38 Weeks!

BIG NEWS: 

I had a doctor's appointment on Monday and the doctor asked if I had an ultrasound lately and I said no so they scheduled one for me for Wednesday. Looking back, she did seem a little too  reassuring when she kept saying they just want to check his size, that's all. Maybe she could tell? Anyway, when I had the ultrasound done, the tech told me that he weighed 6lbs 3oz which was within normal but definitely on the lower side for me being pretty much 38 weeks. She even showed me where that was on a line graph thing. But she didn't seem worried so I thought it wasn't a big deal. So I go to the room to wait for the doctor and I swear I waited like twenty minutes (and at this point, you have to be half naked every time so it's a little uncomfortable to just be sitting on that table thing in the nude) and when the doctor came in, he seemed worried. He showed me a piece of paper with a bunch of numbers that I had no idea what any of it meant but he said that the reason he took so long to come in was because he was speaking with one of the other doctors about those numbers. He said that Jude's weight is only 21% in the normal range. He said that it's not HORRIBLE but definitely didn't make him happy. He said if he was in the 10% range that I'd no question been induced right away. He checked to see if I was dilated but I was still at one centimeter but I was starting to thin out. He said that I have to go back next wednesday and they are going to hook me up to a fetal monitor for a while and check some things and see if I'm dilated. If I've dilated any more or if they find anything on the monitor, they will induce me next Thursday for sure. Basically, Jude isn't growing enough/properly inside of me and he needs to be out to grow better. He is hoping that I go into labor on my own though. He said that they definitely won't let me go late so as of now, I know the longest I'll be able to go before they induce me is the 17th (my due date) but the odds that I go that long are slim. I asked the doctor if there was a reason Jude isn't growing normal, like if I did something... he said that it's normally when women smoke like two packs a day. But he also said it's the positioning of something and the baby doesn't get enough oxygen or something like that... not sure the technical mumbo jumbo. But it still makes me a little sad that even though I tried really hard to eat better and enough, I still have a baby the size of someone who smokes while pregnant! What can a girl do though? :(

So right now, I am praying that I don't have to be induced because of MANY reasons (I wanted a natural birth but pitocin stresses out the baby and makes labor more painful so it might be harder to go without pain meds- and on top of that, if I get an epidural it slows down labor which means a snowball effect of needing more pitocin, then needing more epidural because the pain gets worse, over and over until the baby eventually is under so much stress they end up doing a C section. Not cool either way! Of course this doesn't always happen but believe me, I've done my research and if you don't believe me - watch Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of being Born" - you learn A LOT!). 

So basically, if any of you have any tips to help me go into labor in the next few days, I'd love to hear them! I know nothing works for sure but hey, I'll try anything not to be induced! :)

How far along? 38 weeks!

Total weight gain/loss: About 30-31 lbs as of yesterday 

Maternity clothes? only a little longer!

Stretch marks? still none on my stomach

Sleep: Tuesday night I had THREE separate dreams where Jude was born.. I think it's a sign he wants out!

Best moment this week: getting most of the house clean and buying some of the stuff we didn't get off our registries with gift cards :)

Miss Anything? Being able to walk normally and get in a good position sitting or lying down

Movement: A lot of movement still but it's starting to hurt! But he also gets hiccups which is adorable.

Food cravings: Fruit still and chocolate

Anything making you queasy or sick: eggs, mexican, meat

Gender: Boy!

Symptoms: The heartburn is still god awful and I had to sleep sitting up again the other night... Round ligament pain underneath my belly and groin area is awful... 
Labor Signs: None!

Belly Button in or out? in but getting pretty flat

Happy or Moody most of the time: depends on the day. Who knew nesting could make a pregnant girl so happy?

Looking forward to: meeting Jude sooner than planned!

Top 10 Pregnancy Must Haves!

As my time being pregnant draws to a close, I wanted to post about all the great things that I've come to use all the time being pregnant (or a lot throughout certain stages) for all the newly pregnant women out there. I hope these things help you as much as they've helped me! 

