38 Weeks

Our Baby Bean arrived the day that I anticipated releasing this post.  Even though it is a bit late, I would like to share my final post of my pregnancy experience:

Within the next couple of weeks, Tony and I will have a baby.  We will be parents.  We will no longer be a family of two (not counting Butters, of course)… but a family of three.  There will be a little person, kind of like each of us but still all his own.  We wonder what it will feel like to see him the first time and hold him in our arms.  I just keep saying it over and over to myself… in 2 weeks I will be a mom.  Here are the highlights of my (likely) last post before the arrival of (BIG) Baby Bean!

The Baby Belly:

Based on the size of my belly, I am feeling just about at the bursting point!  Given that my mom gave birth to each of my sisters right around our due dates, I am fully expecting to be pregnant for another LONG 2 weeks.  By Week 40, I am pretty sure that I will be giving birth to a 10-pound monstrous Bean!  

My belly button continues to be holding strong as a no-ey.  I think it is safe to say at this point that an outey is no longer in the picture

A pain in the… Hip?

All in all, I have been pretty blessed with a smooth and fairly painless 3^rd trimester.  I have not suffered from the burning acid reflux or the pounding headaches that can plague some ladies.  My feet and face haven’t swollen too much.  Braxton Hicks contractions have been kind to me.  However, the beginning of my third trimester graced me with one particularly painful experience.  Around my 31^st week of pregnancy, I could not go to bed without having terrible lower back pain.  The only comfortable position seemed to be laying on my back… conveniently a no-no by that stage.  Regardless of which side I laid on, I could not find a comfortable position.  After keeping Tony up a few nights with my side-to-side aerobics, I took a trip to the physical therapist.  To my surprise, my back pain was in fact hip pain… sacroiliac (SI) joint pain.  I tried all sorts of contraptions to help with my SI pain… I started with a belt that didn’t do much except press on my bladder.  I tried out a Belly Band to adjust the placement of Baby Bean’s weight… other than giving the impression of a comically unattractive set of suspender lingerie, this did not do the trick either.  In the end, what worked best for me was some creative placement of pillows (in virtually every location surrounding my body) and a few daily exercises.    At this stage of my pregnancy, I can say that I have successfully conquered at least one of the beasts of pregnancy!

Baby Shopping 101

At the beginning of my second trimester, Tony and I attempted to start the baby shopping game.  I was barely showing then, and we felt awkward and out of place wandering the aisles of Babies “R” Us and other baby merchandise venues.  Most of the women looked like they were about to pop, while I looked like I had just eaten a bit too much dinner.  We decided to hold off a bit on shopping for The Bean.

Coming back in the 3^rd trimester, we felt a lot more comfortable with the baby shopping game.  It probably helped that I was already 35 weeks pregnant, and we realized we were kind of on a time crunch.  In our second shopping experience, we made a few discoveries:

(1) If you aren’t sure about which products you need, find the nearest mom lugging around 3 or 4 kids and you will get a solid answer

(2) There is an easy way to pick a car seat… choose the one that your husband is able to latch and unlatch on the first try

(3) Strollers are a lot bigger than when we were kids

(4) Clearly, you can’t have enough burp cloths… why else would there need to be an entire aisle devoted to them

After hearing our wallets groan a bit following our trip to Babies "R" Us, we looked for other baby shopping alternatives.  One of the baby stores in San Antonio, "Once Upon a Child," sells tons of lightly used baby/kid items... in particular baby clothes!  We managed to walk out of the store with 30 outfits, a boppy pillow, and 4 pairs of new shoes for $75.  What a steal!

Long-Distance Shower

My mother-in-law and mom did an amazing job putting on a baby shower at home, including Tony and my closest friends and family.  

I was sad that I didn’t get to be there in person, but vicariously enjoyed the event through photos and phone calls.  Everyone had a chance to play some fun games and have a reason to come together.  I look forward so much to seeing everyone when Tony, Bean, and I come to visit… hopefully sometime soon!

Nesting:

Since Tony and I will be moving in about a month, we decided to hold off on an official nursery for Baby Bean until we get to our new home. However, Tony and I still got the nesting bug, as we prepared this weekend for the arrival of our little guy. As he would have spent most of his first weeks to months in our room anyways, it made sense to convert part of out master bedroom into temporary nursery space.  

