I just took this quiz for fun. I'm quite fine with my results. While I'm super excited to meet this baby, I'm really not hoping for it to come early. I want to enjoy this early maternity leave and have the baby's room and the rest of the house ready. And that is so not the case!
Here are my results: "I know you were hoping we weren't going to say this, but don't expect this baby to come early. Your baby is nice and comfy tucked away in your womb and has no interest in joining the rest of the world. We predict your baby will be born after its due date. Your baby will most likely be born in the morning. Justmommies predicts that your baby will weigh approximately 7.5 pounds and that your labor will be about 11 hours long."
Here is the quiz if anyone wants to take it: http://www.justmommies.com/quizzes/labor_prediction_quiz.php
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Webster Technique and Start of Maternity Leave
So the day after my last blog post, my chiropractor called me back with the name of a fairly local chiropractor who knew and practiced Webster and so I made an appointment there for today. I think it went well but I didn't feel any movement from the baby during that time. I didn't know it would be instantaneous. The baby has been moving a lot since I got home and sat on the couch. That is when my baby is most active - when I sit down and relax. I also bought some pulsatilla on Monday night and took some today. I did not take it correctly. So I'll try again tomorrow. I'm going back to the chiropractor for another adjustment and will take the pulsatilla then, the correct way.
My last day of work was Tuesday. I'm now officially on maternity leave as of yesterday at 36 weeks pregnant. I honestly thought I'd feel guiltier leaving. I think I left things in a good state and left good notes on all my outstanding projects. And while I know I'll hate missing out on what is going on, I really had the feeling of, "Get me the heck out of here." I'm just so tired all the time and walking can be such a challenge. I guess it doesn't help that I don't exactly love my job anyway. So if baby is born on time I'll probably be off for a total of approximately 20 weeks! I can't imagine how many changes will take place in 4.5 months time! The leave I'm on now is FMLA and that starts up to 4 weeks before due date. It ends when baby is born and my next disability starts that day. It will still be FMLA but I'll get paid 6 weeks from that date. I'm paid 100% right now and will be for 6 weeks after baby is born. Then after that I start NJFLA which is completely unpaid and I can take up to 12 weeks of that. I'm planning to only take about 10 weeks though. If my baby is born on time I'll be headed back on Leap Day. Well, that would be officially 16 weeks but I'm figuring for day care purposes it would make sense to go back on a Monday. I'm so lucky to get this time ahead but I really wish I could have more paid time after and I'd have worked closer to my due date. But really, I'm just very grateful for this time!
I went to Walmart yesterday and got almost all the supplies on my list the midwife provided. I needed a waterproof mattress cover and a small fish net and juice and sanitary pads, etc. I figured Walmart would be a good place to hit for all those different categories. Most of the things I couldn't find were things just too specialized for Walmart. I went to the health food store today and got the Arnica 200c and the red raspberry leaf tea I needed. I also got some grapefruit seed extract in liquid form. I'm taking that along with garlic, echinacea, Vitamin C and a few more supplements in preparation for my GBS test next Friday when the midwife comes to do her home visit. I guess these things will help me to be GBS- if I was at some point GBS+. They're all immune boosters I believe.
So here I am 27 days from my due date. It feels so surreal. When I look ahead to Thanksgiving, it's crazy to think I will be a mom then. That's 15 days past my due date and I'm pretty sure if I don't deliver by the day before Thanksgiving I'll be induced. I don't know the hows and wheres of that yet. I don't know if it would be a "natural" induction (i.e. castor oil) or if I'd have to check into a hospital or what.
Back to the birth class for a minute... There were two other couples in there. One is due with a boy on 10/19 and the other was due 10/25 but did not know the gender. My midwife has a FB page and she announces the births on there, just the gender and the weight on the date. She said happy birthday, baby boy on Monday and I was wondering if it was one of my "classmates." The one who I knew was having a boy was due sooner so she was my first guess but she and I are staying in touch and I actually heard from her later that day and she was still very much pregnant. Yesterday, I heard from the other father and here it was his girlfriend who had the baby. I felt so sad for them because they wound up doing a hospital transfer and a C-section but I'm glad everyone is doing well! So now that means 2/3 of our class is having a boy. Am I going to make it 100%? Or will we have the lone girl of the group? Ack, the suspense is killing me! I keep secretly hoping I need another ultrasound and that the tech will slip again. Or that I'll tell her we're being surprised but this time she'll refer to the baby as "it" or revert back and forth between "he" and "she" and then I'll know she really did slip last time. Oy, I need to get a life, huh?
My last day of work was Tuesday. I'm now officially on maternity leave as of yesterday at 36 weeks pregnant. I honestly thought I'd feel guiltier leaving. I think I left things in a good state and left good notes on all my outstanding projects. And while I know I'll hate missing out on what is going on, I really had the feeling of, "Get me the heck out of here." I'm just so tired all the time and walking can be such a challenge. I guess it doesn't help that I don't exactly love my job anyway. So if baby is born on time I'll probably be off for a total of approximately 20 weeks! I can't imagine how many changes will take place in 4.5 months time! The leave I'm on now is FMLA and that starts up to 4 weeks before due date. It ends when baby is born and my next disability starts that day. It will still be FMLA but I'll get paid 6 weeks from that date. I'm paid 100% right now and will be for 6 weeks after baby is born. Then after that I start NJFLA which is completely unpaid and I can take up to 12 weeks of that. I'm planning to only take about 10 weeks though. If my baby is born on time I'll be headed back on Leap Day. Well, that would be officially 16 weeks but I'm figuring for day care purposes it would make sense to go back on a Monday. I'm so lucky to get this time ahead but I really wish I could have more paid time after and I'd have worked closer to my due date. But really, I'm just very grateful for this time!
