Update

We went to a breastfeeding class this past Monday, which is the first of the classes we signed up for. The class was Monday evening and was pretty comprehensive. We learned some new things about how to ensure successful breastfeeding and the causes of some of the problems that women run into. Luckily, there is a lot of support for breastfeeding both in our CenteringPregnancy group and also within UCSF. A lactation specialist is going to come to one of our Centering groups. There will be a lactation specialist at the hospital to help if needed. My doula will also be able to help make sure the baby latches on correctly.

We had our CenteringPregnancy group last week and everything is looking good with me and the baby. They did a glucose blood test to check for gestational diabetes, which is normal to do at this point in the pregnancy, though its not anything that I am concerned about. The baby is developing at a good pace and seemed to be the right size for this point in the pregnancy. I am coming to the end of week 25, and nearing the end of the 6th month. Next month starts the 3rd trimester. Time is just flying by! Our next Centering appointment is May 20th.

Overall, I am still feeling good. I was having some indigestion, but that has passed thankfully. Hopefully, it doesn't come back. I have started sleeping with a pillow under my belly, which has helped a lot and I have been sleeping a lot better the last few nights.

I am feeling the baby move a lot more now, which is really cool. She is now kicking strongly enough that Joe can feel it. It's comforting to feel her move and know that she is doing ok in there. We are definitely getting increasingly more excited for her to be born and know that the next few months are going to go by really fast!

Doula

I decided a while ago that I was going to hire a doula for the birth and Joe and I found someone really great. We met with her this past Sunday and the three of us really clicked and felt really good about working together. For those who are not familiar with what a doula does, you can go here, http://www.dona.org/mothers/index.php. This is the national doula organization's site and they have all of the information about what a doula does and why it is beneficial to have a doula attend the birth. Doulas are trained in labor and birth and are cerified to do what they do. They provide extra emotional and informational support throughout the labor and birth. They do not perform any medical procedures.

We will meet with her again in July and then we will call her when I go into labor and she will come meet us and be with us throughout the birth through about two hours after the baby is born. She will also be able to assist me with breastfeeding and make sure everything is going right for me and the baby. Then she will do one post partum visit at home sometime in the first couple of weeks after the baby is born. She will be a great extra source of support for both me and Joe and will be able to help coach Joe throughout the labor as to what I may need depending on the point of labor I am at. She will be able to provide informational support and explanations about what is happening in labor as it is happening. This page from her website talks about the benefit to the dad of having a doula present, and this talks about the birthing experience.

Doulas are not covered by insurance, so this is an out of pocket expense, though well worth it. This was the last thing that I wanted to get set before the birth, so I think we are about ready to go. We have the first of our classes on Monday the 27th, which is the breastfeeding class. Then in May we have a parenting class, and then in June we start our birthing classes. Only a few more months until she is here!

Bump Watch

This is the start of week 24. Can you believe it? Right now the baby is about 1 1/4 lbs and at least 12 inches from head to toe. I am feeling her move regularly now and Joe has finally been able to feel it too, which is exciting. Now with only a few more months to go, we are getting very excited for her to be born. It seems much more real now than it did earlier in the pregnancy when August seemed so far away.

We have our next prenatal appointment Thursday morning. We are also signed up for a breastfeeding class the evening of Monday April 27th.

Baby Registry

I registered for baby stuff at Babies R Us. Joe's parents were in town this past week, so Louise and I went down together and registered. Here is the link. You can also get to it from the Toys R Us website.
http://www.toysrus.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2255957
You can search by either my name or Joe's name. If you choose to buy us something not on the registry or from a different store, please always choose the organic or all natural option whenever possible. There will be a shower in LA that I will fly down for. My mom will drive up for the birth and bring the gifts with her, but depending on the size of the item, it might be better to just ship it to me.

It was fun going down there and we picked up a few things while we were there. Joe has already put together one of the items, which makes us even more excited for her to get here....though we don't want her to come too early, so we are being patient.



It's hard to believe that we are already half way through month 6 - the time is just flying by, and considering the school work I still have to do, the next couple of months are going to go very fast.

Update

It's been a little while since I last posted because I have been really busy with school work.

I have been feeling her move more regularly, which is cool. It still feels like bubbles popping in my belly, but I can now feel it if I put my hand on my stomach. The problem is that whenever I grab Joe's hand to feel, the baby stops moving. So, unfortunately, he hasn't been able to feel it yet. I do feel her more in the evening and at night. I read that babies tend to move more during those hours because that's when you're still. All of the moving during the day tends to lull them to sleep.

Sleeping is still a bit of an issue. I am getting up at least one time during the night, and usually twice to pee, so I am never getting more than about 4-5 hours of sleep at a time. Even if I try not to drink much in the hours before bed, I still get up. I am also tossing and turning more since I can only be on my side and staying on one side too long makes my hip hurt and my legs get kind of crampy. A pillow between my legs didn't help me and those body pillows basically keep you on one side, so I don't think that's a great solution either. Basically, I just try to get the most sleep I can. My tossing and turning does wake Joe up some nights, but I guess we both will have to get used to less sleep in the coming months.

I have also been having some indigestion, which started just in the past week. Drinking ginger ale has helped some. They say to eat small meals throughout the day, but I tend to eat larger meals. :-)

Otherwise, I still feel good. I can still bend over and move around and am confortable. This week is week 23 and we are almost halfway through month 6, which is hard to believe. At the end of this month, we have our breastfeeding class and our next prenatal appointment. Stay tuned for the next "bump watch" picture.

Bump Watch

This is week 21, so we have officially started the 2nd half of the pregnancy. The first half went so fast and its hard to believe we are already half way there. I'm sure this half will go just as fast. The fact that I am pregnant while I am finishing my dissertation is making the time go even faster. At this point, the baby is fully formed, so now she just has to get bigger and put on the pounds. I have been feeling her move and it still feels kind of like gas and kind of like a fluttering. By week 24, we should be able to feel the baby by touching my belly. Joe is excited for that.

I have been sleeping ok. Some nights I am tossing and turning and getting up multiple times to pee and then there are nights where I actually sleep well. I have also noticed that I get tired much quicker when I am walking around and walking up the hills is getting harder. Otherwise, I am still feeling pretty good.

I am really showing now, which is cool. Looking back over the other "bump watch" pictures, you can really see how I've grown. It's exciting.