Today marks week thirty-three in the pregnancy. According to BabyCenter, the baby weighs a little over four pounds (think about picking up a pineapple) and has passed the seventeen-inch mark. She is rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and her skeleton is hardening. The bones in her skull are not fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for her to fit through the birth canal (good thing!). (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones do not entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.
I have been getting more Braxton-Hicks contractions lately and continue to feel the baby move around quite a lot. I also think I jinxed myself over the recent girls' weekend by telling my friends that I had not really felt the baby have hiccups as often as I remember feeling Elsa have them. Since saying that, I feel like I have noticed hiccups more over the past few days. Tiredness seems to overtake me more these days too, which makes for a weary mommy by mid-afternoon, and I often feel bad for Elsa that I do not have as much energy to devote to playing with her, cooking more entailed meals, etc. We still manage to make it through, though. And I still seem to find myself running around doing things and rarely sitting down (as is my nature) regardless. Hey, it is really all preparation for what being the mommy of two is really going to be like!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Thirty-Two-and-a-Half-Week Midwife Appointment
I had an appointment with Anjli this past Wednesday morning. I was one of the first appointments of the day, so it did not take long to be called back to pee in a cup (must have been fine), step on the scale (weighed 144, up one pound from the visit two weeks prior), and then be placed in an examination room where my blood pressure was taken (100/62).
It was nice to see Anjli again. She has such a happy, calm air about her, which is comforting. She asked me how things were going and then asked me to give her a refresher on what is going on with my thyroid levels. After looking over the last couple of test results (the most recent being the one in May), we decided to go ahead and have blood drawn at this visit to check it again. So hopefully I will hear about those results in the coming week or so. She measured my belly and listened to the baby's heartbeat, which see said sounded perfect (I agree). I asked her my question about water births not being allowed if the baby is suspected to be over nine pounds. She answered by saying this, in her opinion, is a stupid rule, and she has apparently been trying to get the hospital to remove it for some time now. She said the ultimate concern is the shoulders getting stuck in the birth canal during delivery, but that if you look at the statistics, this issue is nearly an even split between larger babies and smaller ones. And then the real worry, I guess, is being able to actually deliver the baby in the tub if this indeed happens. But she said one of the best positions to get into if the shoulders seem to be stuck is hands and knees, which is very easy to get into when you are already sitting or floating in the tub. So she thinks the hospital's thought in general on all of this is simply debunked. She told me not to worry about a thing -- that this is really a decision between the midwife and me and Jarrett when we are in the hospital. I also mentioned to her that we are definitely storing cord blood again this time around, which she noted in my chart, and we also made a copy of the certificate we were given for completing the waterbirth class, which was also placed in the chart. She asked me whether I had preregistered at the hospital during the waterbirth class, and I said no, so she said I could do so online, which I have since done.
Oh -- the only other issue that came up is that when she felt for the baby, she noted that its head is facing somewhat down, but more over to the side (my right side). She said that at least it was moving in the right direction, and that we would just hope it continued to do so. Anjli said that their best recommendation to get the baby to move into the correct position is chiropractic care, specifically the Webster Technique. I keep meaning to ask Dr. J whether she knows anything about this, but I might just end up making a few appointments at the local Lotus of Life Chiropractic, where I know the chiropractors are very experienced with this. I am slightly concerned only because at this point with Elsa, Margaret noted that she was way down, headfirst, in the birth canal. But, Margaret also said that it was somewhat rare for babies to that far down at that point in the pregnancy, so who knows.