I went to Walmart yesterday and got almost all the supplies on my list the midwife provided. I needed a waterproof mattress cover and a small fish net and juice and sanitary pads, etc. I figured Walmart would be a good place to hit for all those different categories. Most of the things I couldn't find were things just too specialized for Walmart. I went to the health food store today and got the Arnica 200c and the red raspberry leaf tea I needed. I also got some grapefruit seed extract in liquid form. I'm taking that along with garlic, echinacea, Vitamin C and a few more supplements in preparation for my GBS test next Friday when the midwife comes to do her home visit. I guess these things will help me to be GBS- if I was at some point GBS+. They're all immune boosters I believe.
So here I am 27 days from my due date. It feels so surreal. When I look ahead to Thanksgiving, it's crazy to think I will be a mom then. That's 15 days past my due date and I'm pretty sure if I don't deliver by the day before Thanksgiving I'll be induced. I don't know the hows and wheres of that yet. I don't know if it would be a "natural" induction (i.e. castor oil) or if I'd have to check into a hospital or what.
Back to the birth class for a minute... There were two other couples in there. One is due with a boy on 10/19 and the other was due 10/25 but did not know the gender. My midwife has a FB page and she announces the births on there, just the gender and the weight on the date. She said happy birthday, baby boy on Monday and I was wondering if it was one of my "classmates." The one who I knew was having a boy was due sooner so she was my first guess but she and I are staying in touch and I actually heard from her later that day and she was still very much pregnant. Yesterday, I heard from the other father and here it was his girlfriend who had the baby. I felt so sad for them because they wound up doing a hospital transfer and a C-section but I'm glad everyone is doing well! So now that means 2/3 of our class is having a boy. Am I going to make it 100%? Or will we have the lone girl of the group? Ack, the suspense is killing me! I keep secretly hoping I need another ultrasound and that the tech will slip again. Or that I'll tell her we're being surprised but this time she'll refer to the baby as "it" or revert back and forth between "he" and "she" and then I'll know she really did slip last time. Oy, I need to get a life, huh?
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Birth Class, Baby Shower, Blood Pressure, and Breech Babies!
The theme of this post is B words I guess!
We had our last birth class on the 24th. I cried through that one as well as the one before it. I'm so emotional! What got me this time was the teacher (another mom client of my midwife) told us that we should really plan to just stay in bed for seven days and not do much of anything. I don't know why but I just burst into tears. I had flashbacks of my surgery last year when I was home recovering and felt so helpless and lonely. I couldn't even pull my pants up! Now I know this time that the baby will be a big draw into getting people to come in and help. Who doesn't want to snuggle up with a new baby? But that day I couldn't see the reasoning in that and I just cried and cried. I was afraid of feeling abandoned again.
In happier news, I had the most lovely baby shower on Saturday, thrown by my family (mother, sisters, and sister-in-law). They did a great job with everything. We were blessed with such nice presents. Some of the big items were swing/cradle, bouncer seat, two high chairs (I took one back already and we got store credit at Target), a Pack 'n' Play, an extra car seat base. We got lots and lots of diapers, over 200 size 1s, and lots of blankets and clothes. I was surprised we got as many clothes as we did since we didn't find out and announce the gender. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I had my 35-week appointment at the midwife today and my blood pressure was up even more. She did say it was fine though (I guess still acceptable). She asked how I'd been feeling and I told her pretty good although there was something uncomfortable feeling in my ribs. I first noticed it the night of my shower. So she asked where I was feeling kicks. I showed her and they can't all possibly be kicks, some must be punches and jabs, and then she listened for the heartbeat and felt around, and measured my uterus which measured 38 weeks (which is 3 weeks ahead and all along I've been measuring 1 week ahead) and she said she thought it was baby's head I was feeling in my ribs and that the baby was breech! She told me to go the chiropractor. I asked her if there was anything else I could try and she told me pulsatilla. I called my chiropractor on the way back to work and he said he did not know the Webster technique but he'd find me someone who did.
We had our last birth class on the 24th. I cried through that one as well as the one before it. I'm so emotional! What got me this time was the teacher (another mom client of my midwife) told us that we should really plan to just stay in bed for seven days and not do much of anything. I don't know why but I just burst into tears. I had flashbacks of my surgery last year when I was home recovering and felt so helpless and lonely. I couldn't even pull my pants up! Now I know this time that the baby will be a big draw into getting people to come in and help. Who doesn't want to snuggle up with a new baby? But that day I couldn't see the reasoning in that and I just cried and cried. I was afraid of feeling abandoned again.
In happier news, I had the most lovely baby shower on Saturday, thrown by my family (mother, sisters, and sister-in-law). They did a great job with everything. We were blessed with such nice presents. Some of the big items were swing/cradle, bouncer seat, two high chairs (I took one back already and we got store credit at Target), a Pack 'n' Play, an extra car seat base. We got lots and lots of diapers, over 200 size 1s, and lots of blankets and clothes. I was surprised we got as many clothes as we did since we didn't find out and announce the gender. http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
I had my 35-week appointment at the midwife today and my blood pressure was up even more. She did say it was fine though (I guess still acceptable). She asked how I'd been feeling and I told her pretty good although there was something uncomfortable feeling in my ribs. I first noticed it the night of my shower. So she asked where I was feeling kicks. I showed her and they can't all possibly be kicks, some must be punches and jabs, and then she listened for the heartbeat and felt around, and measured my uterus which measured 38 weeks (which is 3 weeks ahead and all along I've been measuring 1 week ahead) and she said she thought it was baby's head I was feeling in my ribs and that the baby was breech! She told me to go the chiropractor. I asked her if there was anything else I could try and she told me pulsatilla. I called my chiropractor on the way back to work and he said he did not know the Webster technique but he'd find me someone who did.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Overdue update - 3D ultrasound, big baby, birth classes
As has been my habit of late, I've been neglecting my blog. I really want to write down everything that happens and record everything but I find life gets busy and I don't take the time.
