Welcome to the world baby boy....

Oliver William Edwards

April 9th 2012

10lb 1oz, 22in

Two months have past since we met our amazing son, Oliver. Two months of learning how to be a mom... how to master the 5 S's, survive infant acid reflux and postpartum blues, make Oliver smile as big as his little mouth can, wash poop off of everything, remember to hold hands with my first love and kiss him goodnight, and learn to take everything moment by moment, not day by day. 

Oliver waited to make his appearance until our scheduled C-section date. I woke up that morning and did my hair and makeup. There was no excuse not to look my best when I had time to plan. I put on my favorite shirt, the white one in my weekly update photos. Theo and I hopped in the car and headed to the hospital, excited beyond belief. I felt amazing as the nurse checked me in. I wasn't scared or nervous, just excited. I kissed my mom and Theo goodbye as I was wheeled to the surgery room. They would be joining me after I received the spinal. The panic didn't set in until I was waiting for the spinal needle to go in. It didn't even hurt, but it became very real what was about to happen. I laid on the table completely exposed as I felt any feeling leave my legs. I wasn't cold but had the idea that I wanted to just be out of there and be curled up under a warm blanket. I just kept reminding myself to relax and breathe deep. Theo and my mom were such a sight for sore eyes. I kept telling Theo how weird I felt. Luckily, the Morphine kicked in shortly after and really helped me focus back on the fact that we were about to meet our son. I felt some pressure and pulling, and hearing my doctor tell Theo to look over the curtain because our son was coming out. I heard someone say his head was stuck... cue more pulling feeling. Then the whole room exploded in "woo's!" and "wow he's big!" as Oliver entered the world. And that's when I saw him. My doctor held up this long, bluish, absolutely beautiful baby. My baby. And I sobbed. Theo cried in my ear, telling me how beautiful he is. I tried to watch as he was carried over to the warmer behind me, but the fatigue was too strong. I felt like I could close my eyes and breathe a sigh of relief. He was finally here. When he cried for the first time, it suddenly occurred to me that a few minutes had passed before I heard it. It took some encouraging, but the cry was loud and emphatic. My doctor made remarks like, "He has to be at least a 9 pounder," and "Kate, where did you hide him?" and "That's why your back hurt so much!" After being cleaned up and Theo cutting the cord, Oliver was brought over to the scale. 22inches, and 10lb 1oz! The whole room screamed in excitement. My doctor shouted, "and she's not even diabetic!" I just wanted him brought to me. Finally they carried him over, all swaddled up and head covered, just his little swollen face showing. He was so beautiful. His dark blue eyes stared into my soul. He has Theo's nose like we thought, big, plump lips, and full cheeks. I couldn't stop kissing those cheeks. They were so warm and soft. I kept telling Theo that Oliver was snorting. They eventually took him away, and asked my mom and Theo to leave while I got cleaned up. The first pain I felt all day was while they were sewing me up. I felt this strange pressure in my collar bones and shoulders. The anesthesiologist said it was normal, and probably related to my uterus being out or some nerve involvement. I really wanted to know that all my organs were back in and my body closed tight. They took the curtain down and I knew it was all over. I immediately felt warmer. In the recovery room I kept asking when Oliver and Theo were coming back. The 2 hours we were separated felt like forever. I heard there was a delay was because Oliver needed a lot of suctioning. The nurses suspected that he took his first breath while his head was stuck but his body was already out. My mom and mother in law took turns keeping me company while I waited for my boys. Theo eventually came back to recovery pushing my son in the cart. The first thing I wanted to do was skin to skin. Had we been able to have a vaginal delivery, this would have been the first thing that happened when he came out. I loved the feeling when Oliver first laid on my chest. We felt so warm on one another. Breastfeeding kicked off with a bang. He latched easily and ate right away. It felt so good to connect to him completely. After some time of Theo and I soaking him in, we were taken to the postpartum room where we would be for the next 4 days. Our room was actually one large room with 2 beds that had originally been used for 2 patients before everyone had their own room. Theo was very grateful to have his own bed, although during the day he usually snuggled on mine with Oliver. The next few days sort of all blurred together, but here are some key moments in no particular order.

