4.17.17 - Jane update

I'm in the last month of pregnancy - I'll be 37 weeks on Thursday. I'm just trying to ride it out because I am sore and it's difficult to move. But I want to remember the ways in which this pregnancy is different--specifically easier--than the last.

To begin with, I have still not passed the 200 lb mark. Last time I weighed in at 195.4, only 0.4 lbs above my initial goal and still under my ultimate goal (to stay under 200 lbs). I'm very proud of that, and I also think the ~25-30 lb difference is probably contributing to the other ways this pregnancy is a little easier.

For one thing, so far I have zero signs of pregnancy-induced carpel tunnel syndrome. Last time I started wearing wrist braces, first on my right wrist and then on both, to try to push fluid build up away from the nerves in my wrist. That helped for a time but eventually the problem overwhelmed the braces and they were pointless. I would wake up with numb almost painful hands and after awhile they were numb all day too. By the end the only fingers that weren't numb were my two pinkies. It was pretty unpleasant, but it's good for me to think about because that hasn't happened at all this time. No numbness.

I also haven't had much trouble breathing. I remember really struggling to catch my breath several times (in phases) during the last pregnancy, as early as 5 months in. To be fair that might still happen in these last few weeks, but at least it hasn't happened so far.

Jane seems to move more often and more intensely than I remember Clara moving. Mostly I enjoy it but there are times when it even wears me out. I can feel her kick against my hip bone. I can feel her push on two points at once, as she's stretching both her feet and her head. Sometimes it feels as if she's rolling a hand or foot along the inside of my abdomen - so bizarre feeling. She also pushes so consistently on the same spots that the muscles get sore and worn out. I wonder what makes this so different from Clara. Clara was breech at the end but that was only at about this point (near 37 weeks). Jane has been noticeably more mobile for weeks already.

As with the last pregnancy, I'm very grateful for how supportive Jack is, especially at the end here. In general he is really good about grabbing me things so I don't have to get up and he's been helping more with cleaning etc.

The other night I was so tired and sore I felt like I couldn't even really get up off the couch, even though I had hours until bed and the living room was a mess and there were various things I wanted to do. Jack came out from the bedroom to tell me I was sighing a lot, haha. I told him what was going on and he immediately cleaned the living room and asked if I needed help with anything else. This would be sweet in any case but it's especially sweet when I know he has a lot of stuff to do for nursing school. He is a very hard-working guy.