I'll attempt to update as much as I can with what my memory will allow. I've got a big case of "baby brain" these days.
We had the second part of our ultrasound a week later than originally planned. We went Saturday, September 3 (at 30 weeks 3 days gestation). And unfortunately, the baby was in exactly the same position as the time before. It wasn't a terrible position but we still couldn't see the whole face. My mom and youngest sister got to come along this time so it was nice to have someone else there. The technician spent another whole hour with us. We got some cute pictures. My mom asked the technician how big the baby was. And the technician said the baby was 3 pounds, 15 ounces after she did some measurements and said the baby was in the 79th percentile! She said she thought the baby was going to be "at least" 8 pounds. I'm choosing to take this with a grain of salt because I have heard how these ultrasounds can be way off. I guess my mom thought the baby looked like my husband too because suddenly she reverted to calling the baby "he."
This past Wednesday (at 31 weeks 6 days) I had an ultrasound and there I was told my baby was measuring 5 pounds, 1 ounce and was in either the 74th or 76th percentile. The doctor said one and the tech said the other so I'm not sure. They both also asked if I had gestational diabetes and I told them I hadn't received my results yet. I texted my midwife when I left (she had asked me to let her know if baby was head down) and she assured me she had gotten my results and I did NOT have gestational diabetes. My glucose was 95 when it needs to be under 140. I had that test nearly two weeks prior at 30 weeks. Otherwise that ultrasound went well. Baby was head down (as he/she had been at the two 3D ones so yay!) but we think the tech slipped and told us the gender. I won't say much more at this point on that front; I'm really trying to put it out of my head. We wanted to be surprised but now that I have a clue I just really want to know! I have about 7.5 weeks to find out!
My work had a bridal shower for me on Wednesday afternoon. I was totally blown away. We got multiple gifts from six people (toys, clothes, bibs, diaper stuff, powders and lotions, etc.) as well as a $200 gift card. I was so surprised and so touched!
My blood pressure was back up again on Wednesday morning (32 weeks). It had gone down some at my 30-week appointment after having been up at 26-week appointment. I'm really freaked out by this. If it gets up to 140/95 I will lose my home birth. :(
My husband and I started our home birth prep class last week and it continued today and will continue next Saturday. It's from 1:00-4:00 each week. Last week was nice. We met the two other couples (one due three weeks ahead and one due two weeks ahead) and talked about things like finding time to relax during pregnancy and nutrition during pregnancy. This week was somehow more intense and emotional, I guess since we were talking about labor and birth. I cried for much of the class, not big heaving sobs, but just like my eyes wouldn't stop leaking! I'm getting freaked about the birthing process the closer it gets. I'm also nervous about being a bad mom or about motherhood not being everything I hoped it would be or that I will have a bad case of gender disappointment. I also have SO MUCH anxiety about being exposed during the birth. I tried to talk to both my midwife and doula about it but I didn't feel much better. I did put a post on a message board about it and the women on there were great. They didn't feed me the line, "Oh, during labor, you really won't care." I'm so sick of people saying that to me. Even if that is the case right now I cannot comprehend that I won't care people are seeing my private parts and it's doing nothing to ease my anxiety, you know?
One of the things we covered today is the #1 reason for transfers to the hospital are that the mother is exhausted. The teacher stressed that first labors can last 24, 48, even 72 hours and that in early labor we should just keep going about our day. If it's night time we should try to sleep. If it's day time we should go about our day as we would have. She stressed that and said she will be quizzing us on that next time.
Our house is almost done being painted. We just have the baby's room left and some odds and ends. We finished up our bedroom (except some touching up on the ceiling) this past Wednesday. I can't believe we're almost there.
I found a great photographer for our newborn pictures (we will schedule for within first two weeks of baby's life) and maternity pictures (going October 2, day after my baby shower with family & friends on October 1). I'm so excited about the newborn pictures, not so much the maternity. I have had mixed feelings the whole time as to whether or not I want the pictures. I figure though if I don't get them there is no going back. If I get them and hate them I never have to look at them or show them to anyone. Our baby may like seeing what I looked like though with him/her in my belly. I do get my husband to take a picture of me every two weeks when I turn an even number. It's often a few days behind. He just took my 32-week one today at 32 weeks 3 days.
Monday I'll be going to my second LLL meeting. I'm going to take one of the girls from my birthing class as well. She and her husband live in the next town over and are so excited about how close we live!
Well, it's after 8:00 and I'm starving and haven't had dinner yet so I'm signing off now!
I'll attempt to update as much as I can with what my memory will allow. I've got a big case of "baby brain" these days.
We had the second part of our ultrasound a week later than originally planned. We went Saturday, September 3 (at 30 weeks 3 days gestation). And unfortunately, the baby was in exactly the same position as the time before. It wasn't a terrible position but we still couldn't see the whole face. My mom and youngest sister got to come along this time so it was nice to have someone else there. The technician spent another whole hour with us. We got some cute pictures. My mom asked the technician how big the baby was. And the technician said the baby was 3 pounds, 15 ounces after she did some measurements and said the baby was in the 79th percentile! She said she thought the baby was going to be "at least" 8 pounds. I'm choosing to take this with a grain of salt because I have heard how these ultrasounds can be way off. I guess my mom thought the baby looked like my husband too because suddenly she reverted to calling the baby "he."
This past Wednesday (at 31 weeks 6 days) I had an ultrasound and there I was told my baby was measuring 5 pounds, 1 ounce and was in either the 74th or 76th percentile. The doctor said one and the tech said the other so I'm not sure. They both also asked if I had gestational diabetes and I told them I hadn't received my results yet. I texted my midwife when I left (she had asked me to let her know if baby was head down) and she assured me she had gotten my results and I did NOT have gestational diabetes. My glucose was 95 when it needs to be under 140. I had that test nearly two weeks prior at 30 weeks. Otherwise that ultrasound went well. Baby was head down (as he/she had been at the two 3D ones so yay!) but we think the tech slipped and told us the gender. I won't say much more at this point on that front; I'm really trying to put it out of my head. We wanted to be surprised but now that I have a clue I just really want to know! I have about 7.5 weeks to find out!
