35 weeks today...

Man, only 5 weeks to go since I'm 35 weeks today.  CRAZY!

Here's what babycenter.com says has been happening:

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

And whattoexpect.com had this to say about what's going on:

 

Your baby is standing tall (so to speak) this week at about 20 inches and continues his steady weight gain (he’s about 5.5 pounds). While he won't get much longer, he will continue to pack on the pounds — including large amounts of baby fat — right up 'til delivery day. Something else that's moving at a mind-boggling pace these day: fetal brain development! There’s a lot going on inside that tiny head, which is, by the way, still soft to allow an easier exit through the birth canal.

 

baby care class...

We had our last class, Baby Care, last night at the hospital.  It went from 7:30-8:45pm and Jackie crammed just as much information as she could into it.  :)  The gave us a booklet that I thought was pretty organized and contained lots of good information for us to reference back to.

We talked about procedures in the hospital directly after the baby is born -- like always moving the baby in the bassinet (not carrying them down the hall in your arms).  Jackie mentioned that we didn't need to bring our car seat into the hospital but that we did need to take our car to a local fire department so they could ensure that we've installed the car seat properly into the car.  She also mentioned the 2 routine medicines that almost all newborns get -- the PKU (a blood test done to test for rare metabolic disorders) and the Hepatitis B vaccine.  The hospital also does a hearing screen on all newborns.

We talked a tiny bit about breastfeeding but most in the class, like us, had already taken or were planning to take the breastfeeding class so we didn't dwell on that too much.

We talked about using the suction bulb (aka aspirator) which the hospital will give us to take home.  I've heard from friends (and also from Jackie last night) that the one they give you in the hospital is the BEST -- that they work 100 times better than any you can buy in the store.  Got it.

We talked about diaper changing and even how to clean off little bums before putting on a new diaper.  Very informative.  Jackie passed around photos of normal (and not-so-normal) poops based on whether the baby is breastfed or formula fed.  Nice.

We talked about circumcision care for those of us (over half the class, I'd say) who are having boys -- we covered that pretty extensively in the prepared childbirth class, too, but it was nice to hear Jackie reiterate.  Along those same lines, we talked about umbilical cord care (until the stump falls off).

We talked about how to bathe our babies, and Jackie brought up a really good point in describing how SHE personally used to bathe her babies right after they were born.  I didn't think about this but Jackie described how she would wash "sections" of her baby (head, then face, arms, then chest, etc.) and dry them off before she moved on to the next section.  She said she did that so they would stay as warm as possible while still being completely naked.  Huh.  Just not something I really thought about but I've seen babies just shiver while being bathed and I guess that's a good way to keep them from getting too cold.

We talked briefly about skin care -- using detergents like Dreft or ALL free & clear to wash all the baby's clothes and/or blankets, etc.  Jackie said she actually switched to using ALL for all of their clothes, too, because if you think about it, as you hold your baby, he's up against YOUR clothes, too.  Good point.

We talked a little bit about jaundice -- what that looks like and how to treat.  She said it's normal for all babies to have a little bit but that unusually high levels of bilirubin would require some extra watch and care until the levels drop to normal.

We talked about how to take your baby's temperature and what a "high" temperature for them is (100.4 +).  We discussed different types of thermometers and rectal thermometers were discouraged.  The general consensus was to use a regular thermometer under the armpit of your baby to get the most accurate reading.

A lot of information, right?  It was a great class and, once again, I'm glad we took it.  We had about 28 folks in the class, our largest class by far, and I was pleased to see that ALL the dads were there with their spouses.  Way to represent, dads!  :)

doctor's appt #16...

I had a doctor's appt this afternoon with my OB.  They did another NST (nonstress test) to make sure the baby is still hanging in there.  He is.  :)

I met Dr. Woodfill today who I've heard fantastic things about.  I really liked him a lot.  He has a compassionate spirit and he took the time to talk to me about the NST.  He showed me the printout and explained what they look for.  He said over a 20 min (or so) time period, they look to see what the baby's heartbeat baseline is (Deacon's is in the 140s, on average) and then they look for at least 2 increases in heartrate due to movement and/or minor contractions.  He said they saw 3 in my printout so things look fine.  He said they're fine to go with that for about a week -- hence the reason they do that every week.

