Well here we are - 9 weeks away from my due date. This week flew by, and I know the next 4 will as well since they are my last 4 weeks of work and busy as ever! I am getting increasingly excited/nervous about the labor since it is every single day now that someone asks me if I'm nervous or when I am due. I can't say that I'm scared of labor; I am definitely nervous though. I have been trying lately to do a lot of reading about birth and labor, and the labor process so I can be familiar with what is happening. I am really, really looking forward to Tuesday when I have my 31 week appointment (hopefully - I still need to book it..oops!) and we start our antenatal classes. I hope to learn a lot from the classes and I'm looking forward to meeting other preggos!
I was thinking today, I should probably weigh myself. Do most pregnant people actually keep track of how much weight they've gained? Because I have NO idea. I don't think I am above average or anything so it just hasn't concerned me, but I suppose I would like to know. I think I'll weigh myself tonight. My main concern is that my bellybutton is definitely an outtie. It sticks out of my shirt and I feel so silly.
I'm excited because I've found this website about natural childbirth and it's been really helpful and interesting. While I am not necessarily all about having no pain relief, just reading about the process of labor and ways I can prepare myself has been awesome. I am increasingly adamant about not having an epidural, and I do believe that the more I emotionally prepare myself, the chances get slimmer. I think a major part of childbirth (from my inexperienced uneducated guess) is believing that my body can handle it. I am not being arrogant about it: I do believe people when they say that it is the worst pain of their life. But I also believe that it is okay to be confident in what my body was made to do. I will probably be writing something a bit different in 9 weeks time, but we'll see. I am just trying to think positively and confidently while still trying to educate myself in any way I can.
Oh, the website is http://www.birthingnaturally.net
A lot of people lately have been telling me over and over again not to be dissapointed or feel guilty if the birth doesn't go exactly how I plan it. I think my response to this is that I do have a way that I want things; but all I care about is holding my little boy. I am sure that there will be inevitable dissapointment if something goes wrong or doesn't go as planned - but from what I have learned from others is that the only thing that matters is my little guy getting here safely.
I was reading on that website about how the birth is not about me. It's not my birth, it is the birth of my son. The goal isn't for me to look like a super-woman or a trooper, it's to get my little boy here as safely as possible. I liked that. I hope to keep that attitude throughout my labor - that the point is not about how I look or how I feel, but about him and making his entrance into this world the best it can be.
I am so excited to hold him. He's keeping me up at night a lot lately, kicking wildly and for long periods of time. I love sleep and sometimes I wish he would just stop, but nothing is better than just knowing that he is in there and he's moving like the healthy little guy he is. It is very reassuring.
I keep trying to get video of him kicking and rolling around, but it seems that whenever I get the video camera out he just stops!! Stubborn already :o)
Well, I think that is all for now - I plan on updating again in a couple days, after my 31 week appointment and our first antenatal class!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
30 Weeks, 1 Day!
This morning I woke up and realized that I officially have stretch marks. This is highly depressing. Fortunately it's minimal, but still - I have a little under 10 weeks to go still! Bah.
I can't BELIEVE that I'm 30 weeks along. 69 days until the due date. How scary is that? Every day I get more excited and more nervous.
Last night at about 2:30am, the baby starting kicking WILDLY. It woke me up and not only kept me up for atleast 20 minutes, but it was really freaking me out! I almost woke Adam up because it was so crazy! It's weird because lately he's been kicking a lot lower down than before and it's a very weird feeling.
The exciting news this week is that Adam and I are going away! Call it a "baby moon" or whatever, but we are spending 2 nights in a really fancy hotel and spa! I cannot wait. We've never really even gone to a hotel before, let alone gone to one of this standard with a SPA. It's in Bristol, called Cadbury Hotel by Hilton.
http://www.cadburyhotelbristol.co.uk/
BEcause of this, I've had to go get a maternity bathing suit which is fun! I got a new outfit too. I've noticed lately that all my "maternity" clothes that I've been wearing thus far are getting too small...I didn't think that was supposed to happen?
Oh well! Then Friday night we are staying in Birmingham and going to visit some friends, which should also be glorious!
That's really all for now, I have my 31 week appointment next week and we start our Antenatal classes on Tuesday.
