Thursday, May 29, 2008

34w0d

OK Seriously, where has the time gone???

Our bambina will be here in 6 weeks!

I went to my OB appointment last week and had gained 4 pounds in 2 weeks (YIKES). My doctor wasn’t thrilled. He wants me to be more careful, his only concern being my pre-existing heart condition. I am working on it. Otherwise, the baby is doing really well. I found out that if I reach my due date and have not delivered yet the doctor will induce me ASAP, so I definitely will not be having Nugget anytime in late July which is a relief. Playing the waiting game is bad enough as it is! I will be having my first internal exam on either my 36th or 37th week, at which point I will have more details to share.

…In the meantime I sit and wait for her - but not idly! I have been working like crazy trying to get everything in order. Nesting is in full force and I am exhausted so it proves difficult, but I can’t stop myself. We spent all afternoon yesterday painting the spare bedroom and today we will finish up by cleaning the floor and painting the new closet doors and trim. As soon as that’s done I can finally start organizing the nursery and the spare bedroom the way I want it. We bought a new desk since I’ll be working from home for 4 months. Norman is planning on putting it together for me this weekend.

I know I still need to post baby shower pictures and as soon as I complete the nursery I will post those pictures as well.

As far as how I am feeling…it depends. I am physically worn out. My back, neck and shoulders are killing me. I feel really tired almost all day long. My heartburn and acid reflux is under control – thank God for Protonix. I have begun getting 3rd trimester nausea which really sucks so bad. It’s as bad as the nausea I had in the beginning. Norman helps me through it by rubbing my back while I lean over our bed and let gravity pull Nugget forward and off my esophagus or whatever it is that is being compressed to cause the nausea. Sometimes that helps, but sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes the nausea won’t go away. The support hose I have been wearing has really helped me avoid leg cramps and I am so eternally thankful for that! I am getting up around 5 times a night to pee and it’s driving me crazy. I feel like I need a crane to lift my ass out of bed in the middle of the night.

The bottom line is these are small inconveniences in the large scheme of things. I would do anything for our baby. I love her so much; I can’t wait to meet her!!!! She is so rambunctious in my belly I can only imagine what she’d be like once she is born…probably as hyper as her mama. Even Norman is amazed by her acrobatics. She has no space left in there but she sure is constantly squirming about trying to make herself cozy :)

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

32w5d

Last Saturday was my baby shower. I don’t even know where to begin! It was amazing; everything was so beautiful. I am so very thankful to my mom and cousins Karla and Alexandra for the wonderful party they threw for me. The hall was beyond perfect, pink and brown galore. My cake, flowers, everything, everything, everything just absolutely perfect! I don’t have the words to describe it. There were 60 people there, every single one of them someone who loves me and cares for me. I feel so warmed and humbled. I am still reeling from the entire experience. My daughter is going to be the most loved little girl in the world.

I will have to let the photos speak for themselves. I will be posting them soon.

I have been doing well. I took it very easy on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week and started to feel so much better. I worked from home and stayed in bed for the majority of the time with my lap top.

On Sunday after the baby shower I thought I would die from the back and foot ache I had from all the running around I did on Saturday. I was able to rest in between washing the tons of baby clothes, blankets, washcloths, towels and bedding I got. What? You thought I could just let all those things sit around unwashed? No way!

I managed to make it in to work Monday and will hopefully be able to work up until the end. It makes me proud to know that I am working and successfully balancing pregnancy with work and life. Granted, I do get tired…it just makes me a stronger person. It prepares me for the life I am eagerly looking forward to! I honestly cannot believe that life is a mere 7 weeks away.

7 WEEKS!!!!!!!

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

31w6d

Last night marked hospital visit number 2 for me - I guess that's not so bad considering I'm 32 weeks along.

I was having a really rough day to begin with yesterday. Then when I was leaving work, I started feeling sharp pains in my belly. I couldn't walk to my car. I had to literally shuffle hunched over. When I got home I immediately laid down and drank water. I didn't get any better. FInally at 8PM I started to get more and more concerned so I called my doctor who told me to go straight to L&D. I was given a bed the minute I arrived and was hooked up to the contraction and fetal heart monitor. The baby was fine, active and has a healthy heat rate. I was having some contractions, though. My blood was drawn and I got an ultrasound. My blood work came back normal and the ultrasound showed a healthy, active, adorable baby girl. I even got a picture and everything. My placenta and amniotic fluid were perfect and everything looked great. YAY!

