35 weeks down, 35 days to go!
The good: The good things about pregnancy are slowly winding down, but I think I can name a few.
-I can still shave my legs without any problems
-My blood pressure remains low
-Baby moves all the time
-Baby is head down (verified by ultrasound yesterday)
-2 weeks to full term
The bad:
-Some of my maternity shirts are too tight, so I'm very limited in my work wardrobe.
-Some days I feel like I've been kicked in the pubic bone, and it always hurts to roll over in bed now.
-I have pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel in both hands and it sucks. It's not painful, but my fingers feel like they're asleep all the time. Very annoying.
-I literally have to pee every 30 minutes now. Sometimes I can feel his head sitting on my bladder and it makes the urge to pee so much worse.
-My feet swell daily now and I'm pretty sure I'm retaining water in my feet and ankles. Some days it looks like I have marshmallows attached to my calves.
The ugly:
-My butt has gotten rather large.
-The scale is going up frighteningly fast right now.
How far along: 35 weeks
Next appointment: Next Wednesday (I got weekly now)
Any new aches/pains: Nothing new really. I'm very happy not to have had any back pain yet.
Maternity clothes: I'm over them, especially the tighter ones.
Sleep: It's pretty bad right now. I wake up every 1-2 hours all night long.
Best moment this week: As of today I only have 1 month of work left. Repeating this is all that's getting me through right now.
Movement: All the time. It's nice to know for certain that he's head down, but I've been suspecting he's been head-butting me in the bladder for awhile now.
Food cravings: Anything, and anything sweet. I'm much hungrier than normal right now.
Belly button: It's still in and almost completely flat.
What I miss: Not being pregnant (Is that bad to say?)
What I'm looking forward to this week: 2 weeks to full term. Our Ikea trip on Saturday to buy a bigger bed.
Weekly wisdom: Remember to take moments to breathe and calm down when things get stressful. There are very few things that are more important than the baby right now, and it's ok to say that.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Like a lone reed.....Childbirth Class #4
Childbirth class #4 was last night. We covered pushing, placenta delivery (everyone in the class laughed at the video portion of this part because family members of the mom were taking pictures of her placenta), c-sections, and practiced labor positions again.
Tonight's personal highlight was an exercise we did towards the beginning of the class. The women had to leave the room for a minute while the men were instructed to do something. We came back in, and this time the men left. When we walked back in the room, on the floor we saw a series of numbers in a line. The numbers were +5, +3, +1, 0, -1, -3, -5 in that order. Here's the basic description of what each number stood for:
+5 = I want an epidural as soon as I walk in the hospital door. I want to feel nothing during delivery.
+3 = I want to progress on my own for a little while (with narcotics if I want them) and then get an epidural.
+1 = I want to progress as far as I can, but am open to an epidural if I need one.
0 = No opinion
-1 =
-3 =
-5 =
To be honest, I can't remember exactly what the last 3 stood for, but they were varying ranges of "I want no meds" to "Under no circumstances should pain meds be offered to me during labor." Anyone who's been following understands why I didn't really pay close attention to these choices.
When we left the room, the men were instructed to stand on the line according to where they thought their wives would stand. Before that was revealed, we (the women) had to go stand on the line according to our pain med wishes. I stood at +3 (let's be honest here, I really wanted to stand at +5, but figured I'd put on a brave face) and everyone else crowded down towards the -5 end of the line. The first thing that popped into my head was that line "Like a lone reed" from You've Got Mail. Everyone looked down the line at me and I just looked back at them. No judgment from anyone, but it was just....interesting. Then the men joined us at the spots they'd chosen. P stood between +1 and +3. Hah, good one P!
The point of the exercise was to see if all the women were on the same page regarding pain medication options as their husbands. Perhaps P and I have some strange relationship, but it never occurred to me to consult him on whether or not I choose to have an epidural. Until he gets to feel the pain, he doesn't get a say in it. Maybe that is sexist, but I can't help the fact that evolution handed childbirth to the women.
Last night was also interesting because the couple whose baby was born at 34 weeks came back to tell us their birth story. Baby is currently at CHKD, but should be home in a couple weeks. I didn't know this, but Williamsburg's hospital doesn't have a NICU so any preemie babies are sent to St. Mary's in Richmond or CHKD in Norfolk. The most interesting part, to me, was the mom telling us about how she decided, at 10cm, to ask for an epidural because she was so tired and couldn't take it any longer. She said "I'd never done any research on epidurals...." <---Ladies and gentlemen, there we have it. My point from the very beginning of our adventure in "natural birth land." Here I am, pro-doctor, pro-modern medicine, pro-epidural, taking a natural childbirth class. Educating myself about no intervention, labor positions, breathing, etc. And all the crunchy moms are doing nothing to educate themselves about all the other possibilities, which of course they'll experience should any of them end up with a c-section or possibly in more stressful of a situation than they anticipated.
