34 Weeks

Here we are...mile 24.5.

I am doing away with the usual question format this time around, mostly because I am tired of answering the same questions. So I thought I'd just do a little update.

Last Monday I went to the doctor's office for a non-stress test. During this test, they put 2 sensors on the belly: one to monitor baby's heart rate, and one to monitor any contractions (I'm not having any). They are looking for baby's heart rate to increase 15 beats above baseline for 15 seconds on at least 2 occasions in a 20-minute period. So I just sat there for 20 minutes and watched the monitors, which was pretty nice. After that, they took a blood pressure and it was pretty close to normal. Baby also passed the heart rate test, so they feel like he's fine and comfy in there. A gold star appointment over all.

I went back on Thursday for an ultrasound, which was a bit more of a haphazard experience. The ultrasound looked good; baby scored high again. No face pics at all this time around, though we did get a picture of a foot and some toes. That would have been thrilling at the beginning of this process, but now I'm like "no face? Not interested. Move along." Because baby is bigger at this point, ultrasound is useful for them to look at particular parts for measuring but not very interesting for me to look at--you can't see the whole baby at once or much of the head or anything that helps you orient to what you're looking at. He was practice breathing a little, but then he would stop (supposedly he was sleeping). The sonographer wanted to see him do it for longer, so she woke him up with a little buzzer, after which he got really mad and did plenty of the breathing accompanied by some angry hiccups.

After this appointment, the BP was a little high (no idea why), but my usual doc was not there to consult so they had to make a follow-up plan on the fly. Lots of waiting around ensued (schedule morning appointments whenever possible). I was sent down to the lab for a blood draw, which was lovely as always. The next day, a nurse called and said the results from the blood tests were "very reassuring" and there were no signs of pre-eclampsia "yet"...thanks for that. But it was nice of them to call, though I'd already had nurse Sara look at the labs once they posted them in my online file and she said it looked good. So really I think the overall feeling right now is that I continue to be fine, but I feel like it's a roller coaster in terms of what the BP is on any given day and they are watching so closely that it feels like a LOT of testing. I'm not tired of being pregnant quite yet, but I am getting tired of being this patient. I just keep reminding myself that, one way or another, it will be over in a couple of weeks and it's not really that big a deal since baby is fine.

One fun thing from the most recent ultrasound: the sonographer got kind of a backlit (?) view of his head, and said that he doesn't have a full head of hair but does have some little peach fuzz. We'll have to wait and see what color it is...I am kind of freaked out by babies that come out with a whole baby toupee on anyway, so peach fuzz is fine with me. I just kind of hope he's not bald for as long as I was...

Speaking of hair--thought I'd throw in a positive perk at this point...while I may look and feel like a manatee, at least I am a manatee with awesome hair (except when it's raining). It is thick and generally cooperative, and it's a very strange experience to not be shedding. No hair in the shower. None in the brush. No random hairs on my arm or pillow or bathroom floor or car dash or whatever (you curly-haired girls know what I mean). I will be very sad to lose it all after baby is born.

I also had a nice coffee sesh with two other ladies who are due at the same time as I am (literally--one is Feb 20 and the other is Feb 21), so it was nice to chat with people who are in the trenches as well. Some of our experiences are the same, and some are really different, so it's nice to get a little perspective. I also had a wonderful baby shower on Saturday hosted by cruise director Grace Ann, Buff & Mary and their mom, Kate, Catherine, Katie (via satellite), and Bernzo. A lovely time was had by all and it was truly perfection to look at. I'll do a whole post with pics once I get them from the photographer (i.e., Sara).

I think those are the main points to hit for this week...hopefully I can get through the next round of doctor appointments without being ping-ponged around too much. I hope your week is fabulous and that you are surviving the January blahs.

xo

Christmas Wrap-up

Before we get too far into the new year, I wanted to do a brief Christmas wrap up. We stayed home (no more air travel for me) and had a low-key holiday, splitting time between our own little Christmas and some festivities with the rest of my side of the fam. It's always hard to not be able to be in two places at once, but we got a lovely Santa shipment from Upstate and chatted with everyone via phone on the big day. I think we were all aware it was our last year without a little one...next year will be a totally different ball game, I suspect. But at least I'll be able to have cocktails. One was not meant to survive Christmas without libations. 

