How far along? 39 weeks.
Total weight gain? 26-27 lbs.
Stretch marks? Same.
Best moment this week? Being surprised at work with a card, cake, drawing, and Graco Pack 'n Play from my coworkers! Also, crafting up a wall decoration with baby's name to hang above her crib. I'll be finishing it tomorrow, it's so cute and I can't wait to show everyone!

I could tell yesterday was no ordinary day when I arrived at work. One of my coworkers spotted me in the parking lot and immediately made a bee-line straight for me and followed me inside. I thought it was strange, but didn't say anything. Then as I walked in, everyone took turns stealing a glance at me as they all tried to pretend they were paying attention to their work. I awkwardly walked past everyone and half noticed a giant pink gift on one of the cafe tables, but really didn't think twice about it. As I passed I saw a Totoro drawing and got so excited. "That's for me!" I thought. I ran upstairs (as fast as a pregnant lady can run up stairs) to punch in and when I came down I had at least three people greet me right away. At this point I knew all eyes were on me and I was too embarrassed to approach the table with my gift!
I'm sure it took me almost a half an hour to walk over to the table. Everything was so cute! The cake that Sarah picked out looked amazing (and tastes even better than it looks!), Kerrie drew up a Ghibli picture which will soon have a place in baby's room, everyone in my department signed a card for me, and Rebecca purchased a gift on behalf of the team (they all pitched in for it). I didn't actually take a picture of the gift after I opened it but it's a Graco Pack 'n Play! Rebecca was especially excited when I let her know that I didn't already have one and the gift is definitely appreciated! I am so lucky to have such wonderful coworkers!!!! :)
I was totally craving chocolate cake just the night before so I was very excited when I saw the cake. The top layer is vanilla and the bottom is chocolate with chocolate chips. So delicious! (I literally just ate another piece!)

39 week appointment

38 week update.

How far along? 38 weeks.
Total weight gain? 26 lbs, I gained 1lb back from the 2lbs I lost last week!
Stretch marks? No new ones. Still lotioning up my itchy belly.
Best moment this week? Setting up most of Roo's nursery with my mom and washing baby's tiny clothes! I also finally ordered my breast pump!

A few goodies from roo's nursery!

For the third week in a row, the appointment with my midwife has caught me by surprise. This week offered several bits of (possibly) really great news.
A few weeks ago, Sundyna (my midwife) delivered the news that I tested positive for Group B Strep. If you read my blog post for that week, you know that I was less than pleased to hear this information. I really dreaded having to be given an IV during labor and didn't want to be put on a timer if my water broke before labor started. I admit, I was also pretty nervous about the increased risk of having to be induced and the cascade of interventions that could follow. This morning however, Sundyna informed me that a mistake was made. When I transferred my prenatal care to Dorchester House, the staff at Dedham Medical sent my patient file to Sundyna and included in that file was a positive diagnosis for Group B Strep based on a urine sample. When Sundyna first told me this, I thought it was a little strange that I was never given the diagnosis while I was still under the care of Dedham Medical, but was too focused on what this would mean for my delivery to question anything. It turns out, the diagnosis really was positive--but it wasn't mine. Sundyna had skimmed through my file to catch up on my patient history, but didn't realize that those test results weren't mine. Dedham Medical made a mistake and sent over a copy of a different patient's test results!! I may have gone through all of that stress and worrying for nothing! Anyway, she did a formal test this morning and I will get my results back later this week. So I may or may not be GBS+. On the one hand, I am relieved that those weren't my results and it's almost like I get a "second chance" to pass. On the other hand, I know there is still a chance that I could test positive and I will probably be a little let down again. But at least I will know what to expect and will be prepared for delivery with a positive diagnosis. I will be calling Sundyna on Thursday to get my results and will be (im)patiently waiting until then!

I also got some updated news regarding my consistently increasing anemia. When I first transferred to Sundyna's care she ordered lab work and my iron level was at 26, which was really concerning and put me at a higher risk of losing a lot of blood during delivery and also increased my chances of having to get a blood transfusion. She prescribed me a higher dose of iron and after just three weeks, my iron level went from, 26 to 29, which is exactly what she had hoped for. Every day that I take my supplement while baby is still in my belly increases the amount of red blood cells that we share and decreases any risks we have. It has already been one week since the blood work was done and there are still two more weeks before baby's estimated arrival. I just have a really good feeling that anemia won't even be a concern during my delivery.

Both of these are kind of up in the air still and could go either way, but I am really hopeful that everything will turn out for the best. I know I will have a happy and healthy baby either way, but being GBS+ and severely anemic are just making everything that much more stressful. Cross your fingers for me that I get a negative test result later this week and I'm going to continue to chug orange juice with my iron supplements!

As my 37th week approached, I decided to crack down and finalize my preferences for my birthing time, and be able to discuss these preferences with Ashton so he knows what I am thinking before we are rushing off to the hospital together. We made a rough list of things that I knew I definitely wanted and didn't want. After a little research I decided to finalize my preferences and create an actual birth plan. I never realized how many details there are to be mindful of regarding birth, until I decided to sit down and map out my own birth plan. I use the term "birth plan" pretty loosely, and should really use the term "birth preferences", simply because we all know my little one on the way is going to be the star of the experience and she will most likely determine how she enters the world, regardless of what I plan. For that reason, not every mum chooses to create a birth plan, but I think there are also a lot of really great reasons to consider it!