- Several family members and friends came to visit. I loved seeing Oliver meet all of them. Mostly I just tried to stay awake. The combination of little sleep at night and the narcotics made it hard to stay awake for anything. Breastfeeding made me doze off almost every time.  

- I almost passed out the first time I tried walking and had to be wheeled back to the room.

- The pain and cramping got bad at times, but the narcotics made it mostly tolerable.

- I was so excited the first time they let me drink something, even though I had to take little sips at a time.

- Oliver lost a little weight, but the nurses weren't too concerned because my milk came in about 2-3 days after birth.

- The lactation consultant loved me because I let her bring in other nurses that needed to be signed off on their breastfeeding training... that and Oliver was (still is) a great eater. 

- Oliver was so brave during the circumcision. Theo said he didn't cry at all. Maybe the gauze soaked with sugar water that they let him suck on helped. 

- Theo was asked if Oliver could be filmed for a news segment being done about carmageddon and the recent little baby boom at the hospital. The reporter begged because he said Oliver was such a gorgeous baby :-) Theo told them no. The premises of the story is stupid. Who seriously stayed home and had sex instead of going on the 405? Although it is pretty funny looking back because the timing is right on. 

- The food at the hospital was awesome by the way. No, seriously. 

- Oliver was put in a 3 month hospital shirt right after birth, but the next day was wearing a 6 month hospital shirt. While he did skip the newborn clothes and diapers, he did wear 0-3 clothes and size 1 diapers at home. 

- It was amazing how fast my belly went down in the first few days. But I'll talk more about weight loss in a little bit.

- Oliver was very easy to please. He cried and we either changed his diaper, fed him or just held him and he stopped crying. Although he was eating constantly. The kid couldn't get enough!

- The pediatrician said his noisy breathing was normal and his lungs were clear, even though we all thought he sounded so congested. 

- Oliver had the cutest little frog legs. Because he ended up being in pike position before coming out, his legs laid to either side. Although the pediatrician in the hospital said we should have a scan done in 6 months to check on his hips, our own pediatrician said she wasn't concerned. He still will sometimes let his legs flop open when laying down.

Oliver was born on a Monday, and by Friday we were headed home. It was so weird leaving the hospital with him. Are they seriously going to just let us walk out after being checked on every few hours for the past four days? We had a terrible time getting Oliver into the car seat. He just looked so tiny in it and uncomfortable. We started out with a convertible car seat, but have since been using the infant carrier. It was raining and I remember being so paranoid about any car that drove near us. I wanted to be home and safe ASAP.

SLEEP

We started off using the co-sleeper but he was waking up every 2 hours to eat. Which really meant only 1 hour of sleep, because of the hour of breastfeeding. We realized he was sleeping better during the day in the swing and decided to give it a try at night. It worked wonders. Within the first week, he slept 5 hours one night. But that wasn't consistent. At first we thought he hated to be swaddled, so we tucked a blanket around his legs. That drove me nuts because I thought it was a SIDS risk. And we tried the sleep sack which worked okay. My cousin told me not to confuse him not liking getting swaddled with him not liking being swaddled. As soon as we really gave swaddling a chance, his sleep increased at night. First we used a blanket for swaddle, then tried the velcro kind. The velcro ones are perfect. We also moved the swing from my side of the bed to Theo's. I realized I wasn't sleeping well because I waited for him to cry and kept checking to make sure his clothing/swaddle wasn't too close to his face. Theo isn't nearly as neurotic, so it didn't change his sleep to have Oliver on his side. The last change we made was from another recommendation from my cousin. She had used the Fischer Price Rock and Play Sleeper and told me how well her daughter slept in it. Since using this rocker, Oliver sleeps 5-7.5 hours on his first stretch, stays up for an hour to eat, then sleeps another 2-3 hours. AMAZING.

