Closing out 2009

Well I thought for sure that 2009 would bring us a new baby, but it sure isn't looking that way. I feel like I have been pregnant for the entire year. Lots of other milestones have passed me by it seems in the excitement and anticipation of our son's arrival. My 30th birthday. Our 5th wedding anniversary. Ok well maybe that's it...

Either way, it's been a good year. Eric and I are having quite a different New Year's Eve than we are used to. We slept in this morning and then had a little brunch around 10am of cheesy scrambled eggs and Paula Deen's Ultimate Coffee Cake. We went for a VERY long walk through the not-so-nice neighborhood down the hill from us. Then spent the early afternoon being lazy watching VH1. We've just now gotten showered and dressed and are considering getting out of the house for a bit before we head over to my friend Jen's for chicken katsu don and a low key New Year's celebration, hopefully complete with my favorite year end movie, 200 Cigarettes. I also picked up some Fre Brut yesterday at the store so I can toast in the new year properly :)

Still nothing in the way of meaningful contractions, so it's looking like Seth will be here tomorrow at the earliest. We can't wait!

I'm a watched pot

Went to the baby Dr. this morning. B/P 122/72, wt 187ish, baby's HR 147. My measurements are still increasing, so baby is still growing. Still head down, still 1cm dilated and about 50% effaced. Dr. H said he is normally a proponent of induction, as an obstetrician he said he feels nothing really good happens after 39 weeks. However, at this point the condition of my cervix is still not ideal for induction so if we did induce it would probably take awhile and it would be hard. So he suggested stripping my membranes, which I agreed to. I realized he probably hadn't done it before, since the last time I saw him I wasn't dilated at all. He said he is a big believer in "serial" membrane stripping. So we made another appointment for Monday to come back and do it again (if needed). He did say also that frequently after doing that labor will start with your water breaking earlier, so be prepared for a flood.

At this point my only worry with waiting is that the PUPPs might come back. Dr. H said if it does I could just call in and say I'm 40 weeks and I have PUPPs and I want to be induced and they would do it straight away. He said we could do another Medrol dose pack as well (or instead). Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but it feels good having a plan B. Makes it a little easier to be patient and wait. He did also mention that normally the dose pack will improve the PUPPs, but not make it go away completely so it's possible that it wasn't even PUPPs at all but rather something else.

I did have a lot of contractions late in the day yesterday, and a few this morning. Then ever since our appointment I've been feeling pretty crampy as well. So maybe we won't have long to wait. We are starting to come to terms with not getting that extra deduction on our taxes this year, so if that's the case I'm not that anxious to rush him. So anyway, I'll keep you posted!

T minus 3 days

Here we go, into my 2nd week off work and still no baby :( Frustrating! I did have quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday I think, brought on by a marathon of cleaning house, grocery shopping, and casserole making. They continued for awhile after I quit and went to bed, but never progressed beyond a vague crampy feeling or tightness. And then when I woke up today, nothing. I don't feel very good today though. Eric and I went on a walk this morning and I had to cut it short I was just not feeling up to it. It was a little colder than normal today so that was part of it, but I also thought I was getting a headache.

So, I'm going to take it easy today and see what happens. If something doesn't happen soon I am starting to think I would agree to being induced if Dr. H suggests it on Wed at our appointment. The thought is a little scary to me, but not as scary as having the PUPPs come back. Today was my last dose of the miracle cure they gave me and I would not be surprised at all if it crept back up in a couple of days. Again, selfish, I know... but... what if I ended up being a WEEK late?? It took less than a week for the PUPPs to go from a few annoying pink bumps to my own personal nightmare. I can't do it again. I can't, I'm sorry. So listen up, Seth: Mommy needs you to come on your own, and quick. I know you want to.

It's a Christmas Miracle!

As of today my rash is almost completely gone. I am still pretty itchy, but it's more of a mild all over kind of itch - as if I had a bad sunburn that was healing. A little annoying but tolerable. The important thing is I had a fan-TAS-tic Christmas. Still no sign of Seth's grand entrance, but it was a wonderful day just the same. Hopefully this outfit isn't too scandalous for you all, but I could not pass up the opportunity to get my 39 week pic dressed up as Mrs. Pregnant Claus ;) Merry Christmas!!



P.S. Santa brought me a NEW camera this year. So no more blurry grainy pics! Yay! Just in time for our new arrival!

Not for the faint of heart

The Medrol pack appears to be working already. I feel like a new woman...almost. Still a long, long way to go but I can tell I'm going to be having a Merry Christmas and I'll even be able to wear a BRA!

Just in case my string of whiney posts this week weren't enough to convince you of my misery, I thought I would share a picture. Eric talked me into getting some photographic evidence of my "condition" this morning (so someday when Seth has the chicken pox really bad I can say, ha! I'll take your chicken pox and raise you some PUPPs!). I can't bring myself to post the really nasty ones, even strategically cropped, so here is my leg and I'll leave the rest up to your imagination (click on the image below at your own risk). This horribleness is all over my hips, back, arms, ankles. But don't my nails look nice?



LUCKILY, last week before all this happened I had the foresight to take some *nice* naked-ish preggo pictures in which my skin is smooth and white as snow. I won't be sharing those, sorry :)

Christmas Eve Eve

Just when I thought things were starting to improve... well they were, but more patches keep cropping up as bad and as itchy as ever. We went to the doctor AGAIN today, this time for my regular 39 week appointment. Today we saw the midwife, "S" who has grown on me since the "what's up with this weight gain" incident. She talked me into a Medrol dose pack - basically Prednisone. It's a tapered course of a steroid - 6 pills on day 1, 5 on day 2, and so on. She assured me it's not going to hurt the baby and it is something they give moms all the time for various reasons - asthma, allergies, etc. She explained that in her opinion, with the Medrol I will actually be getting LESS medicine than if I continued to use the Triamcinolon cream - since at this point I would be spreading that cream over such a large portion of my body in order to hit everything. She also said I would probably start feeling better in a day or two - which is a lot faster than I would expect the cream to work. Then by the time I'm done with the course, I should definitely be ready to have the baby anyway. So I am going to be a little selfish on this one and try to get some real relief in time to enjoy Christmas, that will be nice. As a compromise I think I am going to try going without the Vistaril tonight since I don't really think it's making that much of a difference.

She checked me again, still 1cm - so the perky ARNP was right about that. She also stripped my membranes - which in hindsight is probably what Dr. H did (or tried to do) last week. It's interesting to me how both of them undertook the procedure... it wasn't a matter of "would you like us to try and strip your membranes?" Nope, they just went for it. Not that I mind at this point - I am more than ready to get things moving for sure. I still think it's kind of weird that they didn't ask if I was okay with it. But whatever... IMO that type of thing is pretty harmless on the broad spectrum of interventions. Much preferable to Pitocin anyway.

And now I am going to go drink some Raspberry Leaf tea and eat some pineapple ;)

*Some* relief

I did take the Vistaril last night.  I did a lot of research about it online when we got home, and ultimately decided it was going to be ok.  At first it didn’t seem to be helping, I was laying in bed crying and feeling sorry for myself for a long time.  But then I finally did go to sleep and I STAYED asleep for a long time it seemed.  Then when I woke up this morning the baby was moving around like usual, whereas the last couple of mornings he seemed to sleep in until past noon.  So that made me happy.  It also looked like there was possibly some improvement in the PUPPs, but I could be imagining it.  Probably not because of the Vistaril but I assume the steroid cream could be working.  It’s almost completely gone away from my stretch marks, which is where it started and I had been using the Triamcinolon 2x per day for about a week.  Some of what I’ve read online though has indicated that in some cases it just spontaneously clears up on its own for no reason at all.  Wouldn’t that be nice.

