Category Archive

I just read an article titled Why so many women have C-sections: About 30 percent of U.S. births are Cesareans, but are they necessary?.

Some disconcerting quotes from the article:

• Women are opting for C-sections because of “fear of pain. Some women feel that if they have a Cesarean delivery they will have epidural anesthesia throughout the procedure without the potential of having to deal with labor and delivery pains.” There might be less pain during the actual delivery, but women should definitely fear the pain during the recovery process (especially those first two weeks, where standing, sitting, laughing, coughing, laying down and walking are all painful).

• Listed as a reason for an increase in C-section deliveries: “An increase in induction of labor. (When labor is induced there is higher risk of Cesarean sections). Approximately 20 percent of labors were induced in 2003, compared to 9.5 percent in 1990. Labors are often induced because of more active surveillance with ultrasounds in the last few weeks of pregnancy… Frequently a doctor is on call for a particular period of time, or, less frequently, may be out of town. If parents want that particular doctor to be present at the delivery they may decide to set an induction date.” I still wonder what would have happened if I would have let nature take its course and hadn’t induced mainly so that my doctor could attend to me. She didn’t show up until the C-section had been arranged.
• This paragraph has me reeling: “It appears that it takes longer to get pregnant after C-section (however, this may be voluntary). Because of potential scarring in the uterus or in areas near the uterus there seems to be an increased risk in subsequent ectopic pregnancies and miscarriage. There is also twice the risk of unexplained stillbirth in the next pregnancy. Additionally, we know that the scarring of the uterine wall can lead to abnormal placement of the placenta (placenta previa) in the next delivery and this can lead to hemorrhage and a premature Cesarean section. The placenta may also grow into the uterine wall, a condition called placenta accrete and create serious bleeding on attempts to remove it after delivery.
  And finally, the placenta can separate before delivery (abruption), resulting in hemorrhage, fetal distress or even fetal demise. There are also higher rates of surgical complications in subsequent cesarean sections (especially injury to the bladder). The rate for hysterectomy due to bleeding is 60 times higher after more than one cesarean delivery, the risk of transfusion is greater and the average hospital stay is increased among women with multiple prior cesarean sections. A woman who is having repeat C-sections is twice as likely to be readmitted to the hospital. I don’t even know where to start on this, besides that this paragraph scared the you know what out of me!

I went for my annual appointment with my OB-GYN appointment today. (Don’t worry, boys, no girly graphical descriptions here). My doctor is moving to Virginia. I contemplated postponing the appointment and just seeing another doctor because Little Miss is sick today, but I wanted one last chance to talk to the woman that saw me through pregnancy and a c-section.

And on a side note, goodness, is it challenging taking a sick 1 year old to the doctor with you.

Anyway, I started talking to the doc about the c-section, and told her how I had talked to many women that said they didn’t feel a thing. I, on the other hand, felt like I was being gutted alive. It was a really freaky experience. I asked her if this was because I had a “conservative” anesthesiologist. She took one look at my chart and saw who the anesthesiologist was for my surgery, and said, “oh, yes, he is conservative.”

She then went on to tell me that I shouldn’t have felt nearly what I described, and said that men anesthesiologists tend to have bigger “egos” and tend to make women tough it out.

Excuse me?! What man in the history of the world has ever toughed it out during child birth?!

My doctor then told me that for scheduled c-sections (like I would most likely have for kiddo #2), you can request a specific anesthesiologist. She then gave me a list of women anesthesiologists that serve both hospitals in the area.

Things all make sense now. I couldn’t figure out why other women weren’t bothered by the experience of a c-section. I couldn’t figure out why no one had ever told me how much you feel. That’s because you’re not SUPPOSED to feel anything. Grrrrr…

This time last year, I was on a mission to tell other women what a c-section is like (as I wrote the Birth Story and told it verbally time and time again). Now, my message has changed drastically. If you’re in an unplanned c-section, and you have a “conservative” anesthesiologist, shout it from the mountain tops that you need more drugs.

And if you’re having a scheduled c-section, by all means, talk to your doctor about what anesthesiologist you should have attending to you. You can bet I’ll be doing that.

I really liked my OB-GYN. She’s the first doctor I ever felt an attachment to, as she saw me through pregnancy and birth. She made me feel even better today by gushing about how I had returned to my pre-pregnancy weight, and wanting to know how I did that, as most women can’t. Man, I’m going to miss that woman.

So now the search for a new doctor begins. I have a few good leads, but not to be sexist or anything, the referrals I’ve received have been for men. For the past 10 years, I have had women OB-GYNs, as I first want to support women in medicine, and secondly, I think they are more empathetic to the conditions they are treating. And now after hearing about manly anesthesiologists making women tough it out, I’m not so sure I want a man delivering my next baby.

Any thoughts?

Note: I am not pregnant. I do not have immediate plans to become pregnant. I’m just planning for the future here, people. No one get all excited now…

We’ve come to the point that it is painfully obvious that it is time to move our 95+ percentile baby out of the infant seat and into a convertible seat.

I figured with a brand new car seat and a brand new vehicle with the LATCH system, it would be a breeze to install.

Not the case.

I’ve heard that between 80 and 90 percent of car seats are installed improperly, and here is the reason, people.

THEY ARE FRIGGEN HARD TO INSTALL.

I have a Masters degree, people, and I spent over an hour trying to install it myself, and it is anything but secure.

I then took it over to my sister-in-law’s house, who has helped me with car seat installations in the past, and even she couldn’t figure out the problem.

So the next step?! I have to take one of my lunch hours next week to drive across town to the DMV in order to have it professionally installed for $45. And I may have to repeat the process if we have the same problems installing the second seat in our other vehicle.

Seriously, this is insane. No wonder most car seats are installed wrong. Perhaps the manufacturers should make some changes!

Did you miss me?! I always used to get annyoyed by people that blogged their whole pregnancy and then disappeared after they gave birth. Well, I have now become one of those people, but with good reason…

Little Miss was born via c-section on February **, 2006. She was 8 pounds 6 ounces, and 22 inches long. Labor was induced the previous night starting at 10pm, and by 6pm the following day, I had only dialated to 3cm, and the doctor decided we needed to do a c-section. It was a long, laborious day (ha! laborious!).

During my recovery from the operation, I’m not allowed to climb stairs for 6 weeks. Unfortunately, our computer and internet connection are upstairs, so I have been sitting on the couch, staring longingly up the stairs, wishing I could be blogging and checking e-mail. I even had a dream last night that I was updating my blog. Look — my dream has come true today! I have so much to say!!! Today I went over to my brother’s house to borrow his internet connection, and JB is working diligently to get me set up downstairs, though it’s looking like it will take a while longer.

As to why my hubby never posted the details of our daughter’s birth, I cannot say… It is not due to my lack of prodding.

It is a strange but very wonderful experience to become a mother, and JB and I think that Madelynn is absolutely perfect, though she doess tend to scream and squawk a lot in the wee hours on the morning. She definitely has a healthy set of lungs!!!

I plan to document the whole birth experience here soon, but don’t really have time right now. I do have time to post some pictures, though. (I don’t have a program to resize pics on this computer, so forgive the gargantuan size.)

This picture was taken right after she was pulled out of my belly, and I was still on the operating table. The second I saw her, I started crying tears of joy. Click here to view.

Here is a picture documenting her size, which wasn’t as big as I feared, but I have to admit some relief that this 8 pound 6 ounce creature didn’t come out my nether regions. Click here to view.

One more hospital pic. Click here to view.

Here we are leaving the hospital. Click here to view.

Here is my sleeping angel, getting her first rays ever of sunshine. Click here to view.

And here is the proud father, about to bring his daughter into our home for the first time. Click here to view.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, I have to go, as it is time for me to nurse my little bundle of joy. I promise to write as soon as I can, but please realize it may be a few days!

As for the winners of the Baby Pool, there are two… My sister-in-law Audra guessed the correct date, while my rockin’ friend Jesse guessed the correct height and weight. Prizes coming soon…

Well, after a good discussion with my doctor, I’m going to the hospital tonight so that they can prepare me for an 8 am induced delivery.

I’m excited.

I’m scared as all get out.

But I’m excited.

The next time I write here, I’ll be a mom.

Wow, this is really happening!

JB has directions on how to post to this website, so I’m hoping he can keep you guys posted while I’m still in the hospital!

Please send good thoughts and prayers our way!

The more I think about it, the more I’m angry with my doctor.

She’s this adorable, bubbly little Asian woman that I had adored up until last week.

I am just so frustrated that one week, she’s saying this baby is too big for me and that I may need a C-section, and one week later, she’s non-chalantly saying that I can go to term and deliver naturally.

Maybe if she had spent a lot of time looking at the ultrasound pictures or examining my pelvis, I could see why she changed her mind. But at this point, it’s not evident.

So, I’m all consumed with what the heck I want to do about this giant baby growing in my womb. Let’s just say that the ultrasound two weeks ago was correct, saying that she weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces at the time. Babies grow up to a half pound a week, so by now, that kid could be well on her way to being 9.5 pounds. If I go another week, she could be over 10 pounds.

The idea of anything that weighs 10 pounds coming out of my nether regions makes me very nervous.

But then you can be the devil’s advocate, knowing that ultrasounds can be off up to 1.5 pounds either way… So, at the least, she probably weighs around 8 pounds. That sounds doable, but I tend to fixate on the 10 pound possibility.

So I’ve been Googling all I can find about induction. Some women swear by it, others swear you should avoid it at all costs. Which is worse - an induced labor or having to birth a 10+ pound baby?! It feels like I’m trying to choose between the lesser of two evils.

And then there is the whole C-section debate. I guess I’ve always assumed that I’d be able to deliver the good old fashioned way. I’ve always been a strong woman, and with eating well and keeping up my workouts, I assumed that my body would be up to the task. But I guess it really doesn’t matter how many squats, curls, or laps you do if the baby’s head is just too big to fit through your pelvis, right?

I’ll be honest by saying my biggest concern about a C-section is the recovery. But as with anything regarding birth, you can hear horror stories and dream stories, so I’m back to not knowing what the heck I want to do.

At this point, my main decision is that I don’t want to labor for an extended period of time just to have to go have a C-section. I’ll give it the good old college try, but really, there aren’t any merit points for suffering more than is necessary.

I’ve thought about getting a second opinion, but even that makes me nervous. I think any other doctor in her practice would just back up what she has to say, and going to another practice when you’re almost 39 weeks pregnant probably isn’t accepted all that well.

I’m going to see my doctor tomorrow, and I am going to insist that we examine all of my options together and in depth. I plan on confronting her, letting her know how nervous her complete change of mind has made me. My daughter seems content to stay inside of me for a while longer, and meanwhile, I know she’s piling on the weight, so the more time that passes, the more nervous I get about this whole impending birth process.

I was at a meeting today where I was sitting directly across from a woman that I see every 3-4 months for my job. I was sitting at a table, which is key to this story.

Anyway, the conversation turned to babies, and she looks at me and says, “Lynnette, I didn’t know you were pregnant!”

I looked at her and said, “thank you”. Because, really, what better compliment can you pay to a woman that is 38.5 weeks pregnant that she doesn’t look pregnant from the chest up?!

“When are you due?” she asked, and it was obvious she was expecting an answer like July or August… Her jaw dropped when I said 10 days.

Of course, I was then told to stand and model The Belly.

Anyway, I’m still smiling about that.

As I near my expiration or due date for this pregnancy, I figure it is time for me to sum up my thoughts on pregnancy in the third trimester. (See the first or second trimester versions.)

Being Pregnant Is…

• Body image issues. Ha — you thought those were bad in the first or second trimesters! It’s hard not to look at in the mirror and unconsiously think you’re just obese. I now look back at my pre-pregnancy body as something very attractive, even though I didn’t think it was so attractive at the time.

• Baby preparations - there is laundry to do, things to assemble, decorations to hang, oh, my!
• Uncontrollable weight/growth spurts. I never thought it was possible to gain 6 pounds in two weeks! I stopped weighing myself at home, finding it too depressing. At the doctor’s office, I try not to look at the scale, but usually end up looking at the final result.
• Watching as those baby movements shake the entire belly. I can even feel what I believe to be certain body parts now, like a butt or feet. Very strange!
• Back and hip pain. It goes in spurts… Last week I was fine, this week, I’m hobbling around like an old woman.
• It’s a sneak peak into aging and obesity… Out of breath from walking around the block? Back siezes when you sit in one position too long? Ah, the joys!
• Stretch marks! Oh, the horror! JB laughs at me as I smear Cocoa Butter on The Belly every morning and evening, since he says it’s not working. I figure it can’t hurt! My stretch marks are now in the shape of a Firebird emblem, which I guess is suiting, since I do own a Firebird… I’m contemplating posting a picture of that on the site, but that would take a lot of GUTS.
• Feeling like a human time bomb… I don’t like the uncertainty of not knowing when I’m going to POP!!!
• Two new forms of torture - bending over to pick up something off of the floor and raising yourself from a seated or reclined position.
• Being a walking conversation piece. “When are you due?” “Do you know what you’re having?” “How are you feeling?” What names do you have picked out?”
• Having complete strangers ask about your bodily functions. I can’t believe I field questions about my cervix and bladder on a daily basis!
• Excitement about having the baby, followed by extreme fear about having the baby.
• Enjoying being able to sleep through the night (my bladder still allows me to just get up once a night, and I am very thankful for that!)
• Still being in awe of the life growing inside of you.
• Feeling like there is a battle for space in your body, and that you’re on the losing end of that battle.
• Regaining control of emotions. I have been on a much more even keel in the third trimester, a fact for which both JB and I are thankful. Let’s hope the postpartem emotions don’t get the best of me!
• Constant stuffiness, as in it feels like I have had a sinus infection for 9 months now. And of course, this causes JB’s most unfavorite pregnancy syptom (last bullet, please…)
• Snoring like a freight train. It’s hard to feel attractive when you can wake yourself up with your snores!

That’s all I can think of right now. My feet are swollen, and it’s time to go lay on the heating pad with my feet elevated (my favorite position as of late).

Today I went to the grocery store and bought milk. The expiration date on the milk was the same as my due date - February 17.

I couldn’t help but think it’s my expiration date, too, meaning my patience will expire on that date if I haven’t yet given birth to this giant baby.

Notice the new banner on my site, just below the baby countdown. I’ve launched a baby pool for the stats of the next Baby Bellin. It is free to participate, and the person that guesses the closest to all of the stats will receive a prize from JB and I. Of course, if you aren’t a regular commenter on this site, or if I don’t know your e-mail address, you’ll need to leave a way for me to contact you in the Who I Am section.

I hate to admit this, but I actually paid money to set this poll up so that it was free to my family members and site visitors and didn’t require registration, so please don’t make me feel like I wasted the money!

Ready, Go!!!

After all of the excitement last week of, “wow, this is a big baby”, “I bet the doc will want to induce”, “I could go any day now”, and “you may need a c-section”, my doctor has now informed me that she thinks we can just let me go to term, and she also now thinks I can deliver this baby on my own.

Not quite sure what changed her mind from the c-section prediction, but OK…

I’m not dialated, so it looks like this bun is going to cook in the oven a while longer. Stay tuned!

They say that you have very vivid dreams when you’re pregnant, and last night was no exception. Check it out.

Dream #1: I was in New York City, and was recruited to take part in a social experiment. Basically, I was to sit on couches placed on a street corner with other study participants. We were to be given alchohol (I wasn’t prego in the dream), great food, and money while we’re sitting there. Basically, the psychologists conducting the study wanted to determine how people on the street would react to other people receiving such desirable freebies. Then, the last part of the experiment was that they were going to give each one of the study participants LICE. That’s right, LICE. They then wanted to see how the people on the street would then react to us receiving something that was not desirable. In my dream, the lice were huge, and were biting me all over my body, and my main concern was that my hubby wouldn’t want me to sleep in the same bed as him until I didn’t have lice anymore.

I never noticed how the bystandards on the street reacted to both parts of the experiement.

Dream #2: (I awoke from the previous dream to pee - surprise, suprise - and went back to sleep to have this dream.) I’m on a small sail boat with a group of people, and driving the sail boat is none other than Leonardo DeCaprio. (Disclaimer: I’m not a huge fan of his, nor do I think he’s all that attractive, so I have no idea how he managed to get into my head.) Leonardo started walking around the sail boat saying, “somthing isn’t right”, and I had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. That’s when I glanced up and saw a huge wall of water, as Leonardo yelled, “TSUNAMI!” Next thing I know, I’m being pulled underwater, and desperately trying to swim to the surface.

Ah, now wouldn’t it be fun to have someone analyze those for me? I woke up and told JB that I was sailing with Leonardo DiCaprio last night, and JB is so used to my nutty dreams that it didn’t really get a reaction out of him at all.

I decided I wanted to wear a skirt today, which required the use of pantyhose.

Putting on pantyhose while 9 months pregnant is a challenge, mainly because of the requirement of bending over and reaching your toes.

This morning, I had my hose about halfway up my thighs, and had stopped to take a breath. That is when JB looked at me incredulously, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Putting on pantyhose,” I replied.

“Are you crazy?! Those aren’t going to fit you!”

Ah, yes, my dear, what a lovely way to make me feel HUGE! I grumbled at him that they were maternity hose as I pulled them up over my gargantuan belly.

I may be huge, but I figure he has a lot of fault in that by passing on his super tall genes!

I just learned that my daughter will be born in the Chinese Year of the Dog, which is very appropriate in our family. That also happens to be her father’s sign, and to make it even better, the Dog is compatible with my sign of the rabbit.

Let the stars align!

Year of the Dog
People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people’s confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

Did you know that women are more likely to snore during pregnancy? I now snore like a freight train, much to JB’s chagrin. This article talks about this little known phenomenon… Hopefully I won’t be snoring much longer, because it keeps both of us awake!

Pregnancy Increases Snoring

Women are twice as likely than normal to snore during the late stages of pregnancy because their airways tend to be narrower, says an Edinburgh University study.

Researchers found that 41 of 100 pregnant women snored, compared with 17 of 100 non-pregnant women. The increased snoring among pregnant women may be linked with weight gain and pressure on the trachea and lungs caused by the distended abdomen, BBC News reported.

The study also found that women snorers had, on average, a one-centimeter greater neck circumference than non-snorers.

The researchers noted that as pregnant women’s airways narrow, their blood pressure increases. High blood pressure is linked to pre-eclampsia. So this study supports previous data that pregnant women who snore have a greater risk of pre-eclampsia, the study authors said.

The findings appear in the European Respiratory Journal.

Source: www.lex18.com

Here is an update from BabyCenter.com, with my comments inserted…

How your baby’s growing: Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel. (MY THOUGHTS: BWAHAHAHAHA! TRY A LITTLE OVER 6 POUNDS, AND PROBABLY 20+ INCHES! GIANT BABY ALERT! GIANT BABY ALERT!)

Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don’t be surprised if your baby’s hair isn’t the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children are born blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz. (MY THOUGHTS: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE LET THIS BABY GET HER FATHER’S INCREDIBLE THICK AND CURLY HAIR!)

How your life’s changing: The next couple of weeks are a waiting game. Use this time to prepare your baby’s nursery or to take care of tasks you may not get around to for a while after your baby’s born. Take naps and catch up on your reading while you can. (CHECK)

Have you noticed an increase in the frequency or vividness of dreams lately? Anxiety about becoming a parent can fuel a lot of strange pregnancy dreams. (WHY YES, I’VE HAD WACKY DREAMS ALL DURING THIS PREGNANCY! TWO NIGHTS AGO, JB AND I WERE EN ROUTE TO ITALY WHEN WE REALIZED HE HAD FORGOTTEN HIS PASSPORT!)

You may be getting a lot more Braxton Hicks contractions now, and they may last longer and be more uncomfortable. Sometimes — when they start to come frequently — you may even think you’re in labor. (MY THOUGHTS: NOTHING YET. I THINK THIS BABY LIKES HER CURRENT WATER HOME AND WANTS TO STAY PUT UNTIL SHE HITS THE 11 POUND MARK.)

Grandma used to say, “there’s nothing small about the women in our family.”

My daughter is carrying on that tradition. However, I seem to have jumped the gun a bit by assuming the doctor would induce me, simply because I have a giant baby growing inside of me.

No such luck. I saw her today, and the doctor said we were going to just wait and see a while longer. The baby is estimated to weigh 8 pounds 3 ounces right now (although the margin of error is significant). The doctor warned me that she may be too big for me to deliver, and that a C-section may be necessary.

But then again, she said that although the baby is big (this was repeated about 5 times in our conversation), and I am a tall person (i.e. NOT SMALL), so perhaps I WILL be able to deliver her.

And my comment was, “are my hips big enough?” Because, really, it doesn’t matter if you’re over six foot tall if you have small hips. So, next Thursday, she’ll be checking my pelvis to see if she thinks this baby can fit through it.

Fun times, people. Fun times. The appointment felt a bit anti-climatic, but then again, part of me is happy to keep on enjoying this last phase of pre-motherhood, which includes lots of sleep, rest, and working out. Oh, yeah, and work.

I’m now kicking myself for basically running around and saying, “the sky is falling, the sky is falling,” by assuming that I would be induced next week. Oops. Hurry up and wait.

Word is starting to get out around my workplace that I’m about to POP! I have suddenly become very popular, as everyone tries to cram last minute projects down my throat so that I can complete them before I leave.

*head spinning*

STOP THE INSANITY!

The baby isn’t measuring 90th percentile.

SHE’S MEASURING GREATER THAN 90TH PERCENTILE.

And yeah, the head is over 90th percentile, too.

I’m so screwed! Baby is measuring at 39 weeks 3 days, when I’m really at 36 weeks 4 days.

I see the doc for her take on all of this Thursday morning, but my guess is that we will be induced in the very near future.

YIKES!

Well, I’m not nearly as freaked out as I was last week about this baby’s size. After doing some surfing, it seems like my situation isn’t all that uncommon, and in fact, many women get ultrasounds about this point to check on the baby’s size. Plus, those ultrasounds are known to be rather inaccurate, so in all honestly, I doubt it’s going to sway the doctor to induce me after my appointment with her on Thursday.

At this point, I’m trying to mentally prepare myself to being pregnant for another 3-5 weeks, since due dates are plus or minus two weeks. I keep telling myself that although I may be uncomfortable right now, at least I’m on my own schedule, and can sleep whenever I want to, and be as lazy or as motivated as I choose. I’m trying to enjoy these luxuries in my last few weeks without having a tiny human boss me around.

This weekend, I didn’t do any baby preparations, as I think I just needed a break. I read, I watched TV, I napped (a 3 hour long nap on Sunday that was heavenly), and took a long walk and went for a long swim.

Today, I decided to go to the pharmacy downstairs from my office to check my blood pressure. The result came back a startling 183 over 53, which was strange to have one number so high and the other so low. I called my doctor’s office, who asked me to go have it checked on another machine, as the results sounded goofy. So, instead of going to the gym on my lunch hour as I had planned, I went and found another blood pressure machine, which confirmed that my blood pressure is still in the normal range at 126/70. My doctor said they don’t get concerned until you’re 130/90, so I’m still doing OK.

That’s about all of the update from here… JB spent both days skiing on the weekend, which I fully supported, as I’ll prefer to have him closer to home once I’m closer to labor and after we come home from the hospital. I was very envious of him, but then again, I did enjoy my naps and down time.

I’m beginning to think I’m a bit of a spectacle at the gym lately. Today, I walked into the locker room, and a young woman looked at me and gushed, “Oh, you’re so CUTE!”

I smiled and thanked her, but couldn’t help but wonder if she’d think I was so CUTE as I was changing into my workout clothes, baring my stretch marks for all to see. (I like to say that my belly looks like Freddy Kruger slashed it up, as the bright purple stretch marks look more like slashes to me.)

Then, out on the workout floor, a trainer stopped me and asked, “How many months?”

If you could have only seen the look on his face when I smiled and said, “Nine.”

That’s not an exaggeration, either, as I hit the 9 month mark today!

And in honor of my stretch marks, here is a picture of Freddy himself:

Remember when I was complaining about having six stretch marks?! Ha! Now there are too many to count, and they are making their way up my belly past the belly button. Ack, the horror!!!!!

I had heard of these parking spaces, but never used one myself.

Yesterday, when I went to Babies R Us, I parked my big-a$$ pick-up containing my big-a$$ Belly in the Expectant Mother parking. (Note: We fondly refer to our Ford F150 as our big-a$$ truck.)

And I thought it was so funny that I took a picture. Unfortunately, no one was around to take a picture of me WITH the sign.

Crap. Crap. Crappity. Crap.

That is what has been running through my head ever since I left the Ob-Gyn’s office this morning.

My day started off bad. We have about 4 inches of snow in our driveway, and I learned that I can no longer tie my shoes from the standing position, as I was trying to put on my snow boots at the front door. Then, I went to get something out of the back of the Blazer, and the lift gate fell on my head.

JB found me standing in the snowy driveway crying as I rubbed my head. Luckily, the man helped me clear off my vehicle so that I could get to my appointment.

That’s when I learned that my beautiful, ‘model’, slow and steady weight gain was a thing of the past, as I gained 6 pounds in the last two weeks. Man, did that hurt. To top things off, my wedding ring no longer fits, which left me complaining that I’ve now outgrown everything.

My blood pressure is now up, which I attribute to the recent swelling I’ve been experiencing. But the real kicker was when the doctor measured The Belly.

“Wow, you have a big baby in there!” She exclaimed. This took me by surprise, because the baby has been measuring from small to right on target the entire time.

“How big am I?”

“No, that can’t be right.” She said as she went to measure The Belly for a second time.

“40 centimeters.”

OK, that’s when I started to freak. The Belly has grown six centimeters in the past two weeks! It’s only supposed to grow one centimeter a week! I’m only supposed to gain a pound a week!

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen…. The Belly is now measuring what it should have been measuring on my due date of February 17.

Crap. Crap. Crappity. Crap.

The doctor said that she wanted to get me in for an ultrasound so that they could measure the baby.

“And what are you looking for?” I asked.

“Well, if your baby is 90th percentile, then we’ll have to have a talk.”

Crap. Crap. Crappity. Crap.

Oh, my, that means this baby is either going to come early, or perhaps be hell to deliver, or both. The ultrasound is scheduled for Tuesday.

Head is spinning. Can’t stop repeating my new mantra.

Crap. Crap. Crappity. Crap.

One month from today is my due date.

As of Friday, I will be nine months pregnant.

Wow. I always thought you were done when you hit 9 months, but no, the fun will continue for another 2-6 weeks!

JB likes to refer to me as the human time bomb, because you never know when I’m going to pop!!! His prediction: I’ll pop in 2 weeks. My prediction: I think I’m going to pop right around my due date, since I know the exact date of conception (with a 1 day margin of error).

This past weekend, I pushed forward with baby preparations. One might call this “nesting”. I call it getting your sh!t together. Here is my theory on the “nesting phoenomenon”:

From my experience, many first time Dads are blissfully unaware of what preparations need to happen before baby arrives. Hence, when the mom-to-be starts seeing the end of the pregnancy in sight, she shifts into high gear to make sure that everything is getting done. It’s not due to extra energy (because all of these preparations have wiped me out), it’s due to necessity. The thought of giving birth and then having to come home and deal with shopping or setting things up is threatening enough to motivate the heck out of me.

This weekend I:

• Packed my hospital bag, complete with diapers and baby’s going home outfit. Reality definitely starts to sink in when I see that suitcase in our bedroom every day.

• Set up the bassinet all by myself. This may not sound impressive to many of you, but those of you that know me well know that I’m not very good at assembling things. To top it off, I am borrowing the bassinet from family, and it came completely disassembled without any instructions. I got stumped for a while, but after staring at the thing for about an hour and trying a few different configurations, I actually figured it out. It’s now waiting for my engineer (aka JB) to perform Quality Control testing before we set our baby in it. The bassinet is now next to our dresser - yet another daily reminder that the end of life as we know it is near.
• I washed loads and loads and loads of baby clothes in Dreft (the baby detergent). I also sorted through all of the hand-me-down clothes that were given to us. This is going to be one stylin’ baby. I have to admit, though, the item of clothing that really melts my heart is the tiny pink socks!
• Put all of the baby clothes in their appropriate places.
• Stocked the bassinet with burp cloths, diapers, diaper rash ointment and sleep sacks.
• Put bottles away in our cabinets.
• Got the car seat out of its box. I still need to read the instructions, install it, and then get our installation checked at the DMV (OK, the DMV part may not happen, knowing that would take a very long time!)

After my productivity this weekend, I can say that we are pretty much prepared for baby’s arrival, at least stuff-wise.

I went to interview our Pediatritian yesterday, and after we chatted for 30 minutes, he asked me, “So are you ready?”

“Can you ever really be ready?” I asked. And he agreed that you really couldn’t. He said it’s on-the-job training, and there is no cramming for the test of parenthood.

Although JB has been impressed with the amount of books I’ve acquired and read about babies.

Let the countdown begin. Baby Bellin will be here before we know it!

Last night was Breast Feeding Class, which overall was pretty much a waste of time. The instructor spent a lot of time on WHY you should breast feed, which seemed redundant because it’s obvious I plan to do so because I’m at the class, right? I was really expecting them to go into exactly how to breast feed. It seems like a simple concept, but so many people say that it is a lot harder than it seems and that it’s not as much a natural process, but a learning process.

All I really learned was a few positions to hold the baby, and that they make breast shaped balloons for the purposes of demonstrations.

Seriously, breast shaped balloons that they put up to breast pumps to demonstrate how they work. I couldn’t help but think those would be fun to play with — breast shaped water balloons — weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

There were probably 30 women in class, and three men that got dragged along with their wives. I let JB off the hook for this class, because really, I’m the only one that can do the breast feeding, right?! The man sitting next to me took about two pages of notes, which I found entertaining. I kept trying to read what he was writing, because I actually have to perform the task, and didn’t feel the need to take any notes! I didn’t even bring a pen!

There was a pregnant teenager sitting in front of me last night. She looked so young and innocent (OK, less innocent due to her bulging belly), but I swear she was only 15, and she still had braces on her teeth. I overheard her telling another woman that the was due in mid-March, but that an ultra-sound last week determined that her baby had stopped growing, and that she might be induced this week.

Wow, that floored me. I can’t imagine dealing with pregancy at that age, nonetheless a high risk pregnancy that ends in a very premature delivery. My heart went out to her, as I thanked my lucky stars that my baby still seems to be healthy, and that I waited until I was ready, and then my husband and I decided to move forward with having a baby.

Anyway, that’s all I have to report from class last night. Our last class is in another 2.5 weeks, and is Infant CPR/Choking. At least that class will have a bit more audience participation! (Much to JB’s disappointment, there weren’t any live demonstrations or audience participation during last night’s class!)

OK, I officially don’t just look fat anymore, but obviously pregnant. This is accentuated by my newfound waddle, thanks to back and hip pain. Sometimes it’s more like a limp, but many times it’s a full on waddle.

I’m starting to become quite the conversation piece. Most people are now asking me, “How much longer?”, or “When are you due?”, which makes me think I’m looking like I’m ready to pop any time now. Another question people ask repeatedly is, “Are you excited?”

Well, sure, I guess, but moreso, I think I’m scared… Scared of the whole labor process, and scared of having a newborn in our care that refuses to let me sleep.

I went to Target to stock up on some of the essentials we’ll be needing right after we bring the baby home. You know what makes it all feel really REAL? Buying diapers. I swear, I stood in that diaper aisle for like 10 minutes. Should I buy the cheapest ones? Should I buy in bulk? What if I do, and they leak all over the place? How many of what size? Newborn size is up to 8 pounds, perhaps I should buy some of those in hopes that this baby isn’t gargantuan…

I almost asked a woman with a baby in the diaper aisle for her opinion, as I had forgotten my cell phone to call my trusty mom resources. But I chickened out and just made a decision. Besides, I’m sure we’ll get plenty of use out of whatever I chose.

Other purchases that made the inevitability of motherhood strike home: nursing pads, nursing bras, nipple cream (eek), rectal thermometer and zip-up baby PJs, in newborn size. Wow, are those things tiny.

Holy smokes, I now own a rectal thermometer.

On Saturday night, JB and I went out on a long overdue date. We started out with dinner at EJ’s Jazz Club right along the Truckee River in Downtown Reno. They had an excellent jazz quartet playing as we enjoyed our heaping bowls full of gumbo.

Afterwards, we decided to walk to a few bars, and ended up at the Eldorado, in an effort to check out the trendy Brew Brothers. I noticed that they were checking IDs at the bar, and that’s when I realized I had left my purse, drivers license included, in the truck, which was now a good 1/4 of a mile away (that translates into the equivolent of 3 miles for a 8.5 month pregnant woman).

So I did what any self respecting pregnant woman would do.

I unbuttoned my overcoat and flashed The Belly, saying, “I left my ID in the car, but it’s obvious I won’t be drinking.”

It didn’t work.

I’m 30 years old and I couldn’t get into a bar.

But at 18, I had no troubles whatsoever. Oh, the irony.

The back pain is back with a vengence. Literally, my office desk has become a torture chamber for me, as nothing seems to help ward off the back pain during the day… Not the vibrating lower back pillow, and not the exercise ball I sit on occasionally.

So now, I’ve resorted to kneeling in front of my computer, using my lower back pillow as a cushion for my knees. Like the other options, it only seems to help temporarily.

I was hurting so bad yesterday that I went and got a prenatal massage, which felt WONDERFUL, and fixed everything, yet temporarily. My massage yesterday was done by a man, and it was my first professional massage by a man, which was a bit strange… But I didn’t mind a bit once he started the rub down and my aching muscles relaxed.

Today, I left a message for my chiropractor. Although I’m not convinced the last adjustment really did anything, at this point, I’m desperate and will try almost anything.

I met with a trainer last night who specializes in prenatal exercise. Despite the fact that my doctor hasn’t given me any limitations (i.e. exercises on your back and arm exercises above the head), this woman actually thought I should back things off a bit.

Now how often do you hear that from a trainer?!

She thought I should reduce my weight training from 3 times a week to 2 times a week, and replace that workout with another swim or other cardio workout. She also thought I should stop my core training (which the doctor thought was good), and just do exercises that indirectly work the core.

The main reason I’ve been concerned about working my core is my back pain - I thought that working my lower back especially would help my back get stronger so that it could help support The Belly. Although that theory is right, she showed me a lot of exercises with a Bosu Ball that will work on my balance and train my core while I’m doing squats, lunges, or upper body strengthening. I like the Bosu Ball so much that I may have to get one for home use after the baby comes. We’ll see.

And by the way, doing squats on a Bosu Ball while 8.5 months pregnant (and completely off balance on hard ground) is not a pretty sight. My trainer stood ready to catch me if I fell, and I think if I’m doing these by myself, I’ll have to stand by a wall for backup.

I was in the trainers’ office at the gym last night before my session, and there were three women personal trainers in there in conversation about pregnancy. One was 14 weeks pregnant, and the other, my trainer, just gave birth about 2 months ago. Here are a few conversation exerpts:

14 weeker: “I’m craving sweets all the time, and I just give into it.”
My trainer: “Yeah, I gave in to all of my cravings, and ate at Burger King practically every day and went to Cold Stone all the time.”
14 weeker: “The other day, my husband made me grilled chicken and a salad, and I told him, ‘that’s nice, honey, but we need to go to McDonald’s to get some fries.’”
Third trainer (no idea on her status): “I think that’s what you should do during pregnancy. Why hold back?! I can’t imagine watching what you eat while you’re pregnant.”

At this point, I couldn’t hold back.

Me: “Well, I watch what I’m eating.”
Third trainer: “You’re dieting?!”
Me: “No, but I’m eating healthy. When you start off with a few extra pounds, you really have to watch it. Besides, I don’t want to have to deal with too much extra weight after the fact.”

I mean, really, you’re only supposed to consume an extra 300 calories a day, and it won’t do your baby any good if those 300+ calories are coming from junk food!

Well, call me a killjoy, because the whole conversation stopped after that. The irritating thing is that all these women were super skinny. It just doesn’t seem fair that they go and eat fries, ice cream, sweets, etc. to their hearts’ content and still look better than me. Curse my metabolism!!! Curse it, I say!!!!

Just back from the doctor’s office. The appointments are actually getting a bit predictable now, which I guess is a good thing. The Belly is measuring at 34 centimeters, and considering I hit 34 weeks in 2 days, I’m right on target. Phew! It may feel enormous, but it’s just the right size.

The baby is head-down, and as I suspected, her feet are lodged under my right rib cage. The doctor said that all of the pain I’m feeling in my ribs is normal, and I swear our little darling has bruised my ribs with all the jabbing.

I talked to the doctor some more about exercising, as I’ve been getting cramping when I do cardio, and she said that is perfectly normal, and that I should keep up the exercise. I mentioned I had been doing the eliptical trainer, and she asked what level I was using.

“10.” I said, feeling like a wuss, as I used to work up to level 20 in my pre-pregnancy days.

“REALLY?!” She said. “Wow, I only do level 4! Well, why don’t you back that down to a level 8?”

My doctor is so cool. I just wish I didn’t have to wait 45 minutes to see her each appointment.

We listened to the baby’s heart, and she had the hiccups, which came through loud and clear on the doppler. I couldn’t feel them, though I swear I felt her have the hiccups last night.

I’m now suppposed to start “counting kicks”, which seems like a tedious project that I’m supposed to do EVERY DAY for the rest of the pregnancy. I guarantee this little one is moving plenty right now, but will submit myself to this task, as I want to get an “A” in Motherhood.

The doctor also said that my weight was right on target, and that she could use me as a model for the rest of her patients. That felt good to hear, as I totally feel like a beached whale, and today, I hit the 25 pound mark, which WAS my total weight gain goal for the entire pregnancy. As long as I can stay away from sugar, I think I’ll come out of this OK, but let me tell you, this little girl likes her sweets!!!

Everyone around me is getting sick. It’s like the Russian Roulette of germs. Even JB is home sick today with a fever.

Crap. I need one of those germ bubble things that Elliott had in the movie E.T. Don’t these germs understand that I can’t take drugs, so it would be really unfair to attack me?! I recently read that pregnant women have depressed immune systems AND will stay sick up to three times longer than the average person.

Please, please, please, oh germs, spare me.

Dear Baby,

I know you’re enamored with your new play toy, otherwise known as my ribs, but would you mind leaving them alone? Your Ma is getting sick of the constant jabbing.

Thanks.

Love,

Momma

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

I will not eat sugar…

After several weeks of indulging myself in Christmas treats, it is now time to STOP THE INSANITY.

Phase I: No sugar until my doctor’s appointment next Wednesday (where I’ll get weighed).
Phase II: Freak out about the number on the scale at the doctor’s office, and swear off sugar for the rest of the pregnancy (I KNOW it won’t be pretty).
Phase III: Freak out about how the weight isn’t melting off of me after birth, so swear off sugar indefinitely.

I didn’t really GO anywhere, but I took a hiatus from computers and the Internet for the past 4 days, exchanging them for family time, which was lovely.

My parents arrived in town on Thursday, and I took them for a surprise 3D Ultrasound. I was so excited to share this with them, and thought they’d really enjoy it.

Too bad the 3D Ultrasound place was a sham. The place had only been open a month, and the woman that runs the place just bought an ultrasound machine and “trained herself”. The training was very lacking.

We spent an hour and a half in there, and all we were ever able to see was a quick glimpse of the baby’s face, but unfortunately, she had both hands in front of her face, so we saw hands and a bit of lips, nose and chin poking out. The woman couldn’t find the crotch, thus defeating my triple check of this baby’s gender. In fact, she couldn’t find much of anything, and multiple times would say “oh, here’s the head”, focusing on the top of my belly, and then she’d say, “no wait, the head is down here” at the bottom of my belly. She also said that “there wasn’t much room in there for the baby to grow, so I won’t get much bigger.” Ha!!! We got a good laugh out of that quote, as most people know that you grow a heck of a lot during your eigth and ninth month!

After an hour an a half, she gave up, asking me to come back another day, “because baby wasn’t cooperating”. Perhaps the Christmas spirit overcame me, because I didn’t have the heart to tell her I wouldn’t be back because I didn’t think she knew what the heck she was doing. I also don’t have the heart to post the name of her business, but it you live in Reno and are considering a 3D ultrasound, leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can tell you what place NOT to go to!!!!

Anyway, I took Friday off to hang out with the parents. We went to Costco on what must have been the busiest day of the year. Much of Friday and Saturday were spent hanging with Mom baking and preparing for the Christmas Day feast. For those of you that don’t know my Mom, she is an avid Martha Stewart fan, and I swear my mom could give that woman some competition if they ever faced off in a contest!

On Christmas Day, there were 11 people at my house, including my two nephews and one niece. It was a bit of mayhem, but fun mayhem. I felt like a true adult hosting my first Christmas dinner, but couldn’t have pulled it off as smoothly without the help of my mom. There were table cloths on the tables, centerpiece decorations, our good glasses, and we served a lot of wine, spinach salad, prime rib, asparagus and mashed potatoes. For dessert, I whipped up a peppermint cake in the shape of a circle of Christmas trees (pan courtesy of Mom) with a chocolate peppermint glaze. Fancy, huh? I took pictures to document, but haven’t downloaded them yet. Stay tuned.

There were all kinds of pictures being taken, and my family didn’t listen a bit when I told them that I had banned pictures of me for the rest of the pregnancy. In fact, once I said that, I think there were MORE pictures being taken of me.

Our baby even received a few outfits from some generous people.

Everyone left our place around 2:30 yesterday, and after a quick clean-up, I was crashed on the couch for a good two hours. I then made it to the pool to work off the holiday treats I’ve been eating, and came home for a quiet night with JB.

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is over, and that the next time we’ll be celebrating, we’ll have a child that will be 8 months old. Woah!!!

Oh, and when I made it into the office again today, I was given one extra Christmas gift — 1900+ spam e-mails to delete!

I had someone ask me this week if I’ve had an “easy pregnancy”.

This question took me by surprise a bit, as 99% of people just ask me, “how are you feeling?”

And I had to stop and contemplate my response. Although in terms of pregnancies and side effects, so far, I guess I have had an “easy pregnancy”. I pretty much avoided morning sickness, haven’t been swollen, or had too many headaches. However, I just don’t think you can call any pregnancy easy. You are sharing your body with another human being! The hormones are out of control. You feel out of control of your ever-expanding body. And then there is the whole labor thing that you have to deal with at the end.

I also believe that there isn’t such a thing as an “easy labor”. They don’t call it labor for nothing. It’s hard work!

So, as I sit here typing this getting kicked in the ribs, please refrain from calling anything related to pregnancy or labor as easy. That’s my free advice for all you readers out there.

It snowed a whopping 6 inches Saturday night at our house. Of course, this meant the mountains got dumped on. Surprisingly, my hubby was feeling under the weather and opted to stay home.

However, my brother and sister-in-law decided to hit the slopes, and asked me to watch my niece, Kacey, who is now 14 months old.

Kacey was in a delightful mood, and we played around the house, but my house can get pretty boring pretty fast, considering I don’t have the toys to properly entertain a 14 month old, despite all of the toys her parents brought with them. So, I decided to take her to the grocery store.

By this time, it was pouring rain outside, so I wrapped her in one of my parkas and was off. Hard rain on 6 inches of snow means lots of slushy slop to walk through in the parking lot.

I thought I was doing so well with her at the grocery store. She seemed content, and wanted to hold everything I was putting in the cart.

Then, I turned around and caught her sinking her two front teeth into an avacado.

I quickly took that away, and when I got bananas, she reached for them, saying “nana”, and that was so cute, I let her hold them. At least until she tried to take a bit of those, too.

I could then tell she was getting hungry, and being the inexperienced parent figure that I am, I had forgotten the diaper bag with the all important snacks in the car.

So, I hit the baby food aisle and got her some finger food, which kept her rather happy for the rest of my shopping.

Until I hit the check out line, which was insanely long and not moving.

During our wait at the checkout, she grabbed a jar of marshmellow and dropped it on the floor. Lightning fast, I tell you. As I was asking for someone to clean that up, she managed to sprinkle her finger food on top of the marshmellow.

That was a very humbling moment for me. She looked adorable as she contemplated the mess she made, and watched the poor bag boy clean it up. And I realized how much I have to learn. At least with my baby, I’ll learn as we go…

We then had to wait at least another 10 minutes to finish the check out process, and by then, she was baby on the edge… That meant I had to hold her, and my back was screaming at me to stop.

I finally made it home, and JB asks, “where did you go?”

“The grocery store.”

“What took you so long?”

Ha, if he only knew!

*mental note: I must send JB to the grocery store with our little darling on a regular basis*

Evidently, our daughter is most comfortable when I’m sitting up extremely straight… In fact, I think she likes it most when I’m arching my back, because the second I lean forward, she kicks me in the ribs, which is NOT a pleasant feeling. This proved to be a challenge on the plane this week, as I just couldn’t seem to get into a position where she wasn’t lodging some appendage into my rib cage.

Must make a mental note of this for a guilt trip when she hits her teen years…

Well, we have now completed the 8 hour birthing class, so we are officially experts in the birthing process.

Ha!

And yeah, I’m still freaked out.

The teacher really encouraged natural childbirth and “keeping an open mind” as to whether or not you’ll need pain medicine.

Then she showed the videos, and I’m thinking, um, that looks like it hurts like hell!!! Drugs, please!!!

Anyway, the class started with all of us having to go around and introduce ourselves and our “birthing partners”, and then talk about any of our concerns.

Of course, it was the women that did all of the talking, and I thought it was interesting how the women would introduce themselves, say what they do for a living, and then introduce their husband/birthing partner. Not one said what their birthing partner did for a living. Of course, I was sure to say that my hubby is a super smart civil engineer (OK, I didn’t say the super smart part).

All of the women in this class were pregnant with their first child, so I found it entertaining when the woman that weren’t working called themselves, “stay-at-home mothers”. Yes, I’d agree that will be your title once the baby comes, but I don’t think you can claim it before you have a child to stay home with.

The instructor made sure to ask each of the men what their concerns were, and each and every man said, “nothing”, including my husband.

WELL, DUH, THEY DON’T HAVE TO PHYSICALLY GIVE BIRTH AND HAVE THEIR PRIVATE PARTS STRETCHED AND TORN AND HAVE THEIR HIP BONES SEPARATE!!!!!

All they have to do is be supportive, and damn, well I guess I wouldn’t be concerned if that was all I had to do, either!

One of my favorite moments was when our instructor said that from now until birth, each mother should be taking three thirty minute breaks throughout the day, where she can lay down and put her feet up. She then asked who was doing this.

And guess who raised their hands?! (no, not the fathers) It was the “stay-at-home moms”. (I’m not making fun of stay-at-home moms, as that is what I’d love to be… I’m making fun of the women who call themselves this before they even have a child.)

My biggest surprise of the day was watching a woman deliver her placenta. I HAD NO IDEA HOW FRIGGEN HUGE THAT THING IS. I always thought you were done once you pushed the kid out and had it laying on your belly instead of inside your belly, but NO, the fun continues!!!!!

I learned “pattern breathing”, aka Lamaze, and I found that I had a hard time practicing the “he he haw” and “hout, hout, hout” without cracking up. This was especially hard when the instructor told the birthing partners to watch the mothers practice this breathing.

I’m sure I won’t be laughing when I’m in labor, though.

We toured the labor and delivery section of the hospital, and saw the delivery and recovery rooms. It was super scary to think I’d be the person in the bed next time I was there. Yikes!!! There was a newborn in the nursery that a nurse brought out to show us, and as the baby started crying, I teared up myself.

That was something else I learned about myself during class. I can’t watch a birth or see a newborn without tearing up. These damn hormones do a number on you, don’t they?!

I definitely had belly envy during the class. Granted, I was the least far along in our class, but everyone else had very distinct and cute bumps. I just have a gut. Blek.

I also had expected that there would be a lot of woman bonding going on…. You know, a bunch of pregnant women in one room — just sounds like a chummy day, right? Actually, none of us talked to each other, to the point where it was strange. But then again, I had a headache most of the day, and the only person I really cared to talk to was JB anyway.

So, that’s the recap of birthing class. Next on tap? Breast feeding class tomorrow night. Woo!!!

According to iVillage.com, as of Monday, I am now in the third trimester of my pregnancy. As I did upon completion of the first trimester, I think it is time for me to sum up my thoughts on what it is like to be pregnant.

Being Pregnant Is…

• Being a helpless spectator as your body morphs into something completely beyond your control.

• The thrill of feeling your child move inside of you for the first time, and the realization that the novelty of this feeling doesn’t really wear off.
• Being a little bit freaked out by the movement in your belly. (I have a standing mental image of the scene in Aliens when Ripley dreams she is pregnant with an alien, and you can see it moving all around in her belly, and then it bursts out through her skin.)
• Body image issues — ha, and you thought they were bad in the first trimester! And just think, the fun is just beginning!
• A near paralyzing fear of stepping on the scale. A nurse told me yesterday that you get to the point where you just don’t care, and I don’t think that will happen to me.
• Watching in horror as stretch marks take over your belly, despite the dedicated effort of putting Cocoa Butter on it every morning and every evening.
• Bach aches and hip aches. Both seem to be temporarily relieved by either a heating pad, chiropractor, or masseuse, but they come back with a vengence. When I start aching, I do the infamous pregnancy waddle, which really cracks JB up.
• Uncontrollable emotions. I honestly went through a few phases when I thought I was suffering from depression… Non-stop crying, feelings of doom, and just plain being sad. Luckily, I confided in my husband when I got these feelings, and his love and support was able to bring me back to the land of the living. (Side note: A coworker told me that you are a lot more emotional when you’re carrying a girl, because of the extra estrogen. Ha, as if I needed more estrogen!)
• Speaking of my husband, I’ve discovered that I am much more needy for his attention now, and I can’t sleep when he’s not around. I talked to a friend yesterday who also experienced this when she was pregnant, and she says that does indeed go away once you give birth.
• Fear of labor. The bigger I get, the more I fixate on the process of getting this baby out of my body, which is a very scary thought.
• Fear of being a mother. Although this is something I’ve always wanted to do, the fact that I’ll be a mother in three months or less is intimidating. Newborns have always been intimidating to me, and the thought of being responsible for one is daunting. Hopefully those maternal instincts will kick in and take over!
• Jane told me this week that the word Mother in Greek is the same word as ’sacrifice’, which seems very appropriate. I believe this sacrifice begins in pregnancy, when you give up alcohol, cookie dough (any baking dough, actually), some of your favorite activities, your comfort, etc. In fact, this whole experience has made me view my own mother in a whole new light.
• Most importantly, though, pregnancy is being thankful for the miracle happening inside of your own body, and never ceasing to be in awe of that miracle.

That’s all for today.

Today was my 7 month check up. Although we had to wait over 50 minutes to see the doctor, the actual appointment was super quick.

We got an ultrasound, and unfortunately, the baby’s head was positioned directly below my belly button, making it difficult to get a good view of her. The doctor did spend several minutes looking between her legs to double check the gender, and though she doesn’t guarantee anything, she said, “it’s definitely looking very girl.”

The nurse that saw me today asked if I had any “problems, complaints or concerns,” and I mentioned my back pain, and she smiled and said, “yeah, the only cure for that is labor.”

Darnit!

Well, I am headed for a prenatal massage tonight, so perhaps that will help matters out a bit!

Other stats:
- Baby’s heartrate is 140
- My belly is now measuring 3 centimeters ahead of where it should be (30 centimeters versus 27). Yikes!!! I grew 6 centimeters in one month!!!

My weight, although higher than I had planned, is still well within the lower end of the guidelines, so I guess that’s OK. It’s still very painful to step on the scale now-days.

I may scan the ultrasound pictures, but am not sure it’s worth the bother, since they didn’t turn out well!

I just found a poll feature on BabyCenter.com that I thought would be fun for my site.

Vote for your favorite name for Baby Girl Bellin!

And here is an update on her progress, also from BabyCenter.com:

Week 27
How your baby’s growing: Your baby is really starting to fill up your uterus. This week she weighs almost 2 pounds and is about 14.4 inches long with her legs extended. She can now open and close her eyes, and she sleeps and wakes at regular intervals. She may suck her fingers, and although her lungs are still immature, they would be capable of functioning — with assistance — if she were to be born prematurely. Chalk up any rhythmic movement you may be feeling to a case of baby hiccups, which may be common from now on. Each episode usually lasts only a few moments, and isn’t bothersome to her, so enjoy the tickle. With more brain tissue developing, your baby’s brain is very active now. Wonder what she’s thinking?

How your life’s changing: Your body is gearing up for the final lap, so you may start noticing some new symptoms. Along with an aching back, for example, you may find that your leg muscles cramp up now and then. They’re carrying extra weight, after all, and your uterus is putting extra demands on your circulation. (As your uterus expands, it puts pressure on the blood vessels that return blood from your legs to your heart and on the nerves leading from your trunk to your legs.) Unfortunately, the cramps are likely to get worse as your pregnancy progresses.

Know a really good way for a pregnant woman to get her husband’s attention? Call him and say, “I’m at the hospital.” I did that today, as I was at the hospital pre-registering for labor (dear God, that made it all seem REAL), and needed some information from him to finish filling out the forms. I didn’t leave him hanging long, as I realized the potential connotation of that statement the second it was out of my mouth, so I hurried up and said, “don’t worry, I’m just here filling out paperwork!”

But what I really wanted to talk about today was my first ever visit to a Chiropractor. My back has been killing me lately, and yesterday, I decided it was time to do something about it. One of my friends has a husband that is a Chiropractor, so I called him up out of desperation.

One thing you must know is that I have an extreme aversion to cracking/popping joints. This chiropractor had once told me that he didn’t do the cracking/popping thing, so that’s why I thought he’d be a good one to call.

When you go in to the office, you go up to the adjusting table, which is vertical. You stand on a platform in front of it, and the table gets lowered to horizontal so that you’re face down on the table. I was given an extra cushion to accommodate for The Belly.

He said that one of my legs was one inch longer than the other, and proceeded to use an instrument to tap my pelvis and certain parts of my spine back into place.

It didn’t hurt at all, and in fact, when he was done, I was wondering, “that’s it?”

I feel better so far, but the true test is what happens after I sit in my office chair for another few hours. I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve been thinking that it is time for me to get back into swimming, as I think my days of kick boxing are numbered… I checked out a new gym with a pool this weekend, and just in case you were wondering, yes, I can still do butterfly!

Swimming is definitely a lot more challenging with a big belly, but I think it’s going to be my aerobic workout of choice in the upcoming three months. Flip turns are still a piece of cake, but I’m thinking those will go away in a few months, too.

Not much else to report from this weekend. I did go out to be a groupie to my rock star husband at his gig at 3rd Street Blues this past weekend. I ordered a Shirley Temple and shook my belly to the grooves of The Jason King Band. A fellow drummer to JB kept telling me what a great dad that JB is going to be, which was cute. I’m sure he will be, too, which is good, considering I’m bought in to his fatherhood at this point!

Here is the latest on Baby Bellin, courtesy of BabyCenter.com:

How your baby’s growing: Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she’s born and takes that first breath of air.

This article fascinated me… It claims that only 6% of pregnant women work out for at least 30 minutes several times a week, and only one in 10 pregnant women engage in moderate exercise weekly.

Wow. The article talks about how women with uncomplicated pregnancies should engage in exercise every day, but most women (94%) use it as an opportunity to put their feet up and relax.

I can’t imagine taking 9 months off of exercising, because honestly, I’m a bit of an addict. However, I can understand when you have other children around that it would be a lot harder to find the time to exercise.

According to my doctor, the old rules of “don’t work out on your back” and “don’t get your heart rate over 140 beats per minute” are both old wives tales.

So