Letter from Mommy

Dear Brody,

It's not nice to kick your daddy in the head. I know, I know, he was invading your space. But he really just wanted to hear your little heart beating.

Yes, mommy did laugh really hard and we'll let you get away with it until you know better. But once you get older, it may not be so cute when you kick someone.

Next time we'll try to let you know ahead of time that daddy is going to be putting his ear up to mommy's tummy to listen to you. He loves you very much and just wants to hear what you're up to in there.

We can't wait to see you!
Love,
Mommy

Special Nurse

The hospital I am delivering at has a program where you can connect with a nurse during your pregnancy and she/he will be there with you through your birth and even after going home. Ideally she would be your labor & delivery nurse as well, however, since babies come on their own schedule, nothing is a guarantee.


The program is obviously optional, but I figured it would be great to have a familiar face around the hospital when I am in labor. So a few weeks ago I talked with my special nurse and set up time to meet with her and get a private tour of the birthing area of the hospital.


I didn't coordinate very well with Jason, so I ended up going solo, which was no problem since he'll get to see the hospital during our baby classes anyway. The meeting and tour went great! Nurse "K" was very friendly, informative and reassuring. The best part was that everything she told me would be very specific to the place I'll be giving birth. I can talk to other women who have been there before, but she has worked with my doctor before and could give me a really good feel for the philosophy of the hospital.


Here's what I liked:
The rooms! They are very spacious and everything is done in the same room (labor, delivery, recovery). The baby will sleep in the room with us (Jason will be on the pull-out couch) during our stay. There is a refrigerator in the room (and a stocked fridge down the hall as well with plenty of popcicles) and I read online that they have WIFI in the room (in case I'm bored and want to blog!).

The atmosphere: I may have a slight misconception of this since I was there on a very quiet day, however, it had a small hospital feel on the floor. The nurses seemed very friendly and it didn't feel like you were just a "number."

Their philosophy: Nurse K made it very clear that the mother's wishes are important. They actually give you a "birth plan" to fill out so that they can try to meet your expectations as much as possible. No birth can be planned and she was also very open about that. She wanted to make it clear that they do what they can to allow every mom to have the birth she wants but there is always risk of c-section etc. She really just tried to promote that having a healthy baby is what is important. That may not work for everyone, but it works for me. I don't have high expectations of my birth for that reason. If a C-Section is the right thing to do for my baby, then by all means, do it. I trust my doctor and know he'll do what's best. The nurse even mentioned that my doctor is really good at making quick decisions during labor and had positive things to say about him.

Along with making sure the mother's wishes are upheld from a labor standpoint, she also reiterated how important my plans are for visitors as well. She basically made it clear that she would kick anyone out for me at anypoint if I needed her to. That just made me laugh & glad to have someone on my side. We haven't finalized our "friends & family" plan yet, but we know it's important that we spend time bonding with the baby before the parade of visitors start, which she highly suggested as well.

It was a good experience for me to meet her and see the rooms early on. It helped relieve some of my fears of the unknown now that I can visualize where I will be giving birth. It's also just nice to know that I've met a couple of the nurses on staff and hopefully will have a familiar face around on his birth-day.

31 Weeks

"Baby's now the size of a squash! Baby's going through major brain and nerve development these days. His irises now react to light, and all five senses are in working order. (He won't pick up anything from his nose until after birth, though -- smell is transferred through air, not amniotic fluid.)" - Thebump.com

Weekly Checklist
How far along? 31 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 27lbs (usually my favorite number...)
Maternity Clothes: Yep
Sleep: Yes please!
Food Cravings: A Cinnabon! I woke up last Sunday dying for a Cinnabon. Unfortunately it was like 7am and the mall doesn't open until 11 on Sundays. I didn't want to wait that long so I went to McDonalds and had their cinnamon rolls. 5 days later, I'm still craving one, so I know where I am going Sat morning.
What I am looking forward to: Baby showers! This Saturday my wonderful mother-in-law and sister-in-law are hosting a shower for us and Sunday my mom and sister are hosting another one. Next weekend my bestest friends are throwing a co-ed one for all J & my friends. All three will be great and I can't wait to see everyone!
Weekly wisdom: Drive 20 minutes to the mall to give into cravings. Maybe if had last weekend I wouldn't still be craving a Cinnabon.
Milestones: Leg cramp. I read that these are a symptom of pregnancy but hadn't experienced anything yet. Then one morning this week I had a really bad cramp in my calf, not fun. Dehydration can make it worse, so I'm definitely paying attention to my water intake!

