Pregnancy Part 29

New unfortunate pregnancy symptom: carpal tunnel syndrome. Boo hoo. It's really when I wake up from sleeping. I don't experience it as a numbness in my hand, but rather a pain in the joints of my fingers. Lately, in the last couple of days, I've been feeling it as a serious pain in my right wrist. It does feel better if I put ice on it, so that's the solution for now. I don't think it's from scrolling on my phone or holding the phone, because I haven't been really spending time on my phone for the past few days. I've been busy!

Diet

Week 36 - Feb 10-16 - 43% (six fast food)
Week 37 - Feb 17-23 - 69% (four fast food)
Week 38 - Feb 24-Mar 1 - 51% (three fast food)

Symptoms

Week 36 - Feb 10-16 - backache, tender breasts, BH contractions, increased thirst, morning sickness/nausea
Week 37 - Feb 17-23 - tender breasts, heartburn, pelvic discomfort and pressure, increased thirst, morning sickness/nausea
Week 38 - Feb 24-Mar 1 - increased appetite, heartburn, pelvic discomfort and pressure, tender breasts, nipple soreness, joint pain, BH contractions, increased thirst, headache

My parents were considering coming out for a weekend trip March 13-16, but between the cost of it and just how unlikely it would be for that to coincide with the baby's birth, they decided not to come out together. As a consequence, my mom just booked her flight to arrive on March 10th and depart March 18th. This increases her odds of being there for the birth. I'm surprised that she's willing to take so much time off work since it's usually a problem for her. I'm excited that she will be here because I know how excited she must be. Earlier on in pregnancy, I was pretty adamant that I didn't want my mom around during labor, but now that it's getting closer, I'm caring less about being in control and feeling more gratitude for any amount of help and experience that people can share with us.

One day, I forgot to take my prenatal vitamin and ended up getting a strong craving for cat food. Another day, I also forgot the vitamin and wanted fast food really badly. Don't know what it is about salty stuff that my body needs and usually gets from the multivitamin. Google suggests it's iron.

I got a headache that lasted for 6 hours. Ended up going in to the hospital to get checked out at 6 pm. On their monitors, my blood pressure was fine and they didn't find any protein in my urine. No excessive swelling in my extremities. Baby looked good on the monitor. So we were sent home with advice to take 650mg of Tylenol every 6 hours. After 3 doses, the headache finally went away. It felt like a migraine that I usually get around when my period starts. Maybe it was triggered by surging hormones. Or now that I think about it, progesterone levels seem to drop leading up to delivery, so maybe that's the trigger (and not high blood pressure). In any case, we bought a blood pressure cuff for $60 at Rite Aid. My OB suggested to take a reading twice daily and if the systolic is over 140 mmHg and/or the diastolic is over 90 mmHg, then that is cause for concern and we should go back to triage.

Pregnancy Part 28

The main symptoms I'm feeling now include pain and discomfort. I am feeling more aches in my pubic symphysis and to a lesser extent sacroiliac joints. When I roll on my birth ball it feels really weird now, like it moves the baby. Or like something is almost falling out of my vagina.

We got a visit from some friends who brought breastfeeding supplies, cloth diapers, disposable newborn diapers, a Halo sleepsack, a diaper pail and some wet bags, a newborn scale, padsicle supplies, and three birth balls. It was great so see them and spend the afternoon just hanging out.

We got a box of stuff from my friend in Florida. Cloth diapers, swim diapers, carseat mirror, board books, and a few items I'm not 100% sure what they are.

We had our baby shower at work. It was so overwhelming. The department decorated the hell out of the conference room and had the best food catered in. There were real games and everything. At the end, we unwrapped gifts and it was so fun oohing and aahing about all the cute little clothes. Our colleagues are so excited for us and we're so lucky to have our academic family who are all extremely supportive. They pooled their financials and bought the IKEA crib from our registry. So I guess we'll be assembling that over the weekend. It's all coming together.

We also had a 'baby shower' at Fit4Baby last night. My teacher gave me a gift bag with chocolate almonds, a room spray and baby wipes. She brought tiny yellow roses, which made the room smell lovely. 

This afternoon is our NST and I guess I'm starting to feel excited and ready to welcome baby. I mean physically and emotionally. Found out that baby is head down and that I'm not showing any signs of preeclampsia. I am so relieved I took a 2 hour nap and slept better than I have in weeks.