It was nice to see Anjli again. She has such a happy, calm air about her, which is comforting. She asked me how things were going and then asked me to give her a refresher on what is going on with my thyroid levels. After looking over the last couple of test results (the most recent being the one in May), we decided to go ahead and have blood drawn at this visit to check it again. So hopefully I will hear about those results in the coming week or so. She measured my belly and listened to the baby's heartbeat, which see said sounded perfect (I agree). I asked her my question about water births not being allowed if the baby is suspected to be over nine pounds. She answered by saying this, in her opinion, is a stupid rule, and she has apparently been trying to get the hospital to remove it for some time now. She said the ultimate concern is the shoulders getting stuck in the birth canal during delivery, but that if you look at the statistics, this issue is nearly an even split between larger babies and smaller ones. And then the real worry, I guess, is being able to actually deliver the baby in the tub if this indeed happens. But she said one of the best positions to get into if the shoulders seem to be stuck is hands and knees, which is very easy to get into when you are already sitting or floating in the tub. So she thinks the hospital's thought in general on all of this is simply debunked. She told me not to worry about a thing -- that this is really a decision between the midwife and me and Jarrett when we are in the hospital. I also mentioned to her that we are definitely storing cord blood again this time around, which she noted in my chart, and we also made a copy of the certificate we were given for completing the waterbirth class, which was also placed in the chart. She asked me whether I had preregistered at the hospital during the waterbirth class, and I said no, so she said I could do so online, which I have since done.
Oh -- the only other issue that came up is that when she felt for the baby, she noted that its head is facing somewhat down, but more over to the side (my right side). She said that at least it was moving in the right direction, and that we would just hope it continued to do so. Anjli said that their best recommendation to get the baby to move into the correct position is chiropractic care, specifically the Webster Technique. I keep meaning to ask Dr. J whether she knows anything about this, but I might just end up making a few appointments at the local Lotus of Life Chiropractic, where I know the chiropractors are very experienced with this. I am slightly concerned only because at this point with Elsa, Margaret noted that she was way down, headfirst, in the birth canal. But, Margaret also said that it was somewhat rare for babies to that far down at that point in the pregnancy, so who knows.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Thirty-and-a-Half-Week Midwife Appointment
It turns out that I do not have all that much to report following my appointment this morning. It was fairly quick, in and out, again this morning, which was great. I probably could have even taken Elsa with me today, but Shelly was kind enough to watch her over at their house, as we are hoping to do some childcare swaps here in the coming weeks before playgroup at Gabriela's starts back up.
The appointment started out as usual. I peed in a cup (must have been fine), was weighed (143, up one pound from my appointment two weeks ago -- kind of shocking to me considering the amount of food I ate in Jamaica), and was then put in a room and the nurse took my blood pressure there (I did not catch what the actual reading was, as we were too busy discussing the book I was reading -- Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen). I did not have to wait long at all before the midwife came in -- and a new, permanent midwife at that! I believe Amy is officially no longer part of the practice, and it was this midwife's (Helen's) first day. Her first day at this office, though, as she has been a midwife for 15 years. My first impression was really great, so I was happy about that. She really went over my chart with me and answered my questions. We even had a good conversation about my quandary over whether to hire a doula this time around. I think she tipped me the way I was already leaning -- to save the money and trust that we (me, Jarrett, the nurses, and the midwife) can do it just fine this second time around. She said second births tend to go much more quickly, and your body, since it has already been down this road once before, acts like it really knows what its doing. I think I will go with that. One question she could not answer, which was totally understandable since she is new to the practice and, thus, the hospital, was what the deal was with not being able to get in the tub for a waterbirth if it is suspected that the baby is nine pounds or more (which we learned in the waterbirth class). She said she would ask Margaret about it tomorrow when she is in the office. I still have time to find out all of those details.
I measured right on track, and the baby's heartbeat still sounds great. I will likely have my thyroid levels checked again at one of the next two appointments. I will be back there next on Wednesday, July 20. Until then, I will just keep on keeping on. Things seem just fine right now.
The appointment started out as usual. I peed in a cup (must have been fine), was weighed (143, up one pound from my appointment two weeks ago -- kind of shocking to me considering the amount of food I ate in Jamaica), and was then put in a room and the nurse took my blood pressure there (I did not catch what the actual reading was, as we were too busy discussing the book I was reading -- Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen). I did not have to wait long at all before the midwife came in -- and a new, permanent midwife at that! I believe Amy is officially no longer part of the practice, and it was this midwife's (Helen's) first day. Her first day at this office, though, as she has been a midwife for 15 years. My first impression was really great, so I was happy about that. She really went over my chart with me and answered my questions. We even had a good conversation about my quandary over whether to hire a doula this time around. I think she tipped me the way I was already leaning -- to save the money and trust that we (me, Jarrett, the nurses, and the midwife) can do it just fine this second time around. She said second births tend to go much more quickly, and your body, since it has already been down this road once before, acts like it really knows what its doing. I think I will go with that. One question she could not answer, which was totally understandable since she is new to the practice and, thus, the hospital, was what the deal was with not being able to get in the tub for a waterbirth if it is suspected that the baby is nine pounds or more (which we learned in the waterbirth class). She said she would ask Margaret about it tomorrow when she is in the office. I still have time to find out all of those details.
