It all started 1 year ago...

Hands sweaty, heart pounding, stomach tied up in knots. I couldn't sleep, so I got up and drove over to Shoppers Drug Mart. The roads were empty, no one was up at 5:00AM. I quietly walked up to the counter with a two pack, I needed double the confirmation. I took both tests thinking that they might tell me that the one I had taken the night before had been an error, after all, the instructions say to use the first morning stream....I had used the last evening stream... But there was no mistake...we were having a baby!

I waited until 8:00AM, literally watching the clock turn from 7:59 to 8:00. I had the number dialled, I pushed CALL, no one answered the first time, I guess being open from 8:00-4:00 actually meant 8:10-4:00. I called back ten minutes later, I told the receptionist that I needed a midwife. For some reason I was shocked when she didn't schedule me an appointment right then and there, she told me that the midwives are swamped and I'd be lucky if I was chosen as a patient, but to wait and see, perhaps I would be one of the lucky ones. 

I went to work. Ben and I texted back and forth about our secret, discussing who we wanted to let in and who we wanted to wait to tell. That night we told my parents, they both cried, this was the first grandchild for them and they couldn't have been happier. We told Ben's mom the next day, she screamed, we were at a restaurant. We told our siblings and decided to keep everyone else in the dark. We wanted to keep our secret for a little while. We waited for February to tell our friends. 

Christmas came and went, we celebrated New Years, moved out of our apartment, settled into our new home and then one day early January I got a call from the midwives, we had been accepted! I finally was able to get excited about planning a home birth. I started researching, reread all my birth books, watched birth videos,  I filled my mind with anything birth related. I tried to keep any thoughts of fear at bay.

Pregnancy flew by. I didn't want it to end. I will always remember how it felt the first time I felt Elliotte wiggle inside me.  I was massaging a client's neck and all of a sudden right below my belly button I felt a twinge. I was 20 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Week by week my body changed. Elliotte grew and developed, the twinges became kicks, the kicks became strong and were visible from the outside, one change blended into the next as our baby grew. I began my maternity leave at 37 weeks pregnant and the three weeks that I spent at home waiting for Ellie will always be a precious memory for me, we walked, we napped, we installed the car seat, went to birth classes, picked up last minute supplies for the birth,  debated name choices and walked some more. 

My due date came and went like any other Sunday. Monday passed and Elliotte didn't move, I kept waiting and waiting to feel her beautiful movements and it never happened. 11:00PM rolled around and I was worried. We called our midwife, she said to go to the hospital. We got to emergency, I was ushered to the front of the line, I guess they all thought I was in labour. We got up into assessments where our midwife met us. She hooked me up to the monitors and we heard the most beautiful sound in the world,  the strong galloping of Elliotte's heartbeat. The midwife sent us home saying that she thought we needed to get some rest since I was in early labour. 

We went to bed and I woke up the next morning feeling better than ever and I was frustrated... why was I not in labour? I was crampy and didn't feel great but not like I thought labour would be. We went to bed Tuesday night annoyed, and then it happened...

...I woke up early Wednesday morning and knew that it was the day. Everything tightened, everything ached, and I was so excited. Now, 3 months later, the memories are hazy. I want to remember every minute, I want to remember every sensation, every thought, but I don't. I remember bits and pieces, I remember watching a comedian and wanting him to just shut up. I remember seeing Ben set up the birth pool and feeling so proud of him. I remember Sharon, our doula, praying for me in her sweet, calm, motherly voice. I remember hating the birth ball and loving the tub. I remember being forced to drink booster juice in between contractions. I remember feeling so proud of my body. I remember seeing one of the midwives sleeping on the couch and feeling bad for all the noise but not being able to control it. I remember the shocking feeling of my water breaking and the intense change in contractions after. I remember the determination I felt when told I had to get out of the pool. I remember pushing whether I felt a contraction or not. I remember the sense of panic when the midwife said to call the ambulance, the pure adrenaline that took over to get Ellie out in that moment, and the relief that flooded me when the midwife calmly said, "never mind, baby is coming". I will never forget the moment that I cried out, "Oh my God, he's here! Thank you God!" I will never forget the love that washed over my little family those first few moments, when no one around us mattered, when the midwives silently checked over my beautiful baby and confirmed that she was perfect, and in fact a girl. I remember being fed apples and crackers and not wanting to eat but realizing how delicious food actually was. I will always remember crawling into bed with my husband and baby, everyone snuggled in, having totally forgotten to call and tell anyone about the life-changing day we had just had, pure bliss.

 

We spent the first week pretty much snuggled up on the couch while friends and family came and went. When Elliotte was 3 days old we walked over to my parents so that she could meet Rose. When she was 5 days old we went to Costco. When she was 8 days we went to Emma lake. The first six weeks was a love filled blur. 

As time has gone on we have gotten to know our little beauty. Elliotte is almost 4 months old, she has a personality, she is an active, determined, smiley, demanding, fast eating, explosive pooping, beautiful little girl.

In the past year I have gone from shock to fear to doubt to nervous excitement to genuine excitement to intense pain to being overcome by the fiercest of loves and that's where I'm stuck...I hope that never changes. 

Elliotte's Birth Story

I don't exactly know how this is going to go, the entire day is quite a blur in my mind. There are large chunks of the day that I don't remember at all so I may end up getting some help from Ben in remembering bits and pieces.  

Elliotte's Birth Day

 I woke up at 4:30 AM on August 8th to a painful contraction. It's funny how for so many weeks I had been wondering if every tightening of my belly was 'the real thing' and when 'the real thing' finally hit I just knew. After the first contraction I waited and sure enough ten minutes later I felt another one. I knew at this point that sleep was the most important thing to get so I tried going back to sleep. It became clear to me when seven minutes later another contraction hit that sleep wasn't going to be happening. I thought if I had a bath maybe it would slow the contractions down so that I could sleep some more, however, getting in the tub didn't slow anything down and I started having contractions every five minutes. As soon as I got out of the bath I knew that I should eat something, although I had no appetite whatsoever. I jumped in the car and drove to Tim Hortons where I picked up a bagel. It was super inconvenient that we had no food in the house but I knew I needed some complex carbs so I went anyways. 