My work had a bridal shower for me on Wednesday afternoon. I was totally blown away. We got multiple gifts from six people (toys, clothes, bibs, diaper stuff, powders and lotions, etc.) as well as a $200 gift card. I was so surprised and so touched!
My blood pressure was back up again on Wednesday morning (32 weeks). It had gone down some at my 30-week appointment after having been up at 26-week appointment. I'm really freaked out by this. If it gets up to 140/95 I will lose my home birth. :(
My husband and I started our home birth prep class last week and it continued today and will continue next Saturday. It's from 1:00-4:00 each week. Last week was nice. We met the two other couples (one due three weeks ahead and one due two weeks ahead) and talked about things like finding time to relax during pregnancy and nutrition during pregnancy. This week was somehow more intense and emotional, I guess since we were talking about labor and birth. I cried for much of the class, not big heaving sobs, but just like my eyes wouldn't stop leaking! I'm getting freaked about the birthing process the closer it gets. I'm also nervous about being a bad mom or about motherhood not being everything I hoped it would be or that I will have a bad case of gender disappointment. I also have SO MUCH anxiety about being exposed during the birth. I tried to talk to both my midwife and doula about it but I didn't feel much better. I did put a post on a message board about it and the women on there were great. They didn't feed me the line, "Oh, during labor, you really won't care." I'm so sick of people saying that to me. Even if that is the case right now I cannot comprehend that I won't care people are seeing my private parts and it's doing nothing to ease my anxiety, you know?
One of the things we covered today is the #1 reason for transfers to the hospital are that the mother is exhausted. The teacher stressed that first labors can last 24, 48, even 72 hours and that in early labor we should just keep going about our day. If it's night time we should try to sleep. If it's day time we should go about our day as we would have. She stressed that and said she will be quizzing us on that next time.
Our house is almost done being painted. We just have the baby's room left and some odds and ends. We finished up our bedroom (except some touching up on the ceiling) this past Wednesday. I can't believe we're almost there.
I found a great photographer for our newborn pictures (we will schedule for within first two weeks of baby's life) and maternity pictures (going October 2, day after my baby shower with family & friends on October 1). I'm so excited about the newborn pictures, not so much the maternity. I have had mixed feelings the whole time as to whether or not I want the pictures. I figure though if I don't get them there is no going back. If I get them and hate them I never have to look at them or show them to anyone. Our baby may like seeing what I looked like though with him/her in my belly. I do get my husband to take a picture of me every two weeks when I turn an even number. It's often a few days behind. He just took my 32-week one today at 32 weeks 3 days.
Monday I'll be going to my second LLL meeting. I'm going to take one of the girls from my birthing class as well. She and her husband live in the next town over and are so excited about how close we live!
Well, it's after 8:00 and I'm starving and haven't had dinner yet so I'm signing off now!
Monday, August 22, 2011
Third trimester and 3D ultrasound!
Seriously, where did the time go? As of last Wednesday (or perhaps the Wednesday before, depending upon whom you ask) I am in my third trimester! I've seen it called third trimester at 27 or 28 weeks so I'm not quite sure but I'm now 28w5d so definitely in the third trimester.
I'm still doing pretty well. I feel pressure/pain down below (I think I have varicose veins) and I can't stand or walk for long periods. My weight gain is only about 2 pounds so you think it wouldn't make much of a difference but the baby itself is over 2 pounds already (going by the averages that is). In the last few weeks my PVCs (premature ventrical contractions) have started back up. These are something I had years ago well prior to pregnancy and at the time I got them before I had an EKG and then wore an event monitor for two weeks to record the PVCs. At the time it was determined everything was fine and my family doctor said I could choose to do nothing or choose to go on a medication that was not safe for trying to conceive but would help in the meanwhile. Since they bothered me so much (mentally) I decided to go on the medication, atenolol. I had to go off it though once we started TTC. I never had the PVCs again. However, they're back now and they are causing me a lot of anxiety. I sometimes start crying because they bother me so much. They bring a tightness to my chest as well. I went to my family doctor last week and really there is not much to be done while I'm pregnant. I just keep reminding myself I was thoroughly checked out for this already and everything was fine and they're harmless but it's hard to remember that!
I also have managed to hurt both of my wrists. I hurt the left one in June at work so I've been seeing a workers' comp doctor for that. And now the right one started hurting during the night once. I told my family doctor about that one too last week and she said it feels swollen to her but again there is not much we can do while I'm pregnant. I feel something clicking around in there. Both of them hurt. I'm supposed to brace them and ice them and I'm not the best at remembering.
I'm also tired all the time, par for the course.
We had our 3D ultrasound on Wednesday, the day I was officially 28 weeks which is when I was told was best. At first the tech couldn't see the baby very well so she had to "wake it up" by shaking me and shaking me. Finally she could see part of the baby's face. It was uncanny how much the baby looks like my husband! Even he sees it. He seems sad. He wanted the baby to look like me, he said! So they got some cute pictures but the tech said we could come back this Saturday and bring a USB drive to save some more pictures on. They hope that the baby will be in a better position. The good news is he/she was no longer breech. The little butt is up in the air and the head is down. I'm not sure it'll stay like that for the next 11 weeks or so but I sure hope so. I'm petrified of a breech.
