31 weeks 2 days

We had another check up for little Miss Brooke today. All is well! Her heartbeat is strong and was very easy to find. I've been having a lot of rib pain on the right side and was asking the doctor for ideas on how to relieve that pain. He said it's pretty common for the baby to be pushing toward the right side because the bowels tend to move to the left. He thought she might have a foot or something stuck under my rib. And because I am carrying her very high, there really isn't a lot to be done. When he went to measure me to make sure she's growing appropriately, he couldn't. Apparently I'm carrying so high, that my uterus and child are actually under my ribs. Not just a foot, probably both feet and part of her legs too. No wonder I'm in pain. You can visibly see my right ribs sticking out as compared to the left. The good news (or bad depending on how patient I can be) is that most babies begin to drop by about 34 weeks. So I have roughly 3 more weeks of this and then she should drop enough to relieve the pressure. I might even be able to breathe a bit and eat a normal meal without heartburn. But the trade off will be more bladder pressure (can I really pee more than I already do?) and possible pelvic pain.

Oh well, it's all worth it in the end. And I am so grateful to have this little one doing so well. I've really had a pretty good pregnancy all things considered. It has been more difficult than Lainey's, but hers was really a walk in the park. They are all different! Less than 9 weeks to go!

On another note, Lainey got to feel Baby Brooke moving around last night. She was really active while Lainey was brushing her teeth. I stopped her and had her put her hand on my belly. Her eyes lit up when she felt Brooke move. I don't know if she really understands what it means when I say Baby Brooke is in my tummy. She may have had a small epiphany last night. She keeps telling me that Brooke is getting ready for her birthday. She sure is!