Week 31 - Classes start!

I know I said I was finished with taking classes, but there's something different about sitting through hours of lecture/lab when it's about the little squirmy kid inside you. Our childbirth classes started this week on Saturday, much to Igor's dismay (hey, I could've chosen the ones that started at 9:30am rather than 12:30pm!). :-P It's nice being around other women who are due around the same time I am - one couple is even due the same day! We got some handouts, talked about what to expect during labor, how to relieve some pregnancy pains, and learned (and practiced) some breathing techniques and positions to get through those nasty contractions. Lovely.

I hear dreams can get more vivid nearer to the end of pregnancy. While I don't remember any kid dreams, I did have one about being in a haunted house. I remember turning around in this hallway, and for some reason, I felt like I should scream, so I tried. I remember thinking in the dream, why is it that I can't scream too loud? Well, I was apparently screaming through my nose, lying next to Igor in bed. Kinda freaked him out, which I can't blame him for. I don't remember ever doing anything related to my dreams in real life before, so that was kind of weird. I blame the pregnancy. A great excuse for everything! ;)

This week, I start going in for OB appointments every two weeks. I asked why the increase, and apparently they just want to check out the baby more often, as he's growing A LOT from here on out. Otherwise, I guess I shouldn't expect anything too different. They're only about 15 mins, so not terrible. I get to hear the heartbeat, and they measure my belly. Strangely enough, usually the measurement (in cm) is the same number of weeks we've conquered (that's right, survival of pregnancy is an active process and I am conquering. :-P). So this week, the little guy measured 31cm, and I'm at 31 weeks.

Our baby this week:

He measures over 16 inches long and weighs about 3.3 pounds, about the same length as a... miniskirt? He's going to keep gaining about half a pound a week until shortly before he becomes external (I like that better than saying gets shoved through the birth canal). It's about time he started gaining like mommy. ;)