Week 38: the waiting game and aches and pains

Ok- I just started week 38, but I'm sure this will continue :) For the past 2 days, I have gotten a bunch of unhappiness! :( As in, my lower back just aches and it won't go away! How not cool is that? I can't figure a way to get more comfortable and so I move between leaning back and sitting forward in my chair. Rocking side to side sometimes helps to.

Before, if I got back pain, if I moved or rocked, it would ease up and go away. Makes me think this is ALL baby mood related :) Now, I think that she is just so low that she is probably uncomfortable all the time and making me the same!

It's funny because every day she seems to go lower and lower. My belly looks a bit like she has also slide forward even more - like my belly is now almost 'folding' over my pelvic bone (does that make sense?). I also am getting stronger and more consistent Braxton Hick contractions. Those aren't really uncomfortable - just the very strong tightening of my stomach. I have been feeling those probably since week... 30? 32? but now they will come in groups. Kinda' fun actually because it makes me think things are moving along as they should (like I said, they don't hurt). I notice them more because they do happen more often, feel even tighter than before and sometimes afterwards like I just did a bunch of sit ups! :)

The thing that has been driving me nuts is this whole 'waiting game.' I mean, we just don't know when she will come. I'm in that zone where they won't stop labor if it starts - she is now full term! Yay! So, we are all set at home (well, I need to do some more laundry in my room and get some things out of the guest room for my mom and sister, but basically all set), but what is driving me nuts is my work.

As I have been writing on Twitter, my boss is uber supportive and is letting me work from home - THANK GOODNESS! I seriously don't know how I would do if I had to go into work these days, the way I'm feeling! Anyways, I had pretty much finished up a bunch of stuff last week and now am working on 'projects' at home (which, are basically stuff my boss and I have been putting off and now I have an excuse to do only them- blah). The weird thing to me is how to keep working, when I could in theory go into labor any day! It's just so odd and makes me feel like at some point I should just stop working... of course, then I have to use my vacation and I want to save that up because I need to use 15 days before my short-term disability starts and then I want some left over in case I want to stay home longer after that is up!

How has anyone else handled this? I think I'm going to start sending him what I have done each day; in case something happens and I go into labor... I want to make sure he gets the work! It's just so odd to me to be in this neither here, nor there situation...

Otherwise - ONLY 3 WEEKS LEFT!!! (in theory)

... I feel like she will come sooner, although I also figure every first-time mom feels that way, lol.

Week 37: Pediatrician Visit

So, around week 35 I guess, my doctor game me a list of Pediatricians in the area and told me to go ahead and pick one out. I know that it's important to find a Pediatrician that I like, especially considering how often I would be seeing them that first year, but I don't really feel comfortable doing 'interviews.' I mean; do you really think they would say something so far off that you would think "Oh, they are a bad doctor who I don't want my kid going to"??!!

We narrowed down the list and then decided on a group practice (I like group practices!), who my OB/GYN seems to really like anyways. They had a decent webpage (some info seemed old, but it was actually helpful I thought) and looking at 'reviews' online, they seemed good. So, I called to set things up (That seemed to be what we had to do, right?). However, the nurse wouldn't just set us up; I had to come into their monthly group introduction. Ok, ok - I suppose a group meeting would be ok...

Actually - the group meeting was great! There was quite a bit of people there which surprised me- maybe 9 couples or so. We sat together in their lobby and met with one of the Doctors from the practice. We got a packet of information to start off, with pamphlets about "Your and Your Pediatrician" and baby sleeping and the like, as well as their offer information like expected visits for the first 6 years (with a list of shots and other tests) their hours, a breast-feeding record sheet, list of accepted insurance, articles about nursing/shots/breastfeeding and support groups.

The doctor was very candid with the group of us and went over the practice and basic info, then what happens at the hospital- which I found SUPER helpful! Apparently, we don't even 'register' with a doctor before going to the hospital- we just show up and give the hospital a name and they call the doctor to us... very causal, lol. But, the doctor went over the tests, how long the hospital stay is, the fact that because most people leave within 36 hours, they have the babies come back into the office at 4 days instead of waiting 2 weeks (like he said- how can they REALLY tell how the baby is after such a short period of time?), shots given at birth, how they make their round and the like. It was very helpful!

The next FABULOUS thing to learn was that this practice has their own nursing consultant on staff who is available to help us with breastfeeding. And she sometimes can even come to your home, if need be! She also heads a few support groups - a great plus to know it is there, even though I'm usually not inclined to use those type of services.

The other good thing, although I'm sure many offices have something similar - they have Walk-in Sick Clinic hours in the early morning every day and on Saturday. This is nice because sometimes I'm sure you just want to come in and SEE someone, rather than call. Oh! On that note - the calls during office hours are free- after hours it is $15 unless we just saw them that day. And he was very good about explaining what happens on Sundays for sick patients. Basically, he said that if it's something normal, they will give the regular advice or set up an appointment. If it's something that is more serious - like an ear infection- he doesn't like to prescribe anything without seeing the baby (makes sense to me). However, since it's Sunday and they are mostly doing hospital rounds, they will usually send you to the emergency room instead of seeing the baby themselves. That way you get the most immediate care. I think that makes sense - he says sometimes they can stop by the office to see the baby, but in most cases it's better for everyone to just go to the emergency room for the most immediate care.

So, I was overall pretty happy with the office visit and the doctor we met with. The office itself was clean and had all the 'normal' stuff that the articles and webpages online say they should have: separate areas for sick and non-sick patients (they also normally do sick patient appointments in the morning and 'well' visits in the afternoon), clean, etc.

Yay! We have our doctor! And if we decide we don't like the practice; we'll switch to someone else ;)

Week 37: Doctor's Visit

I have now moved on to weekly doctor's visits! This past one was pretty much the same old, same old, with the addition of the Group B Strep Test. I had heard about that test and some people find it unpleasant, but I didn't have any discomfort. I had to take off my pants and she just swabbed by v*gina and an*s - pretty easy and not invasive at all.

I was back to being with one of the two females doctors in the group and I decided that while she is nice, she just is not quite as talkative as the others. And I really wanted to just hear more. Even though I don't really have questions and there is not much to say that I haven't really read; I kinda' just want to hear everything from her as the doctor. So, I left and was actually a bit depressed :( Not nice...

