I started a post last Friday, but it started sprawling and never got finished. Lucy weighed 7 lbs., 7 oz. at her doctor's visit, a gain of 5.5 oz. in 7 days. It was short of the ounce a day goal but good enough to keep us from needing another weigh-in before her one month appointment. I realized the other day that I could weigh myself at home and h myself holding Lucy and see the difference to figure out how much she weighs. My scale measures in .2 pound increments, which is 3.2 oz. She weighed 7.8 lbs., which if correct means she gained 5 oz. In 5 days and is back up to birth weight. Hurray!
She's been insatiable at times recently. We're thinking it may be a growth spurt. It may also be a supply issue because I started pumping over the weekend. Or it might have been an unhappy coincidence that pumping and growth spurting happened at the same time. There have been a few times she's not been satisfied after taking all I had to offer, and Matt had to try to pacify her while we waited for me to make enough to feed her without frustrating her. It's been frustrating for everyone at times, but we think it's getting better.
Update since the last paragraph was written in the middle of the night: supply is a not an issue this morning. Lucy and I were so tired that we slept 6+ hours between feedings. Thank goodness for the natural automatic emergency pressure release valve (and breast pads). :) Bring on the growth spurt!
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
A Weighty Matter
When it became clear that I was going to have a c-section, I turned to Matt and said, "We just can't stop being special." Well, Lucy's "specialness" continues. She's had two appointments with the pediatrician this week. The first was her check-up that typically takes place at 2-3 days old. Because of our extended hospital stay, she had her appointment at one week old. Everything looked good except her weight. When she was born, she was 7 lbs., 12 oz. When we left the hospital, she was 7lbs. even. When we went to the doctor on Monday, she was 6 lbs., 12 oz. A pound of weight loss when you started under 8 lbs. sounds freaky, but early weight loss is considered normal. But at one week, the doctor expected that she would at least be closer to her last hospital weight. So he told me to feed her more often and come back Friday for another weigh-in. I had been feeding her when she acted hungry, but this week I was more aggressive in looking for the least sign of hunger and offering her the chance to eat. We went to our weigh-in today, and the doctor gave her an A+ for weighing 7 lbs., 1.5 oz. She surpassed the ounce a day gain he was looking for. Way to go, Lucy! Her first A+! :) He wants to see us again next Friday to make sure she's still on the right track. We're pretty confident she will be.
Matt and I are both convinced her weight loss was because my milk didn't come in until day 5 or 6 (at the end of the normal range). She was subsisting on the lower calorie, immune-boosting colostrum until Saturday instead of getting the fatty milk. With four days of milk this week, she's gaining weight like she should.
After our first weigh-in on Monday, I was concerned about low milk supply, so I did some research online and watched YouTube videos for pointers. My baby is not as patient as the babies in the video. She won't let me guide her head. Her mouth is pretty small and doesn't open as wide as the babies in the video. None of the cheek touching or lip tickling reflexes seem to be working. She comes at me panting and shaking her head like a dog playing with a chew toy or shredding a newspaper. So I've got a small, wildly-moving target that refuses to be guided and tends to put both hands between us. I'm not sure our technique is great, but obviously we're getting the job done. And she has learned that certain head positions improve milk flow, so she sometimes puts her head in those positions. (I can't make her do it. Whose daughter is she?) When I realized that's what she was doing, I was so proud. She learned something based on experience, not just conditioning. Learning and experimenting are pretty important in this household, so I was thrilled to see some evidence of them in her first two weeks.
Since I'm on the subject of pride and this is a post about weight, I'm going to brag on myself. When I weighed myself a couple days ago, about 9-10 days postpartum, I was 10 pounds BELOW pre-pregnancy weight! I had hoped to break even and actually lost 10 pounds. It's the best weight loss program I've ever been on. The fantastic number on the scales has given me extra motivation to keep eating well and start taking short walks in a week or so. Light housework (folding clothes, unloading the dishwasher) is about all I'm capable of right now. And I'm even more determined to get to the pool in November.
Matt and I are both convinced her weight loss was because my milk didn't come in until day 5 or 6 (at the end of the normal range). She was subsisting on the lower calorie, immune-boosting colostrum until Saturday instead of getting the fatty milk. With four days of milk this week, she's gaining weight like she should.
After our first weigh-in on Monday, I was concerned about low milk supply, so I did some research online and watched YouTube videos for pointers. My baby is not as patient as the babies in the video. She won't let me guide her head. Her mouth is pretty small and doesn't open as wide as the babies in the video. None of the cheek touching or lip tickling reflexes seem to be working. She comes at me panting and shaking her head like a dog playing with a chew toy or shredding a newspaper. So I've got a small, wildly-moving target that refuses to be guided and tends to put both hands between us. I'm not sure our technique is great, but obviously we're getting the job done. And she has learned that certain head positions improve milk flow, so she sometimes puts her head in those positions. (I can't make her do it. Whose daughter is she?) When I realized that's what she was doing, I was so proud. She learned something based on experience, not just conditioning. Learning and experimenting are pretty important in this household, so I was thrilled to see some evidence of them in her first two weeks.
Since I'm on the subject of pride and this is a post about weight, I'm going to brag on myself. When I weighed myself a couple days ago, about 9-10 days postpartum, I was 10 pounds BELOW pre-pregnancy weight! I had hoped to break even and actually lost 10 pounds. It's the best weight loss program I've ever been on. The fantastic number on the scales has given me extra motivation to keep eating well and start taking short walks in a week or so. Light housework (folding clothes, unloading the dishwasher) is about all I'm capable of right now. And I'm even more determined to get to the pool in November.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Lucia Celeste Oliver
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| 5 days old |
I need to pace myself because I'm still recovering, so I'll end this post. Matt has posted pictures of Lucy on Facebook. I'll try to get some more photos and information on the blog soon.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Trying out my new keyboard
A couple weeks ago Amazon ran a good deal on Kindle Fire HDs. We already had a Kindle Fire that we love, but we love it so much that we'd be really sad if it broke and we didn't have a ready replacement. And the Kindle Fire HD has some features that are really nice. One of them is a webcam that can take pictures. I'm thinking that will be the quickest way to send out a first photo of the daughter soon-to-be formerly (hopefully) known as Elsie. As long as we have wifi at the hospital, we should be able to email it right away instead of taking a picture with our digital camera, uploading it to a laptop, and then emailing it. I tried it out by sending a photo of myself to Matt. It worked very easily. Unforrtunately, the photo could have been interpreted as more sexy than it was intended to be (which was not at all), and I had sent it to his work email. Sure I was photographing myself in bed, but it was a head and should shot. I hadn't noticed that the straps of my stretched out Wal-Mart clearance sundress that I wear as a nightgown had fallen off my shoulders, making me appear nude. Oh well, we get our excitement where we can. :) Another great feature of the Kindle Fire HD is that it is Bluetooth enabled, which means that I can use a Bluetooth keyboard with the tablet, which I am doing right now. Now I can blog on the go without my laptop. It was a pain trying to use the on-screen keyboard on our old Kindle Fire to blog. This new keyboard and tablet set up is pretty spiffy.
Our weekend has been pretty low-key. We've slept a lot and cleaned a bit and finished a few more projects on our list. Elsie has shown no signs that she intends to arrive before Monday. She has dropped enough that my upper stretch marks are no longer stretching. But she seems pretty happy where she is. I've been giving her rubs and bath-time water massages while I still can. I guess I can't blame her for staying put when I'm offering spa services like those. She's been pretty insistent about those back rubs recently. I had trouble getting much done at work one morning because she kept surfacing so forcefully that I couldn't ignore her. And this morning in the bathtub I was pouring water on my belly (her water massage) for a while and then stopped. She started bumping my belly where I had been pouring the water to remind me that's what I was supposed to be doing. She's a girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it.
We're by no means completely prepared for her arrival, but we're ready enough. Now that the lamp with dimmer switch is installed and the bouncy seat cover has been laundered, the nursery is ready. Most of the house is liveable rather than a total wreck. Matt and I both left work late on Friday because we were leaving things in good shape while we're away. Matt's taking a week off. The church OKed six weeks of leave for me, although if it turned out that I needed a little more because of a slow recovery, I'm pretty sure they'd work with me. They've been very supportive and remarkably good at going Mongolian. They also asked if they can throw a baby shower after the baby arrives. I'm very blessed to be employed by Lowell Avenue Baptist Church.
If Elsie doesn't surprise us tomorrow, we'll go to church and finish up a few more projects and finish packing our hospital bags. And I'll get to go swimming one last time. That's not one last time ever but possibly for the semester. The pool will close in early December, and I'm not sure I'm allowed to swim until my appointment in November, and the pool hours aren't great for me, and I'll be a little busy. Next semester, however, I'll be there whenever possible. I may even be able to take the baby along with Matt's help. She already has a swimming suit and swim diapers and a footed terry cloth outfit for post-pool.
Oh yeah! I meant to share that I've got a Wal-Mart registry now. When Lowell Ave. asked to throw a shower, I figured I needed to make a registry that people could use in a readily-available store, and I added everything I could think we could possibly need in the next year to it. You can look it up under my name or Matt's either online or in-store. It's also not a bad idea to give Amazon gift cards. Right now anything left on our registy is 10% off if we buy it. I've said before that we don't need a lot, and we don't. The Wal-Mart registry has lots of diapers and sheets and wipes and stuff we won't need for a little while like an exersaucer and potty chair. I have added some larger sized clothes (we still don't need newborn or 0-3 month clothes) and a few books and some slightly older toys. So there are more options on it than on the Amazon registry.
Well, that was certainly more than I meant to post when I started. This keyboard really is amazing! :)
Our weekend has been pretty low-key. We've slept a lot and cleaned a bit and finished a few more projects on our list. Elsie has shown no signs that she intends to arrive before Monday. She has dropped enough that my upper stretch marks are no longer stretching. But she seems pretty happy where she is. I've been giving her rubs and bath-time water massages while I still can. I guess I can't blame her for staying put when I'm offering spa services like those. She's been pretty insistent about those back rubs recently. I had trouble getting much done at work one morning because she kept surfacing so forcefully that I couldn't ignore her. And this morning in the bathtub I was pouring water on my belly (her water massage) for a while and then stopped. She started bumping my belly where I had been pouring the water to remind me that's what I was supposed to be doing. She's a girl who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to ask for it.
We're by no means completely prepared for her arrival, but we're ready enough. Now that the lamp with dimmer switch is installed and the bouncy seat cover has been laundered, the nursery is ready. Most of the house is liveable rather than a total wreck. Matt and I both left work late on Friday because we were leaving things in good shape while we're away. Matt's taking a week off. The church OKed six weeks of leave for me, although if it turned out that I needed a little more because of a slow recovery, I'm pretty sure they'd work with me. They've been very supportive and remarkably good at going Mongolian. They also asked if they can throw a baby shower after the baby arrives. I'm very blessed to be employed by Lowell Avenue Baptist Church.
If Elsie doesn't surprise us tomorrow, we'll go to church and finish up a few more projects and finish packing our hospital bags. And I'll get to go swimming one last time. That's not one last time ever but possibly for the semester. The pool will close in early December, and I'm not sure I'm allowed to swim until my appointment in November, and the pool hours aren't great for me, and I'll be a little busy. Next semester, however, I'll be there whenever possible. I may even be able to take the baby along with Matt's help. She already has a swimming suit and swim diapers and a footed terry cloth outfit for post-pool.
Oh yeah! I meant to share that I've got a Wal-Mart registry now. When Lowell Ave. asked to throw a shower, I figured I needed to make a registry that people could use in a readily-available store, and I added everything I could think we could possibly need in the next year to it. You can look it up under my name or Matt's either online or in-store. It's also not a bad idea to give Amazon gift cards. Right now anything left on our registy is 10% off if we buy it. I've said before that we don't need a lot, and we don't. The Wal-Mart registry has lots of diapers and sheets and wipes and stuff we won't need for a little while like an exersaucer and potty chair. I have added some larger sized clothes (we still don't need newborn or 0-3 month clothes) and a few books and some slightly older toys. So there are more options on it than on the Amazon registry.
Well, that was certainly more than I meant to post when I started. This keyboard really is amazing! :)
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Keeping My Batteries Charged
I've posted before about how taking care of myself is a part-time job in itself. I thought I'd elaborate on that a bit. Most people probably aren't aware of how much of my life revolves around monitoring and maintaining my energy level. Everyone needs to recharge their batteries sometimes, but mine take more effort than most because of a combination of traits and conditions.