For all the "birth is natural" and "our bodies were made for this" business, I find it extremely interesting that the only person in the class doing research for herself (again, the whole "do your research" thing is really pushed by the natural birth folks) is me. I "hee hee hee'd" with the best of them last night while holding the ziploc bag of ice cubes in my hand during our labor position practice, but I'm still asking for the anesthesiologist.
(I supposed you could argue that taking the childbirth class, which briefly mentions epidurals, is "doing research." In my opinion, that's not really enough to consider yourself educated on the subject though."
Tonight's personal highlight was an exercise we did towards the beginning of the class. The women had to leave the room for a minute while the men were instructed to do something. We came back in, and this time the men left. When we walked back in the room, on the floor we saw a series of numbers in a line. The numbers were +5, +3, +1, 0, -1, -3, -5 in that order. Here's the basic description of what each number stood for:
+5 = I want an epidural as soon as I walk in the hospital door. I want to feel nothing during delivery.
+3 = I want to progress on my own for a little while (with narcotics if I want them) and then get an epidural.
+1 = I want to progress as far as I can, but am open to an epidural if I need one.
0 = No opinion
-1 =
-3 =
-5 =
To be honest, I can't remember exactly what the last 3 stood for, but they were varying ranges of "I want no meds" to "Under no circumstances should pain meds be offered to me during labor." Anyone who's been following understands why I didn't really pay close attention to these choices.
When we left the room, the men were instructed to stand on the line according to where they thought their wives would stand. Before that was revealed, we (the women) had to go stand on the line according to our pain med wishes. I stood at +3 (let's be honest here, I really wanted to stand at +5, but figured I'd put on a brave face) and everyone else crowded down towards the -5 end of the line. The first thing that popped into my head was that line "Like a lone reed" from You've Got Mail. Everyone looked down the line at me and I just looked back at them. No judgment from anyone, but it was just....interesting. Then the men joined us at the spots they'd chosen. P stood between +1 and +3. Hah, good one P!
The point of the exercise was to see if all the women were on the same page regarding pain medication options as their husbands. Perhaps P and I have some strange relationship, but it never occurred to me to consult him on whether or not I choose to have an epidural. Until he gets to feel the pain, he doesn't get a say in it. Maybe that is sexist, but I can't help the fact that evolution handed childbirth to the women.
Last night was also interesting because the couple whose baby was born at 34 weeks came back to tell us their birth story. Baby is currently at CHKD, but should be home in a couple weeks. I didn't know this, but Williamsburg's hospital doesn't have a NICU so any preemie babies are sent to St. Mary's in Richmond or CHKD in Norfolk. The most interesting part, to me, was the mom telling us about how she decided, at 10cm, to ask for an epidural because she was so tired and couldn't take it any longer. She said "I'd never done any research on epidurals...." <---Ladies and gentlemen, there we have it. My point from the very beginning of our adventure in "natural birth land." Here I am, pro-doctor, pro-modern medicine, pro-epidural, taking a natural childbirth class. Educating myself about no intervention, labor positions, breathing, etc. And all the crunchy moms are doing nothing to educate themselves about all the other possibilities, which of course they'll experience should any of them end up with a c-section or possibly in more stressful of a situation than they anticipated.
For all the "birth is natural" and "our bodies were made for this" business, I find it extremely interesting that the only person in the class doing research for herself (again, the whole "do your research" thing is really pushed by the natural birth folks) is me. I "hee hee hee'd" with the best of them last night while holding the ziploc bag of ice cubes in my hand during our labor position practice, but I'm still asking for the anesthesiologist.
(I supposed you could argue that taking the childbirth class, which briefly mentions epidurals, is "doing research." In my opinion, that's not really enough to consider yourself educated on the subject though."
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Childbirth Class #3
Childbirth class #3 was Sunday night. We focused on labor positions and talked a bit about pain medication options. The instructor set up different stations where we tried out various labor positions and I thought that was pretty interesting. The most comfortable one for me was sitting backwards in a chair leaning over a pillow. LOL, I kind of want to sit this way at my desk at work!
Everyone laughed when P and I got to the station that involved foot massages. I hate having my feet touched and can barely make it through a pedicure. I must have had a really pained look on my face while P was massaging my feet because people started laughing. I'm pretty sure this position will never be used during labor! Hopefully some of the others will be helpful while I'm waiting for the epidural.
