So, middle of the night pee breaks have been a normal thing for me since the little stick said "pregnant". And that's fine, as long as I can immediately go back to sleep. Well, I guess my body is preparing me for life with a little one, because sleep is starting to elude me.
All last week I probably got around 4-5 hours of sleep total each night. The best night of sleep I got all week was after we went to the Rodeo Cookoff on Thursday night. We walked quite a ways and I was up a lot later than normal. I was exhausted when we got home, but I got six solid hours of sleep. The best I've gotten in quite a while!
Last night was pretty bad. Between bathroom visits, baby boy not understanding that he's out of room (foot in ribs, butt in my kidney, and elbow in my colon simultaneously...), and then it seemed that once he would settle down, I'd have a contraction. Not a painful one, but one uncomfortable enough to not let me fall asleep very easily. And then, sometimes the contraction would cause little man to decide that he need to readjust again. Then I knew my stomach was hurting, but it didn't feel hard like during a contraction. Verdict? I was hungry. So I went to the fridge and ate some peach yogurt at 2:30 a.m. So I finally got back in bed, only for the process to start completely over...until I realized that I needed to pee. Again.
I've had another new phenomena show up...I have begun to get HOT! I'm the person that always carries an extra jacket or sweater, has a space heater under my desk, gets mad at Kyle when he leaves the bathroom door open while I'm taking a shower because it causes a draft, wears sweats in the summer time, and would be perfectly happy with our thermostat never going below 73.
I haven't turned on my space heater in over a week. I have actually not worn outfits because I thought that they might be too warm. And I have gotten up in the middle of the night on a couple of occasions to turn our thermostat DOWN!
I haven't decided which I like better, being cold or hot, but I can most definitely appreciate not being pregnant in the middle of the summer now!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
35 Weeks
Well, I got another cold. Yes, that's number 5 if you're keeping track. This one knocked me on my rear pretty good. I did suck it up long enough to go to dinner with Kyle on Saturday night. One of the perks of what he does is getting to try a lot of good, new food. He had a restaurant doing a soft opening last weekend, so that's what we decided to do for our V-Day celebration. The restaurant is kind of a high-end, Latin steakhouse. The meat was good, but honestly, I could go back and just get the lobster bisque (with poblanos and roasted corn), wedge salad with avocado-buttermilk dressing, and the chocolate torte cake. [all of which is making me feel sorry for myself as I sit here and eat my instant pho and apple at my desk]
The ladies at work threw a shower for us on Valentine's Day, which also happens to be my birthday, so we had a great lunch-time party! I was honestly shocked by the level of giving on my co-workers' parts. We were truly overwhelmed by their gifts and support. (A few more details below)
We had a great doctor's visit yesterday (Wednesday). She did another ultrasound to check on the baby and all of my innards. He was rolling around so much that she had a difficult time getting any clear shots of his face (shocker), but we did catch a glimpse of his little nose and lips. It makes me so excited and anxious to see them in person!! The good news is that he is head down and looks really healthy. We asked about what size she thought he was, so she felt around on my belly for a while and then sort of laughed and said, he's a pretty good size! As in, larger than average. Not wishing for me to have to try and deliver beyond my due date, she highly recommended that I be very active, walk a lot...and "have lots of sex". Yes, you read that right. I gave her a quizzical look and she explained that medications like Cervidil that are used to ripen the cervix are primarily made up of the drug Dinoprostone...a synthetic derivative of hormones in the prostate. Make sense? Good. That's your health class lesson for the day.
The further along we've gone in this process, the more I like my OB. There was a time when I felt like just another "thing" being herded in and out, but honestly, it was because I've had a very normal, uncomplicated pregnancy...so there hasn't been much to do. The last few visits, however, she's taken a lot more time with us and gone over her philosophy on things. For instance, we were discussing episiotomies and tearing, and she said that typically, the patients that she delivers that receive an epidural tear a lot less, if at all, because they are better able to control their pushing and can stretch everything slowly...rather than being in severe pain and wanting to hurry and "just get it out of me". That made a lot of sense to me!
