Cramps, naps and gender reveals

Either I have major pregnancy brain (which I’ll touch more on later), or I’m just getting more and more lazy as the light at the end of this birth canal tunnel gets brighter.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve posted. That’s just too long.

In that time, I’ve had my baby shower, and even found out I’m having a girl.

A GIRL!

Just what I was hoping for.

All along I thought I would wait and find out the gender when she was born (I can say she instead of it now). Then about 6 weeks before my baby shower, I thought, I could find out the gender and experience that moment with 3 people in the delivery room, or I could share it with almost 50 people at my shower…

I decided it would be a more memorable and exciting experience if I surprised my shower guests with a gender reveal.

I was right.

Half the fun for me was shocking everyone with the news that I was about to find out the gender – with all of them there. People were still talking about it days later. I’m so glad I decided to do it; it’s not something I’ll ever forget.

That was a week and a half ago, and I’ve already bought about five little girl outfits. I mean, come on, how could I not?!

Today marks 31 weeks, and I’m slowing down.

I’m feeling more tired now, running out of steam by late afternoon.

I think about naps all the time. Like right now.

I’d love to pull a George Costanza and get a few winks under my desk.

Baby Girl is apparently a big fan of naps at this stage as well, putting together long stages of snoozing and practicing REM sleep.

I’m hoping this continues in the outside world. Please.

With 9 weeks left to go, she weights 3+ pounds and measures about 16 inches long. At this time, her developments include making important neural connections to ensure all five senses are on point. She can move her head from side to side and may even be positioning herself head-down, prepping for the exit sequence.

Now, back to the pregnancy brain I alluded to earlier.

According to whattoexpect.com, research has shown that the brain really does function differently during pregnancy, increasing activity in the side associated with emotional skills (in theory to ensure you’re neurologically attuned to your baby’s facial emotions at birth, so you bond more easily). What’s more, brain-cell volume actually decreases during the third trimester.

In addition to my current decline in intelligence, I’m also experiencing some common third trimester woes: Braxton Hicks contractions, breathlessness, and the almost constant need to pee.

I always thought Braxton Hicks contractions (named after the Doctor who first documented them in 1872) were more of a near-the-end-of-pregnancy kinda thing. Turns out they can actually be felt as early as 20 weeks, but become more noticeable in the third trimester.

These contractions are the body’s way of training for the main event; they’re simply the tightening of the uterus – which, let’s face it, has done some pretty badass morphing over the last 7 months.

They can also be brought on by dehydration, overexertion while exercising (no worries there), sex (none there either), or a full bladder.

In case you weren’t paying attention, both a full bladder and dehydration can bring them on. So here I am trying to keep my water intake at a nice level to avoid dehydration, resulting in a full bladder.

Is it any surprise I’ve been experiencing some of these annoying BH cramps?

I shouldn’t complain, as I’ll probably be begging for these “annoying” cramps once I experience labour.

Oh god, labour.

It’s getting closer and closer.

Someone get the drugs ready.