28 Week Appointment

My 28 week appointment with Ann was this morning so I got to sleep in instead of going to work. I actually felt like I could have gotten up when Darrell got up at 5 am, and it took me a bit to get back to sleep after he left. I did feel more rested by the time 7 am rolled around though.

Today was the glucola test for gestational diabetes. I had to drink this sugary syrup before the appointment, and then go to the lab after to get blood drawn. I'd heard all sorts of awful things about the drink, but it wasn't that bad. Just like really, really, sweet flat soda. I got it down pretty quickly, but then had this icky sugar tickling my throat and making me cough for a while. Blech. It later made me a little dizzy and sick to my stomach, but not so bad that I couldn't function. I'm still burping a little of it up now, and that's the really gross part.

The thing that I've loved so far about OU Physicians, is that it really never takes very long. I arrived at 8:45 for my 9:00 appointment and the receptionist was flustered, and said something like "we're running behind, please be patient!" So I settled in with my book, expecting a long wait, but if I'd had serious reading to do I'd have been disappointed. I actually spent what I thought was quite a bit of time with Ann, and still left by 9:15. (Only to have to wait 30 minutes in the lab so my blood could be drawn at the right time.)

The visit with Ann went well. Weight was 160 (ugh) and my blood pressure was 102 over 98, I think - I could be remembering that wrong. We got so busy talking that I forgot to get the baby's heart rate and fundal measurement. Darn, I may have to be annoying and call, or I can just wait for my next appointment and ask. Again, I came away very happy with what we talked about. There are two things that have been been especially bothering me lately - induction, and breech delivery.

Because Emily was induced at (I think) exactly 41 weeks, it reminded me that I had not asked Ann much about her policies - when, why and how she would induce. Not only do I have a longer cycle which will probably put my due date a bit off, first babies are more likely to come late than early. Ann's policy is to induce between 41 and 42 weeks, but she will cautiously stretch that a little if necessary, and after looking things over said that if everything was checking out fine she would give me until Thanksgiving, which is the 27th. Geez, I hope he decides to make his appearance long before then! Just talking it over put my mind at ease though, and I feel like I won't have to start stressing if Nov 8th comes and goes with no baby. I'd certainly want to be induced for a medical reason, but for some reason this has just been a worry on my mind lately and it's nice to have it put to rest in a way.

As for breech delivery, she is not allowed by hospital policy to attend a vaginal breech birth (which I expected.) She did say there are a couple of doctors who would assist a breech birth if it wasn't caught early but they would not plan that - the normal policy is c-section. All of that is exactly what I was expecting, although it's nice to know that there are a couple of doctors who do know how to assist one. What I was really happy with is that she assured me that Ethan is happily resting in the head-down position and will likely stay that way. In fact, she had a student midwife with her and they both agreed about the position with only minimal poking and prodding. I have no idea why I've been so inordinately worried about a breech baby. I guess because until a week or so ago I was mainly feeling movement down low and had irrationally convinced myself that he didn't want to turn upright.

I'll be going back every two weeks now, and my appointment Sept 4th will be with Shana, another of the midwives. Ann wants me to have an appointment with each of them so that if one of them is on call when I go into labor I will at least be familiar.

**update**
Devon, the nurse called this afternoon. My glucose test was normal, thankfully and I got the chance to ask her about the heartbeat and fundal height measurement. Heartbeat was in the 140s, and the fundal height was 27 cm.

Week 28

Your Baby's Development
Your baby now weighs about 2 pounds, 2 ounces (1,000 grams) and measures about 10 inches (25 cm) from crown to rump. At your next prenatal appointment, your health care provider may tell you whether your baby is headfirst or feet- or bottom-first (called breech position) in the womb. Babies who are in the breech position may need to be delivered by cesarean section. Your baby still has 2 months to change position, though, so don't worry if your baby is in the breech position right now. Most babies will switch positions on their own.
The folds and grooves of your baby's brain continue to develop and expand. In addition, your baby continues to add layers of fat and has continued hair growth.