Aside from that, he checked for swelling (which is pretty much constant at this point, from the time I get up til the time I go to bed -- and I'm betting the swelling really doesn't even go away while I sleep), and said that it was perfectly normal for this point in the pregnancy.  I told him about my struggle with taking time to get off my feet/put them up because I work and then I go home to start my "other job" of being a wife to my husband and "keeping house".  He even understood that -- the many hats we as women wear.  We just had a really good conversation.

Next week, I'll have 2 doc appts.  *sigh*  Such is life at this point, I guess.

maternity photos, 33 weeks

You may remember that I mentioned a rather large shower being thrown for us this past weekend.  It was absolutely amazing -- I'm waiting to post about it, though, until I get some photos to post with it.

Until then, I thought I'd share some of the fabulous photos that my friend, Elizabeth, took for us when we were in Cary a couple weeks ago.  I am so.pleased. with how they turned out.  We went to a park there close to where they live and it was just perfect for our photos.  The weather was awesome and Elizabeth was so easy to work with, had lots of good ideas.  These photos are so precious to me, to preserve the memories of this, my first pregnancy...

34 weeks today...

I'm 34 weeks today.  6 more weeks to go...and lots of stuff to do!

Babycenter.com says this about what's been going on with our little one:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling him out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

And whattoexpect.com said this:
 

Your baby is clocking in at five pounds and could be as tall as 20 inches by now, and the vernix (the white coating protecting your baby’s skin) is getting thicker. This week, a boy's testicles start making their way down from his abdomen to their final destination: his scrotum (look out below!). While about three to four percent of boys are born with undescended testicles, it's nothing to worry about — they usually head downtown before junior turns a year old. In other baby-related developments, those tiny fingernails have probably reached the tips of his fingers by now — and getting ready for that first postpartum manicure.

 

BIG shower!

We are so overwhelmed at the outpouring of love we saw tonight at our BIG baby shower thrown by our Sunday School class -- the amount of folks that came, the amount of food that was prepared, the thought and time that so obviously went into the decorations, setup, games, etc.

We.were.floored.  To say the least.

And it was a blast!  We laughed a lot, ate a lot, cried some.  :)  It was such a blessing to us...the photos (taken by one very talented Summer Saunders) should pretty much speak for themselves:

Our sweet friend, Catherine, took 8x10 copies of some of our maternity photos and did scrapbook pages of them to set on all the tables...and those are coffee beans.  :)  Nice touch!

[the multitude of gifts]

[the absolutely gorgeous cake that our friend, Stephen, MADE...]

[34 weeks pregnant]

[*gasp* a chocolate fountain!]

This is normally the room that our Sunday School class meets in, now filled with things of the party persuasion.  It was a great venue to throw a shower in.  And hold everyone.  :)

The onesie and hat say "I was worth the wait."  :)

I had to throw in a photo of my ridiculously cute niece, Cora Beth.  Had to.  :)

[so, so very glad that my family could be there for this special night]

So many folks were involved in the planning of this shower and so much time and thought and love went into making it a success -- those girls on the "planning committee" thought of everything!  We could not have asked for anything more special than what was presented tonight.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to all of those who spent any amount of time on any aspect of this shower -- you blessed our hearts so much!

Thank you to Summer Saunders who left us with these and so many more photos of these precious memories for us.

Thank you to all of those who were able to attend -- we had a wonderful time with you all!  Your love and generosity are so overwhelming to us and we're so grateful for each of you!

And thank you to our Lord Jesus who has brought each and every loved one into our lives so that we could experience the kind of love that we did tonight.  Our hearts and our lives are so full!

doctor's appts #14 & #15...

I had another 2 doctor's appts today, one at my OB and one at Wilmington Maternal.  Kinda getting frustrated and worn out with all these double appts, but it is what it is.  So whatev.

My first appt was this morning at Wilmington Maternal Fetal Medicine downtown for an ultrasound to check everything.  Jeff didn't get to go with me this time, but my momma did.  And she was so excited!  Momma & Daddy are in town for our baby shower tomorrow evening so Momma was able to go with me to this appt.  She loved every minute of it -- she thought it was so neat to see the ultrasound (they didn't have those back when she had her 2 babies) and tried very diligently to figure out what she was looking at.  The baby has really grown, though, so everything just looks like a mess in there now.  But my u/s tech, George, was good about pointing out what we were seeing.  

