Sweet Baby

I'm leaning the ways in which Emma is a pretty cool baby. I didn't have much of a reference for what would make a good baby, except I hoped she would sleep. So let's start there. Emma seems to like sleeping, which is awesome. I've learned that "sleeping through the night" is considered a five hour stretch overnight, which she has been consistently sleeping for a while now. SO that's amazing. But here are some other ways that she's a good baby for us:

1. Latching for breastfeeding has been a difficult thing for us. This is due to multiple factors including her shoulder dystocia from her "traumatic birth," the fact that she was whisked away to the NICU and we didn't get to start latching right away, and the multiple IV ports she had to have, especially in her head. All that to say, we have a rough start and Dan and I made the decision to switch her to a bottle right before she turned four weeks old. She took to it like a champ. I knew it made feeding her more manageable for us because before that we had been feeding her with a syringe and it comfortably took two people to do so. What I didn't realize is that many babies don't take the first bottle offered to them. In fact, in one of the mom groups I've attended a couple of times, I heard many stories about moms having to by ten or more bottles and nipples before they found one their baby would take. What?! I had no idea! Go Emma for being so awesome with the first bottle we gave her.

2. We have managed to transition to using cloth diapers. After our weeklong stint in the hospital after she was born, when we got her home we decided not to change from disposable diapers right away. As time passed by, I became more and more overwhelmed with the idea of cloth diapering, even though I had felt mostly prepared beforehand. Over time, however, we made the shift to using both cloth diapers and wipes. And it's kind of awesome that when we're running low on either it's not, "Oh!! One of us has to go to the store!" Rather it's, "Oh! We need to do a load of laundry!" Something else I've learned since having Emma is that cloth diapers is another thing some babies are particular about. They prefer some styles to others and may not "do well" in certain types. Meaning that the money spent loading up on diapers prior to having a baby is sometimes wasted and the supply has to be sold secondhand as the parents find out what the baby will be comfortable in. Again, this has not been a problem with Emma at all. We chose one particular brand because we liked how they worked. In fact, we took a cloth diapering class because there were so many choices and we were clueless. We ended up agreeing right away on the one that we wanted to try and that's the only one we ever purchased. And, because our daughter is awesome, she has been fine with them from the get-go.

3. Sleep. I mentioned this above, but it's worth listing here once again. Emma has been sleeping 5+ hours a night consistently for a while now, and she's only just 10 weeks old. I've met moms whose babies/toddlers/children STILL aren't sleeping through the night. I met a mom who went two weeks not getting more than 20 minutes of sleep at a time! What?! I can't imagine that! So sleep has been a gift for us, one that I'm extremely grateful for. Also, a side effect of this one is that because she sleeps so deeply that when she's really soundly asleep, she can be handed to multiple people and she doesn't wake up. Which has been a great quality for her to have so far in a family that loves her so much and has so many people who want to snuggle with her

4. But! She does have her moments where she's pretty inconsolable for a while. When those moments come we have to do a combination of things to try and help. They include changing her, feeding her, doing her exercises from physical therapy to wear her out, and usually/ultimately putting her in the wearable baby carrier. So far, this last step has always won in the end. A friend of mine told e that one of her kids LOVED being put in this type of carrier while the other one HATED it. While I was pregnant, I begged the universe that Emma would be a part of the first type of kid. And so far, she has been. I hope she continues to like snuggles as she gets older.

So we're about two and a half months into parenthood and, so far, we're surviving. And I just wanted to take a moment and share the ways our daughter's amazingness is contributing to that.

Also, I really hope that some day I'll be able to tackle the task of writing about my birth experience. It's special and personal and I really want to document it. I think I'll need my hubby's help remembering all the details and the timeline. Something to look forward to!

Weeks 35-37 and 5 days

I'll never catch up on everything that happened in the last couple weeks of my pregnancy. But here is a brief overview. I became more uncomfortable, especially with heartburn and lower pelvic pain. My doctor's appointments were filling the weeks. I anxiously awaited the induction scheduled for 38 weeks and 4 days on December 21st. Although, I also found myself grateful for the induction in a couple of ways. For instance, I had been concerned that I wouldn't know on my own whether or not I was in labor. I was afraid I'd miss something, like the "bloody show" or my water breaking. Having an induction scheduled mostly took those concerns off the table. And although we weren't going to be able to labor at home like we originally wanted to and planned, I had really started to come to terms with the change in plan.

On Monday, December 14th, I went to the hospital to meet with one of the Chaplains to which I'm assigned as a PAG member. We met in the Lighthouse Cafe, which is the dining option at the Women and Children's Hospital here locally. This particular Chaplain and his wife had just had a baby at the end of September. She, too, was scheduled for an induction. Once our time discussing the Chaplaincy program had been primarily exhausted, we then began to discuss baby things. I asked about equipment he found most and least helpful, things that surprised him, what it was like for him being a dad, etc. One helpful tip he shared was that he and his wife pre-registered for their induction. That way, when it came time for her to come in, the hospital already had her information and some of the time for logistics would already be taken care of. "Wonderful," I thought, "I can do that!" So after our meeting wound down, we said our goodbyes. I took up, intending to go to the labor and delivery floor to pre-register.

