But before the day gets rollin’, I wanted to share a peek into week 33 of my pregnancy.
All previous weekly updates and pregnancy/baby-related blog posts may be found on the Pregnancy/Baby page located at the top of this blog!
Baby Updates
Baby is more than 17 inches long and weighs a little over 4 pounds… about the size of a pineapple!
Weight Gained
22 pounds.
Workouts
Workouts this week calmed waaay down due to the intense pain my physical therapist is now thinking may be radiating from my sacroiliac joint up through my lower back on the left hand side of my body. (We met briefly for about 20 minutes this week but I will start regular physical therapy next week.) Since I cannot walk without feeling a sharp, shooting pain, I felt very limited on physical activity this week which started to drive me a little crazy.
I listened to my body and took plenty of rest days this week, but I started to get a little stir crazy after several days of so little movement. I ended up turning to Ballet Beautiful workouts at home which gave me the ability to move my body a bit in a way that wasn’t uncomfortable… And if certain exercises didn’t feel right, I just skipped them. Most of the upper body portion of the workouts felt totally fine which was a relief! It was definitely the most inactive week I’ve had in my life in a long time and I’m crossing my fingers that working with a physical therapist will help alleviate some of the pain I am feeling to the point where I can at least walk without pain and a serious limp. I miss my walks with Sadie just as much as my workouts right now!
Symptoms
Symptoms? Let’s see… The main symptom that’s overtaking my body right now is the intense pain in my sacroiliac joint that is severely limiting my movement. It’s even painful when I’m just laying in bed and in order to turn from one side of my body to the other, I have to clench my glutes, push my hip bones up and roll over to avoid a shooting pain. It’s pretty miserable but I am so, so happy I’ll be working regularly with an awesome physical therapist. (I’m going to the same PT Ryan has been seeing following his ACL surgery and she’s the best!)
Aside from hip/glute/lower back pain, I feel pretty good! My belly is getting bigger but I am not experiencing any discomfort or cramping at all. Everywhere I go, strangers comment on my belly now which is kind of fun. They’ll usually ask when I am due or say a simple congratulations – no awkward touches yet! I also had one woman follow me into CVS to give me her card because she saw my horrible limp and specializes in prenatal massage and said she could tell I was in a lot of pain.
Shortness of breath is continuing to increase, mainly when I walk upstairs. I’m also experiencing some nausea again, though it seems to come in waves and is usually gone by noon.
Food Aversions
None.
Food Cravings
FRUIT. Primarily watermelon, grapes and cherries.
Sleep
Sleep is perpetually worsening, largely in part to the fact that I am waking up constantly to pee and cannot comfortably roll from one side of my body to the next due to the pain in my hip/glute/lower back. It can be really frustrating to crawl into bed at night feeling completely exhausted but not have the ability to get comfortable and fall asleep for hours.
Looking Forward To…
A hopefully relaxing July! Our June was filled with baby showers, travel to Raleigh and Gettysburg, non-stop visitors and lots of plans, so a relatively clear calendar during the month of July sounds heavenly to me right now.
Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases?
I feel like I am cycling through the same handful of baby bump-friendly outfits right now (breezy Love Stitch dresses paired with comfy bralettes are my current favorites!) and I’m trying my best not to purchase a ton of additional maternity clothes since “go time” is almost here.
I do still need some nursing bras and tops (recommendations welcome!) and am also hoping to nab a pair of Gap lounge pants that my friend Leah said were her go-to pants after she gave birth thanks to their forgiving waistband and comfortable fit.
Belly Button In Or Out?
Popping out a little bit, but not enough to be noticeable through tight clothing just yet.
Feeling…
I felt more emotional this week than I have during my pregnancy so far, but I think a lot of that likely had to do with the loss of my grandmother. I just felt all over the place and I would go from one end of the emotional spectrum to the next in a flash.
A little bit of my pregnancy-related anxiety also bubbled up this week at the hospital during our hospital tour, but I’m trying not to focus as much on the whole giving birth thing and keep my attention on growing a healthy little human right now.
Any Movement?
Yep! The movements have changed a bit from sharp kicks to longer rolling movements. I can usually follow them with my hand and watch them move across my belly which is just the coolest thing ever. I told Ryan I think I am really going to miss feeling our baby move after I give birth. I’ve grown so used to feeling constant thumps from our little one!
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Oh how cute are you?! I definitely miss feeling those movements inside me! My daughter is almost 9 months, and it seems crazy that she has almost been out of my body the same time she was in there. It goes by so fast. I am so sorry you are in pain, and I hope the therapy really does help. Pregnancy is just plain uncomfortable sometimes…some more than others…and it is just the craziest thing your body will ever go through. Such an amazing thing!
You look glowing! The baby moving around must be so exciting! It’s getting close. 🙂
I’m going to have to check out those GAP pants! The next 5 weeks are going to go by in a blur and I still need some post-birth comfy clothes and nursing bras and tanks. I’ll keep an eye out on the comments for recommendations!
Hang in there you’re almost to the finish line!
