Baby's first toy - not approved by mommy

I've been complaining for a couple of weeks about a baby foot in my ribs. Lately the pain has gotten bad, especially at work when I have to sit and can't get up and move around. Yesterday the pain was kicking my butt so badly I was having second thoughts about my ability to handle a natural birth. I resorted to putting some ice in a plastic bag and holding it against my ribs. Mostly for the pain, partly hoping it would discourage Ethan from continuing to lodge his foot there. I felt incredibly guilty for even thinking about it like that so I limited the ice. Well, today wasn't as bad as yesterday, but I'd started to wonder if it was something more than a little bruising. The chiropractor confirmed that today. One of my ribs has been pushed out of place... there is a big knot on my back where you can feel it. He did some of his magic and adviced me to get some ice on my back, where the rib is obviously messed up. I'll talk to Ann to make sure she's okay with that too.

Bottom line: Ethan thinks ribs are fun to play with. Mommy does not concur.

34 Weeks

Brought to you from kidshealth.org

Your Baby
Maternal calcium intake is extremely important during pregnancy because the baby will draw calcium from the mother to make and harden bone. If a pregnant woman doesn't get enough calcium during pregnancy, it can affect her own bones because the developing fetus will take minerals from the mother's skeletal structure as needed.

The vernix coating on the baby's skin is becoming thicker, whereas lanugo hair is almost completely gone.

By now most babies will be in position for delivery. Your health care provider can tell you if your baby is positioned head- or bottom-first. Babies born at 34 weeks usually have fairly well-developed lungs, and their average size of 5 pounds (2,250 grams) and 12.6 inches (32 cm) from crown to rump allows them to survive outside the womb without extensive medical intervention.

Your Body

Fatigue is a common complaint of late pregnancy. Difficulty sleeping, aches and pains, weight gain, and anxiety about labor, delivery, and taking care of a newborn may contribute to your exhaustion. Rest as much as you can and take naps if possible.

Yay!

I had a great suprise the other night! I went to take the trash out, and there was a big box from Target sitting on the front porch. I hadn't noticed when I got home because it was behind a bush and I came in through the garage. Anway, a long-lost cousin who I just got back in touch with (through myspace after 13 years) had ordered us the Bumbo Baby Seat off of the Target Registry. I was so excited! I've heard such awesome things about those little chairs and I can't wait until Ethan can try it out! (I stole this picture from a google image search - My apology to the owner, but isn't this baby adorable?)

It really made my night... I just love suprises like that!

One Month Ago

So, I guess this picture would have been between 29 and 30 weeks. I just found it in my web album and thought the comparison to the ones I just posted was interesting. The little bean is growing!

33 Week Pictures!

A couple of pictures I took. One of these days I'm going to learn to use this fancy camera of ours and actually take good self-pictures. I know it's possible. I know it, I just need to learn how.

A little TMI

My old friend Vicky has a secret. Normally, she lets me in on this secret and we enjoy it together, like an inside joke that no one else knows. Well, since getting pregnant with Ethan, the joke has been on me. She doesn't have any secrets big enough and she's turned her attention to smaller, less pregnant women. (Yes, we're talking about Victoria's Secret bras, people).

However, since Vicky abandoned me, I've found a new friend. Her name is Anita. Anita is supportive and accommodating of my increased needs. While ironically enough she is a well-kept secret in her own right, she doesn't discriminate.

I've been having trouble breathing. Ethan is sitting up so high he's pushing into my rib cage so unless I am lying down or leaning over my exercise ball, taking each breath is difficult and often painful. Especially if I am not able to fully sit back in my chair, for instance when I'm trying to type at work. To exaserbate the problem, the three bras I purchased at Motherhood Maternity are becoming increasingly uncomfortable. The underwire cut into me constantly as there is no room between my large cleavage and increasingly huge belly for the wire to lay against my chest as it should.

So, I e-mailed my friend Annie, who has experience in the area of large cleavage and she told me I needed an Anita Bra. Desperate for anything to help, I followed her advice. These girls are not cheap. They're from Germany (I think) and run around $60 or more most of the time. But I found one at a discount on e-bay and went for it.

