I know - already? But our visits shifted from Thursdays to Mondays for the remainder of the pregnancy. So we figured there could not be much change in 4 days...
Apparently our little bundle of joy has decided to be a chicken and has retreated to the solitude of the womb. In other words where the head had dropped one stage as of 4 days ago... today it retreated.
Other than that, no change. We did schedule another ultrasound for next monday to check size again. She said she is having some trouble getting a handle on the size based on manual palpations but that it is nothing to worry about.
What is left to do before the big day?
* I need to pack a bag (though everything is washed, dried and folded for me and for baby)
* Jim needs to pack a bag including snacks so that he doesn't pass out in the delivery room (somehow, I don't think snacks are going to help him...)
* We need to install the carseat ( we HAVE the carseat thanks to my sister, it just needs to be installed and then inspected by a friendly policeman ... we figure why do it in 2 steps? Let's just have Gabe, our friendly neighborhood police officer, install AND inspect it at the same time. we just have to ask him...)
* We need to find a pediatrician...
* We need sheets for the bassinet and a particular accessory for said carseat called a "bundle me lite" that will keep the baby warm in the carseat. I am planning on stopping on my way home to pick those 2 things up.
Can anybody else think of anything I am missing?
Monday, January 26, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Weekly check in
So lately at the end of the day I feel like this baby weights about 100 pounds ... sometimes it feels this way even in the middle of the day if I am doing a lot of walking (like grocery shopping, etc.). Also, I have been gaining a bit more weight than usual - not enormously, but more than weeks past (like this past week I gained 3 whole pounds!). And while I seemingly stopped having morning sickness in month 7, the other day it returned for no apparent reason.
It is because of these things that I am happy we have weekly appointments with our wonderful doctor (no more nurse practitioner!!!).
THis week we spent a bit longer on the monitors than last week because the baby was being stubborn. I had to eat a granola bar and drink a cold cup of water to try to get the baby to be active. Eventually everything was fine - not that it was a problem, just that the activity level was low but that was due to the timing of the appointment in relation to when I had eaten breakfast. No problem.
To answer the latest "symptoms" from paragraph 1:
Heavy baby? that is because the head has dropped one stage
Weight gain? water retention
return of morning sickness? Happens to some women at the end of pregnancy, nobody knows why but it is not harmful
Also, there has been no change this week in dilation or thinning of the cervix. On the dr's way out of the room she said "See you next week." I said - you sound pretty confident of that. She laughed and said yup. So we have at least another week to go.
In other news:
The baby's room is finished. (well almost) It is painted thanks to Una getting on Jim's case and telling him she was mad at him for not painting it yet. I think Jim is afraid of Una so she can prompt him to action pretty easily (don't tell Jim I said that!!) My sister and I hung the Pooh border and it is just the cutest thing EVER! She and I also put the crib together. I ironed the crib skirt and put it on. I also ironed the window valances. I set up the changing table and even that is adorable (it is my grandmother's mirrored beareau that we converted using a contoured changing pad.) I have cleaned the miniblinds on one window and have hung the Pooh valance on that window - and will do the same to the other window today. I set up a little bookcase for the Pooh lamp (and made sure it was plugged into the right outlet to be able to turn it on by the light switch) and ipod player to sit on, and to house the books we have received and 3 baskets of 1-bath supplies 2- rattles, teethers, etc. and 3-ummm I cant remember what is in the third one...
I bought little bins that tuck under the crib to hold the larger clothing that we received as gifts until such a time that the baby will fit into them and labled them as well ... 3-6 MO, 6-9 mo, and 9mo and up.
I washed all the sheets, blankets, washcloths, towels, and 0-3mo clothes and have put them away in drawers.
I also did a MAJOR cleaning of our room and made the mirror image switching to put me on the side of the bed that the bassinet will be on. This included cleaning out of the bedside tables, cleaning off of all surfaces, dusting and throwing away a ton of stuff including our old paper lamps from Ikea (which Jim was a little rough with and seemed to tore his multiple times). Not to worry though, I had purchased a sleeker paper lamp of each bedside table some time ago and Just had not set them up yet. They look great! I have adjusted quite well to my new side of the bed... Jim on the other hand, not so much. He has difficulty with change. He says that it is difficult to adjust to the new side because of the C-PAP machine ... because when he is lying on his left side the hose should be out in front of him... and on his right side the hose should have to come up and over his head and now it is the opposite and just impossible to get used to... and, he says, it would just be MUCH easier for him to get up at night when the baby wakes up to pick up the baby and do the hand off to me. I told him to get over it and settle in to his new side. We'll see how long it takes.
