Week 38.

Here’s where we are this week:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.

Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)

How far along: 38 weeks

Total weight gain: +36.5 total.  This is +4.5 from last week. Ugh.

Here’s a picture of my 38 week bump:



Side-by-side comparison (sorry I didn’t do any silhouette pictures before 34 weeks). 

Sleep Habits: Sleep is going as well as can be expected for a person who has gained 36.5 lbs. and is carrying a basketball in her belly.  I still have insomnia most nights and am so thankful for a smart phone that gets me through the boredom of it all. 

Maternity Clothes: I am now working from home because my maternity jeans hurt in the afternoon after I’ve eaten.  Baby J is hanging out extremely low and right where the base of the band hits, so I feel like I’m being squeezed in between vice grips.  It’s totally miserable.  I need to get some fake tanner so I can start wearing skirts.  If this baby doesn’t come soon, I may just start walking around naked.

Best moment of the week: Watching Anna swim with her daddy in our little pool. 



Food Cravings: I’ve been craving something sweet with lots of frosting, but I don’t really know what I want.

Symptoms: TMI ALERT WARNING

This past Sunday, I woke up for my normal hourly pee break and noticed some spotting, ahem, lots of stuff.  I thought for sure it was what is so beautifully referred to as bloody show.  After reading up on it a bit, I was convinced I’d be having this baby any second, so I picked up my house, showered, put on make-up, went back to bed for a little more shut eye, and then woke up thinking it would happen soon.  Then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Nada.

I took Anna out to ride her bike and walked alongside her.  We did this twice.  Nada.  I cleaned the bathrooms.  Did laundry.  Swept. Mopped.  Nada. 

It was a total tease. 

I now know that it was at that point that I started losing my…mucus plug.  Gah, I hate typing this out, but I want to use this as a reference point, so I may as well be completely honest here.  Basically, in the world of pregnancy, losing this plug means nothing.  So, here I am, 38 weeks pregnant (1 week more pregnant than I was with Anna) with no idea when he’s going to come. 

Other than that, I’ve had very mild cramping in my lower back, but nothing is timeable.  It’s just one steady cramp that never really goes away.  I also have tremendous pressure.

Movement: Movement is definitely a lot less, but the movements he does make are quite painful. 

The nursery:  Nothing new on this front.  I still want to do the gutter bookshelves on one wall, and I still need to hang the artwork and bunting my friends are making for me.  This will be an after-baby thing.  I plan on writing up an entire entry about every aspect of the nursery, the cost of the items, instructions if they were DIY, etc. 

I’m pretty excited to be listed as a part of the Perfect Palette’s nursery board – CHECK IT OUT

Other fun stuffs:

My mom ordered this changing pad/wipes holder for Joseph from Sweet Monkey Tots on Etsy:


And my sister bought this for little blanket for J:

I love, love, love all of the personalized stuff!

What I’m looking forward to:  Having this babeh!

What I miss: Sleeping on my back.

Last appointment details:  I had an appointment on Wednesday, March 28.  I had to get a growth u/s to determine how big Joseph is getting.  He’s measuring right on track and is a whopping 6 lbs. 11 oz.  (not that big).  Anna was 6 lbs. 6 1/2.  I know it’s not an exact science, but I was glad to know I wasn’t hauling around a 10 lber.  It certainly feels like I am on most days. 

She checked me again.  I’ve made a little progress from last week.  I’m 2 – 3 cm dilated, 60% effaced, and the biggest change was his station.  He went from –3 to –1.  This explains why I feel like I’m being ripped in half.  Check out last week’s post for a better explanation of all of this.

At this point it’s just a waiting game.  I could walk around like this for weeks or he could come tonight (I hope, I pray).  So, now I wait.  I’m really anxious for him to be here, but he obviously didn’t get the memo that Anna got when she decided to evict herself at 37 weeks. 

My OB is actually about to return from maternity leave, but I like this new OB I’ve been seeing so much that I’m actually going to see if I can just continue on with her.  Is that wrong?  I liked my other OB, too, don’t get me wrong, but I just feel like I click more with this one.  She actually reminds me of one of my best friends, so that’s probably why I feel so comfortable with her.   Plus, she told me that even though she’s not on call this weekend that she wants me to tell L&D to call her and ask her to come in if I do happen to go into labor. 