First, I live with chronic depression. I have had symptoms of depression since 2nd grade. I started receiving treatment after college, when I was in therapy and started taking anti-depressants. After I dealt with some initial issues in therapy, I was able to work through other things myself. More than one mental health professional has told me I'm "insightful," so I haven't found talk therapy very helpful for a while. But the depression didn't go away. I wasn't crying or sad, but I was lethargic and seemed to catch and keep every illness that went around. My primary care doctor recognized that my body was still depressed and recommended that I increase my dose of anti-depressants, especially when I was sick or getting sick. And it helped. My brain needed an extra boost to help my body and immune system be well. I'm still on daily anti-depressants. I still deal with the physical symptoms of depression even at times that I'm not dealing with emotional symptoms. Mostly the physical symptoms are about energy. I fatigue easily. Sometimes sleep disturbances start the fatigue cycle, and sometimes they just exacerbate it. When I'm tired I am more likely to get sick and have trouble getting well. I'm less likely to take good care of myself. And I'm more likely to have emotional symptoms of sadness, helplessness, and loneliness--though I've never been suicidal.
My already low energy is further affected by the fact that I'm an introvert with some social anxiety. Whereas extroverts gain energy by being around people, introverts use energy to be with people and gain energy when alone. That describes me pretty well. Being with people, even people I like, uses energy. I have no trouble leading large or small groups even with no advance notice. Teaching gives me kind of a buzz before it leaves me wiped out. But it does wipe me out. The social anxiety kicks in in more social situations. If I'm leading a group, I have a defined role, and the purpose of the gathering is something other than socializing. Getting together with a few people for a dinner party, however, is nerve-wracking. The personal interaction is more intimate than leading a large group. And more interaction tends to mean more energy exerted and more fatigue.
So between the introversion, social anxiety, and chronic depression, a lot of my life is about regulating energy: maintaining consistent sleep patterns, taking care of myself, not over-committing my time and energy, and limiting participation in social activities. Unfortunately, these problems affect the way that I interact with people. I don't want to be standoffish, but interacting with people makes me tired, and being tired puts me at risk for illness and depressive episodes. And once a fatigue cycle starts, it's hard to break, so I try very hard to avoid starting one.
And now I'm hoping to be a sleep-deprived new mother. Well, I'd rather be a rested new mother, but I'm not sure those exist. I want to be a mom, so I'll live with being a sleep-deprived one. But with my conditions, I am going to have to try even harder to stay rested and energized, especially because I'll only get worse if I feel I'm failing my child by being sick or sad all the time.
As we near the end of the Mongolian period, I think it's important for people to realize that my responses to group celebrations and helpful, supportive actions after the baby arrives may not meet expectations because of my energy levels and my need to maintain them. My cloistering behavior may seem more extreme than the average new mother, but it's necessary because I'm not starting with the same pre-baby energy level as the average new mother. I have many people in my life who love me and want to help. And I really do appreciate it. But no matter how much I love you, you are a person, and interacting with you uses up my energy. Since my energy supply may be low to start with, my priority is to use it on Elsie, me, and Matt if any is left over. I tend to feel a responsibility to be gracious to well-intentioned people, but for a little while I can't be responsible for anyone else. I may feel guilty if people let me know they want more from me than I can give. Feeling guilty doesn't increase my energy. And if I attempt to meet others' expectations, then I would be using up the energy reserved for Elsie and me. I can't do that. If I have a surplus of energy, I will reach out. But if I only have enough for Elsie and me, everyone else will have to wait.
Specifically, this means that if my energy is needed elsewhere, I may not spread the word that I'm in labor. Labor is draining, so I won't be giving updates during it. I don't want people contacting me during labor for updates. If there is an emergency, Matt will contact the family/friend phone tree as soon as he's able. Otherwise, no news is good news. When there is (hopefully) good news of the arrival of our daughter, Matt will let people know as soon as possible. Pictures and details will be shared as soon as we (people without smart phones) can do it. I don't want to be visited in the hospital. Anyone who drops by our house in the week after we get home probably won't see me or the baby. I don't want to shut anyone out, but I need to keep me together. I want to keep blogging about our adventures with Elsie but may not be able to do so immediately. As soon as I am able to receive visitors and share information, I will do it. But if you don't hear from me, it's because I can't handle it yet.
I'm making my wishes about labor and early baby days known so that you can continue to love me by being patient. You can trust that I will continue to share and be open, that I'm not trying to exclude anyone. I'm trusting that you will respect my wishes, especially now that you better understand my physical/mental situation.
Having established all of the above, I have an update on induction. We were expecting a scheduled induction on Sept. 23, but the doctor surprised us and moved it up to next Monday, Sept. 16. If I don't go into labor earlier, we will be heading to the hospital Monday morning to have a baby. Now that you know when I'll be in labor and when I'll be at the hospital, I'm relying on everyone to be patient, suspend expectations, and let me interact when I have the energy to do so.
A word of caution for people who are really excited about the induction news... We are still going Mongolian until there's actually a baby to celebrate. We learned Neil had died two days before a scheduled induction; in fact, he was delivered on the day the induction had been scheduled for. Scheduling an induction does not mean we've reached a goal. It's just a sign that the goal is closer in sight.
First, I live with chronic depression. I have had symptoms of depression since 2nd grade. I started receiving treatment after college, when I was in therapy and started taking anti-depressants. After I dealt with some initial issues in therapy, I was able to work through other things myself. More than one mental health professional has told me I'm "insightful," so I haven't found talk therapy very helpful for a while. But the depression didn't go away. I wasn't crying or sad, but I was lethargic and seemed to catch and keep every illness that went around. My primary care doctor recognized that my body was still depressed and recommended that I increase my dose of anti-depressants, especially when I was sick or getting sick. And it helped. My brain needed an extra boost to help my body and immune system be well. I'm still on daily anti-depressants. I still deal with the physical symptoms of depression even at times that I'm not dealing with emotional symptoms. Mostly the physical symptoms are about energy. I fatigue easily. Sometimes sleep disturbances start the fatigue cycle, and sometimes they just exacerbate it. When I'm tired I am more likely to get sick and have trouble getting well. I'm less likely to take good care of myself. And I'm more likely to have emotional symptoms of sadness, helplessness, and loneliness--though I've never been suicidal.
My already low energy is further affected by the fact that I'm an introvert with some social anxiety. Whereas extroverts gain energy by being around people, introverts use energy to be with people and gain energy when alone. That describes me pretty well. Being with people, even people I like, uses energy. I have no trouble leading large or small groups even with no advance notice. Teaching gives me kind of a buzz before it leaves me wiped out. But it does wipe me out. The social anxiety kicks in in more social situations. If I'm leading a group, I have a defined role, and the purpose of the gathering is something other than socializing. Getting together with a few people for a dinner party, however, is nerve-wracking. The personal interaction is more intimate than leading a large group. And more interaction tends to mean more energy exerted and more fatigue.
So between the introversion, social anxiety, and chronic depression, a lot of my life is about regulating energy: maintaining consistent sleep patterns, taking care of myself, not over-committing my time and energy, and limiting participation in social activities. Unfortunately, these problems affect the way that I interact with people. I don't want to be standoffish, but interacting with people makes me tired, and being tired puts me at risk for illness and depressive episodes. And once a fatigue cycle starts, it's hard to break, so I try very hard to avoid starting one.
And now I'm hoping to be a sleep-deprived new mother. Well, I'd rather be a rested new mother, but I'm not sure those exist. I want to be a mom, so I'll live with being a sleep-deprived one. But with my conditions, I am going to have to try even harder to stay rested and energized, especially because I'll only get worse if I feel I'm failing my child by being sick or sad all the time.
As we near the end of the Mongolian period, I think it's important for people to realize that my responses to group celebrations and helpful, supportive actions after the baby arrives may not meet expectations because of my energy levels and my need to maintain them. My cloistering behavior may seem more extreme than the average new mother, but it's necessary because I'm not starting with the same pre-baby energy level as the average new mother. I have many people in my life who love me and want to help. And I really do appreciate it. But no matter how much I love you, you are a person, and interacting with you uses up my energy. Since my energy supply may be low to start with, my priority is to use it on Elsie, me, and Matt if any is left over. I tend to feel a responsibility to be gracious to well-intentioned people, but for a little while I can't be responsible for anyone else. I may feel guilty if people let me know they want more from me than I can give. Feeling guilty doesn't increase my energy. And if I attempt to meet others' expectations, then I would be using up the energy reserved for Elsie and me. I can't do that. If I have a surplus of energy, I will reach out. But if I only have enough for Elsie and me, everyone else will have to wait.
Specifically, this means that if my energy is needed elsewhere, I may not spread the word that I'm in labor. Labor is draining, so I won't be giving updates during it. I don't want people contacting me during labor for updates. If there is an emergency, Matt will contact the family/friend phone tree as soon as he's able. Otherwise, no news is good news. When there is (hopefully) good news of the arrival of our daughter, Matt will let people know as soon as possible. Pictures and details will be shared as soon as we (people without smart phones) can do it. I don't want to be visited in the hospital. Anyone who drops by our house in the week after we get home probably won't see me or the baby. I don't want to shut anyone out, but I need to keep me together. I want to keep blogging about our adventures with Elsie but may not be able to do so immediately. As soon as I am able to receive visitors and share information, I will do it. But if you don't hear from me, it's because I can't handle it yet.
I'm making my wishes about labor and early baby days known so that you can continue to love me by being patient. You can trust that I will continue to share and be open, that I'm not trying to exclude anyone. I'm trusting that you will respect my wishes, especially now that you better understand my physical/mental situation.
Having established all of the above, I have an update on induction. We were expecting a scheduled induction on Sept. 23, but the doctor surprised us and moved it up to next Monday, Sept. 16. If I don't go into labor earlier, we will be heading to the hospital Monday morning to have a baby. Now that you know when I'll be in labor and when I'll be at the hospital, I'm relying on everyone to be patient, suspend expectations, and let me interact when I have the energy to do so.
A word of caution for people who are really excited about the induction news... We are still going Mongolian until there's actually a baby to celebrate. We learned Neil had died two days before a scheduled induction; in fact, he was delivered on the day the induction had been scheduled for. Scheduling an induction does not mean we've reached a goal. It's just a sign that the goal is closer in sight.
Week 37 Appointment: She Whips Her Hair Back and Forth
We were busy finishing up the nursery last night, so I didn't post about our appointment. Everything is still great. My blood pressure was good. I'd lost a pound, possibly due to the reopening of the swimming pool and greater effort to cook healthy meals. At 37 weeks, Elsie is considered full term, so if she came right now she wouldn't be premature. During the ultrasound, she breathed like a pro. Our ultrasounds have been long because Elsie has been lethargic; it takes a while for her to move enough to pass the BPP. She's not always lethargic. She's a maniac in the car on the way to the appointment and in the waiting room and tires herself out before the ultrasound. Last week we tried eating closer to the appointment time to see if she would still be energized from lunch, but it didn't work. So this time we ate in the waiting room, and I saved my Wendy's Frosty for the ultrasound. It kind of worked. She didn't go wild, but she started moving her head around so that her hair was swaying in the amniotic fluid. If I could float in water while eating a Frosty, I would do exactly the same thing. :) Whipping her hair back and forth was sufficient movement to pass the BPP, and it was kind of cute. Elsie is still head-down but is having trouble getting comfortable in her increasingly cramped quarters. She rolled over last week--it was painful--and got herself smushed up in a funny position. The ultrasound tech said it's not a dangerous position, but it didn't look all that comfortable. Apparently, Elsie agreed. She rolled again last night--painful again--and probably returned to something like the previous position. I'm hoping that the discomfort encourages her to seek larger living quarters. It will be like moving from a studio apartment to a mansion (or a warehouse--our house isn't fancy and is full of stuff). :)
Thursday, September 5, 2013
LSMFT
Today as I was rubbing my belly--something I do with great frequency--the phrase "so round, so firm, so fully packed" came to mind. Originally, that was part of a Lucky Strike cigarette commercial. I used to listen to the Jack Benny radio program on cassette when I worked for a printer in college, so I've heard the phrase often. In the ad, LSMFT stands for Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco. Right now to me it means L-See's Mama's Full Tummy. It's kind of a stretch to make the initialism (not acronym) work, but it's not bad.
I have read that Braxton-Hicks contractions make the abdomen hard and then relax. It's sometimes hard to tell if I'm having a contraction or if Elsie has surfaced. I'm not sure how much depth my abdomen has, but sometimes my belly is round, and other times it's got a huge lump where her back is. I used to always blame her when my belly felt taut (for which I have apologized), but a time or two I've been sure it was a contraction. But often it's her. We've got each other trained. When she surfaces, I rub her back. However, when I want to make sure she's OK, I rub and pat my belly, and she surfaces for her back rub. It's working for us.
