33 week appointment

We had another appointment with the midwives. It went really well. Another low weight gain which makes everyone happy and her little heart is thumping away. It is so cool to hear it, I never get over the joy of that sound. Shadman, the midwife, wasn't sure which way she was facing. I have a feeling she went back to head up last night. They gave me some more exercises to do and I am going to find an accupuncturist. I am sure she will turn and I will do what I can to help her out.

Nights

So nights have been unbearable as of late. I was in so much pain yesterday from sleeping that I could hardly walk and was just plain exhausted. My hips and legs ache all night long and sometimes continues into the day and I have to switch sides every 30 minutes or so at night. I almost look forward to the bathroom trips cause I get to get out of bed, I figure I am hardly sleeping anyway why not get up for a stroll. And I have been having really weird dreams and some nightmares too.

I think Aisling is a little joker too. I think she was head down this weekend. Her kicks and squirms were up much higher than I have ever felt them. However, when I woke up this morning her kicks were down low again so I think she may have flipped back to head up in the night. I keep trying to convince her to stay head down. I really am not sure what position she is in anymore. We will find out for sure tomorrow at our midwife appointment. Hopefully, she will go back to being head down and stay there.

We also went to our last hockey game for a while. We saw the Kings play the Ducks at Staples Center. I must have known how the game was going to turn out as I started to tear up at the start of the game. Hormones are odd things. I don't know if I was missing playing or just loved being there so much, but I actually had tears in my eyes. It was pretty funny!!! Needless to say the Ducks decimated the Kings and even Aisling was embarrassed by their performance.

Our last bit of baby news is that I found her coming home outfit. I actually got two slightly different ones, one Newborn size and one 0-3 months size. I am not sure how big she will be, so I figured it was best to be prepared. The little outfit is so cute it has purple flowers and gingham all over it and is going to be adorable. I love buying her clothes. They are just so cute. I also find it ironic that I am attracted to all the cute little dresses even though I could never stand them on myself. I think this baby may be a girly girl and she is channeling her shopping wishes through me already.

32 weeks, but who's counting?

Today we hit 32 weeks, which means 3 weeks to maternity leave, 5 weeks until we are considered full term and 8 weeks till the actual due date. It doesn't seem so far away anymore. I am really looking forward to maternity leave. This week has been really busy and I have hardly slept at all, so I feel like a diaper delivery truck hit me at the moment. Nights have become difficult and sitting at my desk kills my back sometimes. Things are getting more uncomfortable, but so far everything is still bearable.

We had another birth class last night. We talked about the difference between early labor and active labor and when we should go to the hospital. Then we practiced some labor positions which were useful, but felt a bit odd doing them in a room full of other people. But at least there was no video this week.

This weekend we are going to our last Kings game before Aisling comes and then we are finishing up organizing her room. Should be a fun and hopefully restful weekend.

Aisling gets a new friend and a new ride

Ingrid had her baby on Saturday. Little Fintan is finally here and everything seems to have gone well. I had a suspicion that she might be in labor when she didn't show up for yoga class on Saturday. Then I got the call last night and it was so exciting. We're next, which is starting to become a bit nerve wracking. Ingrid says the birth was really painful and intense. I have to admit I am a bit freaked out after having seen the video and then hearing her story. I know we will be fine, but the reality is finally setting in that this little girl is coming soon and her entrance to this world is through me. Yikes!!!!

The other big event of the weekend was that we got a new family car. We bought an 02 Honda Passport in a pretty shiny blue. We just stumbled upon it and were really happy with how it drove and the size. Plus the price was good and I always liked the car, but they discontinued it. So it wasn't really in my plans, but when we saw it, we jumped on it and we are both happy with our new purchase. There is lots of room for car seats and stroller.

The video

We had our first childbirth class last night at Golden Bridge, which is my Yoga studio. They have lots of great programs for prenatal women and they are highly recommended by our midwives. The class was good. It was a bit crowded and we were all on cushions on the floor which was relatively comfortable, but hard to get up from. I have decided that there should be a rule against smelly foods in small rooms or crowded classes though. This guy next to us whipped out a bag of corn nuts halfway through class and the smell was pretty nauseating. I haven't smelled corn nuts since 9th grade. Blek!!!

In the class, she showed us some stretches and ways to relax as well as meditate. Then we watched a birthing video that was probably produced in the early 80's. It was hard not to laugh when the couples were being interviewed with their feathered hair and shoulder pads. But then we got to the birthing part and I have decided it was better when I still believed that the stork delivered babies. Yikes!!!!! Not pretty is all I need to say. I sure hope they teach us some good pain coping mechanisms over the next 3 classes, because the birth part looked pretty rough.

Ironing board from hell!!!