Once again, everything looks great with the growth.  George told us the baby weighs just over 5 lbs now which is in the 42nd percentile, just above average.  He said the development is right on target with my due date.  He did mention, though, that the baby is breech right now, with his butt down toward my cervix and his body curled up around on my right side (so his head is sitting under my left boob -- sorry, guys).

Dr. Radick (Dr. Wright's new partner) came in and told us everything looked great but that the kidneys were still larger than normal so they would continue to keep an eye on that and start checking my fluid levels a little more closely to be sure everything progressed the way it should.

**********************************************************************************

My next appt was this afternoon at my OB's office and they did an NST, or nonstress test.  That was really pretty cool.  They strapped 2 external fetal monitors to my belly and had me sit in this really comfy recliner.  It coulda been a La-Z-Boy.  I'm just sayin'.

The one monitor was sitting right where the heart primarily was so they could monitor the heartbeat, and every time I felt any movement I was supposed to push the button on this handheld thing she gave me (like buzzing in on Jeopardy :).  I was amazed at how much I could hear him moving around and not actually feel the movement itself (to be able to push the button).  He really moves around a lot and I can't even feel it all, only the major moves, kicks or rolls that he does.  

So this whole time I'm strapped up -- about 35-40 min, I would guess -- we've got the Kentucky Derby going on in there.  That's what his heartbeat sounded like, and what Dr. Hall even said, too.  And you could hear the heartbeat increase and decrease with movement, etc.  After they unhooked me, the nurse told me that the other monitor they strapped on my belly was to monitor any contractions I might have and to see how the baby's heartbeat did through that.  I did have at least one contraction while I was sitting there (just a Braxton Hicks which I've been feeling for quite a few weeks now), possibly 2, so I'm glad that happened so they can read how Deacon did through it.  I assume Dr. Hall read the strip before she came in to see me so he must've done okay.  :)

She said that everything still looked great with the development and his heartbeat, etc.  She mentioned that she saw the baby was breech from my u/s this morning and told me that they do not deliver babies breech -- which I knew already -- but that that didn't necessarily mean a c-section.  She said they had methods to try to turn him, if he didn't automatically turn on his own between now and then.  I mean, we do still have 6 weeks left.  Let's not rush things, for cryin' out loud!

After today's appts, I'm starting weekly appts with my OB and every 2 weeks (if necessary) with Wilmington Maternal.  My OB will do an NST each time to just be sure the baby is still handling everything well.  I hope Jeff will be able to get to one of those with me -- it was pretty neat to hear the baby and his heartbeat for that long and I think Jeff would enjoy that.  :)

"dinner" meeting...

Okay, so it wasn't a dinner meeting...it was a breastfeeding class but I didn't want to scare folks with that word just blazed across the title of a post.  Call me considerate.  :)

But yeah, we had Breastfeeding 101 last night at the hospital (same place our other class was).  It was an hour long (not even) and very informative.  Our teacher, Briar, had lots of good information for us and really put most of us at ease about the subject.  We had 14 folks total in the class, 4 of them being daddies.  :)

The first thing that Briar did was pass out some items and some cards that she told us not to look at until she said it was okay.  She had us go around the room, tell what our item was and then tell how WE thought it had anything to do with breastfeeding.  Once we said that, we were allowed to turn the card over and read what the item actually did have to with breastfeeding.  It was really quite interesting to hear everyone's answers as well as the answers on the cards.

Jeff's item was a tape measure.  Do YOU know what that has to do with breastfeeding?  Both Jeff and I had a pretty good idea -- and we were right.  :)  Breastfeeding, specifically milk production, burns between 500-1000 calories a day!  That piece of information right there was worth sitting through a whole hour long class, in my opinion.  :)  But we have heard from our friends who have been able to breastfeed that you really drop the weight fast and are able to bounce back to your pre-pregnancy weight (or even smaller sometimes!) easier if you breastfeed.  Out.stand.ing. 

My item was a (positive) pregnancy test.  And my answer was almost word-for-word what the card said.  *brushes shoulder off*  Your chances of getting pregnant decrease while you're breastfeeding but it is not a fool-proof method of birth control by any means.  We have seen that come true first hand with some of our friends.  Let that be a lesson, Mr. Wenzel.  :)

Briar then passed out some handouts for us to look at and make notes one (which I did) while she spoke.  A lot of the stuff I was already aware of but there were some interesting tidbits of info to learn.  I won't get into much detail because really, if you're still with me at this point, I don't want to make you any more uncomfortable that you already are.  :)

It was a great class and I'm glad we attended.  We have one more class, on baby care, next week and then we should be golden, right?  Got this whole parenting figured out before the kid even gets here, yes?  Ha.  :)

33 weeks today...