A couple of weeks ago I felt like I had a bruise on my belly. I couldn't see anything, but it hurt. A few days later, several spots were hurting. And a few days after that, I notice that the hurting correlated with little red spots on my belly. Eventually, I figured out that I was hurting because I was coming apart at the seams. I now know that stretch marks really are like runs in pantyhose: they just keep running. So far they aren't threatening my chin, but we've got up to 2.5 weeks left and a baby with an abdomen in the 95th percentile. I started using a cream for stretch marks about a month ago to try to keep them from reaching my chin. It's not vanity, exactly. A non-pregnant belly that already looks like an accordion file tends to keep vanity in check. I just wanted to keep them from getting worse; and when they became painful, I had extra incentive to moisturize. When I ran out of cream, I discovered Tummy Butter. The cream did nothing to stop the pain, but the Tummy Butter soothes on contact. It comes in a tub and smells like vanilla. I love that stuff. Elsie does, too. When I get into bed after my bath every night, I grease myself up with Tummy Butter. And because I rub my tummy, Elsie surfaces for a back rub. It's a pretty great way to end the day.
I'm glad there's something nice I can do for Elsie (rub her back) to make up for all the times she gets bumped and squished. I try not to lean my belly against things, but my arms are short. When I stretch my arms in front of me, my belly sticks out past my elbows. This leaves me with a reach about a long as a tyrannosaurus rex's. It's inevitable that I will bump my belly just going about daily life: washing dishes, typing on a keyboard on my desk, reaching groceries on supermarket shelves. She kicks me when something presses on my belly. So when I bump my belly hard enough to hurt me, I get smacked from both inside and outside. I can't win. I've been trying to do some organizing around the house, but it's getting hard to carry even empty plastic tubs because my reach is so short.
Other than banging my painfully stretching belly on things, I'm doing well. Still no swelling. Only occasional heartburn. No wild-eyed desperate hunger attacks. No more back pain than usual. If my physical comfort were the only consideration, she could stay in there for another month or two without my complaining. However, for her own sake, I'm urging her to try being an outside baby. Perhaps all the banging and squishing will encourage her consider it.
I have read that Braxton-Hicks contractions make the abdomen hard and then relax. It's sometimes hard to tell if I'm having a contraction or if Elsie has surfaced. I'm not sure how much depth my abdomen has, but sometimes my belly is round, and other times it's got a huge lump where her back is. I used to always blame her when my belly felt taut (for which I have apologized), but a time or two I've been sure it was a contraction. But often it's her. We've got each other trained. When she surfaces, I rub her back. However, when I want to make sure she's OK, I rub and pat my belly, and she surfaces for her back rub. It's working for us.
A couple of weeks ago I felt like I had a bruise on my belly. I couldn't see anything, but it hurt. A few days later, several spots were hurting. And a few days after that, I notice that the hurting correlated with little red spots on my belly. Eventually, I figured out that I was hurting because I was coming apart at the seams. I now know that stretch marks really are like runs in pantyhose: they just keep running. So far they aren't threatening my chin, but we've got up to 2.5 weeks left and a baby with an abdomen in the 95th percentile. I started using a cream for stretch marks about a month ago to try to keep them from reaching my chin. It's not vanity, exactly. A non-pregnant belly that already looks like an accordion file tends to keep vanity in check. I just wanted to keep them from getting worse; and when they became painful, I had extra incentive to moisturize. When I ran out of cream, I discovered Tummy Butter. The cream did nothing to stop the pain, but the Tummy Butter soothes on contact. It comes in a tub and smells like vanilla. I love that stuff. Elsie does, too. When I get into bed after my bath every night, I grease myself up with Tummy Butter. And because I rub my tummy, Elsie surfaces for a back rub. It's a pretty great way to end the day.
I'm glad there's something nice I can do for Elsie (rub her back) to make up for all the times she gets bumped and squished. I try not to lean my belly against things, but my arms are short. When I stretch my arms in front of me, my belly sticks out past my elbows. This leaves me with a reach about a long as a tyrannosaurus rex's. It's inevitable that I will bump my belly just going about daily life: washing dishes, typing on a keyboard on my desk, reaching groceries on supermarket shelves. She kicks me when something presses on my belly. So when I bump my belly hard enough to hurt me, I get smacked from both inside and outside. I can't win. I've been trying to do some organizing around the house, but it's getting hard to carry even empty plastic tubs because my reach is so short.
Other than banging my painfully stretching belly on things, I'm doing well. Still no swelling. Only occasional heartburn. No wild-eyed desperate hunger attacks. No more back pain than usual. If my physical comfort were the only consideration, she could stay in there for another month or two without my complaining. However, for her own sake, I'm urging her to try being an outside baby. Perhaps all the banging and squishing will encourage her consider it.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Week 36 Appointment: Just a Big Belly, No Stress
The BPP went well. Elsie showed off her breathing first thing. Fluid was within acceptable parameters. But we had to wait for her to move around. She was resting, not even sucking on her hand. She did move enough to pass the BPP. She didn't do anything cute, but we finally got a pretty good picture of her profile. I was disappointed that she didn't move more. We waited to eat until we got to Lebanon. I hoped that the lunch buzz would make her active during the ultrasound, but it didn't. She refuses to perform for the camera.
Because it's week 36, the ultrasound was also used to measure growth. She's 6 lbs, 7 oz, which puts her percentile in the 60s. Her head percentile was lower, but her abdomen was bigger. It was almost like the head and abdomen switched percentiles. Her femurs are still below the 20th percentile, which is probably causing overall size and percentiles to be estimated low. The abdomen size jumping to the 95th percentile in four weeks was unusual. The ultrasound tech had pointed out that her stomach and bladder were both full. I'm hoping that distended her belly so that it measured bigger than usual. And when you get to the higher percentiles, tiny measurement differences can make huge changes in the percentile. At least this is how I rationalize it. The other possibility is that Elsie is huge.
I have gained a couple pounds, and my blood pressure is great. No one said anything about the cultures from my last appointment, so I'm assuming they were OK. Then we saw Dr. Reynolds. Whereas Dr. Ackermann is happy enough with our progress to giggle, Dr. Reynolds is looking for problems. He did an extra ultrasound at 30 weeks and a hemoglobin test at 32 weeks. At first, he seemed really positive, but he felt the need to tell us all the ways that a baby's head can be positioned that make vaginal delivery impossible. Fortunately, Elsie's head is exactly where it should be. He then was concerned that labor might drag on until a C-section was necessary if my cervix was thick and hard, but my cervix was at 2 last week. No problem there. Since the only unusual thing from today was Elsie's unusually large abdomen, he treated it as a problem. His first instinct was that something was off with my blood sugar, but I've passed so many tests that we've ruled that out. Even if it had developed very recently, my fluid level would have been much higher, and it wasn't. So just to be safe, he sent us to the hospital for a non-stress test. UGH! I was really hoping to avoid those. Given our history, I find that test remarkably stressful. I'm not sure what a non-stress test could tell him about a big belly. Everyone we encountered that asked the reason for the test seemed puzzled by his ordering that test.
But we trudged next door to the hospital anyway. Because I got my Rho-gam shot at the hospital a couple months ago, registering was quick. Checking in at the Women's Center involved recounting medical history. No stress there! (sarcasm) Then they attached the fetal monitor and took my blood pressure. I was impressed that my blood pressure was still good. It probably helped that we immediately heard her heartbeat when the monitor was turned on. For a little while I just reclined with my feet up, listening to Elsie's heartbeat. And then she discovered the monitor, and she was not happy about it. She attacked for a little while, then rested, then attacked it, then rested. I applauded her problem-solving skills but told her she was not going to succeed in throwing off the monitor. It didn't deter her. The good news is that both the nurse and Dr. Reynolds declared her heart rate print out "beautiful." And then they let us go. Hurray!
Dr. Reynolds said we'll do another growth ultrasound at 38 weeks if she hasn't arrived yet. And he said once again that we'll induce at 39 weeks. On the way home, Matt and I gave her a pep talk. We told her about all the great things available to outside babies: back rubs that directly touch your back, sights, smells, hugs and kisses, and the opportunity to bop Dr. Reynolds in the nose for making her do a non-stress test. I even promised to slip her a tiny taste of chocolate cupcake icing. If she's anything like me, back rubs and chocolate will be tempting.
Because it's week 36, the ultrasound was also used to measure growth. She's 6 lbs, 7 oz, which puts her percentile in the 60s. Her head percentile was lower, but her abdomen was bigger. It was almost like the head and abdomen switched percentiles. Her femurs are still below the 20th percentile, which is probably causing overall size and percentiles to be estimated low. The abdomen size jumping to the 95th percentile in four weeks was unusual. The ultrasound tech had pointed out that her stomach and bladder were both full. I'm hoping that distended her belly so that it measured bigger than usual. And when you get to the higher percentiles, tiny measurement differences can make huge changes in the percentile. At least this is how I rationalize it. The other possibility is that Elsie is huge.
I have gained a couple pounds, and my blood pressure is great. No one said anything about the cultures from my last appointment, so I'm assuming they were OK. Then we saw Dr. Reynolds. Whereas Dr. Ackermann is happy enough with our progress to giggle, Dr. Reynolds is looking for problems. He did an extra ultrasound at 30 weeks and a hemoglobin test at 32 weeks. At first, he seemed really positive, but he felt the need to tell us all the ways that a baby's head can be positioned that make vaginal delivery impossible. Fortunately, Elsie's head is exactly where it should be. He then was concerned that labor might drag on until a C-section was necessary if my cervix was thick and hard, but my cervix was at 2 last week. No problem there. Since the only unusual thing from today was Elsie's unusually large abdomen, he treated it as a problem. His first instinct was that something was off with my blood sugar, but I've passed so many tests that we've ruled that out. Even if it had developed very recently, my fluid level would have been much higher, and it wasn't. So just to be safe, he sent us to the hospital for a non-stress test. UGH! I was really hoping to avoid those. Given our history, I find that test remarkably stressful. I'm not sure what a non-stress test could tell him about a big belly. Everyone we encountered that asked the reason for the test seemed puzzled by his ordering that test.
But we trudged next door to the hospital anyway. Because I got my Rho-gam shot at the hospital a couple months ago, registering was quick. Checking in at the Women's Center involved recounting medical history. No stress there! (sarcasm) Then they attached the fetal monitor and took my blood pressure. I was impressed that my blood pressure was still good. It probably helped that we immediately heard her heartbeat when the monitor was turned on. For a little while I just reclined with my feet up, listening to Elsie's heartbeat. And then she discovered the monitor, and she was not happy about it. She attacked for a little while, then rested, then attacked it, then rested. I applauded her problem-solving skills but told her she was not going to succeed in throwing off the monitor. It didn't deter her. The good news is that both the nurse and Dr. Reynolds declared her heart rate print out "beautiful." And then they let us go. Hurray!
Dr. Reynolds said we'll do another growth ultrasound at 38 weeks if she hasn't arrived yet. And he said once again that we'll induce at 39 weeks. On the way home, Matt and I gave her a pep talk. We told her about all the great things available to outside babies: back rubs that directly touch your back, sights, smells, hugs and kisses, and the opportunity to bop Dr. Reynolds in the nose for making her do a non-stress test. I even promised to slip her a tiny taste of chocolate cupcake icing. If she's anything like me, back rubs and chocolate will be tempting.
No Third Buttock Here!
I've had a few questions about a recent Facebook status:
The "third buttock" has cause the most comment. The "third buttock" is a reference to a Monty Python sketch. When I wrote about the "third buttock," it was just a weird mid-body feature to throw into an illustrative list. Now that I think about it, the sketch is about inappropriate topics of conversation, which is exactly what my status post was about.
Inappropriate conversation has been on my mind a lot lately because the beginning of the semester has brought increased opportunities to socialize with people who haven't seen me since May. I understand that my pregnancy is a surprise to most of the people at university functions. We didn't tell anyone I was pregnant until after the semester ended last May. In fact, I was the one who told the chair of the English department (kind of Matt's boss), and I only told her about three weeks ago when she called to see if I could teach this semester. Pretty much only family, church, and blog readers knew I was pregnant. Of course when people see me in small talk situations, my pregnancy is the apparent answer to "what have you been up to this summer?" :) So those people want to talk about it. But I don't want to talk about it. At 36 weeks, I am now obviously very pregnant. And in general, people see my belly as a conversation starter: waitresses, cashiers, people who stop by the church I work at, etc. I understand that people are just being friendly; however, I still don't want to talk about being pregnant.
The status post came about when I realized how weird it is to start a conversation with a stranger about pregnancy. Are reproductive organs a polite topic of conversation? Should I inquire about ovaries and scrotums when I meet people? (No.) Then why is the activity of my uterus something to talk about? Are bulges on bodies a good topic of conversation? Should anyone go up to a stranger and say, "Nice goiter" or "That is the most massive pimple I have ever seen."? Is it OK to start a conversation with a woman by saying, "I see you have large breasts. Did you inherit them from your grandmother (like me!) or did you get a boob job?" (No.) Then why must people comment on my belly? So it occurred to me that there really is a general tendency to keep polite conversation away from the area between a person's shoulders and knees, unless a woman is pregnant. I have theories about why people consider pregnant women of public interest, which I will not go into at this time. But I am a private person, not public property, and I wish that people would respect that.