Next appointment: My next appointment is on Wednesday, April 4th.  I really hope I don’t have to go to this one!  Come on, baby!

Week 37.

Here’s where we are this week:

Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

How far along: 37 weeks

Total weight gain: +32 total.  This is +2 from last week. 

Here’s a picture of my 37 week bump:


Side-by-side comparison (sorry I didn’t do any silhouette pictures before 34 weeks). 

Sleep habits: Sleep has been great with the exception of not being able to sleep on my back.  I get up to pee and fall back asleep very quickly.  I also find I’m able to stay up later at night (past my pregnancy 8 p.m. bedtime) and still wake up at a decent hour and have energy throughout the day. 

Maternity clothes: They’re getting tight.  As evidenced in my 37 week bump picture, my bump has grown.  The blue belly fabric is fitting very snugly.  I am usually fine in the morning, but once I eat lunch and have my post-lunch pregnancy swelling, I’m in absolute misery.  I refuse to buy more maternity pants at this point, so I’ll just have to deal. 

Best moment of the week:  Joe’s parents came and picked up Anna to bring her to her great grandmother’s house.  I got to spend the majority of the day all by myself, and it was heavenly.  I watched a scary movie (Insidious), I ate the delicious jambalaya that my father-in-law made for me without having to share, and I even took a nap.  It was glorious! 

Food cravings: Nothing at the moment.

Symptoms:  Not many at this point with the exception of just feeling uncomfortable and miserable.  This is the most pregnant I’ve been.  I had Anna at exactly 37 weeks.  Today I’m 37 weeks 1 day (I post a day after I hit my weekly milestones).  I was really hoping I’d go into labor right at 37 weeks, but that obviously didn’t happen.  Does that make me horrible that I’m so ready to evict this baby? 

It just gets frustrating when doing the simplest of tasks requires great effort.  Plus, I just feel like crap – fatigued, pressure down low, have to pee every 10 minutes.   Also, I’m really anxious to meet him.  I can’t wait to see what he looks like – will he have hair or be completely bald like Anna?  How big will he be?

I honestly worry the most about my water breaking while in public.  I’m tempted to start traveling around with a spare change of clothes and garbage bags to put on my car seats while I’m en route to the hospital. 

Movement:  He’s slowed down a lot.  I usually have 10 minute kick sessions every few hours.  These sessions really make me want to run out to get an epidural.  The kid likes to head-butt/punch some very sensitive organs/areas.  Most of the time if feels like shockwaves going throughout my entire body.  I don’t remember the kicks being this forceful with Anna, but maybe I blocked it out. 

The nursery:  I haven’t done much with the nursery this past week because there’s not much left to do at this point.  My friend Allison made some amazing artwork for behind his crib, so I’ll get that hung up as soon as possible.



This was the inspiration:


One canvas will be an old Chevy truck and the other will be a big J. 

My friend Kent is making some cool bunting (flags) to hang in his room. 

This is just an example of bunting (of course the colors will be aqua/chocolate/orange to match his room colors):


I still need a few odds and ends décor stuffs, but I’m basically done.  I just need the baby now.

Oh, and my sister gave me all of my nephew’s clothes, so J is well stocked until he’s at least 2!  The kid can wear two or three outfits/day and never wear the same thing twice.  It was fun washing and putting away everything.  Now I feel like things are finally ready for him. 

Oh, and I found the most perfect orange rugs at Big Lots.  I could kick myself because I actually saw them a few weeks ago, but being the cheap bastard that I am, I decided not to get them at the time even though the rugs were only $5 a piece.  I needed three. 

When I couldn’t stop thinking about them, I went back in to buy them, but there were only two left.   I bought them, but the odd person in me feels like I need one more to make it more symmetrical.  My mother-in-law went to the Big Lots in her town to see if she could find me one more, but they didn’t have them there.  I even looked online for them…no luck.  Oh well.  Lesson learned – just buy what you like the first time – don’t wait around.

Here’s the rug:

What I’m looking forward to:  Having this babeh!

What I miss: Nothing at the moment.