Anyway, I believe what has been happening this week with all the cleaning and organizing is what is commonly referred to as Nesting. So let the nesting continue!
It is because of these things that I am happy we have weekly appointments with our wonderful doctor (no more nurse practitioner!!!).
THis week we spent a bit longer on the monitors than last week because the baby was being stubborn. I had to eat a granola bar and drink a cold cup of water to try to get the baby to be active. Eventually everything was fine - not that it was a problem, just that the activity level was low but that was due to the timing of the appointment in relation to when I had eaten breakfast. No problem.
To answer the latest "symptoms" from paragraph 1:
Heavy baby? that is because the head has dropped one stage
Weight gain? water retention
return of morning sickness? Happens to some women at the end of pregnancy, nobody knows why but it is not harmful
Also, there has been no change this week in dilation or thinning of the cervix. On the dr's way out of the room she said "See you next week." I said - you sound pretty confident of that. She laughed and said yup. So we have at least another week to go.
In other news:
The baby's room is finished. (well almost) It is painted thanks to Una getting on Jim's case and telling him she was mad at him for not painting it yet. I think Jim is afraid of Una so she can prompt him to action pretty easily (don't tell Jim I said that!!) My sister and I hung the Pooh border and it is just the cutest thing EVER! She and I also put the crib together. I ironed the crib skirt and put it on. I also ironed the window valances. I set up the changing table and even that is adorable (it is my grandmother's mirrored beareau that we converted using a contoured changing pad.) I have cleaned the miniblinds on one window and have hung the Pooh valance on that window - and will do the same to the other window today. I set up a little bookcase for the Pooh lamp (and made sure it was plugged into the right outlet to be able to turn it on by the light switch) and ipod player to sit on, and to house the books we have received and 3 baskets of 1-bath supplies 2- rattles, teethers, etc. and 3-ummm I cant remember what is in the third one...
I bought little bins that tuck under the crib to hold the larger clothing that we received as gifts until such a time that the baby will fit into them and labled them as well ... 3-6 MO, 6-9 mo, and 9mo and up.
I washed all the sheets, blankets, washcloths, towels, and 0-3mo clothes and have put them away in drawers.
I also did a MAJOR cleaning of our room and made the mirror image switching to put me on the side of the bed that the bassinet will be on. This included cleaning out of the bedside tables, cleaning off of all surfaces, dusting and throwing away a ton of stuff including our old paper lamps from Ikea (which Jim was a little rough with and seemed to tore his multiple times). Not to worry though, I had purchased a sleeker paper lamp of each bedside table some time ago and Just had not set them up yet. They look great! I have adjusted quite well to my new side of the bed... Jim on the other hand, not so much. He has difficulty with change. He says that it is difficult to adjust to the new side because of the C-PAP machine ... because when he is lying on his left side the hose should be out in front of him... and on his right side the hose should have to come up and over his head and now it is the opposite and just impossible to get used to... and, he says, it would just be MUCH easier for him to get up at night when the baby wakes up to pick up the baby and do the hand off to me. I told him to get over it and settle in to his new side. We'll see how long it takes.
Anyway, I believe what has been happening this week with all the cleaning and organizing is what is commonly referred to as Nesting. So let the nesting continue!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Weekly check-up
Sooooooooooo, today we had the first of our weekly appointments to check on the status of the baby and here is what we found out:
The baby's estimated weight at the ultrasound 2 weeks ago - which was in the 61st percentile - was 5 pounds 10 ounces. Assuming this baby continues to grow at the normal 1/2 pound per week rate - we will have an 8 pound 10 ounce baby at delivery (also assuming that the baby arrives on time)
I had the monitors on for 20ish minutes today, one monitors the heart rate and the other monitors contractions. Heart rate was right around 160 average ... and there were 2 moderate contractions and 1 minor contraction during that time. I am not dialated at all but the cervix has begun to thin. All of this is completely normal.