Anyhow, I went for a long walk today and had some contractions.  Being out in the cold made me feel normal for that hour, so that was nice.  Now that I’m home and showered though, the itching is back and the contractions are NOT back.  Boo.  I have another appointment tomorrow so we’ll see if I have made any progress. 

By the way, Yes, I am officially on maternity leave – I guess maybe that wasn’t totally clear from my last post.  So I think I’ll go take a nap. 

Maternity Leave - check!

Last night when Eric came upstairs and found me sobbing in the bathroom - again - he called the on call doctor. I think he ended up talking to one of the midwives, who said to try an oatmeal bath, Unisom instead of Benadryl, and call in the morning for an appointment. The oatmeal bath was worthless - it felt sort of good while I was in it, but I wasn't supposed to have the water too hot, and my tub isn't big enough to submerge myself in, so mostly I was just cold and uncomfortable. The Unisom did help me sleep and it didn't make me nearly as sick as the Benadryl had, but it still seemed to knock Seth out pretty good which I hated.

I called in sick this morning and we went to the Dr. and saw this perky little Nurse Practitioner who was very sympathetic but reiterated that nothing's really going to make the PUPPs go away except having the baby :( She did refill my Triamcinolon cream and said I could keep using that. She also prescribed some Vistaril, which is an antihistimine that is supposed to help the itch as well as get me to relax and sleep without making the baby all groggy. I've been researching that online and haven't decided quite how I feel about it but I am leaning towards trying it once just to see.

Anyway, I got checked as well and the baby is low, I'm 1cm dilated, and my cervix is soft and forward, officially FAVORABLE! Yay! So that means I could get induced after 39 weeks if I wanted to, assuming he doesn't come on his own before that. So we'll see...I've been really conflicted about what to do at this point. All this time I've been set on having a natural childbirth - so what's the point of that if I'm just putting all these drugs in my body now and even considering an INDUCTION????? But I did not anticipate having to deal with this PUPPs nonsense at the same time. :( Once again I'm having to learn the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men often go awry.

On the plus side, I did get a note excusing me from work, which takes a lot of stress off. It's difficult to find any clothes I can be comfortable in, and bras are totally out of the question.

So in my ideal world, the rash would completely go away and THEN I would go into labor. I can't imagine dealing with both at the same time although I am sure labor pain will trump anything else that's going on. So here we go! Waiting waiting waiting. Maybe I will go for a walk and see if I can get things going.

Misery

PUPPs. Such a cute little name for something so absolutely horrible. I am now more sure than ever that I will be able to get through labor and delivery without drugs because nothing could possibly be worse than this. I have never had poison ivy before but some people online have said that PUPPs is about 10x worse. Nothing really seems to help and the rash just seems to keep spreading. Here is what I have tried:

Aloe Vera with Lidocaine
Lanacane
Cortisone 10
Gold Bond
Benadryl ointment
Aveeno
Cetaphil
Palmer's

About a week ago I did start putting some Triamcinolon 0.1% steroid cream on the part that had been itching the worst - my stretch marks - 2x per day. That has actually helped a bit, but it took at least 5 days before I noticed a difference. The Gold Bond helps temporarily by making my skin feel cool, and ice packs help too. But now that I have these little bumps everywhere - under my boobs, the inside of my arms, my sides, my back... I can't put ice packs everywhere! Dr. H said I shouldn't put the steroid cream all over my body either because you don't want to absorb a lot of it. So I've rotated that to my next worst itchy spots which are the insides of my arms and wrists.

Last night I got about 2 hours of sleep and then woke up itching like crazy and just started sobbing in despair. Finally Eric and I got up and went on a 2am adventure trying to find a store open where I could get some Benadryl tablets so at least I could get a little sleep. After taking the Benadryl I did finally get to sleep for a few hours, but I hated the way it made me feel and I'm pretty sure it put the baby to sleep too. He didn't move nearly as much during the night and this morning as I am used to. Dr. H did recommend it to help me sleep though, so I guess it can't be that bad. Another thing I am trying is Dandelion Root. A lot of people online have said that it has been the miracle cure for them. It takes about 5 days to work though and I just started taking it on Friday, so we'll see. I'm willing to try anything at this point.

It is so frustrating to be this uncomfortable. I knew I would probably be uncomfortable the last few weeks of pregnancy, but I just thought it would be because I was big and swollen, and tired. This is so much worse. I just want this to be a happy and joyful time in my life and it's so not. My focus has changed from wanting to have this baby so I can hug him and see his little face to wanting to have this baby so I can stop itching (or at least have a distraction from it). Yuck!

PUPPS - the beginning of the end

UGH - as if my itchy stretch marks were not enough.  I now have little itchy pink bumps on my arms and legs and back and the rest of my belly that isn't already basically one big stretch mark.  Dr. H said it is PUPPS and there's nothing we can do to help or make it go away except have the baby.  He said I can try over the counter itch creams, etc, but nothing is really working.  Basically no one seems to know what causes it - one theory is that male baby DNA acts as a skin irritant.  Sweet.  I am allergic to my son.  Actually some women get it with girl babies too, so who knows.  Anyway, it is horrible.  I think (so far) I have a really mild case, but it is still driving me absolutely bonkers.  I am really thankful that up until now this has been a really easy pregnancy and I have enjoyed almost every minute.  But this.  Has.  Got.  To.  Stop.  :(  I just pray that it doesn't get much worse, or I really will be going on maternity leave early just so I can sit all day in a bathtub full of cold water.

38 weeks - Baby Doctor Visits

Last night we met with Dr. C, our new pediatrician.  He was really nice and down to earth.  Most importantly, he answered all of our questions without making us feel stupid.  He's the only doc we have met with, but it's getting down to the wire and I really wanted to just pick someone.  I guess we can always switch later if we change our minds.  The office is really convenient too, in the same building as Dr. H, right across from the hospital.  So we're all set there.

This morning we saw Dr. H as well.  Only two more appointments on my schedule.  My B/P was 120/70, I weighed 186 I think, and the baby's heart rate was 146.  Dr. H checked me and said my cervix was still essentially closed and long.  He said he would try to encourage it to dilate but he didn't think it would work.  I'm not sure exactly what that meant but it was not super pleasant, whatever he was doing in there.  I told him I was ready to have this baby now and he said this is around the time we might start talking about induction if my cervix was "favorable" - but it's not.  He said if they induced me now it would just make me miserable.  So we just have to wait and see.  The good news is, Seth's head is still pointed at the business end, ready to go.  And my cervix could change overnight, really, if he decided he wanted to come out.

I'm still thinking the 19th sounds like a good day for a birthday.  Dr. H and Dr. C are BOTH on call this weekend, so that would be ideal (and a sure sign that he probably won't come this weekend).  I'll be crossing my fingers though!

Restless

OMG now that this baby is ready for launch the suspense is KILLING ME.  Last night after I went to bed I am pretty sure I had about 4 contractions 4 minutes apart.  Then I rolled over to my other side and they stopped.  DANG!  I was in and out of sleep the whole night, trying to find a position where my itchy stretch marks wouldn't bother me.  Plus the added pressure from baby's head made me have to get up to pee way more times than I have been.  Not that I am complaining.  I am very happy having that pressure to alert me that he hasn't flipped himself back over.  Dr. H said that only happens about 5% of the time, so I'm not too terribly worried about it.

Work is kind of a nice distraction from the waiting game.  Although I do think I'd rather be home watching movies to pass the time.  I suppose that might get old after awhile.  I actually got a little bored yesterday lounging around on the couch for so long.  The way I'm feeling is really reminiscent of the "two week wait" - you know, those LONG days after trying to conceive before you can reasonably expect to see those magical pink lines on a home pregnancy test.  HOW LONG AGO THAT WAS!!!!

