37 Weeks!

Well, we made it to 37 weeks!  This is great, as baby Zane should now fare very well if he was born this week.

I spent the majority of last week on bed rest.  It was difficult to sit around and not do anything, but I was pretty good about it.  I had to repeat some tests this week, including a blood test, 24 hour urine collection, non-stress test, and a biophysical ultrasound, and got all of the results back by Friday. They were all within the normal range, which pleased my midwife enough to allow me to go back to work on Monday - with the restriction of 4-hour shifts with a 15 minute break.  So after 9 days, I'm off house arrest!  My midwife also checked me on Wednesday, and said that my cervix is soft and 50% effaced - off to a good start!

My friend Shandra came over this week and helped to install our carseat - one step closer to being ready!  I love seeing his carseat in my car when I drive - I can't wait until he's in there!  We picked up the rest of the things we needed from Target, and also washed all of Zane's newborn and 0-3 clothes, as well as his blankets, hats, and socks.  I made a baby-safe detergent, which I found online.  The only ingredients are Kirk's Castile Soap and Washing Soda.  I can now say that we are very ready for Zane's arrival!

I decided to go ahead and get the whooping cough vaccine this week - it's something I've been going back and forth about, due to possible complications with the pregnancy, but with Steve working at a childcare, I knew the benefits outweighed the risks in this case.  I didn't get a sore arm afterwards at all, which surprised me.  Steve burned his hand at work this week, and had to go to the ER.  While there, they gave him a tetanus shot, which includes the whooping cough vaccine.  It was then that I remembered that last spring, after my car accident, I got a tetanus shot, which means I already had the whooping cough vaccine, and didn't need to get another one!  Oy vay!

We met with our doula Saturday morning - we went over my birth plan again, as well as some labor positions.  Then Sunday, we met up with my sister, Alisa, who did a mini-maternity photoshoot for us in downtown Lewiston.  We then went to Thorncrag Bird Sanctuary and did another mini-session with our birth photographer, Carly Murray.  I absolutely love all of them!  Here are some previews from our sessions:

Adorn Photography

Adorn Photography

                   
Zane should weigh at least 6.5 pounds this week (though from his last ultrasound, it's likely more!), and measure about 19 inches long.  He's practicing his skills this week - inhaling, exhaling, sucking, blinking, and gripping.  He's also busy practicing his breathing, which is why I feel him hiccup so often!

Here's me at 37 weeks:

How far along?  37 weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yes 

Total Weight Gain:  Stayed the same this week, 4 pounds above pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep:  I spend most of the night trying to stay comfortable

Best moment this week:  Seeing Zane again at the ultrasound, and doing our maternity photos!

Miss Anything?  Feeling normal

Movement:  I feel him at least a few times a day, and he's been getting the hiccups A LOT lately!

Food cravings:  Anything sweet!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Not really

Any other symptoms?  Heartburn, hip and pelvis pain, swelling in my hands

Have you started to show yet:  Yup

Gender prediction:  Boy

Labor Signs:  Some braxton hicks contractions - not as much as last week because of the bed rest

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  Off

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy

Looking forward to:  Being a week closer to seeing our baby!

36 Weeks!

Well, things got changed up this week a bit!

It all started on Monday.  I was having a lot of braxton hicks contractions, mostly at work, as well as anytime I was moving around even outside of work.  They were short, but very frequent, about every 5 or 10 seconds.  I wasn't sure what was considered "normal", so I gave my midwife a call, and she asked for me to come in on Wednesday just to check up on me.  She also recommended getting a maternity support band to help ease the weight of my belly, as well as ease some of the back pain I'd been having.  So Steve and I drove to Portland Monday night to get the support band, and Tuesday and Wednesday went better at work.  I tried to take it easier, which helped as well.  Tuesday night we went to a Breastfeeding class at the hospital.  Like the lamaze class, I don't feel like we learned a ton of new information, but it was still informative.