And...from BabyCentre.co.uk
30 weeks pregnant
Your baby's lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. Your baby's growth in terms of her length will soon slow down (she measures a bit over 39cm from crown to toe now), but she will continue to gain weight until she's born.
This week your baby continues to open and shut her eyes. She can probably see what's going on inside your uterus (womb), distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. If you shine a light on your stomach, your baby may move her head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow.
Some researchers think baring your stomach to light stimulates visual development. But don't expect 20/20 vision when your baby is born – newborns can see a distance of only between 20cm and 30cm. Children with normal vision don't reach 20/20 vision until the age of about seven or nine. To complete the picture, your baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes.
About a litre of amniotic fluid now surrounds your baby, but that volume decreases as she gets bigger and has less room in your uterus. As you and your baby continue to grow, don't be alarmed if you feel breathless, as if you can't get enough air. It's just your uterus pressing against your diaphragm.
...Til next week!
I can't BELIEVE that I'm 30 weeks along. 69 days until the due date. How scary is that? Every day I get more excited and more nervous.
Last night at about 2:30am, the baby starting kicking WILDLY. It woke me up and not only kept me up for atleast 20 minutes, but it was really freaking me out! I almost woke Adam up because it was so crazy! It's weird because lately he's been kicking a lot lower down than before and it's a very weird feeling.
The exciting news this week is that Adam and I are going away! Call it a "baby moon" or whatever, but we are spending 2 nights in a really fancy hotel and spa! I cannot wait. We've never really even gone to a hotel before, let alone gone to one of this standard with a SPA. It's in Bristol, called Cadbury Hotel by Hilton.
http://www.cadburyhotelbristol.co.uk/
BEcause of this, I've had to go get a maternity bathing suit which is fun! I got a new outfit too. I've noticed lately that all my "maternity" clothes that I've been wearing thus far are getting too small...I didn't think that was supposed to happen?
Oh well! Then Friday night we are staying in Birmingham and going to visit some friends, which should also be glorious!
That's really all for now, I have my 31 week appointment next week and we start our Antenatal classes on Tuesday.
And...from BabyCentre.co.uk
30 weeks pregnant
Your baby's lungs and digestive tract are almost fully developed. Your baby's growth in terms of her length will soon slow down (she measures a bit over 39cm from crown to toe now), but she will continue to gain weight until she's born.
This week your baby continues to open and shut her eyes. She can probably see what's going on inside your uterus (womb), distinguish light from dark and even track a light source. If you shine a light on your stomach, your baby may move her head to follow the light or even reach out to touch the moving glow.
Some researchers think baring your stomach to light stimulates visual development. But don't expect 20/20 vision when your baby is born – newborns can see a distance of only between 20cm and 30cm. Children with normal vision don't reach 20/20 vision until the age of about seven or nine. To complete the picture, your baby now has eyebrows and eyelashes.
About a litre of amniotic fluid now surrounds your baby, but that volume decreases as she gets bigger and has less room in your uterus. As you and your baby continue to grow, don't be alarmed if you feel breathless, as if you can't get enough air. It's just your uterus pressing against your diaphragm.
...Til next week!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
29 weeks, 1 day
We're onto our next fruit/vegetable! My little boy is now roughly the size of a SQUASH, measuring approximately 15.5 inches from head to toe. I can't believe how big he is getting - it is strange to think that there is potentially little more growing to do, most of what he has to do is get fat! Crazy.
This week has been pretty good, I have been feeling him move almost constantly. On Tuesday I updated on our 28 week appointment which went really well, and then on Saturday we had our tour of Bracken Birthing Center where I hope to give birth. The place only has 3 rooms and one of them has a birthing pool which is really nice. The other two rooms are very comfortable looking; they have purple walls and low lighting, they are going for the "home away from home" look. If however I showed up to have my baby and these rooms were all taken, they have a 2nd labor ward which is about a 3 minute walk away. This ward isn't as nice though... it just looks like hospital beds. There is another birthing pool, but I would much rather use the one in the birthing center!!