Back when I was first sharing my news there were two friends I wasn't sure how to tell. One had gone through a miscarriage in November with her first pregnancy and one had been trying to conceive since her wedding in 2008. She has PCOS like I do. They both were very happy for me though and took it well. And another friend I told asked me, "How long have you been trying?" I told her, "A long time." And she told me they'd been trying since July (and this was back in April or May). I was kind of concerned it was taking them so long but knew the rule was to try for a year for most people before getting help. She and her husband are still in their late 20s. I told all three though and all were very happy for me. The one with PCOS actually asked for my RE's name so I gave her Dr. Cool's name. She was not very happy with what he told her at first. He told her he'd recommend one more try of injectables plus IUI. She'd already done it four times with another doctor. He felt the doctor's timing was a little off which is why he was willing to give it one more try but I guess on the other hand he felt you shouldn't keep try what wasn't working. So then they'd move on to IVF if it didn't work. So I didn't hear much from her after that. Her work travel schedule was busy and she was waiting for her period and a month where she wasn't traveling much to do the "one last cycle." In the meanwhile my friend who'd been trying for almost a year told me about four weeks ago that she was 13 weeks along and due the end of January, about 12 weeks behind me. Then my friend who went to my RE did her treatment cycle and found out 11 days ago that she is due in mid-April, about 23 weeks behind me. And then yesterday I texted my other friend who miscarried last year just to ask what was new and told her I'd missed chatting with her. I felt like maybe she'd pulled away some since I got pregnant but wasn't sure if it was all in my head. I really was hearing from her less and less but I wasn't sure of the reason. She wrote back that she was having an ultrasound on Tuesday. I didn't want to get too excited because I know you can have ultrasounds for things other than pregnancy and I texted back, "Ultrasound?" She wrote back, "For my pregnancy." I almost fell off my chair! So she is due in late March, about 20 weeks behind me. Her husband really wanted her to wait until after the ultrasound to tell me to make sure this one is viable. Oh, how I pray it is! But she said even if (God forbid) she has another miscarriage she'd tell me anyway. I'm praying this one is a sticky baby!
So how awesome is that? I was feeling kind of like I was moving into this unchartered territory and having no friends entering motherhood with me. My best friend did have her little guy in March but unfortunately she is 3 hours away. And my husband's friend's wife had their first in June and they are looking forward to doing lots with us and with our kids. A lot of my friends are already done having babies and I think my two sisters are. I felt like I was lagging around, and that my other friends who hadn't had kids yet were still far from it. Now I'm going to have so many mommy friends. It's so exciting! I also went to a couple of breastfeeding events - a Nursing Moms Advisory Council information session and a La Leche League meeting. I'm hoping to meet some more moms there. We will also be attending our homebirth prep class the second, third, and fourth Saturdays in September. From the Facebook invitation it only looks like one other couple is going but I'm hoping there are more!
I'm still doing pretty well. I feel pressure/pain down below (I think I have varicose veins) and I can't stand or walk for long periods. My weight gain is only about 2 pounds so you think it wouldn't make much of a difference but the baby itself is over 2 pounds already (going by the averages that is). In the last few weeks my PVCs (premature ventrical contractions) have started back up. These are something I had years ago well prior to pregnancy and at the time I got them before I had an EKG and then wore an event monitor for two weeks to record the PVCs. At the time it was determined everything was fine and my family doctor said I could choose to do nothing or choose to go on a medication that was not safe for trying to conceive but would help in the meanwhile. Since they bothered me so much (mentally) I decided to go on the medication, atenolol. I had to go off it though once we started TTC. I never had the PVCs again. However, they're back now and they are causing me a lot of anxiety. I sometimes start crying because they bother me so much. They bring a tightness to my chest as well. I went to my family doctor last week and really there is not much to be done while I'm pregnant. I just keep reminding myself I was thoroughly checked out for this already and everything was fine and they're harmless but it's hard to remember that!
I also have managed to hurt both of my wrists. I hurt the left one in June at work so I've been seeing a workers' comp doctor for that. And now the right one started hurting during the night once. I told my family doctor about that one too last week and she said it feels swollen to her but again there is not much we can do while I'm pregnant. I feel something clicking around in there. Both of them hurt. I'm supposed to brace them and ice them and I'm not the best at remembering.
I'm also tired all the time, par for the course.
We had our 3D ultrasound on Wednesday, the day I was officially 28 weeks which is when I was told was best. At first the tech couldn't see the baby very well so she had to "wake it up" by shaking me and shaking me. Finally she could see part of the baby's face. It was uncanny how much the baby looks like my husband! Even he sees it. He seems sad. He wanted the baby to look like me, he said! So they got some cute pictures but the tech said we could come back this Saturday and bring a USB drive to save some more pictures on. They hope that the baby will be in a better position. The good news is he/she was no longer breech. The little butt is up in the air and the head is down. I'm not sure it'll stay like that for the next 11 weeks or so but I sure hope so. I'm petrified of a breech.
Back when I was first sharing my news there were two friends I wasn't sure how to tell. One had gone through a miscarriage in November with her first pregnancy and one had been trying to conceive since her wedding in 2008. She has PCOS like I do. They both were very happy for me though and took it well. And another friend I told asked me, "How long have you been trying?" I told her, "A long time." And she told me they'd been trying since July (and this was back in April or May). I was kind of concerned it was taking them so long but knew the rule was to try for a year for most people before getting help. She and her husband are still in their late 20s. I told all three though and all were very happy for me. The one with PCOS actually asked for my RE's name so I gave her Dr. Cool's name. She was not very happy with what he told her at first. He told her he'd recommend one more try of injectables plus IUI. She'd already done it four times with another doctor. He felt the doctor's timing was a little off which is why he was willing to give it one more try but I guess on the other hand he felt you shouldn't keep try what wasn't working. So then they'd move on to IVF if it didn't work. So I didn't hear much from her after that. Her work travel schedule was busy and she was waiting for her period and a month where she wasn't traveling much to do the "one last cycle." In the meanwhile my friend who'd been trying for almost a year told me about four weeks ago that she was 13 weeks along and due the end of January, about 12 weeks behind me. Then my friend who went to my RE did her treatment cycle and found out 11 days ago that she is due in mid-April, about 23 weeks behind me. And then yesterday I texted my other friend who miscarried last year just to ask what was new and told her I'd missed chatting with her. I felt like maybe she'd pulled away some since I got pregnant but wasn't sure if it was all in my head. I really was hearing from her less and less but I wasn't sure of the reason. She wrote back that she was having an ultrasound on Tuesday. I didn't want to get too excited because I know you can have ultrasounds for things other than pregnancy and I texted back, "Ultrasound?" She wrote back, "For my pregnancy." I almost fell off my chair! So she is due in late March, about 20 weeks behind me. Her husband really wanted her to wait until after the ultrasound to tell me to make sure this one is viable. Oh, how I pray it is! But she said even if (God forbid) she has another miscarriage she'd tell me anyway. I'm praying this one is a sticky baby!