Wednesday at my appointment with the midwife, my blood pressure was slightly elevated again, as it had been in the last few appointments.  My blood pressure usually stayed around 110/60, but recently has been around 135/80 - not quite dangerous, but still higher than normal for me.  They also found some protein in my urine, so she ordered some tests for me, and asked me to take the next couple of days off work to rest a bit.  I had some labwork done that day, and they sent me home to do a 24-hour urine collection - I know, fun, right?

I had a hard time staying home for those 2 days.  I had planned all along on working all the way up until the day I went into labor, so it was a bit of a shock for me.  Steve had just started his second job that same day, which really was a blessing, but all I could think of was that he was working his butt off, and I was at home doing nothing.

Friday (Valentine's Day!), I returned to the hospital to do a non-stress test.  They hooked me and baby up to monitors for about an hour, and watched the baby's heart rate.  Everything went just fine with that test.  I then had a bio-physical ultrasound, which measured the amniotic fluid, the baby's heartrate, muscle tone, movement, size, and breathing.  Zane did great!  It did take awhile to get him to practice breathing, and after about 10 minutes, I finally asked Steve to come over and try talking to him.  As soon as he did, he started moving and breathing!  On our way out of the hospital, the midwife gave us the OK to go to Connecticut for the weekend, as well as for me to go back to work on Monday.

Friday afternoon, we made the drive down to CT.  The car ride down there was pretty uncomfortable for me.  We stopped every hour to take breaks.  Then Saturday morning, I got a call from one of the midwives.  My 24 hour urine results had come back, and they were very surprised to see that I had an elevated level of protein.  It wasn't dangerously high, but "normal" would have been well under 300, and mine was 387.  They were concerned that this could be an early indicator of preeclampsia, so that told me that I would be out of work for at least another week, and they wanted me on bed rest, as well as to repeat all the same tests next week.

The baby shower went well - thank you to our friends and family who came!

This is me and Steve with his grandmother on the left, and his great aunt on the right.  Baby Zane will be Grandma Barniski's first great-grandchild!

I tried to rest all weekend, and we headed back to Maine Sunday afternoon.  On the way back, we stopped at Babies 'R Us, and picked up the carseat.  We figured we'd better get it then, since who knows when this little guy is going to make his appearance!  So, that's been what's been going on this week - from what I understand about pre-eclampsia, it can be very mild, and then all of a sudden become very serious, which is why they're being so precautious at this point.  I'm adjusting to the whole idea of not going back to work and bedrest.  There's so much that I wanted to do in the next couple of weeks - get the baby clothes washed, the house cleaned and organized, and so much more!  But now, my only job is to relax and let this baby grow in the safest environment, and not to let my blood pressure get too high.  This baby is more important than a month's paycheck, or anything else that I could have done this month, so I will rest, and I will be very good at it!

Zane should measure about 18.5 inches this week, and weigh around 6 pounds, though the ultrasound on Friday showed he may weigh around 6 pounds, 5 ounces!  He's starting to shed the downy coating of hair that has covered his body, as well as the vernix that has protected his skin while in the womb.  Zane's most important job from here on is to just work on breathing on his own, and putting on some more weight!

Here's me at 36 weeks:

How far along?  36 Weeks!

Maternity clothes?  Yes, though I'm growing out of some of them

Total Weight Gain:  Gained about a 1/2 a pound this week, putting me at 4 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep:  Tossing and turning most of the night, which isn't so easy to do anymore - I'm also usually awake for at least a half hour in the middle of the night.  

Best moment this week:  Seeing my baby boy on the ultrasound, and seeing him react to Steve's voice!

Miss Anything?  Not being sore and hurting

Movement:  I feel his movements everyday, they're getting bigger!  I swear, yesterday, I felt him drag a knee or something across my belly!

Food cravings:  Nothing in particular

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Strong smells

Any other symptoms?  Lower back pain, braxton hicks contractions, pelvis pain, some swelling

Have you started to show yet:  yes

Gender prediction:  boy!