I guess what I really wanted to hear was some sort of guess about the size of the baby, when I might go into labor - that sort of thing. I understand them not wanting to say anything, but I won't hold them to it- honest! hehe Everyone around me is saying that I'm pretty big and they think since I dropped about 2 weeks ago that I will go into labor early, although I'm not counting on that either. I just think it would be almost comforting to hear something; even if it's wrong.

Ah well. Same old, same old. It's the waiting game now...

Week 36: Nesting & then exaustion

Yay! I'm in week 36 of my pregnancy and my baby is the size of... a melon!!! :)





It's funny because everyone thinks that I am pretty much ready to give birth now... makes me feel like I should give birth early! hehe





Anyways, this past week has been interesting as I totally went through 'nesting' and am now back to exhaustion.





So, it has been interesting to hear different people talk about 'nesting.' It was mostly annoying because if I did anything related to cleaning, I would hear "oh, you're nesting!" Because, putting my own trash away is not something I normally do...? Anyways, over the weekend, I feel like I went through what I more traditionally hear about when I hear of 'nesting.' That is, all of a sudden I really did have this burst of energy specifically aimed at cleaning up my house! No, it's not sterile now or anything, but the energy I felt was so nice and refreshing and it was interesting how I was determined to not have the dishes/laundry/mail pile up! :) I mostly enjoyed the energy part...

Then, after 3 days of this energy, I hit exhaustion again :( I have been Sooooooo tired! I feel so useless at work because I am tired and apparently can't talk that great. I have talked with someone about a project and then had to go back with follow-up questions because I just couldn't remember what we JUST said!! It's amazing and I'm soooo lucky my boss is an awesome person, because I feel like a horrible employee right now. I mean - I HAVE A MONTH LEFT UNTIL MY DUE DATE!!!

Again, due to my amazing boss, I get to now work part at home and part in the office. It's kinda' funny because I have pretty much gotten done everything that I wanted to before I went on leave and had to ask my boss the other day for projects because... I don't want to START anything at this point! It's such an odd situation to be in. I don't like it, but it is what it is...

I feel like baby H will be born in the next 2 weeks, but I have a feeling everyone feels that way at the end like this. I don't have any internal exams until the last week of January, so I have no idea if things are 'moving.' Of course, it sounds like even if they ARE, it doesn't necessarily mean that labor is coming any sooner... humph. Ah well; things are what they are! :) Wish me luck in my final month!

After about 3 days of that, I have gone back to exaustion. Part of that can be due to the fact that I'm at work and

Week 35: Aches and Pregnancy questions

So, to go off my last posting; my hips are starting to feel very disconnected... I know, that is a good thing, but it's kinda' annoying until I give birth! hehehe


It was funny because I go between being pretty tire and very awake and active. Saturday, I was pretty tired, but Sunday I was very active and cleaning a whole bunch. I am proud of myself - I have kept the house pretty clean! I think I can now define what I am doing as "nesting." I usually am really not this good about cleaning! :)


So, I love looking at other blogs and copying their stuff ;) I saw on this blog a list of Pregnancy questions and thought I'd give it a try...



How did you find out you were pregnant?
Home Pregnancy Test. I did have a feeling though by that time - I was all of a sudden eating all this cheese! (late at night too!)

What kind of Pregnancy test did you take?
Rite Aid, First Response, Digital Blue (or something like that)

How many?
I believe 4 at first, then I was taking a test every week probably until about week 6-7 (until I saw the doctor)

What were your 1st symptoms?
Craving cheese... late at night.

Who did you tell first?
My husband

Who was with you when you found out?
By myself- I took the test and then waited another day and took another test (just to be sure) and THEN told my husband (I think it was only 2 days; I was probably planning to wait more, but didn't happen)

My 1st reaction:
I suppose disbelief. We weren't really trying or not trying and I didn't think it would happen so fast. But, excited. (I finally put the test to good use... you know, you test a bunch when it COULD happen!)

Was your baby planned?
Pretty much

When was the baby conceived?
I have no idea - seems like end of May...? I assume in our room ;)

How far were you when you found out?
Apparently only 4 weeks.

How did your parents react?
Very excited!

My baby

Due Date: February 16, 2010

Do you know the sex? Girl

Any names? Yep; we knew the name going in. My husband is from Jordan and so they all pretty much have the baby names down by the time they are 13-14 years old. :) hehehe It's kinda' an interesting cultural thing- babies and families are HUGE in the Middle East (seriously, you haven't seen family connections like with someone from the Middle East!). He feels bad because he know it looks like I don't have a choice, but I didn't have any names in mind and I like his names! :) For this blog, it's Baby H... you only get the first initial ;P The middle name is my husband's first name (again, cultural thing- you always know EXACTLY what family you are in - the last name = same family, the middle name helps you see what part because going off the last name you can literally have tens of thousands of 'family')

Any Ultrasounds? 1st appointment (7-8 weeks); 1st trimester screening- can't remember what week that was; 19 weeks... that's it! Would love more :(

Have you heard the heart beat? Yep! Every appointment! Yay! Very comforting, especially in the later part of pregnancy.

Who do you think it will look like? Combination - both of our families have strong genes. I think she'll look at bit more like husband F

Will the baby have siblings? Nope

Have you felt the baby move? Yep - was 'pops' for such a long time and now squirms and stuff. Never really that uncomfortable - yay! :)

Miscellaneous

Did you have morning sickness? Not really

Did you have any cravings? Not really. Haven't really liked rice that much, but nothing extreme. First trimester, I did have a big aversion to drinking anything but water.

Did you have any mood swings? Not really; maybe a bit moody at times - particularly if tired.

Are you a high risk pregnancy? Nope.

Any complications? Nope.

Formula or Breastfeeding? Planning on breastfeeding and we'll see how that goes!

Have you bought anything for the baby yet? Yep.; she pretty much has everything she needs... We were lucky that family and friends gave us TONS of hand-me-downs!

When did you start to show? Hmmm, pretty early on - I'll have to check my pictures again. I was wearing maternity pants by 9 weeks, I think.

