3rd Trimester!

Today makes 27 weeks, the beginning of our third and final trimester!

I've been experiencing a lot of lower back pain and last week it got really bad. Although I told my doctor I didn't think I was contracting, she sent me to labor and delivery just to get checked since I had preterm labor issues with Ethan. Everything checked out great with the baby: no contractions and no dilating.

However, the back pain continued to get worse, so I ended up going to a chiropractor yesterday. While examining me, he pinpointed the exact location of my pain in a matter of minutes. He said due to the extra weight of the baby, my spine had compressed and all my lower vertebrae shifted to the left (or something like that).

The chiropractor said it looked pretty bad. He put me on some heat and adjusted me then told me to ice, heat & stretch as much as possible and to soak in a warm bath. I did everything he told me and still went to bed in quite a bit of pain last night, but woke up this morning feeling a bit better with more mobility. I went back to him today and he adjusted me again and said that my back was already starting to look better. He thinks by the time I go back on Monday, I should be feeling pretty much back to normal. I guess I'll have to continue to see him throughout the rest of my pregnancy just to be sure it doesn't get that bad again.

I don't know why this pregnancy has been so much harder on me, but the chiropractor did mention to me about three different times that "Being pregnant at 32 is not the same as being pregnant in your 20s". Seriously, he's a man, what does he know about being pregnant?!

Anyway, here's what's going on with me and baby:

This week, your baby weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. Chalk up any tiny rhythmic movements you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and they don't bother her, so just relax and enjoy the tickle.

As your body gears up for the final lap, you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They're carrying extra weight, after all, and your expanding uterus is putting pressure on the veins that return blood from your legs to your heart as well as on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.