27 Weeks

91 days to go!

Bebs: This week, Bebs weighs almost 2 pounds (like a head of cauliflower) and is about 14 1/2 inches long with her legs extended. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. With more brain tissue developing, her brain is very active now. While her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with a lot of medical help — if she were to be born now. Any tiny rhythmic movements I'm feeling may be a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on!

Weight-to-date: 123.6 lbs--gained exactly 10 lbs so far!
Sleep: Ugh. Sleeping is SO difficult now. I can't roll on my stomach, sleeping on my back makes it hard to breathe, and side-sleeping still is hard for me. Usually I can kinda get comfortable with my body pillow. Hubs has taken over what he now calls the "Daddy Boppit" pillow. (It is really called a Mommy Boppy--not sure where he got Boppit from, lol). So between the two of us, there is about 7 pillows in our bed!
Best moment of the week: I had fun celebrating my friend Amanda's bachelorette party! Sparkling cider, hibachi, and listening to a band at the Sands casino...it was nice to get out!
Miss anything?: Bending over comfortably. :-/
Movement: Bebs kicks like crazy 24/7 lately! Her kicks/punches/head-butts are so strong sometimes, you can see my shirt or belly move!
Food cravings: Chinese food. I'm convinced the baby will come out Asian. Oh, and chocolate covered pretzels. Not together, though!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Round ligament pain. See below.
Symptoms: Round ligament pain. Gah.
Belly button in or out?: Out-ish?
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or moody most of the time?: Happy!
Looking forward to (aside from the obvious!): Our friends Tom and Amanda are getting married this weekend; Shane, Tara and Seth are staying with us this weekend; and finishing painting the nursery!

Bebs is the size of a head of cauliflower!

"I think I am having contractions?" / Round ligament pain / Our Friday night in Labor & Delivery
Friday night the Hubs and I went out for happy hour with his co-workers. I absolutely love Jason's co-workers, his boss, and their spouses. We were listening to them telling stories of raising their kids when I felt that sudden knife-stabbing pain again. And then I felt it again and it didn't stop for an hour. I kept squeezing Hubs' leg every time it happened, and then waddled to the bathroom to call my mom. I called the nurse's line at my OB/GYN office about 15 minutes later when we left. She then called the on-call doctor, Dr. Radio. Dr. Radio called me back in a few minutes and told me to go right to the Labor and Delivery unit at the hospital to make sure this wasn't pre-term labor.

I had called the ob/gyn office just the day before to tell them I was having this sharp, stabby pain off and on. The nurse tried telling me it was constipation. I'm not a doctor, but it can't be constipation if I'm going all the time.

Anywho, back to Friday night. So after I get off the phone with Dr. Radio, I tell Jason that we need to turn the car around and go back into Allentown. We get to the hospital, and thankfully Hubs paid attention during our tour because I suddenly could not remember where to go. We calmly made it upstairs to the third floor and the staff was ready for me, which was nice.

I had to put on a gown, pee in a cup, and then I laid down for the nurses to hook two monitors up to my stomach--one for the baby's heartbeat and one for mine. Bebs was absolutely fine. It was nice that we got to hear her heartbeat while being monitored. Every time there was a loud "whooosh," it was because she was kicking. Jason was amazed that she moved around that much! hehe

The nurse said I didn't have an infection because I "couldn't be any more hydrated" with my pee test. She then did a cervical check (ooowwwwwwww!!!!!!!) and we listened to the monitors some more. After I explained my symptoms she said it was most likely round ligament pain. She explained that the uterus is about the size of a fist, and then when you are pregnant (obviously) the uterus needs to stretch and grow to hold the baby. I had read in my baby book that my uterus is stretching to the size of a soccer ball now. So these crazy pains and cramps I've been having were not BH contractions--its round ligament pain. She explained because I am petite and am carrying all my weight in my belly, the uterus is probably stretching too quickly to accomodate that. She recommended buying a maternity girdle (awesome), keeping up with my fluid intake, taking warm baths, and taking Tylenol for the pain.