Your Body
Your health care provider probably sent you for some blood tests early in your pregnancy. One thing blood tests measure is the Rh factor, a substance found in the red blood cells of most people. If you don't have it (if you’re Rh negative) but your baby does (is Rh positive), there is potential for your baby to have health problems, such as jaundice and anemia. Your doctor can prevent these problems by giving you a vaccine called Rh immune globulin at 28 weeks and again after delivery.

Pregnant Days

The last few days, but especially yesterday, have been pregnant days. Even though at times I don't think my belly is protruding the way it ought to, I've felt awkward and heavy - even off balance at times. Moving from sitting to standing is becoming more of a chore, especially when I'm sitting somewhere low, or in the bathtub. My upper back has also been killing me. Last night Col. Babcock (Darrell's commander at the unit and former full-time boss) invited us over for dinner. It was a nice night, but by the end of the evening I was so miserable. Just under my shoulder blades was a knifing pain, no matter what position I was in, and I was finding it impossible to get a deep breath. I took a long bath when we got home, and running the whirlpool jets on the tub seemed to really loosen things up. While I still feel twinges this morning I was able to sleep last night and feel much better today.

I've also been having braxton hicks contractions daily, usually two or more that I really notice. They really aren't painful, but are annoying when they occur while I'm walking around. Everything tightens up and it's hard to continue normal movement because it causes discomfort. I barely even notice them when I'm sitting or lying down.

I've finally had to admit to myself that I've gotten fat. Not just the forgivable pregnancy puffiness, but fat. I've gained more than 25 lbs, which is really about the amount I should have gained during the entire pregnancy. The scale is moving upward at an alarming rate. I can use pregnancy as an excuse, yes, but it still doesn't make me feel better. I promised myself I wouldn't let it happen but I did. I knew all the reasons why I should watch my diet and continue exercising, particularly the fact that it would make labor, delivery and recovery easier to be a healthy weight and in shape. However, I ignore that logical voice daily and give in to the fact that I'm constantly hungry and just don't feel like getting on the treadmill. Not only am I hungry, but the kinds of things I want to eat are just not good. Regardless I've not only let myself down, but the baby and Darrell to a degree. Each time I resolve to start again fresh, I take one step forward and then promptly two backward, and I have a hard time finding the motivation to do the right thing. I'm writing this to give myself a pep-talk, but I'm not sure if it's working or not.

Good morning world...

I'm trying a new schedule at work. Since the girls are back with their mom for the school year I can work 4- ten hour days instead of 5- 8 hour days. I'm excited to consistently have Fridays off, but getting up at 5:30 or earlier is a drag. Yesterday I came home at 5 p.m. and after dinner I tried to read while Darrell was playing his new Madden game on the Xbox 360. I thought I would dig into The Birth Book by Martha Sears. It was incredibly interesting as I was reading her version of the history of birth in America, which is not nearly as extreme as some other versions I have come accross. Still, I nodded off on the couch. I wanted to work out, as I still haven't gotten back to the treadmill but I thought I would go lay down for a few minutes first. That was around 6:30 or 7, and I woke up sometime after nine. I got up for a couple of hours and still didn't have much trouble falling asleep when Darrell went to bed about eleven.

Yet, even with all of that extra sleep I'm having a hard time staying awake at work this morning. Hopefully it won't take me too long to get used to this. With Darrell starting school next week I'm looking forward to having longer days at work during the week, plus Fridays off to have my appointments with Ann. They will be increasing to every 2 weeks soon, I think.

We've made little progress in Ethan's room lately. We bought wooden letters spelling his name and painted them dark blue, but when Darrell tried to nail little hangers into them a couple of the letter split. So I neet to get a new E and H, paint them, and figure out some method of hanging them up. I also need to find someone who knows how to hang the wallpaper border. I'm a little nervous to try it on my own since I've never done it before. We should have just enough to do the room, so I can't waste any experimenting.

