Week 28
Seven months. SEVEN. MONTHS! I am so thrilled that we've made it this far! I know we still have months to go, but this is just so great! I have an absolute amazing technician at my OB's office. After the last month appointment, the tech said that if I scheduled a late appointment on the days she worked, she would stay a little later and get us in to see baby. So, of course, I got the last appointment and she pulled us in before we saw the doctor. Baby girl was head down with her butt above my belly button. :) We got to see part of her cute little face - the rest was covered by her hand - again! She is so very modest! first it was covering her privates by crossing her legs, and then covering her face with her ands for all other appointments. Silly goose! The tech measured her head and belly again, and everything was "normal." Her heart looked good too. She weight a little over two pounds. From now on, my appointments are every two weeks! WOW!
Saturday (28w exactly), my family came down and helped prepare the house and nursery. Dad, Tyler, and my youngest sister helped prepare and paint the nursery. My mom and oldest younger sister cleaned up the baby items we already purchased (clorox, etc.) and helped me clean the main floor of the house. We did vents, reorganization, etc. My brother and future brother-in-law rearranged the basement and organized our media (Tyler's games and movies). After the nursery and laundry room were painted, the rooms were set up and it looks great!
Some of the hard workers taking a much needed nacho-break!
And the daddy-to-be putting the finishing touches on the nursery
Saturday (28w exactly), my family came down and helped prepare the house and nursery. Dad, Tyler, and my youngest sister helped prepare and paint the nursery. My mom and oldest younger sister cleaned up the baby items we already purchased (clorox, etc.) and helped me clean the main floor of the house. We did vents, reorganization, etc. My brother and future brother-in-law rearranged the basement and organized our media (Tyler's games and movies). After the nursery and laundry room were painted, the rooms were set up and it looks great!
Some of the hard workers taking a much needed nacho-break!
And the daddy-to-be putting the finishing touches on the nursery
Week 29
March 8-14
This was our Spring Break. Truthfully, I didn't do much besides rest and work on baby shower things. Making a list of guests and filling out invitations.
This was our Spring Break. Truthfully, I didn't do much besides rest and work on baby shower things. Making a list of guests and filling out invitations.
Week 30
March 15-21
Holy crap-o-la! Baby girl is all over the place! I can definitely feel her move all the time, and watch my belly shift as she readjusts. Sometimes it feels really weird, but it is something I would not replace with anything. <3 Oh, Monday night this week I experienced my first body-part-in-ribs pain. haha. It was both funny and painful. :) Tyler couldn't tell if he should console or laugh alongside me.
Sunday I attended the Omaha Baby Fair. (It was the second-annual fair.) It was a little overwhelming, considering everyone there was either pregnant, or with a pregnant person. Many babies were there and SO many vendors. With so many women, I can't believe they didn't have the air conditioning on ... I think every mom-to-be was fanning herself! Oh, I went to this with a fellow colleague who is also pregnant. She is expecting her second bundle of joy in April and is a sign language interpreter for a few of our students at school.
This week, on Tuesday, Tyler and I went to my 30 week appointment. I can't believe we are already into the every-other-week appointments! Before too long, I'll be going every week! I had the realization this week that if baby wanted to make an early appearance, she totally could at any moment. Yikes! I hope she doesn't come this early, but I can't stop her. :) At the appointment, I am up a few more pounds, but still nothing terribly outrageous. My blood pressure is still very normal and baby's heartbeat was 128 bpm. Seems kind of low, but doctor said it was just fine.
Over the weekend Tyler and I went on an Urban Immersion trip with our Leadership class. Long story short, I'm glad that we both went in case baby was going to come early. I felt fine, besides the 5 hour one-way drive. Whew! Thankfully I was able to gauge how much I drank and didn't irritate the others too much with needing to stop.
This appointment was fast ... Dr. was on call with another patient who was in labor. We literally had time to listen to baby's heartbeat and then we were left with the nurse. Unfortunately we felt rushed, but if we were the family in labor, we would've wanted our doctor there when baby came. :)
I'm so glad I've been going to the chiropractor every other week, I can't imagine only going once a month. Shoot, I could easily go once a week!
