Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 28

I don't even know what to say these days. There's not much time left, but still enough to get a lot of good freaking out in. It's been quite the week, lots to tell everyone about, and I'm still in that I can't believe this is happening and I feel like I've been pregnant all my life, but holy crap, I've still got months to go stage. And I don't think I need to repeat the whole we've got so much to do routine. I don't know if that feeling will ever go away. Do you ever feel totally prepared and ready? I doubt it.

This week the baby is a good 2.5 lbs, though some sites quoted more, and a good 15 - 16 inches long. Meaning he's almost there in the length category, but has a lot of fattening up to do in the coming weeks. Which leaves me with the deep concern: where the heck is all that fattening going to go? How in the world can my skin stretch any more? My belly button is currently hanging on for dear life and I'm expecting it to pop any day now. Too bad it's not going to time right with the birth, I think I could handle a little "turkey timer" warning. Ooh! There goes the belly button! Honey! We've got exactly 24 hours, let's get ready! Other than fattening, he's started to dream this week, apparently, though I can't imagine what his dreams would consist of. Continuous amounts of chocolate through the cord? Some sort of sucking device that doesn't require the use of his hand? (Just you wait, baby!) His eyes have color and if we were to shine a light on my stomach he would blink from the brightness. Sweet! I can already bother him! This is for that swift kick to the bladder yesterday....If I had the heart. The food comparison of the week? A Chinese cabbage, or the length of a churro. My baby is so culturally diverse!

As I mentioned last week I had to take the glucose test and luckily for me it came back normal. The blood work showed I am a little anemic, which is very common in pregnancy. The baby is sucking up all my iron stores, and it can make you feel tired and weak. Sounds familiar. My doctor said a little iron supplement should take care of it, and hopefully not add to the fun that was the weeks of the Lake Powell Bowel disease. Good times, to be sure. I also recieved a Rhogam shot this week because I have RH- blood. It will prevent my body from attacking my future children's blood if I were to have an RH+ baby. Here, read about it. They'll explain it better than I can at, oh, way past my bedtime. Once again. It's these Olympics, man! I can't help myself!

Also during my visit, I was given a Kick Count Card. Sounds exciting, doesn't it? Oh, it is! They ask you to sit down once a day from here on out and count how many minutes it takes for the baby to move 10 different times. If the baby hasn't moved 10 times before two hours, you're to call the hospital and head on over.

As if we needed anything else to freak out about.

It's not terrible, the baby moves so much these days it hasn't taken longer than thirty minutes so far (and I'm on my third day), but still. Next they'll be asking me to identify specific body parts poking out, and I'll spend hours wondering if that little bump is an elbow or a foot....I NEED TO KNOW. THEY SAY I NEED TO KNOW. I certainly understand where they're going, a decrease in movement from the baby can signal danger, but come on...between the raging hormones and decrease in sleep these days, well, it just doesn't add to the calm, stress-free state I'm supposed to be in. Because you know, stress can hurt the baby too...you just can't win.

Last night we started our first registry. Not that I expect any type of large shower, it's hard when you don't really know anyone in the area. I liked the idea of having a list of items to buy if we didn't recieve them. I'm a big fan of the lists. I love me a good list. We went to the store late, arriving only an hour before closing time, but weren't prepared for the 15 minute Introduction to Baby Registering, Everything You Never Knew You Didn't Want To Know routine given by the woman at the registry desk. Halfway through I wanted to stop her and say please, it was difficult enough to pull my husband away from his car to get here, just hand over the scanner gun. Or I will lose him.

They give you all sorts of incentives to scan as many items as humanly possible, promising a 10% off coupon for everything in your registry that hasn't been purchased by the time the baby comes, and offering all sorts of "presents" if you scan 100 items the first time. Their idea of a present includes advertisements and sample diapers. I know, because they given everyone a "special present" JUST FOR REGISTERING. HOW LUCKY. THREE WIPES AND A COUPON FOR MORE! WEE!!

The experience wasn't all that bad, though Caleb really bought into the whole 10% off coupon thing, and wanted to scan everything we decided on at least 10 times. If we like it, we'll want more! And then we can buy it with the coupon!  Which is true, I agree, who doesn't love a sale, but I always feel greedy registering. Like, what if people print it out and it's like, several pages long? I felt the same way about registering when we got married and was super conscious of how many pages ours was compared to others. You know everyone raises an eyebrow when they hit the Target wedding registry print button and ten minutes later they're still standing there waiting for it to finish printing. Good heavens, they registered for door stoppers...can't they buy their own 99 cent door stoppers?! 

One isle I had a hard time with was the baby carrier isle. You know, the Baby Bjorns, the slings, the whatevers. I haven't decided if I'd really use one, and if so, what kind. The Bjorn-type things seems bulky and awkward (we recently went to a couples house that has a baby and were both weirded out when the husband walked around the house with his little girl strapped to his chest. Between her reaching arms and his seemingly puffed out chest...it was just odd looking...) but the slings seem unsafe. Like the baby could just flip around and out like a hammock. (I've done that way too many times...) Anyone have any thoughts? Opinions? Experience? The options are endless and I have no clue. Still trying to decide on a crib here. I haven't even got to the carrier options yet.

This might have to be the last of the swimsuit. It's time.

Comments

[Tara]

If you are wanting to "wear" your baby, get the ERGO baby carrier. It's more expensive, but much better for the baby's hips (not suspended by their crotch) and it's better for your back (it distributes the weight, putting most of it on your hips). As for the rest of this, good luck!!!

[Bethany]

We have a baby bjorn and we really only used it when Jack was pretty little. I think the last time we used it was when he was about 5 months. But, I liked it because they tell you its good for the baby to lay on your chest, but you can get plenty done still. We only put him outward facing a couple of times. Good Luck! =)

[Britanny]

I've gotten a lot of use out of our baby bjorn. I mostly have used it when shopping. It came in handy when I needed to use a cart at the store. You can't push a stroller and a cart at the same time. Plus, my kids didn't like hanging out in the baby car seat for long in the store. They wanted to be up and seeing stuff (ie facing out). I tended to be able to shop longer if they were entertained by looking around. But, with my youngest pushing 20 pounds, I am ready to put the baby bjorn away. It 's like wearing a heavy backpack on your front. The baby bjorn worked for me, but it doesn't mean that a different baby carrier wouldn't have worked just as good (or even better). There, I'm sure I cleared everything up!

[Flabbergasted]

Honey, if you don't at least double in size then your baby will be born with some serious issues. ie: preterm/premie/low birth weight, etc.

Remember that at 2.5lbs, your baby probably isn't even halfway there yet. So neither are you. Your deep concern should be that your baby gets fat. Fat = healthy.

[Heather]

Baby bjorn all the way. I borrowed one when Payton was 6 months (almost to big) while still at Cold Stone, hoping to have a more hands free work experience. I found however that any bending over at the hips was not pretty. I did buy one with Isaac and it was the best thing that ever happened to my acid reflux-y baby and me. Nothing like having him close no matter what you need to do (except scoop cream from the ghea, that proved to be tricky.) OH and I'm impressed that the swimsuit has continued to make appearance's thus far. There is no shame in evolving to more maternity (a dread word when buying clothes during my first pregnancy) friendly suits. You're cute no matter what.

[Chelsea]

We have a baby Bjorn and I like it. Blake didn't really like it at first, but that is just him. He enjoys it a lot more now that he can face forward and look around.
I love this little pregnancy journal you got going, you are going to love having it and look back on cuz seriously I am already starting to forget everything while I was pregnant