Here are my pregnancy related posts!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Pregnancy Journal - Third Trimester
January 15 - April 16th (ish)
Baby: As it tends to go with these things, little Eli continued to grow and develop and KICK and MOVE and just have a good old time in my belly throughout the third trimester. It's such a joy to feel the little "gummi bear," as we called him for the first few months, turning into a little person who will soon be on the outside. Crazy. I have had so many friends have babies lately, and my Facebook news feed is just covered in them. This used to bug me but nowadays, I oogle them just like everyone else :)
Due Date and Predictions: Official due date is April 16th. We are obviously happy for little E to make his appearance whenever the time is right. I feel pretty good right now, and have a lot of work I would like to finish up, so I'm fine with him taking his time. My best prediction at this point is that he will be born on April 20th. This is because I have 3 friends from our trip to Honduras last March who have all had boys in the last 9 months and all of them have been exactly 4 days past their due date. April 20 would also be Easter Sunday, which would be special :) But of course you can never predict these things so we are just waiting and praying for a safe and healthy delivery!
Ailments: The third trimester was a hard one for me, but not because of any of the symptoms that most people seem to have. Like I mentioned, I contracted a cough around Christmas that just would not go away, probably not helped along at all by the horribly cold, snowy winter we had where I felt like I barely left the house sometimes for days on end! This cough, or possibly some of the yoga I tried to do in the third trimester, lead to several pulled muscles in my chest and back, which it turns out are extremely painful/debilitating especially when one has a cough! My first couple of issues happened in late January, and then out of the blue I pulled another muscle on the other side of my back in late March, which was even more painful probably given my bigger belly. It was also scary because I didn't want to have both the back pain AND labor pain to deal with when the day comes. The good news is, as I wrote this a few days before my due date, my back feels much better (not 100% but close, and my cough is also gone! The ailment that has replaced these is one common to pregnant women all over the world: inability to sleep comfortably. It makes sense, you pack on 35 pounds and can only lay on your sides. Pair that with the hip pain that comes as you get close to labor, and sleeping is a challenge, but I suspect this is also to help us get ready for the lack of sleep we will have when baby comes!
Cravings: I think my craving for sweets got a little stronger in the last trimester. Also, as the weather got better, I feel like I ate some form of ice cream, smoothie, shake, you name it, every day!
Mood: I think my mood was ok except for when I was in significant pain from my back and cough, but to really know for sure, I suppose someone would have to ask my long suffering husband :)
Getting Ready Projects: We were BUSY in the third trimester with projects to get ready for baby!
Back to Contents
Baby: As it tends to go with these things, little Eli continued to grow and develop and KICK and MOVE and just have a good old time in my belly throughout the third trimester. It's such a joy to feel the little "gummi bear," as we called him for the first few months, turning into a little person who will soon be on the outside. Crazy. I have had so many friends have babies lately, and my Facebook news feed is just covered in them. This used to bug me but nowadays, I oogle them just like everyone else :)
Due Date and Predictions: Official due date is April 16th. We are obviously happy for little E to make his appearance whenever the time is right. I feel pretty good right now, and have a lot of work I would like to finish up, so I'm fine with him taking his time. My best prediction at this point is that he will be born on April 20th. This is because I have 3 friends from our trip to Honduras last March who have all had boys in the last 9 months and all of them have been exactly 4 days past their due date. April 20 would also be Easter Sunday, which would be special :) But of course you can never predict these things so we are just waiting and praying for a safe and healthy delivery!
Ailments: The third trimester was a hard one for me, but not because of any of the symptoms that most people seem to have. Like I mentioned, I contracted a cough around Christmas that just would not go away, probably not helped along at all by the horribly cold, snowy winter we had where I felt like I barely left the house sometimes for days on end! This cough, or possibly some of the yoga I tried to do in the third trimester, lead to several pulled muscles in my chest and back, which it turns out are extremely painful/debilitating especially when one has a cough! My first couple of issues happened in late January, and then out of the blue I pulled another muscle on the other side of my back in late March, which was even more painful probably given my bigger belly. It was also scary because I didn't want to have both the back pain AND labor pain to deal with when the day comes. The good news is, as I wrote this a few days before my due date, my back feels much better (not 100% but close, and my cough is also gone! The ailment that has replaced these is one common to pregnant women all over the world: inability to sleep comfortably. It makes sense, you pack on 35 pounds and can only lay on your sides. Pair that with the hip pain that comes as you get close to labor, and sleeping is a challenge, but I suspect this is also to help us get ready for the lack of sleep we will have when baby comes!