Each week seems to get faster & faster...I'm 33 weeks today.  7 weeks to go...

Here's what babycenter.com says has been going on:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

And whattoexpect.com has this to say:

This week your baby may be anywhere between 17 to 19 inches in length and weigh more than four and a half pounds. At this stage in fetal development, your baby could grow a full inch more this week alone — especially if he has been on the shorter side. Weight gain can range from a third more growth to a full doubling before the big debut.

The level of amniotic fluid in your uterus has reached its maximum at 33 weeks pregnant, making it likely that you have more baby than fluid now. That's one reason why you're probably feeling lots of nudges and pushes — there's less liquid to cushion the blows. (Of course that means you're even closer to your baby now!)

If your uterine walls had eyes, here's what you'd see: your fetus acting more and more like a baby, with his eyes closing during sleep and opening while awake. And because those uterine walls are becoming thinner, more light penetrates the womb, helping your baby differentiate between day and night (now if only baby can remember that difference on the outside!).

And good news! Your baby has reached an important milestone about now: The development of his own immune system that (along with antibodies from you) will be able to provide protection from mild infections.

Just an update on us personally:

Progress is coming along on the crib.  As soon as that is done and moved into the nursery, then I will really go into "getting ready" mode.   And things around here will finally start to look like we're actually having a baby.  :)  Instead of just chaotic, with things just not in their right place.  That's driving me crazy.  :)

We have another class this week, this time on breastfeeding.  I am planning to go that route, as long as everything goes well so I'm game to learn all I can now.

We had some maternity photos done with friends of ours in Wake Forest this weekend so I will probably post some of those when I get the CD from Elizabeth.  I've seen a handful of them and they look fantastic!  Elizabeth is so talented and we really had a good time with her & Matthew (and little Emily :) yesterday.

We have a big baby shower this coming Saturday.  My mom & dad, and brother & sister-in-law (and my niece :) are coming for it.  It's being thrown by our sweet, sweet Sunday school class and we're pretty excited about it.  We haven't been told much, which is fine with me -- I love surprises! -- but I've heard enough to know that everyone has put a lot of planning & effort into it.  We are so blessed...

32 weeks today...

I'm 32 weeks today -- officially 2 months (8 weeks) away.  YIIIIIIIIKES!

Here's what babycenter.com says has been going on with our little guy:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama*) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.

*Okay, I didn't even know what a jicama was -- it looks like a potato but I had to research it (what would we do without google??) to see what it actually is...

Jicama is a crispy, sweet, edible root that resembles a turnip in physical appearance, although the plants are not related. Jicama has been cultivated in South America for centuries, and the vegetable is quite popular in Mexican cuisine. Jicama has a unique flavor that lends itself well to salads, salsas, and vegetable platters. The roots can sometimes grow to be quite large, although when they exceed the size of two fists, they begin to convert the sugars that give jicama its sweet flavor into starches, making the root somewhat woody to the taste.

Huh.  Interesting.

Here's what whattoexpect.com says about what's been happening this week:

This week your baby weighs almost four pounds and could be up to 19 inches long. And though that's a head-to-toe length, your baby is actually back to a curled-up position (you try standing up in those cramped quarters!). At 32 weeks pregnant, you're likely feeling tapping and squirming instead of your baby's signature rocking and rolling. That's because, while comfy, your baby is a bit tight for exercise space right now. Your baby has also probably settled into the head-down, bottoms-up position in your pelvis in prepartion for birth. That's because the fetus's head fits better at the bottom of your inverted, pear-shaped uterus. It also makes it easier during childbirth if your baby comes out head first. Fewer than five percent of babies prefer the bottom-down (or breech) position by full-term. Don't worry if your baby hasn't assumed the head-down position yet. There's still a good chance he will flip head-side-down before birth — even in the tight confines of your uterus.

While your baby is still getting nourishment through the umbilical cord, it won't be long before you'll be bringing on the breast milk or formula (and soon after, the mashed carrots and peas). In anticipation of that momentous transition to mouth feeding, your baby's digestive system is all set and ready to go.

