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@mole: You're on maternity leave already??? I'm jealous!! Will this take away some time you have with the baby once he's here?
Ugh, I should get on the perineal massage thing... I just haven't yet. My mom was telling me about how she was trying to avoid an episiotomy and her doctor talked her into it. I guess he was like "If I do an episiotomy now, the baby will come right out in five minutes!" and she was all "DO IT!!!!" I guess it worked for her though! She didn't have any complaints about it.
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@Adira: No. CA has some pretty awesome policies (and I work for a very flexible company/boss). I am eligible for 4 weeks prior to delivery and 6 weeks after under short-term disability and then another 6 weeks under paid family leave: all 16 weeks at partial salary (minus an initial waiting period). Plus I have told my boss that I will be returning in June only on a limited basis. I'll be working somewhere around 15 hours per week, with 5 of those hours being at home.
It's a bit weird being at home right now without even any emails to answer!
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@mole: That's awesome how flexible your company (and CA) is! I'd love to be home right now - my back is killing me, haha. I did get my company to give me a temporary medical parking spot though so I don't have to walk from the back of the parking lot anymore (our parking lot is roughly 1/3 mile long), so... yay!
Now you'll have time to make sure that you have everything ready for the baby! That's what I really need the time off for - finishing the nursery, packing the hospital bag, washing stuff, etc. Hopefully this time will allow you to be well rested before the baby comes!
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@mole: I am jealous! I would love to be at home too.
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@mole: I agree - my job ended last week and being at home without worrying about checking email is surreal! Enjoy the rest
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@mole: Awesome you get to relax a little bit before you have your baby! If you have your baby before the 4 weeks before is up, do they roll over to after you have the baby?
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@Adira: oh I hope your back starts to feel better! I bought a heating pad for that reason, and it is wonderful.
@Adira: @Smurfette: Looking on the bright side, it is nice to bank some more money before the babies come! (I say this as I am looking through our registries to see how much more we have to buy.)
@aprk: that's great! Enjoy your time off too!
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@mole: I have a prenatal massage scheduled for tomorrow, so hopefully that helps with my back! Although I should look into getting a heating pad - that sounds nice!
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@katiew92081: No, the time doesn't seem to roll over if you deliver early. (If that happens, I'd still keep my original return date with my company and still stay home until my next class begins.) However, if you end up being late, I think you do get "extra" time in the form of more paid time before baby.
@adira: that sounds wonderful! Have a great massage.
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@aprk: Jealous of you too!!
@mole: Good point and with the new house we need every penny we can get!
@Adira: I have tried a heating pad, even DH's portable massage chair and it helps till I lay down in bed. I still can't figure out how to sleep without it hurting my back.
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@Smurfette: Laying down (or standing up) are the only positions that don't hurt my back. But laying down hurts my hips. I've been trying to be a good preggo and sleep on my side, but I always wake up in the middle of the night with my hips killing me. So then I end up on my back! Oh well.
One thing I find helpful is having a pillow at my back/side. So if I'm laying on my side, I'm either snuggling into a pillow and sort of leaning forward onto it, of I'm leaning back onto it. And when I lay on my back, I have half my back on the pillow, to kind of prop me at an angle. I find this to be fairly comfortable - not sure if it would work for you or not.
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@Adira: I sleep with a pillow between my legs and under the belly and one behind my back. I have noticed if I just lay on my back it doesn't hurt as much but it is just so uncomfortable for me to sleep that way. I have propped a pillow under half of my, the doctor suggested it, but it still isn't comfy for me. I miss sleeping on my stomach. Good thing I know she is going to worth all this!
I know DH can't wait till Sat when we sleep at the new house for the first time and we have our king bed, so I am not taking over the whole bed with my pillows.
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@Smurfette: Awww, sorry all the pillows aren't helping your back. At least you only have six more weeks left!
I think my husband is looking forward to not having all the pillows in general. He likes to wake up in the morning and snuggle before we get up for the day, but now I have my pillow between us, so he can't. Oh well!
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@Adira: Us too! Well not during the week since I get up before him but over the weekend DH ends up throwing the pillows on the floor so we can snuggle.
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@mole: Yay for being on maternity leave! SD sounds like a great weekend getaway! We tried planning for one last month but it was so rainy and gloomy that weekend we cancelled it.
@aprk: Yay for you being on maternity leave now too! Isn't it surreal? It's getting close that means!
@Adira: Have a nice massage sweetie!
So I'm pretty much almost done with my dresser re-finishing project. I just need to finish the hardware and line the drawers. Wanted to move it in the house last night when we got home but it was so heavy! DH didn't want me to lift it with him, so now I have to wait until we can get a 2nd man at home the same time as DH to move it in. After that's moved in, I feel like I'll be well on my way to finishing the small things in the nursery. I just need the dresser inside in order to start setting up the changing station, organize drawers, hang pictures & shelves, etc.