How long could you wear your regular clothes? Hehehe - not very long. I'm ALLL about comfort! And I'm glad- maternity pants are the BEST!!!

Will you keep the baby’s clothes? Until we're done with kids, sure! The, probably just a few things.

Home or Hospital? Hospital. Going to the one farther away per doctor preference, but may change with later births. :)

Natural or Medicated birth? We'll see how it feels. I'm guessing that the internal pain really hurts, but I'm curious to see how bad. :) I figure if I'm in labor over 5 hours, I'll want something to help so I can rest, as needed. If I do get medication, I plan to have them taper it off so that I can feel when it get time to push. People always say that otherwise you can't really push that effectively because you can't feel when and how things are going... This is pending I don't have a c-section, of course. I'm thinking my baby may be big (I'M big!)

Who will be in the delivery room with you? Hopefully my mom and/or sister. They are flying cross-country though, so it really will be iffy if they make it! Otherwise, just support from the nurses, I guess. I don't have any friends that I would really want there and I'm not that big into having my husband there either (I think he would make me tense and I know he won't want to see me in any pain).

Do you think you will need a C-section? I hope not, but I may because I think baby H is going to be pretty big! :) hehehe I suppose it wouldn't be so bad besides the stitches and stuff afterwards. I mean, does you v-gina still get stretched? ;)

Will you cry when you hold the baby for the 1st time? Although I'm not one to cry, I'm willing to bet I will. I think I'll be tired and just really emotional.

What’s the 1st thing you might say to the baby? Probably a prayer

Will you let anyone video tape the birth? NO!

Are you excited? Yep! A whole new life! :)

Who will help you with the baby after the birth? My mom will stay with us for about 2 weeks and my sister about 10 days. Then, about 3 months in, my mom-in law will stay with us about 2-3 months (she's coming in from Jordan when I go back to work - thank goodness for family!)

What is your favorite thing about being pregnant? Umm, I'm not sure. It's all pretty interesting! I enjoy feeling the baby, now that the movements are a lot stronger.

What is the worst thing about being pregnant? Not that thrilled with the weight gain and swollen everything, but ah well!

What’s one thing you miss doing since being pregnant? Right now? Bending over, hehe

Any days you wish you were not pregnant? Eh...

Are you ready for a baby? As much as I can be!

Do you have insurance? Yes, thank goodness

How many kids do you want? 4

Do you talk to the baby? Yep - try to get in both English and Arabic (of course, my Arabic is so basic - I feel bad for her already to have to hear me talk. It should be better when there is more people she can listen to!)

Do you still feel attractive? Yep- my husband is AWESOME! (but, now I'm so big, we have pretty much given up on sex... :( )

Have you had your baby shower yet? Had one in Nov at 27 weeks and one this weekend (at 35 weeks)

Do you like kids? Yep - always babysat and coached them...

How far along are you now? 35 weeks and counting…

Week 35: Doctors Appointment

I had another doctor's appointment today; I am 34 weeks down (in my 35 week, hehe) and have another appointment in 2 weeks, then start every week until Baby H is born!!!

Unfortunately, my husband was not able to come with me this time. This is the first appointment he hasn't been able to make :( Ah, well.

For the most part, it was the same old, same old: Blood pressure (good), check heartbeat (good 130 a minute I think), measure uterus, and check where baby is. Baby H is head down now and she pointed out where her backside was (to the left, which baby H seems to like).

She asked if we got a Ped doctor yet - I said yes, although I haven't actually filled the paperwork; we have a visit on Jan 18 where we get a tour of the office and ask questions. Note: What questions should you ask? They had a pretty good webpage and I guess I am going more to get a feel of their office and doctors...

She asked if we did a birth class; I said no, what did she think? She is very ok (as was the other doctor last time who asked this) with this -she said that she finds it more helpful for the dad's who don't read as much stuff as us moms :) To which, I brought up that we were NOT planning to have my husband in the room during delivery. She did ask about that - basically, she said that her and her husband (of course her husband is also a doctor) really found it very important to have him there. She said that my husband can be in the room, but doesn't have to see anything- just hear what's going on and hold the baby once it comes out. She was also concerned about me having a support partner there; I said that my mom and sister were going to try to time it right to be there, although I do know there is a pretty good chance that no one will be there (my mom is in CA and my sister is in Washington State - I'm in Virginia). Anyways, I'm not that concerned about having people I know be there for support - I think that may actually make me more tense, really... I brought it up with my husband again and said that he wouldn't be able to hang out in the hall, but would have to be in the downstairs waiting room and he was still ok with that. I'm ok with that too; It may be nice to have him there so that he could hear Baby H's first cry, however if I'm in pain, I know that he will be VERY worried and that could possibly be rather disruptive to the labor process...

Oh; I was actually the first person to say that I didn't want him there - I don't think the whole process is that 'pretty' and, again, if I'm in pain I know that my husband will be very concerned. :) This is how we are doing it; I know that other people wouldn't change it for anything! If we decide that we would like it differently, we'll keep that in mind next time :)

What else...? Oh - I have gained a bunch of weight this pregnancy and am very swollen; My doctor walks in and exclaims "You are all cheeks!" She went on to say that she was that way in her pregnancy (her baby is 18 months) and that one of her first deliveries when she joined the practice was on this women who ended up needing a c-section because she wasn't progressing. She went in to do that and she said the women was rather large... 6 weeks later, she was to see that women again for the post-delivery check-up and she walked into the room and thought that she had the wrong room, so apologized and walked out. She asked the nurses if they changed the rooms and they said, no. She walked back in and the women was like "yep, this is how I REALLY look." hehe My doctor said that it was like going from Oprah to Halle Berry! :)

Hopefully, I'll be like that. Ok - I'm been pretty mute on this, but I have gained 65 pounds so far this pregnancy. I still have 5-6 weeks to go! I averaged about 10 pounds a month; I changed my diet and stuff, but nothing really changed... :( Ah well. I know I have to work hard after I give birth and I CERTAINLY plan to breastfeed to help with this! hehehe

Week 35: My checklist of things to do before baby arrives

As so many people have been inspired (me from hisboyscanswim.com), here is my Checklist of Things I still need to do before baby arrives. Thankfully I just found my pediatrician and sent off my hospital pre-registration! :)



Here’s my list:

1. Send thanks you notes from shower in November (and for shower next weekend)
2. Buy Nursing tanks
3. Set up appointment to get car seat installed in car (http://www.seatcheck.org/)
4. Pack hospital bag for me and husband
5. Register for CPR class ? (I took a class, but it's been over 10 years, so I probably need a new one)
6. List of people to call after baby is born
7. Print out address labels for baby notifications
8. Buy bottle nipples (???)
9. Buy Nursing bras
10. Buy petroleum jelly
11. Buy infant Tylenol
12. Buy saline drops.

