After months of plotting and planning, today my girlfriends and husband pulled off a surprise baby shower! I realized how blessed I am to have such a great group of friends and a loving husband. As far as I knew, at 2:30 today we were arriving at my friend Lillie's house to hang out with her family and watch football. The funny part is that I was embarrassed to go over there because I was coming empty handed. Even as Dan and I approached the front door I was stressing over showing up without food or drink. What a splendid surprise it was to open the door and discover smiling faces of people I never imagined to be there. Dan left with Lillie's husband while the females enjoyed some girl time. We played games, ate lots of yummy food, opened presents, and I asked questions of the mothers there for any advice they had to offer for me and my youngin'. It was such a great time to be had for all. Two of the girls had even constructed a diaper cake! A slideshow of the shower pictures is located on the left. I felt really special today and was extremely grateful to share my baby excitement with my bay area friends! Kudos and praise to Dan for helping set up the party, preparing and sending the evite, and making sure all the details were together in order for me to have a fantastic day. Man... I just love that boy!
Monday night I had my 34 week check up and all is well. I weighed in at 167 lbs which means I gained 1 pound from my last visit 2 weeks ago. That is ok, considering I had gained 4 pounds for that one (on 11/2/2009). My bp was 110/70 and I measured 33 cm, which is close enough to 34 weeks. This was the first time I did not measure exactly on target for my due date but as my doctor said, I cannot be perfect every time. I heard Nathan's heart rate and the cool thing this time was that it sped up and slowed down while we heard it. The doctor said that is a good sign because when it speeds up that means he is responding to stimuli. How cool is that! He knew something was going on!! The doctor also felt my tummy on the outside and said he is about 80% sure Nathan is head down. He will know emphatically the positioning in 2 weeks when I have an internal. My doctor will also be Nathan's pediatrician so I confirmed that up as well. I think it is so cool how in our family practice, the doctors serve all "cradle to the grave" purposes.
I've noticed lately that my memory is shot. It's extremely difficult for me to handle because I have always had a good memory whether it be in personal matters or in the workplace. I had heard that pregnancy can make women forgetful and fortunately, I haven't experienced that in the previous 8 months. Now, I am making lists constantly and asking Dan questions over and over. He's being a good boy though because he knows I can't help it. He knows it's out of character for me. If only I could just remember that I am forgetful...
Nathan now has a place to rest his little head when we bring him home thanks to the gracious gift of the van Welzen family. My sister helped me find a co-sleeper which I will keep next to the bed on my side for a while. It's kind of like a bassinet but is shaped rectangular and has a shelf on the bottom for diapers and other essentials. You can check it out on the Babies 'R Us or Target website under co-sleeper and it's made by a company called Arm's Reach. Now the crib purchase can be put on hold for a while.
Yesterday Dan and I were talking about that moment in the hospital when Nathan is born and we see his face for the first time. It just choked me up to think about seeing his precious little face. Dan will see him first. I guess because it's getting so close now that I think a lot about what he will look like. Oh, those first little moments are so precious and you never get them back.
My next appointment is November 30th where, as I said before, I will have my internal exam and strep B test. The reason for the strep B test is that 1 in 5 people carry that bacteria and if a pregnant woman has it, then during labor the mother is given penicillin to help prevent the passage of the bacteria to the baby.
Saturday we did a tour of the hospital where Nathan will be born. The hospital is called Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Berkeley. It was one of the most exciting things we’ve ever done! The woman that led the tour was an RN who is also a lactician. We started by meeting in the lobby and she told us when to come to the hospital (around 4 cm dilated) because it’s best to go as long as one can at home. She explained how the home environment is more relaxing to us and more conducive for contractions. Also if I go to the hospital too early there is a chance I will be sent home. After that explanation, she indicated where we should park or drop off. She told us in great detail about the registration process and what to expect upon arriving at the hospital. We were told to also be sure and eat something before we come and to bring snacks for the dad since labor is typically a lengthy process. Next we ventured to the 3rd floor which is the maternity floor. I will start in the triage room which is a long room with many beds separated by curtains. This is where the nurse will check me out to determine how far along I am and give me a full medical once over. After triage, I’ll move to my own labor and delivery room where there is a twin bed for me (including all sorts of “fun” looking medical devices to hook me up too), a couch, tables, windows, shower/tub, toilet and sink. There are 3 rooms that don’t have windows but the trade off is that they have Jacuzzi tubs. In the labor and delivery room she explained what each accessory is that will be hooked up to me. I could tell she was fairly anti-epidural because she harped on how if you get an epidural you are confined/restricted/tethered to the bed at around 5 cm. Otherwise, you are free to roam the halls. 4 people are allowed in the room with me, although Dan will be the only one I want. There will be 2 nurses rotating for me until I reach 8 cm. At that point, I was get my own nurse. When it comes time for the actual delivery, there will be my doctor, nurse, the anesthesiologist (for epidural purposes), and 2 nurses from NICU to give Nathan a full health check up immediately after birth. I think that covers all the additional people she said would be in there. Sounds like a full house to me! When we left that room, we ventured to the recovery room. Those rooms have a bed for Dan instead of a couch so that will be nicer to sleep on. Nathan will be with us the entire time after he is born unless there is significant enough of a medical issue where he will have to stay in the nursery. We know this won’t happen so our boy will not leave our sight, except when he is circumcised. We are allowed to bring almost anything into the room to make our stay more comfortable. She suggested something lightly scented which will help to relax me. 90% of the recovery rooms are private so the odds are great that I won't have to share.