The uncontrolled desire to sleep is taking up all of my non-work time. Ugh. I get home from school/work and fall asleep. I wake up to eat, then go to bed. (Or some combination of sleeping and eating.) I only get things done around the house on the weekends ... after I've slept in most of the morning. Tyler makes fun of me, but doesn't fight me on it ... smart man. :)
- Tuesday I had my normal appointment today and was 80% effaced and 3cm. I had my membranes swept twice now - it's damn painful, but I'm determined to have this baby as naturally as possible in the hospital. I'd rather not have Pitocin if I can avoid it. Hence the sweeping.
- Wednesday lots of cramps/contractions in the evening.
- Thursday morning started to lose mucus plug around 8am. That was creepy. Thank goodness one of the colleagues told me she had this happen to her otherwise I would've thought something horrible had happened! Apparently there isn't much talk about this happening, because it typically "falls out" so minimally that most women never notice. Well, I sure did! It continued for most of the day. I had a lot of contractions from 4:00p-7:00p. Drank a lot of water, ate some food, and kept trying to change what I was doing, to maintain a level of comfort. The contractions finally dwindled for good around 8pm. I woke up to a sharp pain at night around 1:30a. I laid in bed to see if it was a contraction or what happened ... I'm convinced baby just punched my cervix and went back to sleep.
- Friday was my last day at work. So weird, but so exciting!
Holy crap-o-la! Baby girl is all over the place! I can definitely feel her move all the time, and watch my belly shift as she readjusts. Sometimes it feels really weird, but it is something I would not replace with anything. <3 Oh, Monday night this week I experienced my first body-part-in-ribs pain. haha. It was both funny and painful. :) Tyler couldn't tell if he should console or laugh alongside me.
Sunday I attended the Omaha Baby Fair. (It was the second-annual fair.) It was a little overwhelming, considering everyone there was either pregnant, or with a pregnant person. Many babies were there and SO many vendors. With so many women, I can't believe they didn't have the air conditioning on ... I think every mom-to-be was fanning herself! Oh, I went to this with a fellow colleague who is also pregnant. She is expecting her second bundle of joy in April and is a sign language interpreter for a few of our students at school.
This week, on Tuesday, Tyler and I went to my 30 week appointment. I can't believe we are already into the every-other-week appointments! Before too long, I'll be going every week! I had the realization this week that if baby wanted to make an early appearance, she totally could at any moment. Yikes! I hope she doesn't come this early, but I can't stop her. :) At the appointment, I am up a few more pounds, but still nothing terribly outrageous. My blood pressure is still very normal and baby's heartbeat was 128 bpm. Seems kind of low, but doctor said it was just fine.
Week 31
March 22-28
Monday night this week I had a dream that when baby was born, she was a boy. I wonder if that is a sign 'she' is a 'he'. Doesn't matter to me! I can't get over just how much she is moving, and how much I feel AND see! My belly is actually shifting based on her movements and change of positions. It is so amazing! Thankfully her movements are so obvious that her daddy can feel her move almost every time he puts his hand on my belly. <3Over the weekend Tyler and I went on an Urban Immersion trip with our Leadership class. Long story short, I'm glad that we both went in case baby was going to come early. I felt fine, besides the 5 hour one-way drive. Whew! Thankfully I was able to gauge how much I drank and didn't irritate the others too much with needing to stop.
Week 32
March 29-April 4This appointment was fast ... Dr. was on call with another patient who was in labor. We literally had time to listen to baby's heartbeat and then we were left with the nurse. Unfortunately we felt rushed, but if we were the family in labor, we would've wanted our doctor there when baby came. :)
I'm so glad I've been going to the chiropractor every other week, I can't imagine only going once a month. Shoot, I could easily go once a week!
The uncontrolled desire to sleep is taking up all of my non-work time. Ugh. I get home from school/work and fall asleep. I wake up to eat, then go to bed. (Or some combination of sleeping and eating.) I only get things done around the house on the weekends ... after I've slept in most of the morning. Tyler makes fun of me, but doesn't fight me on it ... smart man. :)
Week 33
April 5-11
This Saturday was our baby shower at our house. My sister and friend threw it for us. Tyler even invited the guys! Ladies stayed on the main floor and the gentlemen were in the basement. Here are a few pictures from that:
Monday, two ladies from work threw us a baby shower. It was great to see/feel the love and support from colleagues! We got lots of sweet baby stuff here too!