1. Boppy Pregnancy Pillow:


This is an absolute MUST HAVE! I got it in my second trimester and loved loved loved it! It is great for just snuggling and wrapping your legs around and as your belly grows it gives you great support there as well. It has definitely helped a lot in my third trimester where it is very hard to find comfy positions to sleep in. 

2. Tums:


I can't even begin to tell you how much of a best friend Tums has been to me these past nine months. If you are lucky enough not to get heartburn, I loathe you. For the rest of us unlucky pregnant women, it is pure hell. I think it may have been the worst side effect EVER. And it's not just your average heartburn... this heartburn is the kind that as your pregnancy progresses, makes you sleep sitting up, makes you literally swallow stomach acid and makes you thankful the Gods created yummy tums that taste just like candy. I know it says only eat 8 in a 24 hour period on the container, but think of all those extras as extra calcium for your little bambino. (and if your heartburn gets as bad as mine did, your doc can prescribe you another type of med you can take WITH tums for a heartburn double whammy killer)

3. Refillable Water Bottle:


The picture is the one that I actually have that I bought at Walmart for about $15 bucks but any refillable water bottle will do. I carry it with me EVERYWHERE I go because being pregnant makes you THIRSTY and your doctor will make you drink a gazillion glasses of water a day so you might as well refill a water bottle and save the environment on all that plastic from disposable ones. :)

4. Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula Massage Lotion for Stretch Marks:


While I don't actually think it's done anything for stretch marks and I don't use it as much as many, it DOES really help for the itching that happens when your belly is growing a lot during the second and third trimesters. Nothing actually can help with stretch marks (sorry, ladies!) since that is a hereditary thing and happens further underneath the skin where lotion doesn't get to. But at least with this your tummy won't feel like it's been dunked in itching powder!

5. Whole Fruit Fruit Bars:


Whomever invented these lovely fruit bars needs a trophy. Not only are these GOOD FOR YOU, but they are delicious! I went through a fruit phase (it started with strawberries then on to melons) and loved the strawberry flavor and dark cherry flavors. YUM! It was especially great because strawberries weren't in season when I wanted them all the time and I could grab a fruit bar before heading out the door for a quick snack. 

6. Yoga Pants:


While maternity pants are great, you just can't beat a nice pair of yoga pants. They don't have to even be maternity yoga pants if you can put the band under your belly. The best thing you can possibly be while pregnant is COMFORTABLE! And let me tell you, I would wear yoga pants every day if they were socially acceptable everywhere. A lot of the times though you can pull them off at work for black work pants.. at least I did. (and even my coworkers, too)

7. Skinny belts:


I love skinny belts for the pure fact that I can put one on above my bump and you can actually tell I'm pregnant and not one big blob of fat. I feel frumpy if I'm not wearing one above my bump. It helps remind me that I have a figure underneath all the weight I've gained from pregnancy and not to mention there are so many CUTE skinny belts out there. 

8. Non-underwire bras:


While this picture isn't the exact one I have, any non-underwire bra will do. If you're like me, you will try to wear bras with underwire for as long as possible because you are amazed with finally having large boobs and want them to at least look good. But if you're holding the baby high like I am, you will find in your second trimester that his feet or other body parts have taken refuge in your rib cage which means that underwire is SUPER uncomfortable. I promise you, the minute you switch to no underwire, you (and your boobs) will breathe a sigh of relief. AHHHH, feels good.

9. Babycenter App:


This App is AWESOME and I used it pretty much every day. It reminds you of to-do's you may have forgotten about, has great articles and has a weekly update for you that tells you whats developing with the baby and compares it to a fruit/veggie in size. Babycenter.com and thebump.com have both been my go-to sites for baby info!

10. Oh Baby, The Places You'll Go Book:


This little (it is a smalllll book in size) book is ADORABLE and great to read to your belly- in fact, it was written to be read to your little bambino! The story is based off of the Dr. Suess Oh the Places you'll Go but this one is about meeting all the wonderful Dr. Suess characters and momma meeting baby! I've read it to Jude a few times and every time he starts kicking me so I know he likes it! I've even read that if you read Dr. Suess to them in the womb, they recognize it in some way outside of the womb. The power of reading is one I love! :)






There ya go future mommies! Hope you find something in this list that helps you like it has helped me! If I think of anything else I will be sure to add it to the list! 