I had some help decorating the trees...

It was hard work.

 

But we got it done.

It's not Christmas morning without adult-sized shark footie pajamas.

Hey Sar. THE BIG TREE.

Later on, we busted out the good stuff: Pappy + Wasik's. A winning combo.

(photos with my fancy new camera lens...thanks, Santa BA!!)

And capped it off with a lovely meal at my parents' house. Don't worry, I ate everything. Then we watched movies in our jammies and hit the hay. It was wild.

We hope you all had a happy, safe, and magical holiday. Let's do it again next year. 

Packing The Hospital Bag

As promised, I have updated this to reflect my actual experience. I wanted to do that before I forgot. A note on my experience: I ended up being induced and had a long labor. However, I also had an early epidural, so I was not really up and walking around during labor. That meant I didn't use a lot of things that one might in that phase. Also, I delivered late at night and was moved to post-partum at about 3am. I think the flow of your stay could be pretty different depending on time of delivery. Overall, the approximate timeline:

• Admitted at 8:30pm on Friday, 2/8
• Cytotec and monitoring overnight. After the first 2 hours of Cytotec, I could get up and walk/go to the bathroom, etc.
• Started Pitocin at 3:45am. Could still walk around but had IV pole
• Epidural morning of Saturday, 2/9--no longer mobile
• Delivered at 11:32pm on Saturday, 2/9
• Moved to recovery around 2 or 3 am on Sunday, 2/10--could walk with assistance then and was fully mobile by Sunday day.
• Spent Sunday in recovery and was discharged around 11am on Monday, 2/11

3 nights; 2 days.

This is the current to-do. I am packing for me and baby, and BA is in charge of his own bag (don't worry, I scoured the internet and asked friends for suggestions). The goal is to have them ready by mid-January (34 weeks or so).

The packing lists are based on quite a bit of research and a little bit of making things up. It's probably too much, but that's also probably a rite of passage. I wanted to post my intended packing list here for now--so people can suggest changes before we go, if necessary. Then, after the hospital stay, I will update it with my thoughts on what I'm glad we had, what we could have done without, and what I wish we'd taken instead.

This looks really long, but most of the items are pretty small.

For Me:

