Hi hi!!!
Life has gotten in the way so I'm combining weeks again. Ok, so week 32 you were the size of a pomelo (that giant grapefruit-like thing) and this week you are the size of a bunch of celery/butternut squash and cauliflower.
Big development: we had your first NST (non stress test) to measure your heart rate during acceleration and your movement in general (this is another test that moms of Advanced Maternal Age receive) and you passed with flying colors! In fact the tech said you are so happy in there, with all your heart rate jumps and continuous activity. So they strap these monitors to my belly and for about an hour they scan and listen and measure your heart rate, paying special attention to when you are moving because a heightened heart rate during movement means your brain is developing properly. That doesn't make the most sense to me, but I'm just happy you are doing so well!
I went on what I hope to be my last solo trip: Philadelphia for a work conference. I was worried it was going to wipe me out, but it really didn't. And I even got one workout in. I'm back home now, and your poor dad hurt his back, and I told him he really has to get this back situ under control, cos once you come, and once we are your full time caretakers, we really can't afford for him to have his back go out all the time. I'm convincing him to go see my chiropractor, who I really credit with giving me a better aligned body (no lower back pain whatsoever at this stage of pregnancy - I mean, that's incredible) so we will see if he listens. He's very stubborn about things like this.
Anywho!
We've got 7 weeks until your due date. We also have one final trip to make (together) next week, when we head up to NJ for the family baby shower. I'm dreading it, to be honest. Our extended family can get on my nerves, but I'm learning, through my birthing course, to create a "Bubble of Peace" that allows everyone's negative opinions to bounce off this forcefield I've created.
Onward to week 34!
Friday, April 26, 2019
Monday, April 15, 2019
What No One Tells You - Part 4
It's interesting, so for most of my pregnancy, I would say up until week 30 or so, I was worried about whether this pregnancy was going to be viable. Every day, every week, every doctor's appointment, I was a ball of stress. It lessened significantly after our 20-week anatomy scan, but for the most part, I really wasn't sure it was happening.
And then we hit 30 weeks and it's like - damn, we are going to have a baby and we have to get our shit together!!!! There is that military term, hurry up and wait, and it feels very much like that. The first few months didn't go by slowly, but all of the anxiety and fear, made me feel numb to the reality that I was growing a human being in my belly. And now, he's just huge and moving around so much it's like an alien underneath my skin, and in the next few weeks that he's in there, he's just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. So yes - this is indeed happening!
So for this edition of "What No One Tells You" one of the topics is about time. How during pregnancy time is a funny thing. First off, there is the fact that you are seemingly pregnant for a lot longer than 9 months, and that telling people you are in week such and such, doesn't do much for clarity. And as a high-risk mom, most of the first two trimesters was spent just wanting to pass certain milestones (or let's be real, just simply get to the next week and next month) without the doctors telling me something is wrong. And now we are on the other side of that and it feels like we are high-tailing it before the baby arrives. We are working on our apartment (throwing things away, getting rid of old furniture, getting new furniture...more cleaning...did I mention cleaning?) and also looking to purchase a car and continuing to look for a house for our long term plans...
Other than that, the other thing I would like to talk about is this: when you are pregnant, the priority is the baby (which, duh, I totally get) and mama's health is really in relation to the baby's (a healthy mama means a healthy baby). And while that is great, I really am thinking about the long haul here, you know, ensuring that giving birth doesn't totally and utterly wreck my body. I'm really grateful now, that my pubic bone/pelvis pain, sent me to the chiropractor (twice weekly sessions since week 24 thank you very much!) because at 31-plus weeks I have no back pain, and while the pubic bone pain is still very much present, I feel that all of this aligning I've been doing in the past few months is gearing my body up for a better delivery.
I'm also determined to have a natural, unmedicated, vaginal birth, and for the past few weeks (when it hit me that indeed we are having this baby!) I've done some research to figure out how I'm going to do that when crunch time hits. (I was in the delivery room with my sister when she tried an unmedicated birth...she ended up getting an epidural 12 hours in.) I know the reality is I can't just head into my delivery with no plan in place, so I have been doing this hypnobabies course. It's essentially learning hypnosis techniques as a way to anesthetize yourself from the pain of delivery. I know that everything can go out the window when the time comes, but I'd like to at least try to equip myself with some tools for a natural childbirth. (I'll let you know in 9 weeks how it goes!)
Anywho...that's it for my latest "What No One Tells You" post!
And then we hit 30 weeks and it's like - damn, we are going to have a baby and we have to get our shit together!!!! There is that military term, hurry up and wait, and it feels very much like that. The first few months didn't go by slowly, but all of the anxiety and fear, made me feel numb to the reality that I was growing a human being in my belly. And now, he's just huge and moving around so much it's like an alien underneath my skin, and in the next few weeks that he's in there, he's just going to get bigger and bigger and bigger. So yes - this is indeed happening!
So for this edition of "What No One Tells You" one of the topics is about time. How during pregnancy time is a funny thing. First off, there is the fact that you are seemingly pregnant for a lot longer than 9 months, and that telling people you are in week such and such, doesn't do much for clarity. And as a high-risk mom, most of the first two trimesters was spent just wanting to pass certain milestones (or let's be real, just simply get to the next week and next month) without the doctors telling me something is wrong. And now we are on the other side of that and it feels like we are high-tailing it before the baby arrives. We are working on our apartment (throwing things away, getting rid of old furniture, getting new furniture...more cleaning...did I mention cleaning?) and also looking to purchase a car and continuing to look for a house for our long term plans...