POSTPARTUM BLUES

A combination of hormones, Theo going back to work, my recovery, and Oliver's acid reflux led to me not feeling too happy. It started around the time we came home from the hospital. I had left a place where I was fully taken care of, so all I had to worry about was Oliver. Despite being checked on frequently, the hospital was quiet, and Theo and I could use all of our attention and energy on the baby. At home, Theo and my family were a huge help. But, I had to deal with my spiking fevers from mastitis, and take care of Oliver alone while Theo and my mom were at work. Due to his acid reflux, Oliver would not let me set him down. I felt like I was just trying to get through the day, and not savor every moment with my perfect son. I felt terrible for feeling this way, and I cried A LOT. I just wanted to be happy. This was all I ever wanted. Luckily, I had educated Theo on postpartum blues before the delivery, just in case. So when I started opening up to him about my feelings, he knew exactly what to say. I talked to my doctor about it at my two week appointment. She explained how normal it was, and if it doesn't last longer than 3 weeks, then it's just blues and not depression. Like magic, after the 3 week mark, I started feeling better about my role as mom. The clouds parted, and the sun began shining. I began to see how Oliver and I fit together. I began having less and less bad days. Around that time, we started getting Oliver's acid reflux a little better controlled. Of course, I still have the occasional meltdown when I feel overwhelmed, but I know it will pass shortly.  I wish more women discussed this with each other. Maybe then we wouldn't feel so ashamed about it. Talking about how I was feeling helped me more than anything else, that and time.

INFANT ACID REFLUX
My mom told me that newborns were the easiest. Eat, poop, sleep, repeat. Take care of those needs, and you would have a happy baby. Of course I knew not every baby was as perfect as I was ;-), just kidding. I was well aware that some babies were just colicky.
Just a few days after Oliver's 1 week check up with our pediatrician, we noticed that he would start crying around 45 minutes after feedings, and would scream and spit up if laid down flat within an hour of feedings. His cries were screaching, and he would arch his back frequently (a sign of pain in infants). It was heartbreaking to see him in pain. We tried everything to soothe him, but very little worked. We even resorted to the dreaded pacifier. It was something I swore I would never let my baby use. But several websites suggested using binkies for reflux. So we decided to call the pediatrician, and see what else could be done. She started him on a very low dose of Zantac, and reassured us that we will wean him off as soon as possible. It didn't thrill me to be putting my 2 week old baby on medication, but we were becoming desperate for something that could stop Oliver from being in pain. The first couple days on the medication were a dream. My whole family said he was a different baby. It felt like our first few days in the hospital, when we were always able to take care of whatever was making him unhappy. But then the relief tapered off, and he was back to screaming fits with nothing that worked. About a week after starting the medication, we were told to increase the dose. His doctor still said it was well below the mg per kg dose. Once again, we saw relief for a few days that tapered off. Our doctor decided it was time to send Oliver to a pediatric gastroenterologist. The GI doctor was fantastic. We told him all the symptoms Oliver had, and he explained which ones pointed to colic and which to acid reflux. He thought there were two symptoms that gave him reason to suspect it could be acid reflux, but he did not want to overload this little baby with medication if it turned out to just be colic. He had us start by increasing the Zantac dose to the amount recommended for his size. He told us if Oliver does well for a few days and then tapers off again, he suspects it's just colic, and Oliver's body is just responding well to any change given to him. But if he does well for about 2 weeks, then tapers off, then it's most likely acid reflux and he just has outgrown the medication dose. Luckily, 2 weeks and 1 day went by of having a relaxed baby. Oliver was happy and alert, and only cried when he needed something. He outgrew the dose again, and I hope this is the last time we have to change it. I would love for him to outgrow the dose, and not need it increased because the reflux will have subsided. Knowing it's acid reflux is bitter sweet. Had it been colic that was making him unhappy, he most likely would have outgrown it after 3 months, but there would be little that would help in the meantime. Acid reflux means we can treat it, but it could potentially take a year to outgrow. I had many seasoned moms tell me I shouldn't have started him on medication, that I should use natural remedies, and that all babies cry. I've learned that I have to trust my instincts. My instincts told me that it wasn't just colic, that he was actually in pain. That medication has given us time to really get to know our baby because he isn't crying 24/7.

