I feel like I am at the point in pregnancy where the weeks are beginning to blend together a bit, but that doesn’t mean I don’t notice new things or experience certain “firsts” as I enter each new week of pregnancy. Never have I felt more in tune or connected with my body than I have during my pregnancy, and it’s been pretty darn cool and also a bit unexpected. I could probably write a whole blog post about that particular topic, but for now, here’s a recap of week 32 of my pregnancy!
Note: All previous weekly updates and pregnancy/baby-related blog posts may be found on the Pregnancy/Baby page located at the top of this blog.
Baby Updates
Baby is 16.7 inches long and weighs about 3.75 pounds… about the size of a squash!
Weight Gained
At my 32-week prenatal appointment I was up 20 pounds. My belly is measuring about a week behind right now, but my doctor said that could easily change as the weeks progress.
Workouts
Workouts this week were lighter with a few more rest days than usual. I had to make more modifications and rest a lot toward the end of the week due to some pain in my left butt cheek that extends slightly into my lower back. Pain that I last week thought was forming in my hip seemed to grow at the very end of this week and intensify in the middle of my left buttocks. I’m pretty convinced it’s sciatic nerve pain. It’s pretty brutal right now (I am feeling a sharp pain in my butt up through my lower back every single time I take a step or move in a strange way) and I have an appointment with my OB/GYN about it on Monday. (<— Edited to add: As you know I write these blog posts at the end of each week and wait to publish them the following week. So, after my Monday appointment this week, I found out that the pain I am experiencing is, in fact, sciatic nerve pain which is likely due to how our baby is positioned right now. It is quite painful!)
Symptoms
I know this isn’t a symptom, but I am officially in the “very obviously pregnant” stage of pregnancy, because I feel like wherever I go right now people comment on my belly, ask me when I am due or congratulate me. My favorite was a guy at the gym who came up to me and said, “With that belly and this summer heat, I bet you’re dying to have that baby now.” Obviously he could tell I am living life as a sweaty mess these days!
I’m also starting to feel very aware of the extra weight I am carrying around. It’s a bit exhausting at times and I really do feel like I see pretty dramatic belly growth changes each week. I’ve looked at pictures of other women at 32 weeks and then looked at their belly pics at 40 weeks and it looks like there’s still a lot of growing to do in the third trimester. Buckle up, belly!
I feel like my appetite was raging this week, but I am still not able to eat very large portions without feeling stuffed. I’m keeping most of my meals on the smaller side, but just eating more frequently. The size of my breakfast, lunch and dinners have basically been the same size as my snacks!
I also had some light pain in my left hip/butt through most of the week that seemed to intensify greatly on Friday. It’s now incredibly painful to the point where I cannot walk without pain. Over the weekend, I reached out to some instructors at my gym to swap classes for the coming week so I’ll only be teaching classes where I’m instructing and not actually doing the workouts next week.
Food Aversions
None.
Food Cravings
- Sandwiches
- Watermelon and grapes
- Fruit-flavored candy
Sleep
Sleep is okay. Waking up a lot to pee and having a hard time getting really comfortable.
Looking Forward To…
Our hospital tour! I am dying to see the place where I will be delivering our baby and cannot wait for our tour on Tuesday evening.
Any Baby/Pregnancy-Related Purchases?
- Lampshade for the nursery
- Diaper Genie diaper pail
- Hooded bath towels
- Waterproof crib mattress pad
Belly Button In Or Out?
Popping out a little bit!
Feeling…
This week was a little rough for me. Though I still felt happy for the most part earlier in the week, on Saturday morning, I experienced some frustrations that overwhelmed me and resulted in some tears. I haven’t cried much at all during pregnancy other than happy tears at certain prenatal appointments, so the overflow of emotions was rather unexpected.
On Saturday morning, I experienced a wide range of the not-so-pleasant pregnancy-related symptoms. I woke up and immediately experienced a shooting pain in my butt up through my lower back every time I took a step. Then nausea kicked in and I ended up puking in the bathroom for the first time in weeks. This was followed by a cramp in my foot that I couldn’t get to subside and then a cramp in my calf. Apparently it was just a lot for me to handle all at once and when Ryan got home from the gym, he found me sitting over the toilet after I had just thrown up, crying because I felt like I had no control over my body. Believe me, I know how lucky I am to be blessed with the ability to carry what we hope and pray every day is a healthy baby boy, but I want to be honest and open in these pregnancy recaps and sometimes there are some not-so-fun parts of pregnancy that surface, too. It can sometimes feel like my body is no longer mine because it isn’t. I’m sharing it with a little guy I already love so much and that really helps me keep everything in perspective. His little kicks bring me back to reality and help me realize the uncomfortable symptoms I may experience are so incredibly worth it.
The (what I later found out is sciatic nerve pain) pain in my butt and lower back is really, really tough and, hands down the most frustrating and limiting pregnancy symptom I’ve experienced to date. It’s discouraging to feel like I cannot even walk right now without limping around and I am hoping it will subside soon.
Any Movement?
Yes! I just love it! Whenever our little guy gives me a solid kick, I rub my belly and will also sometimes push back, which makes him push out on my belly again. It feels like a little game of back-and-forth and makes me smile! At our 32-week appointment, we learned that our baby is already head down which was great news and also made a lot of sense since I feel the strongest movements right along my belly button where his feet are kicking away.
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