Week 35: One Month

Max is due one month from today! I can tell he's working hard to pack on some fat and just grow in general at this point. When he moves I can almost always feel him in multiple areas, and sometimes it's even a bit painful. I've had to push bony feet and legs away from my ribs, and re-position how I am sitting or laying on many occasions. We're reaching maximum capacity over here!

I haven't had any signs of pre-labor or even any Braxton Hicks contractions (i.e., "practice" contractions) which is very good news. I can certainly put up being occasionally uncomfortable if it means Max will come out with less of a chance of having respiratory issues or feeding problems (or other challenges that come with a baby who is even a few weeks early).

Ben and I will be taking care of final preparations in the next week or two just in case Max does decide he's ready for an early exit. It will include tasks like installing the car seat, packing the hospital bag, making some meals that can go in the freezer so we don't have to worry about cooking, etc.

Here's what Max is up to this week:

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Week 34: "Oh baby, baby!"

The overall theme of this week has been "Keep Max Alive", as we had four baby related appointments!  :-)

On Tuesday evening we attended a "Baby Essentials" class at the hospital where we learned all about holding the baby, diapering, bathing, swaddling, and soothing a newborn baby (plus a bunch of other stuff). The teacher was a nurse and she had a great personality. Our new joke is to say "Oh baby, baby! What's wrong?!" because the teacher would run over to her doll and enthusiastically say that every time she talked about the baby crying and how to handle the different situations. Maybe you had to be there, but we found it pretty funny. :-)

Here's a photo of Ben demonstrating how not to hold the baby- haha:

(Sorry for the dark and slightly blurry photo! Taken with an iPhone.)

On Wednesday we went to an orientation and tour at Max's pediatrician's office, the Cumming Pediatric Group (http://cummingpediatricgroup.com/). The office is very close to our house (actually across the hall from the midwife's office!) and is on the hospital campus. 

We met Dr. Carter who has many years of experience and a friendly, laid back personality (there is another pediatrician in the group named Dr. Khan, but we didn't get to meet her). Both of us liked that he seems like someone who stays calm and doesn't mind a million questions from new moms and dads. :-)  Another huge bonus of this group is that they do newborn exams at the hospital! This means that Max's very own doctor will do all his initial tests right after he is born, instead of a random pediatrician who happens to be at the hospital. The group was also recommended by our midwife's office and a friend of mine who has two small children. 


Thursday morning I headed back to the hospital campus for a midwife appointment. As you may recall me mentioning in the past, there are three midwives in the practice. Throughout the pregnancy patients have appointments with all three midwives so you have a chance to develop a bit of a relationship with all of them. This is helpful because you never know who is going to be on call when it's time for labor and delivery. At any rate, I've been able to get to know two of the midwives, Breia and Elizabeth, pretty well but have only had one appointment with the other midwife, Susan. I had heard good things about Susan from chatting with Breia, but when I had my first appointment with her she seemed irritated and in a hurry to leave. Because I'd heard such good things about her I was hoping she was just having a bad day and that it wasn't her normal personality. Well, it seems that must have been the case! When I saw Susan this time around she was very friendly, bubbly, and spent plenty of time with me to talk and make sure all my questions were answered. I feel so much better knowing that I'd be comfortable with any of the three midwives when it comes time to deliver Max.

The physical part of the appointment went really well, too. I'm up 22 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight (I should gain 25 - 35 pounds overall by the end of the pregnancy), my belly size is on track, my blood pressure is great, and Max's heart rate is 155 bpm. Susan also felt around on my belly a bit and we learned that Max is already head down! This is great news because it means he is starting to get into position for labor and delivery. Susan said it would be very unlikely for him to flip back around at this point. She also said his back is along the left side of my belly so he is looking toward the right. This all makes sense to me based on where I feel all his kicks and squirms! Hopefully he'll stay right where he is and then rotate to face my back during labor (the ideal position for him to be in for delivery is head down facing my tailbone).

Lastly, on Saturday we attended a breastfeeding class at the hospital, which like the newborn class, was taught by a nurse who is also a lactation consultant. She did an excellent job teaching and was clearly passionate about helping new parents learn to be successful at breastfeeding. Even though we've done some reading on the topic (I read a whole book and Ben's read bits and pieces in general baby care books), this class was extremely helpful and informative. I feel like we have a good grasp of the basics and tips of how to know if Max is nursing correctly. Also, we found out about a free lactation consultant "hotline" the hospital offers, and how to make an appointment with a lactation consultant if we are having trouble and need some in-person help from a pro. We also learned lots of different ways to hold the baby while feeding and burping, hunger cues (crying is the last straw!), and things Ben can do to help out (and much more!). A new-to-me burping position... sitting the baby up and holding his jaw!

