Post-dates

41 weeks 1 day

As I had expected, I find myself significantly post-dates again. I went to 42 weeks 1 day with Jesse, so I began this pregnancy prepared to do that again. I'm still quite comfortable, and baby T seems very happy. I had one difficult day last week where my hips killed me and I had very little sleep the night before, but other than that, I'm still truckin' along. Regular massage appointments, the occasional chiropractic appointment, and prenatal yoga have helped a bit, I'm sure.

I had an appointment with my midwife this past Wednesday and all checked out well. I still have some leukocytes in my pee, but I'm asymptomatic, so right now we're treating it naturally. The baby's head is quite low now. And Jayme estimated that the baby was just over 8 lbs at that point, which is about what I think the baby probably weighs.

Then today I had a biophysical profile appointment at the Maternal Fetal Assessment Unit. I spent about 20 minutes on the monitor at first. Baby's heartrate was great. Lots of variability and plenty of acelerations. Then I had the ultrasound. Baby looks fabulous. There's lots of amniotic fluid and there's good blood flow through the cord (which means the placenta is functioning well). I was lucky enough to get a couple of great shots of the baby. Here's my favorite - look at the little pouty face!

They took my word for it that Dr. M was fine with me not consulting with the OB and getting put on the induction list. I wasn't hasselled about it at all, which was fabulous! I went in there all prepared to defend my choices. I have no plans on being induced unless this baby is not here by the end of the month. I brought the results of the BPP over to Dr. M's secretary on my way out. I also scheduled an appointment with him for Wednesday. I'll head in for that appointment whether baby is here or not. If baby isn't here, I'll probably get another BPP. If baby is here, I'll just use the appointment to get another functional assessment form filled out for work so that I can continue to take sick leave til my benefits run out. (That's when I'll officially start maternity leave.)

Aside from all that, I'm getting even huger (probably not a word, but I'm claiming pregnancy brain). I took at 41 week belly shot this past Thursday.

Anywho, I guess that's all for now. I should probably try to settle in a get some sleep. I might just have a busy weekend ahead of me, right?

Belly! Belly! Belly!!!

I got the CD of photos from my session with Tara Bradbury. I've finally had a chance to review them and I'm really happy with them. There are a few pictures that I'm going to have printed. Maybe make a collage with them or something. I highly, highly recommend every pregnant woman have a session done like this during her 3rd trimester. It's such an amazing time in your life. You should capture it!

Baby has a bed!

40 weeks 1 day

The cradle mattress finally came for the baby. So exciting! Now Trouble won't have to sleep on the same craptastic vinyl covered polyurethane foam "mattress" that Jesse did. I got it from www.naturallygood.net . It wasn't exactly cheap, but I bet it'll be worth it. It's made of natural rubber, wool, and organic cotton. I've covered it with the crocheted wool mattress cover that I felted and lanolinized. I added a cotton receiving blanket on top of that to help absorb any leaks and covered it all with a king-sized pillow case (which fits a 18"x36" cradle mattress perfectly). Here's a pic of the mattress:

And here's the finished bed all made up....don't mind the stripes...the cotton receiving blanket is showing through the pillow case.

I think this should do for Baby T. I hope so anyways. At least until I'm comfortable having a wee babe in the bed with us again.

Also, I hit my due date this week! Of course, it came and went without an arrival. But that was to be expected, really. Jesse was 15 days "post-dates" so I figure this baby will behave similarly. I had my 40 week appointment on Wednesday night. I'm measuring 41 weeks and it seems baby has had a growth spurt. Jayme is now estimating baby to be right around 8 lbs. The heartrate was great and my blood pressure was fine. All is as it should be. I took a (possibly final?) belly pic yesterday. I'm finally at the point where I'm kind of uncomfortable, and hoping I don't get to be even more so before the baby comes. Considering I could be waiting another 2 weeks (or more??!!!) I probably will. Anyways, here's the pic:

I guess that's it for now. I may have another post coming tonight if I get my grubby little hands on the CD from our photo session. I have a few images already, but I want to get all of them before I choose what to post.

Party in my Belly

39 weeks 4 days

I took this little video last night. I did get some movement, but the real party started afterward when I was trying to get to sleep.

Time's getting short!

39 weeks 1 day

OK, so I was under the impression that March 3rd was a Friday, but have since learned that it's a Thursday, meaning I'm due a day earlier than I thought. Pregnancy brain strikes again! Anyhow, things are going pretty well. My right hip is bothering me today, but really, that's not a whole lot to complain about, now is it?