My weight loss
I didn't keep a very good record of my weight loss, but here's what I remember. In the hospital, I remember watching my belly literally shrink every day. I weighed myself 3 days after birth, and I was about 155. So I literally only lost Oliver's weight. At my 2 week postpartum check up I was down to 146. Around 1 month postpartum, I was 140. Today, 9 weeks postpartum, I'm 131. I'm very happy with how the weight loss has been going. I owe it all to breastfeeding, because I have done very little exercising. I will say that I've been walking short walks since about 2 weeks postpartum, probably even sooner. I fit into a lot of my pre-pregnancy clothes. But my jeans are still too tight, and my boobs are too big for many of my tops. Despite it being hard to fit in my tops, it's kind of fun having boobs for the first time. I was living in a few nursing tank tops until the past week or so. I found a blog called milkfriendly.com. The woman writes about how to be stylish while pregnant and breastfeeding. She inspired me to look through my old clothes and find clothes that are easy to button down or easy to pull up over baby. My nursing style is slowly transforming.

Baby Weight
4/9/2012 : 10lb, 1oz, 22in  0-3month clothes
4/16: 9lb, 13oz
4/23: 10lb, 9oz, 22.5in    3 month clothes
5/11: 12lb, 3oz, 24 3/4 in  3-6 month
5/24: 6 month clothes
6/5: 14lb, 13oz
6/10: Some 6 month clothes, but 9 month are more roomy
6/14: 15lb, 5oz

  

False alarm...

On Saturday night around 11PM, I started to feel what I thought were contractions. They seemed like a mix of Braxton Hicks tightening, and kind of painful menstrual cramps. I timed them from 11PM to about 1am-ish, when I decided to nudge Theo and see what he thought. We decided to call the doctor by 2PM because even though the frequency between each contraction kept changing (between 4.5min to 8.5min), I realized I had 12 contractions in the past hour. My doctor first told me to go to labor and delivery, but then decided I should take a bath first and see if they slow down. Theo helped me crawl into the bath, but I was freezing because it was half filled and the bathroom was so cold. So he sweetly sat next to the bath holding the shower head over me to keep me warm. I admit I sort of felt like a beached whale being hosed off. After the bath, Theo put the last minute items in our hospital bag while I fixed my hair and got dressed. Then we sat on the couch and just waited. Well the contractions did slow down and eventually stopped by 4am. So Theo and I crawled back in bed and slept until late morning. It's now Monday morning, and although I've felt frequent tightening, there hasn't been any more painful contractions. I guess baby boy just isn't quite ready for his debut. I'm dying to help things move along, like with walking, but my doctor wants me to take it easy. I think she doesn't want labor to start before our scheduled c-section next week... next week! We will have our son no later than 1 week from today, that absolutely amazes me.

38 weeks, and baby has an eviction date!

We had our 2nd to last appointment on Tuesday. My mom went with me again because Theo couldn't get out of work. The doctor confirmed again that baby boy is breech, and she did the first internal exam per my request. Theo was due to leave Wednesday and I wanted confirmation that there wasn't any early signs of labor already happening. Turns out I'm still closed and baby is high, which means little boy has no immediate plans on jumping ship. Sure, I could still go into labor or my water could break at any point, but it still made me feel better with Theo leaving. My doctor said we could schedule the C-Section next week, but I asked if we could just take care of it today. I want to know when we will be seeing our beautiful boy! We knew April 9th was the earliest we could schedule, so I told her that would be a good day for us.

I hadn't heard from the office about what time the c-section was scheduled for, or if it was scheduled at all. When I called today, I found out we have a set time for 12:00PM on April 9th! It was so exciting to hear that we know when we will meet our son, if he doesn't decide to come sooner of course!