So how awesome is that? I was feeling kind of like I was moving into this unchartered territory and having no friends entering motherhood with me. My best friend did have her little guy in March but unfortunately she is 3 hours away. And my husband's friend's wife had their first in June and they are looking forward to doing lots with us and with our kids. A lot of my friends are already done having babies and I think my two sisters are. I felt like I was lagging around, and that my other friends who hadn't had kids yet were still far from it. Now I'm going to have so many mommy friends. It's so exciting! I also went to a couple of breastfeeding events - a Nursing Moms Advisory Council information session and a La Leche League meeting. I'm hoping to meet some more moms there. We will also be attending our homebirth prep class the second, third, and fourth Saturdays in September. From the Facebook invitation it only looks like one other couple is going but I'm hoping there are more!
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
27 weeks...almost to third trimester!
Wow, it's amazing! Either this week or next (depending upon whom you ask) I'll be in my third trimester. It's really going by quickly and it's hard for me to realize I'm not going to be pregnant forever. And I don't say "pregnant forever" in a negative way. In some ways I wouldn't mind being pregnant forever. Sure, it's come with some aches and pains but overall, I really love it! I am growing a life inside me! I get to be witness to this gorgeous miracle! I think it's even more precious to me because I wasn't sure it would ever happen! Of course, I can't wait to see and meet that cute little baby but in a way I'm going to be sad to share him/her with the rest of the world and have him/her come out of me where I won't be able to always protect him/her!
My baby shower is scheduled for October 1. I'll be 34.5 weeks which makes me a little nervous that I won't have tons of time left to get everything else I still need. All the Saturdays in September were already booked and August is just crazy with everyone's vacations (not mine though...boo-hoo!).
Next week is our 3D ultrasound! I'm so excited for that. I'll be 28 weeks exactly. I was told 28 weeks was a great time to go. I hope the baby cooperates. He/she usually is more active at night so it's good we have a 7:00 p.m. appointment.
I received some great news last week! My maternity leave starts four weeks prior to my due date...so October 12th I'm out of there! I will get paid 100% for that time up until the birth (whether I go early, late, or right on time), and then I'll get paid 100% for the first six weeks following the birth. After that I'm eligible to take another 12 weeks "bonding time" with the baby unpaid but I'll probably just take six of those. Trust me, I'm so tempted to take the whole thing but going that long without a paycheck would be quite a hardship. If the baby is born on time that has me coming back to work very early February. Taking that whole 12 weeks is even more tempting when I think I could be coming back in mid-March instead! I have to work though since I am the one who has benefits such as medical. Twelve weeks is nothing to sneeze at either. I've heard of people who get much much less so I'm grateful for everything I am getting!
I am feeling pretty well lately. The gagging/throwing up episodes seem to have subsided. That hasn't happened for a few weeks. I do feel tons of pain/pressure when I stand up after sitting for awhile. That is not pleasant. I feel like I'm walking like an 80-year-old lady! I am also very tired and not dealing with the heat very well but those are all par for the course. Overall I'd say it's been a pretty easy pregnancy.
I swear people still can't really tell I'm pregnant. I can definitely tell and people who know me can tell but I've yet to have one stranger try to touch me or ask me when I'm due (for which I'm incredibly grateful!).
My baby shower is scheduled for October 1. I'll be 34.5 weeks which makes me a little nervous that I won't have tons of time left to get everything else I still need. All the Saturdays in September were already booked and August is just crazy with everyone's vacations (not mine though...boo-hoo!).
Next week is our 3D ultrasound! I'm so excited for that. I'll be 28 weeks exactly. I was told 28 weeks was a great time to go. I hope the baby cooperates. He/she usually is more active at night so it's good we have a 7:00 p.m. appointment.
I received some great news last week! My maternity leave starts four weeks prior to my due date...so October 12th I'm out of there! I will get paid 100% for that time up until the birth (whether I go early, late, or right on time), and then I'll get paid 100% for the first six weeks following the birth. After that I'm eligible to take another 12 weeks "bonding time" with the baby unpaid but I'll probably just take six of those. Trust me, I'm so tempted to take the whole thing but going that long without a paycheck would be quite a hardship. If the baby is born on time that has me coming back to work very early February. Taking that whole 12 weeks is even more tempting when I think I could be coming back in mid-March instead! I have to work though since I am the one who has benefits such as medical. Twelve weeks is nothing to sneeze at either. I've heard of people who get much much less so I'm grateful for everything I am getting!
I am feeling pretty well lately. The gagging/throwing up episodes seem to have subsided. That hasn't happened for a few weeks. I do feel tons of pain/pressure when I stand up after sitting for awhile. That is not pleasant. I feel like I'm walking like an 80-year-old lady! I am also very tired and not dealing with the heat very well but those are all par for the course. Overall I'd say it's been a pretty easy pregnancy.
I swear people still can't really tell I'm pregnant. I can definitely tell and people who know me can tell but I've yet to have one stranger try to touch me or ask me when I'm due (for which I'm incredibly grateful!).
Sunday, July 17, 2011
July update!
I haven't written in quite awhile so there is a good amount to get caught up on!
