Morning, girls!
I'm at 31w5d, and let me tell you, I am READY for this kid to be out of me. I can't get a full night's sleep because of hip pain and randomly waking up between 230-3am every night. (Prepping for overnight feedings? Oh body, you sneaky *kitten*...) This little boy is already sitting really low on me so all my pelvic muscles and joints are hurting. Oi.

I'm trying to stay as active as I can even though that often means just taking the stairs during my commute, hitting my Breeze daily step count at a minimum (it's an awesome free app, check it out!), and a couple of times a week doing either my prenatal pilates dvd or just some light weights at home. But I still feel like a giant fat cow and I just want to get back to being able to eat less and go running and stuff.

My OB put me on a modified version of the GD diet, even though I don't have GD, in order to help keep the weight gain in check. She's the doc and everything, and she's been really great so far and I trust her, but I swear I feel like I'm eating SO much food. I'm already at the top end of the weight gain spectrum for my height, etc., so I'd love to just hold steady until January. She swears that following this eating plan will help me do that, and maybe even lose a few pounds.

It just sucks feeling this big, not feeling comfortable in clothes any more, etc. Really messes with your head, you know?

Well, I am now going on 30 weeks and have just started pregnancy/birth/parent education classes at my hospital. So far the class has been very slow and I've not really learned anything new. Actually, that's not true, I did learn that an epidural is not just a simple, single injection, but involves inserting some sort of line that maintains a consistent drip of the drug into your spine. How did I not know that before?

It was encouraging to hear about the typical experiences of the women who birth at the hospital I'm attending, though, and I'm starting to feel much less scared and much more confident for the day. Still nowhere near ready for a baby in my house, though!

Has anyone else gone through such classes? Any great insight or advice to impart?

My due date is January 16th. I'm still feeling pretty good and walking an average of 5km per day or longer. I have a very active dog, so she keeps me going.

My pregnancy has been pretty easy and I still have it pretty good at this point. However, my sleep has been disturbed and I'm super constipated. I've increased my fibre and it seems to help.

Does anyone else feel ill if they eat too late? If I eat past 7pm, I have an upset stomach ALL night. This started about two weeks ago. Anyhow, I simply eat dinner before 7pm and I seem to be ok.

I've gained about 20lbs at 32 weeks. I'm hoping I'll stay between 25 and 30lbs. I'm 5'7".

alex, eat when you're hungry. You're body is telling you in needs energy. For some reason, I've been doing this throughout my pregnancy and it seems to work. I didn't gain any weight between my last two OB appointments, but she didn't seem concerned. My measurements are still right on target.

xelor, sounds like you're doing well. Yes, we are almost there. I finally got the baby room all setup. My aunt bought me a pack-n-play and I think we are going to use that for the baby to sleep in. My husband's parents offered to buy a crib, but it seems like people only keep them for a year. If they want to buy their grandchild a nice bedroom set, we can wait until he/she is older and can get something that will last years and year.

I plan on doing a little bit of nursing, pumping and formula feeding. I'm going to stick with whatever I like the most. I'm not 100% set on one of method of feeding. I'm going to go with the flow.

My biggest concern at the moment is lack of sleep. I have about 4 weeks left of full time work, but it's a struggle at the moment because I'm not sleeping well. This week has been difficult. I'm going to talk to my boss about reducing my hours by half. It will only be for two weeks, but I don't know if I can handle another four weeks of full time work if I'm not sleeping at night. I'm making mistakes and feeling terrible all day.

Binky_Muffin wrote: »

alex, eat when you're hungry. You're body is telling you in needs energy. For some reason, I've been doing this throughout my pregnancy and it seems to work. I didn't gain any weight between my last two OB appointments, but she didn't seem concerned. My measurements are still right on target.

xelor, sounds like you're doing well. Yes, we are almost there. I finally got the baby room all setup. My aunt bought me a pack-n-play and I think we are going to use that for the baby to sleep in. My husband's parents offered to buy a crib, but it seems like people only keep them for a year. If they want to buy their grandchild a nice bedroom set, we can wait until he/she is older and can get something that will last years and year.