It's been a hard couple weeks between the back and rib pain. Trying to get comfortable is close to impossible throughout the day. I'm now sort of taking it as my labor of love. I don't get to go through labor like I had always pictured. I'm one of those people that thought it was a gift to be able to experience labor. Granted I've never felt the pain of labor, so my feelings on that may have changed had I had the opportunity to experience it. But I would have fought with everything I had to not have an epidural. The pain in my ribs and back gets worse by the day, and I get pretty moody at times having to deal with it, but it's also getting slightly easier the closer we get to baby day. We have just over a week!

Tonight is the last night that Theo is gone, and after he comes back tomorrow, I give baby full permission to make his entrance at any time! I was so stressed about Theo going on this Utah trip, and it so far has turned out fine just like Theo said. He's always so positive. So, I'll just cross my fingers that I sleep the night tonight (with the exception of probably 2 potty breaks) and wake up tomorrow ready for my love to come home!

Mamma got her swim on

After a few days of feeling like my ribs were going to explode, I finally took my Ob's advice to go swimming. Theo and I got a 7 day guest pass to the YMCA, and went last night for the first time. I'm sure I looked ridiculous in my tank top and Theo's gym shorts, but holy crap, it was amazing. The second I got in the water, my body felt weightless. My belly became almost soft instead of the hard basketball it is outside of the water. Theo helped me stretch out, and we just relaxed in the warm water. I felt so flexible for the first time in months! The coolest thing was feeling baby boy kick under water... such a weird feeling. We plan to go back again tonight.

On another note, I have another Ob appointment today. We will be scheduling the C-section which is exciting, and I'm going to have her check my cervix. I'm still totally terrified about Theo leaving for Utah tomorrow, and I'm hoping this visit will put my mind at ease one way or another. Theo and I have looked at how long it would take him to get home if I were to go into labor. We figured out if it's between 5:30am and 9:45pm, it will take him about 4 hours to get from his hotel to the hospital. Which is pretty good because our Ob said she won't cut until he gets there. The issue is if it happens in the middle of the night. Pretty much, we're screwed. So please baby boy... please, please, please wait for daddy to get back on Saturday. And if you can't wait, please come in the middle of the day. Thank you baby.

37 weeks~ full term!

How far along? 37 weeks
How big is baby? Size of a watermelon! That amazes me.
Total weight gain/loss? About 38 lb... that's way over what I was supposed to, but my doctor isn't concerned.
Maternity clothes? There's only a few pieces of maternity clothes that I haven't grown out of. I bought a few more things in a larger size that fit better.

Sleep? Not great. I toss and turn several times because my shoulder or hip get sore, and I get up twice to pee.
Best moment this week? Not baby related, but we got word that our loan was approved for our townhouse... which means that we are pretty much in the clear, and escrow should close earlier than we had thought. Also, my mom came to my doctor's appointment this week since Theo couldn't get out of work. She had been dying to come to one, and got to see a basic ultrasound and meet my doctor.
Symptoms? The swelling in my legs, ankles, feet, hands has gotten worse. I seem to have gotten poofy all over in the past couple weeks. I'm so glad we did our maternity photos back around 30 weeks. My back pain has shifted from the left to the right which I think is so strange. I'm pretty much sore all over now and have trouble getting comfortable wherever I am. The fatigue has increased also... I poop out so fast. I had minor OCD tendencies before pregnancy, but they seem to have gotten worse in 3rd trimester. I've figured out how to control them though. Mamma's ready for you baby boy!

Food cravings? Still love anything sugary, but I'm obsessed with iced tea lately. I had a craving last week for thrifty ice cream (circus animal cookie flavor to be specific) and I also had a craving for orange dream machine jamba. Overall, my appetite is much lower than it has been.