And my water broke...

Weeks 31-34

So much for weekly or every other week blogs, huh? Frankly, the last few weeks have been so full, stressful, and emotional, I've had a hard time imagining recounting it here. But I'm going to do my best to give an overview. 

Here's as comprehensive a description of the last month that I can do.

We had two more maternity photo shoots: one at Hugh MacRae Park and the other in Downtown Wilmington:
Thanks to Dan and his connection to fellow photographers in Wilmington, we were able to have these 2nd and 3rd shoots. All three of our shoots looked quite different and I appreciate the variations among them. See pictures below:

We attended a cloth-diapering class:

We ended up being the only two people there, which meant we got to have very personalized class and ask a bunch of questions. We have decided to try cloth diapering. Our favorite style of diaper/cover was called Best Bottom. We're hoping to be able to use the diapering service for at least 2-4 weeks after Emma is born, but I can't say for sure yet if that will really be able to happen. We've gotten several diaper covers and inserts. Hopefully we can make it work. I think the class really helped us understand a lot. Also, I think it will help that we have a set of friends with a newborn and they are also cloth diapering.

My coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower:
I was told by a coworker that we had an opportunity for a community presentation. I helped prepare for it, make packets, and print out information. I was feeling excited and nervous. She, our Social Worker, out Social Work Intern, and I headed over to the facility where the presentation was supposedly taking place. We walked into the private banquet dining area and my whole team was waiting for us. So was my mom! That was my favorite surprise, having her there. I don't actually like surprise parties. They make me uncomfortable for several reasons, but it was nice to have people there to celebrate Emma. The food was absolutely delicious and we got some cute things for Emma.

We had our moms come to our last ultrasound appointment with the specialist. They freaked out when the tech said Emma has hair:
The day after the baby shower, we had our next ultrasound. We had previously invited our moms to it. It was a visit full of highly mixed emotions. The positive ones: our moms really loved being there. The technician was giving a rather routine rundown of her body parts. "Here's her arms, these are her legs, this is her bladder, here's her stomach, this is her head, she has hair..." The tech didn't get any other words out before both moms exclaimed quite loudly about the hair comment. Both Dan and I were bald until we were between two and two and a half. This information was subsequently talked about to such a degree that I made a mental drinking game out of it, doing a "mental shot" ever time it was mentioned over the next week. And since this appointment, we have also been gifted several hair bows and a hair bow bolder.

We found out from my specialist that I'll likely have to be induced:
The more difficult things from that appointment included the information that I will likely have to be induced between 37-39 weeks. My appointments were increased exponentially as well. Beginning after this appointment, I've started having twice a week appointments to check Emma's BPP, or Biophysical Profile. Which means I have 2-4 visits a week, which will soon increase to 3-4 visits a week. I was overwhelmed by stress already, and the idea of balancing the additional appointments with work and other preparation...the stress was suffocating. So it was agreed by my doctor that going out on short term disability prior to Emma being born would be a good idea. I'm still trying to process what this all means.

We had our baby shower in Gastonia:
The Friday after this very emotional appointment, we headed over to Gastonia for our last baby shower. It was a whirlwind weekend. In addition to all the Rivers family and friends, my mom, aunt, and cousin also went. It was nice being around people. On the way up, however, I got a devastating call from one of my friends. She lives in the Gastonia area and was planning on coming to the shower. She got home after spending time with friends after work - to find her dad dead on the kitchen floor. She called me while the paramedics were still in the house. Heartbreaking doesn't even begin to describe how awful this all was. Before leaving for the weekend, we went to Lincolnton, where she lives, and spent a couple hours with her. I have so much love for her. I just wished, and still wish, there's more that I can do.

We wrote up our birth plan for the hospital:
We took resources given to us from our birthing class and our doula and we were able to write up our birth plan. I still need to print out several copies for our hospital bag, but otherwise it's done. We still need to work on our post-delivery plan. One more thing to add to the to-do list.

We attended a breastfeeding class:
On the recommendation of a friend with a newborn, we attended this very helpful class about breastfeeding. I've been worries about finding it too difficult and giving up. But after the class, I feel like I have a better understanding of the mechanics and biology of it all. Plus, we learned about potential obstacles that I think/hope we, as a team, will be able to get through.

Dan realized and point out that this will likely be her first Christmas:
This is still sinking for me. Dan had the idea to include his parents with my family's Christmas day. I've talked to my mom about it and we're going to bring it up on Thanksgiving to Dan's parents and see what they think about coming to Wilmington for the day. I hope that it works out. I'm also trying to figure out what ways we can specially mark the day. Considering I was originally thinking we'd have a year before her first Christmas, I feel a little worried about missed opportunities for celebration and marking the occasion.

