33 Weeks Pregnant

Another week gone. Not too much different from last time, at least from my standpoint. A little more progress with the baby's room, but not enough for pictures yet. Matt and I started talking about baby names, but since we hardly have any overlapping names and aren't crazy about the few that do, it seems like it will be a hard decision to finalize the two names (complete with middle names...ugh). I feel like I am running out of time with everything. No names picked yet, room not finished, haven't been doing as my practicing with the hypnobirthing and still want to sign up for actual classes (and take them), not very far on knitting baby blanket, no thoughts yet for what I will need in my "hospital/delivery bag". *sigh*

So here...look at official info:

Baby's Shaping Up
Space is tight inside Hotel de Mama these days, but baby still manages to get in a little exercise (and you should, too, Mom!). These days, there's no room for somersaults. Instead of gymnastics, baby's exercise comes in the form of boxing (punching Mom in the bladder), dancing (high-kicking mom when she's sleeping), and even yoga (wedging feet under Mom's ribs).

Your Baby This Week
Gaining about half a pound (0.23 kg) each week, your baby probably weights over 4 pounds (2 kg) and measures over 19 inches (48 cm) long--what a little bundle of love!
His knees will curl up towards his tiny chest as he begins to assume the classic "fetal" position. Because there is a little less room to move around in, your baby is a bit quieter now, storing up energy and getting ready for his grand entrance.

Your Body This Week
As delivery day draws closer, your excitement will grow right along with your tummy. At the same time, don't be surprised if you are starting to feel as if you will be pregnant forever!
You're still gaining about one pound (0.5 kg) per week, but at least half of that weight is going directly to your baby. You'll also continue to feel short of breath and may find that you need some extra rest, so take those naps as often as you need them. While it's generally safe to have sex during this time (check with your doctor to be sure), you may find you are too physically uncomfortable for your traditional romantic experiences. You and your partner may need to be a little more creative when it comes to intimacy!

Achingly slowwwwwww...

So, I spent most of the afternoon/evening knitting on the blanket. Row after 112-stitch row. I really thought I would be a lot further than I am. Didn't expect to be halfway or anything, but thought I would make it past the first row of colored squares and into the white bar that separates it from the next row. But I seem to have fallen into that black hole of knitting that Stephanie Pearl-McPhee always talks about with her shawls. I need the squares to be about 6" long, since that is how wide they are. I measured them....3.5". I knit for a while. 3.75". I knit longer, doing a few extra rows until I measured it (or so I thought..I didn't really count rows, just knit a lot and it felt like I was doing a lot of rows after all that time). Measured again...4". Holy crap, half an inch so far?
Fast forward to now, when I have put my knitting away for the day. The squares are now measuring at 5", after all that knitting. That's it. Not even 2" of progress...forget about the 3" I was hoping to get accomplished. At this rate, the blanket will be finished around Christmas! (seriously, though...don't know HOW I will get this finished before the baby is born.)

At least it's looking nice, though...


(closeup of the moss stitch (white) and seed stitch (color) combo)

Well, THAT didn't last long

I know "hate" is a strong word, but I can't help it...I hate winter. I am sick of it, and I am sick of everything it brings...cold weather with bulky coats and chilly winds, nasty messy snow, and blah scenery. It makes me feel more depressed and drained and even though it's a good excuse to stay indoors and knit (which I don't all that much...I stay indoors and clean), I really want to go outside and get some fresh air and see new life growing (and knit with the sun shining on me for some warmth).

So I've been very happy that the past few days have been pretty warn, even getting up into the 60s for a few days. I was able to walk around without a big winter coat, just a jacket, and for a day or so there, no jacket at all. Heck, I even took a walk wearing short-sleeves! And the great thing? All that nasty snow was melted away. Sure, there are big piles that were still there, slowly whittling away. But all the snow on OUR property was gone (the last little pile melted away on Sunday when I mushed it up), and there was hardly any to be seen in the neighborhood. Even though the scenery was still blah, at least it wasn't coated in cold, white blah.

And then I woke up this morning.



(maybe it's winter that hates me...)

