36 Weeks: the calm before the storm

Let me just start by saying that today I am grateful that due to some building scheduling issues, we did not have to be to church until 3:00 (instead of 9am) and it was only an hour and a half meeting.  I would not want this schedule on a regular basis (once we had 2:30 church and it was no bueno).  BUT... today it was fabulous.  It meant sleeping in, eating a yummy breakfast of french toast and strawberries, relaxing, taking time to get ready, eating a yummy lunch, etc etc.  Although I get to sleep in more days than not, it was a much needed break for Brett! And I enjoyed having him around to join in on the fun.  Between football and and teacher trainings, Brett put in 14 hour days every day for the last two weeks, except for Friday which was 16 hours (7am to 11pm).  School officially starts tomorrow and we are hoping things settle down a bit.  Football practice will get out sooner, so that will help.  Also, did I mention that my husband is a stud?  Because not only is he working so much for our little family but he also still does countless things around the house.  He woke up early one morning to change the battery in my car before leaving, came home at 9:00 pm one night while I was still out working and did the dishes to surprise me, and lovingly takes out the trash everyday.  What a STUD!  Here is a special public shout out to Brett because I truly do appreciate all he does!

Anyway, back to the issue at hand.  The baby....

I don't actually have any news to share in regards to the baby.  But no news is good news!  All the appointments went well this week and she is still kicking and moving lots.  We have the bassinet set up in our bedroom, the car seat is in the car, my hospital bag is mostly packed and I have a spot in our room dedicated to baby supplies so they will be easily accessible until we move and she has her own room.

We were also spoiled by the two families that I've been nannying for.  One got me a complete bedding set from Restoration Hardwares Baby and Child collection.  Its beautiful!  Its the gray tufted cotton silk quilt/bumper/pillow with grey trellis sheets and a crib skirt.  Don't worry, she works for the company and gets a killer discount.  There is no way I would let someone buy me a $300+ bedding set for a baby that will just spit up and poop on it.  Lets be realistic people.  The other family got me a complete baby care package that included endless items like premie diapers, a huge case of wipes, premie size clothes, milk bibs, swaddle blankets, a white noise machine, bath supplies, arm and hammer dirty diaper bags, microwave sterilizing bags, boogie wipes, etc etc....all put into a big basket that will be perfect in the baby's room.  The best part is most of the stuff she got for us were things that I had used and appreciated while watching her little boy.  Things I could have done without, but will be so nice to have!  Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that we have been so blessed and we certainly have enough "stuff" so hopefully we are all ready for this little girl to come.  And technically I still have one more baby shower this week with the ladies from the church. See, so blessed!

This upcoming week should be pretty relaxed (for me at least).  I am no longer nannying so I'll have plenty of time to finish getting things ready around the house and cook meals to go in the freezer.  Brett starts teaching tomorrow (first day of school! first day of school!).  We are glad that school is officially starting because it means pay checks will officially start coming too.  We've been living off our savings and my part time nanny work since we moved down here in January.  And although I'm glad we had it (and its gone a lot further that we anticipated) I know our savings account will appreciate the break.  I also have my regular doctor's appointment on Monday and then Friday is the BIG DAY with the specialist where we measure our little girl again and see just how well she is doing.  I'll be 37 weeks at that point and so we'll make a game plan for delivery.  We are still praying that she is growing but to be honest, at this point I'm not sure I'd be too happy if I have to wait until 40 weeks to deliver.  Of course we want her fully cooked and healthy, but all the last minute rush and prep has made me more than ready to get her here in my arms!  Well, I guess ready is a relative term.  I don't think I'll ever be ready for the labor part and I know I'll never be ready for the sudden drop in sleep part.  But we are excited and ready to get on with the next step and start our new adventure!

Plus I'm ready to have a cute little girl to post pictures of on this blog. I'm sure all the pregnancy news is getting old to read about (although I'm glad I have it documented) and who doesn't love pictures of babies!

35 Weeks: the week when 5 became 2

Considering I'll be 36 weeks tomorrow, I better get this posted before its too late.  :)

I only have 5 weeks to go, or do I ??

I've spent the last several months telling myself "I still have time" whenever I would get stressed or overwhelmed about giving birth and/or having a child.  9 months is a long time and the baby won't be here for a while, right?  This week things changed and I can no longer hide from reality.  Ready or not, this baby is coming!

We had our two appointments this week to track the baby's health and I'm happy to report she is doing well.  She passed all her tests and the doctor still says that besides being small, she is looking great! We still feel very comforted and at peace about our little girl and know things will work out.  The doctor even complimented us on being so calm about it all.