Cravings: I think my craving for sweets got a little stronger in the last trimester. Also, as the weather got better, I feel like I ate some form of ice cream, smoothie, shake, you name it, every day!
Mood: I think my mood was ok except for when I was in significant pain from my back and cough, but to really know for sure, I suppose someone would have to ask my long suffering husband :)
Getting Ready Projects: We were BUSY in the third trimester with projects to get ready for baby!
- We bought a new Blue 2014 Ford Explorer
- We got the nursery ready, which included painting (Taylor and I did this almost on our own!), wallpaper, buying and assembling lots of furniture, slipcovering an old recliner, window coverings, unpacking all of our awesome shower gifts and setting them up and hanging pictures/decorations on the wall.
- Washing and organizing all of Eli's clothes and blankets before he uses them
- Installing the car seat and getting it checked at a local fire station
- Writing our birth plan and sharing it with our Doula and Midwife
- Buying all of our last-minute baby supplies that we didn't get for our shower
- Installing a new kitchen sink 3 days before my due date!! This one is still in progress, but I'm very glad we're getting it done :)
Baby Preparation: In the third trimester, we took lots of classes to get ready for labor, delivery, and life with a baby. In January, we hired a doula. A doula is like a personal birth coach who comes with you to the hospital and is there as an experienced teacher to help everything go smoothly. Since we are trying to have a natural birth and Taylor and I both do not know what to expect, the doula will be there to help us understand what is happening, what's normal and what's not, and to suggest strategies and approaches that will help with labor. Our doula's name is Cynthia and she's awesome! She has come to our house 3 times for pre-birth sessions and will come after the birth for 3 more visits just to make sure our little family gets off to a great start! In addition to meeting with Cynthia, we took a bunch of other classes:
- Childbirth class - we signed up for this last year to use up our FSA money. Since we hired a doula, we probably didn't need the class, but it was nice to have another experienced birth coach's perspective. Also, since our group class was cancelled at the last minute due to a labor, we got a private session very tailored to us.
- Baby Care Basics Class - This is a class sponsored by the Michigan Hospital and gives lots of tips on infant care and breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding - We took this class at the Lamaze center of Ann Arbor, and it was super informative. Unfortunately, I got a migraine during the class, but Taylor took great notes!
- Reading - We read some books including the Dr. Sears baby book and a book called "Tell Your Dog You're Pregnant" which helped us prepare for having a baby with our other baby, Nashville :) It even came with a CD of baby sounds to play for him and prepare him for.
Activity Level: The only real exercise I've done in my third trimester is prenatal yoga once a week and a brief attempt to return to Pure Barre, which coincided with my pulled muscles and therefore was over almost as soon as it began. I've been trying to do more walking with the dog among other things while the weather is getting nicer, but as we near the end and my hips seem to always ache, I'm trying to take it easy and do more stretching than actual "exercising"
One Close Call: On January 17, I got into a minor fender-bender accident (my fault). I wasn't injured, but because I was more than 26 weeks pregnant, they did have me go in to triage at the children's hospital, where we will have Eli, for observation. Taylor was out of town for a bachelor party that weekend, so I had to go by myself and stay there for 4 hours for observation. Luckily, everything was fine, and it was nice to get to hear Eli's heart beat for about 4 hours straight :) Our car was in a little worse shape than I was, and had to be fixed, but luckily our insurance is pretty good, so it came back to us good as new.
