Sunday, September 23, 2012

Peanut Tracker: Week 34 Update- It's All Coming Together

The countdown is now at 36 days until Charlee's due date. I can't believe how far we've come! But it still seems like forever until she will be here. I want to meet her, hold her, and breath normally again!

We have been very busy this week! Which is great because the more we get done now, the more we can relax later. I would like to kick back with my feet up for a week or two before the peanut joins our little family. I went shopping with our gift cards from the last baby shower and picked up most of the remaining items that we needed. Now we have the car mirror, car window shades, changing pad and covers, rectal thermometer (yay parenthood), and diaper pail. I also picked up some items that I will need like PJ's that button down the front, nursing pads, slippers, etc. Eric also ordered the butterflies we liked for her wall decorations. The only things we have left are the breast pump, curtains and curtain rods, her take home outfit, and a couple items for her first aid bucket. It feels great to know that the massive purchasing is almost over and we will soon be ready for her to join us!

I had wanted to get the car seats installed this weekend, but that didn't happen. However, I am pre-packing our hospital bags tomorrow. Hopefully I will clean my car and get the car seat bases in each car next weekend. The fire house down the street is also a certified car seat inspection site, so we won't have to go far to get them checked!

I had my 34 week appointment on Wednesday. Thankfully nothing too exciting happened. My weight gain is good, my blood pressure is great, Charlee is measuring on track, and her heartbeat was a strong 164. After hearing such good news, I was determined to be productive. So I went to get my windshield repaired because there was a chip in it. Because of the size of the crack, they had to replace my whole windshield. Which meant I had to sit in the waiting room for 2 1/2 hours. That is something I do not suggest for any preggo! By the time my car was ready I had set up a little fort with chairs, water bottles, snacks, and my knitting. I must have been quite a spectacle! Unfortunately I was trapped with a receptionist who kept telling me graphic details of her labor and delivery experience. I never engaged in a conversation with her. She just started talking and never stopped. She also basically told me that anyone who wants an epidural is a terrible person and they are destined to have tearing. Really? I didn't know that most OB's also work as Glass Pro receptionists...

Baby kitchen cabinet!
I spent Thursday organizing the nursery some more. I finished washing all of her clothes and blankets and put them all away. I also washed all of her baby toys in baby safe dish detergent. The most exciting thing all week was opening the bottle boxes and washing the bottles. That really made it feel like she will be here soon! I showed Eric how to put the bottles together and organized the cabinet space we'll be using for them. The items we will be keeping on the shelf above the bottles: coffee and coffee filters. I think they fit in perfectly next to the free formula we got in the mail!

Friday morning around 3:45am was probably one of the scariest moments for Eric so far. I woke up moaning and writhing in pain. It felt like someone was stabbing my side. Eric was in the bathroom and I started yelling that he needed to hurry up. He came out and I told him "it hurts!" and that he would have to help me out of bed. I basically crawled to the bathroom while he kept asking "What hurts?! What hurts?!" through the door. The answer? I had fallen asleep around 11:30pm and hadn't woken up until that point to use the restroom. If you are or ever have been pregnant, you know that not waking up every 1 1/2- 2 hours is unheard of. Turns out this is why. That was honestly the closest I've ever been to peeing the bed since I was about 5 years old!

Friday afternoon we had our first meet and greet with a local pediatrician's office. I took my pages of questions with Eric in tow and headed over there. The office was clean with separate waiting areas, the staff was friendly, and we loved the doctor. He didn't judge us for our situation and he answered most of my questions without me asking. The practice agrees with what Eric and I want for delivery, continuing care, vaccinations, medications, and breastfeeding. So, we decided that office is where Charlee will be going. It was so great to find the perfect place on the first try!

Saturday morning Eric and I had our labor and delivery class at Trident Medical Center. It was a long day and poor Eric had been awake since 11pm the night before. But we survived! We did have to watch two live births. I think I was more disturbed by them than Eric was. However, most of the dad's in the class pulled out their cell phones while the videos were on so they wouldn't have to watch. We also practiced some relaxation and breathing techniques. They worked so well that Eric started snoring at one point and I had to shake him awake. The only downside to the class was that our instructor was really long winded and tended to tell us stories that had nothing to do with the topic. She also pushed her ideals on us. She gave about a 10 minute lecture on how important it is for the daddy's to be involved. Ummm, these dads are in a labor and delivery class. I'd say that's a pretty good start. However, she kept talking about how her divorce scared her children and it was all her ex husband's fault. She also kept talking about how we all need to avoid C-sections at all costs and epidurals should only be used if we absolutely cannot handle the pain. She was also very condescending about women who won't be breastfeeding. I just wanted to yell at her that we are in a hospital and everyone has a different situation! I'm glad I didn't though because she's instructing our newborn care and safety class tomorrow night!

34 weeks 6 days
On the peanut side of the story, she will be growing to about 18 inches in length and about 5.25 lbs this week! That's about the size of a honeydew melon. Her major organs are nearly complete. Her kidneys are developed and her liver is functioning. She won't be getting much longer in the coming weeks, but she will continue to fatten up (hopefully not too much)!

Current cravings: chocolate, ice cream, cinnamon, beef
 
Current aversions: uncooked tomatoes, onions

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