32 Week Appt

I strolled on in to my 32 week appt today, feeling pretty good. I have gotten a lot of compliments on how great I look, so I was confident that my weight gain wouldn't be much. As I checked in at the desk, I headed over to the scale to weigh myself. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw that I had gained 8 lbs in the last 3 weeks! I weighed myself again to be sure, then sat quietly fuming as I waited for the nurse. When she came to retrieve me, I mentioned the large weight gain and she said that scale had been acting funny and that they actually have had to reweigh several women. I thought that this would certainly be the case with me. Nope. Use of another scale confirmed the ugly truth. I had in fact gained 8 lbs in the last three weeks. Oh dear....

When Dr. J. came in the room, he giggled about the weight gain and said I must have just eaten too much ham at Easter (I ate none for the record). I told him I supposed it was my ice cream habit, but that he couldn't take my only "safe" vice away from me. As is true to his style, he just told me that the weight gain was fine, that I was probably just starting to pick up a bit more fluid as we near the end and temps get warmer, and that it really only matters what I weigh 10 months AFTER delivery. True, true. The official weight gain total for this pregnancy is now 29.7 lbs.  I looked back at my stats for Jillian's pregnancy and I had gained exactly 30 lbs at 33 weeks with her, so my weight gain is shockingly congruent.

After a quick blood pressure check (108/60) and fundal height measurement (32 cm), Dr. J performed a quick physical exam for positioning of the baby. He said, "Oh, she's breech today". I nearly jumped off the table as I exclaimed, "What?!?" He told me not to worry, that even if she was, most babies still turn around by 34 weeks, and that even at delivery time it is pretty easy to turn a second baby. But, to be sure, he wheeled in the portable ultrasound machine to take a peek. Our little lady is thankfully still head down. What he thought felt like a shoulder up by my ribs was actually her buns, so she is still in the same position as she was 3 weeks ago at the growth ultrasound check. Whew!! It was fun to get another peek at the little lady, and it is clear she is getting much more cramped in her quarters. We had  a great view of her face, especially her left eye, and it was easy to see her open/close her eye and move it from side to side. Rather amazing, in my opinion.

Lastly, we discussed some dizziness and light headed feelings I've been having (had one episode 2 weeks ago where I saw stars, blackness, and had to quickly sit before I passed out). This is normal, especially in someone whose blood pressure is as low as mine. I just have to be extra careful to drink lots of water, not stand still too long, and continue to wear my compression stockings as much as I can. I'll head back for another appt on the 23rd. It's probably time for some belly pics, but I'm still reeling over the weight gain shock, so perhaps in a couple of days.....