The Baby Business - Part II

Last night, someone reminded me that I never did finish my story about the baby business since at the time of the posting, we hadn't visited the other hospital, St. Joe's. Last Sunday, Kim and I went to St. Joe's. This hospital actually approached the baby business a little differently. We weren't wined and dined (ie. no cookies and refreshments), there were no "gifts" (ie we didn't get a goody bag), and the "tour" only lasted an hour as opposed to two. Maybe it's because St. Joe's is so much bigger and they need to "advertise" their baby business because people just go there. Regardless of the reason, it was not a similar tour.

The information presented was roughly the same, although John C. Lincoln definitely went into more detail about, well, about everything. I was glad we had gone to the John C. Lincoln tour first because I felt it was better organized. St. Joe's took us through trama, surgery, all the bad things that could happen, and then oh yea, if you have a normal birth, this is what you can expect.

When we were done with the tour, we realized that both places had different nice-points and it was pretty much a toss-up as to where to deliver. That being said, it took us a few days but we have decided to deliver at St. Joe's. The main reason was because of the carpool lanes. Sound odd? Well, no knowing when in the world our little Peanut will decide to grace us with his or her presence, we wanted to know that we wouldn't be stuck in traffic regardless of the time of day. The drive to John C. Lincoln would take mostly highway, but that highway is mostly a parking lot both in the morning and at night (it doesn't seem to matter which direction you are going). And there are no carpool lanes. The drive to St. Joe's is also mostly highway, but only one stretch of the way is a slow-moving mess in the mornings only, but it *does* have a carpool lane. So, that was our main deciding factor.

That being said, St. Joe's offers lots of classes as well which both Kim and I will be attending. The first class will be Kim's and it will be in March - Daddy Boot Camp. Our next class will be an all-day birthing class in April. Oh boy - can't wait for that! While we could attend similar classes at a hospital closer to our home, I thought it might be good to be more familiar with the St. Joe's campus so that when everything is a blur, we will feel a little more comfortable. So, let the driving begin!

In the Home Stretch

While it's hard to say exactly when your third trimester starts, I believe we are there. "What to Expect When you are Expecting" says week 27 starts it. We are at the end of our 27th week, so I'm gonna say we are in the home stretch.

The baby is doing great, but I think this child is going to be just like me. My mom said I really didn't sleep much as a baby, and I think little Peanut is going to be similar. From what I've read, by this time in the development you can tell sleep patterns in the baby. Well, the sleep pattern that I'm noticing is basically AWAKE ALL THE TIME!!! So don't be surprised if Kim and I look like death warmed over for the next two years. ;)

On another note, I think I have found that my problem with the Braxton-Hicks was due to hydration. I've been on a couple of walks since, one with water and one without, and there was definitely a difference. So I'm working more on electrolyte balance than more water in-take since I'm drinking (and peeing) like a fish. (Do fish pee?)

Hydration, Stress, or Just Too Much?

Last Saturday I had my first "scare" in the pregnancy. After being on the go for most of the day, Kim and I took Bagheera on a little hike. We were out for about an hour, then came home, made dinner, and were sitting down to a movie. I was getting Braxton-Hicks contractions. Not a big deal, as the doctor had told me that would happen every now and then. But I realized that I was getting an awful lot of them. Then I realized they were coming very periodically, about 12 minute apart. Now, I knew I wasn't going into labor or anything (they definitely weren't strong enough to birth a child!), but I was a little worried that this might be a sign of premature labor tendencies. I got nervous...

Sunday I thought I was taking it easy, however I wound up with more B-H contractions. These weren't so close together, but still quite a few of them. I was nervous that I would wind up on bed-rest, and I would surely kill someone if that happened...

Kim and I started researching the B-H contractions. We found that dehydration can be a cause of them. Maybe I hadn't had enough water on Saturday? Maybe my very stressful week that I had just ended at work was taking more of a toll on me than I thought? Maybe I had to change my life habits for the rest of my pregnancy and be a bit more lethargic?? Yikes!

Kim and I decided to test a few things out. First, I started resting more - like hanging out in the living room and reading magazines instead of finding things to do around the house. Next, I told my boss that I was going to try to keep my stress levels down a little more. (Yea, we'll see if anything changes there. I'm not very good at letting things slide.) And finally, I decided that not only would I have to drink more water, but I may have to drink something like Gatorade or the likes as well since my body was being so weird about the hydration.

So, after a week of trying these things, I have found that the B-H contractions are decreased and back to what the doctor described - once in a while. I still haven't figured out the exact cause, but I'll be monitoring a little more closely what I drink and stress about. And maybe I'll actually sit and read a few more nights out of the week while my wonderful husband cooks dinner. :)

The Baby Business

Since Kim and I picked a doctor that is nowhere near our house, we also have to choose a hospital to deliver at which is nowhere near our house. Our doctor delivers at John C. Lincoln, St. Joe's, and Good Sam (for those who live in the area). Kim and I have decided to tour the birthing centers for John C. Lincoln and St. Joe's. Well, our first tour was this past week at John C. Lincoln. To us, it looked pretty much like a hospital, but they took us through lots of information, like how private the rooms were, to how security worked, to what to pack for mom and baby. We also got a few free gifts. It's very interesting when you are "looking" for a hospital how the baby business is approached. There was nothing wrong with John C. Lincoln - in fact I liked it a lot and am swaying towards it without even touring St. Joe's, although I'm interested now to see how St. Joe's will approach the same "tour". Kim and I just figured there is some good money to be made on birthing babies these days.

Great Leg!

Yesterday was Peanut's 25-week appointment. Nothing very exciting happened in this visit really. The baby is moving like crazy these days and I got the talk about feeling the baby move every day throughout the third trimester, which "officially" starts the end of February. We found from the ultrasound that Peanut is "swimming" in the fetal position. It was quite impressive to see a hand right next to a foot during one of the angles. (I just assumed that's because mommy likes touching her toes every morning, so Peanut is following suit!) We also got a great profile of a leg during this visit. Now, I have to say, if you've ever looked closely at my legs and Kim's legs, they are shaped distinctly different. This ultrasound was a very nice looking leg, so I'm assuming it's Kim's. After discussion, Kim decided that he wished his legs only on a boy. :) I guess we'll find out if we're going to have a husky legged boy or girl come the end of May, but at least we know that whichever sex, Peanut has good lookin' legs!!

Holy Cow - Now *That's* a Belly!!

Somehow, in the last week or so, Peanut must have doubled in size. My belly is definitely saying "prego". You can see it now in pretty much all my clothes. In fact, since we finally have something to show, we've decided to post a picture. Check out that profile! Oh, and yes, I'm quite proud of the top-half of that profile too, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, the belly is catching up quickly, so my days of looking "busty" are definitely limited. :)

There Goes the Fun Food

So one of the things I let happen while I have been pregnant is that I've done away with my food allergy diet. I mean, if I'm craving something, I'm assuming the baby is in need of something in that food. I haven't gotten a lot of cravings, but I have changed my diet since being pregnant. I started eating cheese again (me, the dairy-free person). And wheat. And more sweets - not not like cupcakes or bad things like that, just sweeter type juices or syrup every now and then or cereal. All things I tend to stay away from because the sugar content is high. Well, for 5 months now, everything was going fine - even eating all these "allergy" foods of mine. Until recently. I noticed last week that no matter what I ate, I felt awful. I've hit that before (in times of cheating on my diet), so I decided maybe my days of allergy-free eating were over. I started behaving again - cutting out the cheese, and wheat, and sugar. Things started getting better. But one of my rules was always "cheat on the weekends". I mean, you have to feel human!

So last night, not very hungry for dinner, I decided to have a bowl of cereal. The cereal was wheat-free, and I used rice milk, so it's not as bad as it sounds. But about 4 hours later (after falling asleep in front of the TV), I woke up in a huge sweat. It was just dripping off of me. I threw the blanket off thinking I had just overheated while sleeping. But then I realized I was also shaking. Oh no! It's the darn sugar. Even though I had such "good for you cereal", my body didn't have enough protein and my low-bloodsugar problems were kicking in. I got up clumsily and grabbed the cashews in the kitchen and just kept eating handfuls of them. Let me tell you how fun it is to fill your belly when you aren't hungry (or drunk) at 1:30 in the morning. It took about 15 minutes or so, but the shaking went away, the sweating went away, and I was gaining my strength back.

If you've ever been hit with a food allergy, or a blood sugar problem, you know that it is unpleasant. Fortunately for me, neither are extreme and I can always control them with diet. But my carefree living of eating cheese and wheat and all the other fun stuff in a typical American diet are gone again. It appears Peanut is either following in Mom's footsteps, or on his own and leaving me back to my own problems.

As for this weekend, I don't think I'm going to cheat so much. Last night was an awful start that I wish not to repeat!

Half Way There!

Today was Peanut's 21 week checkup. Yes, we are half way through!!! Peanut is doing great, resting the little baby's bottom right on Mom's bladder, which explains why I am rushing to the bathroom all the time! Everything is developing normally and Peanut's due date (based on measurements of the femur, the belly, and the head) are still indicating about May 20. This means that Peanut is growing at a very normal rate. The doctor is not concerned about my weight because the ultrasounds show Peanut is doing fine, but then again, I think I'm actually right on track for the normal 25-30 lb gain. I've gained 10 lbs so far.

I apologize that Kim and I are slacking on posting pictures. Seems that everything is a whirlwind these days. Hopefully we'll be better at putting pictures up once Peanut is born and you have a real child to look at instead of a belly!

A Good Start to a New Year!

Tonight is January 2 - our first day back to work. Luckily, we left work early, and the weather was very nice so Kim and I went for a short run before making dinner. After eating, we were relaxing by watching a documentary. I'm not sure if it was the run or the dinner, but Peanut was kicking up a storm. I realized that it was pretty much in the same place and fairly periodic. So, I put my hand on my belly to see if the kicks were strong enough to feel on the outside. Barely. But, just for grins, I bared my belly and told Kim to just set his hand on it. It didn't take long - then all of a sudden he yelled "I felt it" at the same time that I yelled "Did you feel that one?" Yea! Now Kim can enjoy a connection with our child every now and then as well!! It may also mean that mom needs to run a little more often. :)

BTW, I am now at 20 weeks. Half way through!

Bye Bye Bellybutton

Friday I was complaining all day about the cramp-like pain I was feeling in my lower abdomen. No, it wasn't gentle Peanut kicks, it was more like strain. I just told everyone Peanut was growing and stretching my muscles, and they weren't taking too kindly to it. Well, I didn't realize how true that was! When I got into the shower this morning, I was washing my belly button only to find it didn't go NEARLY as deep as yesterday. It's really starting to flatten out, and that was a HUGE difference from the day before. Yikes! Looks like I'll be removing the belly ring a little sooner than I thought...