I think you're right. I've been listening to my body & eating when I get hungry. I think I eat a bit too much due to stress or boredom, but that'll all be over soon lol

Binky_Muffin wrote: »

I plan on doing a little bit of nursing, pumping and formula feeding. I'm going to stick with whatever I like the most. I'm not 100% set on one of method of feeding. I'm going to go with the flow.

My biggest concern at the moment is lack of sleep. I have about 4 weeks left of full time work, but it's a struggle at the moment because I'm not sleeping well. This week has been difficult. I'm going to talk to my boss about reducing my hours by half. It will only be for two weeks, but I don't know if I can handle another four weeks of full time work if I'm not sleeping at night. I'm making mistakes and feeling terrible all day.

Hopefully you can get your hours reduced!

As I mentioned in my reply above... I'm uncomfortable. Even while I was sleeping last night I kept complaining in my head and thinking there's no way I'm going to work after Christmas. My plan was for my last day to be 12/19, using up my 2015 vacation at the first of the year. But, my boss, who doesn't yet know I'm not coming back, really wants me to be there for year end close. Even though someone is all lined up to cover for me. I just don't see myself doing that-they'll be alright...

I'm sure I'm not the only one that can't get comfortable in bed, but does it HURT anyone else when they try to roll over? Or go from sitting to standing? I've asked my doctor so many times if the pressure and "pinching" pain I feel is normal and she says it is... I've had this since very early on, like 16 weeks. Obviously the bigger I get the worse it gets.

My mom bought me some maternity pants early on that were HUGE on me. I was going to exchange them but she talked me into keeping them, and today, I wore them. And they fit pretty good. I was happy to have new jeans that are comfy, but sad that these huge jeans fit me so well. Whatever. Thank god for MFP. I'll be back to counting calories soon enough. At least I know what to do to lose the weight.

Ps. I got a new bra today that was recommended by someone on my FL. It's a nursing sports bra from target. I like it because it has cups and a little bit of padding and support. I'm going to try wearing it as my regular bra because my boobs are so ridiculously uncomfortable right now. The bras I have been wearing have this terrible wire that stabs my armpits and side all day. .

http://www.target.com/p/nursing-sports-bra-gilligan-o-malley/-/A-14359520#prodSlot=large_1_1&term=Nursing+sport+bra

AMLL, do what you feel is right re: your work situation. You have someone to cover you, so it's not like you're leaving them high and dry. Just stick to your guns and say you're not feeling up to it. They cannot force you to go in.

As for the breastfeeding issue, it seems like it's easy for some and not easy for others. I've been doing a lot of research on exclusively pumping breast milk. This route seems to appeal to me. I would LOVE to exclusively pump for three months and then have another 3 month supply of frozen breast milk. Many women have done this, but the key is to have a good supply. Anyhow, DH's benefits plan will reimburse me if I want to rent a breast pump for 3 months. I plan on renting the Medela Symphony. From what I read, it's the Cadillac of pumps. The only issue is that it's not portable. I won't be travelling anywhere for the first 3 months, so I'm not too worried about it. I will purchase a manual breast pump in the event I have to be away from LO for more than 4 hours.

The thought of nursing really doesn't appeal to me for personal reasons. I don't know why. I feel a lot of anxiety thinking about it. However, pumping seems to be a good alternative. DH is totally supportive. I think with his support, a positive attitude and a plan, I should be able to achieve my goal. I may feel differently about nursing after the baby is born, but who knows. If I still feel overwhelming anxiety after LO gets here, I will make sure the nursing staff at the hospital respect my wishes.

As for sleeping, this week seems to be better. DH and I have been sleeping in the spare room. If I put the body pillow between my legs and sleep on my side, I can get about 4 hour blocks of sleep until I have to wake up and pee. I've slept decently the last two nights, so I'm thankful for that. I may just push through my full time hours until December 23rd.

Anyone else feel like their groin/pelvic muscles are loosening up? This started for me yesterday. It feels tender "down there". I guess my body is getting ready for labour.