32 Weeks Pregnant

I have 8 more weeks to go...give or take. Since the most I could go past my due date is probably 2 weeks (if even that), I have AT MOST 10 weeks. Hopefully I go earlier than my due date and so it's more like 7 weeks. Eeek...not much time. Which is why I am glad we are finally getting the baby's room in order. We move pretty much everything out of the old craft room, with the exception of a bookshelf and a desk that need to be donated to Goodwill when we get rid of the first load that is still waiting in my car (darn it...you know, if you list your hours as noon to 6pm, then you should really be able to take drop-offs up until 6pm. OTHERWISE, it would be REALLY nice to say that drop-off hours end at 5:30. So that we don't arrive there at 5:40 and find out it's too late to donate and now I have a car full of heavy stuff clunking around back there with every turn. Grrrrrr.)

And last night, I put THIS back together:



Of course, now it's even more obvious that things don't really match in the room. The walls probably should be repainted a neutral color, and I need to switch out the curtains with the ones from Liam's room (need to make him some with some nice pirate fabric). There is still some work to be done, but at least I can start moving furniture around in the room and figure out the set-up, and start putting some decor in there. We need to go buy a dresser for the baby's clothes, and now there is room to put it in there. Yay.

As for how I am feeling...more of the same, although less crazy now. Well, sort of. I feel like I am running out of time...BUT now that the craft/baby and computer rooms are getting settled, I feel like things are getting accomplished more. Once we settle on names, I'll feel a step more prepared. And I feel better now that the decision to switch OB's and hospitals has been made and I can concentrate on other things (like knitting a baby blanket that may take months to do unless I stop going to work or stop sleeping...*SIGH*).
The baby itself is kicking around in there less, now that things are getting more cramped. I mainly just feel sliding movements, and pushing. A kick here or there. Crushing my bladder or lungs or diaphragm. Heh.

Here is my belly at 32 Weeks. Sorry, it's not the best, didn't realize my clothing was covering it as much, and the lighting wasn't very good this morning. Too cloudy.




Official Week 32 Baby Info.

Your Baby This Week
Within two months, the big day will arrive, and baby is just as excited as you are--something you can probably feel from the increasing activity in your tummy!
At almost 4 pounds (2 kg) in weight and 19 inches (48 cm) in length, your baby is nearly filling up your entire uterus. Most of the time, her head will be facing upward, but there's still enough room to somersault now and then. In her spare time, baby is getting ready for her first loving look at Mom, as she practices opening and closing her eyes. Baby's skin is also becoming less wrinkled, as layers of fat continue to plump out the body.

Your Body This Week
Visits to your health care provider are probably increasing to every two weeks, and this frequency will continue until the last month, when you'll visit weekly until your delivery day. Back and leg aches may continue, and you may become easily winded. This is not only due to the extra weight of your growing baby, but also because she's pressing against your diaphragm, making breathing more difficult. Around this time you may also notice a yellow-tinged liquid coming from your nipples. Known as colostrum (foremilk), it means your breasts are getting ready to produce milk.

I have begun...

When I created this blog originally, I had intended to post about a lot of different things. Things I had seen, thoughts I had, places I had gone, things that had happened. And I had totally intended to post about things I have knit...as I love knitting and want to share what I work on (not that I have much time to work on things and so don't have a lot of projects to post about...still...). But lately, the only thing I seem to be posting about is the baby. Belly pictures, info, statistics, etc. True, the incoming baby is going to be a big part of our life. But I don't feel like I have as much in my journal that is non-baby...and I don't think I've posted anything about knitting yet.

So....here is my first post about knitting.

I finally began a project that I really wanted to start weeks ago.



It's in it's very beginning stage...only a few rows done, out of a hundred million (okay, more like 280 or so). But hopefully it will pick up soon.
Oh...what is it? Well...um...yeah...

It's a baby blanket.

Okay, so baby stuff is mostly on my mind lately. I knit one for Liam and so it's only right that I knit one for this baby as well, and I AM short on time. So it's my main focus.
But, look, here...something NOT baby-related. A cardigan for myself that I started finally in January, that is on hold for now but WILL be picked up as soon as the baby blanket is finished and I've adjusted to another child in the house.

