Baby weighs about 4 pounds and is almost 19 inches long. His movements peak this week and his growth begins to slow. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth. My blood volume has increased 40-50%, made evident by the vericous vein behind my right knee. I read (and hope) that it will go away once the baby arrives.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011 ~ The baby shower was a big success! I had a lot of fun, everything was beautiful, and it was great to see all of my old pals from Tesoro. We got so much stuff that we really need and are super grateful.
This week I'm on Spring Break and the nesting instinct has definitely kicked in. In two days, I've cleaned the entire house (all but the floor and the baby's room because gifts need to be put away before I can clean up there); I've organized and cleaned out the bathroom, laundry room, and kitchen cabinets; and I spent an hour and far too much money at The Container Store buying things to help me organize all of the cabinets and the baby's closet. Oh, and we had our labor class Monday evening and I had lunch with Jessica and a dentist appointment yesterday.
Speaking of the dentist, if you're reading this and will be pregnant anytime in the future, floss!!! My hygenist and dentist were very impressed with the shape of my gums because I floss virtually every day (I might miss 2-3 days per month) and commented on all of the benefits to myself and the baby because of my gum health. I wasn't always the best flosser but I had my last appointment right at the beginning of the pregnancy and the hygenist went over the risks to the baby of poor gum health so I kicked it into high gear.
I thought I had already written this but I must have just thought about writing it: I've figured out my "birth plan". I hope for a natural birth and feel confident that I can do it. I believe that my body was made to give birth and think that exercise and yoga have prepared me, as well. However if I have a particularly long labor ("You've been in labor 12 hours and are only a 3") or if there are any abnormalities, I don't have a problem asking for an epidural.
I've been bragging for a few weeks that the baby has been in "optimal position" since two ultrasounds ago (about 8 weeks ago) but on Monday I found out that I'm wrong. I was under the impression that head down and facing either side was optimal and as the baby descends, he rotates 90 degrees in either direction; 90 degrees facing the back is ideal and 90 degrees facing forward causes a more painful and often longer labor. Well, I found out at our natural birth class on Monday that with the baby currently facing left, many babies will rotate facing forward. Argh! There are lots of strategies as we get toward the end and especially during the early phases of labor to encourage the baby to rotate facing back so hopefully they will work for us!
I'm excited to start putting the baby's room together and to buy the last necessities on our registry (like the crib mattress). Today I'm going to finish organizing a few things and clean the floor downstairs and then I'll start upstairs tomorrow. I'm also very excited about the stained glass animals that Mom is making for the upstairs windows. I can't wait to see everything come together!
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