Our master bed frame arrived too and I guess we'll need another man around to help with the heavy duty stuff with DH. I wish I could do all this stuff myself since I have time at home but DH always works so late. I'm tempted to go hire some men from the Home Depot just so I can get a move on! Just a few days away from 36 weeks so I suppose it's "nesting time!"
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@shopaholic: Oh, you just reminded me that I need to get new knobs for our dresser! Thank you!
I know what you mean though about not being able to do stuff (like the heavy lifting) and it would be so much more convenient if you could! That's why I put my parents to work moving furniture around when they were here over the weekend, because I knew I wouldn't be able to do it myself, or even with Hubs help. Hopefully you can find some help soon to get those kinds of things done!
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@Adira: Yeah - my BFF's husband could probably come over and help, but not as late as when DH comes home. His BFF also works long hours and has a bad back. Other than that, my brother or my BIL both live about 1/2 hr away. I've already asked my bro to help moving the dresser once and picking up the glider chair with me. It's just so inconvenient for them.
Tonight I signed up for a Free Childbirth Prep class from one of those Cord Blood Banking companies. We'll see how it goes - I'm going to that one alone. Will let you guys know how that goes!
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@shopaholic: Could any of them come over on the weekend? Maybe you could make a day of it - like moving furniture and going out to lunch and stuff. That's what I did when my parents were here.
That class sounds interesting! Let us know how it goes!
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@Adira: I wish. But this weekend is Chinese New Year's so we'll be at different family functions all weekend and next weekend is busy with classes too. I'm sure I'll figure it out sometime - I'm too impatient not to get it done when I put my mind to something!
Thanks!
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@shopaholic: I know what you mean about not being able to help DH! my DH is going to call up some of his friends to come over this weekend and help re-arrange the office & nursery!
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Today I finished up some shopping and the carseat arrived...I finally feel like I have everything I need for this girl to arrive! I just need to get it organized. I'm sure something else will crop up that I think I need to get, but otherwise I'm in a good spot.
I got all the things I need for my birth center bag. I need to make the checklist of things that I cannot pack right away, but everything else is in there. Baby's bag was packed last night, minus the receiving blankets that I bought today. They weren't the a&a blankets I wanted, but I'm holding out of a good Kohl's discount for them. If I don't get them before kiddo comes, I'm still good with these Carter ones I bought.
I have the non-St. Patty's Day coming home outfit all packed, too. After my shower I had a great selection to pick from! I picked a onesie that was mostly black, due to the fact that she's not getting a bath before coming home. I figured the black would cover any extra scum left on her, and wash out better, lol. I just need to find a dark pink hat to go with it...I didn't know it would be so hard! I have a back up one, but I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for the dark pink. I'll post a pic of the outfit I have picked out! let me know what you think!
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Hmm...pic didn't post before...here it is.
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@katiew92081: Oh my gosh, I LOVE IT!!!! So cute!!!
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@katiew92081: Love it!!!
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@adira and @smurfette: Thanks, ladies! It feels good to have everything pretty much settled. Now we wait! (and organize and reorganize...)
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I'll have to catch up on everyone's posts tomorrow before Henry's one year old appointment but in the meantime, thought I would do a little check in.
Went to the doctor today for my (nearly) 36 week check up. Only gained two pounds since the last time they saw me, two weeks ago. Blood pressure's good. Turns out they did want to do a cervix test and a Group B Strep test, but only if I wanted to. I went ahead and said sure, why not. While they got everything ready, he measured me - said I was measuring right on schedule - and then took a listen to the baby's heart. Said everything sounded great. Went ahead with the swabs and then began the cervix check.
After he finished, he told me that I was about 1.5 - 2 centimeters dialted, that I was about 50% thinned (not sure what this means exactly), that the baby's head was getting lower in my pelvic but that it was still about halfway to where it would be before birth. Then he summed everything up by saying he'd see me in two weeks, at my next appointment, and that he expected me to go into labor after that. My appointment is the 18th. He seems to think that I'm going to have a February baby after all
Boo. Maybe I should check in on the February board?
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@NaturallyCathy: Interesting! Have you had any symptoms that you might be going into labor soon? My doctor didn't even bother doing a cervix check at my 36 week appointment because she said I wasn't having any symptoms, so she wasn't too concerned. I think it's normal for the cervix to start getting ready for labor around 36 weeks though, so I'm not really sure your measurements mean it's happening soon. But your doctor would definitely know more than I would! And even if you have a February baby, you'll always be one of us.
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@Adira: No, I'm not having any symptoms that I can recognize. After all, my first birth had to be induced after my water broke. I never experienced any BH contractions or anything last time around. I did tell him I was having a few sharp vaginal pains (not cramping, just sharp pains and too low to be contractions), that my ankle had felt weak because of loosened muscles (that I kept twisting it), that my left hip was bothering me and my exercises from last year's physical therapy wasn't helping...