Post Baby H
1. Get photo announcement cards from Costco
2. Mail out said photo cards
3. Call insurance with birth info
4. Call to update my info for short-term disability benefits

Thankfully, I have much of the other stuff done that I have seen on other people's lists - yay! :) Anything else, you would recommend I do/get?

Product Review: Busy Babe - Love it!

So, I know that some people get stuff for free to review... Unfortunately (hehe), I am not one of them. I saw this online after following @MyBusyBabe on Twitter. I had been kinda looking for a planner like this and was going to make my own, but I think this really saves time and my sanity! hehehe Anyways, so I'm obviously not getting anything from this review, but wanted to write about it because I think it's pretty darn cool!

What is the Busy Babe Planner?

Basically, it's a day to day Baby Planner/Notebook. You can either get a book that dates the months for you, based on your delivery date, or you can get a blank book where you put in the dates. Obviously, the pre-dated book is more. Me, being cheap, got the cheaper version and will put in my own dates :) The picture to the left with the green cover is this generic version. If you order the pre-dated version, you can have your baby picture and name on the front cover - it's super cute!! Maybe later I'll get the one with the picture...

What is in it?

So, at the front is your basic information and lists of webpages for more resources. It then is split into months - Month 1, Month 2, etc up to 6 months. After that, there is a section for doctor visit notes, babysitter notes and some blank pages. On each of the month dividers, there is a checklist of sorts: Packing baby's bag for a trip, packing mom's bag for a trip, childproofing the home, finding a sitter, etc. A full list of the pages and examples can be found on their webpage.

Ok, I'm bad at reviews because I can't really think of any more questions to answer! So, I'll go into what I like about it and other notes.

My favorite part is how simple everything is. It's exactly how I would set up a sheet if I were to create my own page. The great thing is that this is already set up for me and bound together so I don't have to lug around my own binder!

I did think that it would be smaller, but I suppose it would be hard to fit everything in if it was any smaller ;) It is skinny, which is nice. I think it's a regular page size in height (8.5 inches), but only about half a page in width. Certainly, very easy to fit into a baby bag (oh no! I just realized I didn't put it in my baby bag for the hospital! It's still sitting pretty on the table in baby H's room!). I kinda' wish there was a little band for a pen to attach, but it's really easy for me to hook a pen to the ring binding...

I always read how important it is to keep track of things and I think this book will really help me with that. I got as a gift this electronic timer so that I know how long it's been between feedings, sleep, etc, but this book will keep that record of what is going on - something that will be great for my memories and when I go to the doctor. I will be so proud to be able to go to the doctor and have all of these vital information set to let him know!

Other Info

To order, you go to their Webpage and contact them through email. They don't get have an online form (darn!), but respond to your emails SUPER quick! You can give them credit card info over email or have them invoice you. I had them invoice me and they were quick with that as well. I do wish that they would put the shipping cost on their webpage. Here is the cost breakdown:

Busy Babe-Standard - $19.95

Shipping & Handling - $6.00

The deluxe Busy Babe is $29.95

Hmmm, they also have a phone number to call to place the order; I should have done that! (less paperwork, I'm sure)

Also, you can pre-order a planner:

"Can I order a completed book before the baby is born?

If you are a mom who is “nesting”, chances are you’ve got everything lined up, ready to go and are just waiting for baby. Give us a call and pre-order your planner. Then all someone has to do once baby is born is e-mail us a photo of baby along with his /her name, date of birth, time of birth and baby’s weight and length. We will already have your payment and shipping information on hand."

Overall, I LOVE this planner and so far think it is something that I will actually use and hopefully order more when the 6 months are up! (or, do you think after 6 months a modified planner would be best? That would be neat if they had something like that, if things change at that point...) I highly recommend their planner and check them out at www.mybusybabe.com

Week 34: Complaints ;)

So, if you are following me on Twitter, you have noticed my complaints. ;) I actually kinda' use twitter to keep track of what I am feeling so that I can write about it later here. Here are some things I have been writing on Twitter:

"So, mostly @ night & first thing in morning,I have pelvic pressure and now this: Stinging in my vag**a area- not constant; just quick stings"

"Ugh, awake w/heartburn. Apparently I'm meant to get a max of 4 hrs of sleep at a time for the rest of this pregnancy! "

"I keep wanting to walk around and then it's SO uncomfortable :( And it makes me feel super fat ... All sorts of unhappiness tonight "

"I feel like I'm in the first trimester again with all this dairy I want! "

So, my new and ongoing things are: 1. Not able to sleep as much, and 2. Heartburn.

1. I can't seem to sleep more than 4 hours at a time. I actually have a SUPER hard time falling asleep at night and then wake up early. Which always annoys me and before I was able to get back to sleep right away, but now I'm up for between 1/2 hour and hour (and usually do go pee). The good news is that I don't feel tired after that, which I normal would be.

With all this lack of sleep, I DO REALLY hope that when I go into labor it is either morning-afternoon. If it's at night, I would probably be tired and sore from the day and therefore MUCH more aware of any labor pains. If it's earlier, I would probably be happier and able to handle pain better. At least, that's my theory... ;)

2. Heartburn. Ok - this is new for me. I don't really get heartburn and I don't really get acid reflux (are they the same?). For the last week or so, I find that I get the burning sensation, kinda' like my food is going back up. The annoying this is that it always tastes the same! lol - before if I had any sort of regurgitation, it would taste a bit like what I ate. This is all the same! At first, it seemed to be worst laying down; now I think it's worst if I'm sitting up a bit. Overall, it's not so bad.