Once I got home contractions were consistently three to five minutes apart and lasting 45 seconds, walking around was the best way to cope at this point. I pretty much paced and breathed for the next hour. At six Ben woke up and came out of the bedroom to see me pacing the living room. I told him that I thought this was 'it' but that he should go to work since I figured I could use some alone time and promised to text when I needed him to come home. 

Here are a series of the texts that we sent back and forth during the short 2 hours that Ben was at work. It didn't take me long to realize that I didn't want to be alone.

 At one point the contractions slowed to about 6 minutes apart and I thought I should walk the dog. Luckily, the next contraction ended up being pretty intense and I decided against it. This was the beginning of an increase in intensity.

At 8:30AM I told Ben that he needed to come home because I was needing him. That 40 minute drive for him to come home felt like forever. At this point I was coping with contractions by sitting on the exercise ball and leaning on the couch. I was already moaning through the pains and I realized that I wouldn't be the silent, graceful labouring woman that I had hoped I would be....

When Ben got home from work I set him to work right away putting the birth pool together. Once the pool was set up I figured it was time to call the doula to let her know that we would hopefully be needing her within the next hours. I called her and said that we would most likely want her to come around 11AM. After calling the doula we called the midwife who said she would be over in an hour. She came at 10:30AM and checked me. She wouldn't tell me how dilated I was but she said I was 100% effaced so I knew that my body had done SOMETHING in the last 6 hours. After some investigating I got the midwife to say that I wasn't in active labour yet (according to dilation, although according to the frequency of my contractions I was) and she left saying to call her when things kicked up a notch. 

Here is the last smiling picture of me pregnant. This was taken at about 9:30AM while Ben was setting up the pool. 

The next few hours Ben and I spent alone, he talked me through contractions, practiced his Norwegian lessons...(he's taking an online Norwegian course) and even slept for a bit while I sat, walked or did whatever it took to cope with the contractions. At one point we actually watched a stand up comedian on Netflix, I can't say that I paid much attention. I do remember feeling like by this point the contractions were pretty intense and they were definitely close together (2-3 minutes apart), little did I know how intense they were going to get.

At about 2PM I said that it was time to call our doula. I thought I was coping well, but I knew that things had kicked it up a notch and Ben was definitely more comfortable having someone else there. She got there half an hour later and the instant she walked into our house she came over to me and began breathing with me. When she got there I realized how poorly I had actually been coping and it was so helpful having someone there to help Ben know what to do. Breathing was something that I really needed help with during labour and from the moment she got there until our Ellie was born she breathed through every contraction with me, 'in through the nose out through the mouth', I probably heard those words over 300 times during the course of the day. It was SO hard to breath in, but breathing out felt amazing. After only a few minutes of being with us our doula realized that I wasn't coping very well in my current position and suggested labouring in the bathroom. We got upstairs and I sat backwards on the toilet leaning on a pillow. This was actually an extremely comfortable position. I had shooting pains down the sides of my legs during every contraction and the only way that I could handle it was having our doula apply pressure to the sides of my legs while Ben would push on my low back which was aching like crazy, then in between contractions one of them would stroke my upper back while the other stuck a straw of water or a Booster Juice in my mouth and demand that I drink. By this point I had lost any concept of time. I remember even asking what time it was and our doula saying that time didn't matter, I'm grateful now for that because if I had been counting the hours I would have gotten really discouraged.

At one point I got in the bathtub. It felt AMAZING. I wouldn't say that the water decreased my contraction pain at all, but being able to float really helped the pain in the sides of my legs and my low back. Eventually while in the tub I said that I wanted to call the midwife. Ben or the doula must have called her because I definitely didn't. The midwife that showed up was not my regular midwife as my primary midwife was with another patient and would be showing up a little later. I LOVED this midwife though. She came into the bathroom, explained everything she was doing really well and made me feel instantly comfortable around her even though I didn't know her. I asked her to check me and she said that I was 5 centimetres, close to 6. At this point I also demanded that Ben tell me the time, so I know that this was at 5PM. Now looking back I'm surprised that I wasn't more discouraged that after 12 hours of labour I was only half way there, but I wasn't. I hardly even thought about how much was left to go, I was just so amazed that my body had worked so hard and had gotten to 5 centimetres on it's own! At one point in the bath tub I projectile vomited my booster juice all over, REALLY classy! After this cute little episode it was advised that I get out of the tub. I wasn't super interested in remaining steeped in my own vomit anyways. 

I got out of the tub and if I remember correctly the birth pool was filled but the water was too warm so I had to manage some contractions on dry land. This was AWFUL. My primary midwife showed up at this point and yet I don't remember much of her. She would come check the baby's heart rate every 15 minutes or so and otherwise was sitting writing who knows what. Finally the pool was ready and I got to climb in. Once again I had NO concept of time so I can't tell you what time I got in or what time I got out. In my mind I was only in the tub for about 10 minutes but Ben assures me that it was a couple hours at least. It was while I was in the pool that I entered transition....Now for people who are not well versed in labour and the natural progression of things I will fill you in. Transition is by far the hardest part of labour. It spans the time that your cervix opens from 7 centimetres to 10 centimetres. In my case I was blessed with contractions one on top of another all through transition, just as a contraction would start to ease up another one would come. I dry heaved and my whole body shook through every contraction which makes trying to breath mighty hard. I BEGGED for an epidural, a c-section, and to be driven to the hospital. Let me just interject how impressed I am with Ben, even though I was thrashing about, he stayed right there with me holding a cold cloth on my neck and forehead, telling me how proud he was of me, and all while I behaved like a wild beast! 