Travel: I slowed down the travel in the third trimester, but still have been a few places, near and far:
- Las Vegas - Yes, you read that right. I took a second pregnant trip to Vegas in my third trimester. It actually coincidentally ended up being a 2 part trip. The first part was a trip for a friend's 30th birthday, which he planned in Vegas because it was the same weekend as the Super Bowl. There were about 10 friends there including the wife of the birthday boy who was also pregnant, due the same day as me (and they already had their little girl this week, crazy!!). Then, my work by coincidence planned a kickoff meeting in Vegas beginning on Super Bowl Sunday, so I stayed another 3 days for that, for a total of 5 days in Vegas, which I think is some sort of legal limit, even if you aren't 30 weeks pregnant!
- New York City - I went to NYC twice more for work, once for just a day (round trip in one day) and once for 3 nights in early March when I was 34 weeks (36 weeks is the limit for travel).
- Western Michigan -Taylor and I took a weekend getaway to Montague, MI to stay in a nice little resort we got for a deal on Travelzoo. Our room had a Jacuzzi, which was very enjoyable and we just relaxed! We also took Nashville, because we are crazy people and love having our dog with us everywhere we go :) On the way to the resort, we stopped for our first time at Founder's Brewery in Grand Rapids, which was fun!
- Columbus, OH - Despite having lived in Ohio since 1992, I can count on one hand the number of times I have been to Columbus. Living in Ann Arbor and being a Michigan fan, it just doesn't top the list. However, my co-worker and friend Candace who is pregnant at the same time as me had a baby shower last weekend (when I was 38 weeks!) and Taylor and I drove down just for the day to attend. It was nice to see her one last time before we both become moms!
And now here we are, April 13. Nothing on the calendar except finishing the sink installation and waiting on Baby Eli to arrive! My sister is in town now until Tuesday, but I don't think he is going to make his appearance by then, unfortunately. My mom and dad come to town on April 23 and 24 respectively, so hopefully he will be here by then to meet them! I will post again with baby news when the time comes! Until then, here are the rest of my "belly bump" pics (through 39 weeks):
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| 28 Weeks |
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| 30 Weeks |
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| 31 Weeks |
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| 32 Weeks |
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| 35 Weeks |
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| 36 Weeks |
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| 37 Weeks |
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| 38 Weeks |
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| 39 Weeks |
Wednesday, April 02, 2014
Pregnancy Journal - Second Trimester
October 2 - January 14
Baby: Things finally got going in the second trimester in terms of feeling like I actually had a baby in my belly. First, we had our mid-term ultrasound on November 22, just before Thanksgiving and found out we were having a BOY! :) Around the same time, I finally felt like I was "showing" as they say and started sporting maternity pants just in time for Thanksgiving. SO COMFY!
Milestones: The biggest milestone of my pregnancy so far for me has been the first time I felt baby move :) I had been anxiously awaiting the moment, having been told that it would be between 16 and 25 weeks (but later if you had stronger abs, so, you know, I was happy to wait!). For a few days, I mistook an upset stomach for the baby moving. Then, on Decemer 3 at 2:35pm (I have this on record because I was chatting online with my friend Lana at the time!), I felt a distinct "flick" against the front of my belly (into my desk). It was so crazy and also really awesome. It was just a couple days later when Taylor was able to feel him move for the first time, too.
Surprises: Taylor and I decided to surprise our families by sharing the name we had chosen for our little guy as a Christmas "gift". So I bought baby blocks with the letters of his name and we did a little scavenger hunt/word scramble by making them find all the blocks around the house and then unscramble them into his name, Eli David :) It was so fun and we're glad everyone seems to like the name we picked (or they aren't telling us otherwise!)
Ailments: I was super hungry all throughout my second trimester, which I wouldn't call an ailment, but it was sort of unsettling the amount of food I was eating. Around Christmas, I also contracted a cough that would stick with me (spoiler alert) for pretty much the rest of my pregnancy, leading to a variety of other third-trimester ailments I'll tell you all about.
Cravings: Again, I just ate everything in sight in my second trimester, which included the whole of the holidays, so lots of sweet and salty foods were had!
Mood: Great! The second trimester was nice because the baby started to grow, we knew his gender, and people could start to tell I was pregnant. My energy level also went back up and any nausea that I had felt went away, so overall I was happy!
