Week 25: February 27-March 5

Baby is now the size of an eggplant, approximately 13.5 inches and a little over a pound and a half. Equilibrium is kicking in and baby's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down, which I'm beginning to notice if I roll from side to side at night as baby seems to move to adjust. Baby is becoming more dexterous and grabbing her feet or sucking her thumb. Baby is also beginning to prefer her left or right hand already.

Sunday, February 27, 2011 ~ Two nights ago I noticed more sweeping motions as opposed to kicking and jabbing. Today my belly was having some earthquakes as baby moved around. I still don't get tired of watching and feel like I could do it for hours.

I called the doctor on Friday to find out if they had my glucose tolerance results but they didn't. The receptionist expects to have them tomorrow. I'm also a little anxious to see the doctor on Thursday to discuss baby's kidney and have an ultrasound to make sure everything's okay.

Exercise has been on the backburner a bit over the last couple weeks. Between tons of appointments and rain, I've only walked about 8-10 miles each week and have only done weights once in three weeks. I've done yoga two of the three Saturdays but of course had to miss it a week ago because of my blood test. I think I've gained more weight over the last three weeks than I had in any previous weeks but I'm around 14-15 pounds total weight gain so I'm still doing really well.

My energy is waning despite sleeping more; I think it's only going to continue to decrease. When I see the doctor on Thursday I'm going to ask about when I will stop working. Based on how difficult it is to be on my feet already, I'm hoping he'll pull me at 36 weeks.

I'm continuing to get a bloody nose about once a week and Dan told me that I was snoring when he came to bed a few nights ago. Lovely pregnancy side effects! My body is also reacting to sodium more extremly. A few days ago I gained two pounds of sodium bloat overnight. As long as the bloating and puffiness goes away within a day, I'm not in danger of preeclampsia though. I just ate way too much sodium and need to watch out for it more. I think towards the end of the pregnancy I may not be able to eat at restaurants at all without becoming a puffy marshmallow. Oh, another funny thing is pregnancy brain - today I put laundry detergent in the fabric softener ball and consistently do thoughtless things like that.

We got a lot of financial "stuff" done last week. We finally started investing again after switching to my new school district, inquired about refinancing the condo loan (although that's not going to be worthwhile), started baby's college fund, and explored our life insurance options. The next task is looking into daycare options. We have an appointment tomorrow evening. The challenge will be to find somebody who caters to teachers and offers daycare during the school months only.


Thursday, March 3, 2011 ~ Baby and I had a good doctor's appointment today. The doctor clarified the results of our last ultrasound. When the report said the baby's kidney was dilated, he called a high risk baby doctor who told him that his normal range was larger than the normal range that the ultrasound place uses and our baby's kidney size falls inside of it. So he's still going to have us go back for an ultrasound in three weeks just to be safe but we really need not worry.

Baby's heartbeat is really strong and it never gets old hearing it. My fundal height is still measuring 3 weeks ahead. He said it's a good sign that I'm having Braxton-Hicks contractions; my body is getting ready for labor. And I mentioned that I've had a little bit of pain when I exercise, which seems like muscle or ligament pain to me, and he agreed. Lastly, I asked when I will be signed out of work so that I can start looking for a substitute and he said 36 weeks, exactly what I was hoping for.

I left the appointment feeling really good and met Dan at the Harborside Restaurant for OC Restaurant week. Yummy!

Week 24: February 20-26

Baby is almost a foot long and weighs about a pound and a half. His body continues to plump up although his skin is still loose and wrinkly, like an old man. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. As the baby continues to grow, there is far less room and he is unable to do somersaults anymore, just kicking and punching from now on.

Monday, February 21, 2011 ~ I really don't want the second trimester to end. I still have a few weeks left in the second trimester but I feel like I have less energy already. I'm hoping it is a growth spurt and will only be short-term. My body still feels pretty comfortable although being on my feet has gotten much more difficult. Thank goodness Doug gave me a cable so that I can teach from my document camera. I'm using it every other class period and teaching at the board in between. I really don't like teaching sitting down but it's becoming a necessity. I think that yoga and my long walks will help keep me comfortable longer.

I'm hoping to get the results of my gestational diabetes test in the next day or two. I don't feel any different and the glucose drink I had to drink for the test didn't make me feel unusual so I'll be surprised if I didn't pass.

The baby is settling into routines, kicking quite a bit on my way to work, in the evening before dinner, and around 9:30 pm before I go to bed. So far he has been very cooperative in not waking me up with kicks very often. Sometimes I am surprised at how much he can make my belly move with a good kick. I still find it so fun to watch!

Who would have known that I'd be getting weekly nosebleeds? I got the first nosebleed of my life (that I can remember) sometime during the first trimester and later read that it's normal during pregnancy. I think I've had about five total but three in the last three weeks. Nothing major, just a couple drops and then it stops.

I'm getting anxious to meet the little one. I can't believe we still have about four months! I'm trying to remind myself to enjoy the things that we can do now while it's still just the two of us but I'm so excited to have this little person join our lives!!!