One of the semi-stressful things I'm in the process of doing right now, is getting everything at work prepared for my leave. In Tulsa, I had the perfect counter-part...she could do my job and I hers, so I never had to worry about things, but I don't have that luxury here. So, my duties are getting split up among several people...some of which have never laid eyes on what I do. I'm doing the best I can to write out instructions, leave examples, and train...but that's all I can really do. After that, it's out of my hands...at least for a few weeks.
How Far Along: 35 Weeks
Size of baby: Um, based on what the doctor said, he's probably 6-ish lbs.
Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think on target.
Maternity Clothes: All day everyday. It's making me a little sad, though, to see all of the cute spring/summer maternity stuff coming out. I would much rather wear some of those items, but I realize that it's pointless with a month left to go.
Movement: Although a bit restricted, he's still moving like crazy.
Sleep: No bueno. I've been waking up at 3 a.m. every morning. My alarm goes off at 5 a.m., so of course I finally get comfortable and feel sleepy again about 4:45 a.m. I've got to figure out a way to sleep more. I look like death warmed over at work.
What I miss: Using my abdominal muscles, having more than two positions to sleep in, my immune system
Cravings: Food in general. I can't eat much at one time, so I feel like I'm always hungry.
Symptoms: Braxton Hicks off and on, mostly at night. I used to not even be able to tell they were happening, but they're starting to get a little stronger.
Best Moment this week: A few things...
The ladies at work threw a shower for me, and I had told Kyle about it in passing, but that was about it. Well, while we were eating during the shower, I hear "Aaaawwwe!". I turn around and see a big bouquet of flowers, and then I look behind the flowers and see Kyle! It meant a lot to me for him to show up, especially with flowers in hand. It was his busiest day of the week and I knew that it took some extra effort for him to come by, even if it was only for a few minutes.
That shower was the last of our showers, so over the weekend I sorted out all of the gifts we had received to determine what we had, still needed, and could return. Luckily, there were only a few items that I needed to return, mainly because they were duplicates. Sunday, we went to BBRU to use our gift cards and coupons. It was a rather frustrating experience because they didn't have everything on my registry (either they didn't stock it, or it was wiped off of the shelf), BUT we got all of the necessities taken care of, so if kiddo decides to show up extra early, we're mostly prepared.
Monday, February 11, 2013
33+ Weeks
This week has been the first week where I've just felt heavy. I told Kyle this and he asked, "Like 'blah' heavy?", and I said "No, like I'm walking around with those weighted vests on that they use for strength and conditioning". All of my movements just seem to take a little more thought and time. Getting out of bed is almost comical.
I'll do a whole post on my showers later, but I had one in Tulsa this past weekend, and I have one at work this coming week! I've said it before, but they're just so much fun because it's such a good feeling to know that other people are as excited about this change in our lives as we are.
We had a really good visit with the OB this week. Most of our past few visits have been fairly quick because, well, there hasn't been anything of concern. Blood, good. Urine, good. BP, good. Fetal heartbeat, good. But this visit we started talking a lot more about the birth and what to do/what to expect. I had decided that I wasn't going to write out a lengthy birth plan, because quite frankly, there's not much out of the ordinary that I want. But I asked my OB about it, and she just basically have me her typical protocol for various situations, and things she's okay with and things she is not. For instance, she's all for having an unmedicated delivery if that's what the patient wants, but she is not okay with a patient who is 7 cm dilated not being on a fetal heart monitor. I don't have a problem with either of those.
Then we started discussing Bulldogs. It's kind of a long story, but my Dad and I were discussing the high rate of c-sections in Bulldogs because most have problems birthing their puppies. Well, somehow this came up when speaking with my OB, and she said that it was interesting that I mentioned that because that actual issue with Bulldogs has sparked more research into women's health; primarily the ability to birth babies vaginally. Basically, the premise is that because of modern medicine, we are now able to save a lot more mothers and babies that might have otherwise died prior to or during childbirth. This removes the natural selection process and has led to the reproduction of females who do not physically have the ability to carry and/or birth a baby; inferior females breeding inferior females, essentially. Of course there are many other factors involved in this, but I think it's an interesting point in light of a lot of the "Business of Being Born" type information that's currently so highly visible.