During this horrible, horrible point I was checked a couple times and it seemed like there was a bit of cervix that just wouldn't open. I was feeling quite a bit of pressure with each contraction (a sign that I was ready to push) but unless I was fully dilated Elliotte would not be able to pass through.The midwife suggested getting out of the tub to try some different positions to help finish the process. I hated her for making me get out, but oh well, it had to be done. Eventually the midwife suggested she try to help me stretch the rest of the way. Now I'm sorry if this is too graphic but oh well, no one is making you read this! So during a contraction she reaches up and tries to manually stretch the cervix, she had to do this 4 or 5 times (ouch) and eventually it worked and I was ready to push out my baby! 

Since we were planning a water birth I hobbled back over to the pool and got in. What happened next is a blur. The midwife was checking Elliotte's heart rate during every contraction and after only a couple contractions it was obvious that she wasn't doing well. I was told to get out of the tub right then and I was moved over to the couch.  After 25 minutes of pushing the one midwife told the other to call the ambulance, Elliotte's heart rate was still not doing as well after contractions as it should and they were anticipating that I would be pushing for a while still. On the next contraction I used every ounce of strength that I had left and on Wednesday, August 8th at 11:24PM out she came! She came out with her little fist up by her head which is why her heart rate kept dropping. I ended up with a tiny tear and 2 stitches which was not bad at all. 

Elliotte was the most beautiful thing that I've ever seen. For the first 10 minutes of her life we just stared at her in awe. We didn't even look to see whether we had a girl or a boy. After the most amazing shower in the whole world I joined my new family and climbed into bed where we spent the next few hours finding out all we could about our little Ellie. She was 7 pounds 1/2 ounce and 20 inches long, absolutely perfect.

Giving birth was the hardest thing that I've ever done but it was so worth it! I can't believe how intense the contractions were and how strong a woman's body is. I just can't believe that she's here! 

Moments after she was born.

Ben holding his daughter for the first time.

A new family!

She was so alert and just stared at us with her beautiful big eyes.

My Girl Ellie...

 On August 8th one week ago today at 11:24PM this beautiful little girl made her entrance into the world and our lives. 

She weighed 7 pounds and 1/2 ounce and measured 20 inches long. 

Let me introduce you to Elliotte.  

Here is my Ellie, 1 week old!

40 Weeks/Full Term!

I can't believe it! The due date is here, the day that has been spinning through my head for close to a year has finally arrived. Still no sign of a baby. Now the baby truly can come whenever he or she decides to, after today I'm considered 'over due' dundundunnnnn.... I think I've finally reached the point of feeling done and wanting this baby out more than in. 

Size:

Well our baby is now the size of a pumpkin...oh dear. Most babies born at this stage are somewhere between 5 lbs and 9 lbs, I'm assuming our baby is right in the middle there somewhere, I guess we'll see! The average length for a baby is 20 inches. All the cooking is done and now we just make sure the baby is still doing ok and wait...

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Night time has become my enemy. Last night I totalled 3 hours of sleep... It's the most bizarre thing, I lie in bed totally awake, I have NEVER had this problem before, I have no idea what it is but it's driving me slightly crazy. Maybe today I'll skip the nap and see if I can sleep from the sheer exhaustion. 

I'm getting slightly more crampy and my back is kinda getting sore but otherwise still feel great. I'm still trying to get in at least an hours long walk a day and I'm sure that's contributing to the back pain, but if it's going to prepare my body for labour then BRING IT ON. I also actually really enjoy walking, it always brings the Braxton hicks contractions on hardcore which makes me feel like I'm accomplishing something, who knows...

Oh and let's not forget peeing 200 times a day, I wish I was exaggerating....moving on...

I'll skip all the nasty specific little details of my midwife appointment (this IS the internet after all) but I will say that she said everything looks 'ready to go'. I still don't feel like labour is right around the corner or anything but it's good to know my body is getting ready even if I'm not....

Life Happenings:

Just waiting for the baby and doing everything that we normally do. Ben has been in denial that the baby can technically come anytime. Every time I've mentioned that "maybe this is it" (25000 times per day) he always says "nonsense, it's not even your due date yet". Now he can't say that anymore so maybe he'll have to believe me!

Every night I imagine that 'this will be the night', I don't know why I'm so set on going into labour in the middle of the night.... once again I suppose we'll just have to wait and see... 

I'm getting mighty sick of these updates, I'm looking forward to being able to actually update WITH PICTURES OF A BABY... it is what all this hullaballoo has been about!    

This week I went for a 'labour walk' with my cousin who was due a week and a half before me. She finished the walk off with a castor oil cocktail. Now if you're not aware castor oil has been known to naturally induce labour, however the side effects can be less than desirable, but when you're overdue and desperate I guess you take the good with the very very bad. Anyhoo, she took this cocktail and voila 4 hours later her water broke and 6 hours later her baby girl was born. I must admit that the thought of trying the concoction has entered my mind periodically since her successful experience... We'll see how desperate I'll get...

Weekly Highlight:

I don't know if I have highlights anymore. Every day is just 24 hours of wondering if the sensations I'm feeling are labour. I suppose my naps have been pretty dang good lately.

40 weeks! 

The Day Has Come!

It's August 1st. This means that our baby's birth month IS August. We don't know if it will be early or mid August, but it WILL BE August.... Pretty exciting if I do say so myself! 2 1/2 more weeks at the most. I'd say that I'm getting excited...Now to just curl up in a sweaty uncomfortable heap and read my murder mystery and....wait.

39 Weeks!

I can't believe how close this is all getting, only one more week till the due date and then only two more weeks tops after that! I really do think that We'll see the due date before the baby but only time will tell.

