|
Notes from Mom:
6/8/02 (Week 31)- Mother and Baby are still doing well. Baby's movements are felt well over the bellybutton now (which by the way is not completely turned inside out!) Mom's stomach sure does fill up fast now that Baby is taking up so much room. And Baby likes to use my bladder as a pillow or punching bag, which makes for some uncomfortable moments. I can't believe we still have 10 more weeks to go. I'm not sure my stomach could get any bigger!
6/15/02 (Week 32)- We had our last ultrasound this week. The baby appears in good health and is estimated at 3 pounds, 14 ounces which is around the median size. We saw her lips and her tongue and watched her yawn. We also saw her little heart beating and watched her kick. Mom, however, is getting more and more uncomfortable - back aches, feet hurt, hands, feet and legs swollen. And she gained a little too much weight this visit, so we are now watching what we eat. We picked out our baby announcements this week and the room will finally be painted next week, so we are making some progress on getting everything done before the baby arrives!
6/22/02 (Week 33)- Baby's room is painted! After several changes of direction, we have finally settled on a solid green bottom (to chair rail level) with a ragged yellow on top. There are multicolored stars scattered over the yellow. It looks great! Now just waiting for furniture delivery. Mom is feeling more and more like a water buffalo. It's upsetting to see people you haven't seen in only a week or two take one look at you and say "Wow, you sure got big!". In addition to that, my feet and ankles are swelling and I'm finding it harder and harder to sleep. My subway poll continues and the men are beginning to catch up. To date, 10 women have offered me seats while only 5 men. It had just been 10/2, so the men are finally catching up as evidence of my pregnancy becomes unavoidable.
6/30/02 (Week 34)- Mom feels like a water buffalo. Hands, feet, ankles, legs are swollen. Can't do yoga anymore. Tired and feet hurt all the time. Am so huge starting to outgrow maternity clothes. Can't believe I have 6 more weeks to go. Maybe she'll come early (a trait she would have to get from her father).
7/06/02 (Week 35)- Not much to say this week - same as last week. Trying on shoes in size 11 wide just to fit my feet. Hope they go back to normal when this is all over - my feet were big enough to begin with! Subway count is 11/7. Furniture was delivered yesterday! Baby's room looks great! Pictures will be forthcoming. We start Lamaze classes next week.
7/14/02 (Week 36) - I thought I'd managed to make it through the pregnancy without being sick, but this week I came down with a cold or flu for a couple days. Talk about misery on top of misery! A big weekend for us & the baby! We started our Lamaze classes yesterday and today is the baby shower. More info on that when we return!
7/21/02 (Week 37) - Our baby shower last week was fantastic! Everyone was very generous and we got everything we needed! The amount of stuff we got, certainly drove home the point that there's no escaping it now! We have put away most of the gear and are now just eagerly awaiting our baby's arrival.
For Mom, this week meant continued swelling in the legs, ankles and feet. I fear it is spreading to my fingers and face now as well. But my blood pressure is okay, so no real medical problems, just some discomfort. With oppressive heat and humidity expected for the next few days, I fear it will not abate anytime soon.
We had our second Lamaze class yesterday where we saw videos of birth and got a tour of the Labor & Delivery and Maternity areas of Norwalk Hospital. After seeing all the pain and contortions these poor women went through, I fear I will not have the strength to do this. But I guess I have no real choice. I'd rather go through natural labor than a C-section anyway. And seeing our baby after birth will make it all worthwhile! But don't expect another one anytime soon!
7/27/02 (Week 38) - This week was my penultimate week at work. My ankles are still very swollen and I can barely fit into any of my maternity clothes. I have joked about wearing a toga to work. Well, only 4 more days, although as you can imagine, things are quite hectic as I rush around trying to get many things done.
My colleagues at AXA gave me a shower this week. We got a lot more clothes. Baby will be well dressed her first year!
We went for our regular check-up yesterday. All those days of drinking that vile Floradix have not gone in vain. My iron is good! I gained only one pound from last week, and my blood pressure continues to be okay. The midwife thought the baby felt around 7 or 7.25 pounds. At a growth rate of half a pound a week, we're talking about over an 8 pounder - yikes! Baby's head is still down and she appears to be at -2 or -3. She also thought that progress was being made internally - some softening and opening, so hopefully it won't be too much longer.
8/3/02 (Week 39) - I am now officially on maternity leave!!! Only one day in and my ankles have seen a dramatic improvement! We had our regular check-up yesterday, but they wouldn't do an internal exam, so we have no idea if we're progressing or not. I guess we just wait for her arrival, which can be any day now. The baby's head is still down (thank god) and this midwife similarly thinks we will have a baby that weighs in the high 7s or low 8s.
8/12/02 (Week 40) - Two days to go until the "expected due date" and not much yet happening. Some minor cramping and some slightly more painful contractions last night, so apparently things are under way. We're anxious to see our little girl! Sitting around waiting is tough!
8/15/02 (Week 41) - Well, her expected due date has come and gone and the little one does not feel like making her appearance yet. It appears as though she has inherited a healthy dose of stubbornness from both her mother and her father! To top it off, we went to the midwives yesterday and not only was she high, but there appeared to be no progress on the dilation front. This was not music to our ears. Of course she could still come at any time, but in the event she doesn't, they have scheduled an induction process for me next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so she will be here by the 23rd at the latest! Meanwhile the water buffalo continues to suffer. Of course an expected due date is just a guess, and has a range of about a week either way, and Kevin reminds me that there was some question about exactly what our expected due date was in the beginning. So keep your fingers crossed for us as we continue to await our little girl!
|