My anger and frustration right now:
I have come to the deep and unassailable conclusion that I loathe FMLA and Short Term Disability paperwork and the corresponding hoops. I'm also dealing with guilt, sadness, and anger about time off before Emma comes, because it means I may not be able to take as much time off afterward. I feel guilty because I worry if I'd taken better care of myself, if I'd have been able to make it longer before going out of work. Of if I would have needed to go out of work at all before she was born. As it is, I cannot imagine working past this Wednesday. The day before Thanksgiving is my last day of work and I'm trying terribly hard to get through the next couple of days. It's very difficult to prep for about three months off. But I definitely do need the time off. I need a break. I need to work on preparations for our little one. I need to lessen my stress and take care of my other symptoms so I can keep her growing and developing as far as possible.

Hospital bag and post-delivery bag are on their way to being packed:
We've got quite a few items packed in these two bags. Most of what's left to pack is on our "last minute" list. Pajamas and nightgowns were purchased for the post- bag. Maybe I'll add our more complete list later.

As for Emma's growth, here are some of the things that have happened over the last four weeks.

31 Weeks:
Emma was getting near her birth height, but was still putting on weight. She began to turn her head easily. My Braxton-Hicks contractions started occurring more. It just feels like my stomach clenches up really tightly for several seconds and then lets go. Her senses were more fully intact and her immune system was getting stronger. Her brain and nerves continue to develop under her head, which is still really soft, because the bones that make up her skull are not yet fused together so that she can pass through the birth canal easier. In fact, her skull won't fuse into one solid piece until she's about two! Two! Isn't that crazy?! She might have been 17.5 inches tall. She likely weighed over 3.5lbs. Her size began crowding my lungs and started making it more difficult for me to breathe. I really felt, and still feel, this when trying to sing to my patients. My body may have started to produce colostrum, which is the first "food" she'll get from me. It was this week, that my phone app suggested we start a hospital bag.

32 Weeks:
She was probably sucking on her thumb and sprouting peach fuzz on her head. She's started to move her head downward, getting ready for birth. At this time, she weighed around 4lbs. She had fingernails and toenails. Emma was practicing her breathing quite a lot as well. My body is producing an extra 50% of blood to help keep Emma "snug and safe" and help me prepare for the blood I'll lose during childbirth. I've been peeing way more too! And I really started to hurt more after sitting or lying for a long period of time. It has been taking me several minutes of waddling before I can walk more normally and comfortably. I always thought it was a woman's pregnant belly that caused this walking. For me, at least, it's more the relaxin my body is producing to loosen my bones and ligaments, preparing for birth. So when I sit and lie down, they start to spread open. When I stand, they very painfully start to push back together.

33 Weeks:
Emma was almost at birth height and kept putting on fat. Her bones were hardening so she can support herself once she's no longer in my belly. I've almost reached the point where I don't get much bigger, which is a relief because my "dimensions" make my normal activities harder. Basically, any getting up and standing is hard, not to mention that anything requiring any amount of stamina started to become more difficult as well. Emma is likely between 17-19 inches tall and could weigh between 4-6lbs. This is when it's really becoming individualized, so it's harder to estimate her weight. She's expecting to put on about half a pound a week until she is born. She was beginning to keep her eyes open when she's awake. Because my amniotic fluid level have reached a maximum and Emma keeps growing, her more "violent" kicks supposedly would become more of a rolling motion. But I definitely still feel her kick and twitch quite a bit. I'm definitely having a harder time getting around. I've been having to be more intentional in my own movements so I'm careful with my belly and Emma. Sleeping has become much more difficult as well. I wake up with sore/sleeping limbs. I'm having to wear a wrist brace more often now because of the pain in my left wrist, especially while I sleep.

34 Weeks:
The slippery coat that protects Emma's skin from drying out is starting to fall off. Her immune system keeps getting stronger. But as she gets stronger, I start to fade. Confusion and blurry vision are fairly commons, although I've mostly been having trouble with the former, not the latter. Right now, she's about 18 inches, and weighs in the neighborhood of 5lbs. Generally babies born as early as this do just fine. Which is a crazy thing to think about. Her lungs, brain, and central nervous system keep rapidly developing and all but the lungs are reaching their final stage of development. I wonder why the lungs take long and/or come last in development? She's using my own immune system to help build her own. The vernix caseosa, which will coat her skin and help her move through the birth canal, is starting to cover her. She's peeing up to a pint a day! That's so strange! And she's preparing the meconium for her first poop. My feet are continually awful and swollen. They stay large and puffy long after I stand on them and it takes quite a bit of elevation before they get some relief. I've had to buy a pair of boots. They are now the third of only three pairs of shoes that currently fit! My hormones are preparing my pelvis for delivery. My expanding pelvis is also likely the culprit for my increased lower back pain.

