34 weeks...only 6 to go!
Hey all! Somehow time has decided to speed up on me these past eight and a half months, because out of the blue I'm just a few weeks away from my due date! GADS!!! When did THAT happen?
We've had a much better month this time around than last. Things are progressing nicely with the house (we're in the home stretch!), I've managed to stay healthy and the baby is growing as it should. According to the books, s/he is about 19 inches long and weighs just under 5 pounds, as you can see by the enormity of my belly! (new shot in the pics section on my MySpace page). Still lots of activity in there and we love watching it get the hiccups. S/he seems to have a full body reaction that makes my stomach jump each time. And speaking of jumping...the pressure waves (ie, Braxton Hicks contractions) started about a week and a half ago. Aside from 4 instances, they have been pain-free and completely normal. I do still have some concerns about a certain kind that has come along with stabbing pain localized in my lower, left abdomen, but my Doula assures me that they are okay and I shouldn't be worried. I have another prenatal appointment tomorrow, and if it happens again then I'll ask her about it just as additional reassurance that all is alright. So far no contractions of any kind for over two days now.
I have definitely had to start slowing down recently. For a few days there I was getting the stink-eye from Jonny (and our friends) that I've been overdoing it lately, so I've been making more of an effort to take it easy more often. Thankfully I still have a good amount of freelance work going on, so that forces me to put my feet up. I do, however, need to try to take "rests" in the afternoon. I don't nap well, so if I can just lay on my side for about a half-hour each day that should suffice.
We had our tour of the hospital and it was a rousing success. The ride out there was...surreal. It hit us both at the same time that we are on our way to the place where we will be having our baby. OMG! Yes, Jonny was taking his pregnant wife to the hospital. That's what we both kept thinking over and over. Our hearts even started to pound and my palms got really hot and sweaty. It was nervous excitement. And aside from just one more trip out there to turn in our pre-admission paperwork this weekend, the next trip will be "IT". We will be bringing home our future.
The childbirth classes are nearing their end. They've provided some helpful information such as various birthing positions that we could try and the nitty-gritty on the scary stuff that we want to avoid, but for the most part everything they've lectured on are things that we already knew. It's weird to think that we are supposed to have our hospital bag packed and ready to take to our final class a week from Thursday! And just a couple of days later...our baby party. I'm pretty excited about it because my mom is flying up for three days and we're going to have a mother/daughter day at the spa for some much needed pampering. That weekend also marks our deadline to have everything in the house completed. Everything but the nursery should be finished by then. After the party we will be getting the room in order, including getting furniture! I will personally be relieved and able to truly relax when that is all done.
So now we're down to the last month or so, as long as this little one decides not to arrive early. We're really hoping to go full term, if not even just a couple of days late. Since I won't be accepting any new freelance projects as of May 1st (just possibly completing existing work), I would really like to have a couple of weeks where there is NOTHING to do...nursery done, no freelance work...just time to concentrate on relaxing and preparing for the upcoming sleep deprivation. :-)
Best wishes to all,
-T
We've had a much better month this time around than last. Things are progressing nicely with the house (we're in the home stretch!), I've managed to stay healthy and the baby is growing as it should. According to the books, s/he is about 19 inches long and weighs just under 5 pounds, as you can see by the enormity of my belly! (new shot in the pics section on my MySpace page). Still lots of activity in there and we love watching it get the hiccups. S/he seems to have a full body reaction that makes my stomach jump each time. And speaking of jumping...the pressure waves (ie, Braxton Hicks contractions) started about a week and a half ago. Aside from 4 instances, they have been pain-free and completely normal. I do still have some concerns about a certain kind that has come along with stabbing pain localized in my lower, left abdomen, but my Doula assures me that they are okay and I shouldn't be worried. I have another prenatal appointment tomorrow, and if it happens again then I'll ask her about it just as additional reassurance that all is alright. So far no contractions of any kind for over two days now.
I have definitely had to start slowing down recently. For a few days there I was getting the stink-eye from Jonny (and our friends) that I've been overdoing it lately, so I've been making more of an effort to take it easy more often. Thankfully I still have a good amount of freelance work going on, so that forces me to put my feet up. I do, however, need to try to take "rests" in the afternoon. I don't nap well, so if I can just lay on my side for about a half-hour each day that should suffice.
We had our tour of the hospital and it was a rousing success. The ride out there was...surreal. It hit us both at the same time that we are on our way to the place where we will be having our baby. OMG! Yes, Jonny was taking his pregnant wife to the hospital. That's what we both kept thinking over and over. Our hearts even started to pound and my palms got really hot and sweaty. It was nervous excitement. And aside from just one more trip out there to turn in our pre-admission paperwork this weekend, the next trip will be "IT". We will be bringing home our future.
The childbirth classes are nearing their end. They've provided some helpful information such as various birthing positions that we could try and the nitty-gritty on the scary stuff that we want to avoid, but for the most part everything they've lectured on are things that we already knew. It's weird to think that we are supposed to have our hospital bag packed and ready to take to our final class a week from Thursday! And just a couple of days later...our baby party. I'm pretty excited about it because my mom is flying up for three days and we're going to have a mother/daughter day at the spa for some much needed pampering. That weekend also marks our deadline to have everything in the house completed. Everything but the nursery should be finished by then. After the party we will be getting the room in order, including getting furniture! I will personally be relieved and able to truly relax when that is all done.
So now we're down to the last month or so, as long as this little one decides not to arrive early. We're really hoping to go full term, if not even just a couple of days late. Since I won't be accepting any new freelance projects as of May 1st (just possibly completing existing work), I would really like to have a couple of weeks where there is NOTHING to do...nursery done, no freelance work...just time to concentrate on relaxing and preparing for the upcoming sleep deprivation. :-)
Best wishes to all,
-T