Pregnancy: week 40

Week 40
1 baby who doesn't seem to want to come out into this cold Philadelphia weather!
3 days of work for this momma-to-be. Officially on maternity leave now, kids!
7.5 pounds of baby in there (Our midwife's estimate. We shall see.)
1.5 cinnamon rolls consumed
1.5 pounds gained since last week (hmmm... directly related to those cinnamon rolls....?)
4 long walks
5 bright, cheerful cloth diaper covers washed and hung to dry
0 days wearing maternity jeans. They accidentally got dried in the dryer and are too uncomfortable to consider wearing for any extended length of time. So it's leggings and sweats for the indefinite future :)

In other prenatal appointment news:
Baby is no longer posterior (eyes looking up), but apparently her eyes are facing sideways (to the left) when ideally they should face my butt. That's a nice visual, eh? This is called OT position and isn't the absolute best position, but there doesn't seem to be much we can do at this point besides moving around and being active during labor. As of Tuesday afternoon I was 1cm dilated and still not very effaced (she guessed 25%, as opposed to last week's guess of 50%). That number was slightly discouraging, but it's progress from the week before, so we'll take it! Our midwife reassured me that I am doing everything right... first babies just tend to take their time. :)

There is no reason for concern because baby is moving and her heartbeat is strong, but standard procedure is to schedule a non-stress test and ultrasound at 41 weeks to check on heartbeat, placenta, amniotic fluid, and baby size. We have that appointment set for Monday, February 3rd.

Here's to hoping labor starts before then!

pregnancy: week 39

week 39
2 snow days
1 treacherous drive home from work that took 2 hours instead of 50 minutes!
2 babies shown off on Facebook who were supposed to be born AFTER our baby, not before! :)
11 hours of sleep one night!
1 darling baby hat arriving in the mail
15 minutes walking around town on perhaps the coldest night this month

Some pre-natal appointment stats:
0 pounds gained this week (as opposed to 3.5 pounds last week!)
0 centimeters dilated but 50% effaced (as of Wednesday morning)

5 nights of rocking on all fours, sitting on my birth ball, and leaning forward in hopes of turning our girl anterior. It worked! At Wednesday's appointment, the baby's head was way down and her back was along my left side! Hooray!

Joel and I are both so ready to meet this little one! We talk regularly about how she'll look, what she'll be like, how it will be to have a new person in our home... I'm getting more and more uncomfortable and we're both just trying to keep our minds occupied while we wait.

pregnancy: week 38

Week 38
35 minutes with the midwife who gave us lots of information about being in labor and encouraged us to soak up these moments together, just the two of us

2 hours on a field trip so my kids could learn to ice skate (NO, I didn't join them!)
3 loads of laundry folded in the nursery, just because I like hanging out in there
1 little worm who is hanging out posterior (aka: face up, along my back, NOT the ideal position for labor!)
2 parents-to-be who are praying for this girl to flip herself around and be anterior before she makes her grand entrance, thank you very much.
10 minutes at a time, three nights in a row, spent rocking on all fours in a small attempt to help baby wiggle around (Joel came in and said, "Are you okay?!" Ha!)
1 care package from a sweet, sweet friend for little 'Berts, including a sushi onesie that says, "This is how I roll" :)

sushi image here

pregnancy: week 37

Lookit me, posting all early this week.

We're 37 weeks and 5 days in here, folks. So basically 38 weeks. And totally full-term. This little lady can come anytime, in my opinion!

Week 37
0 comfortable positions for standing, sitting, or laying
5 days back to school
20 kiddos who are DYING to know this little one's name
3 nights of heartburn... it doesn't stop
1 negative test for group B strep. WAHOOOOOOO-- no antibiotics during labor!
4 nights when I woke up thinking my water had broken. Only to realize I was sweating and the crib mattress pad I'm now sleeping on had absorbed the sweat so it didn't soak into our mattress. Ha. Gross.

5 new cloth diapers purchased!!! (our total is now 9)
10-15 irregular but still uncomfortable contractions per day

pregnancy: week 36

Would you just look at this bump?!

I can't believe I thought my belly was big last month. AND the month before that. Holy smokes, we are growing! I'm super curious how much this little worm weighs and how tall she's going to be!

Week 36
35 minutes with the midwife who said the heartbeat is strong and my fundal height is 36 centimeters- perfect!
6 inches of snow in less than 24 hours
0 days of school
1 package arriving from Target which contained our humidifier and washable changing pads!! 
2 parents-to-be who managed to stay up till midnight on New Years Eve!
9 hours of sleep per night, average (vacation is awesome!)
3 pounds gained since our last midwife appointment two weeks ago
1 blood sample taken & 1 mini bruise that lasted about a week
3 nights eating pizza for dinner

pregnancy: week 35

Well, the heartburn is back with a vengeance this week. It seems like when I was sick a few weeks ago, the heartburn took a backseat and didn't bother me as much. Now that I'm healthy, though, it's a very frequent visitor. And all my Christmas overeating doesn't help the situation.

Another symptom of the past few weeks: constant tiredness and discomfort. On Christmas night I was ready to crash by 7:30pm. I couldn't find any comfortable position to sit/stand and I wanted to hang out but just didn't feel great. 

This Tuesday we have our 36 week midwife appointment and we'll start going every week after that. I'm so curious how the baby's measuring and what her position is. I've been feeling tons of heavy pounding movements so I know she's running out of room in there. Plus, I look large and in charge. So there's that.

Week 36 is when they check for Group B Strep, which influences whether we'll need antibiotics during delivery. Hopefully we test negative for that and can do the whole process without an IV! Also at week 36 they'll give us a "packing list" for our visit to the birth center on delivery day. My favorite part- packing! :)

Week 35 stats
4 immediate family members came to visit& celebrate Christmas here in our house (first time ever!)
5 evenings with constant back, hip, and ligament pain
1 baby the size of a coconut (so cute!) wiggling around inside
12+ girly, sweet outfits for the little worm to wear some day
2 loads of baby clothes washed, folded and ready
1 birth center bag packed for baby
0 hours of school work done by this pregnant lady
1.5 giant recycling bins filled with paper and cardboard leftovers from Christmas

pregnancy: week 34

Did anyone notice the 33 week post was written yesterday (when in actuality we're now in week 35?!)? Oh, you didn't? Well, good. I don't like advertising the reality that my life has been crazy busy lately. But now that Christmas break is here (halleluiah!), I may become a blogging fiend.

I don't think either of these photos accurately showcases the size of our little girl. She is growing week by week and I love having these photos as evidence. Though I'm not really thrilled about the quality of pictures OR the quality of my face at 6:20am...

Okay, so week 34
2 car seat bases checked and installed correctly. [Local friends, here's a great resource for getting your infant seat checked. The technician was so helpful and informative. When we move to the next size seat, we'll likely use them again to help make sure it's in safely.]
155 beats per minute of little tiny heart
3 pounds lost (?!) since my last appointment. So strange.
45 minutes at the mall for Christmas shopping where we had to park a million miles away in order to find a spot!
65 degree weather on Saturday, December 21st
1.5 hours spent watching my students perform their Christmas concert with Grandmom & Granddad Nelson
29 average bumps and stabs and jabs to the ribs per day
1 time Joel said, "Hey, little worm" to our baby. I call her that multiple times a day, so it was precious to hear him say it, too. She is a seriously wiggly worm in there!

pregnancy: week 33

 

I took these photos against our newly painted dining room wall. I tried multiple times to put my body in a place that would block the thermostat. To no avail.

Week 33
5 hours spent in a south Philly row home learning about all things birth
3 million sharp, pointy movements from little girl
1 extra car seat base arrived in the mail
2 items to make our nursery almost complete: crib mattress & waterproof pad!
5 days of congestion, sore throat, and runny nose
1 trip to the doctor on snowy roads
0 positive strep tests (yay for post-nasal drip & NOT strep throat!)

pregnancy: week 32

Week 32
1 very poor, shadowy photo of this growing bump
8 hours of painting by daddy-to-be (not the nursery; the main room(s) of our house) 
136 beats per minute of our little girl's heart on the doppler
7 hours of travel home from RI (should have taken 5... stupid post-Thanksgiving traffic!)
6 nights of heartburn- hello, third trimester problems
3 times average waking up at night to use the bathroom and adjust my aching body
1 second grade hand on my belly... "Your baby is growing!"
2 items arriving via mail for our girl- crib mattress and extra car seat base!
4 pounds gained since our lats midwife appointment two weeks ago
19 pounds gained total this pregnancy (!!)
8,467+ kicks, jabs, and wiggles felt on average per day; this kid can move!

Pregnancy: week 31

Greetings from all three of us in Rhode Island! And Happy Thanksgiving, a day late.

We are spending Black Friday snuggled in my parents' house. Today we will go see Despicable Me 2 at a local cheap theater. Then we will exchange Christmas gifts together tonight.

Here's the baby bump and here are some stats from this past week:
5.5 hours in the car to Rhode Island
2 stops in said car trip for bathroom breaks
1 cozy winter hat purchased for baby to wear home on her first day of life
8+ outfits received as gifts from family and friends
1 Chewbeads necklace won from an online giveaway (this baby must be good luck!)
2 pairs of tiny leggings purchased on clearance at the Gap
Wayyyyy too much food consumed on Turkey Day
10 hours of sleep last night. Woohoo vacation!

pregnancy: week 30

Our little one is really growing! At this week's midwife appointment, I measured 31 centimeters when I was only just barely 30 weeks along. That's great news, in my opinion. I hope she keeps getting bigger at a nice, steady rate.

Week 30
3 years of marriage under our belt (as of 11/20)!
1 night away in Princeton celebrating our third anniversary
2.5 hours spent reading "The Birth Partner" at a Princeton coffee shop
15+ times I interrupted Joel's reading to share something I'd found completely fascinating about labor, birth, or post-partum recovery
25 Christmas cards arriving in the mail from Tiny Prints
1 maternity dress returned because, sadly, it didn't quite fit
30+ minutes with our midwife, who told us things are progressing perfectly and baby's heartbeat is strong!
5 thank-you notes sent. Only about 30+ still to go.

pregnancy: week 29

Week 29
45 minutes at a local arboretum posing for Christmas card photos
At least 25 outtakes from said Christmas card photo shoot
3 + hours being showered with love and support for Baby Berts
20-ish white onesies in various sizes and sleeve lengths
10+ books received for bedtime stories and endless entertainment
50 minutes spent assembling our new crib (which looks AWESOME!)
20 parent-teacher conferences
1 baby who seems to have changed positions and now has her head bumping into my belly button at all hours of the day (or night!)


This week Joel and I were blown away by the generosity of our family and friends. So many gifts have been given that will help keep little 'Berts more comfortable and ease our transition into parenthood. I can't even find the words to express our gratitude and appreciation. This is one loved little baby.

Pregnancy: week 28

Week 28
28 centimeters of belly which matches being 28 weeks pregnant*
1 adorable onesie arriving from Texas relatives

2 hours at the Academy of Music downtown watching the off-Broadway performance of Once (!!!)
3 evening walks
5 times being told "Oh, now you actually look pregnant!"
2 tiny feet that consistently are kicking way up above my belly button. I can kind of grab her little heels & I love it!
1 crib ordered and on its way to our door (it had gone "out of stock" and I was super nervous about starting my research all over again!)
20 minutes spent organizing all the baby clothing into size
30 minutes spent rocking & snuggling Baby 'Berts friend Lily who lives right down the road #therapeutic

*File this away under "Things I love about my birth place"... My midwife explained that at checkups they measure your belly and the number of centimeters should about match up with the number of weeks pregnant you are. (ie: 28 centimeters for 28 weeks) However, she wisely noted that due to my long torso, I may not always measure that exactly and said she won't be alarmed unless I stop growing in general. I really appreciate her calm, rational perspective, along with the way she patiently explains things I don't already know or understand.

Other great prenatal appointment news:
- Baby is head down! That's why her heels are driving me crazy way up high, which I really don't mind, as long as she stays head down for at the next 11+ weeks.
- Also, I don't have gestational diabetes! My glucose levels are all normal. Yay.
- My iron level is 11.8, which is close to ideal (12.0). I can eat more peas and leafy greens to get it a little higher, but it's hard to get to 12.0, apparently. I had NO idea how important iron is in labor, delivery, post-partum, but I'm so so glad that my iron levels are already high!
- I got a rhogam shot, because my blood type is B- and I'm missing some kind of protein. This could cause a problem in pregnancy if Joel's blood type has that protein and the baby has it, too. My body could view the baby as a foreign object and attack it. Or something. Regardless, I got the shot so we don't need to worry about it until after delivery and the baby's blood type has been recorded.
- Getting a social security card and birth certificate for the baby sounds so easy! The birth center has all the forms, which we complete once she's born and they send out to all the appropriate places. Phew, that's a big relief.

pregnancy: week 27

Week 27
60 minutes waiting to get my blood taken after drinking the sweet orange syrup for the glucose test
1 tiny trick-or-treater stopping by our house. Yes, that's right. One.
0 progress made on the nursery. I'm stuck in a funk there.
4 mornings eating oatmeal for breakfast
3 second graders asking if I'm having a baby... "Miss, are you pregnant?!" :)
5 third graders who mistakenly told their teacher I'm having a boy
7 hours of sleep per night, average. I don't think that's quite enough.
3 middle-of-the-night wake ups to pee or adjust my sore body
0 leg cramps!
4 episodes of "Parenthood" watched. 2 of which made me cry. Doh!

pregnancy: week 26

Week 26 was a busy one! Joel spent all day Friday at the regional cross country meet, where two of his runners qualified for the state meet next weekend. Then we had a junior high lock-in, immediately followed by the fifth annual "Oktoberfest" fall part with our group of friends. All this after a full work week. Phew.

Now, all of a sudden, we're into the third trimester! People are making all sorts of comments about how I don't even look pregnant, but I definitely do. I'm getting "congratulations" from random strangers in the mall and ladies in the Target line asking when I'm due. There's a baby on board, folks. I think she's just tall and skinny. :)

Week 26
0 appointments available for my upcoming one-hour glucose screen. Guess I'll just show up and wait.
1 natural childbirth class registered for & deposit put down!!
7 hours of sleep in the church basement where I hogged two couches to make myself a semi-comfy bed at the lock-in
2 hours spent running around town looking for items on the scavenger hunt with middle school kids
1 performance for Grandparents' day which also equaled 1 half-day Friday for me!
2 sweet baby gifts received in the mail
1.5 hours spent eating Chick-fil-A and visiting with local friends
3 small bowls of chili sampled at Oktoberfest
2 tiny sips of Joel's fall beer (which, interestingly enough, didn't taste all that good to me.)

(And now for a realistic pregnancy photo. Sweatpants and my favorite T-shirt that's quickly becoming too short for the bump!)

pregnancy: week 25

Wait, wait, wait. How are we all of a sudden 25 weeks into this pregnancy?! My mind is really struggling to grasp reality here, folks. Time is flying and this week went by in the blink of an eye.