Size:

The average baby now weighs the same as a WATERMELON, about 7 lbs 8 oz... my midwife thinks our baby is a little smaller than that, I guess once again we'll see when this little one decides to come. The vernix (white goop that used to cover the baby's skin) has been shedding and may be all gone by the time the babe is born. In any way it isn't long until we meet this baby! 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Well as time goes on this list gets longer I suppose. Still feeling lots of BH contractions. Waiting for the real ones can be tricky when you're constantly getting the fake ones.

 Just in the last week I've been waking up once or twice a night to go to the washroom, I feel super lucky that my sleep didn't seem to be disturbed until now and even now it's really totally bearable. I would make an AWFUL pregnant woman if I didn't get a decent sleep every night. 

I'm definitely feeling more pressure due to the pushing down of the baby. I walked to my midwife appointment this past week and for the next two days I felt like my back and hips were broken... 'they' say it's good to walk though, so I'm going to keep doing it. Speaking of midwife appointments, I only have a few more of those at the most too....ahhhh....

Life Happenings:

Boy am I enjoying maternity leave...well, I don't know if I'm technically on it yet considering the baby isn't here yet...but boy is it nice to have some time off. I'm trying to not feel guilty about relaxing since I know that that's what my body needs and that any day now I won't have the luxury and the really scary part begins! 

We're still picking up things here and there for the baby/birth, but I feel like we are prepared. I have our guest room packed to the brim with all the supplies we'll need. Hopefully when I go into labour Ben will be able to wade through it all and get everything set up properly in the case that I'm incapacitated, which, let's face it, I most likely will be. I'm pretty nervous about how I'll treat the poor guy when the big day arrives. I've watched all these birth videos where the couples almost look like they're enjoying the process and are so loving and kind to each other. This is how I've always wanted to be, I can pretty much guarantee you that won't be me...I'll be the irritable, mean woman screaming at everyone around her. I'll have to write apology letters to everyone afterwards for all the mean stuff I'm bound to say, I'm just sure of it! 

In other news....I now know why people love the weekends so much! It's soooo nice having two days off in a row with Ben. Every night after work he's pretty much a zombie who doesn't want to do anything but sleep and eat, and that's only if I happen to make something that looks appealing to him (not common). Because of this somewhat unfortunate happenstance, the weekend is now the best time in the world! We get to sleep in (well, Saturday at least) and then the WHOLE day is ours to do whatever we wish, plus we've been allowing ourselves to go on extra dates guilt free since we know that they're basically over indefinitely once this babe gets here. It's a really novel idea! This weekend we...slept in, went out for lunch with Ben's mom, washed the car, installed the car seat, did some window shopping for diaper bags, went out for supper with a friend, went to a movie with that same friend, got my teeth checked by my uncle (he IS a dentist so not so weird), went to church, relaxed, got groceries, hung our with some friends! It was a great weekend!

Weekly Highlight:

As painful as the aftermath ended up being, walking to my midwife appointment felt REALLY good. I just felt so proud of myself for getting off my lazy butt and actually doing it. I have yet to decide whether I'm going to walk to this weeks appointment (I have my doubts), but I really hope that I do. Maybe this time it will kick-start labour! 

Here is the 39 week belly.

38 Weeks!

Well, still pregnant and very much ok with that! 

Size:

At this stage babies differ so much in size and all that but our little leek should be somewhere between 6lbs  9oz to 7lbs. He or she is also somewhere near 20inches long. Still putting on weight and developing that brain! 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Still getting lots of practice contractions. We've been diligent to take a walk every day and boy does walking sure bring them on. Even though the Braxton Hicks are strong, I do realize that I could have upwards of 4 weeks of this left and that wouldn't really be all that bad, the more practice I get, the more ready my body will be for the real showdown! 

I think I'm also experiencing a little bit of pregnancy insomnia. I don't even like using that word because it sounds so serious, in actuality it just takes me a while to fall asleep. I'm used to being asleep BEFORE my head hits the pillow and for the last 3-4 days I lie awake for about an hour. I have no idea what causes this, I'm not uncomfortable or anything, perhaps it's my body prepping itself for being up all night long in a few short weeks. 

At my midwife appointment this week she said the baby is even more stuck down in place and that there was no 'wiggle room' which I guess is a good thing... It sure explains why every time I stand up I feel immense pressure...oh the joys of pregnancy! 

Life Happenings:

Life has been absolutely perfect lately! I love the summer weather. I love that Ben and I get the full weekend off together now! (probably the first time that this will be a regular occurrence since we DATED!) It's so nice having him home at 6ish every day. We have been taking advantage of all the free time knowing that it won't last long, so it's been date night for us almost every day, even if that's just watching a movie at home or taking Rose to the dog park.

I feel like I'm finally ready for this baby to come if he or she chooses to now. I have all the things ready for the birth and all the clothes washed and ready to go on a beautiful little body. I've collected the diapers that we're going to use and hopefully someone can show us how they work because I'm not creative enough to know how to transform a big rectangle of material into a diaper... Ahh all the learning that we're about to experience! 

Weekly Highlight:

One of these days my weekly highlight is going to be having a baby but for now it's not quite as interesting. This week it was going to the new Batman with Ben on Saturday. I was kinda dreading it because I knew it was 3 hours long and I always seem to end up feeling disappointed in movies that get so much hype, but it was actually good! We went to the noon showing which was nice in itself. We got up, had a little breakfast, parked on the other side of the bridge and made a little walk out of going to the theatre. Then after the three hours of decent entertainment we still had hours of sunlight left! Maybe I'm just so used to working Saturday but boy did this past Saturday just feel SOOO long and perfect! I can't wait for a full year of Saturdays spent with Ben and Rose and our little baby! 

Here is the 38 week bump! Still growing by the day!

A lovely picture of Ben on one of our beautiful Summer dates!

I painted my toenails pink and blue so that while I'm pushing I can look down and gather some extra strength knowing that in a few short minutes we'll know what this little baby is! 

Only a few of these updates left at the most! 