Other than that, the other thing I would like to talk about is this: when you are pregnant, the priority is the baby (which, duh, I totally get) and mama's health is really in relation to the baby's (a healthy mama means a healthy baby). And while that is great, I really am thinking about the long haul here, you know, ensuring that giving birth doesn't totally and utterly wreck my body. I'm really grateful now, that my pubic bone/pelvis pain, sent me to the chiropractor (twice weekly sessions since week 24 thank you very much!) because at 31-plus weeks I have no back pain, and while the pubic bone pain is still very much present, I feel that all of this aligning I've been doing in the past few months is gearing my body up for a better delivery.
I'm also determined to have a natural, unmedicated, vaginal birth, and for the past few weeks (when it hit me that indeed we are having this baby!) I've done some research to figure out how I'm going to do that when crunch time hits. (I was in the delivery room with my sister when she tried an unmedicated birth...she ended up getting an epidural 12 hours in.) I know the reality is I can't just head into my delivery with no plan in place, so I have been doing this hypnobabies course. It's essentially learning hypnosis techniques as a way to anesthetize yourself from the pain of delivery. I know that everything can go out the window when the time comes, but I'd like to at least try to equip myself with some tools for a natural childbirth. (I'll let you know in 9 weeks how it goes!)
Anywho...that's it for my latest "What No One Tells You" post!
Week 31
Well technically I'm closer to week 32, than week 31...but here goes a recap of how you are, and how I am, and your dad, too.
So you are now the size of...(let me check my apps!) a bunch of asparagus/coconut and romaine lettuce. You are still moving like crazy and your dad and I got to see your final (I think?) ultrasound and we were even treated to a 3-D imagery of your face and it was delightful! Not only were you moving non-stop, you are close to 4 pounds now, and...we saw some hair in the ultrasound. Your dad laughed so bad when the tech told us that, it was really cute.
It feels so very real now, and your due date is June 13, which is less than two months away. Your dad and I tried to find a one-bedroom apartment, but since that didn't happen, we are staying in this studio for now and sprucing it up. Your aunt, TC, gave us a ton of advice to get it ready for your arrival, so we purchased a dresser, carpet, and new couch. All are arriving in the next month. Also: we've got to tackle the large closet that is stuffed to the brim of 50% useless things. I'm really scared to open that closet up and start that project because it will be madness! But it will be done.
Tomorrow, due to my advanced maternal age (AMA for short) we will have what is known as the nonstress test, where they will test your heartbeat, your movements, and if I have contractions, how you react to them. It's an hour-long test and I'm hoping all goes well. So far everything has so I'm hoping for the best.
Here's to week 32!
So you are now the size of...(let me check my apps!) a bunch of asparagus/coconut and romaine lettuce. You are still moving like crazy and your dad and I got to see your final (I think?) ultrasound and we were even treated to a 3-D imagery of your face and it was delightful! Not only were you moving non-stop, you are close to 4 pounds now, and...we saw some hair in the ultrasound. Your dad laughed so bad when the tech told us that, it was really cute.
It feels so very real now, and your due date is June 13, which is less than two months away. Your dad and I tried to find a one-bedroom apartment, but since that didn't happen, we are staying in this studio for now and sprucing it up. Your aunt, TC, gave us a ton of advice to get it ready for your arrival, so we purchased a dresser, carpet, and new couch. All are arriving in the next month. Also: we've got to tackle the large closet that is stuffed to the brim of 50% useless things. I'm really scared to open that closet up and start that project because it will be madness! But it will be done.
Tomorrow, due to my advanced maternal age (AMA for short) we will have what is known as the nonstress test, where they will test your heartbeat, your movements, and if I have contractions, how you react to them. It's an hour-long test and I'm hoping all goes well. So far everything has so I'm hoping for the best.
Here's to week 32!
Thursday, April 4, 2019
Week 30
OMG! Only 10 weeks until we meet you!!!! Today you are the size of a zucchini/bunch of broccoli/cantaloupe. Which...is just huge. You are continuing to move around like crazy, and yesterday your dad felt you through my belly.
So on Sunday your aunt, TC and our friends threw us an amazing baby shower. I felt completely "showered" (hehe) with love, and your dad too. And our friends went above and beyond with presents, we really are so blessed.
I feel a bit down and sad right now because not only was your aunt, TC visiting us, but also your cousins, MC and SC. They all left last night on a plane back to California, and I cried about it immediately and have been sad all day about it. It's par for the course when you've got family who are so far away.
So...in terms of where you are at developmentally, your brain is getting wrinkly, your body hair is falling off, and basically you are getting bigger and fatter week by week. Your dad and I are working on getting the apartment organized, cleaned, and ready for your arrival - yikes!
Next week we have what is likely to be our final ultrasound before we meet you in person. I also need to figure out what to pack in my birth bag, and write my delivery/birth plan. Omg omg. It's all so very real now.
Here's to week 31!
So on Sunday your aunt, TC and our friends threw us an amazing baby shower. I felt completely "showered" (hehe) with love, and your dad too. And our friends went above and beyond with presents, we really are so blessed.
I feel a bit down and sad right now because not only was your aunt, TC visiting us, but also your cousins, MC and SC. They all left last night on a plane back to California, and I cried about it immediately and have been sad all day about it. It's par for the course when you've got family who are so far away.
So...in terms of where you are at developmentally, your brain is getting wrinkly, your body hair is falling off, and basically you are getting bigger and fatter week by week. Your dad and I are working on getting the apartment organized, cleaned, and ready for your arrival - yikes!
Next week we have what is likely to be our final ultrasound before we meet you in person. I also need to figure out what to pack in my birth bag, and write my delivery/birth plan. Omg omg. It's all so very real now.
Here's to week 31!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)