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Daily Journal

Week 33, April 1 - April 7

Thursday, April 1st (55 days to go)
The baby is due next month!!!!!!!

Baby Update: As [we] begin week 33, [the] baby is continuing to grow at an amazing rate. Right now, it measures about 11 inches long and weighs about 3 1/2 pounds (ha!). By the time this week ends, [the] baby will have added almost 3/8 inch to its length. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Thursday, April 1st, Entry #2
I learned today that I was treated for a bladder infection that I did not have. Nice, huh? They said better safe than sorry. Aside from having a gigantic baby this has been a pretty uneventful pregnancy.

Speaking of gigantic babies, let me state here that if you want to buy any clothes for Ella please don't buy 0-3 month sized clothing. I have so much all ready and I have a feeling she's not going to get around to wearing all of it. A travesty, seeing as how almost all of what she has I've boughten. The rest of the 0-3 month stuff that I hadn't washed is currently being washed. Figured it was safe. I was more concerned about getting confused as to what's been washed and what hasn't... so now when something new arrives it just won't come out of it's bag until it's been washed.


Friday, April 2nd (54 days to go)
Just finished "Glorious Appearing", the 12th and final book in the Left Behind Series. It was a good series. If you haven't read any of it, I'd suggest you get crackin'! I think finishing the book 3 days after it came out is some kind of record for me.

Had a dream about the baby last night. She was supposed to be a newborn but she looked months old all ready... sitting up and bright-eyed. She amazed us all when she said my name... not just "mama", but Carrielyn. Actually, Carrielyn came out like my nephew Owen used to say it, more like carrie-ann. Ella was some sort of genius baby. A mother's hope for her child, or a peek in to the future? Only time will tell.

Baby Update: Depending on its size and position in [the] uterus, the baby may be carried high (which is the case with me), pressed up against [the] lungs, or low, pressing against [the] pelvis; the baby may lie in a position that makes [the mom] look wide or compact; and [she] may look bigger or smaller than women who are just as far along as [she is] with their pregnancies (and as I've mentioned, I'm in the "larger" category). - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Saturday, April 3rd (53 days to go)
Ella experienced yet another cultyral event yesterday. She got to hear the 70-year old Count Basie Orchestra. She was awake throughout the whole thing. I hope she enjoyed it. By now her little brain can actually process music, so it wasn't just noise, but hopefully a pleasing sound. I enjoyed it.

Baby Update: By about this point, the volume of amniotic fluid has reached its maximum. As the baby grows, there will be less fluid and more baby and thus, [the mother] will feel considerable movement from within. The amniotic fluid is clear and straw-colored. By the time the baby is born, 2-6 cups of fluid fill the amniotic sac (but in my case, it may be more). - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Sunday, April 4th - Palm Sunday (52 days to go)
I have the itchiest belly in the world. Actually, right now it's okay because I took a shower. So far all that cures the itchies is water, but taking several showers and/or baths in a day just isn't practical. I've tried regular lotion, calamine lotion, and cortizone. I'm going to try taking Benadryl in pill form when my belly starts to itch again, but I'm pretty sure it's not going to work. If it doesn't, I'm going to call the doctor tomorrow. Maybe I can get something prescription strength. I'm seriously going to tear out my hair if this continues much longer.

Speaking of hair, I keep meaning to mention that there are a couple of pregnancy things that seem to be holding partially true for me. One is that you get thicker hair. Well, I can't tell a difference in thickness but I do know that I'm losing much less hair than usual. Usually just a few strands during a shower now. Hair is also supposed to grow faster, but that one is harder to gage. I haven't noticed it growing faster. But what is growing faster are my nails. But nails are also supposed to be stronger, and mine definately are not. It's just that now when they brake, they grow back pretty quickly. :)

Baby Update: Sometimes babies at this stage practice sucking by sucking their thumbs or fingers. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Monday, April 5th - (51 days to go)
Here's the Monday stuff. The heartbeat at 33 weeks, and Baby Center's Take on development at 33 weeks.

What's going on this week? Well, tomorrow is the 2nd of the 6 parenting classes, and Saturday we have the first of 3 baby showers. Finally! I'm finally far enough along that it's time for baby showers. Yea!

Baby Update: [The] baby is about 1 inch longer than it was just four days ago! - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Tuesday, April 6th - (50 days to go)
Yesterday I went to the doctor's to get this rash on my belly checked out. The doctor referred to it as the "pregnancy rash", which I believe is PUPPPs (Pruritic Urticated Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). If you follow the link beware that there is a somewhat graphic picture (not of me - this is an informational website). And let me say that as of now my case is not nearly as bad as the one in the picture. But I do itch like crazy. So far my prescription doesn't make the itch go away. :( But maybe I need to use it a few more times to get it work. Maybe Ella's grandpa the pharmacist will let me know. I can't pronounce it, but it's Triamcinolone. I'm supposed to use it 4 times a day.

Ella is still fine and this rash will not affect her. She's been busy "moving furniture" lately. I hope she's not trying to turn breech. She should just stay head down like she is.

Baby Update: As fat accumulates under the baby's skin, its skin color changes from dark red and transparent to pinkish (even in babies who will eventually be dark-skinned) and translucent. The baby is making its greatest demands for protein and fat now during the last half of pregnancy. In the last six to eight weeks before birth it will double its weight. - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

Wednesday, April 7th - (49 days to go)
I don't think I could possibly have slept worse last night. I hope this isn't the trend from here on out. No matter what position in my back hurt. It was awful. :( Not a happy camper this morning.

We had our 2nd of 6 parenting classes last night. The topic was breastfeeding. I thought it was going to be feeding in general but the teacher didn't touch on bottle feeding at all. Makes sense since she said that 90-92% of newborns are breastfed. Did you know the rate drops to 40% by 6 months? Aren't we just the laziest country? The worldwide average weening age is from 2-7 years old. Making it to a full year here is considered good. Kind of sad. Anyways, it was another non-ground-breaking class. I can read and read and read (and listen), but I'm not sure how much it'll help until I'm there trying to do it myself. This is the part that scares me most... even more than the delivery itself. Next week we start the labor and delivery stuff. We're supposed to bring pillows because we'll be on the floor doing breathing exercises. Horror of horrors (for me anyways). I think I pointed out my views on this in last week's Wednesday entry. Oh well... I'll make the most of it.

Baby Update: At the close of this week of pregnancy, the circumference or distance around [the] baby's head has increased by about 3/8 inch due to rapid brain growth. (Did you know that the average circumference of a baby's head at full term is 30 centemeters? The cervix only dilates to 10 centemeters. Ouch!) - "The Pregnancy Journal" by A. Christine Harris, Ph.D.

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