37 Weeks, hello full term!

So I am officially the worst and missed last week! I don't know what got into me I just didn't finish the post, not to mention I didn't get a decent picture snapped. This week I am determined to post something even if it is a couple days late. So we have officially come to full term, 37 weeks! I can't believe we are at the 'any day' phase, although I am quite certain this baby will not be here any day...I'm thinking maybe another 4-5 weeks or so, at least I'm hoping so considering how unprepared I feel. 

Size:

Size at this point is so relative. Most likely the baby is over 6 lbs and around 20 inches long, about the length of a swiss chard. At this point our little baby's lungs should be ready for the outside world and any extra time that he or she stays inside is just bonus time for growing and fattening up.

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Wow have the practice contractions been coming on strong! Otherwise I'm feeling great, sleeping great and so on. At my midwife appointment last week the baby had dropped and seemed to be sitting in a pretty position for his or her impending trek into the world! It seems I've also developed a little bit of acid reflux when I lie down. Only roughly a month to go! 

Life Happenings:

I'm done work!!!! Saturday was my last day of work and it sure feels great to be done. I was quite touched, everyone brought my favourite snacks and we had a little mini going away party for me. I can't believe I won't be back to work for a whole year. 

My days are now filled with puttering around getting everything ready for the birth, catching up on cleaning and enjoying a nap if I feel like one. Oh, and Rose has been a lucky dog now that she's getting a nice little walk every day. I also try to spend a bit of every day doing some stretches and mini workouts with my exercise ball.

We now only have 4 more birth classes and I'm wondering if we will actually make it to all of them. 

Ben is finally done working both his jobs and is now just working the one. It is so nice to have him home at 6:00 every day! 

Weekly Highlight:

Leaving work after my last shift was probably the highlight of my month so far. Only a few more of these updates before I'll have pictures of our little baby to upload! 

Baby Pool

So I just set up a baby pool for predicting what we're having, when, size, all that jazz. Follow the link and add your two cents! The more guesses the better! I'm getting sooo curious to see what this little one will be!

Ben and Solveig Baby Pool

35 Weeks!

So, I have had this ready since Sunday but had no belly picture. I still have no belly picture and since it's already Wednesday I'll just post the update and add a picture when there is one to add. 


Size:

Our honeydew melon is roughly 5lbs 4oz and measuring around 18 inches long. The kidneys are fully developed and the liver has already started processing waste products. All of the basic physical development are mostly complete, all that's left is putting on weight and maybe some maturation of the lungs! How cool!

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Well I made it July still wearing my rings! I know it's not important but it was a little goal I made for myself and I like to achieve my goals (even when I don't have any control over what's happening...)! 

Still feeling lots of movement. I know movement is supposed to start decreasing slightly in the upcoming weeks, but so far it's still pretty hardcore. There are times that I literally could grab onto what I'm assuming is a foot sticking out my side. I can't believe that there are only a few weeks left until this little baby will be wiggling around and kicking on the outside...crazy...

I still feel really great. I do think that the baby has dropped slightly because Ben seems to think that I now have a pronounced waddle and I do feel a bit like a duck when I'm walking around. Breathing has also become somewhat easier, so I'm sure the baby isn't pushing up on my diaphragm like he or she was in the past. 

Another notable change are these Braxton Hicks contractions. They used to come a few times a day and weren't very intense, now they seem to be pretty constant and can almost be considered painful at times. Hopefully this means that they are doing something and preparing my body for real labour which will most likely happen anytime between 2-7 weeks from now! (I'm hoping for closer to the 7 weeks) woohoo.

Life Happenings:

Only 2 more weeks of work. That's 8 shifts and 66 massages!!! I'm getting as close to counting down the seconds as someone can get without literally doing it. I just can't wait to be off work so that I can have an afternoon nap, it seems every day around 2PM I just NEED to lie down for a bit, I'm definitely looking forward to being able to have those naps in just a couple weeks!

We met with our doula today and it was pretty exciting just talking over all the things that are going to be happening. I feel so blessed to be able to have this amazing women join us in our adventure. I trust her whole heartedly and I know Ben feels good knowing that there's another set of hands that will be there to help out. I've known her my whole life and there is no one else I'd rather have join us (along with the medical professionals as well of course). 

Speaking of medical professionals, we now have weekly appointments with our midwife. It seems pretty crazy that there are only roughly 5 more appointments left! 

Our birth classes are going really well, every week we get more and more prepared and it's nice to get together with other people that are going through the same things that we are, not to mention it helps to see a bunch of pregnant women, I don't feel so huge and awkward when I'm around them. At our last class we watched an extremely graphic video of women giving birth squatting and I think it traumatized Ben a little...He was such a good sport though and managed to watch the whole thing without looking away, I was very proud. :)

Ben has been working like crazy lately. Usually 12 hours a day at least, he's still wrapping up his painting jobs as well as working more than full time plumbing, he's even going in on weekends. I can't wait to have him home at a decent hour and for him to not be so overworked. I am proud of how hard he works though!
I finally feel like we're getting things that we need, slowly and steadily.

Weekly Highlight:
This week was fairly uneventful. Last Monday I had a girls night with some friends which was really pleasant! A couple of the girls I don't get to see very often, and it was nice to spend an evening catching up. Good friends are so important and I feel lucky to have the ones that I do! 

The Good Report Take 5

So today I'm not really in the mood to write a good report but I suppose the days that you don't want to be thankful are the ones that we really should try. Here goes!

• Ben got an unexpected day off today so it looks like we get to spend the day together! 
• The bassinet is set up and ready for a little baby, I can't believe that something is actually done!
• The weather is absolutely perfect today, 18 degrees and sunny with a nice breeze.
• My cousin found sugar free popsicles for me and they taste amazing! I've been indulging like crazy!
• It's almost JULY!
• The horrible humidity we had earlier on in the week seems to be gone, thank God! 
• Now that the humidity has subsided so has my swelling.
• I only have 9 more shifts of work left, I couldn't be more excited to be done.
• We have been down a vehicle for the past few days but my mom has been such a help with giving me rides.
• Still loving all the movement I get to feel throughout the day, what a treat.
• Starting to feel prepared now that we are full swing into our birth classes and we have appointments more often with either the midwife or our doula.
• So thankful for every good night sleep that I get! 