I'm so glad I did.

I finally have the support I need to at least keep the breathing problem in check. I still have baby feet in my ribs (as I type, even...) and breathing still isn't the most enjoyable part of my life, but at least I have a little less pain from trying to keep my bra in a comfortable place.

It feels good.

Crazy Preggo Dreams

I don't know that I've had dreams specifically about having the baby up to this point. I'm not sure. But last night I dreamed that I had triplet boys. Darrell wasn't there (I don't remember if he was anyway) and everyone around me (strangely my mom and siblings) kept taking the babies from me. I was trying so hard to breastfeed and while I would be feeding one, they were taking the others away and giving them fruit loops and sippy cups of milk. I was devestated and helpless. I remember at one point screaming about the 'virgin gut' and how they'd ruined my baby's digestive system.

It was really disturbing.

Edited to Add: Info on delaying Solids and The Case for the Virgin Gut ... just to add a little educational value to this otherwise stupid post and clarify what I was screaming about. Haha.

Another midwife appointment

Midwife appointments are fairly routine right now. Which is how we want them, of course, but it does get a little boring and mundane. I saw Ann again on Friday, and Darrell was able to come with me but there was really nothing special to report.

Urine protien from last time was just fine (increased protein would be a signal of pre-ecclampsia, but I wasn't worried about that - it's just a routine check.)
I forgot to ask the heartbeat, but it sounded about like normal.
Fundal height: 32 cm
Weight: 170

Ick. I just don't even want to think about the weight thing right now. Even knowing I've gained 40 lbs hasn't really helped me with self-restraint. I don't eat everything in sight, but sometimes I feel like I could. I'm constantly snacking, and not on the right things. I've been doing a little better during the week, just at home by myself, but the weekends are horrible. And it seems like the more I eat the more I want. Too late to reverse what I've gained now, but I guess my next trip to the grocery store should include some better choices.

She checked again, and baby is still in the head-down position. She was pleased and so am I. It's unlikely at this poing he will move. Now, lets just keep him anterior and everything will be perfect (as opposed to posterior, sometimes referred to as "sunny side up.") By the way, I don't know if you've ever seen a doctor or midwife palpitate the abdomen for the fetal position. Basically she just presses her fingers into the lower part of the abdomen, near the pelvis - presses hard. Darrell told me later he wanted to get up and slap her for being so rough with his child! I thought that was kind of funny :)

Darrell's thoughts on having a boy

The following is from Darrell's myspace blog, written a few days after we found out that Ethan was... well, Ethan! Since Darrell keeps threatening to delete his myspace I wanted to preserve this piece of writing. I think Ethan deserves to know someday how eagerly we awaited this news, and how joyful we were when it finally came. And I think it'll be special for him to have it in his daddy's own words.

If Darrell doesn't like me reposting this it'll come down. But you know what they say... it's better to ask forgiveness than permission :)

--Cilla


[28 Jun 2008 Saturday]

Ethan Joseph Hafer
Current mood: excited

Well, for those of you who I haven't told already, Cilla had her ultrasound yesterday and it turns out we're having a boy! There are no words that can do justice to how estatic I am right now. It almost seems like a state of disbelief. I have listened to people (who shall remain nameless but may be reading this right now) poke fun at me and tease me for years about how I can't "make a boy".

I had convinced myself months ago that it was a girl. I had looked at every "scientific" aspect of the whole X vs Y chromosome, and looked at Cilla's fertility tracking tool (yeah - can you say obsessed) and was even convinced that scientifically the odds we're against a boy. I had everything figured out, all except for one.

The power of prayer.

Seriously. I prayed every week for God to bless me with a son. Now, before you all tell me that's not right, please know - I fully understand any healthy child is a blessing. I love my daughters to death. Any of you who have met Maddison would probably remark about how much she looks and acts like me (poor kid) and be sickened at what a daddy's girl she is. Both her and Bailey are amazing. But all men want a son. I want a son to be able to do all the things fathers and sons do. I can't wait.........

