most importantly, i can say from my residency NICU experiences that most babies born after 30 weeks are not the truly sick ones. in fact, unless there are other issues involved [genetic defects, infections, etc], most babies at this level of prematurity do incredibly well.

second, 30 was the number i always associated with being really, really pregnant -- ie, when i would hear someone was 30 weeks i'd think of them having their baby in the [relatively] near future. it's the last 6.2 miles of the pregnancy marathon! and as someone who hasn't really bonked one yet, i am hoping the same will be true for this journey.

the rundown
feeling: huge. weight gain has continued to be reasonable [i think i'm at +17 lbs at 30 weeks] but the growth still seems astronomical, and my abdomen feels tighter and more packed by the day! it doesn't help that i am still measuring 2 weeks ahead -- perhaps i'm getting to experience a normal 32-week belly a bit early. i know in 7 weeks or so i'll look back at these pictures and laugh at my naivete, but right now it just feels like a LOT on my frame. sleeping is not fun. lying on the couch is even frustrating -- i want to relax, but can't seem to get my muscles [and considerable bulk] into a favorable position. the oddest part is the times i am most comfortable are when i'm moving -- walking or even running! this brings us to . . .

workouts: ever since my little mishap on the sidewalk, i've taken my workouts indoors. i'm clumsy by nature, have a totally messed-up center of gravity right now, and can't even see my feet -- a recipe for disaster i think if i continue to run outside. however, i have continued to get my [necessary] endorphin buzz via the treadmill and elliptical. currently, my favorite is a run/walk combo: 4 minutes at 5.5 mph alternating with 2 minutes 3.5 mph with some incline for 30-40 minutes. i've never minded the treadmill -- and i've also never fallen off of one, so i feel like this is safe. i've been supplementing with weights and prenatal yoga although i'd love to be doing more of it!

prep: we still have no semblance of a nursery, but we have a lot of baby stuff that just needs to be organized -- once josh moves his desk out of the baby's room, that is! our dresser/changing table was delivered yesterday, our futon is here, and our crib will be on its way mid-february. we aren't going crazy with decorating [we're going to live here only ~16 months after our baby girl is born] but i do want things neat and organized before her arrival.

thanks to generous relatives and friends, we now are set with strollers [including the bob!], baby carrier [i ended up going with an ergo], a TON of 0-3 and 3-6 month clothes [mainly beautiful hand-me-downs from my sister-in-law!], bouncer, car seat, breast pump, and so much more.

oh, and we do have a name picked out -- subject to change, of course, but i think we're pretty set. it's very feminine and pretty and classic and i can't wait to use it out in the open!

fatigue: definitely coming back. although i'm on call this week, so i know the 2 am phone calls aren't helping. because i'll be headed back into the lab, this will be my last 7-day stretch on the pager until post-baby . . . not that i'm looking forward to being woken up alternately by the pager AND a hungry little one! [but i'll survive.]

things i am really glad i did [so far, anyway!]
since i am not even finished with my very first pregnancy, i may not be the best person to turn to for advice. still, i can look back on a few earlier decisions and say what has worked up until this point!

bought good spots bras
i've been using the same 2 since earlier in my pregnancy and they still work. i don't think i could have continued running without the juno! even if i don't fit into these once my milk comes in, i will still consider them worthy investments [especially since i hope to get pregnant again!].

started wearing maternity clothes early!
i feel like so many people resist buying maternity clothes until late in the game -- and i don't get it! i've been wearing the same clothes since week ~13 or so, and most things have continued to work just fine. i am very happy to have bought 3 pairs of gap maternity pants and some dresses which have become very comfortable staples. the only items that are starting to become problematic are a few of the shirts, which are getting to be short because of the new expanse of belly. while i may end up having issues with swelling and have trouble fitting into things by the end, at that point i will be in the lab and i really don't care if i have to work in the same pair of yoga pants for a few weeks -- i'd rather save up for clothes to wear after pregnancy :)

on that note, i'm also really happy to have borrowed a lot of clothes. after building a reasonably functional wardrobe, it has been very easy to resist shopping. because come on: i want anthro, not pea in the pod!! and i know it's only a matter of time . . .

continued working out through the whole deal
next time i might transition to the treadmill earlier, but i am really happy to have kept up with physical activity throughout. for one, if i had failed my diabetes test this week, it would have been the one consolation for me to think that at least i tried my best to get in the recommended daily exercise! second, the times that i feel my absolute best [and the most 'normal'] are during and after a workout.

__ weeks to go . . .
now that i can actually envision getting there, i've started to think of my due date as a less exact point -- after all, less than 5% of women actually deliver on that magical 40 week mark. will i end up delivering at 37 weeks or 41?! i'm kind of guessing the latter, given my family history and generally slow-to-respond reproductive tract up to this point, but does that mean i'll measure 43!?

i have a feeling that whenever i go, i'll be more than ready.