37 Weeks = Full Term!

How far along? 37 weeks! I'm fullllll term :) (this was supposed to be posted on thursday! I'm always late!)

Total weight gain/loss: I swear it fluctuates each day... on Monday it was 34 lbs and then Tuesday is was back down to 28 lbs... 

Maternity clothes? God I miss my regular clothes!

Stretch marks? still none on my stomach

Sleep: They are so crazy when I remember them.

Best moment this week: Both baby showers & taking Maternity pics with AE Photography. Check out Alison's facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/AlisonEastPhotography

Miss Anything? Work! I went to the doctor on Monday for my check up and was fine and then late (around 2am) Monday night I was having trouble breathing and some contractions and ended up passing out. When I got up that morning I had a horrible headache and called the doctor (I swear they put us on hold for like an hour and kept passing us off back and forth to different people before they finally said to come in) and went in. They said my blood pressure was higher than normal and that I had to have bloodwork and then take a jug home and pee in it for 24hrs and bring it back the next day. He ALSO took me out of work because of my blood pressure and the contractions. Luckily the test was normal so I don't have toxemia :) But I do miss working because I have hardly any interaction with anyone other than Ben now...

Movement: He seems pretty uncomfortable with how much he adjusts.

Food cravings: Not many anymore other than mint chocolate chip ice cream! mmmm!

Anything making you queasy or sick: eggs, mexican, meat

Gender: Boy :) 

Symptoms: The heartburn has reached an all-time high. I swear I had to sleep upright the other night because I literally was having the acid come back up my throat and swallowing it. I eat tums like they are candy. The swelling has gone down tremendously since I stopped working which is good. I find myself having mood swings between really excited to really sad. I also am ALWAYS hungry no matter how often I eat.
Labor Signs: Just some contractions Monday night but none since :) I do have really bad round ligament pain that's really low under my belly/groin area so I know he definitely getting lower.

Belly Button in or out? in! 

Happy or Moody most of the time: Moody... but I am happy to meet my little man soon :)

Looking forward to: meeting Jude in the next few weeks!!

Work Baby Shower Pics:

Ben's Church Baby Shower Pics:

A PREVIEW of Maternity Pics by AE Photography:

More maternity pics to come :)

36 Weeks!

This should've been posted Thursday... whoops!

So let me start by saying on Monday I went to the doctor and he killed all my dreams of having a natural, water birth. Apparently nowhere around here does them and he claims "you'll be fine" without pain meds. While I am PRAYING I can have an "easy" birth without pain meds and without pitocin to speed up labor, I am at least going to keep my mind open if I have to get the pain meds in an IV... I do NOT want an epidural. Needles freak me out and so does the idea of being numb. I want to be able to move around and use breathing and relaxation techniques to make it through labor... BUT, don't be fooled. I am super scared/nervous about having this baby! If only a stork really did bring it........

How far along? 36 Weeks! One more week left until the baby is okay to come out!

Total weight gain/loss: it fluctuates between 28-29lbs

Maternity clothes? even my maternity clothes are getting small...

Stretch marks? none on the belly still! let's hope these next couple weeks stay that way!

Sleep: So many crazies!

Best moment this week: finding out that the baby is LOW! The doctor could tell me where his head was and I think he could even touch it.. crazyyyy!

Miss Anything? Being able to walk normally, eat without heartburn, and take deep breaths/wear normal bras with underwire

Movement: all the time but I can tell he's getting squished in there

Food cravings: Not as many. Still eating lots of melons and a lot of peanut butter.

Anything making you queasy or sick: eggs, mexican, meat

Gender: Boy :) 

Symptoms: heartburn, rib pain from him kicking me, let's get a little personal here- diarrhea (oh god it's awful), contractions, hungry every two minutes, trouble sleeping because of dreams and not being able to find a comfortable position, moodiness, SWELLING like crazy in legs/feet/ankles
Labor Signs: More contractions on Wednesday but much worse in pain and closeness so I went to the doc... wasn't dilated any more but he told me the baby is super low. He said he wants him to finish "cooking" until next week at least and if I wanted a note out of work they would give me one. Buttttt I am going to tryyyy and stay at work until the last minute. The doctor said the mystery of pregnancy is that we never know when the baby is going to come... so be prepared no matter the day.  