So to make a long story short, I was told to take it easy off my feet for a few days. I am already feeling so much better.

I am home from work today. Tonight we have our infant CPR class which we will definitely be attending, even if I need to go in a wheelchair!

Tomorrow I have my cardiologist appointment.

Updates soon.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

31w5d



Today is just one of those days.

I feel like shit.

I have acid reflux AND heartburn because my GI tract is squashed.

I am full beyond belief because my stomach is squashed.

I am having a hard time breathing because my lungs are squashed.

I am always thirsty, which means I am always drinking water, which means I am in the bathroom 2-3 times an hour because my bladder is squashed.

Oh, and I am so exhausted I fell asleep during my lunch break.

I love you, Nugget. I know you can’t help it. At least one of us is comfy – and I’d always much rather that someone be you instead of me…so I continue on! Only 8 weeks to go until we finally meet.

8 WEEKS!!!!!!!!!

Monday, May 12, 2008

31w4d

Last Thursday was my OB appointment. Everything was great; my doctor was very pleased with me and the baby’s progress. Her heart rate was between 142 and 145. I remember back when it was in the 160s! Of course the bigger she gets, the more she slows down…less room for flipping and acrobatics :) (Though I do believe one of these days her foot is going to burst right through my belly. Nugget is STRONG). She was measuring about 2-3 weeks ahead. This is fine – as the doctor noted, she’s always been big. I see him again on May 23. Once I hit 36 weeks, I’ll start seeing him weekly. He didn’t see the need for an ultrasound just yet. I might get one in about a month, I might not. There’s a good chance that the next time we’ll see her is in the flesh.

We went to our 8-hour Childbirth Preparation class on Saturday. It was great. A little scary, but great. I’ll put it to you this way: no matter how hard I tried to stay focused on NO PAIN, I had nightmares about a bloody and painful childbirth all Saturday night. Some of the most important things I learned are to try and labor from home for as long as possible before rushing to the hospital. This makes perfect sense to me. The rule of thumb she gave is to wait for 4 contractions lasting 1 minute in duration for 1 entire hour. (4-1-1) For us it would be between 5 and 6 contractions since we live farther away from the hospital. We learned how to time contractions and to basically forget everything I just said if my water breaks. If my water breaks I need to head straight to the hospital right away. Apparently this only happens in 10% of pregnancies. It is way more typical for women to begin labor with contractions versus a ruptured bag of water. Another thing I learned is to make sure to wait until I am 4-5 centimeters dilated before requesting an epidural.

Something is to be said for the support your partner can give you. Norman was beyond awesome. He made me feel like he understood everything and would be in total control of the situation. I also feel empowered to find my center and channel the pain. I have no idea what it is going to feel like for me, but at least I am equipped with the knowledge that this pain will have a definite beginning, middle and end. In other words, there is an end in sight – and this gives me a tremendous amount of relief. Still a little scary, nonetheless.

I have my final Cardiology appointment before I give birth this Thursday. I have been feeling great so I don’t expect there to be any out of the ordinary results found during my Echo or EKG.

In other news, we have a lot of work still left to do as far as the second bedroom we are renovating is concerned. The contractor is coming today to finish up with the closet, floorboards and wall. Soon after, we will be able to paint and hopefully finish up before mid-week. My grandmother, who usually lives with my uncle, will be staying with us for 3 weeks or so while they are on vacation in Canada. She’ll be staying in said bedroom so we need to finish it ASAP – she’s coming on Wednesday.

And my BABY SHOWER is on SATURDAY!!!! I am so excited for it. I feel like a little kid. I can’t wait to see everyone and just relax and have a nice time with friends and family. I am also super excited to see how everything turns out. So many surprises for me! My cousins and mom have gone beyond all out for this party. It is turning out to be quite the extravaganza!!!!

Thursday, May 8, 2008

31w0d

When I got home from work yesterday I cleaned up a little and waited for the contractor to arrive. When I realized he wouldn’t be showing up, I decided to just relax and watch some TV. I started getting sleepy so I tried napping. Right before drifting off, I started getting the worst pains in my belly and upper thighs. They weren’t contractions – at least I don’t think they were. It was more of a really bad stomach ache mixed in with intense heartburn and sciatica. I felt panicky but decided to try and sleep through it. I woke up not too long after and began feeling nervous because I hadn’t felt the baby move since the pain started. Then I worked myself up into a slightly more intense panic. I called Norman into the room and started to cry. He comforted me and reassured me.

