March 18, 2021
We have lived in this apartment for four years today. When we moved to Connecticut we signed a 15 month lease and I was hoping we would never renew it. Hah! Four years later and we are still living here and who knows, maybe we have another full year here, we’ll see.
Today I’m 34 weeks pregnant. Which means that we have 4-8 more weeks until baby comes (unless she/he comes preterm). Ideally I would cross off basically everything on my todo list before April (that’s a humongous wish) so that I can go into quarantine and do absolutely nothing but meditate, prepare myself mentally for baby, move my body gently in yoga or pilates if possible, go for walks and just relax until the arrival of the little one.
So, how’s my body and how do I feel at 34 weeks (=week 35 in Sweden)? Like I mentioned in the previous post, I have moments of feeling overwhelmed over everything I need to get done. Most of the things on my todo list I have to do myself, I can’t ask for help. Some of it is stuff that I really enjoy but it takes an incredibly amount of time (like creating the babymoon video, because yes, there’s a video coming, stay tuned), but other daily stuff like folding laundry or cooking is boring but I’m the one who has to do it.
For the past few days I’ve had some groin and pubic pain. I did ballet and pilates yesterday trying to work on strengthening core, back and leg muscles to help ease the pain but last night it was so painful I could hardly walk or sit. I slept sitting all snuggled into my ginormous pregnancy pillow with my legs resting straight forward which was helpful. I think the reason why I’m so sore in the groin area is because the only way for me to sit comfortably on the couch or on the floor and such has been cross-legged or feet together knees wide to make room for the belly so the muscles are maybe a bit overworked. Plus it’s pretty common from week 34 or so to get this pain since the body is opening up and preparing for the birth.
I am also really congested nowadays, not just at night like before but all day. I have been short of breath for awhile now and congestion (which is a pregnancy symptom I’ve had since the start of second trimester) plus facemask isn’t exactly making the breathing easier. But the bump is slowly slowly getting lower which makes more room for breathing ok again.
Lilliput is rehearsing dance choreographies and circus tricks all day long. Kicking, punching and moving around like there is no tomorrow. When the kicking stops I almost get a little worried but then a few minutes later my bladder or my ribs are getting hit so hard that I can hardly function hahah. We’re definitely having a wild one on the way.
I don’t really feel hunger anymore but have some cravings from time to time. Like for the past few days I can not stop thinking about Swedish candy and pastries. I find myself looking up swedish or scandinavian online stores on the daily now hahah. But it’s insanely expensive. Something that costs like $1 in Sweden costs $14 here plus shipping. But it also doesn’t matter, cause I’m not eating licorice which is what I’m craving the most. I read during my last pregnancy that black licorice, not just the salty one but all black ones that contains glycyrrhizin, can come with possible harmful effects on the baby (lower IQ, ADHD etc). It can also lead to high blood pressure in the mother and preterm births. Sometime in the beginning of this pregnancy I craved licorice but after eating a couple of black twizzlers (which in my opinion is not real licorice) I remembered what I had read two years earlier and immediately put it away (black twizzler however actually has a very small amount of glycyrrhizin so not as bad but still). I don’t want to risk anything, so I have stayed away. I’m married to one of the smartest people I’ve ever met and I want our child to come out the same way:) But I’m drooling just thinking about Swedish sweets. And now when Easter is coming up it’s not gonna be easier hahah. Maybe for my birthday in July I can wish for my parents to send me some stuff 😉
Other than groin pain and shortness of breath, I feel pretty good. I grateful for every single day when I feel ok cause I know it can turn. The bump is getting huge though and people have been saying things like “not long now huh?” or “looks like there is two in there”. I know they mean well but this is not ok things to say to someone. I can take it but some women might not. Same thing, never tell a women with a small bump things like “are you sure the baby is growing like it should” or “you’re so small”. Pregnant women have enough to worry about and to comment on someones body is just not ok. People have been telling me that my belly is huge since the day we announced our pregnancy. The maintenance guy here came up to me the day we came back from our trip and said “looks like you gained weight”. Thanks, I know. And some comment I got from someone a couple of months ago actually resulted in that I always think twice before I post a picture because I don’t want it to look “too big” for the week I’m in, which is retarded. I’m proud of my bump and it’s perfect just the way it is♥
Thor and I slept in a little this morning which was nice.
Looks like I have tons of stretchmarks, but it’s actually just marks from my PJ from sleeping:)