How am I doing? Thanks for asking. I am feeling like this pregnancy is ready to be over... okay I guess it is more like I am ready for the pregnancy to be over and to meet this person who has been training for a blackbelt lately in this womb. NOT that I am ready to HAVE the baby, or to be on maternity leave, or to take care of a newborn baby... but ready for all the changes to my body to be over. While they do tell you that hemorrhoids are a normal part of pregnancy, nobody ever really tells you A. what they are 2. how painful they can be c. that there is very little you can do to get relief and lastly that once you get them you have them for life. Oh sure you can keep them in control with diet and exercise, but you always have to worry about them coming back. Greeeeeeeeat. I thought I would miss this part of pregnancy as I made it this far and only have a hop and a skip left to go, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO they came on suddenly last Friday and were at their worst on Saturday just in time for my (awesome) shower. You may have noticed that I was slow to move and wincing a bit and readjusting in my chair often to try to find comfort? NO? Well perhaps I hid the discomfort well. The treatment: Sitz bath 2x per day with epsom salts...
Constipation: another normal effect of pregnancy, another one I thought I was going to avoid, another one not avoided. The treatment: 5 prunes per day, Milk of Magnesia at night, colase during the day.
Loosening of ligaments: A symptom I got earlier in the pregnancy, which went away after Fr. Matt prayed over me, which has now returned appropriately this time, but painful none the less. Treatment: none (so when I stand up from a sitting/lying position I apparently look like I am 80 years old ... and Jim cannot resist saying "What are you 80?" EVERY time.
Sleepy and yet sleepless: again, this is "normal" but man I need a nap in the afterrnoon. I am looking forward to being able to be comfortable when lying down. I know that I will be sleep deprived with a newborn, but I am thinking that the sleep that I do get will be great. Does anyone think this will not be true? Perhaps you should keep that to yourself. I am holding onto that dream to get me through the sleepless nights...
So speaking of the awesome shower that marked the beginning of the dreaded hemorrhoid phase: What a great day it was. It was so nice of my cousin to host it in her home knowing that she was jumping in the car immediately following the shower to drive her mom to Florida (they were supposed to leave the next day, but the snow was rolling in and so they decided to leave as early as possible). It was so nice of everyone to come out in the cold, knowing that snow was on its way, to celebrate that special day with Jim and me. Every gift was perfect, every card was sweet, every thought was appreciated and every laugh was much appreciated. I loved that day! My sister put so much work into making it a special day and I think it all paid off in the end. She came up with some great games to keep everyone occupied while they waited for us to arrive and it seemed that everyone really enjoyed playing. And she had my mom and aunt making favors all night the night before ... what? you didn't get one? That is because they forgot to put them out (oops). It took forever to open the mountain of gifts, but I loved every single one. I can't wait for the nursery to be completed and to be able to hang up the clothes in the closet and put things away in drawers. When will the nursery be finished? Well, it is primed and Jim says he is doing the first coat on Friday night and the second coat on Saturday morning. My sister and mom are coming over Sunday morning to help hang the border and put everything in order. And I have all day on Monday to organize. I will take pictures when it is finished.
Oh, I would make a special comment about how impressed I was at Margo's handmade blanket and hat, but I read on her blog today that she does not even read my blog anymore ... so i won't. (NO she didn't say straight out that she doesn't read me anymore, but she left me out of her morning routine post about whose blogs she checks... How do I get re-added? I try to update regularly... maybe once the baby is born I will post a picture everyday or something and she will re-add me. who knows...
Until the nursery is completed ... or the next appointment update... good night.
The baby's estimated weight at the ultrasound 2 weeks ago - which was in the 61st percentile - was 5 pounds 10 ounces. Assuming this baby continues to grow at the normal 1/2 pound per week rate - we will have an 8 pound 10 ounce baby at delivery (also assuming that the baby arrives on time)
I had the monitors on for 20ish minutes today, one monitors the heart rate and the other monitors contractions. Heart rate was right around 160 average ... and there were 2 moderate contractions and 1 minor contraction during that time. I am not dialated at all but the cervix has begun to thin. All of this is completely normal.
How am I doing? Thanks for asking. I am feeling like this pregnancy is ready to be over... okay I guess it is more like I am ready for the pregnancy to be over and to meet this person who has been training for a blackbelt lately in this womb. NOT that I am ready to HAVE the baby, or to be on maternity leave, or to take care of a newborn baby... but ready for all the changes to my body to be over. While they do tell you that hemorrhoids are a normal part of pregnancy, nobody ever really tells you A. what they are 2. how painful they can be c. that there is very little you can do to get relief and lastly that once you get them you have them for life. Oh sure you can keep them in control with diet and exercise, but you always have to worry about them coming back. Greeeeeeeeat. I thought I would miss this part of pregnancy as I made it this far and only have a hop and a skip left to go, but NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO they came on suddenly last Friday and were at their worst on Saturday just in time for my (awesome) shower. You may have noticed that I was slow to move and wincing a bit and readjusting in my chair often to try to find comfort? NO? Well perhaps I hid the discomfort well. The treatment: Sitz bath 2x per day with epsom salts...