I guess that with the 50% thinning and what not leads him to believe I'll go into labor sometime after the 18th... In other words, he just wasn't expecting to see me back for my 40 week appointment. I think it's easy for him to say that I'll go into labor sometime after my 38 week appointment though. I mean, the odds are pretty high I'd say. So I'm not too terribly worried, I just hope against hope that this munchkin stays put and that I see March before I see him/her.
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@NaturallyCathy: Well, hopefully baby stays put a little longer - at least it sounds like he/she isn't going to come before full term, which is good! Are you basically ready? Hospital bag packed, car seat installed, bed for baby ready? <-- I haven't done any of this yet, so hopefully my baby stays put until I do!
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@NaturallyCathy: I will be interested to see where you are at your 38 week appointment. When are you due again? Fingers crossed baby stays put till March! I keep telling mine she can't come till March. Mar 3rd I will be 38 weeks, and then I will start doing whatever I can to evict her
What is the cervical check like? I have one next week, nervous cause I don't know what to expect.
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@smurfette: Haha, I say the same thing about this baby...once 38 weeks hits, I'm gonna try all the tricks in the book to naturally induce this kid out! lol
@naturallycathy: You could still be pregnant come March. Really, dilation doesn't really indicate anything much. Of course, baby could come tomorrow, too...you just never know!
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@Adira: Their bed will be a bassinet that takes less than ten minutes to construct. The dresser in our room will have to be moved first (which will take less than an hour) before we have that aspect ready. But all the sheets, blankets, etc are ready. Car seat isn't installed because my car cannot handle two car seats at the same time. Hospital bag is mostly packed with a few exceptions, like the snacks we bought and we need a few bottles of water, but other than that it's ready. All the essentials are packed.
I'm still hoping against hope that the house will close before the 28th and we can start planning for the next house before this little one comes... Scary stuff to try and get this all done right now, let me tell you. My stress levels are through the roof. I'm hoping that this all gets resolved in our favor very soon.
@Smurfette: I thought I was due March 4th but my doctor corrected me and said March 5th. I don't think one day really makes that much of a difference though... I hope that the baby stays put too because as stated above, we've got a lot going on still! I think I'm so afraid he/she will come early I'll have to tell DH no sex after next appointment so we -don't- start labor too soon! Last time, we had DTD like the day before or two days before my water broke
The cervical check was uncomfortable, to tell you the truth. Doc has a glove on, puts so lube on their first few fingers, tells you to relax, then asks you if you're ready. When you are, they tell you 'Okay, here goes one finger,' and inserts a finger; if that goes well, they'll insert a second finger (with warning), and basically feels around. There's a slight pressure (or at least there was for me) and a little weirdness about it as they feel around but it only takes a few minutes at most. It's meant to be just a quick check to see how you're progressing. Thinning of the cervix wall, checking the position of the head, how many centimeters dilated, etc.
I think that's about it.
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@katiew92081: Oh I know, I'm not worried about the dilating. Not until it starts reaching like five. Then I'll be concerned. I'm just paranoid about little one coming in February!
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@NaturallyCathy: Your car can't handle two car seats? What are you going to do then once the baby gets here?
Wow, the cervical check sounds super fun. Really looking forward to it now. My schedule says I get one at 36, 39 and 40 weeks. So at least I don't have to deal with it every week. Course who knows what will happen once I get there.
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@Smurfette: I'll probably borrow a car from my parents. They have two Jeeps, one Ram. My car's just a tiny little PT Cruiser. We plan on getting me a used Subaru Outback as soon as we get the house settled.
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@NaturallyCathy: That is great they will switch out cars with you for awhile. Sucks waiting for the house to close to do anything!
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@NaturallyCathy: @Smurfette: hahaha, cervical checks sound awesome (not)! Guess I'm lucky I didn't have one done at 36 weeks. I wonder if they'll do it at 38 weeks - that appointment is with a high risk doctor instead of my normal midwife/nurse, so I'm not sure if he's going to do the normal stuff or not.
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@Smurfette: @Adira: Like I said before, they wanted to do a Group B Strep test so they were going to do a cervix check while they were down there. If I hadn't agreed to the GBS testing, I'm not sure there would have been a cervix test. I don't know how it is with other doctors/midwives/hospitals/etc but it seems standard at Vanderbilt.
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@NaturallyCathy: @Smurfette: Yeah, I had the Group B Strep test done at my appointment, but that was it - that was very quick and easy since it's just a swab around the entrance. She didn't bother doing the cervix check because I didn't have any symptoms so she wasn't worried about me going into labor soon.
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@NaturallyCathy: I am scheduled for the Strep test as well. Been nice going to the doctor and not having to spread my legs. Oh well, I guess that time is over. We are all most at the finish line.
Boo. Maybe I should check in on the February board?
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