Here are the most difficult things I'm dealing with: my tiredness and lack of stamina, my left wrist pain, pain when sleeping (especially my right shoulder and left hip), increased need to pee, the extreme difficulty standing and walking after sitting or lying down for a while, terribly swollen feet and ankles, and crazy amounts of crying, panic, and stress. Overall, I'm not feeling ready for Emma. I'm hoping and praying that the time off I'm going to get before she comes will help me feel more mentally prepared for her. I doubt I'll ever feel fully ready. But being able to chip away at our to-do list, while also having the chance to breathe and rest, will hopefully be a good combination.

29 and 30 Weeks

Another post with lots to report.

Since I last wrote, we've had our Wilmington baby shower. It was VERY well attended and we got lovely things. Many things that were beautiful, many that were practical, and a few that crossed into both categories. One thing is for certain after the shower; Emma should never be cold. We got countless handmade blankets for her. Some were family heirlooms, some were made for her, all were special. I kept imagining her lying on them for pictures. Some of the gifts we best remember off the top of our heads Dan's baby carrier and diaper bag, a pink hippo rattler in honor of a family friend who died who loved hippos, a handmade green smocked outfit for Emma, embroidered goodies made by Dan's aunt, my diaper bag with "W-R" on it in aqua, and a ultrasound piece of art made by Gray, my cousin.

My brother really wanted to get us the car seat that we registered for, but it was constantly out of stock. So he ended up giving us a gift card to go toward that purchase. In a lot of ways, I'm really glad it didn't work out that he got the car seat, because after the shower I did some exhausting and frustrating research about car seats, strollers, and their combos called "travel systems." I became quite overwhelmed with all the statistics and reviews. Eventually, however, we chose a Graco travel system, tried it out in person at a local Toys-R-Us, and then used two gifts cards to purchase it at target.com. It came super quickly and now we have a car seat and stroller, which count for two of the biggest items on my "priority list." So yay for my brother!

Also, since my last blog, Dan and Alan rocked putting down the flooring in the nursery, living, and dining areas of the house. And they even managed to accomplish it all in one day, rather than in two. Which means Dan also got to relax the Sunday of that weekend, which he really needed. On the Saturday that they worked, my job was mostly to stay out of the house and provide lunch when it was time. So I spent the morning at my mom and dad's house completing my list of people who I wanted to write thank you notes for. I had an extremely frustrating conversation with both of my parents, individually, about doula services. My dad's tone of voice most resembled disgust. The stress of these conversations weights extremely heavily on me. Last Wednesday, I worked very hard to process my thoughts in a written form that I could share with them. My key points of communication were: They don't have to be pro-doula, but they do have to respect our decision to have a doula. Their negativity was causing me stress, which is not good for me nor is it good for Emma, so I would not be accepting it anymore. And I printed out a few different articles about doulas that included a combination of information and statistics. I think we have gotten to a point where I can talk with them in the future and not feel so anxious, angry, and stressed. In short, I think the conversation went about as well as it could have.

Back to the Saturday with the flooring. The second big thing that kept me out of the house was first ever "birth circle" at a local place called Tmuffin. My friend Machelle and I, along with her newborn, Emmie, met with several other moms and moms-to-be. Members in the group shared their birth stories. I shared my pregnancy story and about my parents. The group helped me process further what I ended up sharing above. One thing is for sure, the more I learn, the happier I am with our decision to hire Julie as our doula.

After the flooring was completed, Dan went to my parents' and got all the shower gifts and our crib and mattress! This past weekend, he put the crib together! The nursery is really starting to come together and look like a place where Emma could live! Some of the big items we still need are a bassinet for our bedroom, because that's where she'll sleep for the first little while. We would like to have a glider and ottoman that we've registered for. A big thing about that for me is that we have such a small home, that we don't have a lot of chairs. In the nursery right now, there is only a rocker that has been in my family for decades. I'm hoping that we get the glider/ottoman so that I have a place to sit, as does anyone else visiting us. We would also like a second car seat for Dan's car. Although, for a while we could probably make due with the one we have, especially while I'm on maternity leave.

Yesterday was our last birthing class at the hospital. I hope to take the time soon and type up all my notes from the class because there was so much information that I feel certain I need to review it. Another big item on our agenda soon needs to be calling a pediatrician's office and seeing if we or I can schedule a time for a tour. I think our first choice right now is a place called Carolina Pediatrics. Two doctor's offices were recommended to us when I asked on an online parenting group. But with the second office, from my understanding, you have to take that office's particular birthing classes and frankly, there's just no time for that.