That's all I can muster for the day but it sure does help to focus on the good. I'm off to enjoy this beautiful day! 

34 weeks!

Size:

Our cantaloupe is now weighing about 4lbs 13oz and is still about 17inches long. I can't believe how much weight the little one is putting on every day. I can definitely feel that the room is getting squishier in there. At this point all my pregnancy apps recommended talking to the baby because he or she can hear really well now. I feel kind of bad, I haven't done that at all the poor little one isn't even going to know who I am after birth. I guess I should start talking! 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Movement is still strong and I'm feeling it on more and more of a constant basis. I love feeling all the pushes and mini punches from inside me and I know that I'm really going to miss feeling all the movement once the baby is out. I think this week I may have had my first feelings of being ready to be done. I'm  still not feeling pain but I was just hit with the excitement of actually meeting the baby, and SOON! I can't believe that the birth is roughly only 6 weeks away.

 Ohhh I do have one symptom that is most definitely notable. I've developed some slight swelling. We had some really nice warm weather here the last couple days and I think my body is responding, my hands have gotten a bit on the puffy side and by night time my feet look just a little fat. It's not a concern at this stage, just normal pregnancy stuff and I still have my 'goal' of wearing my wedding ring till July at least so I just have to make it one more week! 

Sleeping is still fabulous with the slight exception that our room is so hot that I just lie on top of the covers, I don't know what I'm going to do when it gets even hotter as there is only a certain amount one can undress to... bring on the fans! 

Life Happenings:

I had another midwife appointment this week. This one was actually a home visit, it was really nice, I didn't even have to leave my house! At this appointment we talked a lot about procedures that we may or may not want done at the birth and it really struck me just how close we really are. I just can't believe that we're at 34 weeks! One more appointment and then we move to WEEKLY ones! Baby is still head down (WOOHOO) and my uterus is growing at EXACTLY the proper rate (YAY) so she was quite pleased. 

We have now attended 2 birth classes and I'm really liking all that we're learning. I really feel like this is helping us prepare for what's to come and there is so much more to learn in the weeks to come. Last week for about half an hour of the class I got to lie down with pillows and try to sleep while Ben massaged me- no complaints here! 

This past week I also started a prenatal yoga class. This is something that I've been interested in for about 4 months and just haven't taken the time to research a class to go to, so when another pregnant friend suggested I come with her to the class she's going to I decided to take her up on it. Wow does it feel good! I felt a little stiff the day after but man did those stretches just make me feel like I was the strongest woman in the world after! I also couldn't believe how well I've been sleeping since the first class. I wasn't even having problems before with sleep but I have been sleeping SOOO soundly since. 

This week I really kicked up my reading as well. I"m almost through this book and I have a couple more that I want to make sure I an get through in the next couple weeks. I've been blown away at how great Ina May's book is and although there is the odd thing that she says that I would disagree with, she is incredibly wise and has A LOT of experience to back up all that she says. 

So I am now at 3 weeks left of work! That's 99 massages and 12 shifts! At this point I'm just getting really excited to be done. I still enjoy going to work but the thought of having all day to get things done and to prepare is just exhilarating to me! There is one thing about my job that I'm going to miss though, and that is the air conditioning (our house does not have this luxury). If I can work up the courage to wear a bathing suit I may just end up living at the outdoor pools for the last month...

Weekly Highlight:

A friend from college came into town this weekend and called me up for a visit. It was SOOO nice to see her again since it had been at least 4 months. We sat outside and visited for 3 hours and although I now have a wicked burn, it was so worth it to catch up and visit. I love seeing old friends! 

The 34 week bump. Believe me it is growing by the day! 

And because I like to add one of my current baby, here's Rose on her way from the Vet, full of treats and happy! 

33 Weeks!

Size:

Our PINEAPPLE(!) is weighing about 4lbs 6oz and is roughly 17inches long!!! All of a sudden that feels really heavy and really long! You hear of babies being born that size... Developmentally the little one is still just growing and filling out, I'm pretty excited to see the chubby little guy or girl in roughly 7 weeks! eeeeek!!!

Pregnancy Symptoms:
Pretty much just growing and growing. The movements feel more and more like this babe is trying to stretch his or her way out not as much like kicks or punches anymore. I'm still really comfortable and not having much notable pain, something I am so thankful for! I really hope that this keeps up and that my being able to sleep keeps up too, it feels so great to have undisturbed sleep, I don't know how some women cope with life when they can't sleep but have to work and keep up with life.

Life Happenings:
 We started our childbirth education class last week and I'm pretty excited to see what we'll learn over the next 9 weeks. Ben is pretty excited too, I think he is ready to feel like he's prepared for what's going to happen in a very short time....I sure hope that I get to the point of feeling prepared as well...I suppose you can only prepare to a certain extent and then you just have to go with it.
Ben hurt his knee on Sunday playing basketball and has been confined to the couch. He has a chronic recurring knee problem that he really needs to go for surgery for. It's usually pretty ok but every once in a while he tweaks it and misses a day of work or so, it's the pits. I feel so badly for him. I had to help carry him into the house, probably not the best thing for 7 1/2 month pregnant girl to do. Hopefully he'll be feeling better sooner rather than later.
On a totally different note, only 4 more weeks of work, that's 132 massages and 16 shifts! I can't believe how quickly everything is going. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to my clients but I really am looking forward to a year off, especially since I hopefully get to spend that year with a precious little baby! My due date is less than 50 days away now. I'm still waiting for time to slow down, but it just doesn't seem to want to.