Other Medical Tests
So after spending our date night in the hospital on Friday, our Saturday morning was spent running around to the LVHN lab and my ob/gyn office. Fun!

I had to take the one-hour glucose test at the lab to test for gestational diabetes. I had heard horror stories about women getting incredibly sick from this test, but I was completely fine! First, you have to drink this sugary, fizzy orange drink (basically tastes a little sweeter than orange soda). The size of the drink was a little smaller than a water bottle and you have 5 minutes to drink it. Then we sat in the waiting room for an hour and watched Dr. Phil, lol. Then we were called back, the awesome phlebotomist took 3 vials of blood, and we were good to go!

Next up was the ob/gyn office for the flu shot. Easy peasey. Then it was back home for both of us to take a nap!

**I got the results from my glucose test and I passed with a score of 114, which I was told is good. I don't have to take the 3-hour test and obviously I do not have gestational diabetes. Woot! My hemaglobin levels were too low, though, so I was told to get an over the counter Iron supplement and take it with breakfast or lunch. No biggie!

Whatever you say, Ryan Gosling! ;-)
Found this gem at one of my fave pregnancy blogs...
www.pregnantchicken.com

26 Weeks

After Hubs took this picture he said, "You look SO pregnant! Hehehe!"

Bebs: The network of nerves in baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. She may now be able to hear both my voice and Jason's voice! She's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of her lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when she's born and takes that first gulp of air. And she's continuing to put on baby fat. Bebs now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel.

I googled what an English hothouse cucumber looks like....it looks like a regular, ol' cucumber!



 

 

One thing I've learned about myself while being pregnant is my love of researching. I loved to research before--anything from fact-checking the news stories I used to write at the newspaper to making sure a pug was the best dog breed for my family to Facebook stalking (guilty)--but now it's safe to say I'm obsessed.

 

It seems each week there is one specific thing I obsess about. Although, in this case, it's been about the past two weeks--I am completely obsessed with finding a daycare. And not just any daycare. It needs to be perfect...and this perfection needs to come with a nice price tag that Mommy and Daddy can afford.

 

So far Hubs and I have visited one daycare that I'll call ALL. It was nice; we both felt that Bebs would be safe and cared for if this is what we chose. Then I called daycare #2, which I will call CLC, and I immediately fell in love while talking to the director on the phone. We are going to stop in to see that one tomorrow night for a tour. So look for a post next week comparing the two daycares, as well as tips that--I think, anyway--were helpful while looking at daycares.

 

In addition to our birthing class, Jason and I also got more of the nursery finished! The walls are completely primed and ready for our green "Crocodile Smile" paint! Hopefully we will finish that this weekend!

 

Hubs finishing the ceiling

Good-bye purple walls!

Ready for the Crocodile Smile paint!

 





Baby Classes

The Hubs and I were fortunate enough to sign up for some baby classes through the hospital...for free! (Way to be a hospital employee, husband!) So far we took "Baby Care" and "Preparing for Childbirth."

Baby Care
This class was AWESOME! We learned quite a few things that we obviously did not know, or were even thinking about! Here's a rundown of a few things we picked up:

-how to swaddle a newborn
-how to bathe a newborn
-how to change baby's diaper (with and without umbilical cord)
-how to clean and care for the umbilical cord
-how to trim baby's nails
-how to give an infant massage
-how to help prevent against SIDS
-how to choose a pediatrician (a pediatrician even came and answered questions)
-benefits of breastfeeding and/or bottle feeding
-the 5 S's for calming a newborn
-"the scoop on poop"
-different issues a newborn may have--cradle cap, "stork bites," etc. to name a few

We also talked about how to accept help from friends and family members, things to do to strengthen our marriage (separate from baby), and talked briefly on our stay in the hospital.

The best part was definitely giving our baby doll a bath. Jason is ALL excited for bathtime, especially when he can use the "pink princess spa" for his little princess.

