To Doula or Not To Doula.

Recently, the Austin Pregnancy & New Moms Group sent around an email from a woman that is interested in providing doula services FREE OF CHARGE in order to get training/credit hours in. Did I mention that her services are free?

For those of you who aren't well versed in labor speak, a doula is...um, well, I'm not sure on the specifics. I always have associated them with being in a type of supporting role in a natural birth, etc., but turns out that when I contacted her explaining that I would be induced most likely and hooked up to an epidural as soon as humanly possible, she was still interested in meeting with us. She can be there to support the mom AND help out dad, be another set of hands for massage, communicate with the doctors and nurses, etc. Hmm...I'm a bit interested, to be honest. The only thing about it is that I really want as few people there as possible, and for it to be a private, personal thing for me and D, so I'm wondering if she'll ruin that vibe for me, or if she might be a welcome female face in a sea full of men?

Anyone using a doula or have experience with doulas they'd like to share? I still need to broach the issue with D, but depending on his feedback, we'll likely meet with her early next week to see if it's a good match.

Baby Blanket!

This past Monday we received the absolute greatest Christmas gift for Baby B in the mail: a homemade baby blanket!!!

Here it is, in all it's glory:


I LOVE IT! Thank you so much to one of Baby B's great-grandmothers, Granny Wendy! It's gorgeous and perfect and oh-so-fitting!

36-Week Appointment!

My sights have been set on today for a whiiiiiile. My every hope of having this baby before Christmas was resting on this appointment. Sound like a recipe for an enormous letdown to anyone else?!

First off, let me say that there are some horror stories out there about the pain of cervical exams. God knows at my first I was shaking in my boots (not proverbial boots, either, people. It's freakin' cold here!) Let me assure you: THEY ARE NOT THAT BAD. Nothing to lose sleep over, that's for sure. There was maybe a good five seconds where I wanted to say, "Excuse me, but could you please remove your hand immediately?!" Then, it was over. The best part of my appointment today was definitely when I asked my charming, handsome 35-year-old doctor if it was going to hurt, only to have him reply, "Seeing as I'm the only one in the room without a vagina, I can't tell you for sure, but it may get uncomfortable." And then he winked at me. If that's why I was so relaxed during the exam, so be it :)

There was also a low point, though. When asking if he needed me to undress for the exam he turned back around and said, "How far along are you?" Um, I'm not a doctor or anything, but shouldn't you know that, or at least have consulted my chart for a second before coming into the room?!? Maybe he's just a jokester...I hope. It doesn't exactly inspire confidence in me when he can't remember what week I'm in...at my 36-week visit.

Ok - so down to the nitty gritty. Miracle of miracles, I did NOT gain excessive weight due to Thanksgiving...just 2 lbs. since 2 weeks ago. I was worried that all the chocolate chip banana bread I'd been scarfing morning, noon and night would put on this visit's two pounds and the prior visit's two pounds as well, but I somehow got to escape those two without any penalty...cha-ching! I'm officially at 24 lbs. gained for my pregnancy. With three and a half weeks to go, that should bring me to a total of 27-28 lbs. I can live with that!!!

As for the exam, here's the depressing part. I am not dilated. That 1cm I claimed four weeks ago? She's gone. Zilch. Zip. Nada. I am, however, 50% effaced, which he assured me was more important. On top of that, my cervix has moved from facing the back of my body (posterior), to neutral-anterior, which means it's rapidly approaching it's final position to let out Baby B. AND Baby B is engaged, with her head being not just in the birth canal, but putting quite a bit of pressure on it. Dr. R said sometimes he can feel the baby's head but they'll still spring back up a bit, but that Baby B was set in her final position. That's great news, since if she hadn't budged, they were going to have to try to manually move her....ouch. My risk of having a c-section (unless she spazzes out completely and finds herself transverse again) has just tanked, at least until the actual day of...good news!

After typing the above paragraph, I've drawn two conclusions. First of all, TMI. Sorry folks, I'm sure you're not dying to hear about my cervix, but pregnancy and childbirth aren't for the faint of heart, so if you're weirded out, rest assured that I am too, and we can be weirded out together while I update you on my progress :) Second: I left the doctor's office practically in tears, and did what any reasonable, disappointed, sick-of-being-pregnant woman would do. I took to my BlackBerry and went searching for information. And from what I've read and discussed with family, it seems like in first-time mommies effacement is a.) more important, and b.) a more reliable sign of progress, especially when coupled with an anterior cervix and engagement. Baby B seems to be setting up shop to lay on the pressure and get things going. I'm totally fine with that now.