Belly Button in or out? in

Happy or Moody most of the time: typically happy except when my husband is lazy and doesn't help me around the house or forgets to buy stuff that I repeatedly asked him to.... 

Looking forward to: Baby showers #2 and #3 and maternity pics this weekend!!

35 Weeks!

How far along? 35 weeks! Only TWO more weeks to go until full term!

Total weight gain/loss: It seems to change every time I see the doctor! It was 28lbs on Monday but only 27lbs on Friday.

Maternity clothes? yes! Bought a pair of maternity yoga pants that I've been pretty much living in all week since I haven't been at work (I'll get to that further along...)

Stretch marks? still just boobs and hips, none on the belly and hopefully it stays that way.. fingers crossed!

Sleep: I think the dreams just get crazier and crazier and keep having more and more people in them that I haven't seen or talked to since college or high school or even middle school. I had a nightmare the other night that had Mike Delany in it and we were searching an old creepy house and he went to the third floor and the door closed behind him and I just knew he was trapped so I got spooked and ran out of the house and I remember someone else was waiting outside but can't remember who now.. I woke up really scared because I hadn't had a nightmare in so long that I ended up holding my pee for a few hours until the effects wore off... I'm such a big baby.

Best moment this week: Not so sure this is a good moment BUT the doctor made me take the whole week off so in turn I was able to finish getting the diaper bag for the hospital packed for Jude and finished the majority of the nursery decorating :)

Miss Anything? Not having acid reflux so bad that I literally feel like I'm swallowing fire, fitting into normal sized clothes, not having such annoying contractions, being able to go a few hours without peeing, being able to find a comfortable position to sleep in (I have to note here that this has become THE biggest nuisance ever. Not only is every position uncomfortable and I have to swap sides often, but I find myself waking up even more sore than before I went to bed if that's even possible and it's so bad that even my HANDS are KILLING me when I wake up. I don't know if it's because I'm so tense when I'm sleeping that I'm squeezing them or if I just put them in positions that cut off the blood supply but it is badddd!) and not being so hungry 24/7... oh and also being able to touch my toes and reach things that used to be easily reached... and not getting out of breath trying to reach said things.

Movement: a lot.. especially during contractions... 

Food cravings: Still fruit but last night I was craving chocolate ice cream with fudge & marshmallow and today it was Cook Out.. I literally passed a Cook Out and had to circle back around to get it because I was dying to have a hot dog and a coca cola with their ice (I LOVE their ice!!)... side note: if you are not from NC and don't know what Cook Out is, you live a sad, sad life. :)

Anything making you queasy or sick: beef/eggs/those meals Melissa always makes for lunch 

Gender: Boy :) 

Symptoms: See above "miss anything" section!
Labor Signs: And this is what you've been waiting for folks.... On Monday on my way to work I started having contractions again while driving. By the time I went to lunch at 11, they had not gone away so I called my doctor and the nurse of Dr. Sansing whom I had seen at the hospital wanted me to come in so at 1pm I went in to the office. Dr. Sansing didn't seem to worried about the contractions but one of the first things out of her mouth was that she was taking me out of work... ALL WEEK! eeek! So I was supposed to spend the whole week relaxing and not doing anything stressful. Normally, this would be great to not have to work, but I really didn't want to use all my PTO up and I have a hard time relaxing nowadays so I knew this wasn't going to be easy. But I digress. She told me to come back in if I had any more contractions.

On Wednesday night at around 9pm I started having some more contractions but these were more in my lower back so I took a hot bath and then slept through them. Not so bad so I didn't call the doctor. 

