Maute Moo Update – Week 34

I feel like I have finally hit the pregnancy wall.

I don’t like to complain too much or vocalize all my discomforts because I think sometimes they become more of a reality if I talk about them. If I dwell on my back hurting or my fat feet too much, I can get sucked into dwelling on my back hurting and my fat feet. If I focus on the positive, I will hopefully get sucked into the positive.

With that said….my body is tired. I’m uncomfortable. I know all of this has it’s purpose, so I am embracing it for what it is. If I was still comfortable and going about my days as normal, I wouldn’t be mentally prepared to give birth to my baby. My body and my brain are starting to prepare for the crazy labor journey I have in front of me.

On my last long run pre-pregnancy and pre-injury, I tackled 18 miles. It was one of the few long runs I did without my training group. It was just me, my iPod, and 18 miles of road and boardwalk. Although it was a tough run, it was amazing. I carried my body the entire 18 miles without walking, without pacing off someone, and by relying on my support system. That day my dad brought me water around mile 10. Christian also brought me some Gatorade and GU around mile 15. Somewhere between mile 10 and mile 15, everything started to hurt. I was uncomfortable. I was ready to see 18 on my Garmin. I was tired. I kept pushing and focused on one foot in front of the other. I found landmarks to set as benchmarks – to place my magnets. My goal was to get to the Owl Creek Tennis Courts feeling strong. I got there. My next goal was to make it to the Rudee Inlet bridge feeling strong. I got there. Norfolk Avenue and Christian (and Gatorade) where my next benchmark. I got there feeling strong too. Each segment passed and I felt stronger with each accomplishment. By the time I left Christian, I knew I would finish my 18 mile run.

I’m telling myself now that I’m somewhere between mile 10 and mile 15. I’ve truly enjoyed my entire pregnancy. Right now I’m at a portion of the journey where I am tired and uncomfortable, but I’ll get through it feeling strong. This week I’m focusing on Thanksgiving. I’m placing my magnet on next Wednesday when my aunt arrives to spend the holiday with us. This will pull me through to Week 35. From there, I’m focusing on December 1st. We are meeting with our Doulas that night, and I’m beyond excited to create our birth plan with their support. This will carry me into week 36.  That following weekend we will be getting our Christmas tree, and I have Christmas baking to tackle. Hello weeks 37 and 38.  After that my only focus will be having Chet because it will be time for him to join us in this world. I know I can finish my pregnancy strong because I will have an entirely different race ahead of me at that point: Labor and Delivery of our little man. Pregnancy is the training run. The race is child-birth.

Call me crazy, but I am really looking forward to experiencing child-birth. I want to be strong for that journey, so I know I have to finish this last segment of my pregnancy feeling strong and healthy.

How’s the rest of my pregnancy going?

Running – I’m just trying to stay active at this point. The more I move, the better I feel. I may run some. I may walk some. I may not run at all. I just want to keep moving.

Yoga – Pregnant or not, if you haven’t been to a yoga class…GO! It’s the best gift you can give yourself. I missed class last week, and my body has gently reminded me all week that I need to go every week.

Belly Growth – Seriously Huge. I know I keep saying that I’m running out of room….but I’m running out of room. Feet are kicking me in the ribs. Either the top of his head or his hand is pushing (and occasionally grinding) on my cervix. My stomach has to be at maximum capacity. When talking with a coworker today, he was sweet enough to tell me that I don’t look that big. When I turned sideways, he started to laugh. He kindly said, “oh there is all of your belly. You are huge from the side!” Good thing I like him!

Cravings – Chocolate. Eek! I’ve ate more sweets this week that I have all year. Someone throw away the Halloween candy! (I also googled chocolate cravings to see what vitamins I might be deficient in right now. Chocolate cravings = Vitamin B deficiency. Salmon is a must for dinner this week. Any other suggestions?).

Sleep – Sleep is now hit or miss. I can have a great night’s sleep followed by a horrible night of sleep. Some nights I’m wide awake at 3am. Other nights I sleep through everything.

Pregnancy Observations – My tail bone now aches if I sit too long. My feet ache if I stand for too. The plan is to keep moving. I can’t stay in one place for too long or these annoying pains pop up.

I also did some fun pregnant math last night when I was trying to find logic in all of my discomfort. Prepregnancy I weighed  around 120 lbs. As of my last doctor’s appointment I have gained 30 lbs this pregnancy. Although 30 lbs doesn’t seem like a lot to me, it is 25% of my normal body weight. I’ve gained 25% of my body weight over 34 weeks. No wonder I’m uncomfortable (not to mention the almost full grown baby in my belly!).

We go back to the doctor again on Friday! It is hard to believe that there are only 42 days until my estimated due date (which means 40 days until Christmas! Have you started shopping yet?)