35 Weeks

Bebs:  Bebs doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (like a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in the womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Hebs:  I got a pre-natal massage last weekend and it was wonderful. I felt relaxed, refreshed and most importantly, like I could actually MOVE again. That lasted for about two hours. Woot.

I was out of work Tuesday and Wednesday due to some cramping and (what I thought) were contractions. I called the ob/gyn on Tuesday with my concerns and was told to drink a large glass of OJ, lay on my left side, and count baby kicks and cramps for an hour. I had 7 baby kicks and 5 cramps. She told me to call back if I had 6 cramps in an hour because it could be pre-term labor.

By 5 p.m., I had 7 cramps in an hour. I called the on-call doctor, who told me to give a call back if I was getting a cramp once every 6 minutes. Ugh. Who knew there'd be so much math involved?

Yesterday was more of the same, except I called the ob/gyn again and kind of demanded to come in for an appointment. I was able to see a nurse practitioner who did a cervical exam (ow) and concluded that the baby's head was directly on top of my cervix. She is "ready to go" according to the nurse practioner, and all the cramping I had been feeling was mainly the baby pushing down on my cervix. The baby's heartbeat is a perfect 150.

The NP told me that feeling the Braxton Hicks contractions constantly did not necessarily mean labor was right around the corner. Just like some women find out they are dialated to 2 centimeters and are sure they'll have their baby that night...only end up to be 2 weeks overdue.

Pregnancy is confusing. And lonely. And painful. I've even lost my sense of humor in all of this. I'm just in this funk of "get this baby out of me NOW" that I know I'm losing sight of the things that are really important. There's a disconnect between my brain and the rest of my baby-ridden body.

An example of that....

Hubs went out for happy hour last night with his co-workers for their Christmas celebration. I asked him to bring me home some chicken fingers. He came home with a burger because the restaurant screwed up his order. I didn't just cry; I BAWLED my eyes out for a good 20 minutes, after locking myself in the bathroom. Jason told me he'd drive back to get me what I wanted, but my sadness had turned into anger by that point and I was just over it. And then I cried again. A lot.

5 more weeks, 5 more weeks, 5 more weeks...

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? ;)

23 Weeks

23 weeks! Only 17 weeks to go!

Bebs: Time to turn on the radio and sway to the music! With her sense of movement well developed by now, Bebs can apparently feel me dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), we may be able to see her squirm underneath my clothes. (No luck with that yet!) Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that baby's ears are picking up on are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as Dexter barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb!

What's going on in there?

Favorite maternity outfit for the week?: Tara's maroon cowl-neck sweater with Christi's khaki pants that I wore to work on Tuesday
Stretch marks?: nope! (knock on wood!)
Sleep: Sleeping between the body pillow and my husband pillow. Somehow I've been ending up on my belly, though, which isn't good!
Best moment of the week: Spending the day with my parents and getting some amazing deals at a Mother's Market on Saturday!
Miss anything?: My girlfriends and actually seeing them. I haven't hung out with my girlfriends in what feels like forever. Ok, in reality it's been over a month. But still. I miss them, Rachael's brownies, sharing our hilarious stories, and just really "being there" for each other. I hope I can see them soon.
Movement: Hubs, Schlupp and my mom got to feel some baby kicks this past week!
Food cravings: I'm not really a huge beer drinker or anything...but for some reason I could really go for a Blue Moon with an orange slice!
Anything making you queasy or sick: The thought of eating meat off a bone. I don't think I'll be having wings any time soon.
Labor signs: Tuesday morning at about 1:30 a.m. I had the most intense pain in my belly. It felt like the baby had a knife and was slicing her way out. I actually woke up screaming "ow! ow!", scared the crap out of Jason, and thought I was going into labor. Braxton Hicks contractions, maybe?
Symptoms: Falling asleep on the couch by 9 p.m., cramping, and irritability. Fun!
Belly button in or out?: In-between! lol
Wedding rings on or off?: On
Happy or moody most of the time?: Unfortunately, moody. :( There are times when I'm happy; overjoyed actually. But mostly I am just so irritable I'm getting to the point where I am annoying myself.
Looking forward to (aside from the obvious!): Finishing up the painting project in the guest room!

My BFF Jess texted me that she missed seeing me and the bump.
So I texted her this picture so she could see us!
Her response: "Shit just got real!!!!" LOL

List of Gratitude
1. My awesome parents for giving up their Saturday morning/afternoon to take me to the Mother's Market. We got some GREAT deals that I am super excited about! A Snap N Go stroller, lots of little outfits, seat cover for under the carseat, books and a heartbeat listener were some of our finds! If only we had seen the brand new Vera Bradley diaper bag that some lucky lady got for $8, we would have been ecstatic! hehe. On the look-out for a glider at our next Mother's Market!

Baby ballerina socks!

2. A shared sense of humor with Hubs. I have a feeling that everything--relationships, marriage, pregnancy, parenting--is roughly about a million times better if you and your partner have the ability to laugh at yourselves. Our guest room painting project is taking MUCH longer than anticipated. All Jason and I can do is laugh it off...and re-paint the ceiling for a third time.

3. Fall premieres of our favorite TV shows. We were going through some major TV withdrawl, and thankfully a few of our favorites--Parks and Recreation, New Girl, The Office--are back! The TiVo will always be full of stuff to watch in the evenings and this makes me happy!

4. Indulging. Mmmm cheesecake. Thanks for telling me I didn't have to share, Hubs! :)

I'm pretty sure I could feel the fat go straight to my butt after eating this!
Totally worth it.