31 Weeks

Today I am 31 weeks pregnant. While I don't feel that I have gotten much bigger, I know the baby has...less kicking, because he/she is more cramped in there. Which means I also feel more pokes and scrapes and such, as the baby turns and pushes against my belly from the inside. Makes for some painful times...especially when the baby rakes an elbow across the inside...or probably pushes his/her head into my abdomen with all his/her might. Oh, the baby has hiccups now. Liam had lots of hiccups while I carried him, but this baby seems to be less prone to them. Until now. Several times over the last few days I have felt the baby hiccuping inside...cute little rhythmic bumps. My little cutie.

On to the official baby info...


Your Baby This Week
Weighing in at more than three pounds, baby is about half his birth weight. Now that he measures about 18 inches (45 cm) long, you can tell that bones and muscles are continuing to grow along with his organs and brain.
If you haven't already been talking to your baby, now is the time to start. Until now, he interpreted sounds as vibrations. But this week he can hear actual sounds and will begin to recognize your voice or the music you play.

Your Body This Week
Don't be surprised if you slip off your shoes for just 10 minutes and find that you can't get them back on. Foot and leg swelling are common now, but you can control some of it by not crossing your legs when sitting. Sleeping on your left side will also reduce water retention and help you feel more comfortable. It's also natural to experience a slight rise in blood pressure around the seventh month. But if you experience headaches, blurred vision, or rapid and severe swelling in your hands or feet, call your doctor immediately. These are warning signs of pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy), which requires immediate medical attention for the sake of you and your baby. In less than 10 weeks you're going to be a mom! You may feel excited and happy, apprehensive and scared, or all things combined. Relax! That's normal!

Delivery Drama and Decisions

The last few weeks, and the past week especially, I've had a lot going on in my mind with regards to my labor and delivery. I finally have some time to post about it here, and now that things seem to be resolving, I can think about it more clearly. I am also 31 weeks today and will post some info about that.

Regarding my intended labor and delivery wishes, I am going to attempt a VBAC - Vaginal Birth After C-section. No longer is it the case that once you've had a c-section you always have to get another c-section. That is old information, a carry-over from the days when incisions were made vertically across the muscle. Unfortunately, even though it's been known in the medical world for a while that it's far safer and better to try for a VBAC than a repeat c-section, doctors don't seem to be making their patients are of this, and hospitals and OB practices are still pushing for repeat c-sections instead. The rate of c-sections is higher than ever...insane. And unfortunately, there are so many woman out there that just accept what their doctors say or just assume that things haven't changed. So many don't ask questions or look into things.
Anyway, I did my research and it's SO much better to go for the VBAC. I also plan to labor as naturally as possible. The epidural just comes with too many negatives that I am not happy with, and there is no reason to be afraid of labor just because there is intensity and pain involved. It's a natural pain, one that has been a part of life since the beginning, and so I welcome it, welcome the entire experience (yes, I am still a little scared, but it's mainly today's American society that has brought in so much fear).
Part of laboring naturally means finding natural methods to manage the pain and intensity...and there are LOTS of methods out there. (check out THIS site: http://www.birthingnaturally.net/birth/index.html) When employed, especially with the help of a doula (look it up on Wikipedia), it can have almost the same effect as an epidural...and the great thing is that it is natural, so there are no nasty side-effects. Some of these methods employ different positions, some employ touch or sound, some mobility, some water, etc. So it's important to have as much freedom and mobility as possible during labor, to be able to bring to bear any of these methods whenever they might be best used (sitting in a tub, standing in a shower, walking the halls, sitting on a birthing ball, swaying hips, etc).