Dear Seth,
About 37 weeks ago you were just a gleam in your father's eye.  Now you are a squirmy little monkey inside my belly almost ready to join the world.  Everyone is rooting for you to get here soon so they can pinch your little cheeks!  I can't wait to meet you.  Hurry hurry little boy!

Love, Mom

The big flip

Ahhh okay, we're home now, I've had a nap and I'm ready to tell the story. I had to get up at 5am today to get showered and to the hospital on time, so I was a little sleepy. Anyway, we did check in at 6:15am, maybe a little earlier. I had to sign off on a couple of pieces of paper that looked identical at first, so on the second one where it said relationship to patient I wrote "self." Then I realized that one was for the BABY, so I had to cross that out and write "mother" -- boy did that feel weird!

We went and sat in the waiting room for a few minutes until someone came and told us they didn't have any nurses available to get me prepped until the day shift came on at 7am. Ugh. So we took a little walk around the hospital and I showed Eric the pictures in the hallway of my mom and grandma from when they graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing! We went back to the waiting room again and watched Sports Center until about 7:15am when the nurse "J" came to get us.

The whole procedure took place in the labor and delivery triage area. I changed into a gown and hopped into bed. J strapped on two monitors - one for the baby's heart rate and one to monitor for contractions. She took my blood pressure which was about 112/72 I think, and started an IV. Boy did she make a mess with that IV, there was blood everywhere, even on her shoes! Then she asked me a whole bunch of health history type questions and we kept an eye on the baby's stats. He did great! His heart rate hovered around 130-135 or so most of the time, except when he was moving around it "accelerated" up to 155 or more. That is exactly what you want to see. I was also having a few contractions apparently, but not anything I could feel. The nurse got a call saying that Dr. H would be running a little late because he had to deliver a baby really quick.

Dr. H showed up just after 8am and got started right away after I signed the consent form. He tilted the table down so I was flat and then actually tipped it backwards (into "maximum heartburn position" he said) so I was on a slight incline with my head down. They took the straps off and the nurse just held the monitor in place while he checked via ultrasound to make sure the baby was still in fact breech, which he was. Then goop went all over my belly and he went to work, trying to make baby do a front flip. Baby's bottom was not too far in my pelvis which made it much easier he said. I have to say, it was uncomfortable but really not all that painful overall. It didn't feel good or anything but it was nowhere near the worst pain I have ever felt. And Dr. H was pushing really hard - so hard that his arms were shaking with the effort. I just laid back and tried to relax, staring at the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye I could see both Dr. H and Eric glancing at me every once in awhile to see how I was doing. At first it didn't feel to me like it was working, it just felt like a lot of pushing and nothing happening. But the nurse and Dr. H were saying things like "there he goes" and "looks like it's working" - although at one point they stopped and Dr. H said "that's not a good place to get stuck." But he just repositioned his hands and kept going. Then it was over and done, it literally took about 5 minutes total. They checked on ultrasound again to make sure his head was down and then strapped on the monitors again. Yahoo! Success!

Dr. H said a few times that I did a great job! He said "give yourself a pat on the back" because I guess your ability to relax really helps your chances of the procedure working, so YAY! He said some women have said that after an ECV, labor pain was nothing. Now I can't possibly imagine how that could be true, but I'll take the compliment I guess. And they didn't even have to give me any drugs! Score!



After that we got to hang out for awhile monitoring the baby some more to make sure his heart rate didn't drop, which it didn't. I went to the bathroom and walked around for a bit, which felt totally weird! Now that the baby has his head down there is clearly more pressure on my bladder and my cervix and it is way less comfortable than before. However, it's a nice indicator to me that he hasn't flipped BACK over, which of course now is my ultimate fear. Anyway, then I ate some food and they monitored me and the baby for a little while longer. I was still having a few little contractions, but the baby's heart rate stayed steady and jumped up after I drank some really cold juice, just like it was supposed to. He seemed to be happy and healthy and content upside down, so I got dressed and they let us go.

Now we anxiously await the day when we get to go to Labor & Delivery for real! Let's hope it's soon because I can't stand the suspense! Not to mention the constant wondering if Seth is going to decide he doesn't like being upside down and flips right back over while I'm sleeping. I do take some comfort in the fact that up until today he stayed right side up for about 5 weeks at least, so it doesn't seem like he is prone to a bunch of flipping back and forth. Plus, with the effort it took to push him over it's hard to imagine he could get back on his own.

Well I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day off. Eric took the day off, too so we're going to be lazy and watch movies, and then later maybe try some old wives tales to try and induce labor, hee hee. And by that I mean we're going to eat some spicy food ;)

It worked!

Our baby is head down and just getting monitored. Pray he stays put now. More later!

Thanks,
Amanda

Leavin' on a jet plane... don't know when I'll be back again...

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..... it's hard to believe how much stuff we are taking with us tomorrow, just in case! Actually, Eric is packing and I'm sitting here watching and blogging about it, thinking about how much more exciting it would be if I was really in labor right now. I think I actually have had a couple of contractions today, but totally random and unpredictable - not to mention painless. But that's good. I don't want real contractions until next week, after Seth gets his little head pointed in the right direction.

Anyway, it's getting late and we have to be at the hospital to check in at 6:15am. The procedure's not until 8am so I think it'll be a lot of waiting around in the beginning. Descriptions I've read online from other women have said the procedure itself takes anywhere from a couple of minutes to over an hour. Plus some time to monitor the baby before and after. I will try to keep my blog updated or post something on Facebook as soon as we have an idea of how things went.

Thanks again for all your support and encouragement. Pray for me to trust in the Lord with all my heart AND remember that He has a plan.

Still breech - long post warning

We spent a long morning at the Dr's office and hospital.  Our ultrasound went fine, baby is still breech as I expected, but everything else looks pretty normal.  Aside from the strange position of his legs…  he has one leg bent down by his bottom and the other one straight up in front of his face.  Dr. H said he's never seen a breech baby like that.  Imagine that!  He has been an OB for 30 years and never seen a baby in this position.  Lucky us :)  Now that I know for sure where his limbs are, all the movement I feel makes a lot more sense.  It even makes sense to me that he hasn't turned over, based on that straight leg.  Seems to me like that would make it a little hard to maneuver.

Here are some stats…

My weight: 184 I think
My B/P: 126/62
Baby's heart rate: 155
Baby's estimated wt: 6 lbs 12 oz

We had a nice discussion about what's next and ultimately decided to go ahead and try the version on Monday.  My fears were somewhat assuaged regarding having to have an emergency C section.  Dr. H said he talked to Labor & Delivery and they said only one time in the last 10 years have they had a ECV go so horribly wrong that they had to knock the patient out and get the baby out STAT.  The more likely (but still fairly unlikely overall) situation is that the baby just wouldn't be doing too well and they would either just flip him back over or it wouldn't be so terribly urgent that they wouldn't have time to do a spinal (which is the standard anesthesia for a C section).  IF, and that's a big IF, I had to have a TRUE emergency C section then he said he most likely would do a midline (vertical) incision because it's faster, but only in a life or death situation.  So I guess I am okay with that.  Note that a vertical incision pretty much eliminates any possibility of having a VBAC.

So… if the version doesn't work or the baby flips back over, there's still some hope.  He said the baby might still just flip over by the time I go into labor.  If I do go into labor and the baby is still breech, they will sometimes try another version at that point -- but it gets harder and harder the bigger the baby gets, and they wouldn’t be able to if my water was broken.  Also, once you go into labor, usually the baby has dropped down in the pelvis so far that it's hard to dig them out to flip them over.  So in any of those cases I would have to have a C section.  If I haven't gone into labor, they can also try another version and then immediately induce me, but they wouldn't do that until about 39 weeks, and again at that point the baby is probably going to be too big to turn.  So then I'd have a C section.