This class just made both of us even more excited for when Bebs gets here!

Preparing for Childbirth
This class was equally as awesome as the Baby Care class. I might even say that we learned a great deal more from this class. It was divided into a Friday night and all day Saturday class, which was actually nice. I'd rather do it on the weekend than running around on our weeknights!

Friday night we all introduced ourselves. There was about 10 couples there and they all seemed about our age. Most everyone was due in November or December. Funny story from the first night...Dawn, our instructor, had us divide ourselves into two rooms; the mommies and the daddies. We were all given the same lists--to name the best things about pregnancy and the worst things about pregnancy.

According to the mommies, the worst things about pregnancy were obviously all the physical aspects:  heartburn was a big one (thankfully I haven't experienced that yet!), back pain, inability to sleep comfortably, etc. According to the daddies, the worst things about pregnancy were (are you ready for this?) PAINTING THE NURSERY! Haha! I asked Hubs if that was his response. He said someone said that right away, and as soon as he said it, all the other dads jumped on board, hehe.

According to the mommies, the best things about pregnancy are feeling the baby move and how nice people have been treating us. According to the daddies, the best things about pregnancy have been seeing the baby on the ultrasound and feeling the baby kick. :) I'd say the good definitely outweighs the bad.

On Saturday morning we all met at the hospital for a tour of the Labor and Delivery unit. Thankfully the day before Dawn had told us that it gets super hot on that floor, and that the mommies should wear layers in case we get too hot. I'm glad I listened.

As soon as we stepped off the elevator on the third floor, it was like an oven. We saw some nurses stations, the jacuzzi tub where mommies could labor if they wanted, and then we spent some time in a delivery room. A little too much time.

There was medical equipment all around, including little incubators for babies (which freaked me out), it smelled like a hospital (obviously), and, oh yeah there were 21 adult-size people in a room that was hotter than the 9th circle of hell.

So we're standing there listening to Dawn talk about "clamping a pulsating umbilical cord," and I tell Hubs that I'm going to pass out. Thankfully he helps me sit down on the floor before I fall face first. I was still embarassed, but oh well. Then, after I sit, one by one every mommy in the room takes a seat! I cannot stress how freaking hot the whole unit is. So if anyone reading this is planning on visiting me in January, I'd wear a tee-shirt!!

When we went back to the classroom, we used our yoga mats/blankets and pillows to get into the best "laboring positions." This was actually fun! The mommies bounced on those big exercise balls (which they have in the hospital for laboring), with the daddies massaging our backs. Then we tried different positions on hands and knees (so the belly could hang down if we were experiencing "back labor"), laying on our side, etc. Then the mommies laid down and we would practice "breathing through a contraction." The "contraction" would be a handful of ice that we had to hold for a minute. We were supposed to concentrate on breathing and not the freezing-ness! I would DEFINITELY say that yoga has helped with all of this!

We also watched a bunch of birthing videos--natural, epidural, c-sections. We talked about "kangaroo care" or "skin-to-skin contact," which the hospital does not do unless you specifically request it. This is when you place the baby directly on your naked chest right after she is born (granted she is breathing ok, etc.). Skin-to-skin is supposed to help regulate baby's temperature, heartbeat, as well as making it easier to breastfeed. Jason and I discussed it and we definitely want the baby to have skin-to-skin contact with me right away. :) We also decided to try an "analgesic" before an epidural, and that we'd have a code word for when I desperately wanted/needed the epidural. An analgesic is a shot you can get in your hiney that will slightly take the edge off of contractions. It only lasts for about an hour or two, to allow you some rest before you feel the pain again. I'm almost more afraid of being completely numb from the epidural than I am pushing a baby out of my hoo-hah! I'm sure that will change when I feel my first real contraction, though! Yikes!

25 Weeks

Here I am at my cubicle!
(Thanks for taking my pic, Schlupp!)

Bebs: Head to heels, Bebs now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.

What's going on in there?

Rutabaga. Yum?
Admit it--you had no idea what this looked like!