First I'm fully in maternity clothes now. I still hate all my maternity pants except the Old Navy ones and one pair from Motherhood (the ones I mentioned in my last post). I hate the Motherhood jeans with the full belly panel. They do not stay up. I'm finally showing but maybe I don't have enough of a belly to hold it up? I'm not sure but they are driving me nuts!
We had our second anatomy scan two weeks after the first. We had a different tech than the last time and she was really nice. I brought along an envelope (the security kind) with a piece of paper in it and asked her to please put the gender in an envelope. She said what she liked to do was take a picture of the baby and put that in the envelope so that is what she did. It will be cool to look at it later. The doctor at the ultrasound center came in and said everything looked great and she asked us to come back at 32 weeks (early September). I asked if at that time we could get a 3D and she said yes, but it was better to come earlier. Then the ultrasound technician is handing me her business card for a 3D place (different than where were) and said it was her business but the doctor said she could hand her cards out. All they do is 3D/4D ultrasounds and they also have evening and weekend hours (whereas the ultrasound center has very limited hours). So I decided to make an appointment with her. I think the deal is for $165. I can't quite remember what we get with it and for some reason I cannot get on to their web site from work or home! I can on my BlackBerry but it's so much harder to see on there. I think I might invite my parents to come along for the 3D ultrasound which is the day I'm 28 weeks. I'm very excited for that! So far we have not peeked in the envelope (which is sealed). I'm pretty sure we will be waiting for the birth. I think it will be neat to be surprised.
Last weekend we made a couple of baby purchases. I got a used Arm's Reach Mini Cosleeper in the natural color. It came with three sheets and the leg extension set. The cosleeper itself is $150 new so I felt it was a good deal. The couple had two boys but said the second one only slept in it once since he didn't like it. I hope our baby likes it! Uh-oh! I also bought a used breast pump, the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. I know not everyone feels that is safe but I'm going to buy all new replacement parts. We paid $30 for that. And it does work. I hooked it all up and got it going. Of course I couldn't test it yet for real but I put it on my arm and it definitely has suction.
One more "used" purchase I plan to make is our nursery set. I found it on Craigslist. I've had to eat a lot of words. I said I wanted a green nursery and how I did not like yellow. Well, this set is green and yellow and I really like it. It's Wendy Bellissimo Honey Bee, which is now discontinued but there are pieces on Craigslist and eBay. I'm getting most of the pieces from a couple for $75. My husband laughed when I showed him and said, "I thought you hated bees!" And I don't like them but this set makes them look cute! And I love how gender neutral it is. I want to paint the room half yellow (maybe the top) and half green (maybe the bottom) with a white strip dividing it. The room is currently painted in Behr's Mystical Sea so maybe we'll only have to paint the one half, depending on how well the greens match.
I've been somewhat sad and constantly lamenting about how I couldn't feel the baby yet. Well, this past Thursday I finally thought I felt something. Then it happened again Friday night. And then yesterday (Saturday) morning. And then again last night. Just now I felt something for the first time today as I was writing this. So baby is definitely letting me know he/she is there! It is a cool feeling, very subtle right now.
My husband is getting more and more excited. He talks to my belly all the time (he's been doing that since the beginning) but lately he keeps saying, "Get here already! I want to meet you." I on the other hand am perfectly content with keeping baby with me. I feel so special that I get to carry this baby and have him/her to myself 24/7. I get a little sad to think he/she will be here soon and I'll have to share the baby with others. (I am excited to have my husband meet the baby but not so much everyone else at this point.) Is that selfish? Of course, I'm very excited to see my baby's sweet little face and hold him/her and nurse him/her and watch the baby grow but there is a part of me that wants things to stay just how they are now. I know that's not possible of course and in less than 17 weeks my due date will have come and gone and I'll either have had the baby or will be getting quite close to having it.
We have so much to do still to get ready for this little one. My midwife gave me a long list of things we need to secure by 37 weeks (right around our third anniversary!). I keep thinking we should start buying things now but then I put it off. We registered at Amazon.com but I'm not sure I'm serious about all those things. I need to rethink some of them. And I want to register in at least one traditional store - either Babies R Us and/or Target. I have a coupon to get a $10 gift card at BRU if I register there. I will probably do both and spread out the items.
I am still trying to decide on diapers too. I think I'd like to do cloth but my final decision will probably depend on my day care situation. And I'm getting some flak too. My mom said, "Oh, honey, you don't want to do that." And my one friend just raised her eyebrows. My husband was picturing the cloth diapers of yore - the rectangle with the pins and the rubber pants. I showed him all the newer designs out there and I think he's on board with it.
Speaking of day care that's another thing I'm trying to sort out. My mom is almost sure she will watch our baby on Wednesdays. That leaves us four days to find child care. I visited one day a block from my work. It was very nice...but very expensive. What day care would cost us in a month exceeds our monthly rent! And there is no break for four days versus five. There is a $60/week decrease for three days per week but it's not that much of a savings and we'd still need to find someone to watch the baby that fifth day. My husband flat out said no due to the cost. I found another day care near our house that is slightly cheaper. They offer 3-, 4-, and 5-day rates. We haven't toured there yet but I'd like to. I did want the baby closer to my work than to my house but there is really only that one near my work that I know of. I did see one other one but it is for ages 18 months and up. So I must really keep searching. I think this has become "my" job. My husband hasn't had any suggestions and hasn't looked for anything. I hope this isn't how everything goes as far as our baby's care goes!
In other news his best friend's wife had her baby almost three weeks ago. We have been so busy we haven't had a chance to get over to see her yet. So we are going to go visit next weekend. We got her birth announcement the other day. She looks adorable.
Another friend of mine I met in a group I belong to is due in early August with a boy. She asked me to come visit her when she had her little guy. So I'll be getting some baby fixes before mine gets here. :)
I think I thoroughly caught up with everything!
