Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 34

6 weeks. Ohmigosh. It's coming up. Six weeks is nothing. A blip! 6 weeks ago we went to the circus. We went to dinner for Bridgette's birthday. That was like, yesterday. I swear it.

This week the baby is 18-ish inches and 4.5 lbs. Or thereabouts. They've now decided to add little disclaimers onto these weight predictions, saying that all babies are different (shocker!) and that these estimations (along with the estimation the doctor will do via ultrasound soon) can be as much as a pound off. A pound. So. Whatever. Baby is growing, as evident by my belly and the force of his kicks and stretches. The food comparison this week is a cantaloupe, a nice firm juicy cantaloupe. With soccer legs. So from here on out there isn't going to be much to report by way of changes in the baby, he's getting fatter and his lungs are developing. End of story.

As far as changes in me, there aren't much to report either. A few sites mentioned that the baby could start to drop anytime after this week, cueing the infamous Pregnancy Waddle, but that hasn't happened yet for me. I even double checked with Caleb the other day while walking into Target - I'm not waddling yet, am I? Waddling? Uh....no....why? Just checking! Now, let's grab a cart... One site even said that sometimes the pressure down there can be so strong when they drop that some women worry that their babies are going to fall out. Like literally fall out. My immediate thought was, I wish it was going to be that easy...

Mostly I'm doing great, and have little to complain about. Sure my back hurts, and sure I'm sick to death of waking up in the middle of the night to pee, and yes I am definitely missing being able to sleep on my back, but really? Peanuts compared to what I could be feeling and going through, I know I've had a fairly easy pregnancy than a lot of women out there. We'll see how I feel as the weeks continue  and he gets larger, he's already decided that digging his feet (or hands? who knows...) up under my rib cage is his new favorite thing. Also, my bladder is his punching bag. Caleb comes home from work every day and asks how the baby is, and if he'd moved that day. My answer is always the same, when did he not move? The kid is constantly kicking and punching and rolling and squirming and stretching and who knows what else. I'm getting fearful actually, we may have an insanely active child on our hands.

We went to our child birthing class on Saturday, an all day session (in case you didn't read my enthusiastic Twitter...) that I was not looking forward to. Turns out it wasn't as terrible as I'd thought, no one was huffing and puffing and moaning and screaming as I'd feared. I was not a good student, I refused to do the breathing practices with everyone, the heeing and the hawing and the puffing, though Caleb hee-ed and haw-ed with the best of them. He was a champion haw-er. He kept trying to persuade me to practice, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, I can't do those kinds of things. Just say it in your head then, he'd say, and I'd nod and then my mind would wander and I'd start reading the posters on the wall or wondering when lunch was.

Right before our lunch break she had us lay down on our pillows and do a "relaxation practice", which I suppose is helpful when you're in the throes of contractions. She turned off the lights and flipped on a cassette (yes, a cassette! They still exist!) where a woman guided us through a relaxation technique. Caleb was asleep almost instantly, and when the 15 minutes were over he jumped up and exclaimed that he'd never felt better. That was awesome! I need that cassette! 

Overall it was definitely a good experience, more so for Caleb I think. He said he was really glad we went, that he learned alot and has a better idea of what to expect and what goes on, and he didn't even flinch (much) when we watched the birthing videos. He got excited actually, seeing the babies and would lean over and tell me how excited he was for it to happen to us. After the class was over he announced that he was ready for the baby to come now, let's go check in and have this baby!! Thankfully that didn't happen, and instead we went and bought our stroller / carseat combo. I think the class sparked a little flame in Caleb, suddenly he was all for getting ready and buying things and packing the suitcase. I had to remind I DID still have 6 weeks left. We didn't need to get it all done that night.

One thing we discussed in the class was having a birth plan. A few people (read: many) have asked me about mine, what I plan to do as far as having the baby and drugs and doula's and such, and I have to say...I really haven't thought of it much. Is that crazy? I think because I've been so concerned with getting the house ready and getting all the necessary baby supplies, and trying to find the right crib and rocking chair and furniture and figuring out where we're going to store all this gear, that actually HAVING THE BABY has hardly crossed my mind. When I actually stop and think about it, about labor, I'm sort of stunned that it's going to happen to me. I know we're having a baby, I've been imagining what it will be like to have him at home,  I've even come up with a little list of items to pack, but I've hardly thought about being at the hospital and the pain and such.