My 37-week appt. will be Tuesday since my doc is heading out of the office for the remainder of the week after that. I'll only be 36w3d, but I'm hoping for either more effacement or a centimeter of dilation...any suggestions on how to make this happen?

Just a Notice...

After an extremely creepy comment was posted to my last belly shot, I've decided to go private with the blog. Anyone who wants to continue to follow just shoot me an email at unexpectedlyexpectingbaby@gmail.com, and I'll happily give you the passcode - I'm just trying to keep out creepy weirdos and baby snatchers, and this way I'll be able to post pictures without feeling nervous about it! This should be happening by the end of the weekend, just FYI.

I hope you all will keep reading and commenting - I love to hear from you guys :)

Plus, you know you eventually want to know her name (and perhaps even mine?!) and see some pictures of what I'm certain will be the world's cutest baby! Except for all of yours of course. They'll be tied for cuteness ;)

The Past 72 Hours...

Sorry for the lack of updates, but things have been WAY busy around our household!

First off, Thanksgiving went down without a hitch, and I can say that I am dang proud of the feast I had laid out for my 'in-laws'. I made mashed potatoes and gravy both from scratch and since D's dad normally makes the feast for their family and uses instant for both, he was raving about both...I'm pretty proud :) The only downside to Thanksgiving was that I spent a good two or three hours that night sick as a dog. I know it wasn't food poisoning since a.) no one else was sick, and b.) I'm a culinary whiz and don't have a tendency to food-poison, so it was either just Baby B didn't like something I ate and decided to send it back, which I frequently feel nausea from, OR...her extremely violent movements that night were enough to make me sick. I'm almost positive that it's the latter, since she was moving with such force that you could see it across the room in the mirror. D's mother mentioned the next day that "It looks like the baby moved!", so that more or less confirmed my suspicions and with a little luck and a lot of prayer, maybe Baby B has finally moved into position and won't need my doc to try to turn her at my appointment Wednesday (please God!). Otherwise, though, Thanksgiving was awesome :)

Friday was equally awesome with all our Black Friday shopping, but got off to a rocky start since I had only gotten a few hours of sleep thanks to the aforementioned night of being up sick. I think I had managed to finally fall asleep on the futon sitting straight up (though slightly slouched over a trash can) around 3AM, so our 7AM date to meet up with D's family came very, very prematurely! Anyhow, there were only a couple things I really, really wanted (a robe from target, The Proposal DVD and Breaking Dawn), and D is a Black Friday badass and found them all for me immediately, and usually while gloating how he got the last copy. Sweeeeeeeeeet! I also got some pyrex dishes for $2 a piece, which is a great deal, seeing as how I am now an approved holiday-hoster! I started to crash mid-day, after a massive meal of Stuffed Avocados at Trudy's, but managed to pick myself back up in time to get our littlest kitty to the vet for yet another UTI. ARGHHHHHHHHHH! I have to take her back Tuesday (though just to drop off and pick up later), so I'll spare you the diatribe about my frustrations with her vet (though know that they run pretty deep at this point). I just want my poor little kitty to be better. PERMANENTLY. That's the part they seem to keep screwing up. Friday night was amazing, since we had managed to pick up both Sorry and Scattergories during our Black Friday shopping, so we had a little mini game night just the two of us. (I am super competitive by nature, and I trace this competitive spirit's origins back to Sorry. Nothing gives me greater joy than saying, "Oops, SORRY!" and then laughing my head off when I kick your ass. At a children's game. Oh, poor Baby B!)

Yesterday was amazing in a different way, seeing as how I was exhausted from the previous two days of nonstop moving and shaking and basically laid on the couch almost all day long. I played stupid internet games, watched Gossip Girl season 1 episodes, watched some Arrested Development and ate myself silly (I'm dreading my weigh-in on Weds!). Hoping for a bit more of the same today!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!!!