If I do have a C section, which it sounds like there is a pretty good chance, he said he would probably allow me to try and have a VBAC next time assuming everything else was normal.  He said the risk of my uterus rupturing is about 1 in 200, but if it does, it's a really catastrophic event and gives them about 6 or 7 minutes to get the baby out before it would have severe brain damage.  So it's a small risk, albeit a scary one… but it sounded like the choice was up to us.

I asked him what his perception was in terms of my specific situation and whether or not the ECV was going to work.  He said the baby's not huge (yet), so that's good.  I also have a reasonable amount of amniotic fluid - not a ton, but enough.  So the chances are pretty good.  As good as they can be I guess.  So we're going for it.  For a long explanation of the procedure you can read the article I posted yesterday.  But the abbreviated version is: We'll go in on Monday, they'll monitor the baby for a bit to make sure he's doing okay.  Then they'll try to flip him over without any drugs.  If I start contracting they'll give me a shot of something that makes my heart race but somehow makes my uterus relax (which sounds so weird to me).  Then they'll try again.  After the flip, they'll monitor the baby again for awhile to make sure he's still doing okay and then I'll go home.  And wait.  I hate waiting.

I guess no matter what happens, I will probably have a baby in my arms within about 3 weeks.  I just have to trust that no matter how he comes out, that was the way it was meant to be, and we'll get on with our lives.  Just the same, I appreciate everyone's prayers and positive thoughts, because I really hope this works!

Ready or not...36 weeks, 6 days, 12 hours, 57 minutes

OK, this baby can officially come tomorrow if he wants, I would be okay with that (as long as he comes out head first, from you know where… the "business end"). We have got all our ducks in a row at the hospital, paperwork is filled out, car seat is installed, classes are done, maternity leave is as final as it can be, and mommy is just about ready to be NOT pregnant anymore. A break from work will be nice as well.

The last couple of days my stretch marks have been itching like CRAZY. I don't know what the deal is but it is very very annoying. The stretch marks themselves are completely baffling to me in the first place. They are still congregated just right underneath my belly button, in a place where the skin does not even seem to be stretched. Although now that I think about it, maybe it's just not tight because of all the stretch marks… haha, duh. Anyway, they itch. Bad.

I'm also tired of being damp. ALL. THE. TIME. Enough said. But I guess some of that is probably going to continue post partum, so I hear. Or it will be worse. Yay for Lochia!

More than anything I am ready to be done stressing about how this birth is going to go down. I kind of feel like Seth is trying to turn over but he can't quite get there. Today on my right side it seems like he is trying to climb or claw or kick his way over (picture a hamster trying to climb the side of a bathtub), but I haven't felt any significant shifts in where he's positioned or where his little hands and feet are scrambling. Too bad I can't give him something to grab on to ("throw me the rope"). I suppose I'll just have to wait and see tomorrow morning. But if he really is trying to flip himself over and can't, then maybe he just needs a little help, and the ECV will be successful, and he'll be happy and content afterwards (and NOT flip back over like a stubborn little boy). I'm going with that.

ECV Research

For those who are interested and have plenty of free time, here is a long but very interesting and informative article on External Cephalic Version (our Monday appt).

http://www.aafp.org/afp/980901ap/coco.html

Incidentally, Eric says last night when he got home from work, he put his hand on my belly while I was sleeping and it felt to him like Seth was turning over.  Hehe, we'll see I guess.

Turn baby turn!

Holy cow… 36 weeks and 4 days.  36 and a half weeks.  This is seriously getting close…ahhhhh!!!!  Tomorrow morning we have our pre-admit visit at the hospital to get all our paperwork filled out.  I'm also meeting with HR at work after that to finalize my maternity leave.  Then Thursday bright and early at 7:30am we have an ultrasound to determine for certain where Seth's little head is (not to mention the placenta, and the cord, etc... those all factor in as well), and an appt following that at 8:45am with Dr. H.  After that Eric is going to AAA to get the car seat checked out.

Questions for Dr. H that I cannot forget to ask -- if the ECV puts the baby in distress and results in an emergency C section, what kind of anesthesia can I expect?  They're not going to just knock me out are they???  But it seems to me like if there was a true emergency there might not be time for a spinal or epidural.  Eeek!  I hate hate HATE the idea that I'd just be put to sleep and then wake up to a new baby staring me in the face.  That scares me more than anything.

Also I want to ask him what his personal VBAC policy is.  I'm hopeful based on the information I found about Sacred Heart, it seems like maybe you're not destined for repeat C sections until you've had TWO, but I want to find out for sure.  I've been reading A LOT about C sections trying to prepare myself for the worst, but maybe… just maybe… Seth will do a little flippy on his own or the ECV will work and I can avoid getting cut open.

Just in case, we are getting our bags packed this weekend.  Last night I pulled out Seth's little stack of hats to see which one would be the cutest in his 1st baby pictures.  Breathe in, breathe out...

Sick day

In a moment of weakness this morning I called in pregnant and stayed home from work. I'm just really having an off day. This was not a decision I made lightly. Every sick day I use now is another 8 hours of paid time that won't be available after Seth is born. I even got up, got all ready and then finally made the call. My throat is a little sore, plus I was having cramps off and on since I woke up. Nothing regular or worrisome, but enough to make me feel icky and more like lying down than sitting at my desk all day. I hope tomorrow is better.

36 weeks & huge

Something about this shirt makes me look really gigantic this week. So far as I can tell, Seth hasn't changed his position significantly yet. I am getting really discouraged and freaked out about having a C section. I know it's not that big of a deal - more than 30% of babies born in the U.S. come out that way... but it is NOT what I saw happening for myself. I guess what freaks me out the most is the fear that after having one I would be automatically doomed to have another for baby #2 (assuming there will be baby #2). That is something I suppose I will have to discuss with Dr. H on Thursday. If he's not supportive of me trying to have a VBAC then I'll just have to find a new doctor, and I really hate that thought as well. Ugh. Better quit counting my chickens before they hatch, it's totally stressing me out. It is going to be a LONG week.

Update: I found this website/link about VBAC in Spokane, that makes me feel a little better! ICAN.ORG

Baby's confused

As I suspected due to the distinct head-shaped lump right between my ribs, baby's still right side up (or wrong side up in this case). Dr. H confirmed that he is not in the ideal vertex position to come out. The 3 options he gave me were 1) wait and see, maybe he'll still turn over on his own 2) "manually" turning him via external cephalic version or 3) just schedule a C section. Both 1 & 2 also could result in a C section obviously if they don't work. So we opted for sort of a combo of #1 and #2. He's got one more week to flip on his own, and we'll do an ultrasound next Thursday morning before my regular appointment to check on that. Then if not, we also have the ECV scheduled for 8am on the 14th. The ECV has minor risks - I could go into labor if my water breaks, or the cord could get twisted or pinched and put the baby in distress. Apparently those situations are rare though. There's also about a 35% chance that it just won't work -- if the baby doesn't want to turn, maybe he's just happy the way he is. Or he could turn just fine and then flip right back over on his own. So no guarantees no matter how you look at it. *sigh* Actually I take that back… we are pretty much guaranteed to have a baby, no matter which way he comes out. And if I do have to have a C section, at least I can probably guarantee it will be in December, which means TAX CREDIT, and deductibles already met, etc, etc. So that's the silver lining I guess.

Again, other than that, everything seems fine. And I did finally have the Group B Strep today, which wasn't that bad.

B/P: 128/70
Wt: 183
Baby's heart rate: 146

I guess I'll be doing a lot of yoga and swimming for the next 10 days!

Place yer bets!!

I finally got all my birth stats from my mom and I want to have a little fun before my appointment on Thursday. I'm anticipating a whirlwind of activity and changes in plans if Dr. H finds Seth's head still under my rib cage, so we better get this over with.

