When I thought about how I expected birth to go, a lot of scenarios played out in my head--most of them worst case. What actually happened had never once entered my mind.
To give some context, on Friday Peter went on vacation with his brother, cousin, and friend to Vegas and was planning on returning Sunday night. I had a sushi and sleepover night planned with my girl friends for Friday and then I was going to get last minute things done for the baby ( car seat install, hospital bag, type out birth plan, thank you cards). I was looking forward to both of us having a relaxing last weekend.
So Friday night, my three friends and I had dinner, grabbed some snacks at whole foods, chatted for a bit and of course joked about how funny it would be if I went into labor. I was 37w1d and I knew my chances were slim to none so at that point, it was still safe to joke about. We went to bed and I breathed through a few Braxton hicks like I'd done for the past few weeks and then fell asleep. I vaguely remember a large contraction right before I woke up to a feeling of water trickling at 5:45. I would repeat this thought over the next few hours: there's no way that I'm going into labor and even if I am, I have hours of mild labor ahead of me. I then released a ton of fluid and changed my mental state to: ok I'm in labor technically but I know that doesn't mean that I need to rush to the hospital. So I went to my friend's room to calmly announce I'd be going home and not to worry about me when a contraction hit me with enough force that I couldn't speak. After it subsided, it hit me that Peter was gone and I was going to have to go it alone and I wasn't prepared for the baby and I started to shake uncontrollably. By that point all my friends had woken up and were freaking out too. So ironically, that calmed me down enough to focus on what I'd do next.
I called Peter and told him he would probably have to fly back but to wait to buy the ticket until I knew I was for sure going to have the baby (totally still in denial). Then my friends and I caravanned up to my house to pack the hospital bag. I showered, we bought Peter a ticket (plane ETA was 12:15), and was still proud of how I was handling my contractions; they were coming a bit erratically but generally every few minutes and lasting a little under a minute long. I thought I might even have time to do a load of laundry and bake the nurses some cookies when they started to become really intense and last longer than a minute. My doula had told me that I would know it's truly progressive labor when they last about a minute and fifteen seconds and so I decided I should probably go to the hospital. I called her at this time but she didn't answer and I decided to call her again once I got settled in at the hospital. This was around 8am.
My friend drove me to the hospital while the others grabbed some breakfast and met up with one of my coworkers to get my birthing ball I had been sitting on at work. We get to the hospital around 8:30 and the contractions intensified. But I was still able to work through them up until I got on the bed to get monitored. All of a sudden they started hitting me super hard and fast with hardly any break in between them and became REALLY INTENSE. I was bewildered. It felt like how people had described transition. I couldn't breathe and I couldn't recuperate between them. The nurse told me I was 3.5 cm dilated and I knew that generally, first births take around 12 hours to get through active labor, so I had no idea how I would be able to do 10 more hours. I was especially lost without Peter there. I decided to get an epidural and felt pretty bad that I was abandoning a natural birth at only 3.5 cm and worried that it would slow me down too much. They gave me the epidural around 10 and shortly afterwards, the nurse declared I was at a 6. So on the one hand, it was like no wonder I was in so much pain. On the other hand, I thought, without the epidural slowing things down Peter might not make it back in time.
For the next two hours, my friends and I chatted and napped. My in-laws came down and said hi and then left to go pick Peter up at the airport. The nurse had told me that she would check me every 2 hours and to expect another centimeter for each 1-2 hours. Around noon I began feeling the contractions again but nothing like they were before. I waited a half hour and then asked her whether I should be feeling them. She checked me and surprised, said that I was at a 10.
I called Peter and told him as soon as he arrived, I could start pushing even though I could hardly believe it. I felt like it was way too soon and I wasn't prepared and once again, I was blessing the epidural for giving me a few more minutes to mentally prepare. Peter rushed in the room at 12:45 and we did a few practice pushes with the nurse and then waited again for my doctor to arrive. She got there a little after 1:00 and at that point, things became very real. I was laughing because my three friends were perched on the sofa to my left, just watching like it was a movie. My MIL filmed behind me and Peter was holding my leg. So then I mentally prepared myself for maybe an hour of pushing since I couldn't feel anything but apparently the baby wanted OUT. At 1:27, she exited my uterus for good. Hooray!