Then on Friday I decided that I could handle a short little outing to Target and Babies R Us to return two things from our baby shower. But as we were leaving Babies R Us, I started having contractions. These were much more painful when I was walking. It literally would take my breath away and I'd have to bend over and squeeze Ben's hand really hard. When we got home, I kept having them but they weren't AS painful when I was laying down on my side and the pain was a little higher up. But if I got up to walk to the bathroom, the pain was sharp and lower like before. The contractions were varying in time but ranged from 2 mins apart to 8 mins apart randomly and averaging about 5 mins apart. We started timing them around noon and by one fifteen decided to call the doctor. They wanted me to come in so I went in and saw Dr. Eisenberg. She explained to me that having contractions are going to be a normal thing from here on out and not to worry too much and just try to deal the best I can. She said once they are a steady 3-5 mins apart and I can't talk through them because they are so painful then it's time to go to the hospital but if I get them and the office is open, to come in so they can check if I'm dilated. So she went ahead and checked then and I was one centimeter dilated. I was very surprised by this since on Monday I was not dilated at all. She said that this is normal since I'm getting close to full term and I'm likely to start dilating a centimeter or so each week until it's "time" and then of course I'll dilated the rest of the way. 

So for now, it's just a waiting game to see if I go into labor soon or not, although I think I'm clear until AT LEAST Friday since the swab Dr. Sansing did last Friday was supposed to tell me if I was going into labor in the next two weeks and it was negative. 

Belly Button in or out? I think it's going to stay in

Happy or Moody most of the time: depends on the day.. I'm very stressed trying to figure everything out. I really really really want a water birth but the hospital I'm supposed to deliver at doesn't have birthing tubs so I'm going to try and talk to my doctor on Monday and see if I have any other options. It is just stressing me out thinking about giving birth and finding a pediatrician and dealing with money stresses and Ben losing weight to join the military and everything else. TOO MUCH to think about but I am VERY happy to see little man soon! 

Looking forward to: The baby shower my work is throwing me next Saturday :) they seem really excited about it so I am too!!

Here is a sneak peak of part of the nursery... 

Please ignore the mess on and around the changing table. That is no longer there and the changing table itself is a lotttt more organized. And keep in mind that the saying will be directly on the wall but I've just been taping them to the wall for now until everything is in it's official place! I have two other quotes in the room like that, both from Harry Potter. 

34 Weeks!

How far along? 34 weeks (and three days)

Total weight gain/loss: 24-25 lbs as of Thursday. I haven't gained any weight really between this week and last

Maternity clothes? even those are starting to get really tight..

Stretch marks? no more than last week

Sleep: still a lot of crazy dreams, a lot about people I haven't seen or talked to in years

Best moment this week: Not much happened but we found out Jude is head down! And since I've been 34 weeks, I did have a good Easter with both families!

Miss Anything? Not being so fat!

Movement: hiccups a lot and he moves my whole stomach now when he moves around

Food cravings: chocolate again

Anything making you queasy or sick: beef/eggs

Gender: Boy :) 

Symptoms: the WORST heartburn/acid reflux ever, Swelling in hands, feet, legs, and face, peeing all the time, contractions, being hungry allll the time, dizziness
Labor Signs: On Friday I spent from about 10pm to 12:30am having cramping and was dizzy and it was hard to breathe so I called 911, the ems came and took me to HP regional where they hooked me up to a monitor. Ben arrived shortly after and they gave me an IV in my left hand (ow!) and told me that I was actually having contractions (!! I was so surprised, I thought they were going to tell me I was just over reacting) so they were going to give me shots to stop them. They gave me a shot that burned like crazy in my left arm then about 45 minutes later she came back in and said that I wasn't having as many contractions so they gave me one more shot that burned in my right arm. The shots really sucked because I was shaking really bad to begin with and the side effects of the shots made my heart beat really fast which made the shaking even worse. Then I waited a while while the IV kept dripping making me freezing and was so tired. Dr. Sansing finally came in around 4am and apologized because she had been doing a C section and she checked to see if I was dilated, which I wasn't and then she did a swab to see if I was going into labor. We waited until about 5:15am and the nurse told us the test was negative so we were able to leave. We got home at about quarter to six and passed out. 

Middle Name decided? Noah

Belly Button in or out? in still but flat

Happy or Moody most of the time: Haaaappppy camper :)

Looking forward to: more baby showers, maternity pics and meeting Jude! :)