In addition to checking the baby, our appointments also included discussion about "The Plan" for delivery.  This is when panic time set in. Let me explain the plan/time frame.

• Continue the weekly Non-Stress Tests (NST) and BioPhysical Profiles (BPP).  If at any point either test shows cause for concern (dropping fluid, decreased heart rate, etc) I would be induced immediately and most likely have to give birth via c-section. 
• Nightly kick counts to make sure she is still moving.  The goal is 10 moves in 2 hours (it usually only takes her 20 minutes, she is so active).  If she doesn't get to 10 in the 2 hours I go to the hospital immediately. 
• At 37 weeks I have another anatomy ultrasound where they will measure everything and check on her growth. If her growth has stopped completely I would be immediately induced.
• If she has grown, but is still under the 10th percentile we would schedule an induction between week 37 and 39 depending on an overall assessment of how she is doing.
• If she has suddenly grown a lot and appears to be doing "really good" we could wait until 39 weeks to induce.   

In addition to having a plan, we also have goals.  Obviously the ideal would be for her to grow and make it all the way to 40 and I could go into labor naturally.  However, that is far from realistic at this point and so it is not the goal.  The realistic goals are as follows: 

• Pass all the NST and BPP
• Show growth at the 37 week ultrasound
• Be induced as late as possible (the doctors are thinking between week 37-38)
• The later the better in terms of lung development.  Before 37 weeks her risk of needing help breathing is higher.  It goes down every day after 37.  
• Have the baby weigh at least 4 lbs, although 5lbs would be FABULOUS! 
• If she is under 4 lbs, she would need feeding tubes.  She was almost 4 lbs at our last measurement (week 34) so we are hoping this won't be an issue.
• My added hope is that she handles the birth process well (she'll be continuously monitored because of the risk that she is not big enough or strong enough to handle the contractions) and that I am able to give birth without having a C-section.  

So yeah... to summarize.  It is very unlikely I will make it to 40 weeks.  Instead our little girl will probably be joining us in two weeks.  Talking with the doctors about how it could be "any day" and that in all reality I no longer had 5 weeks to be prepared but needed to be ready at any time was a real eye opener.  Like I said earlier we aren't too stressed or worried about her, but we did panic about how we would make it all happen in such a short period of time.  We eventually got it all figured out and are now ready for her whenever she comes.  

We spent the weekend shopping for last minute needed supplies and preparing ourselves mentally for what is about to happen.  We added some more newborn size clothing to our collection and even some premie sized pieces.  Holy cow, those things are small! We are trying to look on the positive side of things too.  The biggest positive being that being induced makes it easier for Brett to plan work etc.  Unfortunately we will still be in our 1 bedroom apt when she comes but one of the ladies I nanny for is letting us borrow her bassinet... blessing!  Also our family is coming into town later in the month and can help us pack/move/clean etc.  Which is also a plus.  

We don't have a date yet to be induced but my guess is that it will be sometime during the week of Labor Day or early the next week.  According to the doctor my body (read: cervix) has already started to prepare for labor so that is another good sign.

I feel like I had more to say about last week, but I can't remember anything else right now. Physically, I'm doing great.  No swelling, no major aches (except if I drive in my car for too long), and I have yet to feel any contractions.

Oh, I almost forgot.  At the last BPP ultrasound they took some more 4-d pictures because the nurse said she had a good view of the face.  Here they are in all their glory!

Cuddling up with her hands by her head.  

Big yawn!  

Resting peacefully

Preview to 35 weeks

Our laptop is currently out of commission while we wait for a replacement charger. Because of that, this week's usual Sunday post will be delayed. Mostly because I'm to lazy to type it all out on the IPad and also because today is a rare day that I get to spend all day with my awesome husband. Check back in a few days and there should be a lengthy post detailing more than you ever wanted to know about baby smith during week 35.

34 weeks: a car seat, a growth update and some belly skin

What a busy week!  With Brett being gone every night until 9:00 I've had to re-assume the roles of making dinner and caring for the house.  Things I was happy to let Brett do for the last few months.  I forgot how much effort it takes to prepare dinner every night, especially when I don't get home myself until 5:00.  I guess being pregnant doesn't help either.  I also started the prep work for a bunch of frozen dinners by buying/dividing/cooking 10 lbs of hamburger and 15 lbs of chicken.  It took me multiple nights to get through all of it but I'm so glad to have it done!  The next step is to actually assemble meals that can be cooked in the oven/crockpot without any prep work. I'm not sure how many I'll get done, but at least having some shredded chicken/browned hamburger/cubed chicken/etc ready for recipes will be helpful.   Because we all know that things are just going to get busier!