Basically I never expected to have a fast labor. I also never thought Peter wouldn't be there. And I especially wasn't prepared to have my friends there. But it was really a great birth and I felt so amazing afterwards. I was super happy that I was able to use my breathing to stay in control for as long as I did, I LOVED the epidural, I loved that I had a few hours to laugh and talk with my friends, and then I was happy that she came out without me needing to go on pitocin or undergo surgery. And I'm loving these sweet calm first few days (praying that they continue!) with just her and Peter and me. It is hard to tell her personality right now but she calms easily and you can't ask for more from a newborn :)
I am also loving post partum recovery. I know that sounds weird but it's been so awesome to start to feel like my body is back. I told Peter that even before I started showing, I was always acutely aware that there was another person inside of me.
Also awesome is how light she is. I am currently holding her cradled in my left arm while typing with both hands. I am pretty sure I won't be able to do this for more than a week :)
I am going to print and bind this blog into a book for her so this will likely be my last post. It has been the best 9 month project though and when I print these, I will include everyone's comments. I have appreciated all the advice and love and want her to be able to read them when she's older.
Anyways, you can find me posting on our family blog now http://tewfamily.wordpress.com/
Monday, March 19, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Dilation and Effacement
I'm dilated to a 2, 80% effaced, and baby is at a -2 station. So basically she could come tonight or in five weeks. Hooray :)
My doctor did a little cervical stretch while she was examining me and while I doubt it will put me into labor, there is always the chance. It wasn't painful at all but then again, it wasn't a true membrane strip/sweep. I have no idea what we'll do if I do start contracting because Peter is on vacation until Sunday and I really really really really don't want him to come home early. He has told me that the birth is more important, and ok, it is :) but having one last sunny weekend with his friends is something he deserves and I'd be sad if he missed out.
I still don't think she'll come until after her due date but it was exciting to hear that the baby has dropped and everything is progressing as it should.
My doctor did a little cervical stretch while she was examining me and while I doubt it will put me into labor, there is always the chance. It wasn't painful at all but then again, it wasn't a true membrane strip/sweep. I have no idea what we'll do if I do start contracting because Peter is on vacation until Sunday and I really really really really don't want him to come home early. He has told me that the birth is more important, and ok, it is :) but having one last sunny weekend with his friends is something he deserves and I'd be sad if he missed out.
I still don't think she'll come until after her due date but it was exciting to hear that the baby has dropped and everything is progressing as it should.
37 Week Stats
Baby: Well she is definitely growing. Last night was the first time I felt something pressed up against my ribs. According to the books, she is putting on an ounce a day
Mama Size: Up 30 pounds and according to the books, I should stop gaining weight now. The books suck.
Symptoms: I had a weird one-day episode of feet swelling and I have no idea why. It made me grateful to be heavily pregnant in the spring where the weather is simply beautiful and the heat is not unbearable. Peter thinks I'm nesting like crazy and maybe I am; I do have a ton of energy and motivation to be productive at both work and home.
Other updates: I go in for my 37 week check today but I don't expect any changes from last week. I don't think the baby has started to engage at all.
Last night, my neighborhood threw me a baby shower and it was like the combination of five Christmases and 10 birthdays. I'm not kidding when I say we carried laundry baskets full of gifts into my house. As fun as it was to receive tons of cute outfits (oh the sun dresses! And the tiny socks! And rainbow....RAINBOW LEGGINGS) it was so much nicer to feel loved and supported by the community. The woman in charge of the local church's children's program told me that in the summer, there are usually weekly play dates at the nearby playground and even though her social skills won't be quite up to par by then, I will definitely take as much interaction as I can get.