Favorite maternity outfit for the week?: My new black maternity yoga pants from Old Navy. I'm going to continue wearing them even when I'm no longer pregnant! Super comfy.
Stretch marks?: Nope! Thank you Palmer's Cocoa Butter!
Sleep: Sleep is difficult. For some reason I can sleep just fine on the couch, even with Dexter snoring on top of me. As soon as I get in my bed, though, I get so uncomfortable. I have a big pillow behind my head, a down pillow that I lay my head on, my KU body pillow on the right side and now a "snoogle" (special body pillow for pregnant ladies) on my left side. I should feel like I'm sleeping on a cloud! But all I do is toss and turn and end up on my back, which freaks Jason out because it makes it hard for me to breathe, or on my stomach, which then I can feel Bebs squriming and I freak out thinking I hurt her. Maybe I should just start sleeping on the couch with Dexy every night?
Best moment of the week: Conversation between me and the hubs regarding our family and our faith in each other. I really do love that man. <3
Miss anything?: Wine. Cheap, super sweet wine. Jason is making mead (honey wine) at home. Every so often he will taste a drop of it and I'll smell it. This past week was the first time I smelled it and actually wanted some!
Movement: My best friend Jess got to feel Bebs kick! We were at a pro bull riding show Friday night (don't ask, lol) and Bebs kicked up a storm while the song "Single Ladies" by Beyonce was playing. Jess's face was priceless. :)
Food cravings: Nothing crazy! I saw a bag of chocolate covered pretzels while we were at Lowe's (of all places) and needed to buy it and start eating them in the car immediately. I haven't had chocolate covered pretzels in forever! Delish.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I made myself some coffe this morning because I haven't had it in awhile....and now I feel super dizzy. I guess I need to go back on laying off on the caffeine.
Labor signs: Still getting BH contractions off and on.
Symptoms: BH contractions, feeling a little dizzy sometimes, constantly feeling the need to pee!
Belly button in or out?: Still hanging out "in between." It looks SO weird.
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or moody most of the time?: Very happy to say I've been much happier this week!
Looking forward to (aside from the obvious!): We have an OB/GYN appointment tonight, our last baby care class tonight, and "Preparing for Childbirth" classes on Friday night and all day Saturday. Can't wait!

In terms of doing things around the house, Hubs and I have kicked it into high gear. We dropped a small fortune at Lowe's getting more painting supplies and paint for the nursery...and chocolate covered pretzels. The light lime green color is called "Crocodile Smile," hehe. So far Jason has painted the ceiling already--only two coats! I have one more coat to paint on the door, and then that will be done. All the holes in the wall have been patched and walls and baseboards have been dusted. Now we just have to tape the ceiling and around the trim and we are ready for the first coat of primer! Interesting note: not all the walls in that room are lavendar, like we originally thought. The wall that has the two windows is definitely a light pink! Who knew?

Jason also put the door back on its hinges for the guest room, so that room is officially, officially done! We are ready for overnight visitors!

I found a 3d/4d ultrasound center in Center Valley! I drive past this building everyday on my way to work and one day I noticed a sign saying "Bountiful Babies." I finally googled it today and instantly became obsessed! They do 3d/4d ultrasounds, along with videos, that you can even stream online!! This place also offers pre-natal massage, maternity photo sessions and newborn photo sessions!! I will definitely have to look into this further with the Hubs....because I totally want to do this!
http://www.bountifulbabiesultrasound.com/index.html

I'll post about our two baby care classes and preparing for childbirth classes in next week's post!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful cousin Katelyn!!

24 Weeks



16 weeks (or 112 days) left to go!

Bebs: Baby is growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Bebs' skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

My uterus is now the size of a soccer ball. Neat.

Twenty-four weeks is brought to you by the letter "B" for backache, baby wiggling and Braxton Hicks contractions.