Other Updates

My mom came from CA for the week between X-mas and New Years, which was very nice. She certainly is more active than my husband and I on a normal day and so I walked around a TON more than normal. :) But, we also cleaned house really well and got the baby room painted and all set up! Yay! It's very cute. The baby clothes for months 0-6 was also washed and put away. I'm all set for Baby H to come out now!

This past weekend I packed the baby bag for the hospital. I need to still pack my bag. Any 'must haves' that you recommend?

Body Updates

Looking back at my photos, I feel like I was now so skinny then and so big now! Ok, not skinny, but my belly is so much bigger now! And still growing! I'm a bit sad, I finally started to get some stretch marks on the underside of my belly. Not too bad, but I was happy that I didn't get them until week 33.

My breasts have been leaking, which is interesting. Usually the right breast gives me a small dot of wetness on my nightshirt. The left one not so much, although the other night I had a wet spot that was about the size of a half dollar! hehe

Baby kicks: She is very active now - today she has been jumping all around! It is certainly mostly movements; she never really seemed to be into the kicks as much as just moving and jumping around. I sleep mostly on my left side and she will slide over there at night and then move back to the right during the day. Right now, she's just stretching all around.

Location: I'm not sure if she has 'dropped' or not - she has been rather low the entire time! I think at times she does, but then she seems to move back up. I have noticed in the last few days that there is more pressure on my pelvic area and I have to pee more often, but also that I get these brief stinging sensations. I don't sting when I pee, just these quick little stings at times. The pressure and stings seems to be mostly in the morning and at night, and these are when Baby H seems to be the lowest. I'll have to ask the doctor about this.

I see the doctor this Wednesday - yay!!! They don't do much when I go in besides listen to the heartbeat and measure me; I kinda' want them to check to see how things are 'down there' - ie, is anything changing or still all closed up? We are anxious to meet Baby H!!! Less than 6 weeks to go!

Weeks 22-34 Belly Shots

Hehe - another big mix of photos. Hopefully, they will load right this time (I had issues getting photos up before X-mas)

Week 34

Week 33

Week 32

Week 31

Week 30

Week 29

Week 28

Week 27

Week 26

Week 25

Week 24

Week 23

Week 22

Weeks 23-31

Soooo.... I haven't written for about the last 2 1/2 months. I know, I know - I'm a bad blogger. I hate to say this, but I only blog while at work and work has been busy! :) I work at a university and so we run in ups and downs during the year. Thankfully, the students are now on winter break which means I have a bit more time to relax - THANK GOODNESS! My pregnancy was timed good like that ;) Bad for my boss because I'll be out this spring during what is usually our MOST busy time, but I'm glad to have this 'breather' as I go into my 3rd Trimester.

As you have noticed, I also have been twittering only off and on. I try to tweet anything I notice that I would want to write about later and... there really wasn't much to write about in between around week 23-27! It was interesting because there just wasn't all that much to say! I was continuing to get big, but nothing really different in feeling from before. Or rather...

... I gained lots of weight
... My feet started to swell a bit (although it went down when I flew to CA; maybe because I was closer to sea level?)
... The baby kicks got stronger and I got to get to know her pattern

... Otherwise, nothing else too much!

Now, after week 28 (when I came back from CA), things DID start to change again - right on cue for going into the 3rd Trimester. I can't recall everything week by week (my mental recall has gone downhill as I got more pregnant! Not good for me, as most things are in my head...), but here is what is going on now:

*Feet/ankles swelling
*MUCH more movement - it freaks me out when she doesn't move so much... this Sunday she seemed quiet and often when I'm busy at work I wasn't noticing it, but all this week (Mon-Wed) she has been very active and consistently every hour there is a period of movement. It's getting to be less 'kicks' and more 'movements.' It changed over at the start of this week to the movements and part of the reason I felt I didn't feel her this weekend was that I was more feeling her on my internal organs and not really seeing the pops from movement outside. Now, I get more of both.
NOTE: The movement is probably the most interesting thing at this point because it's what I notice the most and is so obvious... The other physical stuff with me is just stronger feelings of what I was getting before :)
*Back aches - I've been having this since early 2nd trimester, although starting around Week 25-26 or so my butt stopped hurting - yay! It also seems to bother me less, but I may just be getting used to it; it's GREAT if DH F rubs my back a bit
*Sex - not really comfortable in many positions now - poor DH! We usually have sex at least once a week, but went recently a whole 2 weeks (I think) without it! I think it's going to be less here on out because I just feel big and it's hard to get in a good position...
*Pregnancy Brain: I'm VERY distracted at work and in general and feel sometimes like I probably don't talk properly and trail off and can't focus so well. Again, I'm so lucky that the semester is over and I'm also SUPER lucky my boss is awesome and understanding with everything.

Hmmm, if I think of anything else, I will write.

So, I now see my doctor every two weeks, which I'm very glad because I just start getting anxious about things. Although now that I feel baby H more often, I am more relaxed. Oh! The other day I was just upset for an entire day (no reason - just cranky) and she totally responded by kicking the heck out of me all day! Kinda' funny.
Anyways, I'm glad to see the doctor every two weeks because it's just nice to hear the heartbeat. I don't get any more ultrasounds - the last I had was at 20 weeks (to which I think I started a blog about and didn't finish - I'll have to look back at that) and it's sad that I don't get any more unless they want to check something. I mean, I feel her, but seeing is always something COMPLETELY different. Ah well. So, when I go, I just get the basic measuring of my uterus, weight check, urine check, blood pressure check, questions...?

BUT - the last appointment I had (Dec 10 at 30 weeks), they gave me a goodies bag of stuff!!!! Yay! I love goodies! It was free samples of some magazines and formula and then the hospital pre-registration and stuff. PLUS, I found out that while my doctors usually deliver at iNOVA Fairfax, if they don't have anyone else they are already 'working on' (my words, not theirs), I could deliver at iNOVA Fair Oaks!!! Everyone says that Fairfax is better for most things, but Fair Oaks is like 10 min away from my home, compared with at least 30 min to Fairfax! :)

Finally - I get TONS of spam about blood cord banking; which seems to be fine if you have a family history of illness. For the most part, I have been viewing them as spam. But, my doctor brought it up last time and (I don't know WHY I didn't think of this) YOU CAN DONATE your baby's cord! Your hospital must be a participants in the campaign, but I am a big believer in donations, when possible! More more information, go to:
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Donate_Cord_Blood_Share_Life/index.html
I'm sure there are other links out there, or ask your doctor or hospital.

