34 Weeks

Today marks 34 weeks pregnant!  I read this morning in an article from Baby Center that "babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine."  So while we haven't crossed into a new month or had another ultrasound, 34 weeks still feels like a milestone.  Now Muffin is the size of a butternut squash (between 17-18 inches and and 5+ pounds).  Most babies are 18-21 inches long at birth, so the baby is close to its final length.  Now he or she is putting on more fat and soon the vernix will start shedding.

Baby is listening to my voice and may be able to recognize familiar songs after birth.  So I guess I need to get singing! Muffin also closes his or her eyes when sleeping and opens them when awake.  Finally the fingernails have grown to the end of the fingertips and the baby will need to have his or her nails trimmed after birth.

My belly is definitely growing.  My mom says, "I'm really blossoming."  And Eric just keeps saying, "There's a baby in there!"  Beyond the typically shortness of breath and general discomforts, I have been getting along well.  However, this week I have struggled to fall asleep and stay asleep.  With the help of some midnight Googling, I have landed on a self-diagnosis of Restless Leg Syndrome.  I just can't get my legs comfortable at night (when trying to fall asleep) and they feel twitchy.  It seems like I finally fall into a deep sleep after my last trip to the bathroom (around 3 am) and then morning comes too quickly!  I discovered that my current prenatal vitamin doesn't include iron (and an iron deficiency can contribute to Restless Leg Syndrome), so I'm going to start taking an iron supplement to see if that helps.  I also read that RLS is not uncommon in pregnant women during the third trimester, so it might just be one of those things...

Typically, I would have an OB appointment this week, but that has been cancelled due to COVID-19.  So I will next be seen at 36 weeks - and hopefully weekly after that.