Week 30 -- We Want a Pitcher, Not a.... Well, Me

So much to talk about today!

If you didn't guess from the title of this post, my new ailment is an itchy belly. Not all the time, but every once in a while. I guess my skin is as stretched out as it wants to be. Oh, well.

I had a doctor's appointment today! Bagel is measuring well. The doc says his back is hanging out on the left side, with his arms and legs on my right side. He is definitely transverse, meaning he's stretched out sideways, rather than being head up or head down. He's on his way there, I guess!

The good news first -- I passed my gestational diabetes test from my last appointment. She said my numbers were great and there were no issues there at all. Good job, Bagel. The bad news -- my platelets were low again. Sigh. The doc and I discussed this at length today. When I first came in and was pregnant, my numbers were below normal, and so the doc has been testing my blood periodically to make sure they're coming up. That means I've had a needle in my arm almost every appointment I've gone to. Good times.

What does this mean? Well, if my numbers are crazy low, my blood won't clot properly. Doc says if it gets below a certain number, they won't give me an epidural during labor because they worry that I'll bleed from the needle. Hold. The. Phone.

Yeah, you read that right. It's possible I might not be able to have the sweet, sweet drugs I've been looking forward to in the delivery room. Let's break down the numbers. A normal range for platelets is 140K - 480K. The doc says they really will be concerned about my levels if they go below 50K. They won't do an epidural below 90K. Three weeks ago, my platelets were 136-138K (I can't remember which). So we're not talking anything too far below normal. When I first had my platelets tested, it was 125K. It later went up to around 144K. So the doc is not too concerned, because my numbers are hovering around normal and aren't changing all that drastically. This may just be how my body responds to being pregnant. I got more blood drawn today and we're going to keep an eye on my numbers.

My next appointment is in two weeks. At that appointment, I'll get to meet the other doctor in the practice who could deliver Bagel if my doc isn't available.

Now, before you go telling me to eat spinach like my mom (LOL, Mom), you can't replenish your platelets through diet. It's not like iron or calcium. If they get really low, they can do a platelet transfusion. But so far, it doesn't look like I'll need anything like that.

My doctor mentioned today that she was happy that we're back in even weeks, because she's into numerology. That surprised me, since she seems a no nonsense sort of woman and not into airy fairy notions (shout out to Val's mom) like numerology. Since this week seems to be all about numbers, let's break some down:

Number of times morning sickness has made itself, uh, evident: 0. Go Bagel!

Number of times I have been ill this pregnancy: 2. Not so great. Let's cross our fingers that there will be no more instances of that here, shall we?

Number of stretch marks: I was all excited to put 0, but I think I might be getting one! Lest you chicks reading out there think you can prevent stretch marks with lotion or something, please realize that, due to my eczema, I have the most well-lubricated skin known to man. I put lotion on all over 2-3 times a day. Seriously.

Number of scary low points: 1.

Number of elated high points: Where's the infinity button?

Number of pounds I've gained: Yeah right, nosy! Let's just say I'm on track to gain exactly as much as I'm supposed to gain. Though I've definitely been packing on more this trimester. Gotta fatten up Bagel.

Number of times Rob has felt Bagel kick: Countless! Bagel's actually starting to push a lot more than kick, and you can see my belly dance around. His favorite game right now is to make my belly go all crazy, and then when I say to Rob, "quick, look!" he stops. Hilarious.

Number of hormone fueled BST (I'll let you figure that out) moments: 1. I had my first earlier this week. I would tell you that you can ask Rob all about it, but he probably doesn't want to relive it and would immediately go into the fetal position and start sucking his thumb. Where did all those hormones come from?! I felt like I was fifteen again. The upside is I was happy to realize I'll never be fifteen again.

Now that the numbers have aligned with the planets, or whatever, let's see what Bagel is up to in there this week. He's growing all kinds of grooves and ridges in his brain now, and his bone marrow has taken over production of red blood cells. This means he's better able to thrive on his own once he's an outside baby. That furry coat he had before is starting to come off, now that he's getting nice and fat, and his brain and that precious blubber are now regulating his body temperature.

Ok, that was exhausting. Please, no pictures.