• My own pillow. Hospital ones are notoriously thin. This is almost universally suggested.
• Shower shoes (rubber flip flops)
• Slippers
• Socks. Some sites suggest non-skid for the hospital floors, so I found some cheapies on Amazon. [My hospital had these but they were good to have packed nonetheless as I was unsteady on my feet after delivery. As noted, I wasn't up and around much during labor. Wore my own socks then and was fine until I got hot and took them off. Was barefoot for the actual delivery--good thing I got that pedicure!]
• Sports bra, nursing bra/tanks
• Nursing pads, nipple cream [You probably wouldn't use this much at the hospital--at least after a vaginal delivery--as milk does not come in until you're already home, but I still think it's good to have because you just never know.]
• PJs and robe. Some people are sticklers for having their own clothes--I don't really have a problem with hospital gowns and understand the reasons why hospitals keep patients in gowns, so I will probably take minimal clothing for myself. Just enough to make sure I have the option to be warm/covered up for visitors. It's not really that long of a stay, after all. [I wore my own nightgown in recovery on Sunday. It was a nursing gown and nice to have but not essential.]
• Maxi pads. The hospital will have a bunch of these, so I may or may not actually end up bringing any. [Didn't take any...you can't buy at a store the kind of supplies you need right after birth, so you've got to go with the hospital ones. Go home with as much as you can.]
• Towel--for any number of uses, including but not limited to post-shower
• Gatorade. Don't leave home without it. [I was really glad I had this to lend some variety to my Clear Liquid Diet--but it made the bag heavy!]
• Magazines (probably not for me to peruse, LBH) and pens (lots of forms to fill out) [We were glad for both of these...I didn't read any magazines but the peanut gallery had to pass some long hours]
• iPhone and charger. I will say this again later, but seems to fit here as well: in my past experiences as a visitor in this hospital, I have found that cell service--at least on our provider--is very poor if not nonexistent. This is because of all the cables and medical equipment in the ceilings, etc. blocking a signal. Thus, I do not anticipate the phone/texting being our main mode of communicating with friends and family while we are in the hospital. We'll definitely figure something out for the big news, but it's likely I'll use this blog as a quick and streamlined way to get info to the masses. I just want to prevent hurt feelings up front by saying it's not us--it's that there's no service in there.
• Camera
• Going-home outfit--still maternity wear, per the advice of many friends. I'll post more details on what it actually ends up being later. [I wore my Ingrid & Isabel leggings that I'd worn into the hospital, a nursing bra {he wasn't feeding much but you're not supposed to wear underwire}, a tshirt, and a lululemon sweater jacket with Uggs]
• Book from childbirth class [Didn't look at this but it would probably be useful for some people. In recovery, they gave us a little "Mother & Baby" book published by the hospital and that was useful. BA and I consulted it for feeding questions, etc.]
• Empty tote for extras [This is a MUST!]
• Toiletries
• face wash/wipes, moisturizer [I was really glad I had the face wipes so I could wash up when I couldn't get out of bed]
• toothbrush/toothpaste [I also had a pack of those Wisp disposable "toothbrushes"--also nice for when I couldn't get up]
• deodorant
• contact case/solution and glasses--people have told me you want the option of either one at different times (e.g., glasses for when you're tired but they tend to fog up during labor if you're hot)
• hairbrush, hairdryer
• **hair ties** I have been reminded of this by several people [Put your hair up before getting an IV...I didn't and had to have Sara help me and it was all just a mess]
• **chapstick** ditto. Hospitals are dry and there's a lot of panting (for lack of a better term) during labor
• travel-size shower supplies, lotion
• makeup (not the whole pageant arsenal)
• Gifts for nurses [I consulted my sister on this one. She said that everyone likes edible treats, of course, but they just get put in the break room and eaten by everyone. I wanted to acknowledge people individually, so I bought about 10 gift cards to Au Bon Pain--there is one in the hospital--and gave them to our nurses as their shifts ended. Sara just wrote "thank you for your excellent care!" on all the envelopes they came with. Maybe all the nurses were great actresses, but they all seemed genuinely grateful. I just wish we could have done more, because they were all so awesome.]

For Baby

• blanket--to cover baby when heading home. It will be February, so your own blanket needs might differ depending on the time of year
• wipes
• pacifier
• mittens or outfit with hand coverings. The ones pictured above are kimono-style snap shirts for newborns with cuffs that flip over their hands so they don't scratch everything to death. 
• hat
• going-home outfit with legs for carseat (i.e., not a gown) [He wears nb in some clothes and 0-3 months in others because he was 8 lbs--right at the cutoff--so I think it's good to have a shirt or outfit in each size. But you can always just keep them in the hospital shirt if needed.]
• Boppy--can be left in car until needed. Seems bulky and some people say you don't need it, but a lot of others say it helps a lot with learning to breastfeed and to provide counterpressure on your incision if you've had a c-section. [We brought it in with us. I didn't really use it for feeding, but every single visitor used it to hold the baby, so it's worth it for that.]
• car seat--Also leave in car until needed, but they won't let you leave without one.

NB: there are things that would pertain to both of these lists that I am told the hospital will provide, so I'm not taking them. Your hospital might be different, and I'll update with the real deal on the flip side. These include: the mesh underwear, some nursing supplies, pads, lady-part care supplies, and diapers and clothes for baby (they have diapers, little shirts, and hats). People generally recommend against onesies in the hospital because you don't want to cover their little cords, plus it's easier for the medical people to do their jobs if they can have quick baby access. So little shirts are enough, and they can stay warm with blankies (also provided).

Take home with you:

• peri bottle
• Tucks pads, Epifoam
• mesh undies
• the really large pads plus the ones you put on top of them (they show you how to layer the Tucks and the foam and make a nice little concoction). The "smaller" pads get cold after you unwrap/crack them. Take a bunch. They're bulky, which is why extra totes are great to take.
• Prescriptions, if relevant
• diapers
• Vaseline
• (gauze for circumcision care, if relevant)
• aspirator bulb
• baby comb
• alcohol wipes for umbilical stump
• they also gave us a tape measure
• anything you want as a keepsake: id bracelets, card from nursery bassinet, etc

For BA

As I mentioned, he's in charge of his own bag, so we'll see what makes it there and what gets used. His situation is a bit different as he'll be able to come home and shower or get things as needed.