I tagged this post beauty because although I am having a surge of chin acne due to hormones, my hair is finally growing out past the mullet stage. I tagged it bikethevote because early voting starts on Saturday and I plan to go for it just in case. I used the tags cross-training and pool because with the swimming and Fit4Baby, I am feeling good and strong.

I used the tags dancing and music because I hope to be mobile during labor and I was grooving in the car yesterday and it really cheered me up. I used the tag learning because I'm still learning so much about how to care for this baby. I'm open to it and just trying to be as much of a sponge as possible. The love tag is for the main feeling I'm getting from those around me, as well as the feeling I have towards this baby.

I used the tag meditation because that's what I've been doing on Friday afternoons. I feel motivation and look forward to using teamwork to build the crib this weekend, to have it done and ready. We're in the home stretch now, and we've been fairly successful in keeping up with nutrition and vitamins, leading to a slow and steady weight gain.

Pregnancy Part 27

I feel like I'm living on Whole Wheat English Muffins. Seriously, I eat 1 or 2 per day. It is getting harder to eat well since I have a big return of nausea. Seriously, when I wake up, it's like I have a hangover. I feel so thirsty, but I'm afraid to drink water because I don't want to vomit.

I'm also like seriously unmotivated. I spent all day Wednesday watching Sex and the City and I'm on track to do it again today. Between the nausea and belly aches, I just don't want to move or do any chores.

We have house guests coming this weekend and the dining room table is a mess. I want to clean it, I really do, but I just don't have the willpower. I don't want to be judged by my in-laws but I also resent (a little bit) the invasion of privacy. Like it would be fine if I had an idea of what they expect to do while they're here. I don't think they want to just sit around. How long does it take to show them what we have? Yes we're ready for the baby.

Next week my colleagues are throwing a baby shower at work. It's a surprise shower, so I haven't seen the invitation or guest list. Don't know the who, what, where, when, etc. I know I should just shut up and be grateful, but it's hard when I'm a control freak.

Next week is also my last Fit4Baby class. And my first NST. I wonder if the doctor will suggest ECV if baby boy is still not head-down. 

Had a conversation with dear husband about: under what circumstances would I be comfortable with interventions, such as epidural, narcotics, surgery. Like what would have to happen for me to be OK with it. I said something like: drop in baby's heart rate. I guess my fear is that a stranger will be overseeing my delivery, will take one look at me and think, she's fat and old and there's no way she'll push this baby out without drugs and interventions. I know it's silly to insist on a natural birth since there's no guarantee of no complications, but I also don't want someone's judgment based on my outward appearance and stupid numbers on a chart. 

I wonder if husband and mother in-law will be my best advocates or worst nightmare. I actually said outloud that MIL would order for me to be knocked out, baby extracted and a little cosmetic procedure done while I'm already on the operating table. I actually think this could happen. I think fear is normal at this point, so I'm trying not to over think it.

Pregnancy Part 26

We had our breastfeeding class this week at the hospital. It was taught by a male nurse. There were 6 couples there, but I think 3 of the women attended with their moms. One was a second time mom who didn't successfully breastfeed her firstborn because she went I to early labor and there were lots of complications. It was very helpful to practice the holds and swaddling with a doll. The teacher had a beanbag breast so that he could demonstrate. He had a PowerPoint presentation with a lot of embedded videos. Dear husband said he learned that there was a lot more to it than he initially thought, and he was glad he attended the class. The class was free and lasted 2.5 hours long, plus there were free cookies!

I think it's kind of sad that the brick and mortar Motherhood Maternity stores are closing. How are people supposed to buy clothes that fit properly when they can't try it on?

I got the above top and bottoms for my hospital "going home" outfit. The pants I got are in black, in case of blood leaking out. But they're totally comfy. The first pair I picked out was so uncomfortable, but dear husband grabbed these and had me try them on. See what I mean? Sometimes you can't tell what will feel good until it's actually on your body. Got this whole outfit for $35. So many of my yoga pants are "over bump" and it's nice to add one to the collection that is "under bump." Since I don't know at this point whether I will do a vaginal birth or Caesarian section, it's good to have loose pants that don't necessarily have to go over bump.

Of course it doesn't look like this on me. I do enjoy when they use plus-size models because it helps e get an idea of what the garment will look like on me. I'm looking forward to the day when each store uses a body-scanner to generate a virtual version of you and then you can virtually try the clothes on and see how it will look on YOU. For example, the pants are very long and pretty much drag on the ground because of my short legs. But I just don't know if it will be cold on the day we're discharged so I'd rather have pants that cover just in case.