Constipation: another normal effect of pregnancy, another one I thought I was going to avoid, another one not avoided. The treatment: 5 prunes per day, Milk of Magnesia at night, colase during the day.
Loosening of ligaments: A symptom I got earlier in the pregnancy, which went away after Fr. Matt prayed over me, which has now returned appropriately this time, but painful none the less. Treatment: none (so when I stand up from a sitting/lying position I apparently look like I am 80 years old ... and Jim cannot resist saying "What are you 80?" EVERY time.
Sleepy and yet sleepless: again, this is "normal" but man I need a nap in the afterrnoon. I am looking forward to being able to be comfortable when lying down. I know that I will be sleep deprived with a newborn, but I am thinking that the sleep that I do get will be great. Does anyone think this will not be true? Perhaps you should keep that to yourself. I am holding onto that dream to get me through the sleepless nights...
So speaking of the awesome shower that marked the beginning of the dreaded hemorrhoid phase: What a great day it was. It was so nice of my cousin to host it in her home knowing that she was jumping in the car immediately following the shower to drive her mom to Florida (they were supposed to leave the next day, but the snow was rolling in and so they decided to leave as early as possible). It was so nice of everyone to come out in the cold, knowing that snow was on its way, to celebrate that special day with Jim and me. Every gift was perfect, every card was sweet, every thought was appreciated and every laugh was much appreciated. I loved that day! My sister put so much work into making it a special day and I think it all paid off in the end. She came up with some great games to keep everyone occupied while they waited for us to arrive and it seemed that everyone really enjoyed playing. And she had my mom and aunt making favors all night the night before ... what? you didn't get one? That is because they forgot to put them out (oops). It took forever to open the mountain of gifts, but I loved every single one. I can't wait for the nursery to be completed and to be able to hang up the clothes in the closet and put things away in drawers. When will the nursery be finished? Well, it is primed and Jim says he is doing the first coat on Friday night and the second coat on Saturday morning. My sister and mom are coming over Sunday morning to help hang the border and put everything in order. And I have all day on Monday to organize. I will take pictures when it is finished.
Oh, I would make a special comment about how impressed I was at Margo's handmade blanket and hat, but I read on her blog today that she does not even read my blog anymore ... so i won't. (NO she didn't say straight out that she doesn't read me anymore, but she left me out of her morning routine post about whose blogs she checks... How do I get re-added? I try to update regularly... maybe once the baby is born I will post a picture everyday or something and she will re-add me. who knows...
Until the nursery is completed ... or the next appointment update... good night.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Baby face.... you've got the cutest little...
This is our baby's face as of last Friday's ultrasound ... I know, it looks like a tiny Jim face...
Let's see, what has happened since Dec 14th:
Well, we took our infant CPR course and I feel pretty confident that we can handle that between the two of us should the need ever arise ... i am also pretty confident that I will be one of those mothers who needlessly panic and wake up the sleeping baby who has slept through the night for the first time... just saying.
Got my hair cut - trimmed really. The girls in the salon have made their prediction of a girl for this baby.
We did Chritmas in the City again, which was a little more difficult at 7.5 months pregnant, but I surrounded myself with good helpers so it was flawless. The more difficult thing was to see all the little babies there who are beginning their lives in shelters and transitional housing. I am so thankful for the ability to put together a nursery for our little one to call home (even though the nursery has been a challenge to clean out and get ready)
We relaxed a bit (maybe a bit too much) during the holidays. And enjoyed being with our families who all commented that next year we will have one more place at our tables. The impending delivery date seems closer and closer (well I guess it is closer and closer, huh?). We celebrated with Jim's family on Dec 20th after a long day of setting up for Christmas in the City. It was great to be with everybody AND to hear everybody say how great I looked (Take THAT Mrs. Fat in the Back lady). There were a few key people missing due to illnesses that they did not want to pass around to the family (thank you). Jim's uncle Bill is back from his many years in Austria and was present with his wife and kids. It was great to have them home for the holidays.