It doesn't help that the biggest reason people say something is that they want to share in my happiness. And because of that, they ask me, "Are you excited?" It's like people who say, "How have you been?" and don't actually want an answer. The question is nearly rhetorical because any answer other than "yes" would make the asker very, very uncomfortable, and making someone uncomfortable is ungracious, and I try to be gracious. But I also try to be honest. And just saying "yes" is not honest. The real answer is that I'm too scared to be excited. It's all I can do to be cautiously optimistic and hopeful. Letting myself be excited means having expectations and is potentially setting myself up for pain. Ironically, the people interested in the contents of my uterus would be uncomfortable if I shared intimate feelings like those. :) I tend to say, "Sure," meaning "my feelings are positive," which is honest. I don't know how other people interpret it, but it doesn't make the conversation intimate or awkward, so it's working for me.
Thank you again to family and friends who are still respecting my wish to talk about pregnancy as little as possible. As you can see it's even more important to me now that acquaintances and strangers want to talk to me. Repeated conversations drain my energy quickly, and I really have other things that need my energy right now. We're finishing up some cleaning and organizing at home. I'm working part time. I'm trying to work ahead on bulletins for both my churches to cover my coming absence. My garden is getting almost no attention. And as I've blogged before, taking care of myself is a part-time job all by itself even when I'm not pregnant. I've found that recently I've got three modes of wakefulness: hurried (which causes Braxton-Hicks contractions that force me to slow down), busy (which is reasonable and productive), and resting (which lets Elsie play for a while). As soon as I sit down and put my feet up, Elsie wiggles into position for a back rub. Resting is my favorite, but I've got to stay busy or hurried becomes necessary.
Natalie Oliver "has developed a rule of thumb about conversational boundaries: keep it out of the strike zone (shoulders to knees). There's nothing in that area that needs to be discussed with anyone you don't know well (still working on a definition of "know well"). Clothing, accessories, and physical features of the shins, feet, arms (which can be raised above shoulder level), shoulders, neck, and head can be reasonable topics. Short skirts and chest tattoos are not. Ideas (head) are fine; emotions (heart, kidneys, or wherever yours are) are not. Features within the strike zone, no matter how salient, are off limits: third buttock, large gut, dorsal spines, vestigial tail, etc. That these features may stand out from the body enough to enter another's personal space is irrelevant if they are in the strike zone. I wonder if wearing outlandish head- and foot-wear can encourage even people without boundaries to keep conversations appropriate as long as the accessories don't draw attention to a feature in the strike zone. Obviously, wearing bunny ears or furry slippers when you have a fluffy tail is not going to help."The post is written this way because I have not disclosed my pregnancy on Facebook. Last time people got the pregnancy message but not the dead baby message and sent unintentionally hurtful congratulations. So it's best not to tell Facebook until I have good news to share. I had something to say about pregnancy, but didn't want to say it was about pregnancy. So I made it ambiguous and absurd. It's possible to read this and think it was inspired when someone commented on my breasts or the way my pants drape from my ample posterior. Or it can be read that Natalie finally snapped and sees people's dorsal fins and bunny ears but keeps herself from commenting about them to strangers. As long as the post didn't create pregnancy questions, I was happy.
The "third buttock" has cause the most comment. The "third buttock" is a reference to a Monty Python sketch. When I wrote about the "third buttock," it was just a weird mid-body feature to throw into an illustrative list. Now that I think about it, the sketch is about inappropriate topics of conversation, which is exactly what my status post was about.
Inappropriate conversation has been on my mind a lot lately because the beginning of the semester has brought increased opportunities to socialize with people who haven't seen me since May. I understand that my pregnancy is a surprise to most of the people at university functions. We didn't tell anyone I was pregnant until after the semester ended last May. In fact, I was the one who told the chair of the English department (kind of Matt's boss), and I only told her about three weeks ago when she called to see if I could teach this semester. Pretty much only family, church, and blog readers knew I was pregnant. Of course when people see me in small talk situations, my pregnancy is the apparent answer to "what have you been up to this summer?" :) So those people want to talk about it. But I don't want to talk about it. At 36 weeks, I am now obviously very pregnant. And in general, people see my belly as a conversation starter: waitresses, cashiers, people who stop by the church I work at, etc. I understand that people are just being friendly; however, I still don't want to talk about being pregnant.
The status post came about when I realized how weird it is to start a conversation with a stranger about pregnancy. Are reproductive organs a polite topic of conversation? Should I inquire about ovaries and scrotums when I meet people? (No.) Then why is the activity of my uterus something to talk about? Are bulges on bodies a good topic of conversation? Should anyone go up to a stranger and say, "Nice goiter" or "That is the most massive pimple I have ever seen."? Is it OK to start a conversation with a woman by saying, "I see you have large breasts. Did you inherit them from your grandmother (like me!) or did you get a boob job?" (No.) Then why must people comment on my belly? So it occurred to me that there really is a general tendency to keep polite conversation away from the area between a person's shoulders and knees, unless a woman is pregnant. I have theories about why people consider pregnant women of public interest, which I will not go into at this time. But I am a private person, not public property, and I wish that people would respect that.
It doesn't help that the biggest reason people say something is that they want to share in my happiness. And because of that, they ask me, "Are you excited?" It's like people who say, "How have you been?" and don't actually want an answer. The question is nearly rhetorical because any answer other than "yes" would make the asker very, very uncomfortable, and making someone uncomfortable is ungracious, and I try to be gracious. But I also try to be honest. And just saying "yes" is not honest. The real answer is that I'm too scared to be excited. It's all I can do to be cautiously optimistic and hopeful. Letting myself be excited means having expectations and is potentially setting myself up for pain. Ironically, the people interested in the contents of my uterus would be uncomfortable if I shared intimate feelings like those. :) I tend to say, "Sure," meaning "my feelings are positive," which is honest. I don't know how other people interpret it, but it doesn't make the conversation intimate or awkward, so it's working for me.
Thank you again to family and friends who are still respecting my wish to talk about pregnancy as little as possible. As you can see it's even more important to me now that acquaintances and strangers want to talk to me. Repeated conversations drain my energy quickly, and I really have other things that need my energy right now. We're finishing up some cleaning and organizing at home. I'm working part time. I'm trying to work ahead on bulletins for both my churches to cover my coming absence. My garden is getting almost no attention. And as I've blogged before, taking care of myself is a part-time job all by itself even when I'm not pregnant. I've found that recently I've got three modes of wakefulness: hurried (which causes Braxton-Hicks contractions that force me to slow down), busy (which is reasonable and productive), and resting (which lets Elsie play for a while). As soon as I sit down and put my feet up, Elsie wiggles into position for a back rub. Resting is my favorite, but I've got to stay busy or hurried becomes necessary.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Week 35 Appointment: I'm not the person most tired of my being pregnant?!?
Weight: No change. I'm not sure how. I weighed myself at home the other day and had gained 3.8 pounds in two days! I've since lost two of those pounds, but it was a shock to see on the bathroom scales.
BP: 114/70 Fantastic!
Ultrasound
Heart rate and fluid are within normal parameters. Elsie breathes like a pro. Despite saving the last of my Wendy's frosty for the ultrasound, Elsie wasn't interested in moving. She wiggled and kicked the whole way to the doctor's office and wore herself out before the ultrasound. She moved her arm a little (her hand was resting on her chest) and waved her fingers at us. She did so little cuteness that we didn't get any pictures of her today. But she passed the BPP, which is the important part. We also saw more hair on her head. I'm not sure how long it is, but it is definitely there. Next week we measure growth.
Doctor's Visit
At 35 weeks there's a pelvic exam and cultures to see what diseases I've picked up and might pass on during delivery. Last time my urine had strep. I hope it didn't go out and get strep again this time, too. He checked my cervix and said, "We'll call that a 2," so I'm not "Fort Knox" again this time. I had forgotten how much I hate having my cervix checked. Anyone who can figure out a gadget or method to check it painlessly should win prestigious prizes, lots of money, and the undying gratitude of all women for all eternity.
The doctor was pleased with our progress. Matt and I can't remember exactly what he said, but the gist of it was that he's OK if she comes at any time. I told him I had told Elsie she needs to wait until September. "Why?" he asked. That part I can quote. I told him I thought it would be good for her to be less premature or not at all premature (37 weeks). He didn't seem concerned about her being premature. He seems ready for me to have this baby alive as soon as possible. I'm feeling OK and am OK with her maturing a little more if she needs to, but he wants this baby ASAP. So it seems we're all set to go whenever she decides to arrive. And if she doesn't arrive by week 39, I feel certain he'll induce.
Elsie is doing great. I get busy and have to remind myself to sit down and rest so that she can play. We take turns being active. She kept me from napping on Saturday because she was kicking and wiggling and rolling for about an hour. So Sunday, I told her she needed to let me nap and shushed her. Seconds after I woke up, she kicked me, and I patted my tummy to acknowledge her. And she went nuts. It was obviously a "HURRAY! MOMMY IS AWAKE! LET'S PLAY!" moment. So I moved to the recliner, and she played for at least half an hour. I wondered how many times she had tried test kicks to see if I was awake before I finally woke up and patted her back.
I think I've got the nursery almost ready, but I'll save that for another post.
BP: 114/70 Fantastic!
Ultrasound
Heart rate and fluid are within normal parameters. Elsie breathes like a pro. Despite saving the last of my Wendy's frosty for the ultrasound, Elsie wasn't interested in moving. She wiggled and kicked the whole way to the doctor's office and wore herself out before the ultrasound. She moved her arm a little (her hand was resting on her chest) and waved her fingers at us. She did so little cuteness that we didn't get any pictures of her today. But she passed the BPP, which is the important part. We also saw more hair on her head. I'm not sure how long it is, but it is definitely there. Next week we measure growth.
Doctor's Visit
At 35 weeks there's a pelvic exam and cultures to see what diseases I've picked up and might pass on during delivery. Last time my urine had strep. I hope it didn't go out and get strep again this time, too. He checked my cervix and said, "We'll call that a 2," so I'm not "Fort Knox" again this time. I had forgotten how much I hate having my cervix checked. Anyone who can figure out a gadget or method to check it painlessly should win prestigious prizes, lots of money, and the undying gratitude of all women for all eternity.
The doctor was pleased with our progress. Matt and I can't remember exactly what he said, but the gist of it was that he's OK if she comes at any time. I told him I had told Elsie she needs to wait until September. "Why?" he asked. That part I can quote. I told him I thought it would be good for her to be less premature or not at all premature (37 weeks). He didn't seem concerned about her being premature. He seems ready for me to have this baby alive as soon as possible. I'm feeling OK and am OK with her maturing a little more if she needs to, but he wants this baby ASAP. So it seems we're all set to go whenever she decides to arrive. And if she doesn't arrive by week 39, I feel certain he'll induce.
Elsie is doing great. I get busy and have to remind myself to sit down and rest so that she can play. We take turns being active. She kept me from napping on Saturday because she was kicking and wiggling and rolling for about an hour. So Sunday, I told her she needed to let me nap and shushed her. Seconds after I woke up, she kicked me, and I patted my tummy to acknowledge her. And she went nuts. It was obviously a "HURRAY! MOMMY IS AWAKE! LET'S PLAY!" moment. So I moved to the recliner, and she played for at least half an hour. I wondered how many times she had tried test kicks to see if I was awake before I finally woke up and patted her back.
I think I've got the nursery almost ready, but I'll save that for another post.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Week 34 Appointment: What a Multi-Tasker
Another week, another appointment. Elsie passed her BPP again. She didn't show off her breathing as quickly, but she eventually did it. I'm considering eating lunch in the waiting room; she was kicking and rolling while I was eating in the car on the way to the appointment, so she was sleepy again during the ultrasound. She's cute when she's sleepy, but it would be good for her to be lively so that the ultrasound tech wouldn't have to poke us. Elsie yawned for us again. And she sucked one fist. Her other hand was playing with her toes, which were near her head again. I told Matt that sucking a fist while playing with one's toes is the fetal equivalent of walking and chewing gum at the same time, so she's coordinated.
The rest of the appointment was uneventful. I've gained some weight and had great blood pressure. We saw the nurse practitioner because the doctor had had multiple c-sections and deliveries today and was running behind schedule. The nurse practitioner measured my belly and said we're having a big baby. She asked each of us how tall we are and was surprised that I'm only 5'2". I pointed out that I'm always sitting down when she sees me. I also pointed out that I have a short torso, so even an average baby is going to take up a huge portion of my abdomen. She agreed. I don't mind if Elsie is big. I just don't want anyone to become concerned about her being too big if there's a reasonable explanation for why my belly is so big. The nurse practitioner did say that ultrasounds are more accurate than belly size. In two more weeks we'll check her size again and have a better idea of how big she is.
