver has advised you otherwise, it's fine to continue to exercise, but follow a few safety rules: Don't work out when you're feeling overly tired and stop if you feel any pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Don't lie flat on your back and avoid contact sports as well as any exercise where you're apt to lose your balance. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and make time for both warm-up and cool-down periods.

Profile pic of the baby

Here is a profile ultrasound picture of the baby at 24 weeks. Look at the cute nose! Jeff says it looks like a Duchenes nose, we will have to wait and see!

The heartbeat during the ultrasound was 139.