• Comfy clothes
• Underwear
• Comfortable shoes/socks
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Chapstick, deodorant
• Snacks and gum (this was suggested by someone who pointed out that your support person will likely be hitting the coffee to stay pepped up during a long labor, but that the last thing you'll want is coffee breath up in your face saying YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB)
• Change for vending machines (not sure this is still timely advice, but it doesn't take up much room) [There actually was at least one late-night vending machine run for drinks...other than that, you can get people to bring food for you and the crew.]
• iPhone, iPad/kindle/book, chargers
• Music? This is not a huge part of the "birth plan" but I can see it being handy if we're hunkered down for a while. As it's generally on the phone or iPad, no extra things to pack. You could make a playlist if you're so inclined. 
• Other clothes, toiletries, supplies at your discretion
• Trash bag. This was suggested by blogs to put in the car in case your water breaks on the way to the hospital; I don't think that's much of a risk for us given that we live about 2 minutes away. However, I think it's probably a good thing to have around in general, and could be useful in the room or for bringing extras home, etc. 
• Some smart person brought an extra blanket (Nantucket sweatshirt blanket). This was great for BA when he slept on the pullout chair/cot, and also for me when I randomly got really cold once or twice. 

I think he did a good job...didn't really have any major misses. I'll check in with him and see. It was a long haul, so probably magazines and phone charger would be at the top of the list of recommendations. 

I really think it's probably not as much as it looks like, but we'll see. What do you think--is anything critical missing? Anything provided by the hospital that I can leave off? Put it in the comments!

After delivery, I wasn't supposed to lift anything heavier than the baby, so it was all on BA to load up the car, etc. This was kind of a pain and took several trips, but I don't think that was really because we overpacked. All in all (other than my bag being heavy on the front end because I was smuggling in liquids), I think we did it about right. 

33-week Photo Shoot

As it turns out, I get some bonus ultrasounds here in the home stretch. As of my last appointment, the ol' blood pressure had started climbing a bit--not alarming numbers, but up from normal--so our OB wants to keep an eye on this. The risk associated with high blood pressure is intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), which is what happens when high BP leads to the placenta tiring out too early and  thus the baby not getting full oxygen/nutrients. As a result, growth gets restricted. I will say up front that there is no evidence that this is happening now. I also have no protein in the pee sample, so don't currently have pre-eclampsia. Just high blood pressure that is otherwise asymptomatic. Basically, they want to do quick checks somewhat regularly here at the end so that they can get frequent data points and check his growth. A single ultrasound on its own isn't actually all that accurate for estimating growth, because babies grow in fits and starts, so they do them serially to get a better picture.

Today I had yet another lovely sonographer plus a cute little student who was finishing up ultrasound school (whatever it's called). Always happy to educate. Relatively speaking, it's a pretty quick scan. They measured the amniotic fluid level, breathing, heart rate, long bones, and took a look at some other stuff (heart, placenta, cervix). These growth assessments are scored on an 8-point scale and we got an 8 out of 8 today. Nailed it.

Some highlights:

He was doing "practice breathing," which is really important because it indicates that his lungs are practicing for breathing once he's on the outside and are developing well. Lungs are the last thing to develop and one of the things they worry about with preterm birth, so it was good to see that he's got that whole breathing thing covered.

Heart rate was 140bpm, which was declared "perfect," thankyouverymuch.

He's about 4 pounds, 9 oz--"well within normal range" so no concerns about his size at present.

Baby is currently head down, which is great news and--while he's still small enough to flip back and forth--I hope he stays that way.

Photos! His new position is slightly better for getting a good look, but he's still camera shy.

WARNING: these are the scary 3D images. Do not proceed further if you do not want to see weird stuff. It is hard to get oriented so I will try to explain them.

no photos, please

This one is of his face with his left hand covering his eyes. You can see a little nose and mouth. Right arm is out in front of him but the hand is cut off (by the image...not in real life)

In this one he moved his hand away briefly. She had to snap it fast, so it's not a great image. You still see part of the hand and one closed eye, nose, and part of mouth. And a squishy little cheek.

Can you see it? BA had trouble...let me know if I can explain it better.