The doctor arrived as we were leaving and stopped us. He seemed disappointed that he didn't get to see us; we are special. :) He reminded us that we're not going past 40 weeks and that we need to come in if Elsie isn't moving regularly. We're told both things at every appointment. Everything has gone so well so far, that no new news is good news.
The rest of the appointment was uneventful. I've gained some weight and had great blood pressure. We saw the nurse practitioner because the doctor had had multiple c-sections and deliveries today and was running behind schedule. The nurse practitioner measured my belly and said we're having a big baby. She asked each of us how tall we are and was surprised that I'm only 5'2". I pointed out that I'm always sitting down when she sees me. I also pointed out that I have a short torso, so even an average baby is going to take up a huge portion of my abdomen. She agreed. I don't mind if Elsie is big. I just don't want anyone to become concerned about her being too big if there's a reasonable explanation for why my belly is so big. The nurse practitioner did say that ultrasounds are more accurate than belly size. In two more weeks we'll check her size again and have a better idea of how big she is.
The doctor arrived as we were leaving and stopped us. He seemed disappointed that he didn't get to see us; we are special. :) He reminded us that we're not going past 40 weeks and that we need to come in if Elsie isn't moving regularly. We're told both things at every appointment. Everything has gone so well so far, that no new news is good news.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Week 33 Appointment: She'a Cute Little Sucker
We started with another BPP. Most of the BPP is watching for movement and for fetal breathing. There's a time limit during which a baby must move a certain number of times and show a total of 30 seconds of fetal breathing. Elsie breathed almost continually for the first minute we watched her. She's a pro. With that out of the way, we just needed to see her move. The ultrasound tech, Jenny, poked her a little to see if she'd wiggle or kick, but she didn't. So Jenny focused on her head and face. That turned out to be where the action was today. She was sucking her thumb, and that counts as movement. Jenny said that people often think their babies are sucking thumbs when they're actually sucking fists but that because we could see four fingers out of the mouth, which was sucking on something, Elsie really was sucking her thumb. She sucked her fist some, too, each of them; she's an ambidextrous fist sucker. I was happy to see that Elsie has mastered the two skills she'll need most after being born: breathing and sucking. And she rubbed her face a little. And she yawned deep, cavernous yawns followed by sticking her tongue out and smacking her lips. She yawned and smacked several times. Because she showed off her breathing so quickly, we had plenty of time to watch her yawn. I think Jenny enjoyed watching her. Not all of Jenny's ultrasounds are so pleasant, so I'm sure she has no problem taking some time with the fun ones. She also checked amniotic fluid levels, which were within normal parameters this week. We didn't find out anything about her weight because they're only checking growth every four weeks. We did finally get a reasonable facial profile picture, and for once we didn't get a picture of her genitals. We think it's a good precedent to take pictures of her face and not of her genitals.
After checking my weight (up a pound) and blood pressure (normal), the nurse sent us into an exam room to see Dr. Ackermann. After greeting us, he looked at my chart and said, "Everything looks perfect." And then he started giggling. He said he couldn't ask for anything to be better. He then felt my abdomen for a second or two, asked if she's moving a lot (she is), asked if we had any questions (we didn't), and said everything is going great. We think he doesn't get many good news cases either (lots of poverty, smoking, and obesity in Kentucky), so we were happy that he was so happy. As we were getting into the car, I said to Matt, "We just made our OB giggle." And the doctor didn't even get to see Elsie yawn, stick her tongue out, or smack her lips. Now that was giggle-worthy.
After checking my weight (up a pound) and blood pressure (normal), the nurse sent us into an exam room to see Dr. Ackermann. After greeting us, he looked at my chart and said, "Everything looks perfect." And then he started giggling. He said he couldn't ask for anything to be better. He then felt my abdomen for a second or two, asked if she's moving a lot (she is), asked if we had any questions (we didn't), and said everything is going great. We think he doesn't get many good news cases either (lots of poverty, smoking, and obesity in Kentucky), so we were happy that he was so happy. As we were getting into the car, I said to Matt, "We just made our OB giggle." And the doctor didn't even get to see Elsie yawn, stick her tongue out, or smack her lips. Now that was giggle-worthy.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Guess who likes back rubs
If you guessed me, then you're right. But that wouldn't be worth blogging about unless I got a massage, and I didn't. I'm not sure who around here even does prenatal massage. I've never had an real massage, but just having my back rubbed makes me drool and eventually pass out.
If you guessed Elsie, you are also right. For some time she has occasionally surfaced forcefully enough to cause a large, hard bulge on my upper belly, approximately where her back and bottom are. When she's done this in the past, I've rubbed my belly, and she's immediately wiggled into a different, less painful position. But recently she has gotten into that position and stayed there for minutes at a time while I rub the bulge on my belly. I have thought of only two reasons for her to do so. First, perhaps she likes having her back rubbed. Second, perhaps she's obstinate and refuses to move no matter how much I rub my belly. It's times like these that I consider whose child she is when interpreting her actions. :) I've decided she's mine this time. I must say I find the idea of rubbing my daughter's back delightful. She seems to enjoy it, too. She's done it three or four times today.
She's become much more responsive and interactive lately. In addition to the rubbing and shushing to calm her at night and the back rubs when she surfaces, she has also played pat-pat with me a time or two. We played for several minutes while I was at work the other day. I pat-pat-pat my belly, she answers with two taps, and we continue that until she loses interest. Next we'll teach her Morse code so I can blog her dispatches from the womb. :)
If you guessed Elsie, you are also right. For some time she has occasionally surfaced forcefully enough to cause a large, hard bulge on my upper belly, approximately where her back and bottom are. When she's done this in the past, I've rubbed my belly, and she's immediately wiggled into a different, less painful position. But recently she has gotten into that position and stayed there for minutes at a time while I rub the bulge on my belly. I have thought of only two reasons for her to do so. First, perhaps she likes having her back rubbed. Second, perhaps she's obstinate and refuses to move no matter how much I rub my belly. It's times like these that I consider whose child she is when interpreting her actions. :) I've decided she's mine this time. I must say I find the idea of rubbing my daughter's back delightful. She seems to enjoy it, too. She's done it three or four times today.
She's become much more responsive and interactive lately. In addition to the rubbing and shushing to calm her at night and the back rubs when she surfaces, she has also played pat-pat with me a time or two. We played for several minutes while I was at work the other day. I pat-pat-pat my belly, she answers with two taps, and we continue that until she loses interest. Next we'll teach her Morse code so I can blog her dispatches from the womb. :)
Friday, August 9, 2013
Growing Daily (or Hourly)
Yesterday evening as I was getting dressed to go to Game Night, I looked at my belly and said (aloud), "I think I'm bigger than I was before my nap." I shrugged it off as excess gas (of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon proportions?) from a lunch of pulled pork and broccoli salad. (1-Yes, Campbellsville finally got a good barbecue restaurant: good meat and good sauce. Hurray! 2- My side of the family frequently has unfortunate digestive responses to broccoli.) But after Game Night last night, Matt and I were passing each other in our admittedly narrow bathroom, and he bumped into me and fortunately caught and steadied me while saying something to the effect of "I didn't expect you to be so big." It probably wasn't gas then.
I expect to gain weight more quickly this month partially because the pool is closed for repairs before school starts. As soon as it opens in September, I will be there. I've considered trying some gentle yoga and light hand-weight lifting as guided by a prenatal exercise DVD I have. The weight lifting could be good to strengthen my upper body for repeatedly lifting a baby without causing back pain.
I've also been gardening a bit less, my other source of exercise. I've felt hot or tired or unwilling to tempt the mosquitoes at times of day that aren't hot. I'm keeping up with harvesting and watering with Miracle-Gro once a week, but the weeds are also getting Miracle-Gro, and I haven't felt like taking the time to pull them. Fortunately, because everything is in containers, most of the weeds aren't actually threatening the veggies. I did replant snap peas, summer squash, zucchini, and turnips for a fall harvest. They probably won't get much attention, but the produce will be nice.
I have gained some weight this week, but I don't feel heavier so much as voluminous. I'm thankful that, other than feeling expansive, I feel good. I have to slow down and catch my breath when I walk sometimes, but I think it's a good sign that my body thinks I can move fast and has to be checked by my diminishing lung capacity. I haven't really had any swelling yet. The stretch marks aren't too crazy yet. I've been using a cream at night to try to keep my belly hydrated and potentially limit stressful skin stretching. With the stretch marks I had coming into this pregnancy, I've been a little worried that stretch marks are like runs in pantyhose (they look alike) and will just continue running both upward and downward from my belly. I get mental images of stretch marks that run from my chin to my toes. Unlikely, I know, but I have a vivid imagination. I didn't have to go to the chiropractor after all last week. I was finally able to get my lower back to pop just once, and that was enough. I haven't had any sciatica pain. The heartburn is manageable with Tums. I'm sleeping well. I still get up only once a night to go to the bathroom. And Elsie mostly behaves herself at night and calms pretty quickly when I rub my belly and shush her. We're doing really well actually.
I'm also thankful that it has taken this long to feel big. We're already only 4.5 weeks from no longer premature and 7.5 weeks from due date.
I expect to gain weight more quickly this month partially because the pool is closed for repairs before school starts. As soon as it opens in September, I will be there. I've considered trying some gentle yoga and light hand-weight lifting as guided by a prenatal exercise DVD I have. The weight lifting could be good to strengthen my upper body for repeatedly lifting a baby without causing back pain.
I've also been gardening a bit less, my other source of exercise. I've felt hot or tired or unwilling to tempt the mosquitoes at times of day that aren't hot. I'm keeping up with harvesting and watering with Miracle-Gro once a week, but the weeds are also getting Miracle-Gro, and I haven't felt like taking the time to pull them. Fortunately, because everything is in containers, most of the weeds aren't actually threatening the veggies. I did replant snap peas, summer squash, zucchini, and turnips for a fall harvest. They probably won't get much attention, but the produce will be nice.
I have gained some weight this week, but I don't feel heavier so much as voluminous. I'm thankful that, other than feeling expansive, I feel good. I have to slow down and catch my breath when I walk sometimes, but I think it's a good sign that my body thinks I can move fast and has to be checked by my diminishing lung capacity. I haven't really had any swelling yet. The stretch marks aren't too crazy yet. I've been using a cream at night to try to keep my belly hydrated and potentially limit stressful skin stretching. With the stretch marks I had coming into this pregnancy, I've been a little worried that stretch marks are like runs in pantyhose (they look alike) and will just continue running both upward and downward from my belly. I get mental images of stretch marks that run from my chin to my toes. Unlikely, I know, but I have a vivid imagination. I didn't have to go to the chiropractor after all last week. I was finally able to get my lower back to pop just once, and that was enough. I haven't had any sciatica pain. The heartburn is manageable with Tums. I'm sleeping well. I still get up only once a night to go to the bathroom. And Elsie mostly behaves herself at night and calms pretty quickly when I rub my belly and shush her. We're doing really well actually.
I'm also thankful that it has taken this long to feel big. We're already only 4.5 weeks from no longer premature and 7.5 weeks from due date.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Car Seats Expire!?!?
I found out from my sister Kristin that car seats expire! Fortunately, ours has two more years before it expires. But I was surprised that non-dairy car seats have expiration dates. Also on Kristin's advice, I looked for some sort of tag on our crib that might tell me the make and model so that I could check to see if it's been recalled. There were no tags on it, but there were instructions for dropping the sides. Oh dear! Even I know that drop sides are considered a no-no. So we will need a new crib. We don't necessarily have to get rid of the current crib: it converts to a toddler bed and could still be useful in a couple years. By then I may be leary of a 12-year-old toddler bed, but for now I'm OK with it. We don't plan to use a crib right away, so we have time to get one. If we had needed a new car seat, I would have been more anxious and irritated. That's something needed immediately. I also checked to make sure our bassinet hasn't been recalled, and it hasn't. I'd really like to to prevent the nursery from being a death trap. If she survives the death trap of my uterus, I'd hate for a crib to do her in. Most of the time I feel pretty calm about my (in)ability to protect her, but learning about all the nursery items that have to be vetted makes me feel like the world is out to get her. I mean, cute Winnie the Pooh pillows are as lethal as letting her play with knives! I'm sure the paranoia will pass and return and pass again many times. I have a feeling that's not an uncommon part of parenting.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Week 32 Appointment: Nostril Shots and Ill-Timed M&Ms
We started our appointment with an ultrasound to measure growth and do the BPP. Elsie is measuring 4 lbs., 1 oz., which is the 53rd percentile. Dr. Reynolds thinks she's bigger than that because her short femurs are dragging down her other numbers. Her head is in the 90s and her abdomen is in the 60s percent-wise. Neil also had short femurs and a big head on ultrasound and came out bigger than expected from the ultrasounds, so Dr. Reynolds assessment makes sense. It's so good for Dr. Reynolds to make sense occasionally. :) Elsie's heart rate was 162. And though it took a little while to show off her breathing skills, she passed the BPP. She moved around a bit, got more compliments on her beautiful spine, and had pictures taken of her genitals (always!) and nose. The nose shot looks up her nostril. It looks like the kind of picture you'd accidentally take when trying out a new device. I hope to sometime see a good profile of her entire face, but she keeps facing the camera, which makes her eye sockets look empty and alien. She is still positioned head-down and had a full bladder again.