We already had a boy name picked out. Ethan Joseph. Ethan, just because we liked it and Joseph because it's my uncle's name. Plus, as an added bonus, I thought EJ would make for a really cute nick name. It beats the heck out of Buzzy or Buz - I can tell you that. ---if you don't know, don't ask.

So, I am extremely grateful and extremely appreciative. I'm still a little shell shocked. November 8th can't come soon enough. I just hope I can handle it like a man. When the Dr. proclaimed "its a boy" I immediately jumped, clapped and yelled "YES!" as if though my team had just scored a touchdown. Then of course, I questioned the Dr. stating I couldn't see anything and how could she be sure. After official review though, we were presented with photo evidence that indeed - my touchdown was good. In fact, when I get it scanned, I'll show you all what the little boy picture looked like.

Suddenly, for someone who wanted a boy to do all the "man" stuff with, I seemed to nearly lose control. My eyes started watering and I think the only thing holding them back was my 9 year old staring deep into them. So, I did the manly thing and contained myself..........
Until I left for school a few minutes later with everything concealed behind the mirrored tint of my sunglasses. Everthing except for a few tears of joy that managed to escape......

I'm so excited.

I'm so blessed.

I'm so grateful.


Thanks for reading.
Ciao.

Another Reason Breastmilk is better

No one can add tainted ingredients to your breastmilk and poison your baby. Some 6,200 babies in China are suffering the effects of a formula manufacturer's greed, several have died, and now parents aren't sure where to turn for something safe to feed their baby. Read the Story Here

With recent, widespread food industry recalls and problems here in the US, I would be terrified to willingly deny my child the safety I could provide him in favor of leaving his nutritional fate in the hands of someone else. Someone else who has proven time and time again that they are more concerned about money than the health of children. More info can be found in this Wikipedia article on the Nestle Corporation Boycott

Just my personal tangent for this morning.

As you were, everyone.

2nd Class

We had our second childbirth class last night.  We talked about the stages of labor, and Marie showed us a video about medical interventions.  While the video played she passed around the different medical tools, like the epidural needle, vacuum, forcepts, internal fetal monitor.  The epidural needle only further confirmed my stance on having an epidural.  No one is getting that thing near my spine!  It gives me the shivers.  The internal fetal monitor made me kind of sad... it's a relatively small curved wire that "screws" into the baby's scalp.  I'm sure it's not the cruel and unusual punishment that it seems like, but I would only want it used in the absolute worst case scenario.  I love the fact that the external fetal monitors will be wireless so when they are monitoring (15 minutes per hour) I'll still be able to be mobile.  I wonder if they're waterproof?  Or if they'll be willing to monitor with a doppler should I decide the tub is the place to be.  We get to do a hospital tour in week 5, and I'm looking forward to that. 

 

I've got some more rambling to do later, but this should be enough for now.

Week 32

Brought to you from KidsHealth - see link on sidebar if you'd like to visit the site.


Your Baby's Development
The final touches are being placed on your baby masterpiece. Eyelashes, eyebrows, and the hair on your baby's head are evident. The lanugo hair that has covered your baby since the beginning of the second trimester is falling off, although some may remain on the shoulders and back at birth.
At about 4 pounds (1,800 grams) and 11.4 inches (29 cm) from crown to rump, your baby would have an excellent chance of survival outside the womb if you delivered now.
Your Body
During your prenatal visits, your health care provider will monitor your blood pressure, urine, and any swelling that may develop, but symptoms such as sudden weight gain, swelling in the hands or face, headaches, or changes in vision can be signs of preeclampsia. This condition causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider if you experience any of these symptoms, since this condition can affect both the mother and fetus during the second half of pregnancy.

A Pediatrician and La Leche League

Friday morning I got up and went to meet a pediatrician for Ethan. Darrell remembered that the ped the girls always used when they were younger is out in Yukon so I decided to just start with her. It turned out she is very nice, and I feel comfortable with her. I don't have a whole list of things to be anal retentive with in a pediatrician so I think I will go with it. I did like hearing that she breastfed her own three daughters, but she also not a hard-core committed to breastfeeding type of doctor. She rambled on about how it's everyone's choice and how things just don't always work out the way we plan them. So, our approaches are a bit different but I'm not going to worry about it for now. So, that's another item checked off the huge list of things to do.

