The weeks are just flying by now and the belly is getting bigger and bigger. I can not only see the growth now but I actually feel it, tangibly. I think this is going to be a big baby. GULP.
Yes, it's time to talk to the ObGyn about c-section vs. vaginal birth. Remember that low pelvis of mine that probably can't take a big baby? Well, I'd like to start getting some idea on how big this little fellow (or chickapoo) really is, so we can mentally prepare for our options.
Monday the 26th is our first birthing class, or whatever you call them these days. I was kind of surprised they scheduled it so late (you don't get to choose) but I guess they don't want the info to go stale. I'm interested to see whether Hubby and I find any value in it because I'm hearing from a lot of like-minded moms who have been through this that they dropped-out early. It seems to me that the classes might be more skewed towards those masochistic (in my scaredy-cat opinion) women who want to do it without painkillers etc... As one friend of a friend said: who needs breathing techniques when you've got epidurals? That's what I'm talking about.
Had my blood glucose test on Tuesday morning. They say it takes 1-3 days to process and they only call you if there's something wrong. So, today is the last day that I'm going to have a heart attack every time the phone rings. Of course, I could just call for the results but I'm too chicken-shit.
What else is there to tell you? Oh! Last night I thought I felt my first Braxton Hicks contraction but, in hindsight, it might just have been really bad gas. Haha! Otherwise, baby is very active, sometimes so much so that I have to jiggle my tummy to get him/her to stop so I can catch my breath. The kicks and punches are one thing, but when they're both together AND coupled with a change in position, it can get a bit overwhelming. It's almost as if baby takes up so much room with his/her movements that all the air gets pushed out of my lungs. It is a most disconcerting feeling. I'm doing the kick-count thing and, if I pick the right time of day, I can literally get 10 kicks in a couple of minutes. The average is about 5 minutes, however.
Nursery is almost finished and it looks FANTASTIC. When the blinds and curtains are in I'll post a photo. Hubby did such a wonderful job on all the trim-work and putting together all the furniture etc.. It's a very restful room with soothing colors and lots of natural light during the day (hence the need for blinds and curtains.) When I was stressed-out from work the other day, I actually walked in there and sat on the glider for a few moments and it made me feel so much calmer.
Am I getting excited? I'm not sure exactly. I'm still in that weird state of disconnectedness in many ways. I'm not worrying about it or overanalyzing it too much. Everyone's different and I'm just accepting that this is me. In a lot of ways I can't wait: (a) for the next 80 days to go by so I can start the process of reclaiming my body for myself (b) to see if it's a boy or girl and (c) to just have the labor/delivery part over, over, over and behind me. In many other ways I'm a little scared about the unknowns of the delivery and the first 6-8 weeks thereafter.
Actually, it's funny (not funny haha but funny peculiar) because I find myself in the same frame of mind in 2009 as I was this time in 2008 - only last year I was anxious about my March hip surgery. It's a similar emotional/mental/physical process for me in many ways because there is the excitement to come out the other side but the apprehension of what it will be like immediately thereafter. The hip surgery and immediate recovery wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be, let's hope that the baby thing is the same way.
Here's what's supposedly going on in the bump right now:
As the Big Day nears, your baby is getting ready to go towards the light at the end of the tunnel (the tunnel being the birth canal, the light being the one the doctor is shining directly into it so she can see what the heck she's doing). Other highlights this week:
Your baby's eyes are partially open now and can blink. Truly superior babies can actually wink. (OK, there is no way to prove that, but it's fun to imagine, no?) Your baby can also now become a shiny, happy person as she has begun having rapid eye movement (Get it? REM? Shiny, happy person?? We'll be here all week.)
Her eyes have color now, too. It may not be the color she ultimately ends up with, especially if they're light gray or blue. The eyes typically don't settle on a final hue until nine months after baby is born. So when your mother-in-law says that the baby has her eyes, you can politely inform her that they'll most likely change soon. Sorry.
Your babe is downright chubby compared to a few weeks ago. She is about 15 inches long, about the length of an amusement park cinnamon-sugar-coated churro (yum!), and weighs 2 to 3 pounds.
3 comments:
Did I ever tell you I threw my kick-count card out the window?! Haha...Katie was so active my doc said I didn't need to keep count. There were times when she would kick the heartbeat monitor at the checkups. Suppose she didn't like being poked around in there. But when in doubt, I would turn the volume up on the tv or radio and sure enough she would respond! Btw, I love how Kaiser loads test results onto my online account. Sometimes, they would come in during the night which has helped me go back to sleep on a couple of occasions. If it's bad, I know to expect a call from the doc the next day. As for the classes, we didn't find it too helpful either, although the instructor was a good human source (verses having to read something) should you have any questions or concerns. It's cute to know your baby brings you comfort already!
cannot wait to see pictures of nursery!
Not sure I can throw the kick count card out the window yet. Baby has spits and spats of frenetic activity but can be quite quiet for several hours too. Re: electronic test results. Yes, Hubby's w/ Kaiser, so I know they have that nifty feature. I'm w/ Mercy and they're only partially electronic - meaning, it's in a computer somewhere but only for all my doctors to see, not me.
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