Well hello thrid trimester!

Things seem to be moving right along and quickly! On 9/15 I started my third trimester so the home stretch is finally here, the anticipation and excitement of meeting our little girl is growing by the day. I've continued to feel pretty well. Sleeping has become a challenge at times. This is mostly related to getting comfortable but I revamped "my nest" (as Paul calls it) and have had better luck lately getting some much needed zzzz's. I had my re-evaluation at physical therapy and it was decided that I should continue with my treatments for another few weeks. I still have pain in my SI joint if I am too active or stand for too long. In general the therapy and exercises they have given me have worked well to keep the pain in control.

Paul and I are looking forward to our all day childbirth class next weekend....it certainly should be interesting! More to follow on that....
I still have a couple of other chores for this coming week including setting up an interview with a pediatrician we are interested in. We are anticipating our nursery furniture to be delivered in the next couple of weeks and I'm really excited to see it all put together. We did do a little bit more in the nursery recently. We finished a large wall decal of a colorful tree swaying in the breeze and "dancing" butterflies--I think it looks great!

I had a follow up appointment with Dr. Deprez on 9/21. Everything seems to be going well. I'm happy to say my weight gain was much more on track this time (thank God!). The baby's heartbeat, the height of my fundus, urine testing and blood pressure were all great. I had glucose tolerance test which is screening for gestational diabetes, my results were great so that was a relief! He also tested for anemia and my vitamin D level. My HCT=34 which is slightly low so he recommended I start taking an iron supplementation in addition to my prenatal vitamin. My vitamin D level was also low despite the fact that I've been taking a supplement since April so, he doubled the dose.

So, lots of things to look forward to in the upcoming weeks: Childbirth Class on 10/2, Nursery furniture delivery hopefully by 10/10 and my baby shower 10/17!

Moving right along

Things have been going well the past few weeks. My baby belly is growing steadily. There is no questioning whether I'm pregnant at this point and strangers seem comfortable enough to ask me about my pregnancy. Thankfully there has been no unwanted belly touching. I'm continuing to feel well. I get tired easily and still feel hungry but not quite as intense as it was a few weeks ago. I'm in the bathroom quite a bit and and have a little heartburn but overall I can't complain!

The amount of baby movement I'm feeling is astonishing. I swear she already has a little personality in there. She is not a fan of me sleeping on my side and will persistently kick me at night until I change position. Sleeping has been difficult but for the most part I am getting plenty of rest.

I am looking forward to entering my third trimester next week....the home stretch!

A quick update

I can't believe I'm really 6 months (24 weeks) pregnant this week! When I say 6 months it just sounds so....REAL! I had a routine check up with Dr. Deprez on Tuesday 8/24/10. Everything was looking good. He, of course, was happy to hear that I'm not in severe pain anymore. My weight had increased quickly over the last 6 weeks since my last visit so hopefully that will slow down a bit! I have been terribly hungry nearly all of the time. I will eat a meal and 2-3 hours later I'm starved.....like the kind of hunger that makes you feel sick and unable to concentrate on anything. I'm attempting to snack on lower calories things but it's not easy :)  When I read the baby websites and books they all talk about the growth spurt the baby has undergone in the last 6 weeks so I hope it's not just a coincidence that I underwent the same spurt!

I have been doing some physical therapy for my back/buttock pain and it's going well. It will be important for me to try and strengthen some muscles, stretch and learn how to and how not to move. I really like the physical therapist I am working with, she is specially trained in pregnant women which is great and she really knows her stuff. I am definitely in good hands.

Now that the nursery is well on it's way to completion (for now) I have been focusing on some other things. We are all signed up for our 1 day childbirth class at Memorial Hospital in the beginning of October. I have done some research on pediatricians. I got a recommendation from a friend and my OB endorsed the same doctor. I am going to call and make an appointment to visit the office and meet him to make sure it's a good match. We have to start looking into childcare. Paul's mother (soon to be "Nana") has offered to take care of the baby 2-3 times a week so we are thrilled. Now I want to start figuring out what we are going to do the rest of the days after I go back to work. I have been looking into getting a breast pump covered by insurance, I'm hoping my plan will work but I'm trying not to worry about it for now. I have all the information I need, now I just have to wait for her to be born. Registering is well on its way to completion, just a few last things to figure out. I think Paul will be especially relieved when we are finished, he described me as a 'mad scientist' the other day and I would have to agree with that description.