Labor Signs:  The braxton hicks have pretty much gone away since I've been on bed rest and I'm not moving around much

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  Off :(

Happy or Moody most of the time:  All over the place this week

Looking forward to:  I guess just getting through the tests this week - I just want to make sure Zane stays healthy!

35 Weeks!

35 weeks down, 35 days to go!

The appointment with my midwife this week went well - measuring on track, heartbeat is good!  My blood pressure was a little high, though.  The midwife said that the baby felt like he was head down.  I mentioned that sometimes I feel his hiccups up high though, so she sent us for an ultrasound to see how he was lying.  The ultrasound went great - we got to see our handsome little man, though he was hiding his face behind his arm the entire time!  He's definitely head down, nice and low!  So it seems that all I'm feeling is his whole body jump every time he hiccups!  We also got to see his hair!  So cool!

Steve and I also went to our lamaze/birthing class on Saturday.  It was interesting - they went over a lot of things that we already knew, but we did learn a few new things.  We also got to practice breathing techniques and labor positions, as well as visit the new maternity ward.  It's really nice!  I still feel like I have a lot of things to do to get ready for Zane coming, and I'm running out of time!  I'm hoping to try and get the hospital bags packed this week.

Here's me and Steve this week:

Zane should measure about 18 inches this week, and weigh about 5.5 pounds!  His lungs, hearing, and kidneys should now be fully developed!

Here's me at 35 weeks:

How far along?  35 Weeks

Maternity clothes?  I've already grown out of a few of them lol

Total Weight Gain:  Gained about 2 pounds this week, putting me at 3.5 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep:  I toss and turn a lot, but I guess I'm kind of used to it.

Best moment this week:  Seeing Zane on the ultrasound - I still have such a hard time believing he's in there!

Miss Anything?  Being able to do simple things like get out of bed, or out of the car, or off the couch easily

Movement:  He's moving less, but the movements I do feel are big!  

Food cravings:  Oreos and milk, and anything chocolate!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Still the smell of bacon right out of the oven at work - uck!

Any other symptoms?  Swelling in my hands and eyes, braxton hicks contractions, heartburn, lower back pain

Have you started to show yet:  Getting huge!

Gender prediction:   It's a boy

Labor Signs:  Just braxton hicks so far - sometimes just tightening, sometimes more painful

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  Off :(

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  We're having another ultrasound this Friday to measure his growth, and this weekend we'll be heading down to CT to visit family.  Steve's parents are throwing us a small baby shower there!

34 Weeks!

Last week of January!  Now we can officially say that we're expecting a baby NEXT MONTH!

We met with our doula this week.  It was really nice to sit and chat with her for a few hours, knowing that she was truly interested in everything I was saying about the baby and the birth, with no major time constraints.  We went over my birth plan, which she was very impressed with!  I've done a lot of research!  We also did an exercise where Steve and I each wrote down what factors would cause us to be more relaxed and calm, vs. being more stressed out during the birth.

Steve doing a puzzle during our weekly laundry date night :)

Steve and I took our youth group to a Kutlass concert and Red Claws basketball game in Portland this weekend.  I didn't make it long at the basketball game, my back was killing me sitting on the bleachers! So after a few minutes, I spent the rest of the game in the lobby in a folding chair, reading a book lol.

Zane should be measuring somewhere around 17.5 inches this week, and weigh around 5 pounds!  His lungs are continuing to mature as he practices breathing for life outside the womb!  He also getting plumper, which is helping to smooth out his skin.  Studies show that he might be able to recognize songs and music that he heard while in the womb, so maybe I'll start singing to him :)

Here's me at 34 weeks:

How far along?  34 Weeks

Maternity clothes?  Yes

Total Weight Gain:  Gained about a pound this week, putting me at 1.5 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight.