Last appointment details: I got scolded for getting off of Procardia, but I don’t guess it mattered since I’m still truckin’ along.  She also checked me and said I’m 50% effaced (not 80% like the L&D nurse said) and 1 CM dilated.  She said he’s hanging out low, locked and engaged at –3 station.  I got the GBS (Group B Strep) test, but I’m already deemed as being GBS+, so I’ll need antibiotics as soon as I get to the hospital.  I was GBS+ with Anna as well. 

Here’s a station diagram to explain:

Dilation and Effacement diagram:


Next appointment:
My next appointment is Thursday, March 22.  I will be meeting with a new OB since my OB is on maternity leave.  I’m not sure if she will check me or not, but my regular OB said that she wanted to do a growth u/s at 38 weeks to see how big J is and then discuss the possibility of a c-section.  I’m not on board with that at all, so I’m curious to see what this OB recommends. 

See ya next week (maybe!).

Week 36 and an addendum.

UPDATE: ALL OF THE NURSERY DETAILS/SPECS ARE LISTED IN THIS FOLLOW-UP POST - http://oneporkchop.blogspot.com/2012/05/baby-js-nursery-details.html

So, after submitting/scheduling my 35 week post last week, I had a bit of a scare.  It suddenly struck me (because I can be unobservant at times) that baby J hadn’t moved in quite some time – a few hours that morning, and hardly at all the night before.  I remember my OB saying to call if the movement was dramatically different from one day to the next, and since he was using my internal organs as a trampoline the day before, the decreased movement was a bit unnerving.  I still felt him moving, so I knew he was still OK, but my mama instinct kicked into overdrive and told me that something wasn’t on the up and up.

After hearing back from my OB’s office, I went on over to L&D for a NST (non-stress test).  It’s a test where they hook you up to two monitors – one tests the baby’s heartbeat, the other tests for contractions. 

While I was hooked up, they saw I was having timeable contractions every 4 – 6 minutes.  While I didn’t feel the contrax, necessarily, it was pretty obvious when looking at the ticker paper.  Given my history with PTL (pre-term labor) with Anna at 35 weeks, it seems that my body gets ready to evict babies pretty early. 

I was given a script for Procardia and released.  Let’s just say that when I do actually go in to deliver that I hope I don’t get the nurse who helped me that day.  She apparently hated her job and was the type of nurse who didn’t explain anything at all.  Every time she came in to talk to me, I felt more confused than ever.  My mom and Joe were there with me, and even they were confused at what she was saying.  She was probably just having an off day. 

Oh, and I’m 80% effaced.  No dilation at this point, but the confusing nurse said she didn’t really want to mess around in there too much to see if I was dilated at all.  Uh, OK. 

The Procardia never really stopped my contractions.  In fact, every time I’d take them, I’d have even more.  So, I decided to stop them and just drink tons of fluids (one thing the nurse did say – that I actually understood – was that dehydration can cause contractions, so I’ve been loading up on non-caffeinated beverages as much as possible although I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have caffeine every now and then). 

Since I stopped the Procardia, I haven’t been contracting hardly at all, and the past few days have been pretty calm with my pregnancy, thankfully.  I’ll be glad when next Tuesday comes.  At that point I’ll be 37 weeks, and Baby J can come any time he wants! 

Here’s where we are this week:

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement. 
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.



How far along: 36 weeks

Total weight gain: +30 total.  This is -1 from last week.  Yeah, no weight gain and a 1 lb. loss from last week was concerning, so I called my OB’s office.  They told me it’s very normal to not gain any weight at all in the last trimester.  The only time I should be concerned is if I lose or gain a lot at once.  I guess it’s just weird because I consistently gained with Anna my entire pregnancy, but I also wasn’t 30 lbs. at this point with her.  I guess it all piled on in the 2nd trimester and is evening out this time.   

Here’s a picture of my 36 week bump:



Side-by-side comparison for 34 – 36 weeks (sorry I didn’t do any silhouette pictures before 34 weeks). 



The pictures don’t necessarily reflect it, but it seems like he’s dropped a bit.  I not only feel more pressure, but my stomach seems lower, and I’m able to walk w/o getting out of breath. 