Our baby girl continues to move around quite a bit. I've noticed more movement when Im hungry (she must be too!) and when I lay down. The movements are starting to get strong enough that her kicks and punches are visible on the outside of my belly. Last night I had my hand on my stomach and clearly felt her little foot come right through with a big kick. Strangely nearly every time Paul puts his hands on me to try and feel her she stops. He's convinced that his touch soothes and calms her....let's hope this is true and it continues outside of the womb! I really enjoy feeling her inside of me, it reminds me what a miracle she is. She is awfully fond of my bladder and I wish she would find a new spot to kick but all that matters is that she is a happy, healthy, active baby in there!

Looks like I have a lot of catching up to do! We have been busy little bees around here!

In my last post I mentioned the pain that was escalating. Later that same weekend it reached it's peak when I was in Best Buy with Paul and sneezed. I have NEVER had such horrible pain in my life (mind you I haven't been through labor yet, it's all about perspective). I think I only made it to the car from embarrassment because I could barely walk, I had to be in bed for the rest of the day. I spoke to my OB Dr. Deprez the next day who agreed that this didn't sound like the traditional sciatica that many pregnant women are afflicted with and suggested I see an orthopedic specialist. The following day I woke up unable to walk again, the pain was so severe that Paul had to go get his grandmother's old wheelchair so I at least could go to the bathroom. I was able to get an appointment with the ortho MD that week, thankfully by the time I saw him I was feeling better. He diagnosed me with SI (sacroiliac) joint dysfunction. Essentially one of the joints in the back of my pelvis is severely inflamed. Of course the treatment is limited due to my pregnancy but he suggested PT and OMT (somewhere between PT and a chiropractor). I am very pleased to say that I feel much, much, much better now. It appears that as long as I am careful with the type of movements I make and am not on my feet too much this issue will stay at bay.

On a much happier note we got to see our little girl again on 8/2/10. I broke down and went for a private ultrasound, not a 3D one (not a fan of those) but a regular 2D ultrasound. First of all, it is most definitely a girl. The tech had me drink something really sweet on the way (vanilla shake from McDonalds, yum!) so she would be moving and boy was she! We saw her kicking and punching like a kickboxer, sucking her fist, heatbutt my bladder and the cutest thing I've ever seen.... Yawn! We had a great time. Some of those pics will follow when I have time to scan them.

We have made some serious progress on the nursery and registering. I may have become slightly obsessive when it comes to researching ever little thing but we are having fun so I guess that's the important thing! Phase 2 of operation nursery is complete, now I just want add some decorative touches and wait for the furniture.

Things are still moving along with operation "prepare for baby." Paul has been a busy bee doing all sorts of projects around the house. Most of them I haven't even had to ask! Go figure....He primed the baby's room, we picked out the paint color(s) for the room and he has completed many other odds and ends. We have also been doing quite a bit of research about "baby stuff" in regards to function, price and safety. My new bible, suggested to me by Amy (thank you), is "Baby Bargains." This book basically breaks down the brands for most every baby thing you can think of and gives it a rating based on safety, quality and price. Paul may have taken this all a little too seriously and has vowed to buy/register for nothing less than an "A" rating.....He has actually been amusing me quite a bit during this process, I never imagined he would want to be so involved and I actually think he is more anal than me (if that's possible).

We went to Baby Furniture Warehouse in Reading, MA today (of course, listed as one of the top 10 baby furniture stores in the US by "Baby Bargains"). We were there for about 2 hours but were actually able to narrow down our choice and make a purchase. The crib wont be delivered for another 10-12 weeks but I am relieved to have that task done. Below is what we decided on. It's the Bonavita Seaside Collection.....you guessed it, an "A" rating.

