Monday, March 31, 2008

37 down, 3 (?) to go

Weekly appointments are SO much fun (at least, they're an excuse to be late for work).

Our 37 week appointment was today, and all is well. The weight issue seems to have settled itself (~1lb this time), and blood pressure was great as always - 118/70. We're in the midst of meeting all possible on-call practitioners, and today's was just as nice as the rest of them. She wasn't quite sure if what she was feeling in the downward position was the head (since I guess Bean's butt, pointing upward, is just as hard as his/her head), so we got a really quick, 45-second ultrasound. Bean is indeed still head down, and quite head down as a matter of fact (my regular OB did tell us this last week, but today's clinician wanted to double-check.

We also determined that I've been having frequent Braxton-Hicks, although they're not at all painful. Hopefully that's a good sign of things to come ;-) No internal exam today, though, which is OK with me. The midwife today did say I would likely know when labour starts for real, and not to worry about examining each and every contraction to determine if it's true or false. (Like that's going to get me to stop paying attention! Ha!)

The hospital bag is packed, I just need a few diapers just in case. The childbirth class from the hospital did say they'd be provided, but I'd rather have extras.

I'm just about ready to get the show on the road. The swelling in my feet isn't as bad as it was last week - I'm really careful to get them up when I'm home. We did spend a good portion of Saturday out walking, before going over to my boss's place for dinner, and it tired me out, but the feet survived. I also got a replacement pair of sandals, since my last pair didn't make it to the move, and I didn't have any last summer :-( They were a treat, they were on sale, and I'm slowly getting used to them. I'm hoping the better support they give will help a bit with the back and pelvic pain that's pretty incessant right about now.

Sleeping also isn't working out too well, but everyone says it's good preparation ;-) I'm averaging about an hour at a time, then I have to get up and walk around to shake out the strain on my left hip. I'm hoping that the hour-at-a-time sleep that will be coming up once Bean is here will be a bit more pain-free ;-)

Ok. I'm thinking that's enough whining for the day. I think I'll catch the next bus home, and figure out some din-dins. I don't know if there's good TV on tonight, but I started the second sleeve on my baby sweater, which should be entertainment enough.

Monday, March 24, 2008

36 weeks and counting.

Well, we had our 36 week appointment this morning, and it was interesting to say the least.

Blood pressure: 120/68. A bit higher than my usual, but moving around is getting a bit more strenuous, and I didn't have my 15 minutes of recovery time that normally comes after hoofing it to the doc's office.

Weight: Well, no numbers for you there, but suffice it to say I don't trust anything anymore. I hadn't found out my weight during the last appointment two weeks ago, because I don't look at the scale and I didn't think to ask. Turns out two weeks ago, I'd lost a pound from the previous appointment, and this week it seems I'd gained nine. Which SO isn't possible, considering I haven't changed my eating habits a whit. I don't believe the loss that was recorded during week 34, and I sure as hell don't believe that gain this time around. The problem is that each appointment is in a different exam room, with a different scale. I'm convinced that there's something that's not agreeing. The bottom line is - I didn't get lectured, and if I can go through the pregnancy putting on around 35 lb, I'll be happy about it. At least it's not 50 or 60.

Bean is doing well, had a nice strong heartrate around 150 and was kicking. We also did the Group B strep test, and I should have the results by the end of the week. Discussion about that led to discussion about my allergies, and whether or not I'm sensitive to penicillin. The bottom line is that I don't know, even though I know I'm allergic to a crapload of other stuff. Either way, if I end up needing the antibiotics, they're administered in the hospital, and I'll be watched very carefully.

The doc also did an exam on my request, since my mom has a history of preterm labour (and I'm sort of hopeful at this point ;-)). Turns out I'm dilated 1cm, and my cervix, although plenty hard, is a bit short. Now, the OB says this means nothing, and I could stay this way for weeks, but a girl can dream, can't she?

I've got my suitcase about 70% packed and we've got pretty much everything we need (with the exception of diapers, but the pharmacy is 2 blocks from work). I'm ready, but I'm not ready. And with my luck, this kid'll go weeks over.

Should be interesting ;-)

Friday, March 21, 2008

The latest cliche

(In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say I wasn't going to blog about this, but last night, Hubby said, "Gee, this sounds like something someone would blog about." So, Dearest, I know you know I'm blogging ;-) and everyone else, if you consider this to be TMI, you can blame him!)