After sitting at the tire store for 2+ hours waiting to get the tires balanced and a flat fixed, I went home to work on some homework until the La Leche League meeting at 3:30. It was at a church in Yukon. When I got there, there was only the leader and one other person there. Another girl showed up with her baby a few minutes later and that was our group for the day. I was suprised that the other pregnant girl, Angelique, was the wife of Darrell's first Sgt. in the unit. We've met and gotten to chat at a few of the unit events, and I enjoy spending time with her. Come to find out, she's due in a few weeks and having her baby at OU Medical Center with the same midwife. I'm excited to hear how things go for her, so hopefully she'll be at the next meeting. I told Darell, it makes me happy to find other people who have similar outlooks on this birth thing

Rebecca, the LLL leader is great. I can tell that she's going to be very helpful. She's very knowlegeable and has been leading LLL for several years. Her own children are older, but she breastfed them all. It seems like she devotes a great deal of time to breastfeeding support. It was encouragine that she had great things to say about the lactation staff at OU Med Center. She also mentioned the hospital's efforts to become a baby friendly hospital as defined by the WHO and UNICEF, something I had just heard about. This is an initiative that mainly deals with hospitals' support of breastfeeding. You can read more here. Essentially, the goal is for the hospitals to give breastfeeding mothers what they need to succeed instead of pushing formula samples on them, and undermining their efforts. It's a big deal to be recognized as a baby friendly hospital and there are none in Oklahoma yet. OU Medical is the closest it comes and they do intend to fully meet the requirements.

The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back. I took the girls to the fair on Saturday afternoon while Darrell was at drill. We probably didn't even stay two hours and I was pooped. They had fun though, with the petting zoo and agriculture/animal exhibit. I think the highlight of the day was the roasted nuts stand though! I always forget how good those things are. Mmm... I might have to dig into the cashews I bought for Darrell tonight when I get home. I don't think he was as thrilled about them as I remembered from last year.

Yesteray was shot to crap after I burned my hand cooking bacon. Of all things. I cook bacon every weekend but for some reason I had to splash grease all over my hand. Thankfully Patrick had come up and stayed the night so he kindly finished up breakfast for the girls while I soaked my hand in water. I essentially sat all day with my hand in water, then magically about 9 pm things started feeling better so I was able to get my homework done and bake some cookie bars for birth class tonight.

How about a potty break?

Bye-Bye Belly Button

Soon, the little hole where my belly button once receeded to will be but a memory. Each day it's stretching out more and more, and the belly button is starting to pop out.

I'm not sure why I'm so obsessed by this, but I'm assessing the progress daily. I guess it proves to me how much Ethan is growing.

In other news, having a small foot lodged in your rib cage restricts breathing capability considerably. Little boy has been in an odd position all day, like he's bracing his foot against my rib. He has been very active today though. I've been watching my stomach move like a weirdo. I was trying to show Darrell again last night and he just ended up thinking I'm a weirdo. Which I am, but that's not even the point :)

Childbirth Class

Since Darrell is in school every night, Sarah agreed to come with me to the seven week Prepared Childbirth class that is offered by OU Medical Center. Hopefully Darrell and I will be able to attend the "fast track" course together as well, but either way, it looks like Sarah is going to be my other Labor Support Person. I think it's going to work out beautifully!

The class is being taught by Marie Rowe, a childbirth instructor who my friend Angela recommended. She is a very sweet older lady, who is just about 70 years old. She was a L & D nurse, and now does childbirth education and doula services. I thought it was pretty cool that she volunteers as a doula to women whose husbands are overseas with the military. She definitely has a bent toward natural, unmedicated childbirth which is, of course, fine by me! I was so suprised that at least two of the four other couples in the class were vocal about their desire to have natural, unmedicated births. It made me happy to meet other young, normal people in real-life who have a similar goal.

