Childbirth class today!

Mr. Rhody and I hit what I consider to be a huge milestone today--we did our childbirth class!

We attended the natural childbirth class at our hospital. We had decided to do the one-day class instead of the evening series of classes because we are often tired after work. One Saturday just seemed much more optimal for learning.

The class materials did confirm my desire to go for as natural a birth as is possible. We saw a few videos of women delivering naturally, and seeing them go through all the stages really encouraged me that I could do it as well. We practiced positions for laboring as well as breathing exercises. I had read about a bunch of these, but it was good to have someone there to make me actually do it and give me feedback. We even practiced pushing a bit!

Our class was the first class since the H1N1 outbreak to be able to have a tour of the facilities. I do have to admit, the "alternative birthing center" is not as posh as I thought it would be, and I won't be heartbroken if we are bumped to a regular room.

I have to say, the whole day was tiring, but it was very much worth it! Now I just need to be patient until I can put what I've learned into practice!

27 weeks! Officially third trimester!

OK, I'll say it. WOW, I'm getting big! I was comparing this picture to my other circles!shirt picture from only 3 weeks ago, and I've grown so much! Really, sometimes I feel normal and other times I feel huge.

In the how I'm feeling department, after my anxiety-induced sickness that I talked about in my last post, it did take my stomach a few days to recover. Luckily, after a weekend of great sleep, I am eating normally again. And, in related news, I found out today that I passed the 1-hour glucose test! Yay for not having to take the 3-hour!

Also, I didn't get to mention it in my last post, but recently I've been able to feel Baby Rhody's parts more and more. The midwife that I saw last week confirmed that Baby Rhody is head down with his/her back to my left, as I thought. I know he/she still has some time to turn, but I was just so happy that I could tell!

This weekend, DH and I took a mini vacation to NYC, where we walked a few miles from place to place. I have to say, I'm not in the shape I used to be, but walking all that way with this big bump gave me quite the sore tailbone and hips! It was great to get out and get some exercise though, and I know walking is great for pregnancy!

Also, my friend had a party while we were down in NYC, and everyone kept telling me how much I "glowed" and how great I looked! I loved it! It's the first I've really been out with the bump, and I loved the attention.

Glucose test and an overachieving Baby Rhody

I didn't get to update after my midwife appointment last Thursday. The reason for that will become apparant as I tell you how that day went.

This starts with my Wednesday, where I got some "interesting" feedback at work, had a dentist appointment where they told me I have mild gingivitus and a small cavity, and then my car decided to act up (again) on my way home. This series of events led me to completely freak out over the glucose test the next day. I slept horribly the whole night, had two nightmares about Baby Rhody being stillborn, and woke up sick to my stomach. I ended up throwing up for the first time in any of my 3 pregnancies, as I could not get my body to calm down.

I did go into work, only to get sent home because I apparently looked as bad as I felt. I felt like I spent the whole day dreading this test, which meant I could not eat at all. I am the type of person that finds most sodas too sweet to drink, so the idea of an extra sweet drink really turned my stomach.

So my appointment was at 4 pm. They had me drink the glucola drink first and then have my regular appointment while I was waiting the hour to have my blood drawn. It turns out the drink wasn't bad at all! Especially because I only had to drink like 8 ounces of it!

I met with a different midwife this week because mine was out. I walked into that exam room finally feeling better, only to have the midwife tell me I was measuring 3 weeks ahead. Now, I've been measuring 1/2 - 1 week ahead this entire pregnancy, which I told her, and Mr. Rhody and I were big babies, which I also told her, but she still recommended I get an ultrasound to check things out.

Now I start getting worried--not about a big baby but about being pushed around into an induction or a C-section for a projected big baby--but I'm too tired to really get into it. So I scheduled the ultrasound, figuring I could always cancel it later.

Then I went home and slept for 13 hours. I woke up even more sure I was going to cancel that ultrasound, and I'll be doing that tomorrow as soon as the office opens. The midwife also told me I should "probably" find out this weekend if I failed the glucose test, and I didn't hear anything, so I suppose no news is good news! I'll confirm that tomorrow as well when I call.

Phew!

Baby's got bed and bedding!

I haven't updated on baby's room much recently because Mr. Rhody is still working on painting it. "In progress" painting pictures are not all that exciting, especially when they all look about the same. Plus, we are out for the next few weekends, so I'm not sure when he will be able to finish. Baby Rhody is starting to get more and more things though, and I'm starting to get anxious to put them away!

This weekend, I did get to go to Babies R Us with my mother. She had found my 17-year-old sister's high chair in the back of the garage, so we took it to the Babies R Us trade-in sale and got our playard! You'll notice that it matches our travel system.