As of now, Dan and I have had three maternity photo shoots. The first one, we did at Fort Fisher near Carolina Beach. I wore a long striped sun dress with a bright blue short-sleeved sweater. Dan wore a bright blue shirt with khaki pants. The day was quite cloudy for most of the shoot, but several of the shots were absolutely lovely. We did get about 10-15 minutes of sunshine breaking through the clouds, which led to some awesome silhouetted photos. Then we did a shoot downtown by the boardwalk. We dressed up a bit more for that one. Dan wearing a cranberry colored button up shirt and his gray suit pants. I wore a dark purple dress with a shawl that turned out not to coordinate with my dress as much as I hoped it would. But from the "teaser" photos I've seen so far, I especially like the black and white photos in those outfits. The last shoot was a Hugh MacRae park. I really liked what we wore then. I had a dark gray sweater dress with a periwinkle tank top underneath. I also wore tall black boots I just got to accommodate my swollen pregnancy feet. Through the loving efforts of a friend and an amazing hairdresser, Dan and I also were both able to get haircuts before these last two shoots, making me feel much more comfortable about our curliness for the photos. The teasers from the park shoot have been nice so far. I can't wait to see more!

Yesterday, I went for a routine appointment at my ob/gyn. Everything was going okay for a while. I learned that the pelvic/groin pain I've been experiencing is "normal." Which is both good and bad. The good part is huge because it means that nothing is wrong. The bad news is that I have to cope with the pain. It occurs most when I've slept through the night and first try to stand. But it's also quite awful when I try to get up after sitting for a while. The doctor explained that my pelvic bones and muscles are practicing stretching outward to eventually prepare for birth. But that also means, that each time I stand that pain ensues because the muscles and bones are having to move closer together again. Fun stuff! The less fun stuff happened in the appointment when they checked Emma's heart rate. It has been in the low to mid 150s my entire pregnancy. But yesterday, it was in the 190s. The doctor said she was moving around a ton, which could cause the heart rate spike. But she wanted to monitor is because having moments of her heart rate being that high was okay, but it was a concern if it stayed there. So they tried to get me in a belly band with a heart and uterus monitor. However, Emma was moving around so much, they weren't able to catch her heart rate for more than a few seconds at a time. Acknowledging that their machine was not the best, they decided to send me to triage at the hospital. I cannot even begin to say how much I didn't want that to happen. But of course I wanted to make sure things were okay, so to the hospital I headed. In the meantime, I updated Dan via text. I didn't think he would or could come. But he shared that when he went to update his boss that he started to cry, and then told me that he needed to come; for his own peace of mind. Thinking of him getting choked up and worried made me cry too. So we both ended up at the hospital with my belly being monitored for quite some time. Definitely not how I had been hoping the day would go. But they said everything looked find. Her rate stayed within good limits. My blood pressure and heart rate also looked okay. They made sure I had an appointment set up soon for a follow-up, otherwise I think they would have scheduled me for one.

A couple things we did learn from the on-call doctor are that my doctors might start checking my BPP, or biophysical profile. These are numbers that will tell them if I need to have Emma sooner rather than later, especially with my gestational diabetes. She also talked about how I might need to be induced, also because of the GDS. The word "toxic" was used to describe what sugar is to my placenta. Basically, it sounds like sugar will cause the placenta to potentially break down sooner than a healthy placenta. All in all, having gestational diabetes just sucks on so many levels. I now have a list of questions I want to talk to one of my doctors about next week. Speaking of, that's also our next ultrasound. We've invited both of our moms. I'm not totally happy about the thoughts of them in the room with us. I think I invited them more out of a sense of obligation. My mom has been blunt and very clear for months that she wanted to be at an ultrasound. And I couldn't invite my mom without also inviting Dan's. I hope it'll be okay. We do think that we'll ask them to leave at some point when we want to talk with the doctor about some of our concerns. I'd just feel more comfortable overall if it was just us in those times.

As for Emma these past couple of weeks. At week 29, she was compared in size to a pineapple. She is supposedly getting big enough that her larger movements won't be potent. That's what they SAY but I certainly haven't felt that yet because her movement still get me to jumping on a regular basis. Her size is definitely increasing my acid reflux and indigestion. I've been having more trouble sleeping because of it. Her lungs and muscles continue to mature and I've been encouraged to keep up protein and iron intake. Soon, her movements are supposed to plateau to the point they'll stay for the remainder of my pregnancy. Hormones are relaxing my muscle tissues which are preparing me for birth. At the same time, this may be causing some of my pain and indigestion. Super!

At week 30, she is compared to the size of a cantaloupe or butternut squash, depending on the source. Her lanugo, or body hair, may be falling off as she prepares for delivery. She's supposedly going to be putting up to half a pound a week until she is born. Her eyes are in place but still developing. She can open them, but her vision is extremely poor. At this point, most babies will move from a breech position to the placement that makes it easier for birth. Head down! Apparently, I could also notice the return of mood swings. Well, that is for damn sure because I have been weepy and angry at some point nearly every day for a while now. I've also been sleepy more, which is not surprising considering I'm having more difficulty sleeping. It doesn't help when we have dreary, rainy days like today.

On our agenda this week: writing our birth plan! Dan's parents are also coming on Saturday. His dad will help with the shoe molding in the house. His mom and I will probably run a couple errands together. And then I'm hoping for a Sunday of more progress in the house. More soon!

