And Baby Makes Three

30 weeks along and trying not to be a big whiner

Last weekend I caught a stomach bug which caused my body to violently expel the toxins from it, in a couple of not very fun ways. I felt like roadkill and stayed home from work on Monday. Yesterday I did something to set off my back again and also had gastrointestinal discomfort at the same time, so I wasn't initially sure if it was the same thing as two weeks ago. I had gone up to the gym to walk on the treadmill, but was unable to do so. Thankfully my Mom was there; she came home with me and kept me company until just before my husband was expected home. I spent most of the night trying to sleep on the couch because I couldn't get sufficiently comfortable in bed.

As the title of this post says, I'm trying not to be a whiner. I figure every day that I can get dressed, drive to work, perform my job, and drive home again without a lot of discomfort is a good day. I'm ten weeks from my due date. . . maybe I should make a countdown chart to check off each night. :-)

I figure there's no reason not to report on the less fun aspects of this journey; I might as well be balanced about what I'm writing. But I'm posting at least as much for myself as for whomever may be visiting from the 'net. If I never have another child, I want to remember what this was like. If I am contemplating doing it again, I want to remember the bad with the good!

Lab Results from Yesterday

I just had a call about my lab results. My glucose was within a normal range (132), but they like to retest for anyone whose level is between 130-140. The nurse thought that my breakfast (one slice of peanut butter toast) might have affected the results. Next time I'm just going to have eggs, darn it all!

I asked the nurse whether there was anything I could do -- dietary or otherwise -- to minimize my chances of gestational diabetes. She suggested just "watching your carbohydrates," eating smaller meals, smaller portion sizes of high carb foods.

My hematocrit level was 34.3, which is low, so they recommend I take an iron supplement for the rest of the pregnancy and try to eat more iron-rich foods. Unfortunately, this supplement can cause problems with constipation, so she recommended either taking a stool softener or just increasing my fluid and fiber intake.

Sixth Prenatal Appointment: Glucose Test & Rhogam Shot

Well, neither of those things was bad at all. The glucola that you drink for the glucose test was like an orange soda, so that didn't bother me. I had blood taken an hour later -- three vials -- one for glucose, one for hematocrit (to see if I'm anemic), and one for the Rhogam screening. Then this afternoon I went back over to receive the Rhogam shot. The nurse let me decide whether to receive it in the arm or the behind -- I chose the arm. It was over quickly. Yay!

My weight gain is still on track -- three pounds in three weeks; I've gained 19 pounds overall and I will be 29 weeks along by the end of this week. I forgot to ask what my blood pressure was; it must've been fine, because it was not remarked upon. I heard the baby's heartbeat, which is always a highlight. The nurse/midwife thought that the baby was in head down position; as he/she gets bigger it will be easier to tell that for sure. My next appointment is in March.

Back pain. . . but not labor, thank God

My back started hurting yesterday afternoon. I'm not sure what I did to strain it, but it was really bothering me when I was leaving work. I figured once I got home and relaxed in the comfy chair, I'd be fine. Unfortunately, I couldn't get comfortable. I tried going to bed, but couldn't get comfortable there either. My sweet husband rubbed my back and applied hot washcloths to it, but that only helped some. I was also experiencing bouts of involuntary shivering, like when you have a fever; I took my temperature, which was normal. I took two Tylenol (the only painkiller I can take). I tried to sleep, but woke up around midnight and decided to call the Birthing Center. I know that lower back pain can be a sign of premature labor and as much as I didn't want to have to go to the hospital to be checked out, neither did I want to be stupid and not do the right thing for the baby. The woman I spoke with, Wendy, was so kind. She told me she thought the shivering was not pregnancy-related and said that unless the back pain came and went, she didn't think I was in labor. That was a relief. I moved to the couch in the living room so my husband could try to get some sleep. The firm back of the couch turned out to be just what my back needed. I was able to fall asleep. My sweetie came in and checked on me once and around 3:00 a.m. I was feeling better and moved back to the bed. I was able to reassure him that I was OK when he got up to go to work (otherwise he wouldn't have left me.) I'm so grateful to be at my desk this morning, feeling tired, but 95% normal and not in the hospital with my little one delivered prematurely. I realized, when I was throwing a rudimentary hospital bag together just in case, that I need to pick up a few things -- cheap flat slippers, more maternity underwear, travel size shampoo, toothpaste, and a new toothbrush and hairbrush (so I can leave those things in the bag). I also realized that I need to get some of my projects at the house done sooner rather than later, so that in the later weeks of this pregnancy I can just relax.

Babies-R-Us and Some New Achy Feelings

Hubby and I spent about two and a half hours in the baby store on Saturday. It was really fun. We wandered counterclockwise through the various sections, consulting The Girlfriend's Guide to Baby Gear for brands and advice. My goal was at least to pick out the major items that we'd want to check out in person -- the crib, the car seat, the stroller -- and then add more generic-type stuff online from home, such as burp cloths, baby washcloths, etc. We picked out a cradle after all. I'd been planning to use the bassinet section of the pack-n-play for the baby to sleep in, in our room for the first few weeks or so, but our bedroom is really tiny and the pack-n-play is 28" x 40". The cradle will fit much better. I think it will work better too, as it is lower off the ground than the pack-n-play and, of course, can be rocked if our little one is fussy. I'll be able to lay in bed and see the baby easily.

I've begun feeling some twinges and aches periodically. Sometimes my back is stiff or I'll feel uncomfortable twinges to the side of my pelvic area that I assume are round ligament pain. After reading the article linked in the previous sentence I realized that I feel them most strongly when I've been up and about, such as Saturday after being on my feet for two and a half hours (and having walked at the gym that morning), or just after I get off the treadmill. And I get the most relief by resting in the La-Z-boy with my feet up. Man, I love that chair.

Time to Get Moving on the Baby Registry

Well, I've done my reading (see review of The Girlfriends' Guide to Baby Gear in my other blog), now I need to make up the list and set up a registry. Somehow the birth of this child seems so much closer now that it is 2004!

Hubby and I went to Baby Depot (a department within Burlington Coat Factory) yesterday afternoon. They had a pretty good selection for some things, better than the Babies-R-Us section of the closest Toys-R-Us store. My sister recommended visiting a stand-alone Babies-R-Us for a better variety, so hopefully we'll do that this coming weekend. I really just want to register one place that has both in-store and online shopping capabilities and has a good return policy, just in case.

As long as we have the car seat and something for the baby to sleep in, we'd be OK if the little one were to come unexpectedly early. Obviously we hope and pray that he/she will stay inside the normal, safest length of time!