32 Weeks: Not Wine, But Whine

I think I've been a really "positive" pregnant woman. When people ask me how I'm feeling, I always say "really good," and "great." In truth, I haven't had much reason to complain about anything. Aside from the anticipation of meeting our little one, I've enjoyed pregnancy and have even made a point to try not to wish it away.

SO... would it be horrible if I whined a little today?

Ever since--oh, I don't know... Friday?--something has shifted and things have changed.

First, let's observe:

32 Weeks Pregnant

Is it just me, or am I all of a sudden carrying this baby REALLY high? I feel like my ribs have been invaded. And that, my friends, is the source of much of my complaining these last few days. There's a general discomfort associated with having your organs squished up into your rib cage, along with an active baby who likes to practice somersaults in there. Shocking, right?

My totally comfortable, love-them-so-much full-panel maternity pants? Not so comfortable anymore. Not really loving them at the moment. The elastic band at the top of the panel cuts into the top of my belly (again, because it is SO HIGH), but if I fold it down, it feels like it cuts into the bottom of my belly. This is a no-win situation, I feel. The only solution, it seems, is to live in dresses and skirts for the next eight weeks. Not easy to do when you only have three dresses and two skirts.

Oh, and let's talk about my bra. My bra has turned into a torture device. I wish I was exaggerating. These bras that I bought in April to accommodate my growing pregnancy boobs, and thought would last until I had to switch to nursing bras? NOT SO MUCH. Because of this baby's migration up into my ribs, my rib cage is seemingly expanding, and the bra band, even on its loosest hooks, digs into me and makes me feel like I am wearing a corset around my ribs ALL DAY LONG. I just about cried last night when I went into Target to buy bra expanders only to find that they were completely out of stock. (I went and checked again today, and they were out again. *sob*) And let's not forget about the underwire! The underwire is taking up permanent residence in the skin at the top of my belly. At this rate, I think it's eventually going to leave permanent marks.

The problem is that I can't stand NOT to wear a bra, either. (Um, just to be clear, I'm talking about at home. I wouldn't subject poor, innocent members of the general public to the sight of THAT, I assure you.) So I suffer all day, right up until the moment I'm about to crawl into bed for the night. At that point, I can't even tell you how good it feels to be free of the constriction of the band and the discomfort of the underwire.

As if all of these developments haven't been enough to deal with over the last couple of days, I think it's time to officially retire my engagement/wedding rings. And maybe I'm hormonal, or maybe I'm just a sap, but it makes me want to cry because I *LOVE* my rings. Yes, I know they're just material possessions and don't actually mean anything when it comes to my marriage but I *LOVE* to wear them and I *HATE* my naked fingers.

*deep breath*

OK, now you can start to ship me mass quantities of cheese (cheddar, please!) to go with all of my WHINE. Because I know! I know I'm being a crybaby, and I'm only going to get bigger and more uncomfortable. But if any of you experienced pregnant ladies and/or mothers have any tips on how to get me through these last few weeks, I would love to hear about them.

Moving on, trying to return to my normal, chipper self...

We had a doctor's appointment this afternoon. I'm up 21 lbs. total, with approximately eight weeks to go. I'm really hoping I can stay at or under the 30 lb. mark for total gain, but we'll see how it goes. They say that you're supposed to gain at least a pound a week at this point of pregnancy, so if I stick to an average of a pound a week, that would put me right around that 30 lb. number when this is over. Everything else looks good. Really low blood pressure (she said it was 100/68!), good heartrate, and baby has done some catching up and I'm now measuring right on time again.

Last night, we finished our birth preparation classes. Now that they're done, I think I can be honest and say that they weren't tremendously beneficial. I don't regret taking them at all, as I do think it was nice to review everything and be given a few tools to help with the labor process, but it wasn't like I had any crazy "lightbulb moments" or anything like that. In related news, we did our hospital tour on Sunday. That was actually really nice, as it made us feel more comfortable knowing exactly where to park, where to go once inside, etc. We got to see one of the birthing center rooms and hear all about the hospital's processes and services. All good stuff to know.

Wrapping up... thank you so much to everyone who has entered the Heather Drive Baby Pool so far! It has been fun to see all of the guesses come pouring in, and I look forward to being at the point where the baby is out and we can determine a winner! :) One thing--if you entered and did NOT include an e-mail address, please let me know in the comments or via e-mail so I can go in and add your e-mail address for you. If you don't have an e-mail address attached to your entry, we won't be able to contact you if you win! And if you haven't entered a guess yet, what are you waiting for?