Photos from these past couple weeks:

28 Weeks

What a busy time it's been lately! So many things to share about in this blog. So much that I'm sure I'll forget something. So I think chronologically listing things will be the best choice for most complete recall. This has also been the most Emma-focused week we've had so far during my pregnancy.

Last Monday, we started out birthing classes at the hospital. I appreciate our main instructor. She'll be teaching us 3 out of our 4 classes. Because of the short duration, we dove right in. The information was overwhelming, but good. I'm grateful that we're doing it. I imagine most things will come through coaching and instinct when the time for labor finally arrives, but hopefully something will be able to be recalled in the moment because of the information we've been exposed to. 

Last Wednesday, Sally and Alan (one of my co-workers and her husband) came over and Dan and Alan discussed putting in the flooring we've bought. My goal to be helpful beforehand, is to pack up small things like DVDs and books, so that shelves and whatnot can be more easily moved for flooring installation. Alan seemed pretty positive about the process, even though it seems completely overwhelming to me. My main goal during the initial weekend when they'll work is to stay out of the house and out of the way. Hopefully, I'll also run 1-2 food runs each day. I still want to do something as a thank-you for him. Not sure what it'll be yet.

On Thursday, it was the busiest day yet. We had two doctor's appointments, one with our specialist, and one with an NP at the regular ob-gyn office. The two appointments were back-to-back and wore me OUT. One of the best moments was when they switched the ultrasound screen over to a 3D image of Emma. It was not something we planned on, nor were we expecting it to happen. But all of a sudden, there she was. She looked like a real person. She has adorable chunky cheeks and a developing personality already! She was also very clearly tired of being poked during the process, because she was throwing up her arms in a clear "Stop it!" gesture. I was very weepy actually seeing her squishy little face. Then, after we left the second appointment, we drove to my parents' house to borrow their truck. We went and picked up the flooring which at arrived at the store. Once we came home, wonderful Dan unloaded it all by himself because even single boxes were much too heavy for me to pick up. Then, back to my parents' we traveled to return the truck, the off to Dan's softball game (which they won!). Finally, we came home and both crashed from that very loooong day.

Friday was our second meeting with our doula. Although, it was our first official meeting with her after we'd decided to hire her. She asked lots of questions and started filling out some informational paperwork on us. We also began the conversation around our birth plan. Here's what I know so far: I want to labor at home for as long as possible. As soon as I think I'm in labor, I'll call Julie and she'll come over. I have also decided that I don't want to let anyone know my labor has begun yet because I want to contain things for as long as possible. Julie went over some labor positions I could be in. I also got my baby carrier from her; the one with all the good mojo. It felt like a wonderful conversation overall.. She also left me with three books and a set of affirmation cards. I plan on going through, picking out my favorites, and making my own group. I want to make sure this is in there: "I can do this." It may sound simple, but I feel like it's going to be a very important message to remind myself.

Saturday brought Dan's parents into town for our first baby shower! I had been needlessly worried that people would say hurtful things, but everyone was so sweet. Several family members, friends, and Wrightsboro people came. We got lovely gifts. They were a combination of practical and personalized. The food was delicious, the sweet support was overwhelming, and the whole experience was fun, exhausting, and wonderful. The rain even held off until after the shower. We took all the gifts to my parents' house so we have less things here during our flooring adventure. So while I'm sad not to have things here to go through and play with, I am grateful for the place to hold things during our renovation. Some of the gifts that really stood out to me: a handmade blanket Dan used in his childhood that was made by his great-grandma Justice; my awesome diaper bag that my mom got "W-R" embroidered on; a handmade smocked outfit from a Wrightsboro church member; a fancy bouncer/mover that we'll be able to put Emma in and have her automatically moving to hopefully comfort her; and Dan's baby carrier! It was a lovely, tiring, smiley time. 

Sunday, we slept in. Dan started pulling up the carpet in the nursery while I began on some thank you notes. Then I took a late shower to keep my hair as frizz-less as possible because we were getting our first round of maternity photos taken! We went down to Fort Fisher and took photos in the amazing and crooked trees down there as well as on the beach. I was worried that the sun wouldn't make any appearance during our shoot, but we got 10-15 minutes of glorious sunshine with beautiful and colorful clouds. I only saw a few pictures on her camera, but I liked them. I can't wait to see more! But it may take 1-2 weeks before we do. I'll just have to hold my breath!

As I said, a very busy week!

As for me this week, I'm officially in my third trimester! How crazy is that!? Apparently, her viability percentage at this point is around 80%. Each week I keep her in and cooking, the better off she is! As for my symptoms this week, I'm still dealing with carpal tunnel in my hands. My heartburn has been worse, but I was told at the doctor that I'm not taking as much Zantac as I could, so thankfully I've increased the dosage of that and have been able to get a couple nights with better sleep. Emma is doing wonderfully. At 28 weeks on the nose, most of her measurements were between 28 weeks 5 days and 29 weeks 3 days. They estimate that she's currently around three pounds. My app tells me she's the size of a coconut or a head of cauliflower. Emma is getting better at controlling her own body temperature, which is major for the pregnancy because it means she is getting closer to sustaining herself. Also, her adrenal glands are now secreting androgen or estrogen, which signal to my body to begin lactation. She also continues to dream, but about what, who knows?! I also feel her kick all the time. Some of her kicks and punches pack a wallop and make me jump! Many of the people I'm around on a regular basis have learned what these jumps mean and usually just ask, "Emma?" smilingly. Yep, usually.