First I'm fully in maternity clothes now. I still hate all my maternity pants except the Old Navy ones and one pair from Motherhood (the ones I mentioned in my last post). I hate the Motherhood jeans with the full belly panel. They do not stay up. I'm finally showing but maybe I don't have enough of a belly to hold it up? I'm not sure but they are driving me nuts!
We had our second anatomy scan two weeks after the first. We had a different tech than the last time and she was really nice. I brought along an envelope (the security kind) with a piece of paper in it and asked her to please put the gender in an envelope. She said what she liked to do was take a picture of the baby and put that in the envelope so that is what she did. It will be cool to look at it later. The doctor at the ultrasound center came in and said everything looked great and she asked us to come back at 32 weeks (early September). I asked if at that time we could get a 3D and she said yes, but it was better to come earlier. Then the ultrasound technician is handing me her business card for a 3D place (different than where were) and said it was her business but the doctor said she could hand her cards out. All they do is 3D/4D ultrasounds and they also have evening and weekend hours (whereas the ultrasound center has very limited hours). So I decided to make an appointment with her. I think the deal is for $165. I can't quite remember what we get with it and for some reason I cannot get on to their web site from work or home! I can on my BlackBerry but it's so much harder to see on there. I think I might invite my parents to come along for the 3D ultrasound which is the day I'm 28 weeks. I'm very excited for that! So far we have not peeked in the envelope (which is sealed). I'm pretty sure we will be waiting for the birth. I think it will be neat to be surprised.
Last weekend we made a couple of baby purchases. I got a used Arm's Reach Mini Cosleeper in the natural color. It came with three sheets and the leg extension set. The cosleeper itself is $150 new so I felt it was a good deal. The couple had two boys but said the second one only slept in it once since he didn't like it. I hope our baby likes it! Uh-oh! I also bought a used breast pump, the Medela Pump in Style Advanced. I know not everyone feels that is safe but I'm going to buy all new replacement parts. We paid $30 for that. And it does work. I hooked it all up and got it going. Of course I couldn't test it yet for real but I put it on my arm and it definitely has suction.
One more "used" purchase I plan to make is our nursery set. I found it on Craigslist. I've had to eat a lot of words. I said I wanted a green nursery and how I did not like yellow. Well, this set is green and yellow and I really like it. It's Wendy Bellissimo Honey Bee, which is now discontinued but there are pieces on Craigslist and eBay. I'm getting most of the pieces from a couple for $75. My husband laughed when I showed him and said, "I thought you hated bees!" And I don't like them but this set makes them look cute! And I love how gender neutral it is. I want to paint the room half yellow (maybe the top) and half green (maybe the bottom) with a white strip dividing it. The room is currently painted in Behr's Mystical Sea so maybe we'll only have to paint the one half, depending on how well the greens match.
I've been somewhat sad and constantly lamenting about how I couldn't feel the baby yet. Well, this past Thursday I finally thought I felt something. Then it happened again Friday night. And then yesterday (Saturday) morning. And then again last night. Just now I felt something for the first time today as I was writing this. So baby is definitely letting me know he/she is there! It is a cool feeling, very subtle right now.
My husband is getting more and more excited. He talks to my belly all the time (he's been doing that since the beginning) but lately he keeps saying, "Get here already! I want to meet you." I on the other hand am perfectly content with keeping baby with me. I feel so special that I get to carry this baby and have him/her to myself 24/7. I get a little sad to think he/she will be here soon and I'll have to share the baby with others. (I am excited to have my husband meet the baby but not so much everyone else at this point.) Is that selfish? Of course, I'm very excited to see my baby's sweet little face and hold him/her and nurse him/her and watch the baby grow but there is a part of me that wants things to stay just how they are now. I know that's not possible of course and in less than 17 weeks my due date will have come and gone and I'll either have had the baby or will be getting quite close to having it.
We have so much to do still to get ready for this little one. My midwife gave me a long list of things we need to secure by 37 weeks (right around our third anniversary!). I keep thinking we should start buying things now but then I put it off. We registered at Amazon.com but I'm not sure I'm serious about all those things. I need to rethink some of them. And I want to register in at least one traditional store - either Babies R Us and/or Target. I have a coupon to get a $10 gift card at BRU if I register there. I will probably do both and spread out the items.
I am still trying to decide on diapers too. I think I'd like to do cloth but my final decision will probably depend on my day care situation. And I'm getting some flak too. My mom said, "Oh, honey, you don't want to do that." And my one friend just raised her eyebrows. My husband was picturing the cloth diapers of yore - the rectangle with the pins and the rubber pants. I showed him all the newer designs out there and I think he's on board with it.
Speaking of day care that's another thing I'm trying to sort out. My mom is almost sure she will watch our baby on Wednesdays. That leaves us four days to find child care. I visited one day a block from my work. It was very nice...but very expensive. What day care would cost us in a month exceeds our monthly rent! And there is no break for four days versus five. There is a $60/week decrease for three days per week but it's not that much of a savings and we'd still need to find someone to watch the baby that fifth day. My husband flat out said no due to the cost. I found another day care near our house that is slightly cheaper. They offer 3-, 4-, and 5-day rates. We haven't toured there yet but I'd like to. I did want the baby closer to my work than to my house but there is really only that one near my work that I know of. I did see one other one but it is for ages 18 months and up. So I must really keep searching. I think this has become "my" job. My husband hasn't had any suggestions and hasn't looked for anything. I hope this isn't how everything goes as far as our baby's care goes!
In other news his best friend's wife had her baby almost three weeks ago. We have been so busy we haven't had a chance to get over to see her yet. So we are going to go visit next weekend. We got her birth announcement the other day. She looks adorable.
Another friend of mine I met in a group I belong to is due in early August with a boy. She asked me to come visit her when she had her little guy. So I'll be getting some baby fixes before mine gets here. :)
I think I thoroughly caught up with everything!
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