Taylor was with me on Wednesday the 26th for my weekly NST and check-up. It was his first time seeing what a NST is. I think he enjoyed watching the lines jump around on the monitor when the baby would move. I also had the strep B test done and it's REALLY not as big of a deal as everyone makes it out to be. Did I particularly enjoy having my butt swabbed? No. But the way I've heard people talk you'd think it was some hugely invasive and uncomfortable experience. (Results were negative, FYI.) Anyway, next appointment there is on Monday the 31st. I'm guessing I'll have another pelvic exam to check for dilation and effacement in addition to the NST.
Today we had the perinatologist's appointment for the baby's weight check and amniotic fluid check. Baby weighs 6 lbs 6 ounces and my amniotic level is back up to normal, so no crazy early inductions after all. Dr. Fogle did say the baby should be around 7.5 lbs at delivery. My next appointment there is next Friday.
And surprise! The ultrasound tech gave us a 3-D ultrasound today. You can just make out the baby's nose, eyes, and mouth. It had it's arm over most of it's face.
Christmas was on Tuesday, and it was wonderful. My mom, dad, and sister came over for brunch and to spend the day with us. We had so much food and my mom bought us our first waffle iron! Also, had a bit of an anxiety attack when we thought the cat had escaped. We tore the house apart looking for him and he was nowhere to be found. We walked around a good part of the neighborhood calling for him and shaking his treat bag only to find out he had gone into the baby's room and was hiding somewhere in the stroller. Crazy cat! My parents' big gift to us was the Fisher Price Zen baby swing/bouncer combo. That is a high-class piece of baby furniture! Mom even assembled it for us in the house so we wouldn't have to.
The only things I really asked for were baby-related items. I'd rather know the baby stuff is taken care of than get a bunch of gifts for myself. (Mom guilt already?) But, my family (immediate, in-laws, ALL of them!) always surprises me, and I ended up with a ton of great loot also. I'm so thankful for their love and generosity. I won't rehash it all here, but I will mention that I did get a fancy digital camera, so now I'm just looking for a volunteer to take some photos of me and Taylor as opposed to paying a ton of money for professional photos. Not kidding. Any takers? I'll even buy you dinner.
WARNING: I'm about to rant, here. If you'd rather not see, skip ahead to the next page break.
I'm a bit appalled at how much money photographers charge for maternity and newborn shoots around here. I realize these photos are "priceless," and I've noticed photographers love to use the word "investment" when discussing prices, but let's be real. Having and prepping for a baby is expensive already. If you're lucky, you have a family and friends who help you out and try to get you everything you need. Even with help (and baby showers) it's still very expensive. New furniture, new clothes, new gadgets, car seats, stroller(s), bottles, breast pumps, new maternity clothes every month or two, etc. Oh, and let's not forget about health insurance, if you have it. So, in addition to buying all of the baby gear you still have to make health insurance payments and co-payments to the doctor's office and hospital. God forbid you have to pay off a deductible first, too. And if you have medical complications (like I do) you have to pay for medication and supplies, miss time from work for multiple appointments each week, and pay for parking and extra gas on top of it all. Oh, and if you go on bed rest early your employer may not pay you for that time out. You may not be lucky enough to have an STD/LTD policy. So that's even more money gone. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE photography. I wanted to be a photographer for a while (it was a short-lived dream and my skills are now limited to Instagram.) I love looking at other people's professional photos and seeing how great they are. I know some pretty awesome photographers, in fact. But the idea of spending so much money on pictures I could take myself is silly. My sister and I had photos taken for our parents a few years ago on her own digital camera. I edited them and printed them myself and spent maybe around $50 all together. They were actually pretty good, in my humble opinion. So, the idea of paying between $200 and $600 for a disk of 25-35 edited images is pretty ridiculous. (No offense to my photographer friends, and I'm not singling anyone out. Just expressing my thoughts on the expense side.) Same thing for newborn photos. I really love the idea of having a newborn photo shoot, but it's just too expensive. And now that I have my own camera, I can go to town on snapping as many photos as I want of my new baby. So seriously, if anyone has some free time and doesn't mind taking a bunch of photos of us, hit me up! No experience necessary.
