Welcome to the 3rd trimester!

Thank goodness, at long last, I am in the home stretch! Not that the 3rd trimester is likely to be a walk in the park (hardly) but at least Im nearing the end of this journey and will have my baby before I know it. Today I had my monthly appointment with my DR in which I grilled him with lots of questions Ive neglected asking until now. Last time around, the nurses really pressured me into getting drugs too early or drugs I didnt want at all. They limited how much I could walk around or what I could do and restricted me to the bed which I hated. Long ago I decided that things wouldnt go that way again. So, here we are today. I learned (thanks to the internet) that the hospital Ill be delivering at has a dismal c-section rate of 36% which is quite high. Im one of those who doesnt want a c-section unless its absolutely necessary. My DR explained that the high rate is product of DR's and patients who are more concerned with convenience than letting nature take its course which he feels is wrong. His personal c-section rate is 12%. Im much more comfortable with that. He also reassured me that the hospital could not do anything that he doesnt order and he wont order anything I dont want. What a relief! He took the time to answer all my questions and make sure I was comfortable.

Over the past month I have gained weight, 5 pounds which brings me to 145 and to date, only 5 pounds more than what I weighed when my pregnancy first started. The baby is still head down and using her hands and feet to kick every imaginable organ within range. There are many times when it is very uncomfortable. Im also having Braxton Hicks contractions but he isnt worried about them at this point. My heart rate issue seems to have resolved itself and I have had only a few episodes since my Cardiology appointment. My next appointment is in another month on March 10th but from then on Ill be going every 2 weeks. Its amazing, I never thought I would get to this point.

The weather has been beautiful the past few days so I have been going out for a walk each evening. We live right in the middle of a hill so going down is easy but coming back up is practically murder. Ive felt so much better over the last week aside from some killer heartburn. Im looking forward to spring arriving for good so I can get outside every day.