30 Week Doctor Appointment

Today was my 30 week doctor appointment. Appointments are pretty quick now and I'll be there pretty often for the next 10 weeks.

The 30 week appointment is apparently the milestone of baby-swag. I was sent home with a travel bag, small diaper bag and tons of samples.

Weight: up 4 lbs for total gain of 27 lbs. Not ideal, but the doctor isn't worried.
Blood Pressure: 110/70
Heartbeat: 134
Fundal Height: 30.5 cm -- right on track (should be 30). This makes me less worried about having a big baby. But like I said last time, it's still early to tell.
Questions:
Not much to talk about this week. He asked about headaches and backaches, so I told them that both were getting better.

I told him that I started feeling braxton-hicks and he confirmed that it was what I was feeling. He told me to call if I was having real contractions that occur within 10 minutes of each other or cramping. Those are signs of pre-term labor, which I haven't felt either of yet.

Then they gave me the H1N1 vaccine. For some reason it hurt a lot more than the regular flu vaccine. I don't know if there really was a difference between the two or if the nurse I had last time was just better. My arm still hurts as I'm typing.

Next appointment in 2 weeks...

30 Weeks

"Baby's now the size of a squash! As baby's skin smoothes out, his brain just keeps getting more wrinkled. All those grooves and indentations increase surface area, meaning more room for that oh-so-essential brain tissue. He's also adding some brawn -- his grip is now strong enough to grasp a finger." Thebump.com

Weekly Checklist
How far along? 30 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 23lbs (I'm down a pound thanks to my soup & bread diet this week)
Maternity Clothes: Yep
Sleep: Constantly...but I think it's more related to being sick this week than the baby.
Food Cravings: Cheesecake & a spicy buffalo chicken sandwich. So J & I made plans to go to the Cheesecake Factory this weekend. Then my stomach started acting up -- so I think i'll have to wait until I'm eating solid foods before I attempt that meal!
What I miss: nothing in particular this week

What I am looking forward to: Hanging out with Brody. I realized Thursday night when Jason was at bowling that in a couple of months I won't have very many nights at home by myself anymore. I'm looking forward to it! (Remind me of this in about a year when I'm complaining about my lack of alone time)

Weekly wisdom: If you don't really want to know if your butt has gotten bigger during pregnancy, don't put on a pair of pre-pregnancy pants!! I didn't have any dress pants to wear to church on Sunday, so I figured I would just pull out a pair of pants that were slightly big before getting pregnant and use my bella-band to hold them up. Then I discovered they were a lot more tight on my butt/hips than before. Not a confidence booster!

Milestones: Braxton-hicks contractions. Really I just figured out what they were this week. They don't hurt and many women don't feel them. Supposedly some women can actually start having braxton-hicks as early as 6 weeks! I looked up the description & realized I had been experiencing them randomly, I just didn't know what it was.

"Your lives are going to change"

After telling people we were having a baby, we've been hearing this a lot. Our first reaction was, well yeah, of course it's going to change, that was the point right? Then this comment became a little more annoying when people acted like our lives were going to end when the baby gets here. I'd say we're not your typical mid-twenty year-olds. We're already very family oriented and couldn't tell you the last time we were out past midnight. So I believe all the changes we have coming are only for the better and our lives as we know it are not over.

However, I've come to the realization in the last month that there is one really big part of my life that will need to change drastically. That's my work-life. Luckily I work in a company that supports working mothers (on-site daycare) and I have a very supportive management structure. So it's not like I'm going to be giving up my career when the baby comes.
What will need to change is how I approach my job. Today, I take advantage of the weeknights where Jason is bowling or playing volleyball by working late. On those nights and many other nights, I end up at work until 7pm without thinking twice. When the dogs are taken care of and Jason isn't home, there's no reason to worry about how many hours I work. Obviously working mothers don't have that luxury.