And because your baby is accumulating more fat, his skin is finally turning opaque (like yours), which means those see-through days are over. Though weeks away from D-day, your baby's looking more and more like a newborn.

And speaking of that big day, hope you're resting up for it — because your bambino certainly is. In preparation for that big first date with you, your baby is sleeping like a baby — with sleep cycles of 20 to 40 minutes long (which would also account for the decrease in movement you're likely feeling these days).

doctor's appt #13...

I had a doctor's appt yesterday with my OB, at the downtown office again.  Just a routine checkup and everything is right on target. 

I saw Dr. Vogel and his PA student, Ashley, both of which we saw the other night at the hospital during our tour.  That was kinda neat.  Both Ashley & Dr. Vogel said that everything is looking great -- my blood pressure (which was 124/80 in the doc's office) is still looking really great, the baby is measuring just right, he has a strong heartbeat, any swelling I have is normal (I just have some mostly in my left foot and sometimes in my right at the end of the day, and especially if it's really hot).

It was a good checkup all around.  And then I treated myself to Taco Bell for lunch.  Mmmm.  :)

doula meeting #1...

We met with our doula, Kelley, last night, for the first official meeting.  And had a lot of fun.  It helps when your doula is also a good friend of yours.  :)

She basically went over some of the stuff that we'd learned in our childbirth class, expounding on certain things and revising others based on her experience.  I felt more comfortable revisiting things I had a question about with her, rather than in a class setting.  She talked about the stages of labor  generally, but also as it pertains to her and what she's here to do for/with us.

She told me to be sure that both Jeff and I were wearing comfy clothes that we "could move in"...yes, we did some laboring techniques last night so that Jeff could see the role that she would assume for me, as well as the role that she expected him to play during labor and delivery.  It was GREAT for me!  :)  Kelley told Jeff that the main thing was to keep me just as relaxed as I could possibly be in that situation (that is, the situation of giving birth to our first child).

She went through some exercises on the ball and with a scarf type thing that serves to relieve pressure if used in the right way.  It was pretty interesting some of things she showed us and though I'm not having a lot of trouble with back pain, etc. at this point, I can see how a lot of these things she showed us will really help if/when I do have trouble with that.

We laughed a lot and learned a lot so it was a great experience for all of us, I think.  We have some paperwork to fill out and some exercises, etc. to practice for the next month and then we'll have another meeting at the end of the month to review.  We may possibly have one more meeting, if we just feel like we need one more before the little one decides to make his entrance.

childbirth education class #4...

We had our fourth and final Prepared Childbirth class last night.  We talked more about labor and delivery, specifically what happens if a c-section is needed.  Though I'm not a fan of needing a c-section -- I don't know who is really (unless they had serious complications in previous births or something like that) -- but I know that if one is needed, it will only be because it will be in my best interest & that of my child.

With that being said, having a c-section seems like a cake walk compared to a vaginal birth!  Now, I know there are more issues with recovery in the case of a c-section, a longer stay in the hospital, etc.  But the work is done mostly by the hospital staff with a c-section, according to what we learned.  Surgery is surgery, however, and the emotional issues that go along with a c-section HAVE to factor in, I'm sure.

Once we wrapped up the eduction portion, we got to take a tour of the hospital, those areas that we would be utilizing in the labor & delivery of our child.  It was pretty interesting seeing all the different places, and I got lost pretty fast but there are plenty of folks around to direct you where you need to go.  :)  What I liked about the hospital is that it doesn't feel so much like a hospital.  They've done a good job of making the rooms feel more like bedrooms, despite the little bit of medical equipment, etc. that's necessary.

The labor & delivery rooms (vs. the recovery/postpartum rooms) were kind of scary, though.  Only because Jackie flipped on the "delivery lights" (2 huge spotlights!),  took apart the bed and brought out the stirrups and such and I think it just kind of hit me right.then. that I would be going through "all this" in 2 months time.  It, um...well, it kind of...it was a healthy dose of reality.  We'll just say that.

The recovery/postpartum rooms on the mother & baby floor I've seen before after visiting some friends in the hospital after giving birth.  They're pretty nice.  Once we get to that point, it will be better.  I think.  :)

Jeff and I are really glad that we signed up for this class.  Jackie was an excellent teacher and I think we learned some really valuable things through this class.  We have 2 more classes to attend this month, one on breastfeeding and one on baby care.  After those, we'll be pros, right??