35 weeks

Not much is new in the world of MamaMort and BabyMort.  I’m continuing with some of the same, not-so-fun symptoms, but it could be worse, so I’m trying not to complain too much.  BabyMort has pretty much all of her vital systems developed and will spend the next few weeks gaining weight and practicing the essentials of life.

Officially, we have 5 weeks to go.  Based on what I’ve read though, most babies come between 38-42 weeks, so in reality, we have between 3-7 weeks left.    Wow – sometimes I just have to take a deep breath and remember that we’re ready, or at least ready enough. 

• We completed our childbirth classes tonight, so I feel comfortable with the idea of labor and delivery.  (I’m sure the reality of it will be totally different!!)
• We have a car seat, so we can get her home. 
• We have a basket full of hand-me-down onesies, bodysuits and sleepers, so we can dress her.
• We have a crib, mattress and some sheets, so she has somewhere to sleep. 
• We’re planning on breastfeeding, so that’s covered.  We even have bottles and some free formula that we got from the doctor’s office, so we can feed her if our plans go awry.
• We have the newborn prefolds and covers washed and ready to go, so we have diapers to get us started.

So, we can meet her and we can get her home.  We can clothe her and we’ve got eating, sleeping and pooping covered.  Newborns don’t do much more than that, right??  And the good news is that if she sticks it out and stays put until after Saturday, we’ll have even more stuff thanks to some wonderful friends and family, because Saturday is my baby shower!!

It’s done!! (aka – I have the best hubby!!)

After many weeks of hard work, the nursery is done!!  We formulated our plan shortly after finding out that BabyMort is a girl, but we had to wait for nicer weather, because we were replacing the windows in her room which had to be done first.  That was followed by sheetrock repair, priming, painting and then came the stripes!!  After that, the trim and doors were all painted, along with a bookcase, the crib was put together and a shelf was built and painted.  It was a lot of work, done mostly by DaddyMort, but I love the final result!!  He gives me all the credit for being “the visionary” but I know it’s his hard work that made it all come together!!

Before any work was done.

After the window was replaced.

During sheetrock repair.

Painting the stripes.

Finally done!!

Beautiful swivel rocking chair/recliner from Nanna & Dudad.

The striped wall in its final state.

You’ll notice a dog in the pictures of the finished nursery.  Turns out, the rug we got is “dog-approved” by all 3.  I was in the chair folding clothes yesterday and all 3 boys just napped on the rug the whole time.  Good to know it’ll be nice and soft for BabyMort…although it will be covered in dog hair at this rate!!

Tailor Sitting & Pelvic Tilts

We started our childbirth class a couple weeks ago and have one more class before we’re done.  We’ve covered a lot of good information, and even though most of it wasn’t completely new to me, it was good to hear again and nice to hear it from a childbirth educator as opposed to just reading it somewhere. 

 

One of the first things we covered were some exercises that all of us moms could be doing to help prepare our bodies for labor and delivery.  I’m a planner and I like being in control, so waiting for labor and all of the unknowns that go with labor make me pretty uneasy.  Having a few exercises that I can do on a daily basis definitely make me feel like I have a little more control over the situation, even if that’s not really true 🙂

 

These are the 2 I try to do every day and I also throw in squatting whenever I have a chance, even if it’s just for a few seconds while I’m sorting laundry or something.  We also did these in my prenatal yoga class, so I’ve had a little practice, but the reminder in childbirth class was just what I needed to start doing them at home.

Tailor Sitting, Cobbler's Pose, Butterfly...

 Tailor sitting is said to strengthen and stretch muscles in your back, thighs and pelvis.  It doesn’t take much work on my part and it’s convenient to do while I’m watching TV or reading a book, so it’s by far the easiest to accomplish daily!!  I also like to lean forward every now and then while I’m doing it to help stretch out my hips.

Pelvic Tilt or Angry Cat

Pelvic tilts strengthen the abdominals and uterus and help relieve lower back pain.  I try to do these both morning and night, right when I wake up and before I go to bed, because it’s easier to do on the bed without the dogs bugging me.  (They bug me when I Tailor Sit, but then my hands are free to shove them away until they get the idea.)   They said in class that doing this during labor even can help relieve some discomfort and I was told during yoga that doing this can help calm a squirmy baby at night.  So far, I’ve been too lazy to actually try it when she’s moving around at 3AM…

Whew! We made it…

I had my 34 week appointment yesterday.  I got some useful information/suggestions from my doctor, that were, as usual, presented with some fun, witty comments. 

