Pregnancy Part 23

Found out that baby boy is breech. This is ok because while 1/3 of babies are breech at 32 weeks, that figure drops to 3/100 by delivery time. So I am doing some things to encourage baby to turn, but I'm not super worried about it yet.

I am happy for the moms that are doing lots of meal prepping. I have some meals in the freezer, but I eat them on days where I am too tired to cook, so I'm not doing a great job of stockpiling. We are trying to convert what is frozen meat into frozen meals. And we are slowly getting rid of stuff that I loved eating in 1st and 2nd trimester that I can't stand eating now. These include bagels (too many carbs, turns into heartburn) and chicken potstickers (too much salt, burns my tongue, leads to fluid retention).

This week was a good week in terms of "working from home." I started watching "Fix it & Finish it" on Netflix. It's so satisfying to see projects move that quickly when it feels like this pregnancy is a big waiting game. And the show helped me take out my sewing machine and do a repair on the upholstery for the rocking chair. I installed a zipper, replaced the foam pads on one armrest and washed all the cushions using Dawn dishsoap. Even though it's winter, I'm hoping all the cushions dry in the sun. The weather forecast is a few days in a row of sun and upper-70 degree temps.

I'm so excited because we're getting our gym memberships today. I got my two maternity swimsuits out and ready to wear. I washed one yesterday, but it was still wet today. So it's a good thing I have two. I can alternate them. There's something unsettling about putting on a cold, wet swimsuit.

At our the OB visit this week, my blood pressure was 135/85. She recorded it while asking me some pretty stressful questions. Albert measures in the 53rd percentile by ultrasound. His weight is estimated at 2100 g (4.6 lbs). I will not have to give urine samples at OB visits unless I start having high blood pressure readings. But if I meet with Dr. Peress, he collects urine at every visit. The next set of labs is a culture at 36 weeks to check for group B strep (GBS).

We got a prescription for the breast pump, so if we don't hear from insurance (text, email or letter) within a week, call again to follow up. We don't need to request medical records to be sent to the hospital yet because the GBS results are important and we should definitely wait until we know that before getting our records sent to Labor and Delivery. Dr. Marr will take care of it. We got to make all of the remaining appointments:

1/29 - Fit 4 Baby (wk 3)

2/4 - Ballet Gisele @ Soraya

2/5 - appt w/ Marr (34 wk)

2/5 - Fit 4 Baby (wk 4)

2/6 - breastfeeding class

2/12 - Fit 4 Baby (wk 5)

2/19 - Fit 4 Baby (wk 6)

2/20 - appt w/ Marr (36 wk)

2/27 - Marr (NST, 37 wk)

3/3 - primary election

3/5 - Peress (NST, 38 wk)

3/12 - Marr (NST, 39 wk)

We're going to bring our birth plan to the next appointment so that Dr. Marr can be sure we understand everything and that we're all on the same page. She asked us to think about induction. If we get to 39 weeks, do we want to induce or wait for labor to start naturally? She said we can talk about it at the next appointment. NST is a non-stress test where the fetal heart rate and contractions are monitored, each of those appointments take 45 minutes.

I am spending time on my Birth Ball nearly every day. I wanted to write about my pregnancy favorites, the things I spent money on that I absolutely couldn't have lived without. First, this tank top. I purchased 2 in-store and then 4 more online. I sleep in this every night. It's so supportive and breathable. I haven't regretted this purchase for 1 second.

I wear this sweater pretty much every second that I'm in my house, and sometimes I even wear it out of the house. It's so comfy.

I thought I would need this belt while teaching, but I didn't. I use it now for our walks. For 5,000 - 11,000 step days it is a real lifesaver. It has a pocket in the back for an ice pack, which is good for annoying back pain. My pain is generally up in my ribs, but putting ice anywhere kind of distracts me from the pain.

When I first bought nursing bras, I opted for two underwire ones. The saleswoman let me know that many pregnant women can't stand underwires. I was like, that won't be me... at 10 weeks. Now that I'm 33 weeks, I get it. I tried to put on a normal sports bra yesterday and was like: nope! These soft nursing bras have removable pads, which are annoying and I usually lose them in the wash. But they are kind of necessary now to hide my gigantic nipples.

I have these yoga pants in 2X and they are THE BEST. I would wear them all day every day. Not out of the house, but from the moment I get home, these bad boys are on!

I could also do a shoe review. There are two pairs that I bought to accommodate swollen feet (just in case) and they can be put on and off without tying. First of all, these slip-on walking shoes have been a game-changer. I got them at Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW).

The other pair of shoes I am living in when necessary are these slip-on boots. They are warm and waterproof. They have good grip and a firm insole with arch support. I bought them in a size up from what I usually wear just in case I had significant swelling in my feet. If my feet are not swollen, then I just wear a thicker sock to minimize slippage.

Pregnancy Part 22

Today we have our growth scan (ultrasound) with our regular OB. I am feeling pretty good about it. Hoping my weight and blood pressure are cooperative and that my urine contains no protein or other stuff that's not supposed to be there. Hoping baby measures "normal" and is in the right position for delivery.

We've been doing pretty good with following the babycentre diet since the holidays are over and we're mostly home all day every day. We have tried a few of the third trimester recipes that have been a big success in terms of tasting good and freezing/reheating well.