________________________________________
Random things:
-I really wish someone had made me buy all my maternity clothes one size too big. Things would be so much more comfortable right now if I had done this!
-Before getting pregnant, I assumed I would spend the entire 3rd trimester being terrified of labor. I never understood what women meant when they said "I'm just ready to have this baby." Oooooh, I understand now. I often wonder how I'm going to make it 6 more weeks. Some days I feel like I've been kicked in the pelvis and anything other than sitting on the couch hurts.
-My butt has gotten large. It's totally my fault for eating too much and exercising too little. I'm a bit disappointed in myself, but that does not stop me from eating Caramel Apple Hershey Kisses.
-I've decided that my belly is an optical illusion. I'm feeling very self-conscious about it, so I decided to use a tape measure last night and measure it. At 34 weeks, it should be measuring around 34cm. Guess what? It's measuring right on track! I imagine that a taller person would not look huge with my belly, but since I'm so short it just looks huge.
How far along: 33 weeks 6 days
Next appointment: Next Tuesday
Any new aches/pains: Pubic bone pain. It's pretty bad some days.
Maternity clothes: Yes and I hate them all.
Sleep: It really varies.
Best moment this week: Hmm, not sure yet.
Movement: Yup, he's still very active. He has hiccups multiple times a day.
Food cravings: Anything sweet.
Belly button: It's still in and almost completely flat.
What I miss: Not being huge.
What I'm looking forward to this week: It's another week closer to the end.
Weekly wisdom: Don't be vain. Buy maternity clothes in a larger size so you'll be comfortable later.
Everyone laughed when P and I got to the station that involved foot massages. I hate having my feet touched and can barely make it through a pedicure. I must have had a really pained look on my face while P was massaging my feet because people started laughing. I'm pretty sure this position will never be used during labor! Hopefully some of the others will be helpful while I'm waiting for the epidural.
________________________________________
Random things:
-I really wish someone had made me buy all my maternity clothes one size too big. Things would be so much more comfortable right now if I had done this!
-Before getting pregnant, I assumed I would spend the entire 3rd trimester being terrified of labor. I never understood what women meant when they said "I'm just ready to have this baby." Oooooh, I understand now. I often wonder how I'm going to make it 6 more weeks. Some days I feel like I've been kicked in the pelvis and anything other than sitting on the couch hurts.
-My butt has gotten large. It's totally my fault for eating too much and exercising too little. I'm a bit disappointed in myself, but that does not stop me from eating Caramel Apple Hershey Kisses.
-I've decided that my belly is an optical illusion. I'm feeling very self-conscious about it, so I decided to use a tape measure last night and measure it. At 34 weeks, it should be measuring around 34cm. Guess what? It's measuring right on track! I imagine that a taller person would not look huge with my belly, but since I'm so short it just looks huge.
How far along: 33 weeks 6 days
Next appointment: Next Tuesday
Any new aches/pains: Pubic bone pain. It's pretty bad some days.
Maternity clothes: Yes and I hate them all.
Sleep: It really varies.
Best moment this week: Hmm, not sure yet.
Movement: Yup, he's still very active. He has hiccups multiple times a day.
Food cravings: Anything sweet.
Belly button: It's still in and almost completely flat.
What I miss: Not being huge.
What I'm looking forward to this week: It's another week closer to the end.
Weekly wisdom: Don't be vain. Buy maternity clothes in a larger size so you'll be comfortable later.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Crib skirt and bumper
My mom finished our crib skirt and bumper. They're made from green and white seersucker gingham. She's also made something with pockets to hang over the changing table/dresser, and my dad is figuring out how to hang it for us.
Things left to purchase: I'm pretty sure we have everything we need (and then some!), but I'm still trying to decide whether or not I should buy a breast pump now. I wouldn't open it so it could be returned if I needed to, but I kind of want to go ahead and get it so if I need it right away I don't have to send someone out to get it. Now if I could only stop myself from buying holiday-themed baby clothes.
Speaking of holiday baby clothes, my mom and I recently went to see her friend who makes baby clothes. They were both in the same smocking guild years ago and her friend still sews for family and friends. She's making Finn's Christmas outfit out of white flannel (not flannel like a flannel shirt would be made out of, but really soft cotton fabric) and smocking snowmen on it. I found this online and she's using it as her inspiration:
Since we really have no idea what size he'll be, I wanted something that could be worn starting in late November and through the rest of winter. I'm so excited to see the finished product which she said she'd have ready around early November!