At the end of the tour, the midwife answered a bunch of questions and gave us tips and infromation about labor. It was really interesting, there were 3 other couples on the tour and I was the least far along! I can't imagine waiting much longer to have seen the birthing center. One lady was 38 weeks! I would have felt so unprepared had I waited that long. Anyways, the midwife was really nice and helpful - she talked about birth and pain relief options a lot. In the birthing center, there are limited pain relief options - if you want anything like an epidural or anything more than gas and air then you have to go to the other ward. It was really nice to talk to a lot of other people who feel that it is completely realistic to not have an epidural. It has really been annoying me lately everyone saying how unrealistic it is to not have one; birth is a natural thing and I do not believe I am incapable of giving birth without one. I can do it!! I admit that I am scared out of my mind, but I feel confident that my body will do what it needs to do.
The midwife did a demonstration about the effects of massage and leaning over when you're having contractions. She handed out ice cubes to everyone and we had to keep them in our hands for a complete minute to show us how long a real contraction was. This doesn't sound bad but actually it is quite painful to keep an ice cube in your hand for that long! Then, we did the same thing again but we had to get on our knees and have our husbands/partners rub our backs. This was a really cool demonstration, because when Adam was rubbing my back I hardly even noticed the ice cube - I only noticed that it was melting in my hand!
The tour itself was great, I feel much more reassured now about what exactly to do when I start to have contractions, and where to go, and where to park which was Adam's concern...haha. :)
I am getting pretty big. I feel huge. I don't have any maternity shorts and it's been really hot out the last 3 days. I tried wearing normal shorts with an elastic band but this is highly annoying! My feet are beginning to hurt a lot. Blah! I can't really tie my shoes anymore which is worrying since I have a long 11 weeks left. :)
All in all though, I can already imagine being sad when pregnancy is over! I mean, I will be overjoyed to have my little boy here but I LOVE being able to feel him kicking around and even watch his little limbs poking out. haha. It's incredible.
That's all for now I think! We start our antenatal classes on June 8th which I am very very excited for.
A little update from my growing baby!
[From parentsconnect.com]
Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:
Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs!
Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!).
And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it.
This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.
This week has been pretty good, I have been feeling him move almost constantly. On Tuesday I updated on our 28 week appointment which went really well, and then on Saturday we had our tour of Bracken Birthing Center where I hope to give birth. The place only has 3 rooms and one of them has a birthing pool which is really nice. The other two rooms are very comfortable looking; they have purple walls and low lighting, they are going for the "home away from home" look. If however I showed up to have my baby and these rooms were all taken, they have a 2nd labor ward which is about a 3 minute walk away. This ward isn't as nice though... it just looks like hospital beds. There is another birthing pool, but I would much rather use the one in the birthing center!!
At the end of the tour, the midwife answered a bunch of questions and gave us tips and infromation about labor. It was really interesting, there were 3 other couples on the tour and I was the least far along! I can't imagine waiting much longer to have seen the birthing center. One lady was 38 weeks! I would have felt so unprepared had I waited that long. Anyways, the midwife was really nice and helpful - she talked about birth and pain relief options a lot. In the birthing center, there are limited pain relief options - if you want anything like an epidural or anything more than gas and air then you have to go to the other ward. It was really nice to talk to a lot of other people who feel that it is completely realistic to not have an epidural. It has really been annoying me lately everyone saying how unrealistic it is to not have one; birth is a natural thing and I do not believe I am incapable of giving birth without one. I can do it!! I admit that I am scared out of my mind, but I feel confident that my body will do what it needs to do.
The midwife did a demonstration about the effects of massage and leaning over when you're having contractions. She handed out ice cubes to everyone and we had to keep them in our hands for a complete minute to show us how long a real contraction was. This doesn't sound bad but actually it is quite painful to keep an ice cube in your hand for that long! Then, we did the same thing again but we had to get on our knees and have our husbands/partners rub our backs. This was a really cool demonstration, because when Adam was rubbing my back I hardly even noticed the ice cube - I only noticed that it was melting in my hand!
The tour itself was great, I feel much more reassured now about what exactly to do when I start to have contractions, and where to go, and where to park which was Adam's concern...haha. :)
I am getting pretty big. I feel huge. I don't have any maternity shorts and it's been really hot out the last 3 days. I tried wearing normal shorts with an elastic band but this is highly annoying! My feet are beginning to hurt a lot. Blah! I can't really tie my shoes anymore which is worrying since I have a long 11 weeks left. :)
All in all though, I can already imagine being sad when pregnancy is over! I mean, I will be overjoyed to have my little boy here but I LOVE being able to feel him kicking around and even watch his little limbs poking out. haha. It's incredible.