We are very lucky that Jason has a job where he leaves between 3:30 & 4:30 everyday. This will allow him to pick up Brody from daycare at a reasonable hour each night. While this will allow me to stay at work late on most nights, I know myself well enough to know I won't be okay with missing time with my baby. I love my job, but I also love my family and I know there will be days I will struggle with giving the right amount of attention to both. It will be an interesting ride...

29 Week Bump Pic

Yes, we're baby-gating the house already! Actually it should really be called our naughty puppy gate.

29 Weeks

"Your baby is now about 16 incheslong, which is the size of the front wheel on the original Big Wheel." -hisboyscanswim.com

"Baby's now the size of a squash! Baby's energy is surging, thanks to white fat depositing beneath his skin. And since he's growing so fast (weight will triple by birth), things are getting kind of cramped in the womb. What all this means for you: Get ready for some more kicks and jabs to the ribs." -thebump.com

Weekly Checklist

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 24lbs

Maternity Clothes: Yep

Sleep: Some good nights, some bad. But my energy seems to be pretty good. If I take a nap in the afternoon I actually have energy to get stuff done around the house. yay!

Food Cravings: I went to the grocery store by myself (bad idea) & came home with all the fixings for ice cream sundaes. Plus the only reason reason I went to the store was to pick up fixings for peanut butter rice krispie treats. I don't think I came home with anything nutritional!

What I miss: uncooked lunchmeat. My cravings for Milios or cousins have been coming back the last few days. I can't wait to have my first sub after the baby!

What I am looking forward to: Eating a ham & cheese sub. (Did I mention I'm slightly hungry at the moment?)

Weekly wisdom: Having a footrest at my desk helps keep me a little more comfortable when sitting all day. A co-worker actually recommended using a mail tote instead of the copy paper box I was using. She very nicely ran down and got one for me on Friday, so we'll see if that is even better next week.

Milestones: A stranger noticed I was pregnant! I've had lots of co-workers who I hadn't specifically told start to notice in the past few weeks, but this was the first time someone I didn't know said something. I was at Kohl's and an associate made a comment and asked about the baby. I guess I'm officially big!

Taking After Mommy Already

Now that Brody is getting bigger and taking over more of my belly, I've notice a new trait. He likes his space! Whenever anything pushes my stomach in, or rests on it, he starts moving around and kicks that part of my stomach.

When I lay on the couch and put the laptop against my stomach, he kicks it. When I sit at my desk, sometimes there isn't a lot of room between me and the desk, so he kicks the desk. When I was holding Aubrie at the hospital, naturally she was resting on the top of my stomach -- kick, kick!


Now, I totally get this. I love my personal space. In fact, Jason learned very early on in our friendship that if wants to get on my nerves, he can just stand in my "bubble" for no reason. Don't get me wrong, I love cuddling, hugs and being close to those I love. Just not all the time! :)


I'm sure he'll love cuddling with his Mommy, but if eventually he just needs his bubble back, I get it.

28 Weeks

*Since my "weekly fruits" have turned into monthly ones, I'll just include my bump picture until I enter a new month. Baby is still the size of an eggplant (or a boot).

"Baby's now the size of an eggplant! Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, he has a pretty good chance of surviving (with help from medical technology). His skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit." -Thebump.com

Weekly Checklist
How far along? 28 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 22lbs
Maternity Clothes: Yep and now that it is getting cold out I can wear some non-maternity items (like cardigans/hoodies) as long as I don't close the front.
Sleep: Starting to get more uncomfortable (despite all my pillows). But I'm still tired, so I need the sleep!
Food Cravings: I think it's seasonal as well as pregnancy, but I've felt the need to bake a little more. However, that generally means desserts...so hopefully my weight gain won't start to skyrocket! :)
What I miss: Being able to spring up from a laying down position. I've officially started rolling out of bed or using a lot of energy to get up from lying on the couch.
What I am looking forward to: Holding Brody and seeing what he looks like.
Weekly wisdom: No matter how annoying pregnancy can be at times it will all be worth it when our son is here.
Milestones: Jason "saw" him kick this week! He's getting stronger and many times my whole stomach will move when he's active. J could see him kicking from across the room & thought it was hilarious.