How far along? 33 weeks and 4 days now.  March 12th is starting to feel do-able!  Less than a month away.  

Total weight gain/loss:  I assume 20... haven't weighted myself and don't look at the scale at the Dr's office because they are always higher than the one at home!!  

Maternity clothes: I've actually worn a dress 3 times in the last two weeks!  Bored of leggings.

Stretch marks: No?

Favorite thing this week: Our Valentine's Day activity was to put together the baby's room -- the painter came last Wednesday to make the room a happy bright white, and we added a navy rug, white comfy upholstered glider and ottoman w/ navy piping, and assembled the crib (also white!).  Suddenly it looks like we're ready, and while it might not have been a traditional champagne and roses Valentine's Day, it felt perfect to us.  

Miss Anything?  The usual... normal person clothes (and shopping for them!), a great class of champagne, being able to bend over easily, exercise, sleeping on my tummy.       

Movement: Yes - seems like a normal amount this week.  Grateful for weekly non-stress tests to check.

Food cravings: Cinnamon rolls, soft serve ice cream, chocolate milk, cake -- but these are all things I would want all the time, so maybe this doesn't count.

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: Don't think so.  A few contraction-ish feelings, but my doctor seems to think that everything is just round ligament pain or things stretching out.  So... keep calm and carry on?  

Symptoms: See above, apparently nothing unusual.  It's too easy to scare myself so I'm trying to avoid focusing on symptoms.  

Belly Button in or out? In.  More in today than last week when it had started looking a little bit more flat than in!  

Wedding rings on or off? On but fingers feeling puffy!

Happy or Moody?  Luckily I felt less moody this weekend, maybe due to having 3 days off.  Also feels good have the baby room ready and start to prepare for our new guy.  I'm still scared that we'll get all ready and then something will happen, but I'm so grateful for this baby and know we're doing everything we can to get him here safely.  Other baby prep: the dog had a sleepover at his grandpa's house on Sunday, which was good practice for him staying there while we are in the hospital!  Looks like he had a great time... went to the dog park, hung out with his golden friend, and was a very good boy. 

Lots of love,
S.

31 week and 5 days

How far along? 31 weeks and 5 days.... 

Total weight gain/loss:  17.4 lbs today, but 18ish yesterday.  Whatever.  Not concerned as long as the baby has gotten lots bigger by Friday when we have our next ultrasound!    

Maternity clothes: I live in Ingrid and Isabel leggings.  Every.single.day.  

Stretch marks? No?  Not sure.

Favorite things this week: 80s music.  I had a really hard day (or two!) Sunday/Monday, and while I'm sure it was partly hormones, sometimes you just have to re-focus, listen to Rick Astley, and move forward!   

Miss Anything?  My white jeans.  Cute normal outfits.     

Movement: Sometimes lots, sometimes none, part of my bad Sunday/Monday was because I worry when he's not moving enough.  

Food cravings: Protein and veggies and real food.  Work lunch yesterday was Tartine... as in, baked goods only.  Super fun that someone taskrabbited it in to the office (best bakery in town!), but after eating only pastry my tummy was mad.   

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: Don't think so.  

Symptoms: Lots of baby hiccups, and still having lower tummy area pain, but nothing that is on the list of red flags the doctors have given me.  

Belly Button in or out? In, although hubby is convinced it might not stay there.  

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody?  Very much both.  My Sunday/Monday meltdown was surrounded on both sides by days where I've been happy about LOTS of things.  A friend's Facebook status just said "I can't have it all, but I can decide if I'm okay with what I do have."  I might rephrase that slightly for myself, and say that I can try to accept what I do and don't have, and choose to be happy.  I have a lot to be grateful for, and a lot to look forward to.  Going home every day to a truly great husband and the fluffiest dog in the world, having a new baby in a few short weeks, and so much more.  

Love, S.

30 weeks and 6 days!

How far along? 30 weeks and 6 days.

Total weight gain/loss:  17.2 lbs.  Not up since last week... maybe some weeks vary?  I hope this is fine.  

Maternity clothes: Yes, and added some tummy support to see if it helps with pain.  Not really.  Haha.  The baby is getting bigger! 

Stretch marks? Not that I know of.  My favorite favorite lotion, Mountain Ocean's Coconut Skin Trip might be helping!  This stuff smells like vacation, truly. 

Sleep: Not so much last night, but I usually sleep well.

Favorite things this week: I just found out that my cousin will be here when the baby comes!  SO excited!!!  

Miss Anything?  Still jealous of hubby's sandwiches every weekend... most recently, roast beef.    

Movement: LOTS, but it is clear that he doesn't have that much space to run around in anymore.  

Food cravings: Cinnamon rolls.  

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: None?  Still don't think I 100% know what they are, other than the major contractions I had last time.  Don't have those.  Grateful!  

Symptoms: Lower tummy area pain, but nothing major.  I'm so excited to be nearing 31 weeks, and I do still get nervous about every little thing but so far we are doing really well.  

Belly Button in or out? In!  

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody?  Happy!  And moody, but happy overall.  Might have just found a glider and ottoman for the nursery at my favorite consignment store... white linen with navy piping.  I've procrastinated on all things nursery, and it is too late to order anything specific so this could be meant to be!  

Love, S.

Things I'm Learning About an Early Delivery

I like to be prepared.  I like to have a plan.  Medical surprises are hard to take given William's pregnancy ending in an emergency, so this time around I'm constantly gathering info.  It makes me feel better! 

Most recent info: if you're delivering a baby early (37 weeks, scheduled c-section in my case, and not an elective delivery but a medically necessary one), there's a good chance you'll do a Fetal Lung Maturity test prior to delivery to make sure the baby is ready to come out. 

I haven't actually talked to my doctor about this yet, but know someone else who delivered her two kids at California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) with another doctor in my OB's practice, so feel like the likelihood of us doing this testing is pretty high.  SO grateful to her for telling me about it because the procedure is like an amnio, big needle and all.  I've had two CVS procedures, so I know this will be fine but I like to be mentally prepared for big needles.  The advanced notice is fab! 

Here's a link explaining more about the testing:
http://www.pregnancylab.net/2011/01/tests-of-fetal-lung-maturity.html

The authors of the Pregnancy Lab blog I linked to above also point out the risks of elective early delivery, and that isn't something I'm advocating.  My OB believes 37 weeks is the right time for us because William's C-section was done with a classical incision (usually both exterior and interior incisions are horizontal, but in a classical incision the interior one is vertical).  Because of this, ACOG recommendations suggest our next C-section happen between 36 weeks and 37 weeks 5 days. 

I couldn't find the most recent report, but here's one with similar info - the goal is to reduce the risk of rupture, which is more common in cases w/ prior classical incision:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21962624

Handy medical info to have!

Love, S.

28 weeks and 5 days pregnant!

How far along? 28 weeks and 5 days. 

Total weight gain/loss:  17-18 lbs?  Haven't weighed in since my last update.

Maternity clothes: From here on out, I'm probably the queen of how to dress up stretch pants.   

Stretch marks? No.


Sleep: Sometimes.  When the garbage guy doesn't get here at 4am.  When I don't wake up to pee and then get so distracted by baby kicks that I can't fall back asleep.  When sleeping on my side works out.  

Favorite things this week: Since my last prego update post 2 weeks ago, I've been back to work post-holidays and my favorite so far is my positivity New Year's resolution.  I have a LOT to be grateful for and happy about and so many things to look forward to.  Right now, I'm grateful for reaching 28 weeks and looking forward to another ultrasound next week.  

Miss Anything?  Exercise.  Turkey sandwiches with avocado and pickles and hot peppers.  

Movement: Still a lot of kicking!  I'm loving it, even in the middle of the night when I can't go back to sleep.  

Food cravings: Not really.  Still jealous every time someone else gets a tasty turkey sandwich though!   

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: None.   

Symptoms: Starting to feel a few pains due to Small Sandifer's weight gain!    

Belly Button in or out? In. 

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody?  Focused on the positive, and grateful I've made it this far with everything looking good.  We're starting to plan the nursery, and not only did I start a registry list but I actually started buying things!!  I know that might seem normal to most, but other moms who've lost a baby will probably agree that baby purchases are really hard the next time(s) around.  But I'm focused on happy stuff and I realized that if this baby comes early, I want to be ready.  

Love, S.

Trying Something New: Preparing for Baby!

Baby Sandifer.  Less than 10 weeks until your scheduled March 12 birthday!!  Sometimes I can't believe it.

Given the very scary ending to my first pregnancy, I haven't been interested in baby prep.  I am as optimistic as I can be, but this probably comes across as more realistic or even pessimistic.  It's hard to hope for the best when William is not here.  But that said, New Sandifer is getting huge.  More than 2 lbs 3 oz (that was almost a week ago now!), he's hopefully flourishing in his little tummy space.

Because he's getting huge, and because I am wearing myself out being worried, I want to try something new.  Less worry. Worry won't change the outcome.

Part of worrying less should be preparing more.  Figuring out what we need to get ready for this!  Allowing myself to get excited about nursery decor.  I don't think I can handle scheduling a baby shower, but I can learn what our New Boy will need when he gets here, and have a plan for getting it delivered ASAP.  Amazon Wish List maybe?

First 6 Weeks
http://www.babycenter.com/0_baby-and-mom-gear-for-the-first-six-weeks_5669.bc

Supposedly Minimalist Baby Needs List
http://www.thewisebaby.com/minimalist-baby-registry-guide/
(they also have a good urban baby list - might split the difference since we want small/light/easy to use in the city products)

Diaper-related
http://blog.littlelane.com/cloth-compostable-diapers-bay-area/

I started my research this afternoon and to be completely honest it was overwhelming.  Asking myself to worry less is going to be a process.  I think I almost gave myself a panic attack or maybe the dizzy, out of breath feeling is just another prego symptom.  Either way, success.  I started my research.  I even started a hidden baby registry, which now has 2 items on it.

It's a start, and I'm glad for that.  Love, S.

26 weeks, 5 days

How far along? 26 weeks and 5 days. At our ultrasound on Monday, he was estimated to weigh 2 lbs 3 oz and the doctor is happy with how things are going.  

Total weight gain/loss:  Very close to 15 lbs so far.

Maternity clothes: All stretch pants, all the time!  

Stretch marks? No.


Sleep: Yes.

Favorite things this week: I would have to say that my favorite thing has been a good break from work.  I have been to the office twice (last Monday all day and this Monday for half), but things are in good shape and it has been so wonderful to have lots of free time.  

Miss Anything?  Sleeping on my tummy!  

Movement: Yes!  A LOT!  Grateful for every little (and big) kick.  This kid is a crazy kicker, and I'm loving that.  

Food cravings: Cinnamon rolls, but haven't found any yet.  I refuse to eat a dry-ish one and nothing I've seen looks sufficiently sweet, sticky and covered with icing to do the trick.  Best I don't find one anyway -- 1 hour glucose test just happened and now I'm worried about passing!  Good news though: I don't mind the orange test drink.  It's not good at all, but really just tasted like extra sweet Tang.  

Gender: Boy.

Labor Signs: None, but the doctor gave us a card with a list of preterm labor warning signs a month ago, and I'm definitely looking.  

Symptoms: My digestion has slowed down in the last month or so.  Enough said.  Other than that, I do have bruising from my daily Lovenox shots… I don't get a new bruise from every shot, but when I do it lasts 2 weeks!  The Dr. said that I should be icing BEFORE the shot to constrict the blood vessels.  Oops.  I was icing after, and only if the shot hurt.  I also still have round ligament pain occasionally, but no where near as often as I did a month or so ago.  

Belly Button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? On.

Happy or Moody?  Both. Christmas was hard, because I keep thinking that William should have been here with us celebrating the holidays, almost walking, probably more interested in wrapping paper than presents.  I miss him.

Love, S.