So comment your guesses on when baby Haynes will make his grand entrance (hopefully not covered in blue fur). My official due date is Dec 31st by ultrasound and Jan 1st by LMP. LOTS of people at my Spokane baby shower guessed December 19th, so I'm anxious to see if everyone is right!

Eric
2 weeks early
8 lbs 12 oz
22.5" long

Manda
2 days early
8 lbs 4 oz
20.5" long

My Prediction
Dec 19th
8 lbs 6 oz
21" long

Interesting note -- my mom said when I was born she woke up at 8am with contractions and I was born at 12:54pm. Quick like a ninja!

Baby dream

I should have written this one down at 4am when I woke up because now I don’t remember it so well. I do remember that Amanda T and I were at Benson Hill elementary school in Renton having our babies. I think Amanda had already had hers. I needed to have mine right away though so I could go see her. We were all outside with our strollers. So I had my baby, which was weird, I had about 1 contraction and it was over, sweet! I remember feeling kind of disappointed though, like "that's it??" My baby was all blue and furry. Not blue as in lack of oxygen blue -- blue like Grover from Sesame Street. He had a messy diaper and it was leaking out everywhere. It was pretty gross. That's all I remember.

I went swimming again last night. I am going to have to keep my gym membership now until the baby is born just so I can go use the pool, it is SO nice. I can also stand in the super hot shower afterwards for as long as I want and not worry about running up my own water bill. Tonight Eric and I have our last class, which is Baby Care. Then Thursday AM is my appointment with Dr. H and we'll find out if all the swimming and stuff has helped little Seth flip over. For the record, I don't think it has. But I am still going to keep trying, right up until I check into the hospital for an ECV.

35 weeks & vacation's over

Thanksgiving was pretty fun this year, as I got to eat everything I wanted and as much as I wanted -- guilt free! I weighed myself this morning and had only gained about a pound and a half since Wednesday, and that was even after eating breakfast. Normally I weigh myself first thing after I get out of bed so I'm pretty sure the damage was minimal.

Yesterday I decided to go for a swim, since that is one of these 17 ways to help get a breech baby turned over. I went up to the gym and paddled around for about 45 minutes. I don't know if it worked or not but it was glorious just the same. Something about floating in water was just totally relaxing. And on the Saturday after Turkey day I had the whole pool almost to myself, so it was very peaceful. Eric is convinced Seth has turned over now, but I am not so sure. I do feel like I'm getting kicked in slightly different places but I won't really feel better until the Dr. confirms it.

We had a really lazy morning today watching the Seahawks game and then finally got out of the house around 2:30pm and managed to get almost all of our Christmas shopping done in a whirlwind 2.5 hours. Then we stopped for some Pho on the way home and I'm about to heat up some egg nog and be lazy again until bedtime.

Here are my pictures for the week. The one in the middle I really liked but it turned out kind of blurry so I goofed around with it in Photoshop. I think it's kind of cool :)



This one Eric snapped after we were "done" and I was walking toward him checking myself out in the mirror. But it actually turned out pretty good. It's really starting to look like I'm smuggling a soccer ball in there or something. Just a few more weeks and our life will be forever altered! But we are ready! As ready as we'll ever be I guess. We actually drove by Babies R Us today and didn't go in!!! Amazing.

Still breech

Well Seth's little head was still up top at my appointment today. Other than that everything looks just fine.

B/P: 120/70
Wt: 181.6
Baby's HR: 140

Pretty uneventful appointment for the most part. Even though I haven't gained much weight in several weeks she didn't seem concerned. Overall I've gained about 28 lbs so that's completely normal. We chatted a little bit again about what the next steps are if Seth stays right side up. My appointments are every week now and so next Thursday I'll be seeing Dr. H. At that point if he's still not turned he probably won't turn on his own and we'll have to plan on an external "version." The gal I saw today said she had a breech baby and nothing worked (thanks a lot). But, she said her amniotic fluid was really low so there wasn't much room for the baby to move around. That is not the case with me I guess, there's lots of water around him so if he wants to he should be able to flip. So I guess for the next week I'll be trying all the tricks in the book. One of which is swimming, so I think I might try to get up to a water aerobics class at the gym on Saturday and/or Tuesday before my next appointment.

Work has calmed down a bit, so I have the next 4 days off, YES! Turkey & gravy, here I come!

Is it bad luck to wish for bed rest?

Work has been KILLING me lately. We've been dealing with this mysterious issue now for about 2 weeks and it's really stressful and it's an all hands on deck situation. I worked Friday night from 10pm - 4am Saturday, then off and on from 9:30am Saturday to about 1pm Sunday. Today I found myself rehearsing a little speech for doctor, it goes something like this... Me: "What kind of pain would I have to be having in order to get restricted from work? Because I'm pretty sure I'm having that pain." So far no regular contractions or anything though, so that's good. I've had a few I think but no more than I should be this late in the game anyway. Work just SUCKS, I am sick of it. On top of it all, the spa called today and canceled my massage for tomorrow because my masseuse had the nerve to go into labor this weekend. Actually I'm kind of worried for her because she's a week behind me and is having twins. The receptionist said they were trying to slow things down because the babies really need to hang out for a couple more weeks at least. So anyway, I got rescheduled for next Wednesday with another gal and Eric will have to be a sub in the interim.

I went to the other Motherhood in town after work to see if I'd have any better luck finding some good sizes. Nada. They actually did have a couple more 40E's but they still didn't fit right. The really cute ones with lace on them have a very strange shaped cup, it's almost pointy, resulting in there being an empty space there (like a reservoir tip, LOL) but part of my boob still bulging out the front. And the "soft cup" t-shirt bras didn't fit quite right either. So I ended up buying another one of the same that I got yesterday, and a couple of bra extenders. I tried on a couple more at JCPenney too and those were horrible. What is the deal?? Why can't Victoria make me a nice "Very Sexy" nursing bra, huh??? HUH?????? When I get a minute I am going to write her some hate mail.

So then I headed home, exhausted. Called Eric and sobbed a bit in frustration on the phone until he made me hang up and pay attention to my driving. When I got home I heated up some egg nog and rocked in the glider with Max on my lap while I waited for my brown rice to cook. There's nothing like a hot drink and a soft kitty to make me relax, ahhhh. Then I ate dinner which was FABULOUS Crock Pot Jumbalaya, and now here I am. Time for bed though. Now.

34 weeks & the challenge of strapping in the girls

I've definitely gotten to the point where it's harder to breathe, since my lungs are getting awfully crowded in there. But the fact that all my bras are too tight doesn't really help. I haven't wanted to buy any more huge ones since I assume this phenomenon is only temporary. But since I do need to get some nursing bras I went to Motherhood Maternity today to try and find a couple that I might be able to wear for the next few weeks. I swear I tried on every bra in the store and only walked out with one that fit. It is a 40E. Holy cow!! Granted, it definitely has some wiggle room, which I figure is good for that whole engorgement thing I have heard about. But still... I tried on a ton of 38E's and 40D's and they were all too tight, or fit weird, or just weren't comfortable for some other reason. And nursing bras are just weird in general... I am used to bra cups that have some substance to them, light padding or whatever, mainly so I don't have to cross my arms when the room gets a little cold. Well, in a nursing bra it seems like that style is a little awkward. It just doesn't fold down very well, and when it does it seems like it would be poking the baby in the face all the time. I don't get it. Anyway, like I said, I walked away with one, and have my eye on another one that will probably work, they just didn't have the size I need. Then tonight when I got home I had a revelation -- BRA EXTENDERS! Duh! I can get one of those at Sears for like $1.50 and that should allow me to keep wearing the bras I already have for a bit.

I still have not gained any weight for like 4 weeks now. So I'll be eating Seth's weight in food at Thanksgiving dinner without a lot of guilt. But I definitely have stretch marks, yuck. So far just under my belly button but there's no doubt about it now, they are here. And they itch! It also kind of looks like I have one starting to radiate out from the hole where my belly button ring used to be, but I'm not sure. Meh, oh well, they are so worth it.