Sleep habits: Sleep has actually been pretty great.  When I do sleep, it’s very restful.  When I wake 2,000 times/night to pee, I can fall back asleep quickly.  My witching hour (3 a.m.) moments are becoming less and less.  The only issue I have right now is that the weight of my bump makes my hips hurt when I side sleep (which is my only option).  If I sleep on my left side, I can hear my heart-beat in my ears.  Sleeping on my back is impossible.  I literally feel like an elephant is sitting on me and drowning me with his ass.  I can’t wait to back sleep again!

Maternity clothes: We’re in full-fledged spring/summer wear now.  I got a pedicure this past week, so flip flops are back in full force.  I have some longer shirts that still fit my bump, so I wear those now.  Granted, my clothes suck and are boring, but I’m not spending any money on maternity shirts that will only be worn a few more weeks.  Besides, I’m really digging my bump this go round – it’s basketball like vs. the wide spread I had with Anna, so I like tighter shirts. 

Best moment of the week:  Getting lots accomplished in the nursery…finally!

Food cravings: I’m not craving too much lately.  In fact, most days I have to force myself to eat dinner.  I’m usually OK for lunch.  There’s just no room for my stomach at this point. 

Symptoms:  HA!  I was reading my symptoms from last week, and it appears I jinxed myself about not having to go to L&D with this baby.  Just a few hours after I typed that blog, I was in L&D. 

Let’s see, this week there’s lots of pressure, I’m fatigued most days, swollen legs at the end of the day (they look like tree trunks), I got a zit – haven’t had a zit since before I got married.  My BH contractions have slowed down quite a bit although sometimes I can’t tell if my ute is contracting or if J is moving and pushing his body against me.  At this point, it’s hard to tell the difference.

Last night I had some lower back pain that I was convinced was labor, but I woke up this morning feeling fine, so I guess it was a false alarm.  I get sharp jabs of pain in my lower abdomen (similar to ovulation cramping), but they come and go and aren’t anything to write home about. 

Movement: 
Some days J makes very painful kicks that hit in not so wonderful places. He has moved down a bit, so that gives me relief with the heartburn and constant rib jabs (although the jabs to other areas aren’t much more fun).  There have been a few days where he’s hardly moved at all which of course worries me and sends me to L&D or makes me call my OB’s office.  After reading some things online, it seems that once the baby has locked and engaged in the pelvis, most movement ceases.  I guess that’s where he is. 

The nursery:  I’d say I’m about 80% of the way done with the nursery.  The biggest obstacle, the dresser, is finally complete, so I feel like I can relax a little bit more and just put up the rest of the stuff when time (and motivation) permits. 

Joe did an AMAZING job painting the dresser.  Like seriously blows me away amazing.  He took this:



To this:


I decided to keep the original hardware because 1) they have an awesome patina to them that really goes with the theme of the nursery and 2) I’m cheap.  Plus, who wants to fill and re-drill new holes?  I love the handles and am so glad we decided to keep them.  I just couldn’t be happier with the way this turned out.  I love re-purposing old, unwanted items into something fresh and fun. 


With the alphabet letters and the bird mobile.  I promise the letters aren’t crooked in person.  It’s very hard to photograph anything in this small room. 





The bird mobile finally moved from the kitchen to his room.




Orbs are finally hung.  I decided to order one more star of the show to hang with the bunch.  It should be here any day now.  By the way, it’s nearly impossible to photograph how cute these orbs are with a ceiling fan hanging in the way.



My friend Kent made these amazing pillows for J.  She’s seriously so talented.  (She also made the curtains for the nursery.  I love her.)  

I could seriously eat this pillow. 

 

And look at this minky owl changing pad cover she made J:



My wonderful friend Aly made this hand-made blanket for J.  It’s so soft and wonderful – I love it!  I’m going to use it for his newborn photos. 




This isn’t nursery related, but here’s baby Joseph’s going home outfit.  I ordered it from MaddieBug’s Boutique on Etsy, and she certainly didn’t disappoint.  I think I ordered it on a Tuesday and got it that Friday.  The embroidery is beautiful, and the onesie is a good quality Carter’s onesie.  She has tons of beautiful items in her store, so please check her out if you’re looking for something similar!



And because this is too cute to not post about, here’s a Darren Sproles (Saints) onesie that my friend Liz sent me:


I’m not usually a big fan of imposing your fanatical sports desires on your child (I hate the baseball, football, your son must play sports to be a real man crap that seems to be forced on you when your have a son), but I do make exceptions for the Saints. 