I think I picked up the shirt because it was a good price (on sale) and I liked the pattern. But also it was really comfortable and something I could see myself wearing even if I wasn't pregnant. I tried on a few nursing tops but they weren't really my size. This Motherhood Maternity was in a small corner of a Macy's store at Victoria Gardens. Even my husband was like, "this is it?" I know we're only pregnant for a short time of our lives, but it's so nice and comforting to wear things that look good and are appropriately tailored for our pregnant bodies.

I got this swimsuit and the one below at a Motherhood Maternity store closing sale at the Santa Anita mall. I don't think I would have paid the full price, but I am so glad I got this. It's messaging is kind of silly and won't work after I am no longer pregnant, but I like to let the lifeguards know that I'm pregnant in case something goes wrong while I'm at the pool. I like that this is a pretty traditionally cut one-piece bathing suit. It has a few smaller criss-cross straps in the back to keep the shoulder straps from falling down. It's gathered around the bump area, which you can't see from this picture. I want to say the suit was about $24. It's been a while since I bought it.

Again, I probably wouldn't have bought these swim separates at full price, but at 70% off it was really a steal. I mean a good deal. I think I can definitely get away with wearing this one after birth. I've never been much of a tankini person or a swim skirt person, but I just didn't know what kind of shape my body would be in by now or after the baby is out, so this seemed like a good option. And the top is very bra-like and has wide supportive straps that criss-cross in the back. I think the two pieces were like $12 each.

I don't LOVE buying new clothes, but it's necessary every once in a while. Especially for things like swimsuits. They only last so long and it's hard to find them secondhand. To pack our hospital bag, we wanted dedicated "going home" outfits that wouldn't be worn for any other purpose. It's hard to give up the yoga / PJ pants that I have because I only have 2 pairs that fit now and I wear them every day. Likewise with shirts. I have probably 4 now that make sense, so you can believe that I won't be packing them away for an indeterminate amount of time.

It also seems that maternity clothes aren't "made to last." Many are made of stretchy fabric that is very thin. I am washing them carefully (delicate cycle, Woolite) and line drying, with some hopes that they will become useful hand-me-downs for my younger sisters. It makes sense that the fabric is thin, though, because I do seem to be overheating much more easily than before.

Pregnancy Part 25

I had my 34 week OB appointment this week. Everything went well. My blood pressure was 130/80. Albert's heart rate was 150 beats per minute. Went to the Fit4Baby HIIT week 4 out of 6 workout, I am sore but it made me much more relaxed and happy.

I've been trying to do more meditation lately. Nothing serious like hypnobabies, which I keep hearing about, but I am definitely taking advantage of the classes offered at CSUN as well as the guided meditations on the Hello Belly app. I did pay $20 for that app, but the guided meditations on there are pretty good. There are lots of different ones.

This week is a busy week. Tuesday I went to the ballet while Mike had the car. It was very frosty here in So Cal with an overnight low of 31 degrees. I got to walk about two and a half miles that night, to and from the show, or about 6000 steps. Albert slept through pretty much the entire show, but seemed to wake up a bit when we got home and I put my feet up in the recliner.

We have a breastfeeding class at the hospital. We're also possibly going swimming. I went to work on Monday, but then Tuesday I spent all day at home cooking and doing laundry. I also unwrapped all the free bottles we got and read about how to clean them. Wednesday morning I spent at the doctor and then in the afternoon I pretty much just napped.

Last weekend was a busy weekend also. It seemed like we didn't do any of our normal "reset" tasks, such as shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. I sat down Tuesday and made a list of all thing things I wanted to cook, but I only got 3 out of 7 done. Not sure when I'll get to the remainder. I didn't bring anything to eat for lunch today, but I've been doing pretty good on following my meal planner this week.

I'm still using the Ovia app to track symptoms. I used to religiously read the daily updates of information in my first and second trimesters, but now I check in maybe weekly. There's so much going on inside my body, and visible from the outside too, that I don't feel it's as necessary to read about it.

I ended up re-starting taking Vitamin B6 for nausea. I bought a new bottle between Week 33 and 34. In reading the comments on my Reddit bumper group, many of us are experiencing a resurgence of morning sickness. If Vit B6 worked before, maybe it will work again. I think it is working, but I'm not going to stop taking it and find out.

Another thing I'm trying to do to manage nausea and heartburn is to eat every 2 hours instead of every 4 hours. I've been feeling the best when I have a shake or something nutritious that I can just sip on throughout the day. I'm planning to start eating dates next week, supposedly they help with softening of the cervix and increase the odds that you will go into labor spontaneously.