I forgot to write up my doula story last week so here it is. First, I view a doula as someone who can support myself and Peter during the birth since neither one of us really knows what to expect. That being said, I have strong opinions about not having strong opinions :) What I mean is that I would rather approach labor and delivery with an open mind, an understanding that I will need to be flexible, and a "let's see how I feel at that time" mantra. I have met with my doula twice now and both times have felt uneasy that she is so pro-natural that instead of arguing with my doctors, I will be arguing with her. Sigh. Both times she has looked at me very seriously and asked, "How much do you want this?" (This=going all natural). I was caught off guard the first time she asked me and responded, "Well I definitely would prefer if I could birth that way, but I would be fine if it didn't happen." The second time, just last week, I said, "I would view it as a successful birth if everyone was alive at the end." She said, "Well you know, unless you really want it and have it as your goal, then you could waver during transition and that's when it's almost over." Yes, I know that usually, when the thought of 'I can't do this anymore' comes to mind, that means you're about ready to push. But good grief, if I've been in active labor for more than 13 hours with no end in sight, there is no way she or anyone else will get in my way for rest and pain easement. Then she said something that really bothered me. "A lot of times, if the mom is asking for drugs, I'll ask her to wait another hour, just to see." I told her very clearly, "I don't want you or anyone else to do that." Well I actually meant, except for Peter but he knows that all decision making rests between us.
I talked it over with Peter afterwards and I realized that what bothers me about both the medical establishment and my doula's remarks is this assumption that during birth, they know more about my physical and mental state than I do. I just work better with someone rationally laying out the pros and cons and letting me (and Peter) make the decision instead of pressuring us with emotional tactics. My doctor is very much that way but I'm worried my doula is not.
It is unfortunately too late to hire someone else. When I called her up the first time, I was under the impression that our first meeting was the equivalent of a job interview. Apparently, the first phone call was the interview and setting up the first meeting meant that we were then obligated to pay all the fees. That bothered me at the time and I expressed my surprise, but I felt like I had already agreed to the deal since she told me she had told me on the phone (which she did but it didn't register what she meant).
Ultimately, we can always kick her out of the room but I really think it will be fine in the end. She teaches hypnobirthing so it will be nice to have someone there to remind me to relax, to read some scripts, and whatnot.
Question of the Week: What has been your experience with emotional pressure from medical or lay professionals?
Mama Size: Up 30 pounds and according to the books, I should stop gaining weight now. The books suck.
Symptoms: I had a weird one-day episode of feet swelling and I have no idea why. It made me grateful to be heavily pregnant in the spring where the weather is simply beautiful and the heat is not unbearable. Peter thinks I'm nesting like crazy and maybe I am; I do have a ton of energy and motivation to be productive at both work and home.
Other updates: I go in for my 37 week check today but I don't expect any changes from last week. I don't think the baby has started to engage at all.
Last night, my neighborhood threw me a baby shower and it was like the combination of five Christmases and 10 birthdays. I'm not kidding when I say we carried laundry baskets full of gifts into my house. As fun as it was to receive tons of cute outfits (oh the sun dresses! And the tiny socks! And rainbow....RAINBOW LEGGINGS) it was so much nicer to feel loved and supported by the community. The woman in charge of the local church's children's program told me that in the summer, there are usually weekly play dates at the nearby playground and even though her social skills won't be quite up to par by then, I will definitely take as much interaction as I can get.
I forgot to write up my doula story last week so here it is. First, I view a doula as someone who can support myself and Peter during the birth since neither one of us really knows what to expect. That being said, I have strong opinions about not having strong opinions :) What I mean is that I would rather approach labor and delivery with an open mind, an understanding that I will need to be flexible, and a "let's see how I feel at that time" mantra. I have met with my doula twice now and both times have felt uneasy that she is so pro-natural that instead of arguing with my doctors, I will be arguing with her. Sigh. Both times she has looked at me very seriously and asked, "How much do you want this?" (This=going all natural). I was caught off guard the first time she asked me and responded, "Well I definitely would prefer if I could birth that way, but I would be fine if it didn't happen." The second time, just last week, I said, "I would view it as a successful birth if everyone was alive at the end." She said, "Well you know, unless you really want it and have it as your goal, then you could waver during transition and that's when it's almost over." Yes, I know that usually, when the thought of 'I can't do this anymore' comes to mind, that means you're about ready to push. But good grief, if I've been in active labor for more than 13 hours with no end in sight, there is no way she or anyone else will get in my way for rest and pain easement. Then she said something that really bothered me. "A lot of times, if the mom is asking for drugs, I'll ask her to wait another hour, just to see." I told her very clearly, "I don't want you or anyone else to do that." Well I actually meant, except for Peter but he knows that all decision making rests between us.