I so missed feeling my baby move after giving birth! There’s just something so comforting about it
If the PT doesn’t help your pain, a chiropractor might! My husband is one, and I was adjusted while pregnant. It’s totally safe
I hope the PT works wonders for you! Sorry you’re in so much pain. Let us know how well it goes. <3
Soma makes a good quality and very supportive nursing bra. You can get two for $59. Also, Cake Lingerie gets very good ratings. I just ordered one so I can’t completely recommend yet. With my last baby I only had sleeping bras and hand-me-down regular nursing bras and I will not make that mistake again. I’m investing in good quality bras this time around. You will want good support after the first few weeks and you start getting out.
Have you tried water aerobics? It was the only exercise I could cope with for the last ten weeks of pregnancy (and the two weeks past my due date). It might help your hip pain too.
Love the feeling of a baby moving, it is wonderful. I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well xx
i was just about to ask this. i know you’ve taught water fitness in the past, but have you tried it recently? i started as a student and eventually took over the aquacise class at my Y. i’m on leave due to back surgery, but it provided a good alternative workout when pain meant that the only other thing i could handle was walking. when i first started attending, it was me, the older ladies (hilarious and awesome bunch!), and one pregnant woman. i remember her saying she looked forward to the break the water provided. i know you get some of that from the lake, but it might be a good workout option too. our indoor pool is virtually empty in the summer during the designated free swim hours b/c everyone is at the community’s outdoor pool (tangentially tied to the Y but our classes are always at the indoor pool), so if class wasn’t an option schedule-wise (and if you are ok looking a little silly to anyone watching) you might be able to do a solo class or just water walk
I haven’t tried it out during pregnancy but I used to teach it and LOVED it! I need to find one in my area!
During the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy, I could barely sleep due to physical discomfort. It was so frustrating and anytime someone said “It’s your body preparing for a newborn” I wanted to punch them in the face. But it actually turned out to be true and I was MUCH more prepared to handle the frequent wakings at night since I was already used to lack of sleep. In fact, my quality of sleep actually improved despite hourly wake up calls. I’m sorry you are in pain but remember there is end in sight! I found a nursing top at Target that I am absolutely in love with. It is stretchy, soft, and easy to unclip for nursing. I want to buy one for every day of the week. http://www.target.com/p/basics-women-s-felicity-slimming-nursing-cami/-/A-14578744#prodSlot=medium_1_3&term=nursing+tank
I’m sorry to hear you’re in pain, but glad to see that you’re able to do the best you can. You look fantatsic and I’m sure you’re really excited!
Lauren
http://www.emoi-emoi.com/blog/
Julie – I have been following your blog for quite some time and have enjoyed following your posts for quite some time. I was excited to read about your pregnancy and have been following your updates. It’s been a long time for me since I was in your place, but it’s fun to relive the joy and excitement.
I wanted to let you know that I always measured small throughout my first pregnancy. I didn’t even need to wear maternity clothing until I was about 34 weeks along and that was a bit disappointing as I was excited to be pregnant. My baby measured behind at all of my ultrasounds by about 2 weeks. I had a lot of ultrasounds due to some complications with unexplained bleeding. 2 weeks before I delivered I had a level 2 ultrasound in the hospital with a doctor instead of a tech. The doctor told me my baby weighed 5 to 6 pounds. He also would have a heart beat in the 120 range sometimes and they would monitor me carefully. I finally went into labor 10 days after my due date and delivered a healthy 9.1 pound baby boy much to everyone’s surprise. When I went into the hospital for labor the nurses thought I was a high risk and delivering early. No one believed I was full term.
I’m telling you this story only to try and reassure you a little on the scary 34 week doctor’s appointment. I don’t have a long torso at all but I do tend to have wide hips and I guess I hid my son from hip to hip. The doctors also decided that my due date was probably too early and that was why he kept measuring a bit small in my ultrasounds. Not because anything was wrong but because they were comparing him to the wrong growth charts.
I hope and pray all goes well for you. I have a feeling you will deliver a nice normal weight boy when your delivery happens.
Congratulations and enjoy!
(my first born”Baby” is now 21 years old! Yikes)
Thank you for sharing this!!! Measuring so far behind definitely made me nervous, so it’s really helpful to hear from women who have been in a similar situation and delivered healthy babies! <3
Hello Julie,
I just found your blog and I am so happy to read it! I hope you and your baby are doing well?
I am in my 33 week and my belly measures small too (29.5cm), so I have a growth ultrasound next week. I’m very scared!
All my best,
Geraldine
Julie!!! I know this is old but any tips on this pregnancy si joint pain??? I think my baby moved lower today… I’m
Only 32 weeks and otherwise petite. I have the worst si joint pain on one side and I can barely place weight on it. So weird. I’ve worked out my entire pregnancy without any issues and it’s like I got kicked by a horse. Did PT help?!
Oh my gosh I FEEL for you!!! It’s SO miserable. Working with a PT helped a little bit, but honestly I think I just had to wait it out and wait for Chase to move. It was awful and so frustrating and I’m so sorry you’re going through it! Looking back now, I think that when it started to feel better, it meant Chase was “dropping” because he ended up arriving not long after (2 weeks early). I think the pain is often related to the baby’s positioning and it’s so tough because I don’t think there’s a ton you can do to move them around! I hope you get some relief soon! xo
What’s the reasoning for wanting to be induced at 39 weeks? I was induced when I was 5 days overdue with my son. All they had to do was break my water and then contractions started within the hour and he was born about 8 hours later.