Week 22: Belly Shots

After some delay, here are belly shots for weeks 17-22! :) Wow - I thought I was big at 17 weeks, but things are really starting to change!

Week 22:

Week 21:

Week 20:

Week 19:

Week 18:

Week 17:

Week 22: Feeling a bit down & swollen feet!

This past week I have been feeling a bit down... and a bit panicked about everything that is coming up. I have gone through my second period of time of feeling rather big, but this time I got VERY upset (ie, cried) about my growing limited mobility. Over the last about week and half or so, I have found it getting harder and harder to bend over... as in to pick up stuff from the floor, put on pants (I usually step in, now I have to sit down), put on knee-highs, etc. I HATE not physically being able to do things. I don't like scuba diving because I can't move around the water like normal and this is getting frustrating. Plus - my back/butt is hurting and it's like being sore ALL THE TIME!!!! :(

So, I got very upset and cried. Poor F - he didn't know what to do. Thankfully he pretty much hung around for a bit and then left me alone. (that's exactly what I need- to cry and be upset and get it out without drawing much attention to it while I'm crying)

He did ask why I don't ask other people how they handle the 'comfort' and so far I really just see things that is - 'this is pregnancy' and it's going to get worst. It's not painful - just very uncomfortable at every point of the freakin' day!! I also can't really ask my mom because I know that because she is on the other side of the country, she will worry about things because she is not here. (also, I don't think she would give any hints - so far it a 'deal with it' sort of thing because she didn't get advice during her pregnancy and doesn't seem to know what the doctors did either) Any advice? I asked my cousin (kinda' got stuff I already knew, plus to wear small heeled shoes), but I've also been just changing the way I move and walk and that is helping...

Good thing - this weekend we got a bunch of hand-me-downs and that is such a mental relief to have that here and not have to worry about choosing the 'right' one of things. Whew! We got a rocking chair, nightstand, changing table/dresser, and crib!!!! Yay to my family!!!! I know that it's nice to buy your own stuff, but buying stuff can be so overwhelming - it's nice to have the stuff and now I have an idea of what colors to decorate around! I found a few things that I like at Buy Buy Baby - I'll probably register there and some smaller stuff at Babies R Us. My babyshower will be in California in about a month and they don't have Buy Buy Baby over there, but hopefully registering with BBB will make everyone mail stuff to our house and not bring it to the shower!!

Other new thing of the week: I had a long (8-10 hours) drive to get the hand-me-downs and my feet swelled!!! First time for that - I thought it was pretty interesting ;) I think it was more the heat than the car ride because it didn't swell so much on the way back home. The swelling just felt like extra pressure - I was told that when I fly to walk as much as possible because the air pressure will also cause swelling... fun. :P The funny thing is that my feet are now a bit tight in my shoes, but otherwise don't really seem swollen...

Swollen feet after 8 hour drive... (actually, from this angle it doesn't look that different from my other foot picture - but I felt the difference!!!)

Week 21: Doctors Apt

Today I had my monthly doctors exam... I getting into the swing of things with these. I go once a month, they weigh me, check my pee, check my blood pressure, say hi, listen to the heartbeat (it always seems to take a few minutes to find this!), ask if I have questions and done! All in all, it takes only about 20 minutes maybe. Pretty quick!

I am in a group practice for my OBY/GN - I choose them initially because they are close to my house and the nearest hospital... of course, then I find that they only deliver at one that about 30 min away (no traffic), but I decided to stay with them. (they deliver at the further one because they prefer the staff and their epidural people... I have heard that if anything is 'wrong' with me or baby they would have to transfer me to this hospital anyways, so that's fine)

Because it's a group practice, they want me to meet with all of the doctors before I give birth. The doctors rotate who is 'on call' at the hospital so that someone is always there for delivery. Good idea, I think! :) I prefer female doctors usually because they better know what things feel like, but I'm not opposed to male doctors (I just find that they aren't as gentle or warm up instruments before sticking them in you; and they don't stick in quite as well as females). So, today I met the first of several male doctors. And I LOVED him!!!

He was pretty funny, very laid back and easy to talk with. All of the doctors in the practice (and nurses) have been this way and so I'm glad the men (so far) is like this too. I'm pretty laid back and enjoy people explaining things to me in rather... flippant ways, I suppose! ;) Everything seemed normal to him - my blood pressure was good, the heartbeat of baby Z (her nickname starts with a Z!) was good (between 145-50s), ... good! I asked 3 questions this time: (I'm paraphrasing his answers)

1. I have gained about 11 pounds (176 lbs) since last month. This is pretty high, is there anything you recommend?
- Yes and no. I wouldn't worry too much about this - mainly the more you gain, the larger baby will be and big babies can mean c-section as opposed to vaginal delivery. But, one month at 11 lbs is nothing to really worry about. Perhaps if next month you come back and gained another 10 pounds, we may want to talk about what you are eating :) Try to avoid the cookies and cakes and stuff with sugar. Fruit juices (apple juice, orange juice) has LOTS of sugar, so watch that. I think that because you are aware of this, you won't gain that much through next visit.

2. What's your opinion about the H1N1 shots?
- You MUST get the shot. About 6% of the pregnant women who get H1N1 die - much higher than the normal population. While the CDC and our office is kinda' eh about most years and the flu shot, this year we are VERY insistent that pregnant women should get both the flu shot and the H1N1 shot - and your husband too. They are starting to distribute the H1N1 vaccine, but we don't know to whom yet or how many. Call around and find SOMEONE to give you the shot!!!!!

3. I have been getting these dark... bubbles of skin on my nipples? ...???
- That's just your ducts starting to (shot, what did he say?) grow/fill up (?). Very normal :)

So, that was my fun appointment this morning. This week I did start to track my food intake - I had stopped for this past month- and hopefully that will help me be more aware of what I eat and control things :) I'm also planning to try to swim AT LEAST once a week - I don't get a chance during the week to do much, but weekends are good for this sort of thing. Oh - at the start of my pregnancy I was around 148-50 pounds (I have actually gained about 10 pounds this past year!) and I'm now at 176. You can mostly tell in my face I think, although my husband thinks I still look good... he says I'm trying to catch up with his belly size ;)

Wish me luck!

