Pregnant After IUI: Week 33

My baby's skull is fully formed, but of course still not fused. When Baby is awake, s/he keeps his/her eyes open. Baby is also working on the whole breathing with sucking and swallowing maneuver. Even the brain is still developing. It seems like we're so close, but there's so much left for Baby to do and to grow! Baby is somewhere between 17 and 18 inches long and around 5 pounds. Holy moly.

Baby is moving a lot still, but it's changing from the harder jabs and kicks to more just pressure and flutters. I guess that's fairly common later in pregnancy as Baby runs out of room. I kind of miss the jabs and kicks already. =[

Baby gets hiccups a lot--like at least once a day, sometimes more. And they last for like 10 minutes sometimes! That would be so infuriating to me, but it's kinda fun when it's Baby who's hiccuping.

I had a prenatal appointment today, and Baby is measuring at 35 weeks and is posterior, meaning the back of Baby's head and Baby's spine are towards my back. I need to try to get Baby to turn anterior, so the face is facing my back. That makes for an easier labor. So I'll have to work on that.

My hands and feet are still mildly swollen. I've been soaking them in cool water with lemongrass and lavender essential oils, and aside from it smelling amazing, it feels pretty good, too. I think it's helping my feet. I've only done it a couple of times, but I'm going to continue with it.

It's getting hard to bend over if I'm sitting down. Standing I'm okay, but if I'm sitting--forget it.

A new (not-so-fun) symptom this week has been the inability to fall asleep at night. It's only happened a few times, but there was a stretch of 3 or 4 nights in a row where I was exhausted, went up to bed, and proceeded to lie awake for 1 1/2-2 hours, all while getting up to pee 5 or 6 times in that tine frame. It was super obnoxious.

We had the baby shower on Saturday! It was so much fun! We got SO MUCH STUFF! I'd post a picture, but the camera is way on the other side of the room and I'm too lazy tired to get up to get it. If I think of it I'll add it in later, but it may just end up on facebook instead. We got clothes; a baby monitor; some adorable shoes; lots of bath accessories, including a tub, a towel, and lots of toys; cloth diapers; swaddlers; and even a nerf gun that we registered for, because why not? Also, my aunts and uncles on my mom's side of the family bought us a TRAVEL SYSTEM, including the car seat, a base, and a stroller... ridiculously awesome. There are still a lot of things we need to get, but that shower sure put a big dent in the list!

I feel a little panicked that we only have ONE MORE MONTH before I'm considered full term... I'm guessing I'll be pregnant longer than that (possibly 2 months or more!), so I'm trying not to freak out, but really that's kinda scary. I don't feel ready to deal with labor and I'm not convinced I'm ready to be a mother, even though it's something I've wanted for so long... it's just a huge responsibility. Anyone who's a mom knows what I mean. I'm sure things will turn out fine, it's just intimidating to look forward to.

This is a long post, so I'm going to stop ranting. See you all next week.

OH BUT FIRST. What do I need in my hospital bag and what did you find was a lifesaver for post partum aches and pains? Looking for some ideas...readysetgo.