Dr. Reynolds was impressed that my blood pressure was still excellent and I've only gained 10 pounds during the whole pregnancy so far. The fluid levels on the ultrasound were a tiny bit above normal, which can be a symptom of diabetes. So despite fantastic scores on the 4-hour blood glucose test, he ordered a blood draw for a hemoglobin test right after our appointment. Unfortunately, I had just eaten peanut M&Ms in the waiting room right before seeing him, and I told him so. He still wanted me to take the test, so I did. I would not be surprised if the hemoglobin test doesn't come back great. Dr. Reynolds is really looking for something to be wrong. It's kind of irritating, but I can't fault him for being super-cautious, even if extreme caution doesn't guarantee desired results.
The third trimester symptoms have started to hit me recently. I had some pretty bad heartburn last night that caused pain in my shoulder. A couple of Tums and Tylenol fixed it enough so that I could sleep. I've also started spending more time in the recliner. Every night when I wake up to go to the bathroom, I go to the recliner instead of going back to bed. It's so much easier to get into the recliner than to heave myself onto our four-poster bed, and getting comfortable in the recliner is easier than rearranging all the pillows that prop me up in bed. I don't think Matt minds. We have a full size bed, and my pillows and I take up quite a bit of room. When I go to the recliner, he gets the whole bed to himself. I've also currently got a lower back problem that I would describe as a "hitch in my get-along." Something in my bottom-most vertebrae is jammed and causing discomfort in my left leg. The discomfort is significant enough that it affects how I walk which is starting to mess with my knee and ankle. I'm going to stop by the chiropractor's office on the way to work tomorrow. Adjustments don't take long with me, and I need to get that fixed before it hurts other parts of my body. In addition, I've been taking remarkable naps some days. I sleep for more than 3 hours and then need another hour to fully wake up. That's not like me at all. I always pop up like bread in a toaster when I wake up, no matter what time of day, so this grogginess is very unusual. Other than that, I'm doing pretty good, occasionally tired, weepy, or hungry and frequently urinating, but that's to be expected.
Dr. Reynolds was impressed that my blood pressure was still excellent and I've only gained 10 pounds during the whole pregnancy so far. The fluid levels on the ultrasound were a tiny bit above normal, which can be a symptom of diabetes. So despite fantastic scores on the 4-hour blood glucose test, he ordered a blood draw for a hemoglobin test right after our appointment. Unfortunately, I had just eaten peanut M&Ms in the waiting room right before seeing him, and I told him so. He still wanted me to take the test, so I did. I would not be surprised if the hemoglobin test doesn't come back great. Dr. Reynolds is really looking for something to be wrong. It's kind of irritating, but I can't fault him for being super-cautious, even if extreme caution doesn't guarantee desired results.
The third trimester symptoms have started to hit me recently. I had some pretty bad heartburn last night that caused pain in my shoulder. A couple of Tums and Tylenol fixed it enough so that I could sleep. I've also started spending more time in the recliner. Every night when I wake up to go to the bathroom, I go to the recliner instead of going back to bed. It's so much easier to get into the recliner than to heave myself onto our four-poster bed, and getting comfortable in the recliner is easier than rearranging all the pillows that prop me up in bed. I don't think Matt minds. We have a full size bed, and my pillows and I take up quite a bit of room. When I go to the recliner, he gets the whole bed to himself. I've also currently got a lower back problem that I would describe as a "hitch in my get-along." Something in my bottom-most vertebrae is jammed and causing discomfort in my left leg. The discomfort is significant enough that it affects how I walk which is starting to mess with my knee and ankle. I'm going to stop by the chiropractor's office on the way to work tomorrow. Adjustments don't take long with me, and I need to get that fixed before it hurts other parts of my body. In addition, I've been taking remarkable naps some days. I sleep for more than 3 hours and then need another hour to fully wake up. That's not like me at all. I always pop up like bread in a toaster when I wake up, no matter what time of day, so this grogginess is very unusual. Other than that, I'm doing pretty good, occasionally tired, weepy, or hungry and frequently urinating, but that's to be expected.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Week 31 Doctor's Appointment
We had a quick appointment today. My weight is the same, and my blood pressure a little higher. Elsie's heartrate was about the same. I asked the doctor if he has any concerns, and he said everything is great. He asked if she's moving OK. I told him she was. In fact she punched the wand the nurse was using to get her heartrate. :) She's kind of feisty sometimes. I don't blame her. The nurse was pressing really hard. If I didn't have more than 30 years of practicing self-control, I might have tried to punch the nurse, too.
From here on out we'll have weekly appointments with ultrasounds. In 6 weeks she will no longer be premature. If she isn't here in 8 weeks, they'll induce. We've got quite a bit of preparation to do, especially on the nursery. I'm hoping to have it ready and our hospital bags packed by the end of August just in case she decides Labor Day is a good day for me to be in labor. It would take incredible timing and an unrealistic prenatal appreciation of wordplay for her to plan it and pull it off. But she's already shown she's got a better concept of time than I do.
From here on out we'll have weekly appointments with ultrasounds. In 6 weeks she will no longer be premature. If she isn't here in 8 weeks, they'll induce. We've got quite a bit of preparation to do, especially on the nursery. I'm hoping to have it ready and our hospital bags packed by the end of August just in case she decides Labor Day is a good day for me to be in labor. It would take incredible timing and an unrealistic prenatal appreciation of wordplay for her to plan it and pull it off. But she's already shown she's got a better concept of time than I do.
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Curry for Everyone!
For a while I've noticed that Elsie likes chocolate. I've considered that she's just getting a sugar rush and reacting to the energy surge. Today, however, I am absolutely certain she reacted to something I ate. It wasn't sweet, so it wasn't just a sugar rush. I had Indian food for lunch, butter chicken, and a cucumber tomato salad. When I would take bites of butter chicken, she would dance (Bhangra?). When I would drink tea, eat salad, or forget to eat because I was looking for zucchini recipes online, she was still until I took another bite of curry. It happened over and over. I enjoyed both the Indian food and the dancing. As soon as we had finished lunch, I went to tell Matt. We love ethnic foods and would like Elsie to enjoy it, too. It would make eating out as well as eating at home nicer if she wasn't on a chicken-nugget-only diet. Her preferences now may not make a difference in the future, but it makes me excited to experiment on her in the future. :)
Saturday, July 27, 2013
The Simplified Desired Gear List
I think the Amazon registry is in good shape now: http://www.amazon.com/registry/baby/XKGORJ9IOUAR.
I had a hard time with the registry because registries can require you to be too specific. For example, at some point we will need a convertible car seat when she outgrows the infant seat we already have, so I'd like to put that on the registry. However, I don't know which convertible car seat we want. I read reviews, but I feel ill-equipped to select one. Somebody else with actual experience with babies and car seats could probably pick one for me and I would be happy with it. But there's no way to put "pick a convertible car seat" on a registry.
Below is a list of things I think we need. Most of the items on the list are on the registry. In many cases the items on the registry are just examples of the kind of things we want and the colors and models are suggestions. I've split the list into two parts: what we'll need immediately and what we'll need later in the first year. I've also got a list of what we have, which some people might find helpful, but it seems like overkill right now, so I'll keep that one to myself for a little while.
0-3 Months
1-2 Covers for contoured changing pad
Bassinet/play yard sheets that fit our Boppy brand bassinet/play yard
A wrap carrier like a Moby wrap for baby wearing
Stroller base that our infant car seat fits on
Mirror for car
Diaper pail
A few small Dr Brown's bottles and level 1 newborn nipples
Breastmilk storage bags
Size 1 & 2 disposable diapers & wipes
3+ Months
Breathable crib bumper
1-2 fitted crib sheets
Fabric travel high chair
Toys
Convertible car seat
Larger bibs
Umbrella stroller
Diapers
Clothes
Possibly - Crib and mattress (We have a hand-me-down crib that probably doesn't meet current safety standards but is still probably safe. If we got a new crib, we might need a new mattress.)
I had a hard time with the registry because registries can require you to be too specific. For example, at some point we will need a convertible car seat when she outgrows the infant seat we already have, so I'd like to put that on the registry. However, I don't know which convertible car seat we want. I read reviews, but I feel ill-equipped to select one. Somebody else with actual experience with babies and car seats could probably pick one for me and I would be happy with it. But there's no way to put "pick a convertible car seat" on a registry.
Below is a list of things I think we need. Most of the items on the list are on the registry. In many cases the items on the registry are just examples of the kind of things we want and the colors and models are suggestions. I've split the list into two parts: what we'll need immediately and what we'll need later in the first year. I've also got a list of what we have, which some people might find helpful, but it seems like overkill right now, so I'll keep that one to myself for a little while.
0-3 Months
1-2 Covers for contoured changing pad
Bassinet/play yard sheets that fit our Boppy brand bassinet/play yard
A wrap carrier like a Moby wrap for baby wearing
Stroller base that our infant car seat fits on
Mirror for car
Diaper pail
A few small Dr Brown's bottles and level 1 newborn nipples
Breastmilk storage bags
Size 1 & 2 disposable diapers & wipes
3+ Months
Breathable crib bumper
1-2 fitted crib sheets
Fabric travel high chair
Toys
Convertible car seat
Larger bibs
Umbrella stroller
Diapers
Clothes
Possibly - Crib and mattress (We have a hand-me-down crib that probably doesn't meet current safety standards but is still probably safe. If we got a new crib, we might need a new mattress.)
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Mid-July Garden Update
The Squash Ghetto
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| Spaghetti squash hangs from the trellis behind the corn. The plant is withering, and there are squash bugs everywhere, but I hope the squash hangs in there until it ripens enough to eat it. |
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| The sugar baby watermelon is really growing! |
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| Butternut squash is looking good. |
The Annex
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| An eggplant bud is starting to turn into an eggplant. |
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| The fennel isn't looking very perky. |
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| I pick a couple of handfuls of really ripe cherry tomatoes nearly every day. |
The Pea Haven
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| Prolific purple hull peas. I'll pick some this weekend. |
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| Similarly prolific green beans to pick this weekend as well. |
Kicking Me When I'm Down
I normally enjoy feeling Elsie kick. For one thing it means she's still alive. It's reassuring to wake up in the morning and get a strong kick. It's also nice that I can count on a good 11:30 p.m. kick. I don't know if these are friendly "hi, mom" kicks or something else, but I'm glad they happen. She has even started kicking when I'm in the bath tub or swimming. In the past, if I was in water, she was still. She doesn't kick much when I'm active, but if I take a little break she takes her turn to wiggle and kick. I tend to smile and compliment her when she puts together nice combo moves: jab, cross, kick.
However, there have been a couple of times I felt sick and she became active and made me feel worse. There was the time when my lactose intolerance triggered colon spasms and freaked her out. At least that event didn't last long. But last night I felt bad all night: I was tired, I had been a little too active, and I had eaten a cheeseburger at 10:00 p.m. Yes, I did it to myself, but I felt pretty bad. She played a little at bedtime like she normally does, but she's gotten better about settling down when I make shushing sounds, rub my belly, and tell her it's sleepy time. (She didn't pick up on that as early as Neil did, but I'm glad she's catching on. It's especially interesting because I had expected her to react to my voice like Neil did but she doesn't seem to care what I say. She goes nuts for Matt but doesn't pay any attention to me when I talk. I tend to sound a bit petulant when I express that opinion. Her calming down when I shush and speak soothingly makes me feel like we've connected in a new way.) When she accepted it was sleepy time, I fell asleep quickly. But, of course, I woke up a few hours later to go to the bathroom. And shortly after I climbed into bed still feeling sore and sick, Elsie got the hiccups. Ugh. She banged against my sensitive digestive system and bounced off my tightly-stretched and already sore belly. It was awful. I knew she couldn't help it, and I sympathized with her. Hiccups are no fun, even if they mean that her diaphragm is practicing and strengthening for breathing after birth. And she didn't get just one case of hiccups. As soon as one set would subside, a new set with a new rhythm would start. About that time I heard Matt in the kitchen and called him in. I was tired and sick and feeling alone and told him I didn't expect him to do anything about the first two issues but that he could at least help me not be alone. He sat with me for a while with his hand on my belly and got to feel the hiccups, too. We complimented her on her strong diaphragm, which will be important when she's in band one day. (I think we're pulling for a woodwind instrument but would be OK with brass.) :) I got the most relief when I was sitting completely upright with my legs in butterfly pose. Being upright let gravity assist me with the heartburn, and butterfly pose opened my pelvis and gave her a little more room so that she didn't slam into my organs quite as hard. Eventually, I found a way to prop myself in that position and fell asleep for a few more hours.
I woke still sore and uneasy but still thankful for my wake-up thump from Elsie. Some OTC digestive aids, Tylenol, and a warm bath with Epsom salt and a little stress relief aromatherapy bath salts from Bath & Body Works (and some Googling to reassure me we weren't gravely ill) got me in good enough shape to go to work. My digestive system is still uneasy, and she was particularly active between 9:30 and 10:30 this morning. But both my stomach and my daughter seem to be settling down at least for a little while.
However, there have been a couple of times I felt sick and she became active and made me feel worse. There was the time when my lactose intolerance triggered colon spasms and freaked her out. At least that event didn't last long. But last night I felt bad all night: I was tired, I had been a little too active, and I had eaten a cheeseburger at 10:00 p.m. Yes, I did it to myself, but I felt pretty bad. She played a little at bedtime like she normally does, but she's gotten better about settling down when I make shushing sounds, rub my belly, and tell her it's sleepy time. (She didn't pick up on that as early as Neil did, but I'm glad she's catching on. It's especially interesting because I had expected her to react to my voice like Neil did but she doesn't seem to care what I say. She goes nuts for Matt but doesn't pay any attention to me when I talk. I tend to sound a bit petulant when I express that opinion. Her calming down when I shush and speak soothingly makes me feel like we've connected in a new way.) When she accepted it was sleepy time, I fell asleep quickly. But, of course, I woke up a few hours later to go to the bathroom. And shortly after I climbed into bed still feeling sore and sick, Elsie got the hiccups. Ugh. She banged against my sensitive digestive system and bounced off my tightly-stretched and already sore belly. It was awful. I knew she couldn't help it, and I sympathized with her. Hiccups are no fun, even if they mean that her diaphragm is practicing and strengthening for breathing after birth. And she didn't get just one case of hiccups. As soon as one set would subside, a new set with a new rhythm would start. About that time I heard Matt in the kitchen and called him in. I was tired and sick and feeling alone and told him I didn't expect him to do anything about the first two issues but that he could at least help me not be alone. He sat with me for a while with his hand on my belly and got to feel the hiccups, too. We complimented her on her strong diaphragm, which will be important when she's in band one day. (I think we're pulling for a woodwind instrument but would be OK with brass.) :) I got the most relief when I was sitting completely upright with my legs in butterfly pose. Being upright let gravity assist me with the heartburn, and butterfly pose opened my pelvis and gave her a little more room so that she didn't slam into my organs quite as hard. Eventually, I found a way to prop myself in that position and fell asleep for a few more hours.
I woke still sore and uneasy but still thankful for my wake-up thump from Elsie. Some OTC digestive aids, Tylenol, and a warm bath with Epsom salt and a little stress relief aromatherapy bath salts from Bath & Body Works (and some Googling to reassure me we weren't gravely ill) got me in good enough shape to go to work. My digestive system is still uneasy, and she was particularly active between 9:30 and 10:30 this morning. But both my stomach and my daughter seem to be settling down at least for a little while.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Rodent Update
Matt brought the car seat, bassinet, and swing downstairs for me to examine. I found no nibbles. I did find a few mouse pellets. Most fabric parts are removable and machine washable. I sprayed he car seat cover and swing seat with an antibacterial spray and put them in the washer with some antibacterial hand soap. That's wash #1. I plan to wipe them with antibacterial wipes and do wash #2 with baby detergent to remove antibacterial residue and then put them in the dryer for a few minutes. I think the hard surfaces can get away with the antibacterial spray and wipe followed by a wash and rinse to remove antibacterial residue. So overall it's good news. Everything seems usable, at least after repeated washing.
Monday, July 22, 2013
What Elsie Needs
What Elsie needs most is to put on weight, to practice breathing, to avoid umbilical cord accidents, and to wait until September to arrive. But none of that is within any of our control. We can pray, but it's not in our control.
So instead we make plans and buy stuff we think she'll need after arriving. As I've previously said, shopping is a way of wrapping my head around big life changes, so I've done a bit of shopping to make the idea that I have a daughter more concrete. I knew that we already had a lot of clothing due to people's generosity when we were preparing for Neil. We have plenty of gowns with cute animals on them and short sleeve onesies with sports equipment and dinosaurs on them. But Elsie is a girl and a fall baby, so I figured some of her needs were different. For one it might be nice for her to have a few things that looked a bit more girly as well as a couple of dresses to go with all the sports equipment and dinosaurs she'll be wearing. For another she would be more likely to need long sleeve onesies early on. With that in mind, we got some long sleeve clothes and dresses at a Carter's outlet in Missouri in May, tights and headbands and a swimsuit at Other Mothers in Springfield, and footed pajamas at the Goodwill store in Lebanon (where my OB's office is). I got things in a variety of sizes and seasons because I hope she'll stick around and grow. I'm pretty sure my mind has now caught on that I have a daughter.
At the start of the third trimester, I started looking over the baby stuff we've got so I can figure out what to put on a baby registry. I've got a registry started on Amazon, and as soon as I've finished it, I'll post a link to it. Last time we also did a Wal-Mart registry, but nobody else's Wal-Mart had the same items that ours did, so it didn't make buying what we needed any easier. We'll just stick with Amazon this time.
The first items I looked at were the clothes. We have LOTS of clothes, possibly enough to get us to Christmas. Here's what I inventoried:
We plan to put her in gowns and sleep sacks a lot when we're just staying at home, so the other clothes are necessary mostly for when we take her out. Since she's a fall baby, we probably won't take her out in the cold more than we have to, especially during flu season. Matt and I don't go out often now without a baby, so it wouldn't really be a change to stay home and sit around in our PJs with her. :)
I also found that we have more than a month's supply of baby wipes and disposable diapers (in a couple of sizes). And I've got a little bit of cloth diapering stuff that we can experiment with at home after we survive the first month or so. We'll eventually need more, but that's at least enough to get us started.
We probably don't need any store-bought blankets either. We welcome home-made blankets. If you have a talent for quilting, sewing, crocheting, or knitting, feel free to make a blanket especially for Elsie. I treasure the blankets I have from grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents and love the idea of Elsie having items made by family members. But we have a few receiving blankets and quite a few blankets and quilts, and crib bedding is discouraged by child safety experts. So if you see a cute blanket in a store, don't buy it unless it comes with promises of instant infant soothing and a money-back guarantee. If you do see such a miracle blanket, please buy it. Buy two. :)
I just started looking at the baby gear a couple days ago. The gear inventory will probably need to be a different blog post. I went upstairs to the attic-like room that the baby gear was stored in and brought the breast pump and diaper bag downstairs. I had never opened the breast pump, which I got for less than $40 on clearance from Target. I just wanted to make sure it didn't look used: I don't think I like the idea of my daughter ingesting strangers' bodily fluids. Not only was the outside box still sealed but the individual components inside were also perfectly sealed in plastic. It seems to be new. Hurray! The diaper bag was not as hurray. There were a few items still in it: a sample package of baby wipes, a few diapers, and a Wint-O-Green Lifesaver. The Lifesaver had obviously been nibbled on. And on further inspection so had the baby wipes. Ugh! Mice in the baby stuff. The diaper bag itself didn't have any mouse pellets in it, but there was some fraying on one edge. I'm not sure if it was like that before, if it was caused by velcro snagging or by mice snacking. I also don't know if I can clean it enough to make me forget about the mice crawling through it. I looked on Amazon for a new diaper bag just in case, but I would want to see and touch a bag before getting it to make sure it seemed like it would meet our needs. Never having used a diaper bag, I don't even know what those needs are, but I feel like I could rule some bags out by handling them first.
Now that I know that mice have been around the baby gear I need to clean and inspect it all thoroughly. I would have cleaned it anyway, but I'll probably disinfect and steam clean everything multiple times until my mind no longer sees phantom mice skittering over it. I'll try to do that soon so that I can assess any damage, figure out what we need, and finish the registry.
So instead we make plans and buy stuff we think she'll need after arriving. As I've previously said, shopping is a way of wrapping my head around big life changes, so I've done a bit of shopping to make the idea that I have a daughter more concrete. I knew that we already had a lot of clothing due to people's generosity when we were preparing for Neil. We have plenty of gowns with cute animals on them and short sleeve onesies with sports equipment and dinosaurs on them. But Elsie is a girl and a fall baby, so I figured some of her needs were different. For one it might be nice for her to have a few things that looked a bit more girly as well as a couple of dresses to go with all the sports equipment and dinosaurs she'll be wearing. For another she would be more likely to need long sleeve onesies early on. With that in mind, we got some long sleeve clothes and dresses at a Carter's outlet in Missouri in May, tights and headbands and a swimsuit at Other Mothers in Springfield, and footed pajamas at the Goodwill store in Lebanon (where my OB's office is). I got things in a variety of sizes and seasons because I hope she'll stick around and grow. I'm pretty sure my mind has now caught on that I have a daughter.
 |
| This is what I've labeled PJs in my inventory. Yes, those are turtles and flowers on those cute PJs. |
The first items I looked at were the clothes. We have LOTS of clothes, possibly enough to get us to Christmas. Here's what I inventoried:
| Item | # Owned |
|---|---|
| Swaddlers | 3 |
| Hooded Towels | 3 |
| No-Scratch Mittens | 3 pairs |
| Booties | 3 pairs |
| Socks | 12+ pairs |
| Hats | 5 |
| Gowns | 7 |
| Sleep Sacks | 2 |
| Hooded Snow Suits | 1 |
| Clothes - Newborn | |
| Long Sleeve PJs w/ Feet | 3 |
| Long Sleeve Onesie | 1 |
| Short Sleeve Onesie | 6 |
| Pants w/o Feet | 3 |
| Clothes – 0-3 months | |
| Long Sleeve PJs w/ Feet | 5 |
| Long Sleeve PJs w/o Feet | 2 |
| Long Sleeve Onesie | 9 |
| Long Sleeve T-Shirt | 1 |
| Long Sleeve Side Snap T-Shirt | 1 |
| Short Sleeve Onesie | 16! |
| Short Sleeve T-Shirt | 1 |
| Short Sleeve Side Snap T-Shirt | 2 |
| Pants w/ Feet | 2 |
| Pants w/o Feet | 3 |
| Jeans | 1 |
| Denim Overalls | 1 |
| Dresses | 3 |
| Cardigan | 1 |
| Sweater Vest | 1 |
 |
| Comfy gowns and sleep sacks for lounging at home. |
I also found that we have more than a month's supply of baby wipes and disposable diapers (in a couple of sizes). And I've got a little bit of cloth diapering stuff that we can experiment with at home after we survive the first month or so. We'll eventually need more, but that's at least enough to get us started.
We probably don't need any store-bought blankets either. We welcome home-made blankets. If you have a talent for quilting, sewing, crocheting, or knitting, feel free to make a blanket especially for Elsie. I treasure the blankets I have from grandparents, great-grandparents, and great-great-grandparents and love the idea of Elsie having items made by family members. But we have a few receiving blankets and quite a few blankets and quilts, and crib bedding is discouraged by child safety experts. So if you see a cute blanket in a store, don't buy it unless it comes with promises of instant infant soothing and a money-back guarantee. If you do see such a miracle blanket, please buy it. Buy two. :)
 |
| Nibbles or snags on the diaper bag? I'm hoping it's snags. |
75% Complete
We had our 30 week appointment with the OB today. Hurray! 30 weeks is 75% of the way to 40 weeks. The plan is to have a baby before 40 weeks, so we're more than 75% done with this pregnancy.
The appointment went well. I haven't gained weight, but no one's worried. My blood pressure was 99/65, which is much lower than it has been, but no one's worried. The doctor did do an unplanned ultrasound. We don't know why. Matt thinks he was killing time. He had a scheduled C-section in another hour or so, and we were the last patients of the day. So we got to see Elsie again. Her hands were by her face, and her jaw was moving; so we think she was sucking on her fist. She kicked a little. Her thighs looked kind of chubby already. There was a good amount of amniotic fluid keeping her afloat. He estimated she weighs about 3 pounds. (That's his guess not the computer's projection based on measurements.) The doctor was a little obsessed with her bladder. It was full, and he wanted to watch her pee; but she refused to urinate on command. We spent more time looking at her full bladder than we did looking at her face. It was a remarkably large bladder compared to her other parts. Matt was impressed with her self-control, her ability to hold it so well. I'm thinking of future diapering and wonder if she'll hold it a long time and then wet through everything when she finally does release it. We may have to double diaper her if we don't want to change the sheets and her clothes every time we change her diaper.
Also for no apparent reason, the doctor wants us to come back next week. We were supposed to start weekly appointments at 32 weeks, but he wants us to come back next week and then start weekly ultrasounds the next week. He said we're "special." We have no reason to think anything is wrong other than the fact that they've withheld concerns before to keep us from worrying needlessly. The doctor seemed impressed with everything he saw today, so we're assuming he's being overly cautious. We're seeing the other doctor next week, and I've wondered if he'll be confused to see us again before 32 weeks. I was certainly confused while making next week's appointment.
I did learn from the receptionist that their standard procedure is to contact ultrasound patients if the ultrasound tech is going to be gone for the day so that they can reschedule. If she's going to be gone for a whole week, they send you to the hospital for a non-stress test instead; but if they can just reschedule to another day that week, they prefer to do that. That's good. We'd prefer to do that, too.
The appointment went well. I haven't gained weight, but no one's worried. My blood pressure was 99/65, which is much lower than it has been, but no one's worried. The doctor did do an unplanned ultrasound. We don't know why. Matt thinks he was killing time. He had a scheduled C-section in another hour or so, and we were the last patients of the day. So we got to see Elsie again. Her hands were by her face, and her jaw was moving; so we think she was sucking on her fist. She kicked a little. Her thighs looked kind of chubby already. There was a good amount of amniotic fluid keeping her afloat. He estimated she weighs about 3 pounds. (That's his guess not the computer's projection based on measurements.) The doctor was a little obsessed with her bladder. It was full, and he wanted to watch her pee; but she refused to urinate on command. We spent more time looking at her full bladder than we did looking at her face. It was a remarkably large bladder compared to her other parts. Matt was impressed with her self-control, her ability to hold it so well. I'm thinking of future diapering and wonder if she'll hold it a long time and then wet through everything when she finally does release it. We may have to double diaper her if we don't want to change the sheets and her clothes every time we change her diaper.
Also for no apparent reason, the doctor wants us to come back next week. We were supposed to start weekly appointments at 32 weeks, but he wants us to come back next week and then start weekly ultrasounds the next week. He said we're "special." We have no reason to think anything is wrong other than the fact that they've withheld concerns before to keep us from worrying needlessly. The doctor seemed impressed with everything he saw today, so we're assuming he's being overly cautious. We're seeing the other doctor next week, and I've wondered if he'll be confused to see us again before 32 weeks. I was certainly confused while making next week's appointment.
I did learn from the receptionist that their standard procedure is to contact ultrasound patients if the ultrasound tech is going to be gone for the day so that they can reschedule. If she's going to be gone for a whole week, they send you to the hospital for a non-stress test instead; but if they can just reschedule to another day that week, they prefer to do that. That's good. We'd prefer to do that, too.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
It only takes one bloody pumpkin bite before you start carrying a stick to the ghetto
The garden is doing great. Produce production has increased significantly. So far I've harvested 6 cucumbers, 3 zucchinis, a pint of cherry tomatoes, a couple pounds of turnips, a few beets, more than a gallon of green beans, and outrageous amounts of chard and kale. I've been very impressed with the garden this year. That doesn't mean that I haven't had some failures; it just means I've learned from my past failures enough to see improved results. This year my lessons have been about feeding plants,controlling bugs, selecting better seeds, and using space wisely.
Lack of nutrients was killing my tomato and squash plants a few weeks ago, so I started using Miracle-Gro on them, and they perked back up. I've also figured out that using Miracle-Gro on my plants will generate usable produce sooner, which is especially important for plants that bolt in the heat (broccoli, fennel). And in the future I will prepare the soil better by adding some sort of fertilizer in the spring before I plant.
For the most part I haven't had problems with bugs eating everything in sight. Some were snacking on my baby green bean plants, so I found a recipe for a homemade concoction to spray on them. It seemed to work. I also wanted to avoid corn earworms. I hate those things. It's so gross to pick a pretty ear of corn and find that a fat grub has started eating it already. I read that a few drops of vegetable or mineral oil on the silks will prevent them, so I'm trying it. We'll see in the next month whether it worked or not. My other big bug problem is squash vine borers. Last year they ate my spaghetti squash before I could and decimated my zucchini plants before they had produced much. I recognized them infesting my squash ghetto and knew I had to take action before the entire ghetto was compromised. My research suggests that wrapping the base of young squash plants with aluminum foil to prevent the borers from getting in in the first place is the best solution, but it's a bit late for that now. So I found an insecticidal soap spray that's supposed to help control them. The soap is approved for organic farming. I'm not a nut for organics, but I'd prefer the veggies I grow to not potentially poison us. It would be a shame to increase the veggies in our diets and get sick from it.
I started hunting for different varieties of basil seeds when my recent attempt at pesto was nasty. Previous attempts had also been nasty, but I thought it was because the basil I was using had already turned bitter. My basil isn't bitter yet, so I was hoping for better results. I was disappointed. So I researched a bit and found that there are basil varieties that are better for pesto than others. I just ordered Profumo di Genova basil seeds from Amazon and am hoping they will make good pesto in September.
The last thing I've learned is that some plants get bigger than I expect, so parts of my garden need to expand a little next year. The purple hull peas are growing riotously. I had to put up a little fence to keep them from overrunning the green beans. They could use another block-length of width, which is easy to fix for next year. I will also probably fence them again to make sure they observe some boundaries. They have no concept of personal space. I also need to make sure that veggies in blocks don't interfere with veggies in pots and vice versa. My turnips and rutabagas in blocks have prevented my kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli in containers from getting the light and water they need. And the plants in the blocks around the squash ghetto are having trouble getting light now that the squash leaves are getting huge and growing everywhere. A little space would benefit all of them. The squash ghetto itself needs to expand its width by a few blocks. Some of the vines stretch the length of the ghetto and have had to be turned back to grow towards the plant again. It's crazy. I've put up tomato fencing around the perimeter to keep them from growing into the yard and interfering with Matt's mowing. They are growing so thickly that it's hard to harvest the produce or spray the vines with insecticide or add some Miracle-Gro. This is why I ghettoized the squash. They grow everywhere and are hard to control. I've already had to barricade them, and I recently had to start arming myself. I picked up a pumpkin vine the other day to move it into a better position, and it bit me hard enough to draw blood. I decided that what I needed was a stick to move the vines aside. I found one today, and it was very helpful when I sprayed for squash bugs. I hate to feel the need to be armed in the ghetto, but I also don't want to end up bleeding every day. I'll expand the ghetto and see if that helps.
I also decided today that I should try to sew simple grow bags out of lawn fabric to put inside of the blocks in the future. It will be so much easier to get the soil back out to be mixed with fertilizer if I can just pull the whole grow bag out and refill it. Grow bags are available from Amazon; but I've got a plan in mind, and I have the lawn fabric and a sewing machine. We'll see how it turns out. Now that I've got empty spots after harvesting beets and turnips, it's a good time to try something new.
The explosion of produce has led to a flurry of cooking which has made the kitchen a bit messy which has displeased Matt. (I'm not thrilled with the mess either, but I at least get the joy of making the mess in the first place while creating things.) But I expect some of the cooking to slow soon. The turnips and beets are requiring more processing than other veggies--for one thing, they produce both roots and edible greens that have to be cooked separately--and now they've all been harvested. I'll replant soon for a small winter harvest. The tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, and purple hull peas should come in at more reasonable rates because they are continual producers and don't have big one-time harvests. I also got the great idea to make borscht (Russian stew) out of my beets, but I chose a recipe that requires making my own beef stock out of marrow bones slow simmered for hours with carrots, garlic, and onions. The beef stock is fantastic, and I'll have enough to make both borscht and French onion soup; but it's also been another project to mess up the kitchen.
Monday, July 8, 2013
Third Trimester Photo Shoot
Today we had an ultrasound to check Elsie's growth. I was thrilled to see she didn't have her feet over her head. She was also positioned head down, which may change a few times before she's born, but she's headed in the right direction. She surprised us when the ultrasound tech focused on her head. She turned to face us, and the ultrasound tech saw her face move and thought she smiled. Already mugging for the camera. The photos we have of her aren't that great. They're skeletal and ghostly. But it was nice of her to pose for us. She weighs exactly 2.5 pounds and is in the 50th percentile. At her last ultrasound she was in the 52nd percentile. As long as she stays on her growth curve, she'll be about 7 pounds when she's born. Hurray! Our next appointment is in two weeks, and our next ultrasound is in four weeks.
I am also doing well. Amniotic fluid levels are good and so is my blood pressure. I haven't gained any weight over the last three weeks. I've gained less than 10 pounds from my lowest first trimester weight, and 2.5 of that is all Elsie (not to mention placenta and extra fluids). I'm not exactly dieting. I just had a mini turtle pecan cluster blizzard from Dairy Queen to celebrate our good reports at the doctor. (I got a mini because I'm lactose intolerant and don't want to get sick and freak Elsie out again.) I'm intentionally eating more fruits and vegetables and getting more exercise, but it's because I enjoy fresh summer produce and swimming rather than because I'm trying to watch my weight. That's just a nice side effect. :) I've been eating a lot of caprese salad and snacking on snap peas and watermelon. The basil and snap peas are from my garden. The swimming pool is finally open at times I can get there. With my swimmer's snorkel, I don't have to worry about getting out of breath because I can breathe whenever I want. My breast stroke is getting quite graceful, which is pretty impressive considering my growing girth. Between the low-calorie fruits and veggies taking up room in my quickly shrinking stomach and getting to the pool up to four times a week in July, I'm not gaining weight. As long as Elsie is gaining weight, I'm going to keep on enjoying my veggies and swimming. I can always add an Icee, milkshake, or blizzard every once in a while if I need to. Anything for Elsie. :)
Elsie is pretty active, but I am rarely able to figure out why she is kicking. She kicks for the fun of it most of the time. I have noticed that she likes music. She kicks significantly more during singing at church, the musical we recently attended, and movies with rousing scores. She also kicks at things that touch my belly: my computer desk, the kitchen counter and sink (my arms are too short to wash dishes without resting my belly against the sink), and even my own arm. She believes it's HER belly, and I've been unable to convince her to share. She still gets excited when Matt talks to her and even kicked in his direction when he talked at my belly one time. However, she rarely kicks when Matt's hand is on my belly. One night when she wouldn't settle down, I had Matt put his hand on my belly, and I got a good 15 minutes of peace before she started kicking again. And she wasn't kicking as hard then. She also kicks when she's startled. The new Superman was incredibly scary for her because of all the explosions. I'm surprised my uterus wasn't bruised after that movie. And yesterday she got her first case of hiccups during the sermon at church. The kicks were too regular and jerky to be anything but hiccups.
We're all doing fine. I garden and swim and try out new veggie recipes. Elsie kicks. And Matt drives us to the doctor an awful lot. We expect the rest of the summer to keep going the same way.
I am also doing well. Amniotic fluid levels are good and so is my blood pressure. I haven't gained any weight over the last three weeks. I've gained less than 10 pounds from my lowest first trimester weight, and 2.5 of that is all Elsie (not to mention placenta and extra fluids). I'm not exactly dieting. I just had a mini turtle pecan cluster blizzard from Dairy Queen to celebrate our good reports at the doctor. (I got a mini because I'm lactose intolerant and don't want to get sick and freak Elsie out again.) I'm intentionally eating more fruits and vegetables and getting more exercise, but it's because I enjoy fresh summer produce and swimming rather than because I'm trying to watch my weight. That's just a nice side effect. :) I've been eating a lot of caprese salad and snacking on snap peas and watermelon. The basil and snap peas are from my garden. The swimming pool is finally open at times I can get there. With my swimmer's snorkel, I don't have to worry about getting out of breath because I can breathe whenever I want. My breast stroke is getting quite graceful, which is pretty impressive considering my growing girth. Between the low-calorie fruits and veggies taking up room in my quickly shrinking stomach and getting to the pool up to four times a week in July, I'm not gaining weight. As long as Elsie is gaining weight, I'm going to keep on enjoying my veggies and swimming. I can always add an Icee, milkshake, or blizzard every once in a while if I need to. Anything for Elsie. :)
Elsie is pretty active, but I am rarely able to figure out why she is kicking. She kicks for the fun of it most of the time. I have noticed that she likes music. She kicks significantly more during singing at church, the musical we recently attended, and movies with rousing scores. She also kicks at things that touch my belly: my computer desk, the kitchen counter and sink (my arms are too short to wash dishes without resting my belly against the sink), and even my own arm. She believes it's HER belly, and I've been unable to convince her to share. She still gets excited when Matt talks to her and even kicked in his direction when he talked at my belly one time. However, she rarely kicks when Matt's hand is on my belly. One night when she wouldn't settle down, I had Matt put his hand on my belly, and I got a good 15 minutes of peace before she started kicking again. And she wasn't kicking as hard then. She also kicks when she's startled. The new Superman was incredibly scary for her because of all the explosions. I'm surprised my uterus wasn't bruised after that movie. And yesterday she got her first case of hiccups during the sermon at church. The kicks were too regular and jerky to be anything but hiccups.
We're all doing fine. I garden and swim and try out new veggie recipes. Elsie kicks. And Matt drives us to the doctor an awful lot. We expect the rest of the summer to keep going the same way.
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