I measured right on track, and the baby's heartbeat still sounds great. I will likely have my thyroid levels checked again at one of the next two appointments. I will be back there next on Wednesday, July 20. Until then, I will just keep on keeping on. Things seem just fine right now.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Thirty Weeks
I am thirty weeks pregnant as of this last Saturday -- only ten more to go! According to BabyCenter, the baby is about 15.7 inches long now, and she weighs almost 3 pounds (think head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds her, but that volume will decrease as she gets bigger and takes up more room in the uterus. Her eyesight continues to develop, though it is not very keen; even after she is born, she will keep her eyes closed for a good part of the day. When she does open them, she will respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means she can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)
I am feeling larger now, and by mid-afternoon on most days, I feel like the baby is crowding my rib cage like nobody's business. Other than that and maybe a little increased heartburn (caused mostly, I am sure, to the fact that I am not really paying attention to the heartburn-causing foods I choose to eat), I am doing okay. Tomorrow marks the next midwife appointment, so I am sure I will have more to report then.
I am feeling larger now, and by mid-afternoon on most days, I feel like the baby is crowding my rib cage like nobody's business. Other than that and maybe a little increased heartburn (caused mostly, I am sure, to the fact that I am not really paying attention to the heartburn-causing foods I choose to eat), I am doing okay. Tomorrow marks the next midwife appointment, so I am sure I will have more to report then.
Second Babymoon
Jarrett's birthday (on the 22nd of June) included a trip on an airplane to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Our flight was slightly delayed due to some baggage that made its way aboard the plane even though its owners were on a different plane. So we had to wait for the baggage handlers to sift through all the luggage aboard the aircraft and find and remove the wayward suitcases. Once in the air, though, things were fine. And, really, we did not end up getting there too late in the end.
We were met immediately by a woman from Silver Sands who made sure everything was okay throughout the course of our stay, as well as our driver, Mikey, who ended up being our sole driver for all of our travel needs. We boarded the well-used blue minivan and were each given our welcome drink -- a Red Stripe for Jarrett and a Ting (Jamaican grapefruit soda) for me. The ride to Silver Sands from Montego Bay was a little more eventful than I was anticipating, as a man had died in the middle of the road as a result of crashing his motorcycle. Apparently they had seen the devastation on the way into the airport, but the man was still lying in the road (at least mostly covered by a tarp at this point) when we drove back by over an hour later. People were gathered all over the road and along the sides, crying, covering their mouths, hugging each other. It was total chaos, and very sad. Thankfully we had finished the jerk chicken we picked up from the roadside jerk establishment, Scotchies, prior to passing the accident (best jerk chicken EVER, I might add -- last time we were in Jamaica we got some from there).
It took probably about forty-five minutes to an hour to arrive at the resort, and we received a warm welcome upon arriving to our rental house from our fabulous cook/housekeeper, Rita. Rita made our stay at the house (Sea Spice) even that much more relaxing. In the midst of this trip, I realized that I do not think I have ever felt more completely relaxed than I have the two times I have stayed at Silver Sands. Sitting on the veranda, overlooking the beach, listening to the ocean waves, reading or chatting, and then having all meals totally taken care of by the cook -- how could it get any more relaxing?
And good rest and relaxation is really what made up our four nights away from home. We did not deviate much from what I described above. We did take several swims in the Caribbean, which was fabulous. The beaches at Silver Sands are quite lovely and the water was nice and clear. And we did make one trip out of the resort to go rafting down the Martha Brae River on a bamboo raft, which aside from our guide losing one of his poles (thank goodness he had a spare!) in the first five minutes of the ride, was also nice and relaxing. There was also some more excitement on the road on our drive back to the house. It rained (and even rained on us some while on the raft), and apparently the driver of a van was going a little too fast around the corner and slid off the road, flipping the van onto its side, and careened into a rock embankment. Thankfully the driver (and only person in the vehicle) was okay, and Mikey (the guy in the gray shirt and khaki pants in the photo below) was able to help him out of the van. Prior to happening upon the accident, Mikey also took us to a local public beach to try to find some lunch. We walked a ways down the beach to a really cool little makeshift hut a guy (and his wife?) had set up there. Unfortunately they had only just started cooking their food by the time we got there, so the three of us just enjoyed a drink under their awning while the rain came down some more and walked back to the van.