(Sorry for the dark photo! Taken with an iPhone.)

Whew! I promise we're almost to the end of this post. :-)  Here is what Max (cantaloupe baby!) is up to this week:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Week 33: Sandwich Week

The 33rd week of pregnancy was eventful to say the least! Good stuff on the ends, with some not so good stuff in the middle (hence, "Sandwich Week" :-) ). On Sunday, Peggy's thoughtful and generous group of friends hosted a baby shower to celebrate Max's upcoming arrival. Ben and Peggy have a really great community of friends in Hiawassee. It was wonderful to meet these ladies I have heard so much about over the past few years; and it's nice to know he has 20-something grandmothers ready and waiting! Fun fact: Between all the ladies at the shower there are 98 grandchildren and one great grandchild! 

The other good end of the "sandwich" was Saturday when my Mom threw a surprise, rocket ship themed baby shower for family and a few of my girlfriends. A number of the ladies invited to the shower (mostly relatives) live out of state and weren't able to make the trip, but were very thoughtful to mail something down for Max. He's one lucky baby to have so many people looking forward to meeting him!

(not pictured: friend Julie who had to leave early and co-hostess Chris who was taking the photo)

Ben and I are so thankful for everyone's thoughtfulness and generosity in "showering" Max with love at both showers (and in general, of course!). We've been overwhelmed with all the thoughtful, creative, and practical gifts that have been given and sent, and wish there was a better way to say "thank you" other than sending a note in the mail!

In between those two fun and thoughtful gatherings was probably my worst week of the whole pregnancy. :-(  On Sunday I felt a little headache-y, but it wasn't a big deal. By Monday morning, however, it morphed in to a full blown migraine and I felt like I had a knife in the left side of my head. As the day went on the pain spread to my inner ear and eventually my jaw. Unfortunately, none of my prescription migraine medicines are safe to take during pregnancy, and the strongest thing I could safely take was Tylenol. I've been trying to avoid medicine during pregnancy (even if it is deemed "safe"), but I did take two doses throughout the day. It didn't make it go away, but it at least took the edge off a little bit.

On Thursday I woke up feeling fine, but got really queasy as I drove down to a client in Atlanta (I am prone to getting a little car sick, but it usually only happens when I am a passenger). I ended up feeling queasy and car sick all day, even when I was resting. It happened again on Saturday morning after we got back from a run (well, Ben ran and I walked!), and I just felt shaky and queasy. After taking a cold shower I was fortunately able to take a nap before going to the surprise baby shower which helped me feel a bit better. Both instances made me even more thankful that I haven't dealt with morning sickness throughout the pregnancy!

On a happier note, here is what Max is up to:

This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Coming soon....

Just a quick note to pop in and say that the "Week 33" post is going to be delayed a bit longer than usual! Life has been super busy here at the Lilly household, and this pregnant lady has started to need some naps to keep up with it all (which has put a kink in my normal routine of doing basic things like vacuuming and grocery shopping in an efficient manner!). Everyone is healthy, Max is still cozy in my belly, and I promise to get caught up soon! We have another busy week ahead, but I hope to have a chance to write an update in the next few days.

If you need a little something "fun" on the baby front to tide you over, we felt Max have the hiccups for the first time this morning! :-)

Love,
Laura

Week 32: Right On Track

With just about two months to go until Max's due date I'm happy to report that the midwife said everything still looks perfect with the pregnancy! My weight gain is right on track (I've packed on about 20 pounds), the gestational diabetes test came back great (one point over the "low" range!), my iron levels are fantastic, and Max's heart rate is awesome (165 bpm at this week's appointment), and my belly size is on track. I'll be headed back to the midwife's office for another check-up in two weeks.

I tried to catch some of Max's movements on camera this week, but of course he stopped about three seconds after I started recording. Silly baby. I'll keep trying to catch him in action so I can hopefully post a video sometime soon! 


One fun belly-related tidbit is that I'm starting to be able to discern some of Max's body parts from the outside! I have had guesses of what I'm feeling from the inside, but outside it's all been fairly generic thus far. There have been a few times when I have felt a small, hard lump up by my rib (sometimes it feels like it's under my rib!) or at the base of my sternum. I am pretty sure this is a foot! I've also felt a bigger, hard lump near the middle and sometimes the side of my belly. My guess is that it's either a knee or his little tushie. :-)

Here is what Max is up to this week:

By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.