Week 23: February 13-19

Baby is now about 11 inches (almost a foot long!) and weighs just over a pound. My fruit website only updates once every four weeks so we're still a papaya for three more weeks. Blood vessels in baby's lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that her increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. The pancreas is developing and it will be responsible for insulin production, to help break down sugars. Bones, muscles and organs are growing steadily and fat is depositing at a rapid rate, although the skin still hangs loosely. Braxton-Hicks contractions can start at any time and continue through the remainder of the pregnancy.

Sunday, February 13, 2011 ~ I need to read about what Braxton-Hicks contractions feel like. Often after I eat and when I exercise I can feel tightening and my stomach gets very hard. I think that might be BH, but I'm not sure. I do know that they are not painful and are sporadic, unlike labor pains. I'm sure my Mayo Clinic book has info.

Last week I didn't meet my walking goal; I walked 8 miles. But it was a busy week and I was able to do weights and start prenatal yoga so I feel good about my week. Prenatal yoga was much more of a workout than I expected but I felt great afterwards and plan on going back once a week until labor. There was a lady in the class who was 39 weeks so I feel confident that I'll be able to go until labor. I started this week with a 6 mile walk today and hope to meet my 15 mile goal; I just hope the rain doesn't stop me. I've gained 12 pounds, which is just below where I should be, and I hope I can continue to stay on track with that. I was a little over my ideal weight when I started so it's okay that I'm under where I should be.

Last night we had our furniture assembly pizza party. Dan & Dan put the crib together, Dad & Kyle did the dresser, Tracy & Mom did the changing table, and Doug & Rebecca helped break down all of the packaging. I "supervised" and ordered pizza. Now it's time to start decorating! I got a little emotional an hour before people got here thinking about having a crib in our house. We're having a baby!

I am REALLY not looking forward to my gestational diabetes test and am actually nervous about it because I've known enough people who had it despite being very healthy people. But all I can do is to continue to eat well and exercise and hope that the placenta isn't my enemy (the function of the placenta is what can cause GD). I'm glad that Dan will be there with me for the test. I think we'll go out for a nice breakfast afterwards so that I have something to look forward to.

Thursday, February 17, 2011 ~ The doctor called today about our ultrasound on Tuesday. The baby is measuring only four days ahead but one of her kidneys is slightly dilated. He said not to worry. We will do a follow up ultrasound in a month to check on it. Of course, I'll be thinking about it until we have the ultrasound but I trust the doctor and he is very proactive, so I'm not worried.

Because the baby is getting larger, it's more difficult to get cute pictures but we saw some really cute shots of the baby's mouth and nose. I just wanted to kiss those little lips!

Saturday, February 19, 2011 ~ My glucose tolerance test was nowhere near as bad as I thought (and as people told me it would be). We got there early enough to be fourth in line and they got to me for my fasting blood draw at 8:30 am. I drank the glucose drink, which was like lemon lime flavored sugar water, and waited an hour. The first and second blood draws went off without a hitch. I laid down for them because of my history of passing out when fasting and barely got lightheaded. At 10:30 am I went in for the last blood draw, which didn't go as smoothly. The phlebotomist tried drawing from my right arm, which is the arm they took blood from for the first draw. She got some blood and thought the tube had clogged. She had to yell for somebody to hand her another tube and that one still didn't work. She tried my left arm, poking around several times to get into the vein, and that one wouldn't give any blood, either. She called another phlebotomist over to try and said that they might have to draw out of my hand. While we were waiting for the other phlebotomist I noticed that I was shaking. I'm sure it was from fear of having the draw out of my hand. I've had one IV before with a little numbing and it was a pretty painful experience. The second phlebotomist came over, slapped the veins in both of my arms for a while, and then moved to my hands. After some slapping and poking around, she was able to get a vein in my right hand. It wasn't a fun experience but overall, the two hours was easier than I expected.

The sugar drink didn't make me jittery and actually helped me not to feel so hungry. Dan and I went out for a hearty breakfast immediately afterward and I napped when we got home.

Week 22: February 6-12

From week 22-26, baby is about the size of a papaya, from 10.5 to 11.8 inches long and weighing 12.7 to 20.8 ounces. She is starting to settle into sleep patterns, about 12 to 14 hours per day, and her face is fully formed. Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and she's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath her gums. Her eyes have formed, but her irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. She begins adding weight now at a faster pace now, which is her biggest job from now until birth.

Tuesday, February 6, 2011 ~ A few days ago Dan and I were laying in bed WATCHING the baby move for the first time. It was really fun! The kicks aren't ridiculously strong but sometimes they are distracting. While my students were taking a test this morning and I was sitting at my desk grading, I noticed myself flinching from the kicks. They are definitely hard to ignore now!