Other than that, we read a lot. I think I read more than I have since the last time I was there. And we talked a lot. And listened to music. And ate a lot. It was absolutely wonderful. I will let the pictures and Jarrett's video tour of the house tell the rest of the story.
From the sounds of it, Elsa had much fun with her Grandad and Grandma Susan here at the house. They experienced a number of storms while we were away, and three power outages, but they still seemed to manage to get out and do a number of things, including a trip to the zoo, outings to the park, and general fun in the yard with sand and water. And apparently Elsa did not ask about us once. I was so glad to hear she seemed at ease with them and had such a good time. She seems to greatly love all of her grandparents, for sure!
We were met immediately by a woman from Silver Sands who made sure everything was okay throughout the course of our stay, as well as our driver, Mikey, who ended up being our sole driver for all of our travel needs. We boarded the well-used blue minivan and were each given our welcome drink -- a Red Stripe for Jarrett and a Ting (Jamaican grapefruit soda) for me. The ride to Silver Sands from Montego Bay was a little more eventful than I was anticipating, as a man had died in the middle of the road as a result of crashing his motorcycle. Apparently they had seen the devastation on the way into the airport, but the man was still lying in the road (at least mostly covered by a tarp at this point) when we drove back by over an hour later. People were gathered all over the road and along the sides, crying, covering their mouths, hugging each other. It was total chaos, and very sad. Thankfully we had finished the jerk chicken we picked up from the roadside jerk establishment, Scotchies, prior to passing the accident (best jerk chicken EVER, I might add -- last time we were in Jamaica we got some from there).
It took probably about forty-five minutes to an hour to arrive at the resort, and we received a warm welcome upon arriving to our rental house from our fabulous cook/housekeeper, Rita. Rita made our stay at the house (Sea Spice) even that much more relaxing. In the midst of this trip, I realized that I do not think I have ever felt more completely relaxed than I have the two times I have stayed at Silver Sands. Sitting on the veranda, overlooking the beach, listening to the ocean waves, reading or chatting, and then having all meals totally taken care of by the cook -- how could it get any more relaxing?
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| Me and Rita |
Other than that, we read a lot. I think I read more than I have since the last time I was there. And we talked a lot. And listened to music. And ate a lot. It was absolutely wonderful. I will let the pictures and Jarrett's video tour of the house tell the rest of the story.
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| Our first dinner, and probably a tie for best meal with the jerk chicken and rice and peas Rita made the following night -- snapper escabeche |
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| Our view from the veranda |
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| Front of Sea Spice |
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| Beach, looking to the east |
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| Sunset on the beach, looking to the west, obviously |
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| Baby Helms at 28-and-a-half weeks |
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| One of our favorite activities -- being fairly nonactive |
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| Again, our view |
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| Enjoying some good Jamaican decaf |
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| The gazebo at the end of the jetty -- the house we stayed at with friends the last time we were there, Rum Jetty, is just on the other side of this jetty and could be seen from our front porch |
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| Jarrett, enjoying a dip in the sea |
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| View of Sea Spice from the beach |
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| Another dinner -- Jamaican beef (kind of tough, to be honest), yummy veggies, and roasted potatoes |
From the sounds of it, Elsa had much fun with her Grandad and Grandma Susan here at the house. They experienced a number of storms while we were away, and three power outages, but they still seemed to manage to get out and do a number of things, including a trip to the zoo, outings to the park, and general fun in the yard with sand and water. And apparently Elsa did not ask about us once. I was so glad to hear she seemed at ease with them and had such a good time. She seems to greatly love all of her grandparents, for sure!
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| Our little island girl in the dress (and holding the matching purse) we brought back with us |
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