Busy few weeks!

So, if this was fanfiction, this would be an authors note... :)

As you may have noticed, my blogs have dropped off in the last 2 weeks. I'm here - I'm just SUPER busy and haven't been able to really sit down and write. :( I promise, things should calm down in the next few days or so and when that is done, I will finish and post my blogs for the past two weeks.

In the meantime, please follow me on Twitter for my day-to-day updates!

Thanks for your patience!

Week 17: Birthing classes

Note: Weeks 16-20 are being posted during week 21 due to life and computer problems getting in the way! Sorry for the delay!________________________________________________________________

So, my sister is a nurse and while she is not working in the maternity floor, she used to work in the women's health center at our local hospital where she would help with women heart education/stuff and mommy/baby stuff. (side note: it's amazing the difference between women and men with their hearts!!! Be educated as a women about heart disease and how it shows up in women!) So, while she has not been pregnant (and honesty annoys me many times with comments she makes - the joys of being pregnant and all of a sudden understanding SO many things!), she does have a very good idea about pregnancy, babies and the education classes.

So, I have been starting to look at the classes offered through the hospital I will be delivering at (I love these programs!!!) and they pretty much have the basic classes:

* Childbirth Preparation A four-week course that provides you and your support person with information on pregnancy, labor, birth, relaxation techniques and the early postpartum period. Other discussion topics include medication, anesthesia and Cesarean birth.

*Childbirth Express Ideal for the busy couple, this condensed six-hour course covers pregnancy, labor, birth, medications, anesthesia, and the role of the support person. Learn basic tips for managing labor to practice on your own.

*Maternity Tours See where you and your baby will stay during this visit to Labor, Delivery and Recovery, the Nursery, and Postpartum Unit; offered for adults only. (ok, not a class, but in that grouping)

*Baby Care One session class for expectant or adopting parents. Information on what to expect from baby, feeding, bathing, diapering, sleeping, crying, illness, and safety.

*Breastfeeding for Success Prepare for a successful, rewarding breastfeeding experience. Coaches encouraged to attend.

So - I will do the maternity tour and I think the Baby Care and Breastfeeding classes would be good too, although looking at cost, maybe just the Baby Care for now and see about a consultant and my mom when baby comes. But, the main thing that everyone talks about this the Childbirth Preparation classes.

So, me being the busy person I am (!), I would probably want to do the condensed version. I hate to be very self-centered like this, because should I want to spend the time to learn everything well, but I just don't see me sitting through 4 sessions. Also, I don't expect my husband to come to these classes. I don't want him in the room while I give birth (just my preference, I think it's great when fathers are in there, but I'm not feeling it) and it would nice for him to know what's going on, but I've been down that road before and it doesn't get to far. :)

Also, I'm not sure about these classes because I always hear from people that they forget everything they were told from these classes and follow what the nurse tells them to do during labor. I'm not sure if I want to be around people who probably range from not knowing ANYTHING about children, babies, their bodies, labor, pregnancy to those SUPER excited about the pregnancy and probably with an idea of things will be all cheerful and rosy and such. It's fine for them, but I'm not sure I want to be around them.

So, I asked my mom and sister what they thought and kinda' felt it out on Twitter. But, my sister is pretty familiar with the classes and me and said, "I don't think you should go. I think the people in the class would annoy you too much." !!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought that was really funny, but actually made me feel better because, as much as I want to know EVERYTHING about what is going on, it made me feel better to hear someone say I didn't HAVE to go. She went on that I can read as much as I want to about labor and everything leading up to it online, watch videos, ask people and - when it comes down to it - it's the nurses' job to let me know what is going on and help me through the process. Of course, I'm going to ask my mom about her techniques (see my last post on THAT; she only thinks you need to know how to breathe), but I'm feeling ok not taking the labor class.

... the baby classes I think would be good to take. I mean, the baby is going to come out of my one way or the other (yes, my knowledge can help with comfort so I am going to read up on EVERYTHING), but I need more guidance in the 'after' parts of birthing.

Other Stuff:

* I'm waking up (and alert) at 7 am. Why is my body preparing me for the baby's schedule NOW?! Can't it wait another few months?!!!

* Starting to pee more frequently (didn't really have this in first trimester)

Week 16: Dr's apt and other stuff I'm noticing

Note: Weeks 16-20 are being posted during week 21 due to life and computer problems getting in the way! Sorry for the delay!
___________________________________________________________________

I know, I know - I'm not posting as often as I used to. (thank goodness for Twitter!) There are two main reasons to explain this as I expect it will continue through the next 2 weeks, then again during parts of Oct and most of November: 1. I work at a university and we go in cycles of being super busy :) 2. I'm getting more used to being pregnant I guess - I don't wonder about every little thing any more. I think...

I had my regular doctor's appointment which was the normal weight check (164 lbs I think - hehe, I'm totally over what I should be... :/ That's around 14 lbs since I got pregnant!), pee in cup, listen to heartbeat (heart beat in 150s, uterus about inch or less below belly button), questions? Everything is fine - I also met a new doctor (female) who just had a baby actually and looks GREAT!! I hope that I will be that thin after my baby is born! In my office, there are 2 female doctors and 3 male doctors. I know - everyone is qualified, but I do prefer the female doctors. They just seem to have a better idea of what things feel like and I appreciate that during exams. I was told when I made my appointment for next month that I need to meet with another doctor, so I'm going to go on a Friday to meet one of the male doctors. I understand why - the doctors will rotate who's on call at the hospital and so I could get any of the doctors delivering baby and it's better to meet them before hand!

I was really hoping that I would have another ultrasound to find out the sex of baby, but they said that they do that outside the office and so I have a referral to get that done between weeks 18-22. At that appointment, they will check for all of the limbs and everything to make sure things are all good, plus they will see what the sex is!!! I can't wait! :)

Other Stuff:
* My skin around my belly is getting so tight! It's not a very good feeling - it's like everything is stretching and is going to pop at some point. If I'm feeling like this NOW, what's it going to be like later?!!! I'm obsessing about that a lot now - it's just this very ODD feeling - not too happy with it. On the other side, my husband is loving my boobs (I'm usually a bit small...)