That's all for now! More soon!

26 & 27 Weeks

Well first off, my blood pressure has been better as I've been checking in. I think dropping out of a few things has really helped lower my anxiety. Laughter also helps. Which occurred with an absolutely ridiculous interaction: One morning recently, I was reaching up into a kitchen cabinet to get a jar of peanut butter. In the process, I knocked down a container of cocoa powder...which opened and spilled EVERYWHERE. All over the counter, the fronts of the kitchen drawers, the stove, the floor, and on me. All over my shirt and the brand new pair of pants I finally broke down and bought to accommodate my baby belly. This morning, Dan happened to have a late morning for work. He was lying back down in bed, but I went into the bedroom, stunned at what happened. I managed to share that I needed help. He popped out of bed ready to do what he could. He even managed to keep his laughing to a minimum! Then he had the goofy and brilliant suggestion to vacuum the powder up. The best part is that he vacuumed my outfit. You read that right. He vacuumed my outfit. I was shaking with giggles the whole time. But it really helped! My outfit was wearable! I swear, I felt like I was in an "I Love Lucy" episode.  

Having these moments of giggles have been good when they come, because my temper and patience have been shorter. I have been using Dan as a sounding board to find out when my feelings are somewhat reasonable and when they're really off kilter. For example, my mom keeps trying to get me to decide about things that are much lower on my priority list right now - like what outfit I want to have to wear at the hospital after the baby is born. That's much lower on my than other things. And Dan pointed out that I still have a whole trimester, therefore three months, to go before my due date. So buying something this early on would probably not be a good idea. Also, she wanted me to pick something out so she could give it to me at our baby shower next weekend, and I'm pretty uncomfortable with the idea of opening a gift with clothing in my size. I'm very self-conscious about it. There was one time this week, though, when I didn't feel like they were though. Dan and I have decided to hire a doula. It's a concept we first became familiar with several years ago through friends, and the more I learn about it, the more comfortable and hopeful I feel about having a compassionate, informed advocate on our side. I shared this news with my mom and met with a surprising amount of resistance. When I've tried to talk with her about it, she's been extremely closed off and snarky. She won't open up to me about why she's so seemingly angry about it, but it's intense. It all came to a head this morning and I think that the topic is something I will be uncomfortable broaching for a long while. My main concern now is that Julie, who we want to hire, will be treated poorly by my mom. Learning from her reaction, we decided to try a different approach with Dan's parents and wrote them an email that included Julie's contract as well as a couple articles about what doulas are. Now I'm anxiously awaiting a response from them.

On another note, Emma has been moving around like crazy this week! I'm finally seeing her move in my abdomen, though Dan hadn't yet. So one afternoon, when she was particularly wiggly, I video taped it and send it to Dan. Then later, I shared it with our moms and a couple friends. So much fun! And by now he's seen it in person too!

As for me, I'm still facing acid reflux. Between that and some hip pain, sleeping is becoming a more of an obstacle. I keep hoping for some pretty good sleep before Emma arrives, because I know once she's here, sleep will become a rare commodity. As for Emma, she's was the size of a butternut squash at 26 weeks and is now the size of a "bunch of bananas" or a large cucumber at 27 weeks. Both of my apps say that Emma is over 2lbs now and around 15 or so inches long. It just seems so big!

I've read that I could start having contractions as my body prepares for birth. Emma is plumping up so she'll be ready to regulate her own body temperature after she's born. Her eyes are finally starting to open and she'll be more responsive to light, which we've definitely found to be true when we held a light up to my stomach! She definitely moved around when it was there. She's borrowing some of my antibodies to help her immune system. Soon, I'll get my flu shot at work so she'll be even better taken care of. Most of her bodily systems are intact and most of the rest of her development revolves around putting on height and weight. The doctor's office has added an iron supplement to my daily list of "to take" things. My recent blood tests show that I'm slightly anemic. So...it's been added and hopefully it's doing what it needs to.  

Next week, I'll be starting my third trimester! We have back to back appointments with the specialist and with the nurse practitioner. When we go to the doctor, we'll have our next ultrasound. They're also going to do an echo of Emma's heart. Apparently, when moms-to-be at their practice have some of the risk factors that I do, that's one of the things they do; check the heart more fully. I really hope everything's okay.

