On Sunday, I was exhausted and had to relax all day. As I was lying on my float in the pool, I noticed that my uterus kept getting hard and feeling tight, which means I was having contractions! Contractions actually occur throughout pregnancy because the uterus is just a big muscle that is constantly being stretched out, so it tends to try to contract back to its original size. However, when the uterus is smaller earlier in the pregnancy, the contractions typically aren't felt.
I have felt my uterus get hard previously, but on Sunday it was really obvious that it was getting tight and hard multiple times in a row. The contractions didn't last very long, but they seemed pretty close together (I wasn't timing them). Later, I felt like Brooke was stretching me out to make more room for herself, like she has done in weeks past, so I'm wondering if that's why my uterus was contracting so much. It was nuts!!! And a little exciting and freaky :)
Brooke was also VERY active on Sunday and has been ever since. She is definitely getting stronger because her movements are much more pronounced and obvious. When she pushes on me, you can really see it easily, and sometimes it's uncomfortable or a little painful for me because she's pressing so hard. And sometimes she moves across my belly, so it shifts. There are times when it seems like she is flailing or playing the drums :) because both sides of my belly raise up in an alternating manner, like she's alternating her kicks all the way across my belly! It is really funny.
I really love to feel her like this. It makes me feel more connected to her and reminds me that all of the crappy stuff about pregnancy is so worth it because I am creating a baby! When I think about that, I am just in awe of this entire process. It's just so amazing, and sometimes a little overwhelming.
Since Sunday, I have noticed that I am even more uncomfortable and tired than before. Yesterday Brooke began kicking the top of my uterus, and I could kind of feel it in my stomach! So she is now really pressing into my stomach, which I notice the effects of when I eat because I can't eat as fast or as much as before. It took me an hour to eat a burger and salad last night for dinner and I couldn't even finish the burger! And it's even harder to breathe and sit/stand up now. And because I'm so tired, including my muscles, it's harder to push myself up with my arms, which makes it REALLY hard to sit and stand up! It's comical but also frustrating.
I'm also having more trouble sleeping. I wake up at least 4 times a night - I usually have to go to the bathroom each time I wake up and I always have to turn over on my other side because my shoulder hurts. I'm really having trouble finding a comfortable sleep position at this point. The natural childbirth book I'm reading explains a position to use for labor, but I've tried it and it's not comfortable! Since it doesn't work for sleeping or resting, it definitely won't work for labor. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, so I'm going to have Paul check it, but I'm guessing I'm going to have to figure out a different way to lie during labor.
On Thursday I will be 30 weeks along. We have 6 more weeks until we need to be completely ready in case Brooke decides to come early (around 36 weeks along is when you get close to the point where the baby could come at any time and be developed well enough to not have complications). I feel like we still have so much more to do, but I know everything doesn't have to be perfect before Brooke comes, I just want it to be perfect :) Last week I finished painting the dressers and bookcase for the nursery, which was really exciting! That was one of the biggest tasks for getting the nursery ready, so I'm really happy that it's done. This week our painter should be coming to paint the nursery, so it will be even closer to being done! I will post pictures once we have everything up and ready.
The month of June ended up going by really fast, so I expect July and August to go by even faster. Next week we have our first baby preparation class - Breastfeeding (which Paul is super excited about ;) - ok, not at all, but I am!). I'm really excited to start the classes because that will make it feel even closer! YAY!!!
On another note, on Saturday we went to visit Brady and read to him. I still cherish these visits so much and I just don't know if I will be ready to give them up when Brooke is born; although, I know that it's very possible we just won't have time to visit him every month at that point. However, I told Paul that we absolutely have to visit Brady on his birthday unless I am giving birth that day. That will be really important for us not to miss. We are planning on bringing him presents, so he has new flowers, toys, and a football of course :) That will be really special and I'm really looking forward to it.
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