Baby Journal: Week 31

(This is my anniversary gift from Ben- a baby sling made here in South Africa! We already had the "bunny-dog..." "Bunny-dog" is our stand-in-practice-Baby Girl for the time being. We test "Bunny Dog" on all of Baby Girl's things!)

August 3, 2010

How far along am I today?

31 weeks

What is the favorite thing you ate today?

Though I have yet to eat it, I have a feeling it will be my home-made cream cheese won-tons with stir fry for dinner. Although Baby Girl does love the carrots I am munching on at the moment!

How’s the food stuff coming along? Cravings? Aversions?

Hmmmm, I did really want a strawberry smoothie when we went to the market this past Saturday…but that didn’t happen. The first time I waited in line, 3 large women (not preggo) cut in front of me and I was too frustrated to continue waiting. The second time I attempted to wait in line there were about 6 people already waiting (and one smoothie maker)…so I decided it was more important to just get some food at that moment. The third time I went to the smootie people, their machine was broken. It seemed pretty obvious to me at that point that it didn’t matter if I was pregnant and craving a strawberry smoothie…it simply was NOT going to happen that day.

Any new symptoms this past week?

The back pains aren’t new; however, I have created a way to avoid them hurting so much. (I’m prepping myself for the REAL pains to come!) Basically, every time my back tightens or I have some pain or discomfort, I quickly say to myself, “DON’T give into the pain! Don’t give into the pain!” And the pain subsides a bit. I know the pains will be worse during labor, but I think this will help some. Just to train my brain to not give into saying “ouch, ouch, ouch!!!”

What about the exercise routine?

I have continued to work out at least 40 minutes a day. In spite of the occasional discomfort in my left hip, my back, body, all of me just feels better if I work out. Ben and I are also attempting to get out and walk together on the weekends…the only days he is home during daylight hours.

Sleep…is it good/bad/mediocre?

I had a horrible night this past week. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, Baby Girl seemed to be crushing my lungs no matter what position I tried to sleep in. I also had to pee about 15 times. I felt bad for waking Ben up frequently….but there wasn’t much I could do. I finally ended up sleeping in a sitting up position with pillows propped around me. Thankfully, Baby Girl moved off my lungs the next day.

How big is the baby…and/or what does he/she resemble?

Baby Girl is still a little “squash.” She should be around 15.2 to 16.7 inches in length and 2.5 to 3.8 pounds….although she still has another week to reach these measurements; I believe she’s already there. She’s always at least a week ahead in her growth.

And special milestones for baby?

Nothing new this week…well besides the fact that she is just a growing and a growing!

How about the baby’s activity?

Baby Girl seems to always have some limb pressing hard against my insides, protruding some part of my belly. The most painful position is the scar above my belly button (from my gall bladder surgery). I usually place my hand lightly over her little booty/leg/knee/foot/hand/arm/etc. until she moves away to a new position. I still love feeling her move though…it’s still my favorite.

Did anything special (besides the baby growing!) happen to me this week?

Ben and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary! I have photos to showcase some special moments from our day which I will share in a later blog specific to our anniversary. I talked with my brother-in-law Matthew online and we agreed that he can babysit for our 5th anniversary next year :) Hehehe, although I'm sure there will be more than a few people willing to babysit our little lady for us when we go out for a nice anniversary celebration!

My friend Kelly hosted my South Africa baby shower with the other BV ladies this past Friday. I am going to do a more in-depth blog about this showers as well as my Kansas and Iowa showers from when I was home in May…so I will not go into much detail here. I will say it was very fun and I definitely felt super loved. It feels so good to know all these ladies and their families care about us! And Kelly really did an amazing job. She is an amazing friend!

Last week in our antenatal class, we covered pain medications. The teacher first discussed natural pain relievers- I will certainly be using ALL of these! I am going to make 3 CDs: one of calming music, one of adrenaline pumping music and one fun CD (I previously created a “birthing playlist” blog if you recall?). I am also going to work on all of the different laboring positions, take a warm shower, walk/move around, eat ice chips and drink plenty of water in between contractions, have Ben massage my back, shoulders, etc. when I need it, have Ben give me many positive words of encouragement, etc. I am also considering a Doula. A Doula is a woman who is very knowledgeable of the birthing process. She basically helps to encourage me through the labor and positions me into more comfortable positions to assist in a natural birth. I haven’t decided for sure…but I really want to avoid the drugs if I can.

The drugs. I would consider the gas to take the initial “edge” off. The second drug they mentioned is a definite “no.” It can cause nausea, the shakes and some other negative side effects….which I HATE nausea and vomiting, so I would rather just take the labor pains. The final drug they discussed was the epidural. I watched them administer the huge needle and listened VERY intently as they shared all of the positives and negatives. I have nothing against those who choose to have an epidural. I just don’t want one for me. I feel I would be more stressed knowing that needle is in my back throughout the labor process, it can also cause nausea and vomiting, make it to whereI can’t feel my contractions and not know when to push, have negative effects on baby, give me severe shakes post-birth, etc. HOWEVER, Ben and I have agreed that if I ask TWO times for the epidural, I will get it. I am not naive. I know that labor is going to be insanely painful and there is a good chance I will cry out for an epidural. And I will not feel guilty. But I am going to do everything in my power to avoid having one!

As we were leaving our class (we watched a live birth video with an epidural), Ben turns to me and says, “I AM SOOOO SORRY.” Aww, poor guy! I told him, “no worries, I can do this! I knew what I was getting myself into when we decided we were ready for kids and I can handle this. It’s ok.”

What was the most random thing that happened this week?

I mentioned the market earlier in this blog when I mentioned my smoothie cravings. It got better. In between my second and third attempt at the smoothies, Ben and I went to the food area for lunch. We waited in line, ordered our lunch, and I searched for a place to sit. Many people sat comfortably at tables, laid back, not eating…not even drinking, just “chatting.” I walked around, stood in various positions and waited patiently for a table to open up for about 15 minutes. I finally found a table with no chairs and went to stand by it so we would at least have a place to set our plates. We were eating our food (standing) for about 5 minutes before a nice woman FINALLY offered me a chair. I was very very thankful and let her know my gratitude. I just couldn’t believe how many people ignored my pregnant self standing and eating! I guess I shouldn’t have expected the red carpet during pregnancy, but I was a little sad. I will make sure to always pay attention to other pregnant women and their needs!