I know I overreacted but if I am honest with myself I can notice that I am in a state these days. Everything makes me nervous. Being pregnant is the hardest thing I have ever done in my entire life. I have this life inside me and she needs me to take care of her and I feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of keeping her safe. Sometimes all I want to do is just hide in bed under the covers for the remaining 9 weeks. My hormones are raging. I am an emotional wreck. I am crying a lot and know it’s natural so I am trudging through. Don’t get me wrong though – I am happy and tear-free waaaaaaaaaaaay more than I am crying and emotional. I just notice that I have somehow reverted back to my first trimester emotional state which is frustrating.

Anyhow, as I am sure you already deduced, my sweet Nugget started kicking up a storm shortly thereafter and all is well.

Oh, and my acid reflux is going to be the end of me.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

30w6d

The TV is up and the closet system is installed. The nursery is complete! Now I need to wash all the clothes and blankets and sterilize all pacifiers, nipples and teething toys.

On to the next room. The room that used to be our bedroom has been completely emptied out. The contractor is coming in today and installing floorboards, door and closet casings and the closet system. Then we’ll paint, install new blinds and change all electrical outlets and outlet covers. We are converting that room into a den/office where we’ll have our computers, baby swing, bouncy chair, playpen, etc. My idea was to have one room for sleeping and another room for play time.

Nesting set in long ago but I had no idea what it was. It started by me throwing out all our old sheets, pillows and comforter and quilt and buying new ones. Today I will buy towels and throw out all our old ones as well. I have this overwhelming need for everything to be clean and new. I want to wash and scrub and clean everything in sight but am usually too tired to do it. Norman is nesting too though he won’t admit it. He’s going through a phase where everything HAS to be ready and clean for the baby. I tried to explain to him that is what it means to nest, but he is in denial.

Along with new towels, I’ll be buying a dress for my Baby Shower. It’s right around the corner! I need to find something fast. I don’t know why I waited so long.

I have been feeling well overall. Still a lot of lower back pain and acid reflux, but nothing unbearable. I am having tons of BH contractions. I don’t know how much is normal but I know I’m getting them a lot – not back to back, but often throughout the day. Plus the baby is moving so much. I think she’s getting squashed in there!

Here’s a belly pic from today. I was sitting in the car when Norm took this picture so it’s an odd angle but you get the idea.



I can't believe how huge my boobs have gotten!!!!!!

Monday, May 5, 2008

30w4d

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Norman and I had Mexican for lunch. Not that we ever need an occasion to do so.

I have good news; the nursery is officially complete – except for the installation of the closet system which we already purchased and the wall mounting of the flat screen TV. It looks beyond beautiful. I love being in there. I LOVE IT. Norman did an amazing job. I helped a lot and it made me exhausted but he did the majority of the work. As soon as the closet is completed I will start washing all of Nugget’s clothes and blankets. Now on to the second room we are renovating. It never ends!

Our Baby Care class was good. We had a great instructor and even though we both knew the majority of what we were taught, it was informative nonetheless. We learned about basic baby care – we even practiced swaddling and diapering a baby. Next Saturday we’re attending the Labor class. It’s an all day class, 9AM-5PM. This is the class I am most looking forward to because I am scared of labor. I think that if I have a better understanding of what’s happening to me, I will be less afraid. Norman will not be a happy camper next weekend since he isn’t fond of watching births and I am sure that we will be shown videos and such.

My contractions can get really bad. I thought I was going in to labor on Saturday night. I laid on my left side and drank lots of water and they eased up. I don’t know if it’s because Nugget is moving around so much and she’s jamming herself into wacky positions or what, but her movements come fast, hard and strong enough to take my breath away. It’s been happening that way for as long as I can remember, actually. I am also soooooo tired. I know I mentioned that already :) It’s just amazing how worn out I feel. I am pooped all the time.

9 weeks left until I deliver (unless I go early), and 8 weeks left until my maternity leave, HA. I’ll be off until November 3 and then the Nugster will start school at a private, fancy-schmancy day care. I am happy about this. I am definitely NOT the stay-at-home-mom type (though I have a lot of respect for women who are) and am really relieved that we found such a great school so close to our offices. We can go visit the babe at lunch and I can breastfeed during the day.

My next OB appointment is this Friday. I am guessing he will want to send me in for an ultrasound. I hope so!