The most recent thing that's developed is swelling. And, let me tell you, it freaked me out ;-) One night, I'd spent more of the evening on my feet than normal, and when I finally sat down to catch up on my TV, I looked at my ankles and flipped. Up until this point, I've been wearing my normal shoes, but was considering buying some comfy clogs or sandals for the summer. Now, it looks like I'm going to be forced in that direction. The good thing is, if I prop my feet up (especially while I'm sleeping), it goes back down to nearly normal. I have no facial swelling or severe hand swelling, which I'm told is the kind to be nervous about, so that's good too. My 36 week appointment is on Monday, so we'll double check everything then.

However, there's one huge (no pun intended!) advantage to this whole situation (and this is the TMI part) - no more shaving nicks on my ankles!

Ok, I figured it was time for a picture, although it's not of me. The knitted baby set arrived in the mail yesterday, so I decided to take a pic of it, along with the croched blanket, that have been sent from those family friends. The set ended up including a sweater, pants, a hat, and three pairs of socks in varying sizes. It looks blue in the picture, but it's more towards the lavender end of things; she sent the pattern picture (along with spare yarn, the ball band with washing instructions, and spare buttons) and the baby does look like a girl with a hat on, but it's pretty unisex without it. I'll embroider either flowers or trucks on it depending on the outcome.


The work is beautiful, it's very fine yarn, and I'm just so in love with it. Right now my brain can't handle such fine work, but I'm definitely happy for someone else to do it!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Oy.

I guess this is what they mean by third trimester exhaustion. It's been nearly a month since I posted, and I have no excuse except that my brain is mush and I'm too tired ;-)

(Right now, it's too late in the day to start the next phase of my experiment, because I don't have the stamina to stay late, so I'm blogging, dammit.)

Let's see, what is there to report? Oh, right.

The shopping. :-)

We've taken two major trips, and between the two outings, we managed to amass everything that seems to be necessary to house this kid when it comes home. Actually, I think we've got way more than that, because I read recently that if you have boobs and a bed, you're set - Baby eats and baby sleeps ;-)

We have a crib set up, since I am way too afraid to co-sleep. No bassinet, because there just isn't room for both, and I figure a bassinet will be outgrown very quickly. We've got a stroller and carseat, a diaper bag and a swing. We have a little bathtub, and a rubber ducky. Our rocking chair *should* be arriving in about a week, although the order is still 'processing'. I indulged in a breastfeeding pillow, and a couple of pieces of clothing to fill in the tiny gaps in what's arrived from home already.

We're really lucky to have our families. Even though we're not living at home, and there won't be a baby shower (both Mom and I have a moral objection to absentee showers - I would feel so guilty), people are still giving Mom stuff to send or bring down to us. A dear old family friend crocheted a lovely baby afghan, and knit two pairs of booties. My Dad's cousin (who is more like his sister) has made us a knit blanket, and bought a half dozen onesies. Mom has sent down everything she had from when we were babies, so we have enough little undershirts and things, along with swaddling flannels and homemade hooded towels, not to mention facecloths and bunting bags. She's saving the gender-specific stuff until we know what Bean is, and then I'll either be innundated with hand sewn dresses or sailor suits :-)

We also found out that one of Hubby's aunts by marriage has been going gangbusters on the outfits. I've met this woman a few times, and we have a *complete* language barrier between us; the funny thing is, the last time we visited, she and I had a "conversation" for an hour and a half about knitting :-) My mother in law told us that Aunt G. had made a little knitted outfit, and had enough yarn left over that she decided to supplement it with a hat and booties. Then we come to find out that she's made socks (and possibly sweaters) in 3 or 4 sizes, so we'll have one as Bean grows through each stage.

One of my best friends at home also sent me a "baby shower in a box", which had a tiny bit of lots of different things - a tube of diaper cream, a tiny pack of washcloths, a paci clip, a rattle, a bib, a pair of socks, etc. all wrapped individually and put into a shoebox. It made for such a fun experience, opening each little package. I know it kills her that we're so far away, but I try to send her pics as often as I can, and keep her updated on what it's like to go through pregnancy. She's getting married in October, and we can't wait to go home for the wedding.

I can't believe that there are only five more weeks left. I have all of the material things that I could need or want, but they're not what's bursting at the seams. I'm bursting to meet this little person, see who's been bruising my ribs, hold the little feet that make my belly jiggle and my husband giggle like a five-year old. Don't wait too long, Bean!