Hence my frustration when I found out that my OB practice, while open to VBACs and supportive of them, required me to be on constant fetal monitoring. Which means being tied to a machine with only an 8-foot cord at most. So no walking the halls, no getting in the shower, and maybe even a limit to the types of positions I could get in. Especially when they mention that if they can't get the monitor to stay on well and get a good reading on the fetal heartbeat, they might have to ask me to lay in the bed, not moving much. Definitely not where I want to be...laying in bed, maybe on your back, is the last place you want to be in labor...it slows it down and makes it harder to deal with. I looked online to see why it was necessary to have the continuous monitoring, and found out that it isn't. That VBAC is not considered high-risk and that continuous fetal monitoring shows no added benefit when compared to periodic monitoring and is only shown to increase the chance of a repeat c-section (due to slowing labor down, and possible false readings). That more and more hospitals and practices are starting to adapt to these findings and not require continuous monitoring, etc.
Unfortunately, talking to my OB and even showing them the information that I had found, they said it was strict policy to keep VBAC mothers on constant monitoring. And of course they mention the possibilities of maternal and fetal death, etc. Which scares me, of course, as I am a paranoid person at times. And one of the OBs was also talking about scheduling a "just in case c-section" at 39 weeks...in the event that when I was checked out, I wasn't progressing enough for them to feel I would go into labor on my own before I was a week past my due-date, and so it would be better to get a c-section early as opposed to getting one anyway a week past my due-date. I wasn't happy with that, because unless they could PROVE I wouldn't go into labor on my own (which they couldn't), or there was some issue with the baby that required an quick c-section, there was no way I was going to opt for an early c-section. And having an appointment scheduled just seemed like it would make it easier and more convenient for the doctors to convince me it was best to make use of it in an "iffy" situation.
So now I have been worried about being forced into a c-section too soon, and also that I would be so limited during my labor that things might not progress as fast as they could, and I would get too frustrated and worried about having a repeat of my last labor experience...and would lose my nerve and let fear take over...and eventually give in to the epidural and end up in a c-section again. So I decided to look into the services of a doula, to help me manage the pain as naturally as possible, to give me the best chance. And I considered trying to find an OB practice that was not so set in their ways and was more up on current research.
Long story short, I found an awesome doula who is so supportive and easy to talk to, and who had lots of good advice and made me feel that I will have a great labor...and she even recommended an OB practice that she loves working with that are more willing to work with VBAC mothers in their search for as natural a labor as possible. So...it looks like I will be switching OBs as well as the hospital I am delivering at. It's a little crazy and scary...changing at so late in my pregnancy, and going with a hospital that is potentially a 30 minute drive as opposed to only 5 minutes away...and worrying about what if I happen to fall in that really small percentage chance of a uterine rupture and I AM endangering myself and the baby by NOT being continuously monitored (even though supposedly there is no added benefit to catching the issues even in the case of VBAC)... But I think it's the best choice. That the benefits outweigh the risks. That it will give me the most positive labor experience, and joy. And let's just hope that the labor fates see fit to give me a quick, safe, relatively easy labor (4-5 hours would be nice).

Hit the 30 week mark!

I am 30 weeks pregnant! I am in the 30s now. Three-quarters of the way done. Seems to make the end that much closer, being in that last stretch, although it's still about 10 weeks to go, give or take. Although since I probably won't be allowed to go more than a week past my due date, it's only 11 weeks at the most.

I don't really have time to post anything other than the official info and a belly picture. I am feeling a lot both physically and mentally and the mental part makes it all too much right now. There are a lot of things I need to get worked out. Maybe I will post about it at some other point, if I feel like subjecting people to it (again, not that anyone actually reads this).




Your Baby This Week
Now that your baby weighs about 3 pounds (1.3 kg) and measures about 17 inches (43 cm) in length, you're beginning to feel like your tummy will pop if she keeps growing!
Your little cherub is starting to look more like a chubby little cherub, growing plumper and cuter every day. Her hair is growing thicker on the scalp, and those lashes are lengthening. The hands and feet are now fully formed and baby's head and body are closer to normal proportions. Overall, your baby is beginning to look similar to how she will look at birth--just tinier. To prepare for her big entrance, your baby is now starting to control her own body temperature!

Your Body This Week
You may begin to feel some significant discomfort now. Weighing more than ever, you may even wonder how much bigger you could possibly get! But your tummy will continue to grow, much faster now than in the previous months, and you'll continue to gain, about one pound (0.5 kg) a week, for at least the next 6 to 8 weeks.