Wednesday we went to Chalco and had maternity pictures taken by Iris Images. (Pam and I went to graduate school together!) She did a great job! Currently, I can't decide which pictures to keep and which ones I don't want. :( I guess that is a good problem to have. :)
Week 34
April 12-18
This week sort of stunk. I developed this really annoying feeling in my throat. Like something was lodged in there. I could breathe and swallow just find, but it made me nauseous. I even woke up a few times during the night because of the discomfort, or slight vomit in my mouth. Gross. It is also getting increasingly harder to sleep through the night. I typically get up 3-4 times each night just to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, I don't wake up Tyler.
At our appointment, my nurse practitioner said it sounded like acid reflux. WHAT?! I've never had that problem before. I was annoyed. There was no pain in my chest, no heartburn, nothing. The 'discomfort' or acid reflux didn't happen only at night, most of the time it happened during the middle of the day. Anyway, she suggested if it was not tolerable or lasted too long that I should take some sort of over-the-counter acid reducer. (I haven't purchased any yet, I'm curious to see if it will go away.) Oh, and I didn't gain any weight from my last appointment ... but my belly grew. Weird. Doctor doesn't seem concerned, so I'm not either.
I'm pretty sure baby is hiccuping. When I reclined in my recliner, I kept noticing this weird pulsating feeling near my butt. So weird! I figured baby was pulling on something to see what it was, or she was pinching something. Nope! I realized it was hiccups when they followed a distinct rhythm and then happened in my belly. :)
I'm pretty sure baby is hiccuping. When I reclined in my recliner, I kept noticing this weird pulsating feeling near my butt. So weird! I figured baby was pulling on something to see what it was, or she was pinching something. Nope! I realized it was hiccups when they followed a distinct rhythm and then happened in my belly. :)
Week 35
April 19-25
Baby has had hiccups at least once a day - I don't always notice them right away, but it's super cute! I'm really starting to get eager to meet her. I know she needs to stay cookin' as long as possible, but I can't wait to hold her! My belly is definitely still growing, because it keeps getting tighter and tighter ... I can't tell if I'm still gaining weight or not.
This week I only experienced the acid reflux once. I took one pill, and I've been fine since. Maybe it is based on what I eat or how baby is laying? I don't know.
I'm pretty sure baby has her head down. I am up at least two times a night going to the bathroom, and that is after I wait as long as I can. Some nights I sleep REALLY well, others ... not so much. During the day, I'm hobbling to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes. Thankfully my students are well behaved that I can leave them if necessary. This marks the first week, since the very beginning of the pregnancy where my boobs hurt. The inside, not the nipple part. The pain/discomfort comes and goes though, so it's tolerable.
Baby has had hiccups at least once a day - I don't always notice them right away, but it's super cute! I'm really starting to get eager to meet her. I know she needs to stay cookin' as long as possible, but I can't wait to hold her! My belly is definitely still growing, because it keeps getting tighter and tighter ... I can't tell if I'm still gaining weight or not.
This week I only experienced the acid reflux once. I took one pill, and I've been fine since. Maybe it is based on what I eat or how baby is laying? I don't know.
I'm pretty sure baby has her head down. I am up at least two times a night going to the bathroom, and that is after I wait as long as I can. Some nights I sleep REALLY well, others ... not so much. During the day, I'm hobbling to the bathroom every 20-30 minutes. Thankfully my students are well behaved that I can leave them if necessary. This marks the first week, since the very beginning of the pregnancy where my boobs hurt. The inside, not the nipple part. The pain/discomfort comes and goes though, so it's tolerable.
Week 36
April 26-May 2
Tuesday marks our beginning of the weekly appointments. Crazy! Baby's heartbeat was 137 bpm. Doc said that it was normal for it to go down a little before she is born. I am 60% effaced and 1cm dilated. Baby's head is definitely down - doctor could feel it! SO WEIRD. Tyler shivered. hehe. (Not the best feeling in the world ... but still neat.) I had the Strep-B test today too. We'll see how that test turns out next week. I only have three more appointments scheduled ... and my nurse kept commenting about how I may not even get to all three. Wow! We are getting very close to being parents!