I don't know if I really feel like that gives us any sense of what he looks like, and his hands are likely to stay by his face as there's really nowhere else for them to be. But I'll keep trying to get some images as I go for more scans. 

33 Weeks

How Far Along: 33 down. About 7 to go (ideally not a ton more or less).

Size of Baby: Estimated 4 pounds, 9 oz per the ultrasound this morning. More details to come on that scan in the next post. 

Maternity Clothes: Entire wardrobe (and I use that term loosely) is maternity, with the exception of my Mossimo brand t-shirts from Target. They are still long enough and I think I'll wear them after baby too, so they've been a top purchase for sure. I know I have 2 gray ones, a black, and a tan. At least. 

Also, a tip: should you ever find yourself pregnant, do most of your maternity shopping on the front end and just get whatever you want to last you through. This especially applies to pants. I decided that I needed one more pair of non-jean pants to get me through February, so found myself in Pea in the Pod yesterday trying on pants. This is what I learned.

1. Whoever designed those dressing rooms should be publicly shamed and then banished. The lighting is horrible, the rooms are small, and the mirrors are fat mirrors. As if you want to look any bigger. Imagine your worst bathing-suit-trying-on experience and multiply it by, oh, 6000. It's not so much that I feel like everything is fat, but you really see how large the situation is. The proportions are all wrong. They keep a fake belly in all the rooms so if you are not very pregnant you can simulate how clothing will fit when you are larger...the one in my stall was allegedly the "7 month" belly and I put that thing to shame.

2. Trying on pants in above-mentioned dressing room is uncomfortable at best. I had a stack of about 4-5 pairs. After slowly working my way through the first two pairs and not liking the way anything looked (think: sausage casings), I was sweating and not feeling very nice. I abandoned the rest of the pile and left without buying anything. Basically what I'm trying to say here is that you can't really even physically try on clothes at the end, so either take them home to try on and return or just buy (in store or online) and cross your fingers. Or make do with what you've got. There's no shopping late in the game.

Movement: Still good, which continues to be reassuring. His movements are slower, though.

Sleep: Not blissful for anyone in the bed, let's be honest. I have trouble falling asleep either due to crazy leg (definitely the medical term) or the baby moving around so much it keeps me up. I don't have an enormous problem with the middle-of-the-night bathroom trips, but I can't lie in any one position for too long without my hips starting to hurt. So I have to roll over often, which is somewhat akin to wrestling with a crocodile. 

What I miss: My shoes. 

I wouldn't say that I'm quite ready for Baby C to be here, or at the point where I am like GET THIS BABY OUT (yet), but I am beginning to think forward to a time when I am no longer pregnant. Like when I can go to the mall and think about maybe being able to wear some of the cute things I see--even if not in my pre-pregnancy size--or to have a glass of wine, or be able to walk around and bend over. Just regular things that now seem totally beyond the realm of comprehension. In fact, it's almost impossible for me to believe or remember that there was a time that I was not actually pregnant. 

But for right now, he needs to stay in there a little while longer, and I am more than ok with that. In fact, my biggest fear remains that he will come way early, so I definitely don't want any of that juju. 

Cravings: None, really, but I have got to get the eating back on track. Or at least mitigate the damage until delivery.

Other crazy symptoms: Some heartburn flaring up again...could be due to poor holiday diet, or maybe this baby will have a little bit of hair. 

Best Moment this week: Fun times with the family, immediate and extended: a low-key New Year celebration, dad's bday, general hanging out. 

To do this month: Pack the hospital bags. Install the car seat. These are real things...yikes.

32 Weeks

How Far Along: 32 weeks, which is about 8 months for those of you playing along at home.

Generally, I have found this to be kind of an anxiety-inducing limbo point--I'm close, but not THAT close (despite the kind words of the security guy at the Titans game who said I was "about to pop"). It's getting close enough that we need to do a lot of stuff...the January to-do list includes packing the bags and putting the car seat in the car. On the other hand, they still terrify you about preterm labor and, while baby would likely be fine if born now--though probably guaranteed a NICU stay--37 weeks ("term") is still 5 weeks away. It's close enough to be real but not close enough to be ready so it's all a little scary. So is thinking about how much bigger everything has to get before go time. I want him to stay in, but it seems truly impossible for him to put on like 4 or 5 more pounds.