Weekly Highlight:
Spending father's day evening with my dad on Sunday was so great. I feel so blessed to have a man in my life like him. He is so wise, has more integrity than any man I know and took raising us kids VERY seriously! I love how he loves being outdoors, going for canoeing, camping and hiking trips, he stays active, and is an incredibly hard worker. I couldn't imagine how I would have turned out without his guiding me. I hope I get to spend many more father's days with him!

33 weeks.

The cake I made for my dad for father's day. It was a buttermilk, red velvet cake with cream cheese icing. I even had some...it was sooo worth it!

  

My Favourite... Meal

I've never been a breakfast person. Growing up I NEVER ate anything before school, I remember my mom trying to force us to at least drink one glass of milk before going to school and I would rarely choke it down (it doesn't help that I HATE milk). I don't know why but I never had an appetite in the morning, I'm pretty sure my metabolism was just so out of whack due to the way I fed my body. By lunch time I would be famished, but since I never packed much of a lunch, I usually wouldn't eat much until after school, when I would get home and STUFF MY FACE. It was a horrible way to treat my body.

Since getting pregnant I have made a 180 degree turn in my eating habits. Well to be honest since getting the GDM diagnosis I have made a 180 degree turn. Not only has my body been requiring me to eat on a more regular basis but I have chosen to eat 'right' in order to provide this baby with the best possible nutrients for healthy growth. It's funny how a little training can really change a person. Now, I wake up and the first thing on my mind is breakfast. My stomach is growling and I can't wait to get downstairs and get started on my morning breakfast routine. I like to start off with a warm glass of water with lemon (this is a new addition to my routine, I would encourage you all to look up the benefits!) then I wait for 1 hour and only then do I begin my breakfast preparations, I generally switch up what I eat but it usually consists of something along the lines of a couple hard boiled eggs, a plate of salad and mixed berries with plain greek yoghurt, or perhaps a spinach smoothie with fruit, spinach and yoghurt, sometimes it's some rye crackers with cheese and cucumbers with a fruit and eggs on the side. I like to know that I have options. I also try to make sure I drink at least 20 oz of water during my breakfast to kick-start my water drinking for the day.

I find it funny that the meal that never had a hold on me growing up has now become the one that I look forward to the most. It feels so good to fuel my body for the day and to know that what I'm eating is good for both of us. :) 

Here's a quick snapshot of my breakfast today. A tossed salad with balsamic vinaigrette, plain greek yoghurt with some vanilla extract, stevia and strawberries and blueberries, and 2 eggs. 

And here's an example of another delicious breakfast. 

My green smoothie. Not quite as appealing to the eyes, but the taste is not half bad and it has nearly 2 CUPS of spinach! 

All this breakfast talk has made me a little sad that I'm done for today and have to wait until tomorrow to have breakfast again! 

32 Weeks!

Size:

Our coconut is now weighing around 3 lbs 9 ounces and is roughly 16.5 inches in length. Can you believe that at this point our baby has started growing hair on their little head?! I'm curious to see how much he or she has at birth. Both Ben and I were pretty bald so I'm not banking on much. It is also interesting to note that if this little one is a boy his testicles have or are currently making their descent into the scrotum....neat fact... They also say that babies born at this point in pregnancy have a  really good chance of survival and usually grow up with minimal side effects from their early arrival. Of course I'd still be more comfortable with another 8 or so weeks of baking this little bun. Who knows what the future holds! 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Still feeling fabulous! Breathing is getting a little more cumbersome, I'm looking forward to this little one dropping a little and relieving the pressure on my diaphragm.
I had another midwife appointment this week and everything looks great, baby is still head down, at this point the midwife said that it is possible but highly unlikely that the baby will flip. So it looks like the baby is set and ready to go. Only a few more appointments before this baby will be here!
Had another appointment with the dietitian again and everything is still going well. I feel so lucky that I've been able to control this through diet. I even allowed myself to cheat tonight when Ben and I were out on a date night and had ice cream and my sugars were still within the normal range!
Movement is still getting stronger and stronger. It's even slightly painful every once and a while, still the coolest feeling in the world!!!


Life Happenings:
Only 5 more weeks of work left! That's 20 shifts, 165 massages! I'm now starting to really really look forward to being off work. During this past week I got to the point where I just felt ready to be done.
Ben is one week into his new job and he is loving it! He has worked overtime every day so far but it's really nice that he has steady work, he actually appreciates the extra hours. I do hope overtime won't continue forever though, the poor guy will tire himself out. He's out the door by 6:30am and I'm lucky if he's home by 6:00pm.
We haven't had much time for much other than work lately. Ben has been pretty sore and calloused from all the new things that he has to do for work so we've been taking it easy and going to bed nice and early, I love it!

Weekly Highlight:
I have really enjoyed my morning routine that I blogged about here. It feels really good getting up and not feeling rushed.
Also the ice cream I had tonight was AMAZING!

Here is the 32 week belly!

This week I thought I'd show you a different view as well. As you can see it's slightly uneven. THe baby is mainly lying on the right side, it's definitely where I feel the majority of the movement.

31 Weeks!

So another week has flown by and we're at 31 weeks. I'm starting to think that the next 6-11 weeks aren't going to slow down as I've been anticipating. This morning as I type this update I'm sitting outside in the sun drinking my nettle tea. It doesn't seem to taste as bad in nice weather....Bring on the summer! 

Size:

Our baby is weighing in at about 3lb 5oz and 16in long. His or her weight would be roughly equivalent to 4 navel oranges....Apparently in the coming weeks he or she will be heading into a growth spurt and each day more and more weight is being packed onto that little frame. At this stage the eyes are actually able to dilate in response to light, how cool!? 