Backache: Good Lord. I threw out my back last Tuesday, most likely from helping to paint the guest room ceiling. I've tried ice, heating pad, Bengay, emu oil, back rubs from Hubs, warm baths and a trip to the chiropractor without any luck. It feels like my right leg bone (femur?) is not in my right hip joint. The chiropractor said she could feel the muscle was all inflamed, which obviously makes it nearly impossible for her to put the bone back in place correctly. So for the past week I've been using the heating pad off and on for 20 minutes. It only hurts when I stand, sit, walk, lay down to sleep, and especially bend over. Oh, and breathe, haha. Today it feels better than it has been, so that makes me happy.

Baby wiggling: It seems that Bebs and Hubs shared some Daddy/Daughter time without my knowledge! One night when I was already fast asleep, Jason put his hand on my belly to say good night to the baby and she kicked! So Jason left his hand there and she kicked and wiggled and moved around for a good hour for just Daddy to feel. I was asleep the entire time and had no idea until Jason told me the next day. She must be a Daddy's Girl already!

Braxton Hicks: Ugh. This is the worst symptom so far. I'm not sure how I would rank Braxton Hicks, migraines or morning sickness, since they all suck...but this has probably been the most painful to deal with. In my post last week I said I woke up one morning thinking I was in labor; that the baby was using a knife to slice her way out. That seems to be pretty consistent with what BH are.

This morning for example, I woke up at 4 a.m. because I was feeling very sharp, very stabby pains in my lower abdomen (uterus). I shook Hubs to wake him up because I swore I was going into pre-term labor. I had him help me sit up and then walk me to the bathroom. I literally could not uncurl myself from the fetal position to sit up on my own. Going pee did not help, so I hobbled back to bed. I felt this pain at 4:17, 4:25, 4:40 and 4:50. Each time the pain would only last for a few minutes--it came in waves. I've always heard people say that but never understood what it meant really. I get it now!

Some ways you can attempt to relieve BH:

• Change your activity or position. Sometimes walking provides relief. At other times, resting eases contractions. (True labor contractions, on the other hand, will persist and progress regardless of what you do.)
• Take a warm bath to help your body relax.
• Try drinking a couple of glasses of water, since these contractions can sometimes be brought on by dehydration.
• Try relaxation exercises or slow, deep breathing. This won't stop the Braxton Hicks contractions, but it may help you cope with the discomfort.

I did some deep yoga breaths, put my body pillow between my legs and was finally was able to fall back asleep around 5 a.m., only to be woken up at 5:15 by my alarm and the baby literally turning herself upside down...or right-side up? What a weird feeling THAT was!

In other news, one of our goals from last week is accomplished! The striped room AKA the Phillies room AKA the grey room is now officially the guest room! Hubs did a fantastic job painting the ceiling, and then my parents came over to help move furniture in there!

view from desk

 

view from doorway

It should also be noted that this room will be grey forever. Last Spring, Hubs and I sanded the walls, painted 3 coats of tinted primer and 3 coats of grey paint in order to get rid of those awful red stripes. It took 3 coats of paint on the ceiling, as well as 2 coats of paint on the trim to finish this room. NEVER AGAIN! Grey will always be in style. :)

Here is what the room looked like when we bought the house.
(Pic stolen from Jeff's picasa album! :))

Hubs and I, along with my parents, went to another mother's market this past weekend. We got a TON of baby clothes, a few toys, some books for me, and....A GLIDER! We went from worrying that we'd never find a glider second-hand to finding too many! Nana and Pop-pop found a glider, too!

Hubs taking the glider on a walk for about 2 blocks.

Tonight Hubs and I have our first "baby care" class at the hospital. Very excited for that. I'm not sure exactly what we will be doing--I think it is learning how to change diapers, soothe the baby, etc.

We're also planning on getting our hands into the nursery this weekend! My goal is to clean out the remaining little things in the purple room, including the closet (eek!), prep the room, and....unfortunately...paint the ceiling. Bah. BUT! This will be the last ceiling we have to paint for quite some time, okay Hubs? ;)