I felt his foot! Earlier this week at work, I was sitting at my desk and I felt a sharp jab in my side. I reached down to feel what was poking me and I could feel this small, flat, hard thing pushing on my right side...and I realized that it was his foot! I swear if my skin hadn't been so tight I could have grabbed it. But I couldn't, so I just poked it until he pulled it back...because regardless of how cool it was, the feeling was still rather uncomfortable.
Another perk to pregnancy, your husband gets better medical care as well. Kyle hasn't been feeling well this week so he finally went to the doctor today (Friday) and the doctor told him that normally they would just make him live with whatever he has, but since I'm 8 months pregnant, they gave him a Z-Pak. [I should say, he didn't receive "better" medical care...he's just going to be feeling well a lot sooner than he would have otherwise.]
I'll do a whole post on my showers later, but I had one in Tulsa this past weekend, and I have one at work this coming week! I've said it before, but they're just so much fun because it's such a good feeling to know that other people are as excited about this change in our lives as we are.
We had a really good visit with the OB this week. Most of our past few visits have been fairly quick because, well, there hasn't been anything of concern. Blood, good. Urine, good. BP, good. Fetal heartbeat, good. But this visit we started talking a lot more about the birth and what to do/what to expect. I had decided that I wasn't going to write out a lengthy birth plan, because quite frankly, there's not much out of the ordinary that I want. But I asked my OB about it, and she just basically have me her typical protocol for various situations, and things she's okay with and things she is not. For instance, she's all for having an unmedicated delivery if that's what the patient wants, but she is not okay with a patient who is 7 cm dilated not being on a fetal heart monitor. I don't have a problem with either of those.
Then we started discussing Bulldogs. It's kind of a long story, but my Dad and I were discussing the high rate of c-sections in Bulldogs because most have problems birthing their puppies. Well, somehow this came up when speaking with my OB, and she said that it was interesting that I mentioned that because that actual issue with Bulldogs has sparked more research into women's health; primarily the ability to birth babies vaginally. Basically, the premise is that because of modern medicine, we are now able to save a lot more mothers and babies that might have otherwise died prior to or during childbirth. This removes the natural selection process and has led to the reproduction of females who do not physically have the ability to carry and/or birth a baby; inferior females breeding inferior females, essentially. Of course there are many other factors involved in this, but I think it's an interesting point in light of a lot of the "Business of Being Born" type information that's currently so highly visible.
I felt his foot! Earlier this week at work, I was sitting at my desk and I felt a sharp jab in my side. I reached down to feel what was poking me and I could feel this small, flat, hard thing pushing on my right side...and I realized that it was his foot! I swear if my skin hadn't been so tight I could have grabbed it. But I couldn't, so I just poked it until he pulled it back...because regardless of how cool it was, the feeling was still rather uncomfortable.
Another perk to pregnancy, your husband gets better medical care as well. Kyle hasn't been feeling well this week so he finally went to the doctor today (Friday) and the doctor told him that normally they would just make him live with whatever he has, but since I'm 8 months pregnant, they gave him a Z-Pak. [I should say, he didn't receive "better" medical care...he's just going to be feeling well a lot sooner than he would have otherwise.]
How Far Along: 33+
Weeks
Size of baby: I'm
guessing 4-5 lbs...but who really knows.
Total Weight Gain/Loss:
Don't know, don't care!
Maternity Clothes: All the time, unless we're just hanging out at home. I've noticed that my pelvis has started the 'great divide', and so my pants aren't fitting quite as well as they were. Or at least that's what I'm choosing to believe...over the likely reality that I've packed on some fat stores. Either way, I'm trying to suck it up and live with it because I really don't want to buy more maternity clothes at this point.
Movement: Let's just say he hasn't run out of room yet! I keep worrying about him being head down, but it seems like he's still flipping around (his feet were in my right side yesterday afternoon, and in my left ribcage this morning), so I won't start getting concerned until my OB does.