We also had our follow-up with the specialist this week.  We've been meeting with him every 3 weeks to check on the growth of our little girl.  Things didn't go quite as well as expected this week because she is now measuring below the 10th percentile for overall growth.  10% is the magic number when it comes to the baby/pregnancy being high risk.  There is still nothing wrong with her, but because of the increased risk I now get to go into the doctor twice a week.  One time I'll meet with my regular OB and she'll do a non-stress test and then later in the week I'll go see the specialist and he'll do a bio-physical ultrasound.  Both are ways to monitor the baby's movement, fluid levels, heart rate, blood flow etc.  Again, nothing is wrong, they just want to keep a close eye on her and make sure that she continues in the right direction.  She'll get a score after every test and she scored a perfect 8 at my appointment this week.  So we'll just hope she continues to pass with flying colors.

I'm a little uneasy about all the monitoring because I feel like if you look hard enough you can always find something to be concerned about.  But the tests are all low risk and will help the baby stay safe and healthy.  Also, I won't complain about getting more chances to see our little girl and know that she is doing well.  Overall we still are not worried about her and have felt a lot of peace that things are happening like they are supposed to.  They still aren't sure why she is small and probably never will.  According to my doctor, these things just happen sometimes and two months down the road no one will even be able to tell.  She is very active, her blood flow is normal, fluid levels are great, my weight gain is normal, I don't have high blood pressure or diabetes, and I don't smoke/drink.  So besides her small stature, everything is looking great!

We got more pictures from the last ultrasound and every time we see her we are blown away by how much she looks a real person.  She also seems to "preform" a new trick every time.  This visit we watched as she opened and closed her mouth and moved her tongue around.  I also took some pictures today showing off a little belly skin. And of course we took the classic heart picture to show off my belly button.... which is quickly becoming an outie.

Oh but thats not all the baby news.  We also bought our car seat/stroller travel system this week.  I'm very happy with our purchase although it was a little overwhelming pulling the car seat out of the box and thinking about how we will be putting a baby into it and bringing her home with us.  Brett's comment was "wow, this just got real in a hurry."  Of course we practiced getting the car seat on and off the base, adjusting the straps so they fit right, and buckling the car seat.  One more thing checked off the to-do list!

This last thing isn't directly related to the baby, but I just want to say that life is good!  We have been so blessed and I am so happy with how things are going right now.  Sure I don't get to see Brett very much but when we are together we are having a blast.  He is always making me laugh and even doing simple things together like grocery shopping can be so fun.  Sure my pregnancy isn't going perfectly, but we were able to finally get pregnant and of the list of complications that could have happened, her being small seems, well, rather small.  Sure Brett is busy with his new job, but he has a job.  And its a great job that we are so lucky to have found.  Sure sometimes I can't get comfortable at night because the baby likes to move but I have an awesome body pillow that wraps around me and allows me to find the best position without too much effort.   I could go on and on, but the point is that life is good.  No wait, life is great!

33 Weeks

Not much to say this week so we'll just jump right into the picture!

I had a regular doctor appointment this week with my OB.  She said I'm doing good and both my blood pressure and weight gain are looking great.  She went over the notes from my last ultrasound with the specialist and she said that he wasn't concerned and didn't mention anything of worry in his note to her.  She said that he usually errs on the side of caution, so if he wasn't concerned then there is nothing worth worrying about.  She actually warned us of that before going in to meet with him so we had already came to that conclusion and aren't worried at all about our little girl.  It was my first visit without Brett (he was at football) and the nurse who brought me back asked where he was.   It was nice that they noticed he was gone and are actually paying attention to me as a person.  I really do like the office and both my OB and the nurse practitioner are awesome!

My only complaint right now is that the "moments of discomfort" seem to increase with each passing day.  She likes to push out and make my belly really tight or push down (especially when I'm sitting in the car) and make it feel uncomfortable.  I usually push back and she moves to a better position.  Luckily, the majority of the time she cooperates and is content in a position that works for both of us.  I guess my belly does get in the way sometimes too.  Like the other day I was sitting down and needed to bend over and tie my shoe without standing up.  I was able to do it, but it was surprisingly hard.  I guess its a good thing it is summer time and I wear flip flops most days!

A friend at church had her baby 2 weeks ago and then another family blessed their 5 week old baby today at church. I had a chance to visit with both mom's in their homes and I just love looking at the tiny little bundles of joy.   Needless to say, I am anxious to get to hold my little one in my arms! 7 weeks left!