Based on how they figure it, I officially became 34 weeks pregnant at midnight last night.  So, at 3PM, he told me that as long as I kept BabyMort in until midnight, I could deliver in Ames.  If I did something crazy and went into labor within the next 9 hours, they’d have to ship me down to Des Moines to deliver.  He requested that I wait until after midnight.  Done!!

Then he commented on my weight gain thus far.  The conversation went something like this:
Dr: “You’ve gained 33 pounds so far.  The recommendation is 25-35 pounds, but realistically, most women gain between 15 and 50.  So, as long as you don’t gain more than 17 pounds in the next 6 weeks, I’ll be happy.”
Me: “I’ve seen the scale creeping up, but I always manage to forget about it when I’m dishing up a bowl of ice cream at night.”
Dr: “That’s how it is with chips at my house.  My wife sits down next to me with a bag, I say something about how we shouldn’t be eating them, she agrees, and then I dig in.”
DaddyMort: “So in your medical opinion, as long as you acknowledge that you shouldn’t be eating something, it’s okay to eat it still?”
Dr: “That’s the jist of it.”

The way I interpret this exchange…I have doctor’s orders to continue eating ice cream on a regular basis!!  (Unless I’m nearing the 50 pound weight gain mark – that’d be a lot of ice cream…)

He said everything was looking good.  I measured right on at 34cm and her heartbeat was good.  I go back in 2 weeks and then every week after that.  They’ll actually be checking me to see if I’m making any progress from now on as well, so the appointments should get a little more exciting!!

Crib Safety

We were lucky enough to have someone give us a crib mattress this weekend.  Of course, then we immediately had to put the crib skirt, sheet and bumper so we could see what it all looks like.  I had about 3 seconds to enjoy it before I started worrying…

It looks cute, but should we really use a crib bumper?  Everything I read says you shouldn’t use them because of possible suffocation.  However, pretty much everyone I know still uses one.  They sell them, so how bad could they really be??  Those are my initial thoughts, but still, do I want to take the risk??

Is the mattress ‘snug’ enough?  So far, I haven’t found anything that tells me how snug a snug mattress is supposed to be, just that it should be.  Supposedly, we have a standard size crib and were given a standard size mattress, so it should fit, but I know there are slight variations.  If our crib is just slightly too big and the mattress slightly too small, that could add up to a big difference.  I assume you don’t have to wedge the mattress in every time you change the sheets, but how much space is too much space??  1/2″, 1″, 2″…I just don’t know.

Anyone have the knowledge to calm my worries??  (On this topic at least…)

The Scale vs. Cookies and Ice Cream

I’ve always had a sweet tooth.  I love cookies, candy, ice cream, cake…you get the idea.  So it comes as no surprise that I love eating those foods now, while pregnant.    However, I’ve developed the habit of eating more often during the last few months, so often times I end up eating sweets more often, meaning more sweets in general.  (Lucky for me, I don’ have gestational diabets, or I don’t know how I’d survive.  I’d be crankier, that’s for sure…)

Throughout my entire pregnancy, I’ve said I only wanted to gain 25-35 pounds, the recommended amount for someone who is a normal weight before pregnancy.  I’ve read articles on how not gaining too much can help during labor and help you bounce back after delivery.  And because I’ve always been lucky enough to be pretty skinny, I knew that my self-esteem would take a big hit if I gained a bunch of weight as well. 

Now, at about 34 weeks, I’m dangerously close to the 35 pound weight gain mark, which means in all likelihood, I’ll gain more than 35 pounds.  I knew this was coming.  I weigh myself every few days, so I knew when I’d exceeded 20 pounds, then 25 pounds, then 30…and I suspected that if I kept gaining at that rate, I’d gain more than 35.  But, somehow, I always manage to forget about that when I’m eating ice cream or chowing down on some cookies.  Basically, I feel crappy when I look at the scale, but I don’t change my eating habits at all, so I’ve decided to stop weighing myself at home.

This may not be the ideal solution, but I’ve decided it’s just not worth it.  I still eat my fruits and veggies and maintain an overall healthy diet.  I’ll get weighed at the doctor’s office, so I’ll know if there’s some sort of crazy weight gain.  Anyhow, I have to eat ice cream, because I can’t stand drinking milk, and calcium is really important.  And sometimes you just have to have cookies or cake to go with the ice cream… See, I can justify almost anything, so I might as well just enjoy it!!

33 Weeks

As I write this, about 9PM, BabyMort is waking up.  She moves a little throughout the day, but right about the time I want to go to sleep, she wakes up – and boy does she wake up!!  My whole stomach bounces around.  I still can’t tell exactly what she’s moving, but I’m told that day will come soon.  When she is awake, she now has her eyes open and she keeps ’em closed while sleeping.  She’s figuring it all out!!

 

I got an email from the What to Expect when You’re Expecting website that said: “A combination of hormones and a number of unhelpful conditions, such as frequent urination, persistent heartburn, leg cramps, and pre-birth anxiety can cause insomnia.”  My first though was, “EXACTLY!!”  Sleep is harder and harder for me to come by.  I took naps both days this past weekend to make up for not being able to sleep in and I’m surviving – and not even too crabby (at least I don’t think so…)

33 Week Belly Shot

For about a week, I had some crazy belly pain going on.  Out of nowhere, the area around my belly button would just start burning.  If I scrunched over and tried not to move, it wouldn’t hurt quite as bad.  The pain started the day before a doctor’s appointment, so I checked with him.  He told me it was nothing to worry about, just a ligament stretching.  Specifically, a ligament formed by the remainder of my umbilical cord that now connects to my liver.  Fortunately, I think it’s done stretching now, because it hasn’t hurt in a day or two – fingers crossed!!   And speaking of stretching – I discovered my first official stretch mark on my tummy.  I knew the day would come, but it was still a little sad.

I should get off to bed, so BabyMort can really start her gymnastics.  She likes it best when I’m laying down 🙂

Step right up and place your bets!!

Some friends of ours sent us a link to participate in a baby pool for their baby-to-be.  Friends and family aim for the lowest score based on accuracy of guessing the sex (which is easy, cause we’ve told you!!), weight, length and date and time of arrival.  It seemed like fun, so we set one up for BabyMort.  Winner gets something great*, so head on over to ExpectNet and enter your best guess!!

*”Something great” is open to the interpretation of the parents.  Possible prizes include, diaper changing, burping or feeding of Chloe Mae after her arrival!!

Absolutely Exhausted

I am absolutely exhausted.  Dead tired.  Thoroughly beat.  Downright tuckered out. 

I thought I was tired the day after Prom in high school when I was basically up for 24 hours straight.  I thought I was exhausted after working 31 our of 37 consecutive hours at the hotel one weekend.  Even in my first trimester, I thought I was just plum tuckered out.  I realize now that was nothing compared to how I’ve been feeling the last few days.

Unfortunately for those around me, that means I’m also crabby, testy, irritable or “sensitive” if you’re being nice.

My amazing husband (he really is) has the bewildered look down pat.  I don’t blame him for looking at me like I’m crazy, because I feel a bit like that sometimes when I’m upset for no particular reason.  He does what he can – rubs my back when I’m trying to get to sleep and preemptively brings me cookies or candy sometimes, assuming that I’m cranky.  And for the record, bringing me baked goods or candy will cheer me up for a bit at least.  My mom knows me well enough to count on this and brought chocolate cake when they came over the other night.

I blame my tiredness on the obvious – I am growing a baby!! – and the related, but less obvious.  I have trouble falling asleep, because I have too much running through my mind – What do we still need to do to get the nursery done?  Will I have a job after BabyMort arrives?  What will we do about our finances if I don’t?  Did I change the dog’s vet appointment?  The list goes on and on…  Once I’m lucky enough to fall asleep, I wake up because of heartburn, achey hips and/or back, because I have to pee, because I’m thirsty or because one of my extremities is asleep.  Usually, once I wake up, I start thinking about all the things that kept me up in the first place and the fun starts all over again.

I have a plan to (hopefully) get at least a few nights good sleep though.  I have yoga tonight and I usually sleep pretty well after that.  Then I made a chiropractor’s appointment for first thing tomorrow morning, hoping that after stretching at yoga, he’ll actually be able to adjust me and relieve some of my back and hip pain (something he hasn’t been able to do since for 20 weeks now…)  And the (chocolate buttercream) icing on the (chocolate) cake – I’m getting a massage on Saturday!!  We’ll put blankets over the windows in the bedroom Saturday night so the rising sun doesn’t interrupt my slumber on Sunday morning and I’d be perfectly happy sleeping until Monday morning if possible 😀

Hopefully I’ll look something like this: