Here's me (last week) at almost 33 weeks!

It seems like maybe sanding the chest of drawers was not the best idea... Although I wore a dust mask, I guess I must have breathed in a fair amount of dust/paint, because ever since Sunday, I've had quite-bad sinus problems. It started with my throat being hoarse on Sunday night, then progressed to my nasal passages and finally Wednesday and Thursday all of my head sinuses were in pain, I could only croak instead of talk, I was coughing all the time and blowing my nose. I called the OB, and he prescribed some prescription-strength Benadryl-type stuff. Today I feel a little better, and I think by the end of the weekend I'll be good to go.

Last night I dreamt about having kids. First, I could see little hands and feet pushing and stretching through my stomach wall. This was originally due to the fact that my friend, Evelyn, was drumming, and I asked her to stop because my baby became so active as a result. Then I was looking for maternity clothes in a store with some friends of mine.

Then my baby was born and initially it appeared to be a boy (I can base this only on the fact that he was wearing blue clothes). In a little while, though, 'he' turned into a girl, whom we called Angela. Whereas the boy she had been had a normal face, Angela had a bit of an odd face: her eyes were rather large, her nose and mouth were small and there was a great deal of vertical space between her nose and mouth. Fast forward to some point in the future (maybe 15-20 years). I saw my daughter Angela coming towards me, now a young woman. She had long, dark blonde hair that was wavy and her face was similar to how it had been when she was a baby. She was not particularly attractive, though not awful to look at either. She was definitely short (around 5'-5'2"), and she came up to me and I embraced her with love. Then I also saw walking by my 2nd daughter, whose name was Maine. She was more attractive and taller, with quite short brown hair.

Since we will not be having a Pendergrass baby shower prior to William's birth, Darryl & I went out on Saturday to look for and pick up some items that we will need before William is born. We went to Target and then to a new Wal-Mart built nearby. We didn't find nearly as many things on our list as we had hoped, but we did pick up some waterproof mattress covers/pads, crib sheets, a baby sleeper (like a sleep sack), car shades, and a Winnie-the-Pooh first handprint and footprint in frames to hang on the wall.

Also on the weekend: Darryl painted a coat of Killz on the nursery trim, and I began the process of sanding the white paint off the chest of drawers. The wood looks not too bad under there so far. Even though I was wearing a dust breathing mask, I may have breathed in a bunch of dust because my throat has been very sore ever since. It takes a lot longer than one might expect to sand the layers of paint off: I've only finished the top and 2/3 of one side.

Darryl took some photos of me at almost 33 weeks. I'll have to post them soon!

Yesterday, after work, I cleared off the two small white bookcases that will go in William's room and be for his books. I moved them out of the hall. Then I cleared off another bookcase (the one that Darryl's dad made) and moved it to where the white bookcases had been. As I was going to put the textbooks back in the bookshelf, I noticed that several of those that had been on the bottom shelf had cat pee on them. It was mostly dried on the pages, but we had to throw away some of the books because of the smell. Other books I was able to bleach, as well as bleaching the floor and bookcase. I think the culprit was Tiger, based on his having a history of peeing on things and places in this house, the Eclectic house, and also in the basement in Mississauga. Needless to say, I was extremely frustrated and annoyed and I do not think I will be able to handle it if he pees outside his litterbox again. Certainly, if any cat pees on William's things, or in any way acts inappropriately towards William, we will likely have to make the tough decision to find a different home for that cat.

This task, of clearing off the bookcases, was supposed to be a fun one for me, because it will make room for William's books and because it prepares a space in our hallway for new bookshelves. Instead, it was stress-inducing and took a lot longer than planned because of all the cleaning involved.

Week 33

"This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds and measures 17.2 inches. Thanks to his recent weight gain, he's losing that wrinkled alien look. Most of your baby's bones are hardening now, but his skull is still quite pliable. It's actually in separate pieces with spaces in between. This flexible structure allows your baby's head to compress so it can fit through your relatively narrow birth canal. The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance. This is totally harmless, normal, and temporary. His skull plates won't completely fuse until he's about 9 to 18 months old."

--from www.babycenter.com

Yesterday, I had another OB appointment.

The doctor is filling out and signing my maternity leave papers that I have to have turned in to work by the end of this month--so that's good!

William is measuring exactly where he should be, as far as the doctor can tell from the length (height?) of my uterus--32 and a bit weeks. I asked about that, because I was curious to find out if William was large or small for his age (in order to get some kind of hint of whether he might be born early or not :-) ). I also asked the doctor if he could tell how William was oriented (some people can easily find the head and bum ends of their babies through their tummies). At the time of my appointment, William was in a breech position, with his head up close to my diaphragm. This makes sense because around that time he was kicking pretty low, near my bladder. The doctor said that he can still move around, and I think this is true because sometimes I feel like his head is more to one side, and I feel kicks in different parts of my abdomen. Hopefully, he'll eventually decide to rest head-down, so my chances of having a c-section are minimized.

I heard William's heartbeat, but only very briefly because I was talking to the doctor. I asked about Nexium; since I won't know when William is planning to make his debut, the OB said I could stop taking Nexium around 37 weeks to be safe if I wanted to--after that, I should take Zantac or Pepcid AC while breastfeeding. I asked about sleeping partway on my stomach (like a 1/3 on my stomach); the doctor said it should be okay so long as I was comfortable, I wouldn't squish the baby.

Darryl painted a coat of white in the closet, and I am definitely eager to have that room painted and finished!!!!!!!!!!! (still lots to do, however)

On Monday night, we had the last of our three prepared childbirth classes. First, one of the obstetricians from the practice came in to talk with us and answer any questions we had about labour, delivery, or anything else. He reminded me of Uncle Nick in his facial expressions and demeanor. Then, nurse Julie talked about postpartum care in the hospital and at home (breastfeeding, caring for the umbilical cord, circumcision, carseats, bottle feeding, etc.). She talked about asking others for help, and caring for not only the baby but ourselves and our relationship with our partner. We formed small groups and went over some scenarios (shaken baby syndrome, SIDS, colic, etc.). The class went on for over 2.5 hours, but it seemed to go by so quickly. At the end, Julie gave each couple a certificate for having completed the course and we all hugged her "goodbye." I think especially Darryl was sad that the class was ending.

One thing I was glad to be reassured about is that they now encourage the baby to "room in" with the mother. That is, if you would like your baby to be in your room the entire time you're in the hospital (if you can care for him/her), you can! But if you need some rest, the staff will be happy to wheel the baby to the nursery for as long as you like. Also good to know is that they really encourage breast-feeding and will let you try and breast-feed as soon as you like. I signed Darryl & myself up for a breastfeeding prep class on May 5th at that hospital. Apparently the lactation consultant who does the class is really excellent. We found out that: William will be circumcised, by whichever OB is on call, probably on the morning of the day he is ready to go home; the umbilical cord dries and falls off in 3-4 days (this is less time than I thought); I will only be in the hospital for about 48 hours if I don't have a c-section.

One activity that Julie had us do (which I was planning to do something similar on my own as well) is to write a little wish for our child. It starts "My Dream and Prayer for you is..." and you write from there. I would like to post what Darryl & I each wrote (once I check with Darryl if it's okay). We both love William so much!!!

_ _ _ _ _

Right now, as I type, William is being very active and seems especially fond of kicking my bladder!

_ _ _ _ _

So, how am I doing at 32 weeks? It seems to still be hard to get as much sleep as I need. The cats aren't really bugging us much at night anymore, so I guess it must be due to tossing and turning, and also to the fact that I need to take a restroom break at least twice a night now. I feel like my quality of sleep is not too bad, and I generally tend to get a good number of hours' worth of sleep, so...... I don't know!

My tummy still is kind of nauseous. I think I've narrowed it down to being full. Because William (well, mostly my uterus with the placenta and amniotic fluid) is taking up so much room in my abdomen, all of my organs are squished up into my thorax. This includes my stomach. So, although I am still as hungry as usual, if I eat more than a bowlful of food, I will feel nauseous. My lungs are also squished and I notice that I get out of breath quite quickly: even when we are just singing songs in church!

William is really active nowadays! He is almost constantly moving at times. This includes poking me in the ribs (it doesn't exactly hurt, but sometimes it is strong enough to be a little surprising), and stomping on my bladder (not fun!). Because of the size of my abdomen and the pressure on my bladder and pelvic floor, I usually feel bloated. However, I'm quite sure that William hasn't dropped yet. I think I have felt William hiccup, because occasionally there are repetitive little 'bumps' that occur in my tummy. The other day, I was half-sitting on the bed, reading, and I would rest my book on my tummy. Every time I did that, William would kick there! I still don't know where William's head and where his behind are--I can't quite make that out by feeling my abdomen.

It's uncomfortable to sit for too long, or to lie down for too long. Standing is better, though my feet/legs can get to hurting because of the added weight. A couple of weeks ago, I broke our scale (one of the mechanical, non-digital, kind--the spring broke) (!!!!), so I have no idea how my weight gain is progressing. It is definitely difficult to bend down and do things like: tape up the trim in the nursery with painter's tape, pick up the cat bowls after they eat, tie my shoes, etc. Also, while sitting I really can't slouch. There is nowhere where my abdomen can bend at all!

All of this may sound like I'm complaining--I am uncomfortable at times, but I really believe that I'm having a superb pregnancy and I'm thankful that everything is going so well! So, I don't feel that I have a reason to complain. I love to feel William move, and every day I am more and more excited in anticipation of his arrival!

Week 32

"By now, your baby probably weighs almost 4 pounds and is almost 17 inches long. Her fingernails have grown in completely. Some babies have a head of hair already, while others have only peach fuzz. Your baby is taking up a lot of space in your uterus, but those tight quarters shouldn't reduce her activity level. You may have heard that it's normal for babies to slow down later in pregnancy, but that's not true. If you notice any reduction in your baby's movements, call your healthcare provider."

How your life's changing:

"Your blood volume (the plasma plus red blood cells) is now about 40 to 50 percent greater than before you became pregnant to accommodate the needs of you and your baby. (This extra amount also helps make up for any blood you'll lose when giving birth.) You're also gaining a pound a week now, and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. With your uterus pushing up near your diaphragm and adding pressure on your abdomen, you may be dealing with heartburn more often or feeling a little short of breath. To help with shortness of breath, try eating smaller quantities more often (rather than three daily feasts) and sleeping propped up. Those smaller meals should help with the heartburn, too.
As your baby grows, the increasing concentration of weight in your growing belly causes a change in your posture and a shift in your center of gravity. Plus, your abdominal muscles are stretching, hormones are making your ligaments more lax, and your growing uterus may even press on some nerves. All of this can contribute to low back pain and possibly to some pain in your buttocks and thighs as well. Let your caregiver know if you have severe pain or feel numbness or tingling in your legs."

-- from: www.babycenter.com

Last night I dreamt that William was born. The birth itself was quick and painless (as all births in my dreams have been. That's right: "IN YOUR DREAMS!!!"), and William was a very cute looking newborn. But then, he was precocious and started being able to move around with ease, playing with the cats (jumping on things like them and getting behind things like them), and he sort of morphed into a cat or into something similar to a cat. He resembled Dennis, in fact.

I know why I had this dream. It's because while we were looking at the babies yesterday, the one sleeping was so small and cute I said it reminded me of a little cat. But still, it was sort of a bizarre dream to have!

Last night was our second prepared childbirth class. We learned about: the 2nd and 3rd stages of labour (delivery of the baby, delivery of the placenta), different positions that a baby could be in during birth, c-sections, drugs that could be administered during L&D (labour & delivery), different monitoring techniques for the baby and the mom during L&D, and the mechanics of how a baby moves through the birth canal (we got to practise using a toy doll and a plastic pelvis!). We saw a short movie about labour (basically different birthing positions, techniques, administration of drugs, c-section), and then went to tour the hospital.

One of the couples in our class (who were due April 14) were already in the hospital and had given birth by c-section a few days earlier!

The hospital tour made me feel more at ease than I expected. The hospital itself is smallish and they are in the process of renovating sections of it so it will presumably look more updated and may be larger. The L&D section is on the 2nd floor and you keep the same room from the time you're admitted (unless you've arrived far too early) to just after giving birth. This was reassuring, so I wouldn't have to be moved around a lot. The room we toured was relatively large and looked quite nice. Throughout the week, I'd been bummed out because the hospital has traditional horizontal beds with stirrups for the birth. Since I would like to try and have as much of a drug-free birth for William as possible, I was hoping to be able to move around and try different positions (esp. vertical) as much as possible. I did not want to be confined to a bed with my legs in stirrups. In any case, the hospital visit and what the nurse said assuaged my worries somewhat. As long as I don't get an epidural, I should be able to move around freely for most of the time.

After the L&D floor, we moved up to the 3rd floor which is postpartum. There we were able to see a few babies in the nursery. Two had been born within the past 3 hours, and Darryl was particularly taken by a little baby girl who was very pink and crying. He really enjoyed looking at her and imagined holding her (holding William, I guess). He is still talking about those babies today! :-) Because of the couple who was in our class, we got to see a postpartum recovery room. All the rooms apparently are private, though they are rather smallish and do not allow for cots for spouses.

All in all, it was a good class and a good hospital visit. Darryl & I are looking forward to this!!!

This past weekend we did a little bit of shopping for baby stuff. Chiefly, we wanted to find a crib mattress and a changing table pad. We found both at Baby Depot in Montgomery, and we also bought changing table pad covers (2) , a Winnie the Pooh lamp, and a diaper bag (one that we both liked, since we'll both be carrying it around). It's really exciting to have almost everything we need for William! Yesterday, Darryl added another coat of yellow to William's room and hopefully we'll be able to move on to the trim now (we'll have to wait for daylight to see).

Here are some photos of our purchases this weekend:

In other news, our sister-in-law, Susan, will be hosting a baby shower for us on May 12 (quite appropriate, being Mother's Day weekend!). Also, the Foster family from church gave us a nice fleece Winnie-the-Pooh blanket for William last Sunday--thank you!! :-)

Week 31

"Your baby measures about 16 inches long. He weighs a little over 3 pounds and is headed for another growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side. Of course, he doesn't yet understand that this movement means "no," but you'll be surprised how quickly he picks up on that and other gestures after he's born. The fat layer he's been accumulating for the last few weeks has caused his arms and legs to fill out nicely."

-- from www.babycenter.com

too yellow? too bad!

It's hard to tell from these photos just how bright & light William's room is (will be). In a previous post I had decided that we should paint the room a shade lighter. However, after time, the "ribbon yellow" colour has grown on me and it is a very cheerful colour and makes for a very cheerful room. I think that once the plastic on the floor is gone, once the blinds (wood-coloured) are in up, and once all the furniture and rugs are in place, they will all have a moderating effect on the yellow colour and the room will look very good afterall. I guess we'll see! If it's hideous perchance, William will have to live with it for at least 5 or so years! :-P

Prepared Childbirth Classes

Yesterday evening, Darryl & I went to the first of three "Prepared Childbirth Classes" sponsored by my ob/gyn office and East Alabama Medical Center. Our classes are for the first three Mondays in April, from 6:00-8:30 p.m. The nurse, whose manner struck me initially as being somewhat flaky, turned out to be very caring and genuine, as well as knowledgeable and funny, and there were about 7 other couples there besides us.

First the nurse, Julie, went through communication issues between spouses and we all had to introduce ourselves, our babies, our due dates, our spouses, and say what our spouse was most excited about and most concerned about. I said that Darryl was most excited about seeing/meeting William and holding him, and that he was most concerned about William's and my health. Darryl said that I was most excited about being a mom (in actual fact, I am most excited about seeing/meeting William) and that I was most concerned about getting everything ready for the arrival (it may seem that this is my biggest concern because I keep nagging him about painting, etc., but really I am most concerned about my adequacy as a mother: that is, I will be responsible for a LIFE who will be dependent on ME entirely, and I hope I am able to do the job well).

The next bit was some anatomy and physiology, and working through hypothetical scenarios such as what you might do if your water breaks (who you would call and questions they might ask you). Then we learned about the different stages of labour: I. early, active, transition, II. pushing & giving birth, III. delivery of the placenta. We saw a short video about the different stages of labour and there was a brief clip in there of a woman giving birth. Previously, I asked Darryl if he would actually want to watch the "giving birth" part of our own experience, and he thought not. Not because he'd be queasy or uneasy or anything, but I think more because he had seen clips before and possibly it looked too painful. ?? Anyway, we didn't witness more than a few seconds of this woman's own experience, but it made both of us teary-eyed and afterwards Darryl thought that perhaps he would want to watch William actually being born after all. Darryl also would like to cut the umbilical cord; I would like Darryl to be the first person to hold William.

Last, we did some exercises and relaxation techniques, which were helpful and were indeed relaxing. I think Darryl & I both got a positive experience from these classes and I'm looking forward to next week when we get to have a tour of the hospital!

PS - As of this point, I would still like to try and have a natural birth (i.e. no drugs or at least not an epidural). I have no idea what contractions will feel like, and I know different women experience them with different degrees of pain. I figure that once I feel what my contractions are like, I'll be in a better position to make up my mind on this issue.

Crib!

Sandra & Jerry came down to visit us this past weekend and brought along with them an oak corner cabinet (from Tommy & Susan) and a crib (from Allen & Annette). The crib is only a loaner, but it's made of a dark wood and has nice lathed slats. This will come in very handy and will save us money too! We assembled the crib on Sunday late afternoon, and soon we will have to purchase a mattress and bedding for it! :-) Due to the expense of getting a whole baby bedding set (and the fact that the most expensive part, the quilt, is not really used anyway), I think I will pass on a crib bedding set. Also, having read a couple of different articles about baby crib bumpers and the fact that baby might be safer without one, I think I'll pass on one of those as well! So, that leaves me with needing only sheets, mattress pads, and mayhap a dust ruffle!

Week 30!

"Your baby's a bit more than 15 1/2 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds. A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and fills out your uterus. Your baby is now able to distinguish between light and dark, and he can even follow a light source back and forth. Once he's born, he'll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, he'll respond to changes in light, but he won't be able to see anything that's more than a few inches from his face. Since you'll want to hold him close as much as possible, you'll be in the perfect spot for him to get a good look at you."

-- from www.babycenter.com