Week 37
May 3-9
This whole week I had a ton of back labor. I think this baby is face-up and digging her head into my spine. :(
- Monday hospital 1cm: At school I definitely had a contraction while going to the bathroom. I called the after-hours nurse (because my doctor's office doesn't open until 8:00am), of course she said to go to the hospital to make sure it wasn't the "real deal." Of course when we (hubby brought me) got there, they hooked me up to the external fetal monitor and saw that I was having contractions, but nothing strong enough to keep me there. I was instructed to "take it easy" and "rest." -Both of which are hard to do when you're a middle school teacher. This evening Tyler and I decided it would be best for me to finish out this week, and then stay home the last two weeks of school. Baby is due on May 24th, and that is the last day of school, but today was definitely a red flag for us. This whole week I had a ton of back labor. I think this baby is face-up and digging her head into my spine. :(
- Tuesday I had my normal appointment today and was 80% effaced and 3cm. I had my membranes swept twice now - it's damn painful, but I'm determined to have this baby as naturally as possible in the hospital. I'd rather not have Pitocin if I can avoid it. Hence the sweeping.
- Wednesday lots of cramps/contractions in the evening.
- Thursday morning started to lose mucus plug around 8am. That was creepy. Thank goodness one of the colleagues told me she had this happen to her otherwise I would've thought something horrible had happened! Apparently there isn't much talk about this happening, because it typically "falls out" so minimally that most women never notice. Well, I sure did! It continued for most of the day. I had a lot of contractions from 4:00p-7:00p. Drank a lot of water, ate some food, and kept trying to change what I was doing, to maintain a level of comfort. The contractions finally dwindled for good around 8pm. I woke up to a sharp pain at night around 1:30a. I laid in bed to see if it was a contraction or what happened ... I'm convinced baby just punched my cervix and went back to sleep.
- Friday was my last day at work. So weird, but so exciting!
Week 38
May 12-16
Back labor was a major bitch this week. I couldn't sit still or stand or do ANYTHING for any amount of time. Each night I spent some time on the floor, on all fours, stretching my back and trying to move baby off of my spine. This works, but only for a little while. Sleep is damn near impossible because I'm so uncomfortable! I can't sleep on my back or stomach, which only leaves my sides. But it hurts my back too much because my hips are so wide, and ... blah blah blah. I could complain for hours. :) Bottom line: I sleep better in my recliner than my own bed, but I refuse to sleep in a chair when I can be next to my husband.
- Monday I definitely kept myself busy on my first day of not-quite-yet-a-mother-yet-I'm-on-maternity-leave. I got the oil changed in the car, took Tessa to the vet and even met with a roofer. All in all, a pretty average day.
- Tuesday I had another appointment. I'm pretty sure I was at 90% and still 3 cm. *Annoying* I want this baby out and in my arms! The rest of today and Wednesday were pretty laid back at home. Lots of relaxing, napping, and cuddling with Tessa. There were a few contractions, but nothing I couldn't handle on my own.
- Wednesday I had an eye appointment. I tried to get out of it, as "they" say that women's eyes change during and after pregnancy. Luckily, they didn't change my prescription and told me to wait to see how things went after baby. :)
- Thursday ... wow! I woke up this morning VERY sore - in my back. I took a nice, long, hot shower and tried to do my new routine: relax in my recliner with Tessa. Well, that didn't last very long today. I had very sharp back pains throughout the day and the only way I've been able to keep my mind off of them is by doing chores. It's probably "nesting," as some people call it, but it is definitely just a distraction! While I was working on laundry, I dropped to my knees because I had such a strong contraction. That worried me. I called my Aunt, who lives near me, and asked if she was home and if she would be on baby-duty. :) Luckily, she was home and sent me a text every hour to make sure things were going okay. I also kept in close touch with my mom. However, I started to have a few more contractions, I could talk through them, so I figured it wasn't a big deal...but they kept coming. I called my doctor and of course, she was at the downtown location; that location is 15.5 miles away from my house. In my misery, I drove there. The waiting room was under construction so I had to sit in one of the most uncomfortable chairs ever. When they called me back, I struggled to walk because the contractions were so painful, but momentarily made it hard to talk, but I could still talk through them. They immediately hooked me up to an external fetal monitor and left me in the room; alone. Of course I started crying; I was uncomfortable, by myself, and afraid of having this baby there. Ten minutes passed and the nurse came in to read the monitor's results - I was having strong enough contractions to be sent to the hospital. Great! The doctor and nurse left the room to call my husband to come get me, and left me alone. I was overheating and a giant ball of emotions. One nurse came in and offered me ice water. I took it, but laying down made it nearly impossible to consume anything. I didn't see any of the normal staff whom I had worked with for the past eight months and seeing new faces did NOT help the situation. Once hubby arrived, I cooled off, and the contractions dwindled to nearly nothing. That was frustrating. They wouldn't send me to the hospital to have the baby with no contractions! The said I was still 90% and 4cm. I drove myself home, with Tyler following me closely.