There were several times that I got pretty teary eyed during the tour with the most touching moment being when she explained how there is about a 2 hour window right after the baby is born where he will be on high alert. He’ll open his eyes and look all around, including at Dan and me. The hospital is a huge advocate of breastfeeding and immediate contact between baby and mom’s chest. I am happy to know that.
There was a lot of detail explained during our tour and I’ve only touched on the highlights. I feel even better now knowing more about what to expect. Here is a link to the hospital’s website if you are interested in reading more about where I’ll be. http://www.altabatessummit.org
Last night marked my 32 week check up and it was an interesting one. I was accompanied by Dan and his mom, who is in town visiting until November 8th. I was pleased Dan came because the appointment was the same time as game 5 of the World Series, which could have been the last one. By the time we got home the game was over. Luckily for Dan, the Yankees lost and will move on to game 6.
I started with the typical weigh-in which this week was a little more than average. I am supposed to be gaining 1 pound per week which up until now, I was doing beautifully. I weighed 166 which was 4 pounds more than my 2 week ago weigh-in. I attributed it to eating not so healthily this past weekend. My goal is to gain only 2 pounds before my next visit on November 16th. My blood pressure was good at 108/70, and that is about what registers at all my visits. I measured exactly 32 cm which lines up perfectly with me being 32 weeks. I asked the doctor about my swelling because over the weekend my right foot swelled up a lot and my left foot barely at all. I had no pain but it tingled when I took a step. Also the skin half way up my leg into my shin was pink. The doctor said it is a normal amount of swelling and not to worry. Apparently veins don’t operate as well on the right side of your body so that could be why the circulation isn’t as good and the swelling has increased.
We heard Nathan’s heart beat and it was wonderful for Dan’s mom. Aside from her own three children, she’s not heard the fetal heart beat of another grandchild-to-be.
Then came the emotional part of the visit. Dan and I decided it would be best for me to receive the H1N1 vaccination and since I am in a high risk group, I was able to get it from my doctor. This was an issue that I went back and forth with for months and months, trying to decide if it would be okay for Nathan. I wasn’t concerned in the least about myself because I am not an anti-vaccine person. For this one, however, it was the fear of the unknown in how the unborn baby is affected. Months ago when I first talked with my doctor about this vaccine he said it is perfectly safe for pregnant women and if I were his wife, he would tell me to get it. I kept replaying that conversation in my head last night while sitting on the table in anticipation. The nurse came in to administer it. As the nurse got to my arm, I looked at Dan and told him to remind me that it would not harm Nathan. Dan could not tell how serious I was at that moment and made light of my question. My response to him was not to joke because this was a serious question. I put my head down as the nurse got prepared for the injection. The nurse then asked if I was having second thoughts when he could see my eyes welling up with tears. I shook my head. I then placed my right hand on my tummy and the vaccine was administered. I thought about Nathan and silently prayed that everything would be okay. Then I just lost it and all my emotions came flooding out down my cheeks. Dan came up to me and started telling me scientifically how the vaccine was inert and just the protein coat, how I wasn’t getting a live virus and how the media was making way more of a bigger deal about this than necessary. He reminded me that the risks involved with me getting the flu are far worse than any side effect of the vaccine. He and the nurse also told me that if Dr. Eichel (my doctor) told me that the vaccine was okay then to trust him. In my mind, I knew ALL of this was correct. I know I did the right thing. But in my heart I was absolutely terrified. I feel like 100% of what happens to Nathan before he’s born is my sole responsibility. Everything I eat, he eats. Everything I drink, he drinks. And everything that is injected in me is injected into him. I am carrying the most precious cargo that God has blessed us with. On the bright side, I am now vaccinated against the H1N1 flu. I just continue to pray that everything will be alright with Nathan.