I talked it over with Peter afterwards and I realized that what bothers me about both the medical establishment and my doula's remarks is this assumption that during birth, they know more about my physical and mental state than I do. I just work better with someone rationally laying out the pros and cons and letting me (and Peter) make the decision instead of pressuring us with emotional tactics. My doctor is very much that way but I'm worried my doula is not.
It is unfortunately too late to hire someone else. When I called her up the first time, I was under the impression that our first meeting was the equivalent of a job interview. Apparently, the first phone call was the interview and setting up the first meeting meant that we were then obligated to pay all the fees. That bothered me at the time and I expressed my surprise, but I felt like I had already agreed to the deal since she told me she had told me on the phone (which she did but it didn't register what she meant).
Ultimately, we can always kick her out of the room but I really think it will be fine in the end. She teaches hypnobirthing so it will be nice to have someone there to remind me to relax, to read some scripts, and whatnot.
Question of the Week: What has been your experience with emotional pressure from medical or lay professionals?
37 Weeks
Dear Baby,
You are now full-term! Totally freeloading after this. I am really enjoying this part of the pregnancy though, so feel free to stay in a few more weeks.
I was thinking about how excited we are to meet you and get to know you and I realized we already know so much about you. You love it when your dad and I talk while laying with our stomachs facing each other because you begin to kick up a storm. You'll move when some songs come on the radio (like Michael Buble? Riddle me that one) but are usually rather indifferent to the radio. I have eaten spicy and really flavorful foods and don't notice a response until I eat something sugary. Your dad thinks he can feel your feet some times and likes to play a game where he attempts to grab one. You always respond to that indignity by withdrawing whatever appendage it really is.
These are all things that no one but a first time mother would document but I really do cherish this time of your life.
Love,
Mama
You are now full-term! Totally freeloading after this. I am really enjoying this part of the pregnancy though, so feel free to stay in a few more weeks.
I was thinking about how excited we are to meet you and get to know you and I realized we already know so much about you. You love it when your dad and I talk while laying with our stomachs facing each other because you begin to kick up a storm. You'll move when some songs come on the radio (like Michael Buble? Riddle me that one) but are usually rather indifferent to the radio. I have eaten spicy and really flavorful foods and don't notice a response until I eat something sugary. Your dad thinks he can feel your feet some times and likes to play a game where he attempts to grab one. You always respond to that indignity by withdrawing whatever appendage it really is.
These are all things that no one but a first time mother would document but I really do cherish this time of your life.
Love,
Mama
Friday, March 9, 2012
36 Week Stats
Baby Size: Apparently gaining an ounce a day. That's quite the feat!
Mama Size: 39 inches around and up 29 pounds. Found stretch marks on the underside of my belly, tried to decide how I felt about them, and went back to eating the rest of our girl scout cookies. Those cursed thin mints and tagalongs are making me mentally adjust how much weight I'm comfortable gaining.
Symptoms: So I've been whining dramatically this whole pregnancy about my poor pelvis and how it has hurt so flipping much and how I would just like to have my child without all these physical pains thanks-very-much. Well it turns out it has been my tailbone this whole time. I don't know what gave my coccyx the idea that it would be fun to pretend to be broken for nine months, but I've been sitting on a makeshift donut pillow (ok, a boppy) ever since I figured it out and ahhhhhhhhh. Blissful painless legs and hips. I am going to a chiropractor next week to get my pelvis checked out before labor and I'll ask them to see if those bones got misaligned somehow. I still get some aches and pains at the end of the day but they all fall under what I'd expect to happen after gaining 30 pounds in my stomach. And fine, butt. Arms. Chest.
Other Updates: Oh the updates. Where to start. I went in for my 36 week appointment and am not dilated but my cervix is starting to soften (40%). The nurse did the GBS test and sent me on my way. It was exciting if uneventful. I know that women can walk around dilated and effaced for weeks or be nothing at all right before labor but the numbers satisfy the data nerd inside me.
Ok onto the rant of the week. I have never been a parent before. I have spent years in school learning about parenting-related topics and then I spent years teaching said topics to other college students. I freely admit my knowledge is academic instead of anecdotal and I keep my mouth shut when talking to mothers. So. This week we took a one-night class from the hospital on breastfeeding. When I used to teach my classes about breastfeeding, I always firmly expressed that we are so lucky to have options and although breast is best in a lot of ways, formula will not make one a bad parent. So that was the first thing that really rankled me about the instructor--she was very dismissive and contemptuous about formula. She then talked about the health benefits of breastmilk and I was with her until she started talking about the intellectual benefits of breastfeeding. The problem is that all the research on IQ differences in breastfed vs. formula-fed children is flawed in serious ways. The biggest flaw is that measuring IQ in infants is based on a lot of assumptions that don't exist for other areas of development. For example, we don't expect children to all be walking at the same time; why should we expect children to develop intellectually on a similar time frame? Also, how exactly do you measure infant IQ? The tests that exist are only weakly, if at all, correlated with adult intelligence. The second biggest flaw is the studies that do show an IQ advantage for breastfed children have a small sample and do not provide enough longitudinal data. The ones that are large and long-term have found that by age 8, there are no intellectual differences between the two types of children.
So I broke my rule of silence. I was mortified because I hate being confrontational but the thought of all these couples feeling as if they would have "dumber" children if they had to formula feed for whatever reason made me feel sick. I tried as politely as possible to explain the research and she even agreed that formula milk now has the same LCPUFA (the chemicals that we know are linked to neurological development) that breast milk has. But she was adamant that breastfed children are smarter.
Peter afterwards whispered to me that he was proud of me but I felt bad and it left me wondering if I was wrong. The only other solution would have been talking to her afterwards, but then the rest of the class would never have heard the other side. I tried to be very friendly and smiling and nodding the rest of the class but I could tell she was unhappy. Oh well, right?
Question of the week: What is it about some parenting methods that turn people into fanatics? I have a doula story that I'll have to save for another post but is it just me, or is the natural movement turning into just another excuse for giving parents unwelcome advice? :)
Mama Size: 39 inches around and up 29 pounds. Found stretch marks on the underside of my belly, tried to decide how I felt about them, and went back to eating the rest of our girl scout cookies. Those cursed thin mints and tagalongs are making me mentally adjust how much weight I'm comfortable gaining.
Symptoms: So I've been whining dramatically this whole pregnancy about my poor pelvis and how it has hurt so flipping much and how I would just like to have my child without all these physical pains thanks-very-much. Well it turns out it has been my tailbone this whole time. I don't know what gave my coccyx the idea that it would be fun to pretend to be broken for nine months, but I've been sitting on a makeshift donut pillow (ok, a boppy) ever since I figured it out and ahhhhhhhhh. Blissful painless legs and hips. I am going to a chiropractor next week to get my pelvis checked out before labor and I'll ask them to see if those bones got misaligned somehow. I still get some aches and pains at the end of the day but they all fall under what I'd expect to happen after gaining 30 pounds in my stomach. And fine, butt. Arms. Chest.
Other Updates: Oh the updates. Where to start. I went in for my 36 week appointment and am not dilated but my cervix is starting to soften (40%). The nurse did the GBS test and sent me on my way. It was exciting if uneventful. I know that women can walk around dilated and effaced for weeks or be nothing at all right before labor but the numbers satisfy the data nerd inside me.
