Oh Baby! (32 weeks)

Skip the first paragraph to avoid the whining and complaining....

Ah pregnancy. I much prefer being the pregnant woman who immensely enjoys every moment of pregnancy. Sadly, I am not this time around. My carpal tunnel just keeps getting worse. Now it is most of my finger tips in my right hand AND a couple in my left that are numb and tingly during the day. And at night? Oh boy. I have the hardest time getting a good night's rest. Between the numbness, sharp pain I have shooting down the side of my left wrist, and excessive hand/finger swelling that causes extreme pain when I curl and uncurl my fingers, I wake up frequently and often in discomfort or pain. Ok. All done.

In all seriousness though, I DO love a lot about pregnancy. My hair and skin are amazing. I've finally gone down to washing my hair every other day (I have always done it daily) because it can handle it so well and still looks great on day two. My face is totally clear (minus the first 15 weeks of pregnancy) and has a nice color and glow to it. I really only feel the need to put makeup on my eyes to help them stand out, but my skin looks great. Despite some excess weight, I do love the roundness of my belly. I don't feel fat. I feel womanly. :) I love, love, LOVE feeling the baby move around inside me (even when it's uncomfortable). She does some serious serpentine movements under my skin. I love seeing weird bumps and feeling little hard parts of her body. I love carrying this little life and knowing that she will be such a great addition to our family. And I love that I get the chance to do all of this. Even in this moment, I would gladly choose to do it again for another child.

On to my appointment. It wasn't really that momentous (as most aren't). I met with a different practitioner at the office - Lisa Stubbs. I think they have us do that in case our doctor isn't available for delivery for whatever reason, so we see a familiar face rather than someone we've never met. I asked her if I could go into the hospital early in my labor to get antibiotics for Group B strep, leave, and then come back later. That way I can ensure I get the antibiotics I need without feeling the need to check in too early if my labor goes quickly. She said she thought it was against hospital policy and I should double check with Dr. Savage. She also said 4 hours isn't really that long and it's likely I'll get there in time. She also mentioned she delivered two babies through hypnobirthing. It was good to get more encouragement for a natural delivery. I think that was about it. Baby still seems to be doing great and has a good, strong, heartbeat.

And lastly, to express how hot I feel all the time...I told Miles the other morning that I had been taking luke-warm showers in the morning. Miles said, "What?" I was about to repeat myself thinking he hadn't heard me, but realized it was more of a "WHAT?!" when he quickly followed with, "Has hell frozen over too?" Seriously. It's a big deal for me to not take a steaming, hot shower. But you gotta do what feels good, right?