31 Weeks

I have started to have a familiar pain on the right side of my rib cage (this baby is all on the right, just like Gerritt & Sophia were) from baby's kicks & stretches. He is growing big time, & I am constantly hungry. I can hardly believe that my abdomen has grown that much bigger. Just 2 months to go! In one respect, it seems like far away, but I know it will fly by quickly.
I've decided not to go back for my 2 recommended ultrasounds (one for cervical length check, another one to check on baby's growth). I just feel like they are completely unnecessary. My main concern was placenta previa, & now that it has resolved, I feel like the other 2 ultrasounds were advised mostly due to the US practice of defensive medicine (a doctor is afraid to miss something) & to generate more business ("your baby's belly is on the small side," common!). The perinatologist even asked me if I was gaining appropriate amount of weight. Believe me, it's not a problem now. I can tell how much my son has grown since it's so much harder for me to bend over & almost impossible to put on my shoes. I've already had 2 ultrasounds & would rather not expose my baby to more ultrasound waves (even though it's considered relatively safe, I am very conservative when it comes to unnecessary medical interventions).
Plus, based on all my research, I've come to a conclusion that cervical length is a poor predictor of likelihood of preterm labor in low-risk women (in the absence of other risk factors such as, for example, previous preterm birth, LEEP procedure (where part of cervix is removed due to precancerous cervical cells), bacterial vaginosis, diabetes, hypertension, increased stress, etc.). In low-risk women (such as myself) the sensitivity of cervical length measurement is decreased & the false positive rate is increased. One article even stated, "In order to improve the positive predictive value of a cervical length measurement in low-risk women, a length of 1.5 cm rather than 2.5 cm should be considered too short." So, there!
My sleep is more disturbed than ever. I toss & turn probably at least every 2 hours, often waking up Gerritt. He has been more grumpy in the mornings because of that, & even though I offered to move him to his own bed, he has been stubbornly refusing. I've started to wake up at 4 or 4:50 am & not being able to get back to sleep. In addition to having to empty my bladder more often, I also have uncomfortable pubic & bilateral hip pain. If I lay on my back, I feel like I am suffocating, but if I lay on my side for too long, my hip is killing me.
I am still trying to find an OB/GYN who would do my VBAC consult. The purpose of the consult is to be fully informed of the VBAC risks (such as uterine rupture) & also to establish care in case of a hospital transfer. Of course, I am already well informed, so this is just another formality. I was referred to a female doctor at Salish Women's Health a couple of weeks ago, but then had to cancel when she decided not to do VBAC consults any more. The whole situation is very political, & many OB/GYNs do not want to get involved with midwives, especially the ones doing HOME VBACs, which they consider unsafe. So I have a tentative VBAC consult appointment with a different OB/GYN at UW in October, but she wanted to see my medical records first.
I am still working. In Russia, Canada & most of Europe women have the option to start their maternity leave in their 8th month of pregnancy. Unfortunately, not so in the US. I will probably be working until the very end thanks to poor maternity welfare system in the US. If I start my maternity leave now, I will have almost nothing left for after the birth. Actually, it's not such a bad thing for me since my job at the clinic is mostly sedentary. My physically demanding work as a hospital bedside acute care nurse only happens once a week & sometimes, as per diem employee, I get cancelled. Also, I like to keep busy!
I still haven't met my doula Patti Ramos (she had to cancel several times due to her clients going into labor), & I have a meeting set up with her in a couple of weeks. I don't really care when we meet as long as she makes it for my birth.


Gerritt & Sophia riding a car at the mall


Sophia discovered a way to combine drinking apple juice & milk


Gerritt & Sophia's favorite game - making a "cake" & then taking turns jumping on top of it ("cake" is made of pillows & blankets)


Kids fascinated with the spinning dinosaur top


Gerritt displaying his favorite toys - the Transformers, the Thor hammer & the Spiderman helicopter


"I am a turtle, Mommy!" (Sophia after strapping a diaper changing pad to her back)

Sophia has started to climb out of her crib regularly. Often, when she wakes up in the morning, she'll get out & then stand by the bedroom door pulling on the door knob. I was pretty shocked finding her there for the 1st time, but now it has become routine. Sometimes she climbs out of the crib during the night, simply because she wants to snuggle with Daddy.
We've finally stopped buying formula for her. She still likes her bottle about twice a day, "I want my milky!", but we now give her only organic whole milk. She doesn't need the formula anymore from the nutritional standpoint (she is an excellent eater & has a mouthful of teeth). More importantly, I want to get formula & bottles out of sight so I don't give up too soon when I am struggling to learn breastfeeding my newborn son in a sleep-deprived, zombi-like state. I am actually not concerned about the delivery part as much as attempting breastfeeding again. Maybe the 3rd time will be the charm?