Being the first class, things seemed a little unorganized. Marie admitted that she was being forced to follow a structure that she wasn't used to, so I hope that's why it seemed a little disjointed at first. Not that she didn't give us some interesting information though. Toward the second half of the class she had us watch part of a DVD with a class discussion and then a birth video, and that was good. Overall I'm excited to be doing it. I hope that I learn a lot that will help during labor, but regardless it is just good to be out of the house and talking to other pregnant mommies :)

Midwife Appointment

Yesterday my appointment was with Shana, another midwife in the practice.  She is nice.  Younger than Ann - I would guess probably in her 30s.  I could tell right off that she is a little more intervention minded than Ann, for instance she let me know that if she is on call she would prefer a heplock -- Ann and I had discussed not having one at all.  While I didn't grill her, I can still tell that her general philosophy about birth is good and we will agree on most of the issues that really matter to me.  Honestly, while I think having a heplock will be annoying during labor, (I've only had one IV in my life and before that groggy fog consumed me, I remember it didn't feel nice) it's not the hill I want to die on.  I would be a little more willing to sacrifice myself on the "water birth" hill, and it made me sad that she said that if she is there she won't be in favor of delivering in the water.  (Labor in the water is fine.)  Apparently since the water-birth policy is being enforced strictly by the hospital, if I "happened" to deliver in the water, she would have to go before the board to explain the situation.  And sadly I can understand her not wanting to do that.  The policy is under review, and honestly I think I'm going to find out who to contact in order to join the other patients who have written letters requesting that it be changed.  Surely that won't happen by November, but maybe by baby #2... =)

I am definitely hoping that Ann is on-call when I go into labor.  I guess I'm going to have a chat with the man upstairs and see what he can arrange. 

 

Weight was 164, BP 84/50, Baby's heart rate was 150 and the fundal height measurement 30 centimeters.

 

 

I didn't put up weekly development on Sunday. It's very much the same from week to week now. Baby is growing bigger and all of his organs are continuing to mature. Mommy is getting huge. Mommy's back hurts and she can't breathe. Pretty much right on target!!

Hard to believe we've finished 30 weeks already! Less than 9 weeks to go now until the official estimated date. Wow. Childbirth classes start on Monday night, and I'm excited. I've started piling things in the bassinet that will be going into the hospital bag, and I have a list. Since Darrell is so convinced that Ethan should make an appearance early, I intend to have everything ready in advance, or close to it.

Something interesting I read is that baby now spends most of his waking time with his eyes open. He can apparently see light when it's light out. I wonder if he can see it through my clothes as well?

I have really started to be a whine-bag over the last week. I should probably curb that a little since I suspect it's only going to get worse not better. Nichola called me the other night and one of the first things she said when she got on the phone was "are you having trouble breathing?" I have to admit, at that moment I was trying very hard to get comfortable so that I could actually talk to her, and I thought she could hear it in my voice. But actually, she's just been having as much trouble or more being able to breathe. The baby is getting higher and higher, and as he does, he's giving my lungs less and less room to expand. It's especially difficult since I sit most of the day at work.

I guess it's normal that more and more my thoughts are consumed with this baby. How he's going to get here, what it's going to be like when he does. It's what I think about as I fall asleep and the first thing I think of when I wake up. (After wishing horrible deaths upon the alarm clock, of course.) I have about 4 books lying around at any given moment, three about birth and one about breastfeeding. That way I can read about exactly what I'm thinking about at the moment.

My online classes started this week. So far nothing looks too demanding... I'm going to start in on the work this evening and hopefully I'll be able to get a few weeks ahead and stay that way in case anything happens early. I'm excited about taking classes again, although these are the typical "welcome to school" type classes that consist of talking about learning instead of really delving into a real subject. It's okay though... I might not have the mental energy for too much more.

Ethan's Room!

Here are the pictures of Ethan's room, finally finished. Note the little baseball and bat on the ceiling fan pull-chain :) One of our best finds.

The changing table. Not sure if the little footballs on the ends of the curtain rod show up.

The dresser and shelf. We need more little baseball caps to hang from the hooks.

The light switch cover to match. Is it a coincidence that the football helmet in this set has no. 4 on it?

Close up of the crib.
The rocking chair. I forsee spending lots of time here, so thankfully it's comfortable.

Ty thinks it's pretty spiff. This is his lick of approval :)