2 weeks to go

We are just two weeks away, which is kind of hard to believe. We did a tour of the hospital recently, so now we know where to go and what the room will be like. Luckily I am pre-registered so we just have to go up the labor & delivery, which is on the top floor of the hospital. The hospital in on top of a hill, so there are great views :-). The rooms are spacious and there is a pull out sofa, a TV, a mini fridge and a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. We can also control the temperatutre and lighting in the room. I have started getting stuff together for when we are ready to go to the hospital. I got the baby's stuff ready and have a few different outfits and blankets for her. Today I got some water and juices, and snacks to bring to the hospital for us.

Our next prenatal appointment is Thursday the 30th. I have been feeling pretty good and have slept well the last couple of nights. I think the baby has dropped, which they say happens anywhere from 2-4 weeks before delivery. I have noticed in the past couple of days that I can breathe easier, especially when Marley and I are walking uphill. I have also noticed that my indigestion has eased up a bit. Both of those were discussed in my baby books as signs of when the baby drops.

Joe and I are getting very excited and its hard to believe that she is going to be here so soon. We are so excited to meet her and she what she looks like. I think she'll stick close to her due date.

She moves pretty regularly and I can tell that she's more cramped in there. I don't feel her kicking really as much now as I feel her whole body moving from side to side. It also feels sometimes like she is trying to stretch out, so you can see bulges on either side of my belly. It's really cool. I am trying to remember what it all feels like because she won't be inside me much longer.

This weekend we are goin g to install the car seat, so that we can have that ready. That's really the last thing we need to do, otherwise we have everything else ready for her.

Week 37

Today starts week 37. Here are pictures of the baby's crib and the dresser/changing table. You can see how many clothes she already has. Today I got her clothes and things together to take to the hospital. I am also starting to get my things together, so that it'll all be ready to go and it will be one less things for me to think about.

I had a prenatal appointment this past Thursday, which went well and the next one's not until the 30th.

Today we went to get the stroller/car seat. We also got a play pen that has a bassinet and a changing table, which we are going to have in our room for a little while for when she sleeps in our room. It also folds up for easy travel, which will come in handy. Now I think we really have everything. The only thing left to do is to install the car seat base, which we'll probably do next weekend.

I am feeling pretty much the same. I am not sleeping well and am having indigestion, which also affects my sleep. Aside from that I am still doing a lot of walking and feel pretty good. The baby moves around a lot, so I feel her most of the time. Joe and I are just getting more and more excited to meet her and see what she looks like. Only a few more weeks.

9th Month

Today is the first day of week 36, which starts the 9th month. We are in the home stretch with about 4 weeks to go. As you can see, I can have gotten pretty big. This week we are going to get the stroller and car seat and that should round everything out. I think we have everything else we are going to need (at least for a little while).

We met with our doula again yesterday to reconnect and to discuss how everything will play out once I go into labor. We really like her and are glad that she is going to be a part of this journey. We'll call her when I go into labor and then stay in touch with her until I am in active labor which is when she will come over. She'll come to our house, go with us to the hospital, and stay with us until 2 hours post partum.

We found a pediatrician, which we are happy about. We met with her last week and feel really good about her and the practice. Here is the website. She is just what we were looking for, and is close by. There are pediatricians in the hospital who will look over the baby after she is born and then we will see our pediatrician probably a day or two after we leave the hospital. We'll call before we're discharged to set up the appointment and the great thing is that she will do a house call, so we won't have to take the baby into the office when she is only a couple of days old. I want to keep the baby home for the first week before taking her outside.

We have our next prenatal appointmet on Thursday. We are now going every two weeks. Everything was good at the last appointment - the baby's heartbeat sounded good and she is in the head down position, which we are happy about. I feel her moving most of the time, which is reassuring. Mid afternoon is when she seems to be napping because that is usually the time that I feel her the least. She is a pretty active baby, so it'll be interesting to see how that translates when she is out of the womb and has more room to move around. It is really cool for both of us to feel her and to watch her. Jyst looking at my belly, you can see her movements. In the evenings, Joe and I will just sit and watch her for a while in amazement. We are so excited to meet her already and see what she looks like.

My biggest issue now is sleeping. Not only is it hard to just stay on my left side, but I am getting up usually twice a night to go to the bathroom, which is obviously disruptive to my sleep. I will wake up sometimes with leg cramps or because my left hip is aching. I have pillows propping me up, but its still not the most comfortable. Sometimes I can feel the baby moving in the middle of the night, but its usually not enought to keep me up. I guess this is all just a warm up for the lack of sleep we are going to have in the weeks, months, and probably years to come. Otherwise, I am feeling pretty good. I am still walking a lot even if I have had to slow my pace down a bit. And I am also still eating really well, even though I get some indigestion.

Moving right along

We had our last birthing class last week. June just flew by - we had the birthing classes every Thursday in June and it just went by so fast. We really enjoyed the class and I think we feel pretty ready for the whole thing. The class was really good and there was an emphasis on natural childbirth, though she did go over medication options. There are actually more options than we thought. We figured it was either an epidural or nothing, but they offer nitrous as well as the opiate Fentanyl, which was pretty surprising. It is pretty interesting how willing they are to medicate laboring women and that seems to be the default. They are basically throwing medication at you. I am still committed to an unmedicated natural childbirth, but it is always good to know what our options are. We are going to fill out a birth plan that will go in my chart that will detail what I do and do not want during my labor. This way the medical staff will be clear on what I want and what I expect from them.

We had our prenatal appointment yesterday and luckily I only gained about a pound in the last 2 weeks. Our appointments are now every two weeks until delivery. Can you believe we are only 5 weeks away?! It's hard for us to believe. The baby's heartbeat sounded good and strong and she is really moving around a lot. I am measuring a little big, but it doesn't seem to be an issue. I think we are going to have a good sized baby.

Overall I am still feeling good. Sleeping is getting harder, and I am thankful if I can sleep through until 3am – I’m usually in bed by 11. Generally I am getting up about twice a night to go to the bathroom and by the 2nd time, it's hard for me to fall back asleep again. I am supposed to just sleep on my left side, and have woken up with cramps in my legs and hip. I guess this lack of sleep is just practice for what's to come.

We’ll get another bump watch picture up soon. I am really big now.