Wednesday, November 26, 2008

38 Weeks

38 weeks today - holy crap! I had a doctors appointment yesterday, and in case you are interested I'm already 2-3 and 90%. If you know what that means, then good for you. If you don't, well I'm not going into details! But, basically, it doesn't seem like its going to be much longer - we will all be surprised if he stays put until his due date 2 whole weeks away. At this point, anytime after I get to eat myself silly tomorrow will be fine by me!

My blood pressure was up a little yesterday as well, so combined with my swelling she is keeping a close on that. Should it turn into something and we need to deliver asap I am already favorable for an induction to take so it won't be an issue.
According to Babycenter: Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

For many women, the next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby's nursery or to take care of necessary tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby's born. Take naps, catch up on your reading, and spend uninterrupted time with your partner while you can.

Some swelling in your feet and ankles is normal during these last weeks, but call your practitioner without delay if you notice excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, more than slight swelling of your hands, any swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, or have a sudden weight gain. Also let her know immediately if have severe or persistent headaches; visual changes (such as double or blurred vision, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or a temporary loss of vision), intense upper abdominal pain or tenderness, or nausea and vomiting. These are symptoms of a serious condition called preeclampsia.

Oh and it looks like we have been downgraded with our produce again this week. I mean, a LEEK?! Dude, come on!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Dear Pedestrian:

I am 9 months pregnant, therefore this speed is the only speed in which I walk (aka slowly!) You have 2 choices - either suck it up, or go around me. But FFS, get off my grill.

That is all.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

37 Weeks

Happy Full Term Day to me! Milo has 3 weeks to make his way out of here, then he gets his eviction notice! Oh and that hand on the bottom of my belly... its covering up my lovely stretch-marked stomach that keeps popping out of every shirt I own.
According to Babycenter: Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Braxton Hicks contractions may be coming more frequently now and may last longer and be more uncomfortable. You might also notice an increase in vaginal discharge. If you see some "bloody show" (mucus tinged with a tiny amount of blood) in the toilet or in your undies, labor is probably a few days away — or less. (If you have heavier spotting or bleeding, call your caregiver immediately.) Also be sure to ask your caregiver about the results of your Group B strep culture. That way, if the result isn't yet on your chart when you get to the hospital or birth center, you'll be able to give the staff there a timely heads-up if you need antibiotics.

It may be harder than ever to get comfortable enough to sleep well at night. If you can, take it easy through the day — this may be your last chance to do so for quite a while. Keep monitoring your baby's movements, too, and let your caregiver know immediately if you notice a decrease. Though her quarters are getting cozy, she should still be as active as before.


Ok, seriously there are so many things wrong with this weeks produce! First of all, this has got to be a downgrade from last weeks MELON! And secondly, wtf is a swiss chard anyways. You have to do better then this, Babycenter!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Weird Milestone

This past weekend we were at the hospital for our Newborn Care/Breastfeeding class and during lunch we went down to the hospitals cafeteria.

We sat in a booth and it was smushing my stomach in way too much to even suffer through... so we had to move to a table with regular chairs.

Yeah. Nice, right?

36 Weeks

AKA 9 months pregnant - whoa!

So I had the first of my weekly appointments yesterday. All is looking good, Milo is still head down and getting lower (as demonstrated by a phenomenon I like to call "My Crotch Feels Like it is Getting Ripped in Half!" which is apparently normal btw.) Only 2 more weeks of work left as of today, thanks to the short Thanksgiving week. And seriously, thank god! I am a total biatch and feeling pretty miserable by the end of the day.

I am quite sure that this picture is proof positive that velour should be outlawed once you reach a certain level or gigantic-ness. Too bad there isn't much left that fits anymore!According to Babycenter: Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.

Now that your baby is taking up so much room, you may have trouble eating a normal-size meal. Smaller, more frequent meals are often easier to handle at this point. On the other hand, you may have less heartburn and have an easier time breathing when your baby starts to "drop" down into your pelvis. This process — called lightening — often happens a few weeks before labor if this is your first baby. (If you've given birth before, it probably won't happen before labor starts.) If your baby drops, you may also feel increased pressure in your lower abdomen, which may make walking increasingly uncomfortable, and you'll probably find that you have to pee even more frequently. If your baby is very low, you may feel lots of vaginal pressure and discomfort as well. Some women say it feels as though they're carrying a bowling ball between their legs!

You might also notice that your Braxton Hicks contractions are more frequent now. Be sure to review the signs of labor with your practitioner and find out when she wants to hear from you. As a general rule, if you're full-term, your pregnancy is uncomplicated, and your water hasn't broken, she'll probably have you wait to come in until you've been having contractions that last for about a minute each, coming every five minutes for an hour. Of course, you'll want to call right away if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity or think you're leaking amniotic fluid, or if you have any vaginal bleeding, fever, a severe or persistent headache, constant abdominal pain, or vision changes.
WTF is a crenshaw melon?!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

I feel so special!

I have been tagged for the first time ever by the fabulous Mommy Moreno over at Smooth as Baby's Blog! (She just had an adorable little girl by the way!)So here it goes - 7 weird/random facts about myself:

1. I hate sitting with my back to the door at restaurants and make Doug move if he sits in the wrong seat (although by now he knows to let me sit first if he isn't sure!)

2. I can speak Japanese. I'm not fluent, but when I spent a summer there is college I got pretty damn good at it.

3. I love my dog as if she were a person. She will always be my first baby.

4. I have all the clothes in our closet organized by type - as in pants, skirt, and then shirts by sleeve length and then how warm. I take it a step further on Doug's side and his work shirts are separate from other long sleeve button down shirts.

5. I love anise and black jelly beans so much but I hate black licorice more then anything, even though they are all essentially the same thing.

6. When the house is messy I always clean the master bedroom first, even though its the last room anyone visiting would ever have to see.

7. Every weekday I eat cereal and orange juice for breakfast. And I always eat it in front of the computer, while catching up on blogs and email. If Doug decides to get up and sit at the computer it throws my whole routine off and I don't know what to do with myself!

And now I get to tag 7 fantastic blogs to play too!

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

35 Weeks

According to Babycenter: Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.
Mmmm, Honeydew Bellini. Screw the actual fruit, I would kill for one of these right now!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Milo's Room!

Here it is finally - Milo's finished room! The only thing missing is some more wall art for around the room and a couple shelves to hang on the wall of the nook in there, since the ones we had were too long.