Baby #4 [36 Weeks Pregnant]

I'm 36 weeks which means I am so close to having a baby! This pregnancy has gone so fast. It feels very unreal that I am this close to my due date already. The picture above is one I saw on pinterest and wanted to recreate because I thought it was so cute :) 

(30 weeks)

(34 weeks)

Movement: Baby Girl has great movement. I feel her poking her feet out and bouncing on my bladder plenty. She also hiccups nearly every day. She has kept her head down, which I am thankful for! My midwife told me it's preferable to have her back on my left side as that is the side the baby needs to be on before coming out of the birth canal. If they are not, then they have to transition to that side during labor which causes back labor (how did I not know this with my other three babies?!). Baby Girl was laying on my right side, so I have been working on getting her to move to the left (I just let my belly hang for a little while to encourage her to do so). She did move to the left side this past week, but then the stinker moved back a couple of days ago. But at least she's keeping her head down :) 

Sickness/Pain: I continue to have heartburn, and I take Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar. I also have been drinking Kefir and taking probiotics in hopes of not being Group B Strep positive this time. I will find out at my next appointment. I don't have any pain, though I am feeling the need to move slower when I roll out of bed to avoid discomfort, which I remember happening with the other girls. I also get tired out easier and so have been a little slower in general.

Weight Gain: 34 pounds

Fetal Heart Rate: Today it was 148. This girl just wants to be different from her sisters! They all started out super high and their FHR drastically dropped by the end of my pregnancy. This little girl's just keeps going up :)

I don't think I have officially mentioned it on here, but I am planning a home birth with this baby. I am very excited and have a lot of peace and confidence about going in this direction this time. I have loved my midwife and the simplicity of all of my appointments. My midwife comes to my house, which is so nice, helpful, and relaxing. She's laid back. I always measure small toward the end of my pregnancy, and she doesn't worry about it since I have always been like this and continue to have normal sized baby. With Lyla, I had to get ultrasounds several times at the end of my pregnancy because of this, so I am thankful I don't have to do that this time.

Because I am having a home birth, I have to prepare a little more than I did with my previous babies (although not much, actually! Basically it just replaces having to pack a hospital bag!). I have been organizing everything on two shelves in our closet... old towels and sheets, bed pads and baby diapers. I have actually been procrastinating on doing all of this, and this past week I finally decided I was getting too close to continue waiting so I mostly am all ready now!

Every week the midwife keeps track of my information on this paper, and I get to keep it. I've never gotten to keep all of my records before, so I enjoy being able to look back and see how the baby has grown!

The girls love being a part of my appointments, and they made their own check sheets for my midwife Shannon to check. They get stickers each time :) Shannon also lets them check her heart and help with checking the baby's heart rate. 

I'm officially in the last month of my pregnancy! While I don't expect her to come yet, she really could come any day now! I've been working diligently to get my to-do list done, and this past week I have been checking off lots of things. I'm hoping she stays put a few weeks longer, but we do look forward to meeting her :)