Oh, hey. This next topic is TMI for the guys, so if you're a guy who gets grossed out by bodily functions, skip ahead. (Sorry, dad. I know you read this blog so you don't have to read below either.)
It seems that my milk supply is in. Or, well, I guess it's just colostrum for now. I discovered this on Christmas day. There's no leaking or anything happening, but if I squeeze in just the right place a few drops come out. I'll be honest - I mean why lie? It definitely weirded me out. I really didn't expect anything to happen, so when it did I yelled "Oh my God!" in surprise and jumped in the shower. It wasn't painful and it didn't feel like much of anything either. Not that I expected it to, I just didn't know what to expect. I wondered if this meant labor would happen soon, but according to my research it doesn't mean anything. Oh well! Just another change my body has gone through.
By the way, I never realized how well I was sleeping before. Now that I'm not getting any sleep I'm kicking myself for not appreciating it more. As of this week I am finding it very difficult to lay down in a comfortable enough position to sleep in. Even with my Boppy pillow. I am exhausted to the point of tears some nights. The problem is my hip and back pain. If I lay on my sides I feel pretty significant pain in my hips. If I lay propped up I feel pretty significant pain in my low back. It's also hard to toss and turn in an effort to even find a comfortable position. When I do fall asleep I'm awake again within an hour or two due to pain...at which point I realize I have to get up to use the bathroom...which sucks because it hurts so badly to try and walk....and then I start the tossing and turning again once I return to bed. Last night the baby moved SO MUCH starting about 7 PM and it didn't stop until around 6 or 7 AM - no joke. It was extremely uncomfortable. Only a couple of more weeks, though.
Yesterday I got to see my best friend in the entire world. I haven't seen her since January of 2009 when she and I took a road trip from GA to CO where she was moving to. We have been best friends since 7th grade and this was the longest we've ever gone without seeing each other. It was only for a few hours, but I'd have to say getting to hang out with her was my favorite gift this year.
Weekly photo:
How far along: 36 weeks
Trimester: Third
Pre-pregnancy weight: 141 pounds
Current weight: 143.6 pounds
Maternity clothes: Yes.
Stretch marks: Nothing new this week.
Best moment of the week: Spending time with family and friends. Opening presents!
Movement: Pretty much all the time now.
Food Cravings: Coke, McD's french fries and chicken nuggets, cheese and crackers, coffee.
Anything making you queasy or sick? No.
Miss anything? Being able to sleep comfortably.
Other symptoms: Frequent bathroom breaks, swollen ankles on occasion, hip and back pain, heartburn, and my boobs are heavier due to the milk/colostrum supply.
Have you started to show yet? Yes.
Sex: It will be a surprise.
Labor Signs: Nothing obvious, I don't think.
Belly button in or out? Outie.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Moody or not moody? I cry a lot more. But it's not just crying. It's sobbing uncontrollably.
Looking forward to: Continued time off of work, spa day with the hubs, spending our gift cards in various baby stores, and meeting the baby in a few weeks!
I was weirded out by the colostrum too, but as you said after Internet research found it was normal and actually a good thing. It took mine 3 days to come in and when it did holy cow! I suggest wearing your nursing bra and pads from the point of delivery on. I woke up on that 3rd day drenched in milk.
ReplyDeleteHave you been checked yet for dilation and effacement??? I will warn you for me that was EXTREMELY uncomfortable. I was upset none of my friends and recent moms told me about that. Totally unexpected pain.
I was checked two weeks ago, but luckily I was warned about the pain/pressure. Still wasn't any fun, but like you said, at least I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park. They haven't said anything, but I'm almost positive they're going to check again on Monday since I'll be full term then.
DeleteI haven't bought a nursing bra yet, but I do have some disposable pads just in case. Do you have a nursing bra recommendation? I have no idea what they're like or how many to get or anything!
I got a nursing bra from Target it had an underwire which I later read online can effect your milk supply....so I guess get one without an underwire and when you return to work maybe invest in the underwire. The one I got had snaps on the front of the straps like next to where your armpit is and I found that very convenient. But you may like another style...you know we can be picky! Did anyone get you any cloth diapers? Those were a huge lifesaver - they're excellent burp cloths, they absorb so much better than burp cloths themselves.
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