Ok onto the rant of the week. I have never been a parent before. I have spent years in school learning about parenting-related topics and then I spent years teaching said topics to other college students. I freely admit my knowledge is academic instead of anecdotal and I keep my mouth shut when talking to mothers. So. This week we took a one-night class from the hospital on breastfeeding. When I used to teach my classes about breastfeeding, I always firmly expressed that we are so lucky to have options and although breast is best in a lot of ways, formula will not make one a bad parent. So that was the first thing that really rankled me about the instructor--she was very dismissive and contemptuous about formula. She then talked about the health benefits of breastmilk and I was with her until she started talking about the intellectual benefits of breastfeeding. The problem is that all the research on IQ differences in breastfed vs. formula-fed children is flawed in serious ways. The biggest flaw is that measuring IQ in infants is based on a lot of assumptions that don't exist for other areas of development. For example, we don't expect children to all be walking at the same time; why should we expect children to develop intellectually on a similar time frame? Also, how exactly do you measure infant IQ? The tests that exist are only weakly, if at all, correlated with adult intelligence. The second biggest flaw is the studies that do show an IQ advantage for breastfed children have a small sample and do not provide enough longitudinal data. The ones that are large and long-term have found that by age 8, there are no intellectual differences between the two types of children.
So I broke my rule of silence. I was mortified because I hate being confrontational but the thought of all these couples feeling as if they would have "dumber" children if they had to formula feed for whatever reason made me feel sick. I tried as politely as possible to explain the research and she even agreed that formula milk now has the same LCPUFA (the chemicals that we know are linked to neurological development) that breast milk has. But she was adamant that breastfed children are smarter.
Peter afterwards whispered to me that he was proud of me but I felt bad and it left me wondering if I was wrong. The only other solution would have been talking to her afterwards, but then the rest of the class would never have heard the other side. I tried to be very friendly and smiling and nodding the rest of the class but I could tell she was unhappy. Oh well, right?
Question of the week: What is it about some parenting methods that turn people into fanatics? I have a doula story that I'll have to save for another post but is it just me, or is the natural movement turning into just another excuse for giving parents unwelcome advice? :)
36 Weeks
Dear Baby,
I had a dream last night that I gave birth to you and you came out, wrapped in your placenta like you were in a sleeping bag. Although my subconscious is apparently worried about all the wrong things, thoughts about labor are starting to nudge their way to the front of my mind and I read birth stories with a new perspective. Instead of enjoying them like the ultimate short stories they are (build-up, crescendo, and then happily ever after), I find myself wondering how similar our birth story will be by comparison.
I deeply hope that however it plays out, it will be calm and as trauma-free as I can help it for both of us.
Love,
Mama
I had a dream last night that I gave birth to you and you came out, wrapped in your placenta like you were in a sleeping bag. Although my subconscious is apparently worried about all the wrong things, thoughts about labor are starting to nudge their way to the front of my mind and I read birth stories with a new perspective. Instead of enjoying them like the ultimate short stories they are (build-up, crescendo, and then happily ever after), I find myself wondering how similar our birth story will be by comparison.
I deeply hope that however it plays out, it will be calm and as trauma-free as I can help it for both of us.
Love,
Mama
Monday, March 5, 2012
And one more for posterity
Peter will kill me but I think the baby's blog needs one silly picture of daddy
32 vs 35 weeks
I keep forgetting to update my bump shots
Here is my 32 week picture
And my 35 week one
It is honestly perplexing how my belly changed that rapidly. I mean, not that perplexing (duh there's a baby growing) but according to my measurements, I actually lost half an inch in my waist over those weeks. Maybe it's b/c she flipped from transverse to head down in that time period?
Here is my 32 week picture
And my 35 week one
It is honestly perplexing how my belly changed that rapidly. I mean, not that perplexing (duh there's a baby growing) but according to my measurements, I actually lost half an inch in my waist over those weeks. Maybe it's b/c she flipped from transverse to head down in that time period?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
35 Week Stats
Baby Size: 5 pounds ish?
Mama Size: Up 27 pounds and 38 inch waist. I didn't feel like I grew much this week.
Symptoms: She hiccups every night :) It's really cute. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now which makes my endurance of all the aches and pains easier. It's shocking how physically tiring it is to work in an office job all day--that has definitely been unexpected. I am lucky in that I can go home and work as long as I don't have a meeting but I am so much more productive being at work that I try to stay as long as possible. People keep asking me when my last day is and is it a sign of workaholism if I hope to work until I go into labor?