Sleep: Naps are my friend. Finding a comfortable position is difficult these days, so sleeping for long periods of time just isn't possible. The good thing about this is that I've been getting to work extra early these past couple of weeks!
What I miss: Clothes. Normal clothes. I was looking through my InStyle magazine last night and it made me so desperate for skinny jeans, pencil skirts, and shift dresses...and not the kind with a huge elastic panel attached to the top!
Cravings: Sweets. Not good, especially now that the King Cakes are rolling into the office.
Symptoms: Just feeling like a big 'ol pregnant lady!
Best Moment this
week: Finally having all of our nursery furniture set up and a lot of other things put together and ready to go. There are still some necessities we need, but the majority of of the "big stuff" is done!
Breastfeeding 101
So, we went to breastfeeding class last Wednesday night. I was glad we went because there were some things that I knew, but others that I obviously didn't. I plan on using a lacation consultant once we get home (or at least have on lined up) to help with any issues that we may have, but like birth, I wanted to know what to expect and be made aware of how to remedy issues as they occur rather than stopping to read three pages from a website while trying to soothe a screaming baby...and perhaps a bawling mother.
One thing the instructor (a lactation nurse) did well, was reassure us of how little babies really need those first few days, and that if they are having dirty diapers, then it's very likely that we (and our breasts) are doing their job. That's not to say that I wouldn't have appreciated God installing a digital read-out on the top of my boobs that showed capacity and withdrawl amounts... But, like I said, she went overboard about how small babies stomachs are at birth (cherry to walnut-sized!) and that a teaspoon or so at a time was really all they need.
Funny moment (because there always is one), was when she was having us practice different feeding positions with baby dolls. Apparently Baby Blair wasn't too keen on sharing his space with another baby figure, because regardless of where I held the doll, on top of my stomach, at the side, up and down, etc...he managed to make it very clear that he didn't care for the doll being there by kicking and rolling around. My poor doll couldn't nurse very well because it kept getting assaulted.
Oh, and during the section about what to and not to eat while breastfeeding, Kyle raised his hand and asked about marijauna use...because, he announced, that had been my craving during my entire pregnancy and he was concerned that I wouldn't breastfeed if I couldn't smoke after giving birth. All I could do was shake my head. I'm just happy the instructor realized that he was kidding.
.........................................................................................................
Moral of the story, though: Like most things that have to do with babies and children...you can prepare all you want, but until you are actually presented with the situation/circumstance, you can't really say exactly what you will or won't do because so much depends on the baby. I plan on giving it my best shot, though!
One thing the instructor (a lactation nurse) did well, was reassure us of how little babies really need those first few days, and that if they are having dirty diapers, then it's very likely that we (and our breasts) are doing their job. That's not to say that I wouldn't have appreciated God installing a digital read-out on the top of my boobs that showed capacity and withdrawl amounts... But, like I said, she went overboard about how small babies stomachs are at birth (cherry to walnut-sized!) and that a teaspoon or so at a time was really all they need.
Funny moment (because there always is one), was when she was having us practice different feeding positions with baby dolls. Apparently Baby Blair wasn't too keen on sharing his space with another baby figure, because regardless of where I held the doll, on top of my stomach, at the side, up and down, etc...he managed to make it very clear that he didn't care for the doll being there by kicking and rolling around. My poor doll couldn't nurse very well because it kept getting assaulted.
Oh, and during the section about what to and not to eat while breastfeeding, Kyle raised his hand and asked about marijauna use...because, he announced, that had been my craving during my entire pregnancy and he was concerned that I wouldn't breastfeed if I couldn't smoke after giving birth. All I could do was shake my head. I'm just happy the instructor realized that he was kidding.
.........................................................................................................
Moral of the story, though: Like most things that have to do with babies and children...you can prepare all you want, but until you are actually presented with the situation/circumstance, you can't really say exactly what you will or won't do because so much depends on the baby. I plan on giving it my best shot, though!
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