Quick Update

Well, tomorrow is supposed to be the big day, but I think we'll be waiting longer than that. I have not had any contractions and what I have felt has either been my imagination or went away as soon as I switched positions. As much as everyone is ready (Eric is constantly asking where his baby is) I think Eli is going to hold out for a little while.

At my last doctor's appointment she said I was not quite 2cm dilated and she stripped my membranes (separating the amniotic sac from my cervix). That doesn't seem to have done much, but I have no way of checking to see where I'm dilated now. Our next appointment is Wednesday morning so we'll see what she has to say then. (As much as I want to not make that appointment because the Niesling is born I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing Dr. B in her office before we see her in the delivery room.) However, she did tell Eric last week that she would not let me go two weeks without inducing. Hopefully that means if we don't have the baby by Wednesday we can talk about when to induce at the appointment.

I'm off to rest and watch A Baby Story on TLC. Then I'll be taking at least one walk this afternoon in hopes of moving the Niesling along. I'll try to keep everyone updated either by phone call, facebook, or posting here!

Ahh... Nine Days!

My first couple weeks as a stay at home mom have been going well. I rest as much as possible, do some cleaning, some packing, and some eating. I also have gotten into the TLC show A Baby Story. It follows families as they go through the birth of their children. I don't know if it was the smartest idea to start watching this show, but it gives me somewhat of an idea of what to expect. And since we're (gulp) nine days away from my due date now, the thought of what's going to happen has crossed my mind a few times.

Overall things are going very well for both the baby and I. The last two doctor's appointments have been quick and painless. Because I haven't had any contractions, Dr. B has not even checked for dilation or effacement. I don't think I've even had false labor or Braxton Hicks contractions. Occasionally I feel some tightening or slight cramps but it doesn't last longer that 15 seconds and there is never more than one in a row. I think the Niesling is going to stay where he is as long as possible.

Even if Eli chooses not to arrive until at least the 20th, Eric and I are both ready for him. His room is all set up and ready for him (aside from the completely necessary waterproof changing mattress cover I'll be picking up tomorrow) and my hospital bag is packed. We are also ready for him mentally and emotionally. While labor and delivery still freaks me out slightly (thank you to everyone for their reassuring words on that subject!) I'm ready to be a mom and hold my baby. And no one could say that Eric isn't totally pumped to become a dad. Even though neither of us has any experience with babies, especially newborns, we're up for the challenge and ready to meet little Niesling!

Oh and we've been bad about taking pictures lately. Suffice it to say, I'm big. And waddle a lot more now. And am ready to have this baby.

It's Official...

...I'm a stay at home mom! Although the mom part is probably going to come in a couple more weeks.

After weeks of waiting and training my replacement, I'm finished with my old office job. It was a good job and I enjoyed it for the most part, but I'm glad I can stay home with the Niesling. It'll be interesting keeping myself occupied until he makes his appearance, but I think I'm off to a good start.

I couldn't sleep in this morning, even though I was laying awake in bed for two hours last night, and I never did get a nap in sadly. But I was very productive. I did one load of wash of our clothes, two loads of sheets, and a load of baby clothes. I also vacuumed our bedroom and the living room, as well as mopped the kitchen floor, and loaded, washed, and unloaded the dishwasher. Oh yeah, and I started thank you notes for the gifts we have received. All-in-all a productive and full day.

Tomorrow I will be going shopping with my mother-in-law for the last minute necessities for the baby (changing table, diaper bag, diapers, boppy pillow, etc) as well as finishing setting up his room. Hopefully we can get everything we need and coordinating his room. It'll be one more thing I can check off my to do list before he's here.

Earlier this week I had my doctor's appointment. My Group B strep test came back negative which is one less thing to worry about during labor. My weight went up slightly, but my blood pressure is still good. Dr. B did not check for dilation but she did say that my uterus is two inches smaller this week (down from 36 to 34 inches) so she thinks he has dropped into my pelvis. I have noticed that I can breathe easier now and I have the pregnancy waddle occasionally. Which means the Niesling could be arriving at any time, although I think it will be at least one or two more weeks. I have not had any Braxton Hicks contractions. Or at least not that I know of.

The next scheduled appointment is Tuesday the 6th. I'm guessing it'll just be a regular check up with possible checking for dilation and effacement.

Overall I've had a good week so far and am looking forward to spending Easter with family and relaxing. Not to mention watching the first baseball game of the season.

Beginning of the End

We are officially into our ninth month! Only a couple more weeks until we get to meet the Niesling!

I have to say I'm very excited to start this new phase in our lives, but at the same time, as it draws closer, I'm more and more nervous about the labor part. I know it'll all work out, but just the unknown and the pain factor is starting to set in. I'm holding off on being really scared mostly because I know it won't do any good at this point. (But it still sometimes keeps me up at night.)

We had another doctor's appointment last Tuesday the 23rd. It went very well. The usual pee in a cup, weigh in, and blood pressure check. Dr. B also did the Group B Strep test, which we will get the results for next week. She then checked if I was at all dilated. She said my cervix is softening, but no dilation or effacement. We will now have an appointment every week until birth. The next appointment is Tuesday the 30th.

I will also be finishing my last three days at my current job this week. After March 31st, I will be a professional stay at home mom, albeit without the baby at first. I'm going to use this time to finish organizing the baby's room and things, packing my bag for the hospital, resting up as much as possible, and just mentally preparing for the Niesling. I am very lucky to be in this position of staying home with Eli, which I realize is not an option for many women. I look forward to spending every day with my baby and not missing anything.

Last weekend, two of my dearest friends threw me a baby shower. Many of the women that are important to me were there from family to friends. There was good food, funny games, and amazing gifts. Eli is going to be so blessed to have all these women in his life, especially the women who hosted the party, Lexi and Ashley. The girls also have basically decorated the Niesling's nursery. I cannot thank these two enough for their generosity and friendship.

My mind seems crowded these days with thoughts and worries, none of which I can pin down now. I'll just say that not an hour goes by without me being amazed by this baby inside me and being anxious to meet him.

Week 34



(Yes, we did miss Week 35 pictures. I will tell you though that I haven't gained much if any weight in the last week or so. Also, we measured around my belly and it has increased about .5 inches in that same week.)

Week 36

What Happened in Weeks 32 & 33

Now that it has been almost two weeks since I last posted, I suppose I can update the blog again.

On March 3rd we had our last doctor's appointment. Dr. B actually had to go see another OB patient at the hospital so we met with her Nurse Practitioner Cathy. She is also a very nice woman. Everything was good at the appointment from my weight to the baby's heartbeat. Cathy, who is also a labor and delivery nurse as well as having taught years of Natural Childbirth classes, and having 10 kids of her own was a fount of knowledge. She showed me the pelvic thrust move (on your hands and knees moving your pelvis up and down to help shift the baby and stretch) which has been really helpful when the Niesling starts making me uncomfortable. She said if you do it before bed it helps most women sleep. I have been neglecting that pre-bedtime exercise and haven't been sleeping well, so I guess tonight I will start up again!

Our next appointment is not until the 23rd as Dr. B will be out during the week I should have had my two week appointment. After the next appointment, which is during week 36, I will be going in once a week for a check up until delivery.

Eric and I also decided that I will be done with work after the last week of March (barring any unforeseen complications). After that I can get everything ready, from washing baby clothes and setting up the baby's room to just resting up for labor and having the Niesling. Part of me is worried about keeping myself occupied for that time, but I'm sure it will fly by and no one actually knows when Eli will be making his grand entrance.

Last night I attended the local hospital's breastfeeding class. I already knew a majority of the information from reading books and attending the childbirth prep class, but I did learn a few new pieces. And yes, I will be breastfeeding Eli. It just seems like the natural choice, why wouldn't I choose to do so?

At the end of the class I got to tour the hospital's labor and delivery rooms. They have an excellent set up where you stay in the same room that you give birth in. They will only take you off the floor if you have to go downstairs to surgery for a c-section. The hospital also lets you keep the baby in-room as much as you like or you can choose to have them in the nursery while you rest and recover. The rooms also include cable TV, DVD/VCRs, wireless internet, and my favorite part, whirlpool tubs. I don't know how much distraction I will need during labor, but I will probably take advantage of the tub. According to the nurse, they want to monitor the baby for at least 20 minutes of every hour while you're laboring, but other than that you can be in the bath or up and walking.

Needless to say, I feel much better having seen the hospital and where we will be during delivery. Eric did not attend the class with me, but I hope to get him to the hospital soon just so he can get a tour as well so he knows where the heck he's going when the big time comes.

Other than those two exciting events, the last couple weeks have been relatively quiet. I'm so tired at the end of the day that I can't work up the energy to do much. We spend the majority of our time relaxing. There's still plenty of bathroom trips all day, as well as getting up at night because I can't sleep. I've been eating constantly as well (those three rounds of breakfast are great!).

The Niesling is running out of room to move now. When I'm sitting at work or home he's constantly moving and pushing my belly out. I've just reached the point where it's uncomfortable, but I'm fine with that. I can take a little less comfort as long as my baby is healthy and still doing well. He also usually has the hiccups at least once a day. This occurs after I've eaten and am relaxing on the couch or (of course) when I'm trying to sleep at night. Eric can feel the little movements with the hiccups and it makes him smile every time.

Like I said, everything is going great, we're just trying to survive the next 5-6 weeks before we get to meet our little man.

Week 32

Week 33