Thursday, May 26, 2011

Week 37: Low Pressure System

I don't want to discourage any of you out there who have not had children yet, but man oh man am I ready to be done.  I think Declan started to drop last weekend.  I don't know if babies "dropping" is like a "bloop" and they're dropped sort of deal, or if it's a progressive drop, but it is definitely getting more and more uncomfortable each day.  They call it "lightening" when your baby drops, supposedly because you can breathe easier.  I wouldn't have called it that though.  It feels more like a baby's head is settling into my pelvis and pressing on all my guts.  Funny, I feel heavier than ever.

I'm really not tempted to be angry at him for it.  In a really demented sort of way it's exciting to know we're getting this close.  I'd like to think this means we have less than 3 weeks.  At my appointment last Thursday, doc said he is head-down (has been for the past 2 weeks actually) and my cervix is starting to soften.  That sounded like a big deal to me but so far all my contractions have been just plain old Braxton Hicks.  Other than [intensifying] pressure and a few sharp pains that we will not go into too much detail on, we're still just business as usual.

Forgive me, I have grown very moody and frustrated the past few days.  I have transitioned to working from home which is nice in that I can put my feet up and stay in my PJs, even take a nap if I need to, but we've had a lot of connectivity problems and it is stressing me out a lot.  Plus my body hurts.  I'm just having a really bad day.

Happy news is that we made quite a bit of progress in the nursery last night.  We had dumped a bunch of stuff in the large closet in there from the move, and it needed to be sorted through.  Ryan threw a lot of stuff away (personal victory!) and I am just waiting for my energy to be recharged once more so that we can make more progress.  We made a huge Target order the other night to get the rest of the stuff on our registry, so that stuff will be trickling in and it will come together more and more.

Sorry this is a mostly bad update )c:

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Joys of Week 34

  • Leaning back in my chair - no more slouching without a barrage on my ribs.
  • Laying on my side with a thin pillow under my belly for support.
  • "Cold" heartburn.
  • Stretch marks.  Recently accompanied by itching.
  • Unable to be comfortable on the couch.
  • Heart racing even while sitting down.
  • Inability to catch my breath often and randomly.
  • Cauliflower making me nauseated.
  • Feeling nauseated at other random times.
  • Limited amount of time I can spend on my feet without turning into a grouchy person.
  • Annoyance with my (I'm sure adorable) son's hiccups.  This used to be cute.
  • Random exhaustion.
  • Burning in my legs after going up stairs.
  • Moving slowly.
  • Peeing often.
  • Times of extreme hunger, and conversely times of no appetite.
  • Occasional mood swings (very occasional, thank God).
  • Difficulty getting in and out of our subcompact car.
  • Bursts of outrage when drivers in parkinglots seem to give me the right of way less often than they did when I wasn't pregnant.  That's right, they don't even look my way, just keep on driving.
  • Suddenly wanting to take people up on their offers to help me out rather than trying to do everything myself.
  • Increased body temperature.  I still carry a jacket with me everywhere, but I never need it anymore.  Also, sleeping with just the sheet or no covers.
  • Switching bed sides with Ryan so I don't have to crawl over him on a midnight pee run... this has been the weirdest.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Week 34: The Day Before

Okay, so I'm not officially 34 weeks until tomorrow, but let's fudge it a little bit.  I doubt the baby will mind.

Doctor's appointment this afternoon.  I'm sure it will be the usual measuring everything.  I don't have any concerns to voice this week - I am disconnected from this doctor since I will be changing doctors soon since we're moving.  I'm happy about the change - I don't know if I would have had the gumption to change even though I'm not entirely comfortable with her.  I could tell when I asked her how life was with the arrival of her own new son in February that we had different values.  I won't go into detail because she is a wonderful person, she just does not seem to place the same miraculousness and wonder on this childbirth thing that I do.  And who can blame a person for that if they deliver babies for a living?

After talking with Whitney this weekend about her (we have had the same doc all this time) my decision is more confirmed.  Whit is bravely sticking with her, ready to put her foot down if she has to, but I think I would be very uncomfortable in the hands of someone who jumps to medication as the solution for everything.  Whit has her mind made up and she is going to fight for what she believes is right for her and Micah, but I don't think I could do it.

Did you have a doctor that you felt comfortable and shared values with?  Or does it really matter that much (afterall they just come in and catch the baby)? (c:

Shortly after I turn 36 weeks pregnant, we'll be moving about 300 miles south west of here to stay with my parents for a very short time (no more than 6 weeks) to save money while we're transitioning.  In the next 8 weeks, Ryan will be starting a new job, we'll be moving again to our own new place in a new city, we'll have our brand new baby, and - oh yeah - and I'll have started working from home.  It might sound crazy, but to me it feels right.  Ryan would rather skip the "living with in-laws" part, but their help during this time is the only thing that is making this doable and will enable us to be in the area we want to be and start this new chapter in the best way that we can.  We are really very, very blessed.