That's all for now I think! We start our antenatal classes on June 8th which I am very very excited for.
A little update from my growing baby!
[From parentsconnect.com]
Having a baby prematurely is frightening, no doubt. But here's a reason to relax: Due to the impressive advancements of medical technology, if your baby is born this week, she'd have a 9 out of 10 chance of survival, which is seriously great news. Other awesome developments:
Baby's brain can now control her breathing and body temperature. She can also cough, and her sucking abilities have been perfected. Look out, boobs!
Your Mini's skin is looking less wrinkled as she packs on the pounds. She's starting to look more like a Pampers model and less like a Depends model. She's now beefing up on the energizing and insulating white fat she'll be born with (unfortunately, white fat is not energizing and insulating for adults!).
And speaking of energy, your little Energizer Bunny is on fire these days. You're sure to feel your share of kicks, punches and elbows, especially when you're lying down. You might want to start keeping a kick chart to monitor your baby's movements, and also to later show your 13-year-old child what you endured for him or her. Ask your doctor how to count kicks and how often you should do it.
This week your baby is a little over 15 inches long—about the length of a loaf of bread—and weighs about 3 pounds, as much as a Macbook Air laptop.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
28 weeks, 3 days
I know it's a few days late, but I had my 28 week appointment yesterday so I wanted to wait until that was over to blog! It went REALLY well, I feel like the midwife is finally starting to take me seriously! haha. This was the first appointment where she actually just talked to me about birth options and pain relief, her own experiences and people she has helped give birth to. She gave me a lot of helpful information, I told her I am interested in doing a waterbirth and she was able to answer some questions about that which was great! I am a little nervous about it all but I am hoping that I'll have more questions answered soon. On Saturday we have our tour of Bracken Birthing Center in Taunton which has recently been renovated and I've heard good things about it. They have a couple of birthing pools so hopefully on Saturday they will talk to me more about it. I can't wait!
The appointment was good though - I had to have my blood taken which I HATE but at least it was the last time I have to get it taken! I had it done 3 times and that was the last, so I'm happy! Unfortunately the first time was the absolute worst, so that didn't set me up too well. It went fine though. She took my blood pressure, which she said was great, checked the baby's heartbeat, and measured him. She said he is measuring at exactly 28 weeks, which is awesome! She also commented numerous times on how "fit and healthy" I am, which was also good to hear.
My next appointment is in 4 weeks, when I'll be at 32 weeks (How scary...!) and then after that I get an appt every 2 weeks, then every week.
I am very excited that we have our tour on Saturday then on the 8th of June we start our antenatal classes! I then have 3 weeks of work left, and then I am on maternity leave. I can not believe that time is escaping so quickly.
As far as the baby nursery goes, we have everything (and MORE)! Seriously, if he showed up today I wouldn't need to go buy anything. Just this week he has gotten a bath, some more clothes, the rest of the cloth diaper kit, and more. Also his Grandma Donahue has just ordered him a MATCHING mobile to go with his crib! I'm soo excited :)
Well, that is about it for now I think. I have some photos to post but I'm too lazy to do it now - I am on a slow computer!! :)
The appointment was good though - I had to have my blood taken which I HATE but at least it was the last time I have to get it taken! I had it done 3 times and that was the last, so I'm happy! Unfortunately the first time was the absolute worst, so that didn't set me up too well. It went fine though. She took my blood pressure, which she said was great, checked the baby's heartbeat, and measured him. She said he is measuring at exactly 28 weeks, which is awesome! She also commented numerous times on how "fit and healthy" I am, which was also good to hear.
My next appointment is in 4 weeks, when I'll be at 32 weeks (How scary...!) and then after that I get an appt every 2 weeks, then every week.
I am very excited that we have our tour on Saturday then on the 8th of June we start our antenatal classes! I then have 3 weeks of work left, and then I am on maternity leave. I can not believe that time is escaping so quickly.
As far as the baby nursery goes, we have everything (and MORE)! Seriously, if he showed up today I wouldn't need to go buy anything. Just this week he has gotten a bath, some more clothes, the rest of the cloth diaper kit, and more. Also his Grandma Donahue has just ordered him a MATCHING mobile to go with his crib! I'm soo excited :)
Well, that is about it for now I think. I have some photos to post but I'm too lazy to do it now - I am on a slow computer!! :)
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