Sleep:  Off and on, tossing and turning a lot, getting up to go to the bathroom, etc. 

Best moment this week:  Spending time with Steve :)

Miss Anything?  Caffeine

Movement:  More active in the evenings, and more uncomfortable when he does move and kick

Food cravings:  Sweets

Anything making you queasy or sick: Random strong smells - I'll walk by someone who smells of smoke, and it makes me gag

Any other symptoms?  Heartburn, waddling lol, swelling in my feet and hands, blurry vision

Have you started to show yet:  Yup

Gender prediction:  It's a boy

Labor Signs:  Lots of braxton hicks contractions, mostly when I'm up moving around

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  Off!  Sunday morning during church I noticed that my hands were very swollen, it was very difficult to get them off.  The rest of the week, there are sometimes I can put them back on, but I've been mostly leaving them off because I'm afraid of what if my hands swell too much, and I really can't get them off!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy, except when I'm at work, then I'm kind of moody lol.  

Looking forward to:  My midwife appointment on Thursday

33 Weeks!

Ok, so this is terrible, but I completely forgot about posting my blog this week!  So it's very late, but here it is!

So, I met with the cardiologist again this week.  He said all my tests came back normal, but the heart palpitations that were recorded on my monitor were definitely something to keep an eye on.  I seem to be having them quite frequently in the mornings, and I have some extra heartbeats as well.  As of right now, he says that it's probably just the way my body is responding to the pregnancy - it's taking a lot of extra work to move my blood around and that's how it's compensating.  But he is having me wear the monitor for another week to get some more recordings.

I also had another appointment with my midwife.  My blood pressure was a little high, but after explaining that I'd had a very stressful day at work, she wasn't too worried about it.  I measured at 33 weeks, which is perfect!  I also met with Kim Reed, who will be doing Zane's 48-hour photography session in the hospital (about a day or so after he's born).  I'm excited to work with her!  You can check out some of her work here:  https://www.facebook.com/throughthereedsphotography

I've been feeling Zane get the hiccups a lot this week!  It happens at least a couple times a day, and it's a funny little popping, rhythmic feeling.

Best part about this week?!  My baby shower!  My friends India and Freya graciously hosted the shower at their beautiful home.  And my sisters and stepmom stepped in to help bring food, games, and decorations!  Alisa did a great job at planning some fun games, including the dreaded baby food tasting guessing game!  It was beautiful, and it was so nice having everyone together to celebrate this baby boy!  Thank you so much to everyone who was able to come, and thank you for all the gifts!

Zane should be measuring around 17 inches long this week, and weigh about 4.5 pounds!  At this point, the amniotic fluid surrounding him should reach it's highest amount, and should stay about the same until he's born.  His bones are hardening more this week, which mean he needs lots of calcium!

Here's me at 33 weeks - I wanted to take one with my jacket off, but my camera died!

How far along?  33 Weeks

Maternity clothes?  All the time

Total Weight Gain:  Lost 1.5 pounds this week, putting me at .5 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight

Sleep:  Trying to get comfortable most of the night, and having to get up to use the bathroom a few times

Best moment this week:  Being blessed by my family and friends at our baby shower

Miss Anything?  Cold turkey sandwiches, energy drinks

Movement:  He was quite active a few days this week - a few times where I was begging him to stop moving to give my insides a break - it felt like they were bruised!

Food cravings:  Fruity pebbles!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Random smells - our downstairs neighbor cooks in her crockpot most days, and whatever she's cooking usually smells nasty. 

Any other symptoms?  Palpitations, hungry all the time, general uncomfortableness

Have you started to show yet:  Yup!

Gender prediction:  It's a boy!

Labor Signs:  Getting braxton hicks here and there - it's a little different everytime as to where I get them, and how strong they are, but they never feel good!  

Belly Button in or out?  In

Wedding rings on or off?  On

Happy or Moody most of the time:  Happy!

Looking forward to:  Meeting with our doula this week