Last thing for now: I had been trying to come to terms with the reality that we couldn't hire someone to take photos of Dan and me while I'm pregnant. I had really been wanting that because it's a really special time and it may or may not be the only time we experience pregnancy and expecting a baby. I cried to him one night, realizing that there were so many other things we needed to spend money on. Instead of letting the subject die there, he reached out to a photography group he's involved with. Within 24 hours, we had three photographers step up to say they would take "trade for" photos for us. Trade for, or "tf" means that they'll be free, though the photographer will be able to use them on their websites and whatnot. It's like what Dan does with many of his models. We're hoping to do shoots at the beach, at a local park, and downtown. I've been thinking about outfits we might wear to each. I was so excited and grateful! So we'll have even more photographs to document this time than I could have hoped for!

24 & 25 Weeks

One of the big things happening these past couple of weeks is that I've been having trouble with my blood pressure. It's caused a couple extra doctor visits. Now I'm having to track my blood pressure as well as my sugar. Luckily, one of the nurses I work with was able to share an automatic blood pressure cuff with me so I can keep track of it at home. Acid reflux is still a terrible thing. In the past month, I think I've only had one night where I wasn't woken up because of the terrible burning.

Some good and productive things that have happened are more cleaning and purging. Dan's dad came up this weekend and the two of them moved the china cabinet from the front bedroom (nursery in progress) into our bedroom. Then they also put together the dresser for the nursery. We also picked out and bought a paint color! It's a lovely and bright lighter blue. And the light pink curtains with small white polka dots arrived. The next bigger project will be the painting. I really wish I could help with that, but we weren't able to find the chemical and fume free paint. Maybe I can at least help with the taping.

Invitations for our Wilmington baby shower were supposed to go into the mail today! We went to Target and updated our registry there. It feels like there's so much to do and get done! Not to mention, still so much to get. Some of the main items I know we need include: a bassinet for our room for baby to sleep in, a car seat, a stroller, a baby monitor, and sheets for the bed. There are a ton more things we want and need, of course. And several things that will make our world a little easier.

We met with a potential doula this week as well. I wasn't sure for a while if it was something I would want to consider. But when friends had their baby this last week and talked about the amazing value of having their midwife, I decided I wanted to look into doula services. Especially when I had a severe moment of panic where I felt completely overwhelmed - specifically about a birth plan. One conversation with Julie helped me feel validated and already much more comfortable. We've decided we want to hire her. We just need to get the funds figured out so we can compensate her. Another wonderful thing about meeting with her is that I got to try on some baby wearing gear. I'd been worried about being too plus sized for them. But she brought a couple I could try on after our more official meeting. One of them fit particularly well and was comfortable, not to mention beautiful. But the story behind it made me love it even more. Several years ago, she had it custom made for a doula client that she had a personal connection with. Julie even helped design it and picked out the material. When that mom was finished with it, she sold it to another mom...who sold it to another mom...who eventually consigned it. Julie found it in a consignment shop and bought it back! So in addition to fitting well and looking beautiful, it's got all this wonderful mojo. I plan to buy it from her so I can wear our tiny one out and about. 

One speed bump along the way with this is that my first conversation with my mom about wanting to hire a doula was not very good. She was not receptive to the notion and passive aggressively talked about the doctor's potential problem with it. Julie has worked with doctors at Glen Meade before and she's on the Family Life Committee at this hospital this year. She's responsible, professional, and will not be getting in the way of the doctors. But frankly, it sounds like the MDs will be much less present until the actual pushing. Julie would be there to help with natural pain management, support for Dan, helping me find positions to be in for comfort and to help with labor. And she'll be a neutral person on our birthing team to help us do the best to create and follow through our birth plan. Moreover, she'll also stick around after we have the baby to help us set up in our house, help me with breastfeeding, and so forth. I plan to have a face to face conversation with mom about doula services. But I have an event for work I need to get through first.

As for baby, these past two weeks she has been the size of an eggplant to a rutabaga and napa cabbage. I checked out the latter two when we went to the grocery store tonight. It seems so big! I also feel her move all throughout the day now, especially when I'm sitting still. Her heart rate continues to be in the mid 150s at the doctor. I'm finally not feeling nervous waiting to hear it, because her movement lets me know she's okay. Also this week, I saw my stomach move with one of her kicks! Dan hasn't been able to catch that yet, but I hope he will soon. My apps also let me know that she's plumping up some now. She can supposedly detect and respond to light and, of course, she continues to hear me better each week. Her nostrils are starting to open and the air sacs in her lungs continue to develop, priming her to breathe air in just a few months. She has hit a milestone with her lungs, meaning she is getting more to the point of viability outside the womb

A side project I decided to work on is gathering artwork from friends for the nursery. As it is, including Dan and me, there will be nine pieces of original artwork at this time. I'm excited to surround her with beautiful things made with love.

In the next few weeks, some of the things we're looking forward to most are birthing classes, going to Pfeiffer's homecoming, and going to the Renaissance Festival in Concord with my friend Lynda. I'm especially looking forward to Pfeiffer. I've been getting particularly sentimental about going where our relationship began; especially as we are on the cusp of a huge change in our relationship and family status.

More soon!