Starting maternity leave early is sounding better and better all the time. Not too early, but I am tempted to let work know that I won't be back after Christmas, baby or no baby. I am pretty sure my Dr. wouldn't let me go past 41 weeks, so worst case scenario I'd only be off for about 2 weeks or so before getting induced. But wow, 41 weeks seems like an ETERNITY from now, he better get here before then!

Eric got the stroller unpacked from the box and I'm happy to report that it fits into my trunk with room to spare! Sweet! The car seat appears to fit in my back seat okay too. I haven't strapped it in or anything but I shoved it in there and didn't have to move the driver's seat forward at all. Eric won't be able to go anywhere with me and the baby in my car but that situation is pretty unlikely anyway. Eeek, we are almost ready! Can't wait!!

Hospital Tour!

We went to our final night of Prepared Childbirth tonight. We learned about all the weird issues sometimes newborns have, a brief overview of breastfeeding, and toured the Labor and Delivery floor at the hospital. Honestly, it wasn't as nice as I expected, but it is still pretty nice I guess. Both the birthing rooms and mother baby rooms are HUGE! The birthing rooms all have jacuzzi tubs in them, refrigerator, dvd players, stereo, etc. Apparently you stay in there until about an hour after you deliver, depending on how mom and baby are doing. Then you go to the (private) mother baby room, which also has all of the above, but not all of them have tubs I guess. There are 15 birthing rooms I think they said, and then they have some other rooms that can be used as birthing rooms if needed. Worst case scenario they have an agreement with another one of the hospitals downtown so they can send people over there. But our instructor said we really don't have to worry about all the rooms being full. Now the waiting room on the other hand, it was seriously packed. When I peeked in I totally got tears in my eyes thinking about my friends and family anxiously awaiting updates on the grand entrance of baby Haynes! The rules at the hospital are really strict right now and they only allow 2 people in the birthing room with you, not including your "coach" (or husband in my case). And the sign said only immediate family members over age 18 can visit at all. So I'm going to have to clarify that a bit at our pre-delivery visit. My BFF/"photographer" is often mistaken for my sister, so maybe it won't be an issue ;)

So now we are almost done with our classes. We've taken Prepared Childbirth, Natural Childbirth, Breastfeeding Basics, and Child/Infant CPR. In a couple of weeks we have Baby Care and then we're done! We are getting SO close! 34 weeks tomorrow... 3 more weeks and I'll officially be allowed to go into labor and they won't try to stop it! Yikes! I dreamed last night that I was at the hospital. I thought I was in labor for some reason even though I wasn't feeling the contractions. And of course they checked me and sent me home. I think maybe I dreamed that because I've been having a few Braxton Hicks contractions - especially lately at work I have been really stressed out and my whole uterus feels like a giant boulder. It's a good opportunity to practice my breathing though.

Seth is defying gravity right now. I feel like he is curled up in a ball, floating at the very top of my uterus. He's been like that for about a week and a half now. I can't say I'm excited really for him to drop, because it's nice to not have to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes. But I am anxious to know that his little head is pointing down, that will make me feel a little better. Anyway, I better head off to bed, I have an early meeting tomorrow. Here's my 33 week pictures, better late than never!

The dreaded "B" word

I had my 33 week checkup today and found out that little Seth is currently in a breech position.  His little head is up, his back is against my right side, and his butt is down by my right hip.  So I guess maybe it has been shoulder or elbow I've been feeling under my ribs.  Not to worry yet, S said there is still plenty of time for him to turn.  She said there are some things people do to try and get babies to turn, like inversions.  But she said if he has been particularly active lately (which he has), that is a good sign and he probably will just turn right back around on his own.  She also mentioned it feels like there's plenty of fluid in there which is another thing that makes it easier for him to move around on his own.  He was head down at my last appointment.  If he doesn't turn by 36 weeks they usually don't turn on their own, so then they would try to turn him manually around 38 weeks.  She said that Dr. H is really good at it, but it only works 50-60% of the time.  If it doesn't work, then we'll have to have the dreaded "C" word.  But I am not too concerned about it at this point.   It was interesting watching/feeling her poke around to figure out what position he is in.  She was seriously manhandling me.  So I guess there are no worries about hurting the baby with all the poking and prodding he gets from family members, haha.

 

Other fun facts about today's appointment...

 

B/P: 110/68

Weight: 179.2 (down 2 lbs since last appointment and she DIDN'T EVEN MENTION IT!)

Baby's heart rate: ~150 when he was still and it went up to ~160 when he was kicking, which is good!

 

Next time (day before Thanksgiving) I get to be screened for Group B Strep, which is a bacteria that causes infections that can be really really dangerous for newborns.  Sounds like no one really knows why some people have it and some don't, but if you have it then you need to have antibiotics during labor to protect the baby.  I don't even want to talk about HOW they screen for it.  You can look it up if you want.

 

We also had a little chat with someone in the billing department to find out just exactly how much this is going to cost us.  So far for all my appointments I have had a single $20 co-pay, plus 20% of labs and ultrasounds.  For the delivery, we will have a $300 co-pay.. and THAT IS IT!  No matter what happens (to me), $300.  Then it appears that Seth will have his own $300 co-pay as well for any care he receives in the hospital.  Sweet, $600 sounds like a pretty good deal, if you consider that the average uncomplicated delivery actually costs around $10,000!  So my final thought for today is that I am thankful for my job and my health insurance.

Stretching out

The last few days I have been very discouraged from slouching by the tiny hands and feet that seem to be EVERYWHERE now. I've got limbs on my hips and under my ribs. Under my right ribs to be exact. If I don't sit up very straight I get a poke in the ribs as a reminder, as if to say "hey you out there, in case you hadn't noticed I am running out of room in here!!" Yesterday my little man was SUPER active in the afternoon. I was in a meeting from 4-5pm and the entire time it seemed he was squirming around and punching and kicking. One of the most active days so far I think, or at least the strongest movement I've felt in awhile. I guess he's just trying to get comfortable, or he really likes the soup I had for lunch. I can't blame him I suppose. Anyway, I've been having to scoot out and sit on the edge of my chair at work so I can almost arch my back a little to escape the poking at times. I'm considering bringing in an exercise ball to sit on at my desk... but I'm not sure I want to deal with the comments from the peanut gallery.

Last night we had our Breastfeeding Basics class. I didn't feel like I learned a whole lot that was new, but Eric said it was useful for him so I am glad we went. I've heard over and over again that one of the biggest keys to breast feeding success is having support, especially from your partner. One thing I did learn is that a newborn's stomach is the size of a marble. That is really small! No wonder they have to eat so often! I do need to figure out where I am going to pump when I go back to work. Hopefully in a 4 hour day I will only have to pump once, but right now I have no clue where I would do that. I have to sit down and talk some other things over with HR before too long so I guess I'll add it to my list.

I'm sad to say I *think* I might be getting some stretch marks? I just noticed the other day way down below my belly button I might be getting a couple. I didn't notice them before because I obviously can't see them unless I look in the mirror and lean way back. It seems like a strange place to have them though because it doesn't seem like that skin hasn't stretched nearly as much as the skin higher up or on the sides, or on my boobs for that matter...but I can't imagine what else they would be. On the other hand, if that's where I'm going to get them, fine, because they are low enough that they will always be covered by pants, or underwear, or swimsuit bottoms, etc. So whatever. I think of them as medals of honor anyway :)

Better late than never, I always say

A thousand apologies for the delay, but here they are, Nursery Pictures!! Here's the crib corner of the room. Don't mind the pack and play haphazardly thrown up against the wall. Or the still-unpainted letters on the windowsill.