Babies R Us was also having 20% off of bedding sets, and my mother insisted on buying that as well. I love love love it so much that I want to sleep with the quilt myself. It's got all sorts of fuzzy textures, including different widths of corduroy on it. I was debating before this weekend if we needed a bedding SET, but I am so glad we decided to get it. Have I mentioned that I love it? You should also note that Mrs. EmmaLouise already got us the mobile. Now I just need the lamp (SO CUTE) to complete the set.

Knowing that Mr. Rhody's mother tends to be ... eclectic ... in her gift giving and knowing that we probably won't be having any sort of shower, I then went to our list to prioritize what we really need to get before Baby Rhody gets here. Here's my list:

• More clothes
• More diapers (we're doing cloth; I have 4)
• Baby wipes (cloth again; I might make these)
• Baby monitor
• Curtains for nursery
• 2-3 fitted sheets
• 2 mattress pads
• Milk storage bags
• Bottles
• Diaper bag
• Playpen sheets
• Diaper pails (2, one for home, one for daycare)
• Diaper pail liners (2)

I'd also like to get a rug for Baby Rhody's room and for a few of the other rooms upstairs to make it a little quieter up there, as everything is hardwood and sometimes it just seems SO LOUD. Oh, and we are looking at getting a new camera because we're about due, so if you have any suggestions, let me know!

26 weeks!

26 weeks, and Baby Rhody has definitely been doing a lot of growing! The most exciting thing is that I'm now under 100 days to go (98 days today)! That makes it seem a whole lot sooner, and which also makes me feel like we have SO MUCH more to do!

This weekend, I made my last planned visit to NJ until the baby comes, as I don't want to do any long car rides in the third trimester. The last I'd seen my family was right after Christmas, so my belly has definitely grown since then!

The coolest part of the visit was when I was showing my belly off to my little sister. I even got her to feel a few of the baby's kicks, which she described as "weird". Then the baby decided to show off and stick his/her butt up on my left side! I've heard of this happening before, but this is the first time I've noticed Baby Rhody do it! It was so cool.

In other news, I know I'm totally early to be worrying about baby positioning, but I've been reading a little more on the Spinning Babies website. It's been interesting because I hadn't before noticed the differences between kicks and punches. It's interesting getting to know Baby Rhody's parts more and more as he/she grows.

Doula visit and dog training

So our Doula came for a visit last Wednesday. It was our first real visit after the interview!

She brought over a whole packet with things that would be useful as we get close to birth. We started with the easy part--we signed the contract and paid her fee. I thought it was very interesting that she had a provision if I needed a scheduled C-section, I would get half of the money back. However, for an unscheduled C-section (if I had labored and tried to push), I would not. That made sense to me.

The packet also had a list of things to pack for the hospital, a list of recommended books and videos, when to call her, and similar things. My favorite thing by far, though, was the "Wish List for Birth". This was sort of like a Birth Plan Lite. It had all of the options for birth in a checklist. We went though and discussed each one and my feelings about it. I really like the layout because it made me feel like we hadn't forgotten anything, but it was still really clear and concise.

Towards the end of the visit, we talked to her about getting the dogs ready for baby. She offered to bring over a doll so we could practice with the dogs! So I came home Monday afternoon to the cutest doll left on my doorstep! It's totally baby-sized and even baby weight. She told me the outfit was from her youngest! I love it! It's even got a monkey face on the butt, therefore, I've named him, "Monkey Butt". Creative, eh? I have to say, the dogs are doing wonderfully so far with their training.

She also brought us over a birthing ball, which Mr. Rhody inflated for me today. Between that and the 20 minutes I spent doing yoga poses, I feel great! I'm really looking forward to getting a lot of use out of this ball for our evening TV and computer time.

I think my favorite part of the interview is when our doula said, "Since you are so far along ...." I don't even remember what came after that! Let's go baby!

25 weeks!

Regarding the above picture:

1. Wow, I'm really starting to look "big"!
2. I swear I am not grabbing my crotch
3. This is what I wore today! It's a non-maternity shirt, and it's getting a bit short already

25 weeks! I feel like time has been creeping by this past month, but I'm expecting it to pick up again since we have a few busy weeks ahead of us! Of course, that means more blog updates, too!

I'm starting to really get the third trimester soreness. The one area that's been sore for about a week now was just under my breasts. I thought this was because my bras are becoming too tight (which they are), but after picking up some bra extenders, I realized this wasn't the only factor. In fact, I think the soreness is coming from my ribs spreading and everything shifting. How odd. I can't wait--2 more months until I will let myself invest in new bras!

My other big complaint recently is that I can't sleep. We have a Tempurpedic mattress, which has been a help until now, but I'm starting to find it hard to get comfortable. I have a body pillow, which helps my hips to feel better, but then I feel like the bed is too crowded between Mr. Rhody, the pillow, and me! Mr. Rhody has offered to sleep in the spare room, but I feel bad kicking him out of bed already. Sheesh!

For the most part, though, I am still really enjoying pregnancy. Everytime baby kicks or, even more so, does a cartwheel, I smile. I also LOVE the attention. It's great when someone from church or at the supermarket notices. After hiding my first 2 pregnancies and the first half of this one, pretty much, it just feels good to have it out there!

I won an award!

The instructions that go along with this award are as follows:

• Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
• Copy the award and place it in your blog.
• Link the person who nominated you for this award.
• Tell us 7 interesting things about you.
• Nominate 7 bloggers.
• Post the links to the 7 bloggers you nominate.

Well, today is nursery update day, but I'm tired, so, instead, I'm going to stop procrastinating posting my award! Thank you to both Ibis and Kate for nominating me! I am honored! :)

So here are 7 things about me (I won't guarantee that they are interesting):

1. We compost in this household. All vegetable clippings go in a bucket by the sink and then into a compost bin out in the yard. What do we do with the compost? Mostly just throw it around the bushes. Which brings me to ...

2. I have a black thumb. I can't grow anything. I have tried over the past few years to grow all sorts of herbs and tomatoes and cucumbers and things. This is embarassing because I come from a farming people. My grandmother is 90 years old and can grow 3-foot zucchini. I can't grow a pickling pepper. Adding to this indignity ...

3. Mr. Rhody is an excellent farmer. He was in charge of all of the herbs this summer and we had quite the bounty! I couldn't even remember to water the plants. However,

4. I am great at using the plants! I love to cook. I love most to throw things together and make a tasty meal. I always try to cook from scratch. My goal is to not buy any prepared foods at all. I still haven't managed to get away from cereals and canned tomatoes, but, other than that, we are doing pretty well.

5. My path in life was set pretty early. Rumor has it from my mother that, as a baby, I refused to eat jarred baby food. This was pretty crazy for the early 80s. My mother had to take whatever everyone else was eating and put it through the blender for me.

6. Taking points 1-5 into account, it should be no surprise that Mr. Rhody and I plan to make our child's food on our own. I'm not even sure what to do about baby's first food. Rice cereal? Refined grains? Ack!

7. In complete turnabout from my normal habits, every time I've been pregnant, all I've wanted was junk food. Like McDonalds and Taco Bell and Johnny Rockets. Thankfully, once I got out of the first trimester this time around, those cravings subsided. It's bad when you're grossing yourself out!

So now I tag the following: Mrs.EmmaLouis, cour10e, PeetiePie, Cara, BabyRN, and whoever else is interested. This reminds me, I know there are a few people that have added me that I have not added back. It turns out I can't seem to figure out how to link them! You know you're getting old when technology befuddles you.

24 weeks - Viability!

24 weeks! I usually change into something more "plain" when I get home so that you can see the bump better, but I didn't feel like it today, so you get my circles!shirt, lol.

So 24 weeks is the big "viability" milestone, meaning that if Baby Rhody were born today, he/she would have a 50% chance of survival. I hadn't given much thought to this milestone. First of all, because of my miscarriages and subsequent clotting diagnosis, I feel like it's more possible for my LO to pass away without any signs than to be born early. Secondly, 50% of babies born at this stage survive ... but I would rather my baby do more than survive, so I want Baby Rhody to wait until he/she is fully cooked.

However, yesterday, I was watching the Duggars TV show on the birth of their 19th child, who was born at 25 weeks. Looking at that tiny baby in the incubator, it finally hit me. A baby of that size is inside ME. There's an actual baby in there. Sometimes, I feel like my mind still hasn't fully made that connection.

As to how I'm feeling these days, I still say I'm feeling pretty good. Heartburn is my constant companion these days. (The newest culprit? CARROTS. Yes, I didn't believe it either.) I had some pretty severe back pain over the past week until it got bad enough to get me off of my duff and do my yoga exercises yesterday morning. Since then, my back has felt great. I still need to get bra extenders, as my ribcage has started to expand, which is contributing to the back pain.

Baby Rhody's movements these days seem to have slowed down somewhat. I think he/she may have had a growth spurt last week--I was ravenously hungry for days--and now is feeling a bit crowded. Baby Rhody is usually good enough to give me a kick every time I start to seriously worry, or at least poke back if I give him/her a good poke!