Christmas Eve we went to my parent's house and hung out for a while ... watched a little It's a Wonderful Life ... opened some gifts ... and then went to midnight Mass. My sister and mom came with us to Mass, but unfortunately this year's Mass didn't have the umph of years past. It seemed very solemn ... I know it IS a solemn Mass, but I was hoping for a powerful singing of Go Tell it on the Mountain as we exited. I think it was Joy to the World, but it lacked umph.
Christmas day was spent at my cousin Brenda's house in her new great room addition. It is perfect for these types of gatherings as we all fit comfortably AND there is comfortable furniture around the walls for us to recline and nap in after we exhaust ourselves with the eating festivities. Okay - Jim and I were the ones napping, but I did hear some family members commenting that it was good for us to get in as much sleep as we could before the baby arrives, so there was no guild involved in sleeping there.
New Years Eve was a little disappointing in that it snowed all day and after we heard that one of our good friends had been in a car accident that morning we decided to err on the side of caution and safety and cancel our annual NYE party. Instead we joined our Carver friends in crashing at the Pantazelos estate - a midway point bewteen carver and randolph. We had a 9:00 sparkling cider toast with the kids before sending them up to bed and then the 3 couples hung out on the comfy furniture in front of the big screen TV and a low fire with tea and warm cookies. I must confess that I once again fell asleep, BUT I did wake up in time for the midnight cheer.
Then on Jan 2nd we had our 34 week ultrasound. The baby is in the 61st percentile for size ... and I am not sure what that means for poundage, but we will find out next week at the first of our weekly appointments. The doc said that anywhere between 10% and 90% was fine ... but that if it was 90% we would have to have a discussion. I asked her when that discussion would take place since if I was told 90% I would need to discuss that sooner rather than latert. She laughed and said we could discuss it right away.
On Sunday we went to Belmont for the Baptism of the new baby girl of friends of ours ... however it seems that the entire household except for this new baby is sick with pneumonia and when the tired parents made the list of who they needed to call, they forgot to put us on it... Baptism is postponed until April when the grandfather returns from Florida. Also, we were told that the baby was to be baptized at the 10:30 Mass ... which was actually a 10:00 Mass. A quick look around told us that the family wasn't there and a phone call confirmed that we were not going to be attending a baptism that day. So since we were late anyway, we decided to leave and go out to breakfast instead.
After that we went to Beth Israel to get a tour of the facility and be able to visualize better the whole labor and delivery thing. We were VERY early and so spent a bit of time in the waiting room. The tour itself was all of 20 minutes where we went up to the L&D floor to see a room ... went to the maternity floor to see a room and the nursery (where our tour guide said that circumcisions were "maybe performed - or maybe that happens in an operating room actually, I am not sure")... and back down to the lobby. I had one question going in to the tour, which was asked by one dad-to-be as we entered the elevator at the beginning, was asked again by another dad-to-be as we ended the tour and then again by another dad-to-be who missed it being asked before. Here it is:
Q: Is there valet service for when we arrive in labor, and is our parking validated for the whole time that we are here? Like, is it free for us since we are staying here for a couple of days?
A: That is a good question. You'll have to ask the people at the info desk.
Honestly, if 4 of the 8 couples there had that question, it must be asked all the time. You would think it would be part of the info that they share with us. just saying!
Anyway, I can now visualize the process a bit more. Not the WHOLE process, but where we will be anyway which tkes away a bit of the anxiety.
Things I am anxious about:
getting an IV (I have made it almost 41 years without having an IV)
getting the epidural (really, a needle in my spine. If men had to give birth there would be an easier process, I am SURE of it)
actually delivering this child, you know the normal way, you know?
spending overnights in the hospital (again almost 41 years and no overnight stays)
the bumps in the road on the way to the hospital that seem worse each time we make that trip.
snow storms
bringing home the baby for real - and being responsible!
growing distant from friends because of this responsibility.
Well, next week marks the beginning of the weekly appointments until the delivery. We apparently only see our doctor now, not the nurse practitioner (yay!!) Tomorrow is the end of week 35... which means 5 weeks to D-day (that is due day). But since the normal delivery time begins 3 weeks before delivery day to 1 week after, it is really 2 weeks until due month. WOW!!!
The baby still moves quite a bit, however I think the accommodations are getting a bit crowded. It takes a bit more time to count my 10 movements - used to be 15 minutes, now it can take 3 hours. The baby has repositioned to the head down position and the movements are felt more internally than before so I am guessing that the baby is facing my back.
Well, that is all on the updating front. Until next time!
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