Diet

Week 30 - Dec 30-Jan 5 - 54% (three fast food)
Week 31 - Jan 6-12 - 60% (three fast food)
Week 32 - Jan 13-19 - 54% (six fast food)

Symptoms

Week 30 - Dec 30-Jan 5 - ?? didn't record any!
Week 31 - Jan 6-12 - aversions (to bad smells and unfamiliar people), increased thirst, shortness of breath, heartburn, acne, headaches
Week 32 - Jan 13-19 - headache, heartburn, back pain, rib pain, fatigue

I got to return to Fit4Baby class on weeks 31 and 32. While it was harder to do some things like lunges and just balancing on one leg, it felt REALLY good to get into a cardio training zone and dig in to the deep breathing.

I am trying to keep busy with craft projects, in case Albert decides to stay (or overstay) his time in the womb. On the other hand, there's a chance he could come early, so dear husband is kind of nudging me to get these art projects wrapped up.

1) quilt

2) woven scarf

3) tie-dyed onesies

4) painted birth mantras

It's always a task to get all the necessary materials assembled, but I found some old gift cards and have spent the time at JoAnn's and Michael's to get the remaining stuff that I would need. Maybe finishing these projects is like finishing a good book or TV series, I don't want it to be over!

The hospital bag is in the car. The car seat is locked and loaded. The nursery is complete. We visited two consignment stores to find the remaining furniture. We got a rocker from Goodwill for $15. We got a changing table (with pad) from Children's Orchard in Santa Clarita for $36. We got a breastfeeding pillow from Wear it once, Wear it twice in Burbank for $17. For under $70... I feel so much relief!

It was pretty hilarious we decided to slightly disassemble the rocker so that it would be easier to carry and fit through the doorway. Just 4 bolts and 8 washers, but with my big belly and using the adjustable wrench and a ratcheting socket wrench and dear husband and the complicated rocking design, it took a minute and a few drops of sweat, four hands and a bit of giggles to get it put back together. Luckily it did not require a blood sacrifice (as we had with our new Kenmore dryer that we bought at a Sears store closing sale and installed ourselves).

For the MLK 3-day weekend, we started watching some standup comedy on Netflix about becoming parents. We watched Lobby Baby with Seth Meyers and then The New One with Mike Birbiglia. We went to bed at a decent hour. When I woke up on Saturday, I thought having a nice hot chocolate would be good before breakfast... boy was I wrong. I had a severe reaction to it where I started accusing Mike of not helping me enough and feeling all alone and just sobbing. From there he decided to take control of the weekend. We did the consignment shopping on Saturday afternoon. We moved the furniture in on Sunday morning then went for a walk in the Arboretum in the afternoon. Monday morning he helped me cut some quilt pieces, then we went out to the beach and did another long walk, ate a picnic lunch and did some grocery shopping at Winco to restock our pantry. It was a perfect weekend, with the exception of my little meltdown.

So I guess you could say everything is coming together! It is all the more real because a friend delivered her baby 4 weeks early yesterday, so I think it helped dear husband get clear in his mind that it's a possibility and it's best to be as prepared as we can be prior to the baby's arrival. Even though a friend said "you'll never be ready," at least I feel like the major infrastructure is in place and from here on out, we can just fill in the gaps as we go.

Pregnancy Part 21

If I could choose one word to describe this pregnancy journey, I would summarize it as "desperate." Checking up on what that word means, I see that it's a pretty dangerous word. It refers to despair. It refers to last-ditch. It refers to impossible and having little hope. I was thinking of it more in a sense of having a great desire for something, but to read all of the other meanings of the word, I get a sense of the power of that word choice and I understand why my brain selected this word.

At our Bradley class, we had an interesting discussion around photos and video of the birth. We covered the items that are good to have in the event of an earthquake, after baby arrives. We discussed the medications that should be purchased for the baby. We learned that from this moment onward, I should be on some absorbent material in case my water breaks. This includes the couch, my recliner, the passenger seat of our van and both beds upstairs. It's to protect our property, since the fluid is impossible to clean. Anything that catches it will be ruined. Maybe my water will break at the hospital. Yes, let's hope.

Why or why not show bump photos on social media? https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1132102/parental-advisory-bump-pics/

Went to babywearing meetup. Great to get hands-on instructions for how to put on, adjust, and add baby to the different types of carriers. Also solved the mystery of why we were able to get the lillebaby carrier so cheap (corporate bad behavior, but not a recall or anything hazardous for baby).

At the 30 week appointment blood pressure was 125/78. Fundal height between 30 & 31. Didn't catch the fetal heart rate, but doc didn't seem concerned. Bit frustrated because I never know when they will ask for a urine sample. Wish it were regular, so that I could plan for it. Just collect every appointment and then dump it if you don't need it! Don't keep me guessing!

In Bradley class, doing a few practice contractions was really helpful. We tested 3 positions for first stage labor and covered what each of us should be doing. Him: gently stroking the skin (head, arms, back, legs) slowly, watching the monitor to let her know when the worst part of the contraction is over, grounding her by making physical contact. Her: belly breathing until the contraction is over, eyes closed, muscles of the face, neck, shoulders and arms are relaxed, open eyes and take a cleansing breath when the contraction is over.

I can't believe we're in 2020, month 8. Hospital bag is like 80% packed.