Slight freak out moment

Saturday was a busy day. I went to a baby fair, which was huge and sometimes overwhelming, but I got a ton of free stuff and registered to win a ton of stuff (none of which I'll probably get - I will just end up with a barrage of junk mail!). But it was a fun morning with two good friends (one is due exactly a month after me and the other has a six-week-old adorable little guy). We grabbed some lunch on the way home, and then I immediately hooked up with PT, who drove me out to the 'burbs to get a delicious "Mom-to-Be" massage (I got gift certificates for my birthday back in November, and I've been saving them for just this stage of pregnancy!) while she went shopping. After that, we drove back to the city and hooked up with the boys.

On the way to dinner, I had a pretty strong tightening sensation in my belly - I wasn't focusing on anything anyone said in the car because it was so strong. And at the same time my chest felt tight, like I had been running for a long time and couldn't quite breathe. Then we got to the restaurant, and while we were waiting for our table, it happened again. And once we were seated it happened again. This was three in a period of an hour and a half. (Oh - and I forgot to mention I'd had one at lunch too). I decided if it happened once or maybe twice more in the next hour I'd call our friend who is a L&D nurse - I knew that BH contractions aren't supposed to be that regular. So I waited, and it was fine - my belly relaxed and I didn't have another until much later that night, after we were home. You can bet it freaked me out, though. I have felt these "practice" contractions before but never so many in one day, and certainly never in such close proximity. I didn't sleep well that night, partly because I think the garlic pizza we had for an appetizer didn't sit well, and partly because I was freaked out. I woke up every hour or hour and a half, and every time I'd feel my belly to make sure it wasn't a contraction waking me.

Luckily I saw our nurse friend the next day and I asked her about it. She said she thinks it's fine - she was only concerned that I was feeling them in my chest as well as my belly. She said that belly tightening can be regular and close together, and it's not a big deal - labor tends to start in the back. But she also said it's worth mentioning to the doctor on Wednesday. So assuming I'm awake enough (the appointment is really early because DH has class on Wednesdays) I'll ask. I suppose I should make a list...

Childbirth class

We had our childbirth class today, and it was awesome. First she talked about anatomy, explaining a lot of third trimester symptoms by simply pointing at the differences in a cross-section of a pre-pregnant body compared to a third trimester body... it made a whole lot of sense. DH was enthralled at this section. He asked a bunch of questions, and passed his "pop quiz" in front of the class with flying colors by pointing to the lungs on both charts. :)

Then she talked about the stages of labor, and different types of pain management. That was enlightening - I hadn't really thought a whole lot about it other than assuming I'd get an epidural. I still think I will, but I might actually try the narcotic route first. We'll see - I am going to try to just take it as it comes.

Then we had lunch at this great burger place right next to where the class was. MMMM... cheddar bacon ranch burger...

Anyway, after lunch (not sure why she ordered it this way) we watched videos of three different births - one medication-free, one on IV medication, and one with a C-section after 30 hours of labor in the hospital. These were a little bit scary, but enlightening. I almost cried every single time the babies were born. Then DH would crack a joke. I love that man.

We wrapped up the day with a few relaxation techniques. I LOVED this part. I wish we'd spent more time on it. I would have stayed another couple of hours. We tried the birthing ball, which I thought was awesome, but we also used these "back jack" chairs (floor chairs): DH sat in the chair, legs open, and I sat in between his legs leaning into him with a pillow on my lower back. AHHH... it was the perfect angle, and sooo nice to have him right there to massage my arms, neck, head, etc. We almost bought one of those chairs right there, but the only color they had was purple, and DH wasn't so into that. :)

Anyway, overall it was awesome. My husband was amazing. He asked so many questions and learned so much. He wasn't there just to sit by me and support me - though he was doing that too - he was actively taking part. And I think he left with a great appreciation for what I will be doing in a few short weeks. He immediately wanted to come up with a birth plan, to figure out the things that help me relax and make them happen. I think it did freak him out a little bit, but he was also excited.

The downside was they had us sitting in chairs all day. It was 7 hours! My back was killing me by the end. Luckily I got to hang on to a birthing ball for awhile - that helped a bit - and at the end, in those floor chairs, it was much better. But I still had to come home and hit the couch for a bit. It probably didn't help that I didn't sleep well last night. All of a sudden in the last couple of days my body has realized it's in the third trimester of pregnancy - the swelling, the back pain, and most noticeably when I sleep, the leg cramps. I woke up this morning yelling in pain. My calf muscle was so tight I couldn't even move my foot at all. DH had to push it up for me to get it to stretch out. I have been getting leg cramps for awhile, but I've mostly been sleeping through them (I only know because I vaguely remember them, or I've dreamed about them). This one was a big daddy of leg cramps. Oh the joys. I can see that after several more weeks of this I'm really going to be ready to be those women in the videos.

28 week doc's visit

Just got back from the doctor's office. Here are some highlights:

• Saw another new doctor. He was awesome too. Apparently the first lady was an outlier.
  
• Blood pressure's normal, no errant protein. This is good, because with the feet swelling I was slightly worried about preeclampsia. But the doctor says the feet swelling is no biggie. He said it's actually really normal, especially when the weather starts to heat up. Good to know.
• Baby E's woosh-woosh-woosh is delightfully perfect.
• My glucose test was fine, which is great. No gestational diabetes. But the bloodwork showed a low count on something (I can't remember what he called it...) which means I'm slightly anemic. I'm usually on the low end of normal anyway as far as iron is concerned, so I wasn't surprised by that. He told me to take iron supplements with my prenatal vitamins.
  