Why did I create a birth plan?
I feel that a birth plan:

• empowers me to envision how I expect my birthing time to play out, while also considering second options should it not go as expected.
• will remind me of choices that I made with a clear mind, so I don't have to think about them during intense labor.
• allowed me to discuss important decisions with Ashton so he can be prepared and know how to advocate for me during my birthing time.
• equips medical practitioners with guidelines to follow if I am unable to communicate them myself.
• decreases the chance for a misunderstanding or added stress during my birthing time.
• lets me consider many different kinds of birthing journeys that I may not have even known I had the option to experience.
• is giving me peace of mind during my last few weeks of pregnancy that I have done everything I can to prepare for the big day. 
• enables me to remain involved and be as in control of my birthing experience as I would like to be.

My birth plan.
I created my birth plan using a technique that I conjured up myself, rather than one I found on the web. I created a checklist document that includes a multitude of options for different situations (fetal monitoring, pain management, induction techniques, etc) and then checked off my preferences for each one. I then created a second document with a bulleted list of preferences from the checklist in the form of statements, separated into sections for labor, delivery, and postpartum. The end result is one document, my birth plan, that only includes the options that I chose and isn't bogged down with extra information. This way, my midwife, nurses, partner, etc., can easily see what my preferences are, since they are clearly explained the way I think is best understood and doesn't include the distraction of anything extra.

Just as a quick overview without all the personal information, here are just some of the requests that I included in my birth plan: the use of a birthing tub provided by the hospital, only my midwife and support people be present unless there is a medical need for a doctor--and no medical students, residents or interns allowed, as few cervical checks as possible, to not be offered an epidural or other medication for pain relief, to try natural methods of induction first before any medication (Pitocin) is offered, to not have an episiotomy, to be able to push spontaneously and not be rushed, to avoid vacuum suction or forceps to aid in delivery, to donate baby's cord blood--and in the event that staff are not available to collect a donation, we will wait until the cord stops pulsating for it to be cut, to have immediate skin-to-skin contact and that my baby and I be allowed bonding time before any procedures or exams be done, that my baby not be offered formula or a pacifier and that I will be exclusively breastfeeding, a lactation specialist to help with first time breastfeeding, etc.

I plan on giving a copy of my birth plan to my midwife before I show up at the hospital in labor. That is, bringing it along to my next prenatal appointment (or emailing her a copy if I forget to bring it!) so she knows what my preferences are and can plan accordingly on her end. I will also be sticking one in my hospital bag as a reference for the nurses or other medical staff that may assist in my birth.



I am so super excited that my little girl is almost here! Just 16 days until her estimated arrival. Writing out my birth plan (as well as setting up her nursery!) made things slightly more real for me, and I do feel more prepared. Next step.... packing my hospital bag! I'm going to have a baby so soon!!!

"Emergency" third trimester ultrasound.

On Monday at my appointment with my midwife, she did her usually pocking and prodding of my tummy to check on baby's relative size and position. She measured my fundal height at 36 weeks (I was 36 weeks, 1 day), and noted that I have been measuring small for the past 3 appointments. After feeling the baby, she expressed additional concern that she may have been mistaking Roo's hips for her shoulders, and that the baby might actually be breech. So we scheduled a late ultrasound for two days later (today) to asses Roo's growth and position. Those 48 hours seemed to crawl by. I just wanted to know that my baby was getting the nutrients she needed and that her growth pattern was normal, and that she wasn't breech.

My midwife warned me that if it was determined the baby has a slowed growth rate, that we would need to schedule an induction. In addition to that, if she has a slowed growth rate AND was breech, they would most likely schedule a c-section. HOW TERRIFYING. All I could think of was how much I wanted to naturally experience the surprise of labor and everything that childbirth has to offer. I'm sure there are mothers out there thinking I'm nuts, but I don't care about the pain or feeling like it will never be over. I want to go into labor when my baby is ready and dilate on my own and push her out when I get the urge. All without medical intervention and especially without any medication.
Long story short, the ultrasound report (shown above) came back completely normal. They did estimate her to be a bit small for her gestational age, but she is in the 18th percentile so they aren't overly concerned ("Normal" is between the 10th and 90th percentile). They checked on the development of her heart, stomach, bladder, and brain, as well as the condition of my ovaries, cervix, placenta, and the umbilical cord. Everything came back with great results. My tiny baby girl is perfectly healthy and developing just as she should be! :) And yes, they reported her position as "vertex" which means she is head down and ready to engage. I couldn't be happier.

37 week update

How far along? 37 weeks.
Total weight gain? 25 lbs. I actually lost 2 lbs this past week.
Stretch marks? Still on the look out for new ones, but none so far.
Best moment this week? The baby shower on Saturday! Everything was amazing, my mom did such a fantastic job planning it. I had a lot of fun and it was so nice to see my family. Now I can't wait to bring my little roo to family events in the future. :)

Veggie Galaxy

To celebrate baby's well-being and the end to a very stressful 48 hours for myself and Ashton, we treated ourselves to a scrumptious vegan lunch at Veggie Galaxy in Cambridge! I had the stuffed French toast (who can go wrong when breakfast is served all day?!) and Ashton chose the bacon tempeh burger--both of which were AMAZING. And at the end of our meal we snagged a chocolate peanut butter frappe to go!