35 Weeks!

How your baby's growing:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight. (For the record - our baby is still doing major acrobatics in there, so much so lately that I've been sick on more than one occasion from her constant, prolonged movements! And there is no way she weighs in at only 5 1/4 lbs considering that...)

How your life's changing:
Your uterus — which was entirely tucked away inside your pelvis when you conceived — now reaches up under your rib cage. If you could peek inside your womb, you'd see that there's more baby than amniotic fluid in there now. Your ballooning uterus is crowding your other internal organs, too, which is why you probably have to urinate more often and may be dealing with heartburn and other gastrointestinal distress. If you're not grappling with these annoyances, you're one of the lucky few.

From here on out, you'll start seeing your practitioner every week. Sometime between now and 37 weeks, she'll do a vaginal and rectal culture to check for bacteria called Group B streptococci (GBS). (Don't worry — the swab is the size of a regular cotton swab, and it won't hurt at all.) GBS is usually harmless in adults, but if you have it and pass it on to your baby during birth, it can cause serious complications, such as pneumonia, meningitis, or a blood infection. Because 10 to 30 percent of pregnant women have the bacteria and don't know it, it's vital to be screened. (The bacteria come and go on their own — that's why you weren't screened earlier in pregnancy.) If you're a GBS carrier, you'll get IV antibiotics during labor, which will greatly reduce your baby's risk of infection.

This is also a good time to create a birth plan. Using our form will help you focus on specifics — like who'll be present, what pain management techniques you want to try, and where you want your baby to stay after you deliver. It will give you a starting point to discuss your preferences with your medical team. Childbirth is unpredictable, and chances are you won't follow your plan to the letter, but thinking about your choices ahead of time — and sharing your preferences with your caregiver — should take some of the anxiety out of the process.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone is having a glorious Thanksgiving so far! As much as I'm looking forward to a slice of pumpkin pie this evening, what I love most about Thanksgiving is watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade bright and early that morning, taking in the burgeoning scents of Thanksgiving food.

This year we're hosting Thanksgiving, seeing as how I'm a bit too far along to travel comfortably and without risk. I'm pretty happy about the arrangement, seeing as how I LOVE to cook and am just too uncomfortable to head anywhere in a car for several hours. I'm actually quite looking forward to putting the turkey into the oven and starting on some of our family traditions, including my mom's delicious mashed potatoes and one of my other personal faves, candied yams :) Delicious!!

Add to the holiday excitement our last regular season football game tonight, and not only that but the ever-exciting Texas vs. Texas A&M rivalry game, and I can't see a moment of this day that I'm not looking forward to!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving traditions, here are a few things I'm thankful for:

*D, for being so far beyond amazing and supportive as we transition from two to three. I try to play down my public declarations of my feelings for you, but know that I love you and am more thankful for you than you can even imagine.

*Our baby! I cannot wait to meet you!! I know it's cliche to say this, but I could never have imagined loving a little person whom I've never met (though feel constantly!) as much as I love you. Please hurry up and come on out at any time now...

*My family. I always miss you guys so much this time of year, and that goes twice as much for this year as we await our own new arrival. I love you guys!

*D's family. It's so amazing to me that the addition of this new little person into our lives will intertwine our families forever. I'm so happy to be spending this wonderful holiday with you guys, and am ever thankful to have people here that act as my family.

*My home. So many new additions to the house, rooms, etc. this year continue to make this one of my favorite places in the world. I am so blessed in this economy to have kept my house, and am so thankful to have this wonderful place to share with D and our baby.

*The D's. Enough said :)

*Our amazing, enormous cast of loving, supportive and understanding friends. In a hugely trying time for us, all of you have stepped up and embraced the changes in our lives and we couldn't do it without you guys. While you may think it's no big deal, we couldn't do this without your love and support. Also, thank you for not calling me fatty.

*Our pets, as much of a pain in the butt as they may be lately! We only get stressed out about their health and behavior because we love them all SO much, and I am so thankful to have one kitty curled up on my lap right now while the other sleeps soundly in our bed. And yep, pup, I mean you, too.

*We've had a really lucky year as far as the economy goes, and I am ever grateful for having a roof over our heads, power and heat and air conditioning, enough food to fill our bellies (and the babies ever-hungry appetite!), and two working vehicles to keep us able.

Thank you God for all your provide us with, and for the many, many blessings in my life :)