I had an appointment with my midwife on Wednesday night. Mom got to meet her! We all cracked up at Jesse taking my measurements and using the doppler. I'll try to get a video of him if I end up having an appointment this Wednesday. (It's scheduled, but Trouble could surprise us all and come early.) He's quite the little midwife! All was well at the appointment, though I may have a slight UTI. Treating it naturally for the time being. I'm asymptomatic, and will hopefully stay that way. Jayme figures Baby T is just over 7 lbs at this point. It'll be fun to find out if her guestimate is right. Everything is in order for the homebirth, with the exception of the pool liner. So I'm hoping to hang out for a few days yet. We're having issues with Canada Post. (Go figure.)

In other news, I've reached the beached whale stage. Turning over in bed is getting more difficult, and I'm moving more slowly. With Jesse's pregnancy, I prided myself on the fact that I never developed the typical pregnant waddle. Unfortunately, I can't brag about that this time. And toddler wrangling has become quite the chore. Jesse takes full advantage of the fact that my get-up-and-go has got up and gone. Here's the evidence of my hugeness:

I've also been working on getting everything else in order. The crocheted mattress cover is finished, washed, felted and lanolinized. I'll post pics of that later. The dipes are all washed and in order. I did chicken out though and bought some sposies for the meconium poos. They're from "Broody Chick" though and are chlorine free, frangrance free, hypo-allergenic and fully compostable. I may not even use them all...just enough to get us to the easy-to-deal-with breastmilk poos. I can't wait to use the new cloth dipes on this baby. They are sooooooo sweet! Here's a peek at some of them:

I've also picked up a little outfit for Baby T. As much as I've looked, I've barely been able to find anything that's gender neutral. So when I saw this at Dominion, of all place, I had to get it: 

I guess that's enough for now. I'll update with more later. Including the mattress cover. Oh, and I need to share a pic of the woolens I have for Baby T! I finally got them washed and lanolinized over the past few days. (Yes, I'm fully aware that only the hardcore cloth diaper nuts will appreciate my excitement over this.)

Brazen Baby

37 weeks 2 days

This baby is trying to psych me out! I contracted for a good 4 hours last night. Between 12:45 am and 1: 45 am I had 12 contractions. And not Braxton Hicks either. They felt like the contractions I had the morning I woke up in early labour with Jesse. I was half tempted to call my midwife and let her know, but I figured she was probably in bed by that point, and I didn't want to wake her up for no good reason. The contractions didn't peter out, even though I was chugging water and lying down, but they didn't pick up in frequency or intensity either, so I figured it was not going to happen. After putting all of my cameras on to charge and half way packing an emergency hospital bag (just in case), I decided to try to get some sleep. By the time I was woken up at 6:15 am, they were gone.

Now, I know most people are totally over being pregnant by this point. But that's not me. I'm not ready yet. I don't have everything set up yet, I'm not psychologically ready, and my mom won't get here til February 23rd. So I'd actually really appreciate this baby staying in until much closer to the due date. If Trouble lives up to his/her name though, we may be welcoming our wee bundle a bit earlier than that.

And now, the reason for me having trouble getting my ass out of bed in the morning:

Love, Will Miss, Looking Forward To....

I'll post a weekly update tonight (if I get a chance). All is well with everyone. For now, I just want to post this. So often people get so caught up in the misery of the last few weeks of pregnancy (and granted, some people are totally entitled to feel that way) that they miss out on the good stuff. Personally, I rather enjoy the last few weeks (for the most part) and cherish this time that I get to have the baby all to myself. So I made a list of all the things I love, what I will miss, and what I'm looking forward to. Thought I'd share it.

~I love the belly. Even though it's huge, I love it. I'll miss it when it's gone.

~I love feeling beautiful. It's the only time in my life that I'm really not self-conscious about how I look. (After all, "round" is a perfectly acceptible shape when you're knocked up.)

~I love having clear skin. I've had acne since I was 11. It goes away completely around 20 weeks.

~I love being off work and finally getting into a normal sleep routine!

~I love my weekly massage appointments.

~I love the belly kisses, hugs, and rubs from my toddler.

~I love the movement. At this point, I sometimes feel like Sigourney Weaver in Alien 3, but it's still awesome.

~I'm going to miss the my midwife and her assistants. I feel so cared for and special.

~I'm going to miss the belly and the movement for the reasons above!

~I'm going to miss having the baby all to myself. It's the closest I'll ever to be him or her.

~I'm going to miss this magical/mystical feeling of growing another human being.

~I'm going to miss underwire bras.

~I'm looking forward to the birth!!!

~I'm looking forward to nursing a baby that fits in my arms.

~I'm looking forward to being a more chill mama. I was a bit of a basket case with my first. I now know you're not going to ruin your child for life by giving them a pacifier.

~I'm looking forward to trusting my instincts more and being more confident.

~I'm looking forward to seeing how Jesse is with the new baby.

~I'm looking forward to finding out the sex!!! And finding a name that suits the baby. I can't wait to figure that out!

~I'm looking forward to my mom's homecooked meals.

~I'm looking forward to using itty bitty cloth diapers again.