Other updates: I ran this week! Ok, not full out or even....jogging speed. I guess I shuffled. I was on a walk and was feeling so good I thought I'd see how it felt to go faster. So I started picking up the pace and I'm sure I looked RIDICULOUS. I only "ran" for maybe a quarter mile but it felt great, if a little weird. It just felt weird to go through the motions of running with all this weight around my middle. Unfortunately, that was Monday and the rest of the week had really bad weather so I haven't been out since. I can't wait until I can start to really exercise again.
We put up a bookshelf and rug in the nursery and now all that's left are the accessories--a light, a few shelves, some paintings, and the mobile. I hope to have pictures up in a few weeks.
Also I had sushi this week and it was mind blowing. Oh just thinking about it makes me crave it again. I really wanted to expose this little baby to all the flavors of the world that I enjoy and so far, she has had quite the range of cuisines--Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, Cajun, Indian, etc., but the one I found most enjoyable has been Japanese sushi. I find the grocery store kind slightly revolting or I could go and have some right.this.second. Sigh.
Next week is full of baby stuff! Doula visit, doctor visit, and breastfeeding class. This means my 36 week entry will be even longer than usual :)
Question of the Week: I know eating sushi is frowned upon in America (rolling eyes--it's incredibly safe if eaten at a clean establishment and if you avoid the predator fish. But that is good advice for any time of your life, not just during pregnancy). So what "rules" did you break during pregnancy? I have a whole list of other things but I'm afraid they will really cause an outcry. Unless what you did was worse :)
Mama Size: Up 27 pounds and 38 inch waist. I didn't feel like I grew much this week.
Symptoms: She hiccups every night :) It's really cute. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now which makes my endurance of all the aches and pains easier. It's shocking how physically tiring it is to work in an office job all day--that has definitely been unexpected. I am lucky in that I can go home and work as long as I don't have a meeting but I am so much more productive being at work that I try to stay as long as possible. People keep asking me when my last day is and is it a sign of workaholism if I hope to work until I go into labor?
Other updates: I ran this week! Ok, not full out or even....jogging speed. I guess I shuffled. I was on a walk and was feeling so good I thought I'd see how it felt to go faster. So I started picking up the pace and I'm sure I looked RIDICULOUS. I only "ran" for maybe a quarter mile but it felt great, if a little weird. It just felt weird to go through the motions of running with all this weight around my middle. Unfortunately, that was Monday and the rest of the week had really bad weather so I haven't been out since. I can't wait until I can start to really exercise again.
We put up a bookshelf and rug in the nursery and now all that's left are the accessories--a light, a few shelves, some paintings, and the mobile. I hope to have pictures up in a few weeks.
Also I had sushi this week and it was mind blowing. Oh just thinking about it makes me crave it again. I really wanted to expose this little baby to all the flavors of the world that I enjoy and so far, she has had quite the range of cuisines--Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Mexican, Cajun, Indian, etc., but the one I found most enjoyable has been Japanese sushi. I find the grocery store kind slightly revolting or I could go and have some right.this.second. Sigh.
Next week is full of baby stuff! Doula visit, doctor visit, and breastfeeding class. This means my 36 week entry will be even longer than usual :)
Question of the Week: I know eating sushi is frowned upon in America (rolling eyes--it's incredibly safe if eaten at a clean establishment and if you avoid the predator fish. But that is good advice for any time of your life, not just during pregnancy). So what "rules" did you break during pregnancy? I have a whole list of other things but I'm afraid they will really cause an outcry. Unless what you did was worse :)
35 Weeks
Dear Baby,
My dear friend from college just had her baby today and of course, it made me think about you. I wonder if you will love her daughter as much as I love the mother. She and I laughed that the only thing better would have been if one of us had had a boy so that we could plan a wedding in 20+ years.
Of course, I hope you have a fulfilling career and travel the world and get as much education as you want. However, having experienced those things, being with your father has trumped them all. I can't wait for you to grow up knowing him.
Love,
Mama
My dear friend from college just had her baby today and of course, it made me think about you. I wonder if you will love her daughter as much as I love the mother. She and I laughed that the only thing better would have been if one of us had had a boy so that we could plan a wedding in 20+ years.
Of course, I hope you have a fulfilling career and travel the world and get as much education as you want. However, having experienced those things, being with your father has trumped them all. I can't wait for you to grow up knowing him.
Love,
Mama
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