I ordered the baby's bedding online last night. I found the bedding quite a while ago online at Babies R Us and fell in love with it, but it has been out of stock ever since. Something made me think about it last night and I did a search on Amazon. They only had a few left and for a slightly cheaper price. Then I did a Google search and found an online store that had the bedding at an even cheaper price (although still fairly expensive for bedding, but isn't anything with the words "baby" or "wedding" attached?). I decided to go for it because I would be really disappointed if I waited for my shower and it wasn't available. I can't wait to get it in the mail!!!

Today was my monthly OB appointment. The nurse told me about the routine gestational diabetes test that I have to take. I knew about it but just didn't know when it would happen. Everything that I have heard and read says the initial test is one hour and if you fail, you go back for a three hour test. For some reason my initial test is two hours! I have to fast from 8 pm until I go in; they draw blood, give me a sugar drink, and then draw blood two more times, each an hour apart. Holy cow! I've passed out twice from fasting. What are the chances that I'm not going to pass out during this test?! I'm really not looking forward to it. I'm debating on taking a day off to do it vs. ruining a Saturday morning. Dan's going to go with me.

I also found out that I'm measuring about 3 cm ahead; at 22 weeks I should be measuring 22 cm but I'm measuring just over 25 cm. Sooo... the doctor has me going in for yet another ultrasound to measure the baby. He said this could indicate two things: either we're having a large baby or I just have more fluid in my uterus than normal. It's kind of ironic - initially we were both sad that we might potentially only see the baby twice via ultrasound so we signed up for the genetic testing so that we'd be guaranteed a third time. But with the repeat anatomy scan and now this, we're going on 5 ultrasounds in 5 months! Let's see, 6 OB appointments, going on 7 blood draws, and 5 ultrasounds. No wonder I feel so stinkin' busy! It's too bad because last week when we went in for the repeat anatomy scan I almost asked if the tech could take some measurements so that we could see how the baby is progressing but didn't. I really need to learn to listen to my gut more often.

Speaking of busy, we are going to sign up for some classes at Hoag: a birth class, a safety class, and a breastfeeding class. We are also most likely going to take some kind of natural birthing class which will range from 5-12 weeks long depending on the method that we decide to go with. I will be starting prenatal yoga sometime in the next week and a half (once I can fit it into my schedule). And sometime in the next couple of days I will be doing a phone interview with the pediatrician that was recommended to us by a couple of people. I'm really hoping that I get a good vibe from her because I can't imagine making more appointments! She called back very quickly after our initial phone call and sounded very nice on her message. Who knew we'd be this busy this early?!

Otherwise, my cold seems to be gone completely although the congestion is lingering a bit. I couldn't ask to feel any better than I do. I am a bit more tired than I normally would be and, with my expanding uterus, I get out of breath pretty easily but I definitely can't complain! If this is as bad as it gets, I think I can say I had a pretty easy pregnancy. (Knock on wood)

Friday, February 11, 2011 ~ I think we have a fiesty one on our hands here. I've noticed a couple times that when I roll from my side a little too far onto my belly, the baby starts kicking at the part of my belly that is against the bed. Last night Dan and I watched the baby move around quite a bit again. I feel like I could sit and stare at that for hours! And today, I was sitting in the front of my classroom with my silent reading book resting on my belly while I read and all of a sudden, the book started bouncing around. Oh baby!

To Medicate or Not to Medicate

I need some insight here (or maybe just opinions; I'll take either). I have always "known" that I want a natural birth, no epidural. Now, I've never been one to say that there was no chance in you-know-where that I'd get an epidural. I've always approached it with a "We'll see how it goes" attitude but I believe that my body was made to give birth to a baby and I can do it without an epidural. Until just recently, I haven't questioned it. But I've had this nagging question lingering in my head for the last couple weeks: "Why?" I know there are plenty of women who could give a laundry list of why they want a natural labor but I'm not one of them.

Here are some things that I do know and have reasons for: unless there is danger to me or the baby, I don't want to be induced nor do I want my water broken by the doctor. If I do end up with an epidural, I want a walking epidural so that I'm able to move around. Also, I'd like to labor as long as possible at home and get the epidural as late as possible because I know that sometimes an early epidural can slow down the process.

I've recently read a few things that have made me question this blind decision I made at some point in my life even more. One woman asked "If you were getting a tooth pulled in the modern world, would you choose not to have pain medicine? Why not take advantage of modern medical advances?" Another woman I read about questioned why anybody wouldn't get an epidural. She said that she felt like she enjoyed her labor so much more because of it and was much more present.

I do have one concern that I can put into words - I'd rather be slighlty undermedicated than "high". My body overreacts to any kind of foreign substance, even just caffeine, and I really don't want to be loopy and out of it during the labor.

So... please please please tell me if you have any experience in this arena or even if you just have an opinion. I want as much information as possible as I go into making this decision. Dan and I are going to take a class at our hospital and are also seriously considering some kind of natural birthing class, although we haven't decided which method will work for us if we do go that route. I also plan on discussing this with my doctor. Thanks in advance!