Food aversions? None really.
Gender? Still a boy! Our doctor pointed out that he shows off his boy parts whenever we do the ultrasound.
Labor signs? It feels like he's dropped, I'm officially waddling now. The past couple days, my mood has been funky, coupled with spurts of insane nesting. I had to go to target at 10pm to get curtains I found online. This morning, I started getting what felt like very mild menstrual cramps and lower back pain. I had heard that early labor could feel like that. So when we got home from estate sale-ing, my mom went with me for a long walk. I got much BH almost the whole way, but these were actually uncomfortable which my BH have never been before. They totally stopped once I got home and took a nap though.

Belly button in or out? Out... and shows through every shirt I wear!

What I miss? Coffee, fitting in most of my clothes, not needing a pillow behind my back wherever I sit, being able to lay flat on my back, not needing 3 pillows to fall asleep, my normal figure, feeling sexy, not tiring after a walk through target... but seriously, I would endure so much more to bring our little boy into this world. I would do anything for him.

What I'm looking forward to? Our next appointment on Tuesday. I've asked our doctor to do an internal exam to find out if I'm progressing even though we will be having a C-section. Theo leaves for Utah on Wednesday, and we want to know if labor might start early. We will also set the C-section date at the appointment!

Milestones? Baby boy is now full term! So even though he can stay in there as long as he likes (well technically only until our c-section date at 39+ weeks), he would most likely do great if he came at any time. If I do go into labor before our set date, my doctor will just do the c-section then.

Nuff said...

36 weeks

35/35!

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted. It's terrible because I've been on maternity leave for almost 3 weeks now. I've been pretty busy though... doing a lot of laundry, cleaning, packing the hospital bag, taking childbirth classes, buying a townhouse....

Yes we bought a townhouse this week!! We couldn't believe the first place we put in an offer on actually got accepted. It's the cutest little place. We have a 30 day escrow which means we will probably close right around the time little man will make his appearance. We plan on moving about a month after he comes. We are both just beyond ecstatic to have our own place. And I can set up a real nursery! That reminds me, I need to post pictures of the little nook we have for baby in our room at my parents house. It will be his space until we move.

I have to mention that we absolutely loved our childbirth class. It was taught by a really cool doula. We finished every class feeling so much more prepared, despite all the reading and research we had previously done. I think the best part was how it united us. The class taught us how to communicate during what can be a stressful time, and it also gave us time to really focus on each other. When we would practice relaxation and breathing exercises, Theo and I were totally connected without saying a word. Not to mention I got several amazing massages from Theo throughout the course of the class. We found out this week that we may not be putting a lot of our labor education to use...

Our 35 week check up went a little differently than we anticipated. Since our last ultrasound, Theo and I have been researching macrasomia (big baby) and how we can have our best shot of a natural birth. We were really afraid that the doctor would push us towards induction or C-section. We knew that this 35 week ultrasound would tell us what our odds were of a natural delivery based on baby's size. Well, the ultrasound showed that our little boy is breech, after being head down at the last ultrasound at 30 weeks. We were pretty surprised to hear that the lump that always pokes out at the top of my belly is actually his head and not his butt. The doctor told me that could be why my back pain hasn't been quite as bad and why his movements feel different. She said we will do weekly ultrasounds to see if he's turned head down, but there's only about a 10% chance of that happening at this point. The good news is his size isn't quite as scary as they had thought. He's only measuring about 2 weeks ahead. Doctor said if he turns, she would think we could have a natural delivery. It was amazing how we had gone from wanting to fight for a natural delivery despite his size, to most likely facing a C-section because there isn't a choice when the baby is breech. But we're told that he's breech for a reason. It could be that his umbilical cord is to short, or he's too big to fit in my pelvic opening head down. Either way, he's where he is most comfortable. So we just wait until the next appointment, and take things one day at a time.

With only about a month left, we are so beyond excited and antsy to meet the little guy. It's incredible that after all this waiting, he will be in our arms so soon. Although I will miss him squirming around in my belly, I'm ready to be able to look into his beautiful face and see the little person we created. April can't come fast enough!

34 weeks

Sorry just some pictures for this week. I look so tired!