* I got UBER cranky for about 2 days to my husband; then it got better. Hopefully that is the last of that mood swing! :)

* My contacts in my left eye is bugging me - it's find while in, but when I try to take them out, they are stuck to my eye! I'm wearing my glasses a bit more - I don't want them to get stuck!!

* Started getting some leg cramps... :( I think it may be tied to the temperature in our room

* Frustrated with my lack of maternity clothes - I have 1 pants and 5 tops!!! I need more variety!!!

* Dreams: not really about babies, but rather violence and murders and stuff... is that an indication of anything? Will I have a psycho child? ;)

* Starting to feel baby more - a bit stronger and more like 'pops' I guess... It's hard to tell because it's not really something I can feel and go "oh yeah, that's a kick"

* I get cranky (think 5 year old kid) after 9 pm!

* Boobs getting 'tingly' (I didn't get that in 1st trimester)

Week 15: Belly Shot!

A bit late, but here is my week 15 belly shot - actually taken at week 15 and 2 days ;)





















Week 14 belly shot




















Week 11 belly shot





















Week 5 belly shot





















It's coming along! I feel a difference, but I don't think it's looking all that difference from last week. We'll see about week 16 though :)

Week 15: Labor stories

lol - check out this cartoon: http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/l/labor_wards.asp

So, I have been meaning to write about this for a bit; those who are following me on twitter may have also seen a few tweets about this.

I finally talked to my mom the other day for more details about how labor was for her. As in - how much does it actually hurt/what does it feel like? I still think that it's going to be one of those things that you have to experience for your own - I still don't feel like I know what it's going to be like too well. (of course, part of my problem may be that I always 'defined' my pain in categories due to sport injuries and so I probably have a different way of going about pain than other people! lol)

But, also - people don't often say too much about the pain. I mean, they say it does hurt (and open their eyes really big to get that point across), but at the same time, they then focus on the pushing and how tired you can get... So, the pain is not as bad as the exhaustion? And I would think that anyways you are super uncomfortable... the baby is in your pelvic area, your legs are wide apart when pushing, your breathing is off - it just seems very uncomfortable!!! ;)

Going back to my mom though - let me know share what her history was in birthing the 3 of us kids. Mind you, it's really sounding like the doctor didn't tell her much of what was going on... the last 2 births seem better, but she does say that the first doctor kept telling her during the entire pregnancy that she was doing everything wrong (don't eat ice cream, don't drive... ok, how do I get to your office? lol) and that the hospital was pretty industrial and not personal at all for delivery.

My older brother was the first one born and my mom says that she was in labor with him for 2 hours. That's it!!! He was also about 19 days early, although it sounds like the delivery estimates weren't as actuate in 1978 since they didn't use ultrasound that much. (my mom is LOVING my ultrasound pictures) Anyways, she said that they did the whole 'push, push!" thing, that they had her laying down (thank GOODNESS they don't do THAT anymore!), and that she got a pain shot (I'm unclear if it was an epi, she says it was) in her back. Now - she also says that the shot was given and about 5 minutes later she gave birth! She said if she knew that, she would have gone straight through with the delivery since it was only a bit longer. With it being her first birth, the main thing for her was that you don't really know what's going on and so it's kinda' scary.

... But, with births 2 and 3, she knew that she wasn't going to, well, die - and so that made it better for her. Also, my birth and my younger sister were also pretty quick: I was born in 45 minutes (15 minutes after she got to the hospital, 30 minutes after her water broke), and my sister was born in 3 hours or so. (my sister was the largest out of the 3 of us) The main thing that she says from us is that she really didn't need to 'push.' She says that if she pushed when they told her to, she felt that she would be going counter to what her body was telling her. She also says that the muscles were pretty much just doing the job... I guess if it's so short like that, they really do have a mind of their own!!!

I find her birthing stories really interesting (or course- it has me in them!), but I don't know if it's an indication of how my own labor will be. Other factors that I'm sure can contribute: 1. my grandma wasn't fast with her labor, although she was 38 and 40 when she had her 2 kids... apparently at some point the nurse told her that she just wasn't trying and needed to get serious - how rude! ;) 2. My mom was younger than me with her births, I think 23 with my brother 25 with me and 27 with my sister. I'm going to be 29 when I give birth to my first...

I get worried about her fast delivery because my delivery hospital is about 20 minutes away with no traffic, but there is a very good chance that I would hit traffic and/or ice/snow considering I'm expected to deliver in Feb!!! So, I'm probably going to be very paranoid about going into labor in case it's super fast! :) My mom joked that I should rent a room closer to the hospital.

I still have plenty of time to discuss delivery with my doctor (we haven't touched on it at all yet), but please share your birthing stories and if you think that family history does make a difference or not. Also, although I don't think this would help if it's super fast, I heard that having an epi can delay how long the labor is... any thoughts on this?

Week 15: Quickening

"Bubbles. Butterflies. Gas. These are all words used to describe what a baby's first movements feel like to a mother.

Quickening is defined as the first time you feel your baby move. This is a long anticipated event in every pregnancy.

If you are expecting your first baby you can expect to feel your baby for the first time between 18 and 24 weeks gestation. If this is not your first baby you can expect to feel your baby a bit sooner than you felt your first. This is usually said to happen because you know what you're feeling for and your uterus is more stretched out than it was the first time around." From http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/fetaldevelopment/a/aa082999.htm

So, I wanted to write about this because I'm either having a new kind of gas/growling belly or I'm actually feeling baby :) I know, I know - it's early and probably not it, but it certainly is different! :) About 3 days ago - at the start of the weekend - I was lying in bed before getting up and felt kinda like a growling in my belly... except that it is not in my belly (much lower) and that it's not really growling. It was like a gentle growl, I guess. Since then, I have felt it every once in a while, usually when lying down.

What do you think? I don't know if anyone can really tell you yes or no, but when did you first feel what you thought was quickening? I'm sure that once the baby is REALLY kicking me, I'll be less enthusiastic. ;)