Total Weight Gain: After this week, approximately 1000 pounds. I'm told I'm gaining a pound a week at this point, which is alarming.

Size of Baby: This is getting stupider and stupider. The baby is the size of a large jicama (too specific) or a squash (too vague). 

He is about 3.5-4 pounds and has fingernails and real hair (or peach fuzz). He can use all his senses now--looking around, listening to people, tasting fluid (ew), etc. 

I asked the doctor if she could tell how the baby was positioned, and she said she could but that it didn't matter at this point. He's definitely still flipping all around, so I guess she has a point.

Maternity Clothes: Not stretchy pants? Not interested. The bigger issue continues to be footwear, however. It's generally too cold for cute flats, and most of my boots don't fit. While this is not terrible, it does seem like it dictates entire "outfits" so is more limiting than one might think.

Movement: Seems good. He moves pretty frequently and when he is supposed to (after I eat, when I lie down). Sometimes it's a little much but I'm still reminding myself that it's all a good thing.

Sleep: Hit or miss. When I'm sleeping well, it inevitably means snoring. So then I get the Snore Warning from the other side of the bed, which wakes me up. It's a vicious cycle. 

What I miss: General mobility and a normal level of activity. 

Cravings: I still like my toast. We got a box of clementines, which I'm pretty in to. We had doughnuts on Christmas Eve, which was very exciting.

Other crazy symptoms: Braxton Hicks have ramped way up in the past few days--probably due to all the Christmas activity and requisite moving around of things. I don't think they're a problem--they are not painful or regular--but I could do without them, really.

Best Moment this week: We all had a lovely Christmas and even saw some snow (which did not stick). Santa was good to everyone, including the baby and the beasts, and we all enjoyed our last Christmas without little ones. Next year will be an adventure. 

30 & 31 Weeks

How Far Along: 31 weeks of being a human Crockpot. You're getting a combo post this week because I could not get it together enough to post one last week.

Total Weight Gain: Total unknown, but rate is slowing. Most gain now will (I hope) be actual baby, as his job now is to just get bigger. I also have less room for my actual stomach, so have just been grazing rather than eating everything that's not nailed down.

Size of Baby: About 3.5 lbs and the size of a pineapple, which is tropically delicious.

Maternity Clothes: Oh yes. If it stays this cold, my next task will be a search for a maternity coat. 

Movement: Still plenty, which is reassuring. I know he will run out of room at some point and the movement will slow down, so I'm just happy he's still flipping around. Even if he really packs a punch sometimes.

Sleep: I can only fall asleep quickly if I am painfully exhausted, which has happened a few times in the past 2 weeks (what with all the holiday merrymaking). This does not seem like a great tradeoff. Let's just say I apologize daily to BA and am pretty glad I do not have to be up and at a real job where I have to function. 

What I miss: Sleep? Being able to do things for more than a short stretch before I have to take a break.

Cravings: If I could subsist only on cinnamon raisin toast, I'd be happy.

Other crazy symptoms: Had some really attractive swelling and some Braxton-Hicks contractions over a busy couple weekends (baby showers, holiday parties, Titans Monday night game). Some rest and compression socks have gotten things back under control for now (though my baseline swell factor is still higher than a normal person's, I think). I can still wear my engagement ring but have taken off the  wedding band, which must be a little smaller. 

If you are swelly, buy these (from a local company):

Swiftwick Aspire Twelve compression socks

I am now ready to go run with the hipsters in East Nasty

They also have normal socks for regular folks

Best Moment this week: Well, the world didn't end, so that's a plus. Very much looking forward to Miller's birthday celebration and a Very Merry Smithmas tonight--always a fun time. We hosted another successful holiday party last weekend, which was a festive (if stupid on my part) endeavor. Thanks to all our fun friends for coming and reveling with us. My mom also hosted her annual Christmas Tea, which is always a fun way to see everyone at this time of year. I would also like to thank Jules and Sara for coming over to help get the nursery serviceable before our party, in case people wanted to take a peek (which they did). Also, the fabulously comfy glider arrived. So it's coming along decently well, even though it's not finished. I did mini laundry and put some clothes away and it's generally taking shape. Pics will be posted when it's reasonably close to finished.