• I still measured big, but not as big. I was 31, when average at this point (?) is 28. He wasn't that concerned (he thinks it's probably extra fluid), but he said we could get an ultrasound to make sure. I said that would make me feel better, so we're going on Monday morning. I can't wait to see her again!

The gist of it was, we're doing great. Everything looks really good, except that pesky iron, which is something I've fought my whole life, so not surprising. And we get to see E again on Monday! (And this time we'll know where to go, and we'll know to get valet parking, so it won't be as stressful. I hope.) From now on we go every two weeks! We're nearing the finish line people! ACK!

Uh-oh

Yesterday I noticed my feet are starting to swell. Joy.

Right on

So I look at a ton of pregnancy websites for updates on what's happening with little E. Usually they give a "what you're probably feeling" section that's a little bogus for me. But this one was right on:

You may be vacillating between two feelings: "I've been pregnant forever" and "Help, I'm not ready yet."

Yes. Except I would add a third: "Oh. I really am pregnant."

Poetry for E

As I was relaxing lazily in bed this morning, thinking about getting up, little E was kicking me like crazy, and I was getting a little bit emotional thinking about her… and then I started thinking in poetry…
__________________________________________

Tiny feet
smaller than my fingers
smaller than my nose
kick my belly,
make it rock back and forth

Tiny toes
like little rosebuds
like tiny candies
wiggle and squirm,
learning how to move

These same feet
I’ll soon be kissing
These same toes
become little piggies
__________________________________________

She’s all alone right now in her warm, watery world
She hears our voices but she can’t see us
She feels me move but she can’t cuddle

I hope she knows in spite of this how adored she is
I hope she knows how much I’d do for her already
I haven’t even met her
I just feel her hiccups
kicks on the mattress
and I love her so much
__________________________________________

How we told...

I wanted to post an entry about how we told everyone we were pregnant - because some of them were really memorable for us and we'd like to keep the stories for Baby E to hear one day.

DH:
I got up, took the test, and decided I wasn't going to look at it for the full 3 minutes. I set the test on the edge of the sink. As I was getting up, I caught a glimpse of the results window in the corner of my eye (I swear I wasn't peeking), and I saw a pink line already. I remember thinking, "Wait! That's the first line!" And then freaking out, hands over my mouth. I ran to the bedroom where DH was sleeping, and I shook him awake. "DH! Come here!" Groggily, he made his way behind me to the bathroom. "Look at the sink! Look at the sink!" He walked over to the test, picked it up, and stared for a second. Then he looked at me, and came over to hug me, and I burst into tears. It was awesome.

Ruthless:
Ruthless was the first person I told after DH. (She'd made me promise her this honor long, long ago). I called her - she was at work (I think it was her first day, actually). She was actually in the bathroom; she had no idea I was going to test that day. I just said something like, "So, um, I'm pregnant" and she flipped out. I love the picture of her in the bathroom stall on her phone freaking out because I just told her she's going to be an auntie. :)

PT:
Called PT right away too - she was at home. I think I just blurted it out, but she started crying immediately! :) She was so excited, but I told her she wasn't allowed to tell her husband (DH wanted to tell him) or her parents (because we'd be seeing them in a few days, and I wanted to tell them in person). She knew that was going to be hard, but she agreed. (BTW it took DH a couple of hours to call her husband, and I have no idea why he didn't guess something was up, because she apparently called him periodically and asked if DH had called him...)

PT's parents:
PT and I went to a concert and then stayed overnight with her parents. We planned this conversation in the car on the way over. Here's an approximation of how it went. (They were planning to move soon). We got them both in
Me: So, when are you guys planning to move?
PT's mom: As soon as we can; as soon as the house sells. Hopefully early next year [2008].
Me: Well, if you end up moving so quickly you have to promise to come back in June.
PT's mom: Why's that?
Me: Because DH and I want you to meet our baby. (Big smile).
Smiles and hugs and congratulations all around. It was great!

Granny:
My grandmother and I have a special bond over Danny and the Dinosaur. It was my favorite book when I was a kid, and she still has the same book I used to "read" to her (I had it memorized long before I could read...) So I called her and asked her if she still had it. She said she did, and I told her I wanted her to hang on to it so she could read it to someone... she was confused for a second, and then I spilled the beans. She was so excited! :)

There were so many more (if I forgot your story (or part of it) feel free to post in the comments!)... So many of our really good friends had been walking through this whole trying-to-get-pregnant thing with us, and a great number of them felt the excitement almost as strongly as we did. I had several friends burst into tears; it was a great time. And now everyone is so excited to meet her! I can't wait to bring her into this circle of love!

26 weeks

OK... so here's the infamous blue tank. It's going to be too short soon (and it's already cutting off circulation to the jugs), so I thought it needed a picture again before that happened. Compare this with six weeks ago, or (for a huge shock) twenty weeks ago. Note that I can no longer wear my regular jeans, even with the glorious bella band... it's too weird to have my button and buttonhole four feet apart or something. Also I've noticed that she's starting to sit a bit lower now. I think.


And just in case you wondered what it looks like from my angle, here's a shot. Notice the lack of feet. I can still see them but I have to lean precariously forward.

AAAHHHHH!

Today I'm 26 weeks 0 days.

My pregnancy tracking website says I'm in the seventh month. Seven is a really big number... much more than six. I'm ignoring that line for another few days.

Slow down please!!

Oh holy crap

Ruthless has just informed me that my countdown is on the cusp of two digits instead of three.

In nine days I will officially be in the third trimester.

There is still so much left to do.