I have tried my first two rounds of the "exercise" or should I say torture for turning this baby. I had no idea how hard and uncomfortable it would be. Here is what I got to do. I have to lean an ironing board against the seat part of the couch and then scoot up the board till my hips are way in the air, my head and upper back on the floor and my feet resting on the seat of the couch. Sounds complicated, well it is and extremely difficult to get into when you are 8 months pregnant. Lately if I drop something on the floor I leave it there and consider it gone forever. And now I have to manage these gymnastics. And it gets worse, I am supposed to stay in this position for 20 minutes, but by 10 minutes every drop of stomach acid has spilled into my throat and I have the worst feelings of acid reflux and have to fight the urge not to vomit for the next 10 minutes. Then comes the pain and recovery while everything settles back down into my pelvis when I dismount and try to regain my composure.

Everyone keeps telling me she will turn, Ethan was breech too so I hear from Tara and managed to turn on his own. I just want to avoid the C-section and am doing everything I can. It is a bit disheartening though. The exercise really stinks, but then so does a C-section, so I will try and endure it 20 minutes at a time 2-3 times a day until my next appointment where hopefully we will have some good news.

Sunny side up

We just got back from our midwife appointment. Today we saw Pauline who was very nice like all the other midwives we have met. All tests from our last appointment checked out good. I passed my gestational diabetes and TB tests. And as a bonus I didn't gain any weight over the last two weeks. So I celebrated with a patty melt and onion rings from the commissary for lunch, shhhhhh. It was so good too. Now back to eating healthy until the next appointment.

The appointment went really well. Her heart sounds so strong now and I am measuring perfectly. She was kicking up a storm at the appointment too, both Brian and Pauline saw a huge kick while we were listening to her heart beat. Today seems like one of her active days as she has been real squirmy and kicky. The only concern we have is that she is sunny side up and in a breech position. Pauline gave us some exercises and techniques to do to hopefully turn her in time for her birth day. We will have an ultra-sound on our next appointment to see if she has turned. If she hasn't, they are going to refer us to an acupuncturist to give another alternative try. I love that they are suggesting alternative treatments. I can't really picture my old doctor suggesting them.

I think the nesting reflex is in full force now as well. I am obsessed with getting everything in order. We did a lot of work upstairs this weekend, it was pretty overwhelming and exhausting, but in a good way. We got a few new pieces of furniture for our bedroom so we could move some of our old pieces into her room. We did some organizing and rearranging and things are shaping up. Poor Brian wanted a relaxing weekend, but never complained once as I made him move, lift and trash things.

How many pregnant women does it take.........

We had our hospital tour last night which turned out to be more of a lesson in physics as we managed to squeeze 20 pregnant women and their significant others into one labor and delivery room. It was hot, crowded, I was starving and there was a woman there with french fries. It could have gotten ugly, but we all maintained ourselves. And we did manage to fit everyone in the room which says a lot about the size of the LDR rooms.

The LDR rooms are really large and pretty homey too. They are complete with TV, stereo, and 6 foot couch for dad to nap on. We can even put on Master and Commander or Life Aquatic for Grandpa K, although I may take over and play the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy. They have a fancy little alcove where the baby gets all her first minutes of life checks done and the lights and equipment for the delivery descend from the ceiling when it is time for the birth. Needless to say, I am very happy with where I will be laboring. I can't say the same for the post partum rooms which are pretty small and sterile feeling, but hopefully we won't be there but one night.

I am so happy we switched over to the midwives and UCLA. The hospital seems really supportive of keeping the baby with mom, breastfeeding and letting her make choices. We saw one of our midwives in the halls supporting a woman in labor too. It just feels perfect. Now my only worry about the hospital is that I will have to get there in rush hour traffic.

Testravaganza

We had our first appointment with the midwives today. We totally loved them and I am so happy with our decision to switch over to them. I had lots of tests today as well. I had a TB test which wasn't too bad, just a little shot. A glucose test where I had to drink this super sweet orange flavored syrup (Of course, it had to be orange, one of my least favorite flavors) then wait an hour and then have a blood test. The waiting wasn't too bad. Brian and I went for a walk and found a botanical garden right across the street from the hospital. And finally we had another ultra-sound to make sure my placenta had moved out of the way. I was most nervous about the ultra-sound, because a bad result on this one would have meant C-section. But luckily it has moved and we are good to go on a delivery the old fashioned way.

I had a bit of a guilty conscience and totally confessed to eating horribly the last few weeks. The midwife Susan didn't even ask me, but I blurted it out anyway. She didn't seem too bothered by it, at least not as much as I was. I would be a terrible criminal with my big mouth and conscience. The over all trip, although long, was very pleasant. We will be seeing them every 2 weeks now.