I did get a Pack 'n Play though. This lady at work had one from her son and it ended up being a really nice one in great condition. I'd been planning to buy one new, but when we saw this one we figured 'why not?' and gave her $15 for it. Honestly, we have been so blessed in the area of baby stuff. Some of my out of state and online friends have actually sent me boxes of things, which I'm incredibly grateful for. There are simply no words to describe how cool it is for our needs to be met this way.

Week 27

Weekly development from Kidshealth.org

By this first week of the third trimester, your baby looks similar to what he or she will look like at birth, except thinner and smaller. The lungs, liver, and immune system still need to fully mature, but if born now, your baby would have a very good chance of surviving.
As hearing continues to develop, your baby may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner's. Sounds may be muffled, though, because the ears are still covered with vernix, the thick waxy coating that protects the skin from becoming chapped by the amniotic fluid.

Your Body
Your body instinctively nourishes and protects your baby during pregnancy, but caring for a newborn is a learned skill. Consider signing up for childbirth classes through your local community center or hospital to learn about topics such as labor, options for pain relief, what to expect after delivery, common newborn problems, babyproofing, breastfeeding and formula feeding, and infant CPR. Learning all you can about birth and babies will help you feel more confident, especially if you're a first-time parent.

The Third Trimester

It's hard to believe that today marks 27 weeks, and the beginning of the third trimester. I feel like time has dragged and flown at the same time. We only have three months to go!





Amazingly I still have days where I just don't feel pregnant. I imagine there will be fewer of those in the future, but I didn't expect to still be having them at this point either. I can still shave my legs, and other hard to reach places. While I can tell my mobility and flexibility is decreasing I am still not all that hindered in my day to day movement. So far.



Yesterday was one of my not-so pregnant feeling days. I got up and went to Babies R Us for a little breastfeeding thing, then to the mall for some bras (I had only one that fit). It was just an easy day, and several times I marveled at how great I was feeling, even power walking around the mall.



Today however, I felt extremely pregnant. I didn't sleep well at all last night... for some reason Darrell wanted to sleep on my side of the bed, which I doubt was the problem at all, but it was annoying. I don't think I had a hope of getting comfortable anyway - every position I tried was wrong for some reason. Even after sleeping until around 8 I just felt groggy. But I got up and went to church. At church my back hurt, my belly felt heavy and awkward and my hands and ankles felt swollen, itchy and puffy. If I hadn't decided to call Emily on the way home and talked to her for a while I think I would have ended up taking a nap this afternoon.

Even though they say the third trimester is the hardest, and I expect the 'worst' is yet to come, I'm excited. I just can't wait to experience what's in store for me in the last three months and ultimately reach the end, and the final goal. I've loved the pregnancy part so far, but now I'm ready for the baby part. :)

breakfast and maternity clothes

After a fiasco with the drivethrough at McDonald's yesterday ending with me getting someone else's breakfast, I still decided brave the drivethrough again and get some chocolate milk today on my way to work.

This time I picked Braums, and resisted the temptation to order a biscut with gravy, strong as it was. I've got to say, $1.50 for a big cup of chocolate milk is a bargain. I pay almost that for a little 2 pint size at 7-Eleven. And it's SO good. I imagine I should be drinking something a little more healthful for breakfast, but it makes me happy and I'm sure I could be doing way worse. I faithfully ate my bowl of oatmeal when I got here this morning, and I'll have Turkey and wheat for lunch.

I forgot to take anything out for dinner tonight. It's really the girls' last night here for the summer as they go home tomorrow so I was hoping to do something nice with them. If nothing else maybe we'll go get a snow-cone once it cools off outside.

Tuesday I ran into someone at work who I don't know that well - she works accross the hall and I've met her only a few times. She was ecstatic to realize that I am pregnant and I talked to her for probably 20 minutes or more about it. Yesterday she brought me two shopping bags of maternity clothes, and today she brought me another. She's incredibly sweet and I'm very grateful for her generosity.

Thanks to that and the little bit of shopping I've been able to do lately I feel like I actually have a wardrobe. So much so, in fact that I'm going to be sad when I have the baby... My old clothes aren't nearly as nice :)