How far along: 32 weeks 5 days
Next appointment: Tomorrow
Any new aches/pains: I'm getting mild pain right at my pubic bone, usually after walking or standing for extended periods. I also feel it when I roll over at night. I really hope it doesn't get worse!
Maternity clothes: Some of them are starting to get a bit snug.....uh oh.
Sleep: It comes and goes. I'm interested to see if Finn's waking habits will be around the same times as I usually get up at night. LOL, at least I'll be used to it.
Best moment this week: My 4 day weekend.
Movement: I don't know what kind of business he's conducting in there, but he's full steam ahead all the time.
Food cravings: Brach's candy pumpkins which I found in Target this weekend. This could be dangerous.
Belly button: It's still in and almost completely flat.
What I miss: Not wondering if my pelvis is going to hurt every time I stand up.
What I'm looking forward to this week: Meet & greet appointment with a pediatrician tomorrow and Heather's baby shower on Saturday.
Weekly wisdom: Just remember that anything you put online can be seen by anyone.....and it could be people you never imagined.
Things left to purchase: I'm pretty sure we have everything we need (and then some!), but I'm still trying to decide whether or not I should buy a breast pump now. I wouldn't open it so it could be returned if I needed to, but I kind of want to go ahead and get it so if I need it right away I don't have to send someone out to get it. Now if I could only stop myself from buying holiday-themed baby clothes.
Speaking of holiday baby clothes, my mom and I recently went to see her friend who makes baby clothes. They were both in the same smocking guild years ago and her friend still sews for family and friends. She's making Finn's Christmas outfit out of white flannel (not flannel like a flannel shirt would be made out of, but really soft cotton fabric) and smocking snowmen on it. I found this online and she's using it as her inspiration:
Since we really have no idea what size he'll be, I wanted something that could be worn starting in late November and through the rest of winter. I'm so excited to see the finished product which she said she'd have ready around early November!How far along: 32 weeks 5 days
Next appointment: Tomorrow
Any new aches/pains: I'm getting mild pain right at my pubic bone, usually after walking or standing for extended periods. I also feel it when I roll over at night. I really hope it doesn't get worse!
Maternity clothes: Some of them are starting to get a bit snug.....uh oh.
Sleep: It comes and goes. I'm interested to see if Finn's waking habits will be around the same times as I usually get up at night. LOL, at least I'll be used to it.
Best moment this week: My 4 day weekend.
Movement: I don't know what kind of business he's conducting in there, but he's full steam ahead all the time.
Food cravings: Brach's candy pumpkins which I found in Target this weekend. This could be dangerous.
Belly button: It's still in and almost completely flat.
What I miss: Not wondering if my pelvis is going to hurt every time I stand up.
What I'm looking forward to this week: Meet & greet appointment with a pediatrician tomorrow and Heather's baby shower on Saturday.
Weekly wisdom: Just remember that anything you put online can be seen by anyone.....and it could be people you never imagined.
Childbirth Class #2
Class last night was a huge improvement over the first one. The whole tone of the class has changed and I feel like we got something out of it. I really think it made a difference with the types of questions people asked as well. If the instructor knew it was my blog, she never let on which I am thankful for. Hopefully we will continue to enjoy it like we did last night.
We covered early labor and active labor, as well as what to expect when we check into the hospital. I didn't really think about it, but the instructor mentioned the possibility of the delivery rooms being full since it happens sometimes. Apparently there are an abundance of people having babies in October/November due to all the snow we had earlier this year. Haha!
In sad news, the maternity jeans I bought from Ann Taylor Loft early in the pregnancy are no longer comfortable. I was going to wear them last night and they still fit, but they don't have the full belly panel. Sitting down with the half panel just isn't comfortable. Sigh. I really didn't want to spend any more money on maternity clothes. I think I'll try to hold out and see how the temperature changes this month and early next month before I buy anything.
We covered early labor and active labor, as well as what to expect when we check into the hospital. I didn't really think about it, but the instructor mentioned the possibility of the delivery rooms being full since it happens sometimes. Apparently there are an abundance of people having babies in October/November due to all the snow we had earlier this year. Haha!
In sad news, the maternity jeans I bought from Ann Taylor Loft early in the pregnancy are no longer comfortable. I was going to wear them last night and they still fit, but they don't have the full belly panel. Sitting down with the half panel just isn't comfortable. Sigh. I really didn't want to spend any more money on maternity clothes. I think I'll try to hold out and see how the temperature changes this month and early next month before I buy anything.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
I think P need this.
Burp cloth and wipes case from Etsy:
He has his own diaper bag, so why shouldn't he have these to go in it? :)
He has his own diaper bag, so why shouldn't he have these to go in it? :)
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