**To read Friday's entry, you'll have to read the "Baby Time!" post. :)
Back labor was a major bitch this week. I couldn't sit still or stand or do ANYTHING for any amount of time. Each night I spent some time on the floor, on all fours, stretching my back and trying to move baby off of my spine. This works, but only for a little while. Sleep is damn near impossible because I'm so uncomfortable! I can't sleep on my back or stomach, which only leaves my sides. But it hurts my back too much because my hips are so wide, and ... blah blah blah. I could complain for hours. :) Bottom line: I sleep better in my recliner than my own bed, but I refuse to sleep in a chair when I can be next to my husband.
- Monday I definitely kept myself busy on my first day of not-quite-yet-a-mother-yet-I'm-on-maternity-leave. I got the oil changed in the car, took Tessa to the vet and even met with a roofer. All in all, a pretty average day.
- Tuesday I had another appointment. I'm pretty sure I was at 90% and still 3 cm. *Annoying* I want this baby out and in my arms! The rest of today and Wednesday were pretty laid back at home. Lots of relaxing, napping, and cuddling with Tessa. There were a few contractions, but nothing I couldn't handle on my own.
- Wednesday I had an eye appointment. I tried to get out of it, as "they" say that women's eyes change during and after pregnancy. Luckily, they didn't change my prescription and told me to wait to see how things went after baby. :)
- Thursday ... wow! I woke up this morning VERY sore - in my back. I took a nice, long, hot shower and tried to do my new routine: relax in my recliner with Tessa. Well, that didn't last very long today. I had very sharp back pains throughout the day and the only way I've been able to keep my mind off of them is by doing chores. It's probably "nesting," as some people call it, but it is definitely just a distraction! While I was working on laundry, I dropped to my knees because I had such a strong contraction. That worried me. I called my Aunt, who lives near me, and asked if she was home and if she would be on baby-duty. :) Luckily, she was home and sent me a text every hour to make sure things were going okay. I also kept in close touch with my mom. However, I started to have a few more contractions, I could talk through them, so I figured it wasn't a big deal...but they kept coming. I called my doctor and of course, she was at the downtown location; that location is 15.5 miles away from my house. In my misery, I drove there. The waiting room was under construction so I had to sit in one of the most uncomfortable chairs ever. When they called me back, I struggled to walk because the contractions were so painful, but momentarily made it hard to talk, but I could still talk through them. They immediately hooked me up to an external fetal monitor and left me in the room; alone. Of course I started crying; I was uncomfortable, by myself, and afraid of having this baby there. Ten minutes passed and the nurse came in to read the monitor's results - I was having strong enough contractions to be sent to the hospital. Great! The doctor and nurse left the room to call my husband to come get me, and left me alone. I was overheating and a giant ball of emotions. One nurse came in and offered me ice water. I took it, but laying down made it nearly impossible to consume anything. I didn't see any of the normal staff whom I had worked with for the past eight months and seeing new faces did NOT help the situation. Once hubby arrived, I cooled off, and the contractions dwindled to nearly nothing. That was frustrating. They wouldn't send me to the hospital to have the baby with no contractions! The said I was still 90% and 4cm. I drove myself home, with Tyler following me closely.
**To read Friday's entry, you'll have to read the "Baby Time!" post. :)
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