Week 25
45 minutes spent with an ultrasound tech who said my fluid levels AND our baby girl are perfect!!
1 new t-shirt I can sport to support Joel's favorite team
90 minutes spent vomiting my dinner into the toilet after a fluke episode of food poisoning last night. ick. 
3 baby gifts arriving via mail
2 hours spent digging and sorting through stuff in the nursery
9 fourth grade girls who are thrilled to know that Baby 'Berts is a little lady... "There's another girl in the class now! I know we can't see her, but she's here!"
1 leg cramp (mostly due to dehydration from sickness last night)
20 minutes spent with the midwife who was encouraging about everything but said I need to be drinking even more water, which feels impossible
2 weeks left in this trimester. Or is it just one....? zoiks!

pregnancy: week 24

Week 24

2 hours spent in the hospital, getting checked to make sure there was no amniotic fluid leaking: there wasn't!
380 miles driven to NY to visit Baby 'Berts' potential future boyfriend, Judah
6 new girly onesies purchased at a consignment store
3 days wearing gray over the growing bump that is our daughter
101 minutes walked to ease my aching joints & back
4 days of school (before a 4 day weekend!)
5+ pieces of furniture moved by daddy-to-be so the baby's room can be set up soon!

Sometimes I freak myself out that I'm not "big enough," which I know is absurd. But I get worried that the baby isn't growing the way she should, or that I'm not giving her enough nutrients.

These photos will be fun to look back on someday, but they're also helping keep me sane: my belly is definitely getting bigger. I need to relax. :)

pregnancy: week 23

Week 23 was quite a doozy, what with finding out we have low amniotic fluid and the daddy-to-be leaving for a weekend wedding in Chicago. However, it was still a full, beautiful week with some growth and movement from little lady 'Berts. Plus, I wore my new favorite pants- maternity cords from Gap for the win!

Week 23
45 minutes laying on a comfy table watching our girl move around and wave at us
1 visit from Grandmom Nelson (who brought all sorts of cute girly clothes!)
3 days of hot, nasty, sticky, Indian summer weather
1/2 chimichanga from our new favorite Mexican restaurant consumed (I ate the rest for lunch 2 days later!)
0 cokes consumed
5+ times Joel called our little lady by name
1 huge, amazing, bright poster bought for baby's nursery

pregnancy: week 22

 This is my "holy smokes, my baby is growing like a little weed!!" face:

 And here's my "Yay, maternity jeans arrived in the mail!" pose:

How about my "I bet my students won't recognize my hair but I'm wearing my new maternity cords" face:

22 weeks
0 tears cried!

3 days wearing skirts (now I have TWO pairs of pants I can wear to work! just one was getting old. fast.)
2 local pediatricians on my list to interview
1 ultrasound scheduled for next week. (Apparently after the last ultrasound, they requested a follow-up screen to check on the heart. Joel thinks the tech felt guilty we couldn't find out the sex so she ordered a follow-up. We'll see. I'm trying not to be nervous that something is legitimately wrong with the baby's heart.)
15+ kicks felt each day
2 pounds gained in just over a week!

pregnancy: week 21

Yesterday someone asked me how far along we were and I answered one week earlier than reality. Good thing Joel was there to correct me! Tomorrow we'll be at 22 weeks, so today marks the end of week 21. Holy smokes!

A dirty mirror disguises my nicely curled hair. But not my growing belly...

 Week 21
15 minutes sobbing into Joel's shirt after a stressful day at school and a long drive home
2 crazy intense middle-of-the-night leg cramps!
1 steady strong heartbeat (does a fast heartbeat mean it's a boy? someone told me that this week...)
20 minutes with the midwife who said to eat even more protein!
1 copy of "The Birth Book" delivered from Amazon. Spoiler alert: so far it's amazing!
2 pairs of Gap maternity pants ordered
4 conversations with 5th grade students about the reality of our shy, modest baby. They too are dying to know whether it'll be a miss or mister!
7 pounds gained total since becoming pregnant (NOT just this month!)
8+ little kicks and flutters felt per day