Ahem…



Ahem, ahem…


What I’m looking forward to:  Meeting Joseph.  It’s almost go time!

What I miss: Nothing at the moment.

Last appointment details: I guess my last appointment would be my visit to L&D.  I was 80% effaced and having mild contractions every 4 – 6  minutes.  J’s h/b varied from 140s to 150s, and it would often dip into the 70s which freaked me out, but the nurse said that was normal. 

Next appointment:
My next appointment is Thursday, March 15.  Since my OB is on maternity leave, I will meet with the NP (whom I love).  I wish she had her midwifery license because I’d love for her to deliver Joseph.  Hopefully she will be able to check and tell me if I’ve made any progress since last week.

Week 35.

Here’s where we are this week:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com

How far along: 35 weeks

Total weight gain: +31 total.  This is +-0 from last week.  When I went to my Dr. appointment last Friday, I’d actually lost some weight from my previous appointment which really made zero sense.  My Dr. wasn’t concerned, and neither am I. 

Here’s a picture of my 35 week bump:



Side-by-side comparison for 34/35 weeks (sorry I didn’t do any silhouette pictures before 34 weeks). 

Sleep habits: Sleep has been pretty decent lately.  Of course I’m still having clockwork pee breaks every hour on the hour, but I’m easily able to fall back asleep now.  My only complaint is my inability to sleep on my back.  I often wake up in this position and feel absolutely wretched – hardly able to breathe, chest pains, back pains, hip pains. 

I also get hot a lot more easily since I’m carrying an extra 30 lbs. of weight. 

Getting up from a lying position takes a lot more effort.  I find myself grunting and sighing a lot which is probably super aggravating for Joe to have to listen to my exasperation.  Oh well, if men ever have the ability to carry a child, they’ll finally understand.

Maternity clothes: I think I’ll be able to finish out this pregnancy without having to buy any additional clothes.  I bought 2 pairs of jeans in the 1st trimester, and I miraculously still fit into them.  Now that we’re approaching spring/summer weather, I can wear a few of the pieces I wore with Anna or even use my pre-pregnancy shirts w/ my belly band and just fold my jeans up like capri jeans.  I went to a few stores the other day just to get some new shirts, but I really can’t justify spending any money on clothes that I won’t be wearing in a few weeks/months.  I’m a cheap bastard like that. 

Best moment of the week:  We got to spend the day with Joe’s parents and grandmother this past Sunday, and we had a blast.  Anna loves going to Grandmama’s house!  She has lots of property, so we can drive her around on the golf cart and just let her run wild. 

Food cravings: It’s jelly bean season.  I’m not complaining!

Symptoms:  My swelling has subsided, thankfully.  My feet still look pretty huge at the end of the day, but that’s because they’re…pretty huge.  Heartburn comes and goes.  I’m definitely fatigued more than normal.  Doing normal, daily tasks like walking requires way more effort.  I waddle like a duck. 

One thing that differs with this pregnancy is that Baby J is carrying high still.  While I didn’t keep a journal/blog with Anna, I do remember her permanently residing down south for pretty much the entire 3rd trimester.  There were some days where I could barely walk from the pressure.  J prefers hanging out in my rib cage which makes for a very uncomfortable experience when I have to sit at a desk all day. 

At 35 weeks with Anna, I went into pre-term labor (PTL) and had to take Terbutaline/Brethane for 2 weeks.  I stopped taking the pills on a Thursday, my water broke bright and early Friday morning.  I remember being checked at the hospital, and I’d already begun dilating and effacing at 35 weeks.  I’m not so sure this is the case with J.  Other than a few mild cramps here and there, I’ve had zero issues that would make me feel the need to go to the ER.  I mean, I have tons of BH contractions, but that’s about it.  Even those have subsided a bit. 

Movement:  Very painful kicks still.  They’re not as frequent, but when they happen, they’re mind blowing.  Now that I think about it, though, he’s hardly kicked the past few hours.  I know he’s OK because I just felt him kick, but it seems that he’s slowed down quite a bit.  I’m pretty sure this is common these last few weeks as there’s just no more room for him.  When he does kick, it feels like he’s kicking everywhere possible.  I wonder if this kid is huge?