Diet

Week 33 - Jan 20-26 - 50% (five fast food)
Week 34 - Jan 27-Feb 2 - 43% (five fast food)
Week 35 - Feb 3-9 - 63% (three fast food)

Symptoms

Week 33 - Jan 20-26 - BH contractions, neckache, backache, heartburn, bloating and flatulence
Week 34 - Jan 27-Feb 2 - morning sickness/nausea, headache, neckache, backache, heartburn, leg cramps
Week 35 - Feb 3-9 - appetite decrease, BH contractions, nipple soreness, tender breasts, abdominal itchiness, leg cramps, swelling

It seems like we got our hospital bag pretty much completely packed. It's in the car, too. I think this baby will arrive on time or late. Dear husband is convinced he will come early. I guess it's better to be ready, but he's got me stressing pretty hard on getting everything ready at home (diapers, bottles, freezer meals). I have 25 meals in the freezer and 4 more in the fridge that should be moved into the freezer. 

Ugh, I really don't want to start working, but these documents aren't going to correct themselves. 

Pregnancy Part 24

I feel like 24 is a lucky number so I will try to keep this post on the positive side of things. It is less than 40 days until our due date, and I always said that 40 is a magic number too. We're having a baby shower here at work in less than two weeks, so I will definitely been in "month 9" at that time (assuming baby has not arrived before then).

Our 34 week appointment is on Wednesday, and I don't have any major concerns. I'm just hoping for a "normal" blood pressure reading and that I haven't gained too much weight.

 

I have crossed the threshold into territory that I wasn't supposed to enter. The app through my hospital suggested I stop gaining weight at 215 lbs. I have definitely logged a few days at 216 lbs, so I think that goal has been met and exceeded. More alarming perhaps is the increase in heart rate. I kind of stopped wearing my FitBit because it was too alarming. My "resting" heart rate is now in the 80s and just easy walking to and from the bathroom gets me up into the 110s (beats per minute). Let's not even discuss what happens when I'm exercising.

I'm still enjoying my HIIT (Fit4Baby) workouts. We've been swimming 4 times already. It's been fantastic. I use the word "swimming" lightly here because it's not like I'm doing 30 minutes of actual lap swimming or even treading water. Instead we spend about 45 minutes doing a combination of walking laps and very easy swimming. We also do some stretching in the water. More than the exercise, what I enjoy is the meditative aspect of watching the sunset or sun's rays as they reflect and refract in the pool. The landscaping is a bit more mature than pictured below.

What I love is when you are standing in the middle of the pool, it has an infinity edge so you just see the surface of the water and no ledge around the pool. The other awesome thing is that when people are swimming, the water runs into the drains around the edge of the pool which sounds like a fountain or babbling brook. I find the sound very relaxing and I always sleep better on nights after we swim.

I feel very fortunate to be living in Southern California and to be at the zenith of my pregnancy during the winter. We have had some pretty warm days (70s and 80s) which make for great outdoor swimming. Even when it's cooler, the pool is heated and we can still use it. I'd say the water temperature is in the 70s because yesterday when it was 83 degrees ouside the pool, the water felt cool but most other days the water feels warmer than the air temperature.

I would feel scared to be pregnant in winter in a place where it's icy and cold. I would also feel pretty bummed out if I were pregnant in So Cal in the summer because it's so hot here in Northridge that it would be difficult to get out and walk. My dear husband has been doing a great job of getting me out on days that we don't swim. We have some funny names for our walks "103" or "303" where the first digit is the starting location and the third digit is the distance. If it starts with a 1, then the walk starts from home. If it starts with a 3 then the walk starts from school. If it ends in a 1, then the walk is short.

This week is on the busy side for us. Besides the doctor's appointment on Wednesday, we have a breastfeeding class at the hospital on Thursday night. Tuesday we are going to "divide and conquer" where Mike is attending the Bicycle Advisory Committee Meeting and I will be going to the Ballet here at CSUN.

We scored a lot of cloth diapers this weekend from the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Regional Collaborative for Climate Action and Sustainability (LARC) at UCLA. She so generously included reusable wipes and a diaper pail. Now I just have to re-wash them and take an inventory to see if we have reached the appropriate size stash to accommodate our baby when he arrives.

And now it's about time to get down to some actual work. I have been contacted by two faculty for help with making their documents ADA compliant. It's fun and kind of low-stress work, plus I know it's going to have the possibility of impacting students in a positive way so that motivates me to get on with the task.