Here's my favorite corner, the glider corner. This is where I imagine I will spend about half of my life for the next year or so. I already go up and sit there and rock just staring into space, feeling the baby move and wondering what he's doing in there. Sometimes I'll read, but mostly I just rock and daydream. I love, love, love the glider. LOVE. IT.


Here's the changing table/closet corner. Here is where I imagine I will spend the other half of my life. Or maybe just a quarter, I assume Eric will change a few diapers, too. He better.


And here's the mommy corner of the room. Dang, I am getting kinda big. I don't really notice as much until I see a picture. I think the horizontal stripes on this shirt make me look even bigger. I also look very tired in this picture. Probably because I was. Which is why tonight I am going to be under the covers by 9pm.


Anyway, sorry the pictures are so dark. I'll get some more in the coming weeks when I'm actually at home during daylight hours. The room still needs a little more flair, but I'm happy knowing that if Seth came now, we'd basically be ready.

Sorry... I lied

Okay, I took some pictures today but I think I am going to wait to post them until tomorrow. It's been a horrific weekend on call. I had to work Friday night until after 11pm. Then I got called at 6am Saturday. While I was up dealing with that I checked the backups and found one had failed. So then I had to re-run the backup this morning from 12am-1am. Then I woke up around 7am and couldn't really get back to sleep. So now I am really tired and am heading to bed here pretty soon. I'm not sure how the pictures I took will turn out anyway, they look pretty dark. And I won't have time to take any daytime pictures probably until next weekend. :(

I did have a pretty productive weekend though, in spite of everything. I cleaned one bathroom plus the shower in another. I vacuumed the main floor. I put together some more shelves for the closet in Seth's room, and for the kitchen to build my "pantry". I found some full length crib mattress pads, and some changing table pads at Target. I sorted through Eric's giant hat collection that was strewn everywhere, made him pick out his favorites, and packed the rest away in the basement. I worked out. I made a delicious tortellini cheesy pasta bake. I did more baby laundry. Phew! Meanwhile I seem to have lost control of my limbs. I cannot tell you how many times I have stubbed my toe, rammed into something, hit my head, or scraped my arm just this weekend. It's like I have no concept of the space I'm taking up in the world. So weird. But I guess clumsiness is just another charming symptom of pregnancy, especially in the 3rd trimester. Can't wait to see what's next!

OK 9:30 - BED!

32 weeks and gettin' educmacated

Whew, I made it through another week. People tell me these next few will be the longest of my life. Well I think they might be right. Work is not going all that great to be honest, I'm just getting so burned out. Maternity leave will be a welcome change from the day to day BS I have been dealing with. I know there will still be day to day "stuff" but at least it will be different. Change keeps life interesting, I have sure come to realize that.

32 weeks seems VERY close to the end! Full term is technically 37 weeks so I could only have 5-8 more to go, Yikes! We had our 2nd week of Prepared Childbirth class last night and I have been SO pleased with it! So far the instructor has barely even mentioned medication in terms of coping with labor pain. She has only kind of referred to an epidural as an aside (as in, you probably won't be able to try this position if you've had an epidural). We've been doing lots of breathing practice, and going over tons of ways to help your labor move along faster. It has been getting me really excited! We saw a really graphic video clip last night that kind of left me in shock though. Yowsers! I mean, I knew the baby was going to have to come out of there but so far I haven't actually SEEN it happen. And believe you me, I DO NOT want to SEE it on THE DAY. No mirrors for me, thank you very much. *shudder* Anyway, next week I guess we are going to talk about some interventions, and on Tuesday we also have our Breastfeeding Basics class.

Oh, and I say calories, schmalories. Since last Thursday's drama I've started up my food diary again so I can keep track of my calories. On the 6 days I kept track so far I've been averaging 2100 (S told me I didn't need more than 2000) per day. I haven't gained an ounce, in fact I'm down 1lb from the weight I was last week on the morning of my appointment. However, I've been eating a lot more snacks all day throughout the day and smaller portions, which has significantly reduced my heartburn, so that's a plus. I don't want Seth to be starving though, so I'll probably inch my way up to 2200 or 2300 this coming week and see what the scale does. Gaining nothing can't be good since half my weight gain at this point should be going straight to the baby.

Stay tuned, 32 week pictures tomorrow and maybe some of the nursery. It's really looking good!

Happy Halloween!

I got up bright and early today when my phone rang at 6:30am. It was the helpdesk calling to alert me that absolutely nothing was wrong on the servers (not really... they thought something was wrong, but as usual it was nothing). One more week of call and I'm out of the rotation for good. Yay!! I managed to go back to sleep for about another hour though before getting up to work on my to do list. First was the giant stack of receipts that I've been delaying entering into the computer (I'm trying to itemize sales tax this year -- thanks Mandy and James, you suck). Then I did a little yoga, had a little breakfast, and did a little reading in Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child. Finally Eric got up so I started vacuuming like a crazy person. Ahhh nice and clean.

A little later I managed to get dressed and out of the house for another Baby Shopping Spree. I used almost all the coupons in the latest mailer to pick up: a baby monitor, changing table pad & accessories, newborn size diapers, huge pack of wipes, nursing pillow, a variety of bottles, and a baby book.


Luckily I had brought Auntie Natalie along and she chipped in for baby's first Swaddle Me blanket, and this really cute blanket.


I also did some grocery shopping and picked up a few other random things at BB&B to help me get the nursery nice and tidy and organized.

When I got home Eric informed me that we would in fact be making an appearance at the Halloween party that we were originally going to bail on because he was sick. So I got myself all prettied up and we headed out. And that is when I realized that Halloween parties suck when you are pregnant... especially when all there is to snack on is candy and you've just been told you're gaining too much weight. But it was fun dressing up and I was glad to have the opportunity to get my 31 week preggo picture in costume. I actually wore this same thing two years ago... but I'm filling out the top a little better this time :)

I'm over it

I think maybe I was just LONG overdue for a good cry today or something. Like I said, after my appointment I cried for like 45 minutes. Then when I got in my car after work I cried all the way home and then some. I got a big hug from my baby's daddy though, and we went to our childbirth class, and the grocery store, and I feel better now. Reality check - I have been working out like 4 or 5 days a week minimum. I eat almost exclusively whole grain carbs, several servings of fruit every day, I don't drink alcohol or caffeine, I don't smoke, and I drink a ton of water. I am doing a lot of things right! So all I need is to try to eat a few more veggies and a little more protein and I will be good to go.

Anyway, rewind a tad. Our first "prepared" childbirth class was really pretty great! I didn't feel like I learned anything *new* yet, but it was a good opportunity to actually sit down with Eric and be forced to practice breathing and relaxing. So I am looking forward to more of that, even if it is just once a week. And I was pleasantly surprised to find that the class agenda really does not focus on medical interventions. The teacher said we'll go over those things in week 4 but most of the class is about the mechanics of labor and other methods for coping with pain. I just hope that the girl and her mom who were giggling throughout the relaxation practice get a good talking to, that was rude!

Dr. Visit Drama

Ugh, so I went in for another prenatal checkup today.  My blood pressure was 120/70 and according to their scale I weighed 180, even though just yesterday at home I weighed 176.6.  I was 172 at my last appointment, and my pre-pregnancy weight was about 153 or 154.  So that puts me at MAX 27 pounds gained since this whole thing started.  To me, that sounds pretty good/normal, right?  Well no, apparently not according to "S" the Certified Nurse Midwife I saw today.  Pretty much the first thing she said when she walked in was "what's going on with this weight gain?"  I'm all, excuse me?  Anyway we had a talk about that and long story short she feels like I’ve been gaining weight a little too fast lately and I need more protein and iron in my diet.  So I was okay with that, sort of, at first.  She was not mean about it or anything, but stern enough that I felt like a little kid getting scolded.  And then I was just way too flustered about the whole conversation to think straight and I didn't ask any of the questions I had planned or even get the baby's heart rate or find out really what position he was in :(  All I caught was where his back was (sort of up high and on my left side).  I did also get a shot of Rhogam, *eek* an H1N1 shot, and scheduled out all my appointments for the rest of my pregnancy before I left.