We prepared the side bedroom for visiting guests.  

We had fun setting up the special items from friends and family.  

Butters watched over the whole process.  

He seemed to particularly approve of the baby bassinet 

Birthing Stone:

One of the special packages that arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago came from my Dad.  This unique gift is a "Birthing Stone."  The premise of this item is, the stone comes from the location of your home. By placing the stone under your bed, you can ensure that your child will be born on the soil of your birthplace as well.  This gift will be passed on to my sisters when they have their children as well.  Only one problem with the Birthing Stone... it weighs a ton... likely more than any baby a human would be capable of delivering.

Insomnia:

One of my biggest concerns heading into pregnancy: how am I going to handle all those sleepless nights?  Tony and I both have always been the kind of people who really need our sleep.  We are hoping our child will take after both of us in this way!  However, this last trimester we both got a little bit of training in the poor sleep department.  Our little fur baby, Butters, has been pretty sick since he was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease.  He has been on some hefty doses of chemotherapy and immunosuppressant therapies.  As a result, we have gotten an early introduction to the poor sleep that can come with parenthood… we just hope Butters will start feeling better soon so that we don’t have two little boys keeping us up at night!

Birth Plan:

One of the big goals for this month has included forming a birth plan.  At the beginning of this trimester, my OB-GYN reminded me that it would be a good idea to start putting that together.  In medical school, I had a chance to witness first-hand some pretty interesting birth plans play out.  A few patients opted for water-births, which involved giving birth in the equivalent to a kiddie pool.  That seemed like a great idea, but I quickly realized it was not for me as the doula tried to fish the baby out of the blood and feces covered water.  For my birth plan, I decided to keep it simple.

(1) Yes to the epidural!  After seeing enough ladies change their minds mid-labor to get the epidural, I have no shame in saying straight from the start: give me the epidural! Many moms opted for totally natural births, something I give any woman huge kudos for.  But, I realized in my experience that a good chunk of those women changed their minds mid-way, deciding the epidural is the way to go after all.

(2) Avoid the c-section.  I will stand on my head,  massage my belly, crank up the pitocin… do whatever it takes to try and avoid the c-section.  I will not be one of the women looking for that elective c-section.  On some birth plans, you can ask to have the curtain dropped a bit to watch your baby be delivered by c-section.  After being on the other side of that curtain enough times, I can say: trust me ladies, you don’t want to know what is on the other side of that pretty blue sheet.  If it comes to it, of course I will do what I need to in order to keep my baby safe.  But, it certainly will be an end-game.

Labor Pains:

For better or worse, the actual delivery has been something that I have put off thinking about.  Many ladies do birthing classes, in preparation for the real thing.  Even contemplating practicing labor is enough to bring on contractions!  Tony and I have decided to just wing it… we will see how that goes

Working Mama:

In order to maximize my maternity leave, I have been continuing to work at the hospital.  My goal is to keep working up until .  At this stage of pregnancy, pretty much everyone you meet asks, “When are you due?”  Now that I am so close to delivery, the reactions are pretty comical when I tell them, “just 2 weeks left.” This usually elicits one of 2 responses: (1) Let me get that door for you or (2) You are crazy

Working as a psychiatry resident, being visibly pregnant can be either a huge advantage or disadvantage.  Many of the patients feel an alliance with you in this setting, getting them talking about their kids and families.  For some others, being pregnant was less than helpful in the therapeutic environment.  One individual developed the delusion that I had stolen her baby.  Needless to stay, it is good that I have remained so agile despite my monstrous size 

Baby Movements:

One of the things I will miss the most following my delivery: those gentle summersaults and fluttering hiccups.  Since my belly has dropped, Baby Bean's kicks no longer reach my ribcage and offer a sense of comfort.  I love how he will respond to the gentle pushes I will give him, as I encourage him to change positions or ensure that he is doing well.  At this point, I can distinctly tell where his tiny bottom, growing feet, and little fingers lie.  

Butters has greatly enjoyed using my belly as a nice headrest.  He hasn't seemed to mind the occasional kicks that Baby Bean offers.

I have greatly enjoyed chronicling my pregnancy over the last 9 months through this blog.  I look forward to soon entering a new stage in this journey, as Tony and I anxiously await the arrival of our Baby Bean!