Baby boy moonwalking to Michael Jackson on Glee

While watching Glee, baby boy began dancing every time a song came on, then stopped when the music stopped. I guess he loves MJ!

3rd Trimester Ultrasound

We had our ultrasound yesterday at 29 weeks 5 days. After being told I was measuring big at my regular visit last week, we both were anticipating baby to measure big at the ultrasound.

We found out that baby boy is still looking perfectly healthy, and DEFINITELY still a boy. Wow has he grown since we've seen him last! He looks so crammed in there! But he is head down which is great.

It turns out that his estimated weight right now is 4lb, 6oz.... OMG! The doctor put all of his findings into some program, and said the estimated weight at 40 weeks is between 9.5-10lb... double OMG! Apparently he isn't fat, just all around big. His legs and arms are long and match his increased weight. He asked if myself or any of my siblings were large at birth, and although I was an average 7lb, my brother was almost 10. Doctor said that makes sense then. We will have another ultrasound in 6 weeks to get a better idea of what kind of delivery makes sense for his size. We may be looking at C-section or induction around 37 weeks, all depending on how he looks at 36 weeks. I'm really eager to discuss all this with my regular doctor at our next appointment in a couple weeks.

I've also gained a total of 31 lb so far, which is a little more than what I was supposed to gain the whole pregnancy. As the tech did my weight, she started on the 100 bracket, and I told her I was already up a notch. So she slid it over to the 150 range, plus 2lb. She said she was

surprised, which I took as a compliment. The doctor said I need to start watching my weight, because as I gain more, it could make baby gain more... and he's already destined to be large.

We loved seeing baby boy's face again. His pudgy little face looked just like a newborn. And he definitely still has Theo's nose. He was being very stubborn, putting his hands AND feet in front of his face. It was pretty funny actually. We got some great pictures of him smiling, swallowing, yawning and pouting. I think Theo and I both got this sudden feeling that he will be here very soon. It really won't be long until we see that cute little face.

I have fat feet!

That is all.

I would post a picture of my swollen footsies, but my toenails are unpolished because I'm too big to bend over to paint them. That will be Theo's job this weekend. Let's just say that right now, it's not a pretty sight.

Weeks 28-29

We had our every 3 week check up a couple days ago. When the doctor measured my belly (fundal height), it measured 34 weeks instead of 28! This little boy is seriously going to be long. Our doctor said it doesn't mean I'll go into labor early or anything, it just means he's long/tall. She said we will have a sizing/position ultrasound at 34 weeks, which will give us an idea of what delivery will be like. I brought up my back pain issue. It looks like we're going to try a few more things; continue seeing chiropractor, get a looser bra, and try an antacid. But if those don't work, I'll most likely take maternity leave early. My work has been great with reducing my work load, and I may just switch over to working in the office to train new nurses, rather than working in the field. I love training, and I could use my pillow and heating pad whenever I need to. I'm also slightly anemic, so I was prescribed iron supplements. We talked to the doctor about our birth "plan." I quote plan because I know you can't really plan, babies have their own agenda. But we told her that we are hoping for a natural/un-medicated birth. She was pretty supportive, but encouraged me to keep an open mind.

How far along? 28 weeks, 5 days
How big is baby? Papaya on Friday.
Total weight gain/loss? At my visit on Monday, I weighed 150. That's 24lb gain.
Maternity clothes? I'm officially layering a few of my maternity shirts because they are too small. That's nuts!

Sleep? Still doing good.
Best moment this week? Our visit on Monday. I feel like we got a lot of questions answered. Also getting baby's area put together. It's looking really cute. And Theo set up our full sized crib over at his parent's house this week. It so pretty!
Symptoms? Another new one, heartburn! Yuck. But it's only happened once, so I can't complain. The back pain is still there.

Food cravings? Still loving anything sugary

Food aversions? None really, I'm eating almost everything
Gender? Still a boy!
Labor signs? Just a few BH.

Belly button in or out? Out... and shows through every shirt I wear!

What I miss? Hot dogs

What I'm looking forward to? Our 3rd trimester ultrasound 1 week from today! I can't wait to see baby boy again.

Milestones? It's the last week of 2nd trimester! Also, I may be wrong, but I think baby may be head down. But that's just based on the way the movement feels. I know he can still flip back and forth, but I think it's pretty cool.

Hiccup!

As I was laying in bed a few nights ago, waiting to fall asleep, my belly started twitching repeatedly. Each twitch was about 2-3 seconds apart. From what I heard, that's what it feels like when the baby has hiccups. Theo and I were laughing hysterically as it went on for a few minutes. I could just picture his little body jumping each time he hiccuped.

I love getting to know my little boy.

26 weeks

How far along? 26 weeks, the last week of 2nd trimester!
How big is baby? About the size of an eggplant.
Total weight gain/loss? I was at 144 at my appt. on 12/30/11, and today (2 weeks later), I'm 146. So I've gained exactly 20lb since my first appointment at 9 weeks. It looks like I'm gaining 1 pound a week now.
Maternity clothes? Kind of scared because a couple items in the first round of maternity clothes I bought are starting to get tight. Maternity clothes tight?? It's been so hot here lately, so all the long

sleeve maternity shirts haven't been any good. I know it will get cold again, but I'd love a few short sleeve shirts.

Sleep? Still doing good. I've gotten used to tossing back and forth when one side of my body starts to hurt or get numb. Like clockwork, I wake up at 4am every morning to pee. But I've also gotten really good at falling asleep right after.
Best moment this week? We were watching my belly roll as baby did his exercises the other night. Theo went to touch a spot on my belly and baby simultaneously pushed against Theo's fingers. We've both felt and seen the baby move many times, every day really. But this was different. It was like the two of them really connected. It was a great moment.
Symptoms? Here's a new one... Lactation!! I thought this would be happening closer to my due date but had no idea it would happen this early. Does this mean I need to start wearing those little pads??

Back pain is still there. I went to the chiropractor this week, and she applied kinesiotape which felt

amazing while it was on. I'm trying to be really aware of the way I'm sitting or standing. I put a throw pillow behind my back when I drive, and I've noticed that helps a lot.

Food cravings? Still loving anything sugary

Food aversions? None really, I'm eating almost everything
Gender? Still a boy!
Labor signs? No real labor signs... but I think I've been having Braxton Hicks the past few weeks. I only realized what they were recently. I used to think it was just baby adjusting and that was why my belly would get really tight. But after doing some research, it sounds like that's actually BH! It only happens once every couple days, and lasts no more than a minute. Belly button in or out? Out... and shows through every shirt I wear!

What I miss? Nothing in particular this week.

What I'm looking forward to? We take the tour of the hospital on January 23rd... so that's exciting!

Milestones? It's the last week of 2nd trimester! Also, I may be wrong, but I think baby may be head down. But that's just based on the way the movement feels. I know he can still flip back and forth, but I think it's pretty cool.

NYE was technically week 25, but I haven't posted since week 24. So let's play catch up. We had an really good, quiet NYE. Theo and I went to dinner at Cheesecake Factory. We kept imagining how amazing it will be when little one is sitting with us at the table one day. Then we spent some

time at a friend's house. I got to see my prego buddy and we compared bellies. She's a month ahead of me, and yet I think I look almost the same size! We got home in time to watch the ball drop with my family. 2012 has so much in store for us. I can't even imagine how different our lives will be this year, in the most incredible way.

We all had the day after New Years Day off. Once again, the weather was phenomenal. This does not feel like winter! But I'm not complaining. We spent the whole day outside, barbecuing and playing ping pong.

I'm pretty sure Dre knows what's going on. Her nuzzling spot on my belly isn't quite as comfortable as it used to be.

My obsession, though I can't say that's much of a change since before pregnancy.

My view

My beautiful mommy

Got milk?

I had to come on here really quick and document the fact that I just lactated for the first time. So weird!! I heard it happens while you're pregnant, but I didn't know it would happen this early!