Getting Ready Projects: We finally started getting ready just a little bit in the second trimester :) We ripped up the carpet in my office, which was to become the nursery. We did this with the help of my parents on Christmas Day. I spent most of our babymoon researching baby products and went to Babies R Us with my mom when we got back to register for all the baby goodies!
Activity Level: During my second trimester I took a 6-week tennis clinic on Monday nights and also tried to walk Nashville as much as I could. Sadly, I just didn't have the energy or desire to run and the one time I did try, I couldn't believe how heavy Eli felt on my bladder even though he wasn't even that big! I also started prenatal yoga toward the end of my second trimester, which was a great, low-impact way to at least get some activity in.
Travel: In my belly, Eli did more travelling in the second trimester. He went to:
Photos: Full album, including photos with Nashville can be found here.
Back to Contents
Baby: Things finally got going in the second trimester in terms of feeling like I actually had a baby in my belly. First, we had our mid-term ultrasound on November 22, just before Thanksgiving and found out we were having a BOY! :) Around the same time, I finally felt like I was "showing" as they say and started sporting maternity pants just in time for Thanksgiving. SO COMFY!
Milestones: The biggest milestone of my pregnancy so far for me has been the first time I felt baby move :) I had been anxiously awaiting the moment, having been told that it would be between 16 and 25 weeks (but later if you had stronger abs, so, you know, I was happy to wait!). For a few days, I mistook an upset stomach for the baby moving. Then, on Decemer 3 at 2:35pm (I have this on record because I was chatting online with my friend Lana at the time!), I felt a distinct "flick" against the front of my belly (into my desk). It was so crazy and also really awesome. It was just a couple days later when Taylor was able to feel him move for the first time, too.
Surprises: Taylor and I decided to surprise our families by sharing the name we had chosen for our little guy as a Christmas "gift". So I bought baby blocks with the letters of his name and we did a little scavenger hunt/word scramble by making them find all the blocks around the house and then unscramble them into his name, Eli David :) It was so fun and we're glad everyone seems to like the name we picked (or they aren't telling us otherwise!)
Ailments: I was super hungry all throughout my second trimester, which I wouldn't call an ailment, but it was sort of unsettling the amount of food I was eating. Around Christmas, I also contracted a cough that would stick with me (spoiler alert) for pretty much the rest of my pregnancy, leading to a variety of other third-trimester ailments I'll tell you all about.
Cravings: Again, I just ate everything in sight in my second trimester, which included the whole of the holidays, so lots of sweet and salty foods were had!
Mood: Great! The second trimester was nice because the baby started to grow, we knew his gender, and people could start to tell I was pregnant. My energy level also went back up and any nausea that I had felt went away, so overall I was happy!
Getting Ready Projects: We finally started getting ready just a little bit in the second trimester :) We ripped up the carpet in my office, which was to become the nursery. We did this with the help of my parents on Christmas Day. I spent most of our babymoon researching baby products and went to Babies R Us with my mom when we got back to register for all the baby goodies!
Activity Level: During my second trimester I took a 6-week tennis clinic on Monday nights and also tried to walk Nashville as much as I could. Sadly, I just didn't have the energy or desire to run and the one time I did try, I couldn't believe how heavy Eli felt on my bladder even though he wasn't even that big! I also started prenatal yoga toward the end of my second trimester, which was a great, low-impact way to at least get some activity in.
Travel: In my belly, Eli did more travelling in the second trimester. He went to:
- Binghampton, NY for our friends Morgan and Dan's wedding
- New York City - for work, 4 times (!) for a total of 9 days
- New Jersey - for Thanksgiving to see Taylor's family
- Phoenix - to be with my mom while she recovered from surgery
- Sea Island Georgia - for our friend Jessi's wedding
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic - This trip was combined with the trip to Georgia and was our "babymoon." We stayed at an all-inclusive resort and just relaxed and enjoyed some beautiful weather for a few days before heading back for the worst winter EVER in Michigan!
Photos: Full album, including photos with Nashville can be found here.
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| 16 Weeks |
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| 18 Weeks |
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| 19 Weeks |
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| 21 Weeks |
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| 23 Weeks |
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| 25 Weeks (babymoon edition) |
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| 25 Weeks |
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| 26 Weeks |
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