Pregnancy Symptoms:

Still quiet on the symptoms front. Belly is growing. Movement is pretty much the coolest feeling in the entire world, I'm quite certain that I'm going to miss all the little punches and kicks once I am no longer 'with child'. My breathing has definitely not gotten easier. Ben always thinks that I'm mad at him because I tend to breath really deeply and let out a loud sigh but really I'm just trying to get oxygen into my lungs, the only positions I'm able to breath comfortably is lying on my side or standing. One of these days I also want to count how many times a day I have to pee, it is pretty unbelievable, but at least not painful just a nuisance. Still not much pain, I had a little bit of low back pain by the end of my shift on Saturday, but nothing that doesn't go away after a nights sleep. I'm still feeling mighty blessed at how great I'm feeling! 

Life Happenings:

Life has been good and busy. I worked another full 40 hour week this week and I picked up another shift next week so I'll have one more week of almost full time before going down to 33 hours a week for the last 5 weeks. I'm finding that when I'm at work the days just fly by. Every day that I have off feels so nice and long. I'm getting excited to be off work and to have some time to relax and prepare for what's to come. Hopefully the baby waits till later than 37 weeks since that's when I'm working till and I sure could use at least a couple weeks of prep time. 

Ben is starting a brand new job TOMORROW. He is so excited and can't wait to get into something different. He will still be working evenings and weekends wrapping up some loose ends with his company but by the end of June he should be working a normal 9-5 Monday to Friday job and we are both so ready for it!

Did I mention that I'm loving the summer weather! Man I'm glad it's June!

Weekly Highlight:

Most definitely moving back home after spending a month living with my parents. It was great to be there and we really appreciated it since we didn't have access to our house for that whole time, but by the end of the month I was ready to move home. It's just nice having ALL of your clothes again, and having free range of my kitchen again. (Not that I didn't appreciate all the AMAZING meals my mom prepared for us). It's also nice to be able to have people over again. Last night we had a barbecue with some friends and the night before a poker night. We really enjoy hosting and it was nice to be able to again.

Here is the 31 week bump, growing by the day!

On a walk with my brother, sister-in-law, hubster and of course the dogs. It was the most beautiful day ever and if I hadn't have worn stupid shoes that gave me blisters it would have been absolutely perfect!

I thought I'd show an example of what my diet looks like these days. A plain bbq'd chicken breast, a spinach salad with oil and vinegar, and plain yogurt, a little added vanilla extract and blueberries and raspberries...yum!

30 Weeks!

Wow, 30 weeks always felt like the beginning of the end, I can't believe that we are finally here. 10 weeks left...well, between 7-12. I'm starting to get curious as to when I'll go into labour. I've read that Gestational Diabetes babies generally come early, I guess we'll have to wait and see...

Size:

Our cabbage is weighing in at about 3lb and is measuring roughly 15.75in from head to toe! This week the eyesight is developing although even at birth the little one's eyes will hardly be able to see right in front of his or her face. Otherwise, lots of weight being put on those little bones and hopefully some hair growing on that little head.

Pregnancy Symptoms:
Well I can still say that I have really no painful symptoms, however in the last week I have developed some serious breathlessness. This baby is so high up in my ribs I can barely breath. Whenever I have to sit I start to pant and there is absolutely no way that I can lay on my back for more than 10 seconds. That's really not so bad though.
I can't say that I have any other symptoms really... I still haven't woken up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I'm sure that's just around the corner. I feel bad that I don't have more to put in these categories.

Life Happenings:
We had another midwife appointment last week, and the little babe is still head down. I'm starting to allow myself to think that he or she may actually stay that way!
On another note, I only have 28 shifts left at work! I can't believe how fast these last few weeks have gone. I'm expecting time to slow down in the coming weeks as I get more and more uncomfortable.
We haven't had too much excitement in the last few days since we got back from our trip just mainly doing things inside since the weather has been slightly ghastly! I look forward to spending as much time as possible outside as soon as the weather smartens up.

Weekly Highlight:
Saturday night Ben and I had a date night and went to a movie. It was just lovely to get out and even though the movie was pretty awful it was a great night out.

Once again I'm so incredibly sorry for the terrible quality of this weeks photo but it will have to do. This is me at 30 weeks!

Here is a more aesthetically pleasing picture. What you see here is 4 POUNDS of delicious strawberries! Since my diet is so highly limited I have to enjoy the few things that I'm allowed to, and luckily strawberries are pretty good for blood sugar!

Vintage Baby Clothes

So the other day I was lamenting to my mother that I had no clothes yet for the baby, blah...blah...blah... and all of a sudden she got this look in her eye and ran upstairs. She then started hauling boxes out of her bedroom. We spent the next hour or so going through boxes and boxes of old clothes that my siblings and I wore when we were wee ones. Well, we now have quite a variety of clothes for the little one ranging from newborn to probably 3 years old. I thought I'd snap a few pics of some of the outfits, I can't wait to dress our little girl or boy in some of these precious old pieces. 

This is a little onesie that my mother made for my oldest brother. She has about 5 of these that she hand made and I absolutely LOVE them. She also has a whole bunch of cute little tee's with little collars to go underneath, they make quite a cute ensemble.  

This sweater, hat and booties were made for my oldest brother, by my grandmother. I absolutely love the details, I'm a little curious to see how it would work for a boy...we'll have to wait and see.

This little number was not homemade but I have so many fond memories of my younger sister in it that I had to add it. 

It's hard for a picture to grasp the fuzziness and cuteness of this winter jumper. It looks so vintage and is still so soft, I really hope it will fit our baby come winter time.

This dress was mine. I have real live memories of being in this dress, I loved it when I was 2 and I still love it now. After two boys my mom dressed me up in dresses as much as possible and I LOVE all the cute little summer dresses that she saved. I also love the fact that she had so many outfits that weren't just pink. If we have a girl, you better believe she's gonna be stylin'!  

Here is my brothers sailor suit. They come with adorable little navy blue shorts as well. A part of me wants a boy just so that I can dress him in this when the time comes. SOOO cute!