 As far as my plan though, I haven't set anything in stone. The plan is to get to the hospital and deliver a healthy baby, regardless of what it takes. Obviously you don't wish for a c-section, but I'm not opposed to it if that's what's going to be best for the baby. And for the pain? I'm going to see what I can handle and then request the drugs if necessary. I've never thought that having an epidural means you've "failed" at labor and life - I haven't seen any new mother leave the hospital with a letter grade written on her forehead.

One thing the instructor told us was that at the hospital I'll be delivering at they've set up a new system with the epidurals, they're patient controlled.  You get the remote (or whatever they're going to call it - I think remote is a great word though) and can increase the dosage if you need to, or decrease if you'd like to not be completely numb. I like this idea, and one thing I've started thinking seriously about would be to increase the dosage at first, relax and build up some strength, and then decrease it as it gets time to push so that I can be of some service. I'd really really like to not have to use the vacuum or forceps on my little baby, if possible. So. That's my big plan. 

 

My belly button - starting to poke out. Caleb is watching it like a hawk.

Comments

[Liv]

6 weeks! That's so crazy. I'm so glad you're feeling good and looking so cute.

[Britanny]

Amen about the drugs during labor. Why do you think they exist? For women having babies, of course. No need to kill yourself over the pain, why not enjoy it a little instead? Oh, and tell Caleb not to be too disappointed if your belly button doesn't pop out. Mine didn't--it just flattened out. How lame!

[Erin]

Hopefully this isn't too long a comment...

I'm just home from having my baby :) You are not too far away! It happens fast!!

Whenever anyone asked me about my birthing plan I said, "Baby comes out." I had preferences, of course, but realized that there were a lot of things that couldn't be planned for. I did get the epidural that you can control yourself, and it was amazing. It provided me with the pain relief and energy I needed, and we turned it down before I started pushing so that I could feel the pressure. I only pushed for about half an hour before my baby was born, so the theory that an epidural makes for a longer birthing process is not always accurate. For anyone that wants one, I totally encourage the use of an epidural!

Also, I had wanted to breastfeed right away, I didn't want the baby to have a pacifier, etc. Lots of preferences, but he ended up spending a week in the NICU with a lung infection. He got a pacifier right away because he need to suck something, and I was actually given a room in the hospital to camp out in so that I could pump in prep for breastfeeding. I started feeding him on demand while he was in the NICU, which required me to live like a vagabond in the hospital for about a week. NONE of that was part of my "plan," but I was open minded and had wonderful nurses and lactation consultants and a great hospital to work with. Even after pacifiers and bottles and IV feedings he breast fed like a champ from the first try. So yeah...we can plan as much as we can, but you never know what curve balls you're going to be thrown. Best to take it as it comes.

[Lucky Red Hen]

What I really want to know is... where is your list of baby name options? There's been no mention of what his name will/might be!

[Abby]

I think you keep putting your pictures from month five up, because that's how far along you look in all your pictures. My mom agrees.

[Heather]

So how have you mastered a photo where you look relatively small when you are baring that wanna be belly of yours but photos of you fully clothed, you look as pregnant as you should? (at least the belly and boobs) Its a lovely trick that I must learn... OK yeah I guess I don't have to because there is no way that this mom of 2 will be busting weekly photos like you. I love them though, love them.

As for the drugs it is a toss up, at least it was for me. I used a mid-wife (much to Steve's disgust) and thought about going natural. To risky with the first. Next my mid-wife retired so I used a Dr. and didn't see any nurturing in him that would ease a natural delivery along. Drugs are great because you don't feel anything, but you don't FEEL anything. I hated having to check if my legs were still down there and I hated feeling groggy after my babies were here. My next baby, i'm thinking i'll go natural. It's what our bodies are designed to do. Give me 9 months though and I am sure i'll be singing a different tune.

geez novel.

[Kjersti]

You look great, and I'm so glad that you're feeling good! I can't wait for this baby boy, I'm so excited to see him!
For me, I was really grateful for the pain med I got and for the epidural. When I'm in a lot of pain I tend to become really introverted to help myself deal with it, and so it gets to a point where I can't focus on anything else around me because I'm trying to get through the pain. As you know, Jay, my mom, Allison and Danae were all in the room with me until after Reagan delivered, and it turned out to be a really beautiful experience that I got to share with them. I don't think it would've meant nearly as much to me if I hadn't been on medication.
That said, your pain threshold is MUCH higher than mine. I'll be interested to hear about your experience and what you decide! I love you so much!

[Katie]

How cute is Caleb? I love how excited he got after the birthing class :)
P.S. I give your belly button one more week!