The nursery:  I’ve made quite a bit of progress in the nursery this week.  It’s not that I’m less lazy, it’s just that I feel like time is quickly winding down here, and my opportunity to finish things once the baby is here may not come. 

So, Joe primed and painted the dresser.  He still has some touching up to do on the “breadbox” part of the dresser, but I think it turned out great.  I was going to go for a beaten up look and sand it/glaze it, but I actually like the paint so much at this point that I will probably leave it as is.  It reminds me of a 50s Chevy.

I hung his artwork:



And the adorable letters that my friend Allison made:

The letters look even better in person, and I imagine they’ll look even better still once I add the dresser and other decorative items (oh, and the bird mobile will be hanging here as well) beneath them!

The perfectionist in me spent way too much time trying to make these letters perfect.  Then I was like, eh, the heck with it, and I threw them up there without much thought and actually like the way they turned out!  So, my suggestion when hanging alphabet letters, just roll with it – don’t worry about making them perfect because it’s impossible. 

Also, poster putty is a joke.  After I hung the letters with the putty, they began falling down.  The letters weigh absolutely nothing, so it made no sense why the putty wasn’t holding them up.  Then my wonderful mother-in-law (as if she’s psychic) brought me some of the poster tack stuff that she uses for school.  It worked like a CHARM!  Here it is if you’re interested:

Here’s a cute picture of my child throughout the process.  She wanted to help! 

She can’t smile w/o sticking out her tongue.  She gets it from her mama.

I started hanging the orbs, too, but I’m not done with them yet, so no pics.

Here are the orbs:


I’m still on the fence if I’m going to use these rings.  I like them, but I’m not sure if I’ll like them when everything is in the room. 



We’re getting an antique rocking chair from Joe’s grandmother to use as the “glider/rocker" – I’m really excited about that.  We have a chair that we used in Anna’s room, but it’s too big for this space, and Joe wants to use it as his man chair in the living room. 

It’s slowly coming together!  I hope to have everything done (that I can) by this weekend.

Still need:

- Artwork for behind the crib
- I’m going to attempt to make a chair cover for the rocking chair using this tutorial.

What I’m looking forward to:  Eating raw cookie dough and raw cake mix. 

What I miss: Skinny clothes.

Last appointment details:  My last appointment was Friday, March 2  Joseph’s h/b was 143.  I am measuring at 33 cm. 

My OB kind of caught me off-guard at this last appointment.  While we were having our regular discussion about the future weeks, she said she wanted me to get a growth ultra-sound to determine how large (approximation) Baby J is at 38 weeks.  If he’s above a certain weight, she wants to push for a c-section since I had a level 3 episiotomy with Anna. 

Huh?

I had a flawless, text-book labor and delivery with Anna.  Yes, I had a level 3 episiotomy, but I think that’s because 1) I had a cut-happy Dr. and 2) he was ready to go home for the evening and didn’t really care how much he had to cut as long as she came out quickly.  The man gave me Pitocin when I was progressing 1 – 2 cm/hour on my own. 

A c-section is the last thing on my mind, and while I’m not against them if medically necessary, I’m certainly not going to schedule one just because my OB thinks that J may be too big and may cause some damage. 

If anything, he’s been measuring behind or right on track, so I honestly have no idea where this came from.

My OB is actually on maternity leave now, and I’m kind of glad.  If she’s pro-c-section already, I don’t want her delivering Joseph.  I feel that if anything goes off kilter for a few minutes, she’ll be rushing me into the OR to do the c-section.  I’m very laid back about my birth plan, my only requirement is to get the baby out, but I’m taking control of this aspect and making sure that I only have a c if medically necessary and that no Pitocin is administered unless I’m stalled. 

I just hope that the on-call physician won’t pressure me into anything I don’t want.  I’ve been talking to Joe and my mom about it to make sure they advocate for me during the process because I may not be in the best frame of mind to stand up for what I want. 

Next appointment:
My next appointment is Thursday, March 15.  Since my OB is on maternity leave, I will meet with the NP (whom I love).  I wish she had her midwifery license because I’d love for her to deliver Joseph.