Eric is home sick (just a cold) so this was my first appointment without him.  I called him as I was walking back to my car and had a complete emotional break down.  I cried for about the next 40 minutes, sitting in my car, frustrated about my alleged abnormal weight gain and that I didn't get to find out the baby's heart rate (although I did hear it).  I'm also nervous about the H1N1 shot… I didn't even ask if it was thimerosal free, that is how flustered I was.  But I said a little prayer and I just have to trust all the scientists and the CDC who believe that it's safe, either way.  Now I'm sitting here, hungry, wondering what I should be eating.  My next appointment is with "S" again so heaven forbid I should gain 4 more pounds between now and then and get another lecture!  Boo!!!  :(  I'm so not looking forward to next time.

We do have our first "prepared childbirth" class tonight, so I am kind of excited about that.

30 week pics

Well here I am, 75% done… maybe more! Lots of people at the shower predicted December 19th would be the day baby Haynes will arrive, which would be fine with me. Although I just noticed that is a Saturday, and personally I'd prefer to go during the week. But ANY day in December would be preferable to January. Eric and I were both born early. I was 2 days early and Eric was like 10 days early or something like that. So I'm crossing my fingers.

Waffling

I'm getting more and more excited to have this baby all the time, and yet somehow still want him to stay in there forever. What a weird contradiction in feelings! I think all the "stuff" we've accumulated in the baby's room is upping the excitement level just a tad. But feeling him move is SO COOL too, I'm really going to miss that. Lately he REALLY seems to object if I lean against something or if my pants are too tight or when auntie Natalie pokes him in the head. He squirms around as if we're invading his personal space and it's making him uncomfortable. I can relate to that.

Saturday I had my 2nd and final baby shower, which brought LOTS more baby boy clothes and a few more items from the registry. Which meant that on Sunday we made the trip to Babies R Us and left with a HUGE hole in our wallet plus a dresser/changing table, crib mattress, crib bedding set, and pack & play (that was all the coupons I had). We saved about $140 by getting everything with a coupon so I'm hoping to be on hiatus from buying much of anything else until the next mailer. Although, Target has my breast pump on sale 10% off right now, and I get an extra 10% off of that with my Entertainment book, but it's online only and no free shipping. So I'm waffling on that as well. With the shipping charge, I'd come out paying just about a dollar less than if I got a 15% off coupon from Babies R Us and picked it up in the store.... what to do, what to do? A dollar is a dollar, right? OH and I found my final letter "S" to spell out Seth's name on the wall. Yay! I've had the E, T, H for awhile now but both Michaels' in town were all out of "S" until recently. So I need to paint those and hang them up.

The house is getting chaotic again :( It was so clean for awhile, especially the nursery... ahh memories of the nice, tidy, empty nursery. But now of course the nursery is full to the brim with stuff. We could hardly fit the dresser in the room last night. Mainly because there were boxes and toys and gift bags all over the floor, and ONESIES GALORE EVERYWHERE -- it's kind of overwhelming me. I just need to unpack everything and start putting it away, now that I have somewhere to put it all (the dresser). But then I start thinking of all the other stuff we STILL need that we have NO ROOM for. And then I start to panic a little. I just need to keep reminding myself that I still have a few weeks to get it all organized.

I am really starting to get freaked out about the swine flu. Not a lot of people at work have really had it, but I keep hearing about their kids being at home sick. So I'm sure they are just walking around with germs flying off of them in all directions. And when I hear people coughing at their desks it just reeeaaaaally bothers me. Don't they understand how serious this is? GO...HOME!!!!!

Spinning babies

I read last night in What to Expect… that I have 8-10 weeks to go.  OMG!  Part of me is sooo excited to meet this little guy, but another part of me is suddenly kind of sad that the pregnant stage will be over.  Maybe I won't feel that way in a few more weeks but for now I am really torn about the whole thing.  I'm really getting fascinated and obsessed over the baby's position lately.  I am still not really sure what's what in there --  I can just tell when it's different.  I will have to get the doctor to give me the lay of the land next week at my appointment.  Maybe if she shows me once where everything is I'll be able to figure it out when it changes.

I've got my house pretty much in order.  Or as good as it's probably going to get for awhile.  I will have to take a couple more pictures tonight maybe.  Even the basement is in good shape.  There are still some piles of random stuff here and there, but it looks pretty presentable.  Now that all the "stuff" has been put away throughout the house, the task becomes getting everything CLEAN.  I've never been real tolerant of the house being dirty, just messy.  So we're doing pretty good on the obvious stuff.  But lately I've been compelled to do things like wipe down walls and clean doorknobs, it's pretty wild.  I suppose over the next 8-10 weeks I'll find lots of things in the house that suddenly need to be cleaned or dusted.  It's invigorating!

Another one bites the dust

There goes one more pair of pants I won't be able to wear again until after I give birth. Seth seems to kick extra hard in protest when my pants are too tight, like today. I'm down to 3 pairs of paints suitable for work, possibly 2. And my rib cage is expanding too, making my bras work a little harder than usual. I don't know what I was thinking buying a 36 when I was already on the last hook! Ugh!

29 weeks and baby shower!!

Friday after work we packed up and headed West! We had tickets to the Seahawks game on Sunday and so we had planned a little photo shoot with Mandy and also a baby shower at my aunt Kim's house. We were a little late leaving because I spent 15 minutes looking through our entire house trying to find the charger for the camera battery. After looking everywhere, twice, and almost being in tears, I found it and we left. We got to about Cheney when I remembered that I left the Seahawks tickets at home. Booo. So needless to say we arrived at my mom's house in Renton pretty late.

Saturday morning we woke up and it was pouring rain. Mandy came over and we took a few pictures in my mom's "backyard" (basically a strip of grass between her condo and the driving range at the Fairwood G&CC). Then we went over to my old alma mater Lindbergh HS for a few more. Options were a little limited due to the rain but I know they are going to turn out awesome anyway, if my little preview pictures are any indication!



We headed over to Enumclaw then for my first baby shower!! Yay!! We had a really great turnout of family and hauled in lots of baby clothes and gear. We also played this game where you had to cut a piece of string that you thought would be as big around as my belly. Everyone guessed about 8-12 inches too big, but as my great aunt Jessie was leaving she said very matter of fact "you ARE going to get as big as those strings!" Haha. Hard to imagine, but I did save one of them so we can check in a few more weeks and see just how close everyone was.

After the shower we went to a late dinner at Chang's Mongolian Grill, YUM! Then back to my mom's for a short visit with the family and to bed, late again! Before bed I decided to take out my belly button ring because it was sore and angry red and seemed to be catching on everything anyway. After that I started sobbing uncontrollably. I didn't realize how attached I was to that little hole in my tummy, but I really am mourning it a little (even if the crying was a little pregnant emotional dramatic overreaction). I am still hoping it doesn't close up and I can put it back in when I go back to my normal size.

Sunday we headed downtown to the game, which was horrible. I don't know what is wrong with those Seahawks but they need to pull it together, man! The PUNTER had more passing yards than we had rushing yards the whole game. Sad, sad, sad. We still had fun though and Seth flipped and flopped around off and on throughout the game, so I guess he had fun too. I almost started sobbing again, when the crowd was roaring, just thinking what it must sound like to him from in there. Anyway, after the game it was time to go home, so we headed back East and once again I went to bed way past my bed time.



Not tonight though, I am determined to be in bed with the lights off by 9pm. Maybe earlier. Nighty night! A big thank you to everyone who helped with my shower and/or came bearing gifts (or sent gifts). Eric and I are very grateful :)