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!

How far along? 36 weeks.
Total weight gain? just about 27 lbs.
Stretch marks? No new ones, thankfully!
Best moment this week? Anime Boston!! I walked around for 11 hours on Friday and 9 hours on Saturday and baby was pretty well behaved the whole time! I felt like Friday was a breeze for the most part, but I could definitely tell I was getting tired at the end of the day. Ashton and I went to get food before we left Boston and I was so overwhelmed from being hungry and tired that I very nearly cried because he didn't want to stand in line at Qdoba to get a burrito, lol (how ridiculous!). On Saturday I wore boots that weren't the comfiest to be walking around in all day so my feet hurt a lot sooner, and then I noticed my fingers started swelling up halfway through the day probably because I was dehydrated (the swelling went away after several hours and lots of water/sitting down). But we got some cute prints of original Ghibli fan artwork and a Totoro plushie for the nursery!!

Okay so I admit, my blog has been pretty boring lately, since my last three posts have only been my weekly updates. We have been so busy with the move and I have added a few extra hours to my work week.... still! But alas, we are all moved in to our new home (although we are still unpacking). I love it here so much, so far. We have neat little ledges that go along the entire wall in the living room and both bedrooms. I would love to have lots of pictures and decorations (maybe candles too!) on the one in the living room. And I hope to have Roo's books on the one in her room, among other things. Currently baby's room is set up as storage area because we don't have a lot of her things yet (baby shower is March 29th!) and we're still setting up the rest of the rooms, so in the meantime everything left over is in there. I'll be sure to make another post soon about the updates to our new place along with some pictures when we are done unpacking. But for now, here's my.....

35 week update!

How far along? 35 weeks.
Total weight gain? 26 lbs.
Stretch marks? Same as last week.
Best moment this week? Moving!!! Of course I wouldn't have been able to help so I was actually relieved that I spent the day at work and didn't have to stand around looking like a helpless kitten. Although, I would have liked to hang out with my Mom again. I can't wait to get everything set up the way we want it and just enjoy being in our new home, and preparing for the arrival of our little one.

I will hopefully be posting more this week as there are plenty of things I am dying to update about! I hope to see you soon!

How far along? 34 weeks.
Total weight gain? 25 lbs.
Stretch marks? They are making their way to the tops of my boobs as well. Sound so attractive right?! Still none on the belly or anywhere else though.
Best moment this week? Meeting my new midwife (she's actually really great!) and being able to discuss lots of options for my labor and delivery (including cord blood banking, a birthing tub, and a doula!). It turns out she is able to get to the hospital three days out of the week so she will only be present at my delivery if it occurs on one of those three days. Otherwise I will be accompanied by another midwife in the Brigham group, which I don't think I'll mind too much. But sadly, cord blood donations only occur Monday-Friday 7am-7pm, so if I deliver outside of that time frame I probably won't be able to donate. I guess having the possibility is better than not having the option at all. Also, I'm going to think about it some more, but I think I want to request the option of a birthing tub even if I don't end up using it. I am actually super excited about that possibility and want to look into it further. I didn't think using a birthing tub was even an option, but apparently they just got two new ones! Another option is having a doula, which is basically a support person during birthing time that is only there for advice/support and to make things easier by making suggestions or will step back if everything is already running smoothly. I am not sure about this option but am willing to do a little research and see how having a doula changed the birthing experience for other mums (especially since I will get a practicing doula so it will be at no additional cost to me). Although I discussed with my midwife that I want as few people as necessary in the l&d room (mostly because I don't want doctors/nurses/assistants/medical students coming and going as they please and making my birthing time stressful), I am actually willing to entertain the idea of letting a practicing doula witness a natural unmedicated child birth (if all goes well!) and add that to their experiences for when they get their license.

So many possibilities! I'm so excited for the future and to see how everything unfolds.

Yesterday morning I attended my first prenatal class, which was a "breastfeeding basics" class. I was so happy to be in a room full of other soon-to-be-mums! I went on my own since Ashton was too afraid to come. (Just kidding, he was actually working and had said that he wouldn't have an opportunity for "practical application" of the knowledge we would gain lol). He was kind of right though. Unless he wanted to learn how to help me massage the milk out for manual expression if the baby can't latch properly... Ha!

These are some of the useful facts and skills that I learned (even Ashton might find them interesting).


1. The Newborn Tummy!
At birth a baby's stomach is only he size of a cherry! So teeny! And it will take an entire month for her tummy to even be the size of an egg! This somewhat eases my worries that I might not be able to produce enough milk to breastfeed her.


2. Did you know? Differences between breastmilk and formula.
Compared to a formula fed baby, a breastfed baby...
...has softer stool.
...does not need to be burped as often and may not burp at all because they swallow less air (breast vs bottle).
...has a smaller stomach.
...requires a smaller feeding to get the same amount of nutrients.
...has an easier time digesting and, consequently, has fewer "fussy" periods.
...generally requires fewer medications and visits to the doctor.


3. Wet diapers and bowel movements.
Poop is poop, but I just like this chart because it gave me more of an idea of what to expect. The chart also included a column for color and texture of bowel movements, but I decided to leave that part out (as I'm sure you are all glad!). It is good to know though so I know what is normal and when to be concerned.


4. Interesting facts!

• Skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth and frequently thereafter helps babies breastfeed sooner and last longer, latch on well, cry less, soothe more easily and have lower stress hormones.
• Frequent babywearing stimulates baby and promotes breastfeeding.
• Babies actually LOSE weight after they are born, but should typically be back up to their birth weight by the time they are two weeks old.
• Babies feed better when they feed on cue, rather than on a schedule. Cues include: hand to mouth movements, licking lips, rolling eyes, sucking movements and noises or sucking on hands or fingers.
• The more milk your baby takes, the more milk your body makes!

   

I learned a ton more as well, but won't bore everyone with the details. Overall, the class made me much less anxious to breastfeed and I definitely gained some useful knowledge on how to properly latch and unlatch, how often to feed in a 24 hour period, how to encourage breastfeeding, how to know when baby has received enough milk, different positions for breastfeeding and burping, how to comfort baby when she cries, when to contact a lactation consultant or pediatrician, etc.

Honestly, it was such a useful class, I really recommend one to any new mum who is planning to breastfeed. Breastfeeding might not look or sound that hard to some people, but after sitting through the class I realized there really is a lot of skill involved--as well as patience and practice!

To any other women out there who are planning to breastfeed for the first time, good luck and don't give up. Our bodies were made for this!

How far along? 32 weeks.
Total weight gain? 22+ lbs.
Stretch marks? None on my belly.
Best moment this week? Making it through a six day work week!!! Registering my prenatal care in Dorchester and setting up an appointment to meet my new midwife. Checking out an apartment with Ashton and filling out an application! (Just waiting to hear back now!) Seeing my family this past weekend for Deasha's birthday. (Happy Birthday!) I love getting to sleep over at my Mom's, I just feel so comfortable and relaxed while I'm there. I feel like it's my once-a-month mini-vacation. Too bad I only get one more before baby arrives!
I went to Whole Foods in Dedham and treated myself to the brown rice cucumber and avocado rolls, with wasabi and ginger of course! Even though the sushi is expensive I've only had it one other time since being pregnant so I thought I'd treat myself today!
Late night snacking tonight.... It's like these treats were made for me!! I let Ashton have one too, even though he's not a Mom, lol.

How far along? 31 weeks.
Total weight gain? 20-21 lbs.
Stretch marks? None on my belly.
Best moment this week? Feeling up to working a few extra hours last Thursday to count inventory after already working a regular 8 hour shift. I'm also working six days this week and feel pretty good about it, so far!