Unfortunately, I don't have all fun things to report in this post. Since I was about 8 weeks I started having some pain, literally a pain in my butt :) I'm pretty sure it's not sciatica. From what I can tell from some reading I've done it's pelvic girdle pain. Basically, the pain is associated with the stretching of the pelvic ligaments that occurs to prepare for the passage of the baby. The pain has been on and off. I mentioned it to my doctor but at that point the pain had temporarily resolved so there wasn't much to be done. I've taken the suggestions of my massage therapist and done some gentle streching of the area and taken some precautions with my movements so not to aggravate the area. Well....it's back with a vengence! I've been in terrible pain all week, it's not constant but it occurs when I take a step or turn the wrong way, stand up from a sitting or lying position, walk up stairs or even sneeze. Unfortunately it is pretty severe and debilitating when it "zings" me. I finally broke down and called my doctor after it clearly wasn't getting any better this week but the office closed early on Friday. I'm hoping he has some suggestions for me!

Baby Movement!

For a few weeks now (maybe since around week 16) I've been questioning whether I feel the baby move. I sporadically would feel something but when I tried to concentrate and see if I could feel it again, it was gone. Women with anterior placentas like me typically feel baby movement later and less frequently than other women so, I haven't been too concerned. For the last few days I have had definite movement. The other night Paul had his hand on my stomach and was talking to the baby, all of the sudden he and I felt a very strong kick....definitely the most noticeable one yet. Paul was thrilled and the whole experience melted my heart.

The baby's room is nearly all cleared out. Paul finished the closet this week and I think it's going to be great. I am currently using it for storage for some things that will eventually find a new home but Paul's clothes fit perfectly with plenty of room for the baby's things.

I have been feeling pretty well. Just some intermittent heartburn and I get tired very easily but I really can't complain! For those of you requesting a "bump" picture here's one Paul took today at 19 weeks 3 days. For all those people who keep telling me I "dont look pregnant," the bump is there....believe me!

We're expecting a healthy baby GIRL!

So, as if most of you haven't heard already on July 13 we had our 18 week ultrasound, the day before our 4 year anniversary which made it that much more special (if possible). At the beginning of the ultrasound the tech asked us if we wanted to know the gender, we both resounded with a hearty "yes!" She went right to it but had trouble seeing the "important parts" at first, in part due to my anterior placenta which sometimes can obstruct the view. She stated at that point that she thought she knew the gender but would "come back" to it later. She walked us through the entire scan pointing out our precious little one's head (measuring 16cm circumference, which for some reason Paul was very impressed with), the hemispheres of the brain, eyes, ears, nose, lips, heart with healthy 4 chambers and valves, arms, legs, kidneys, and spine. Everything looked great to the tech (and, of course, perfect to us!). Finally at the end of the scan she told us she could tell the gender but was trying to get the front view to "prove it" to us. She wasn't able to get the exact view but finally pointed out the baby's bottom with the two legs and nothing in between, it was then she announced "It's a girl!"

We were both beyond happy to see our healthy baby and both agree she's the cutest thing we've ever seen. We took a few minutes in the waiting room to make the calls to our parents (all of whom were thrilled) and sent a few texts. We met briefly with Dr. Deprez who reported that everything looks exactly as it should. The baby measured at 17weeks, 6 days--exactly on the mark. We will not need to see him for another 4 weeks.

This wonderful day extended to a wonderful week because I was on vacation from work. We had considered going away for a few days but we found we were just as happy to stay home, nest, and celebrate this joyous time together at home. We got a TON done around the house. I have to admit, I probably overdid it a bit, but once I get started there is no stopping me. We cleaned out the entire baby's room which was a big task given the amount of furniture I had to find a new home for (previously our office). I am very relieved that everything, including our 3 leaning bookshelves, looks great in the new spots. We also troubleshooted our closet issue since Paul currently uses the baby's closet for his work clothes. We researched different closet make-over ideas and decided on a closet system from home depot that will give us extra space for the baby and still accommodate the extra closet room that we need. Pictures to follow.....

We did spend a few days up in Old Orchard Beach visiting Paul's dad and Carol. It was nice to unwind for a few days.

Even though it's a bit early, I think I've decided on a theme for the room. I wanted to at least pick out the crib bedding because that way I can chose a paint color and  Paul can start painting while he is still on summer vacation. I think this is what I decided on: