I am 35 Weeks Pregnant Today

Our baby today is 35 weeks. 5 Weeks left until he is born. I am very excited. I noticed that with each day I get more and more calm about labor issue. Other day I saw my neighbor who is supposed to give a birth to her baby girl 10 days before me. She kept saying how scared she is to deliver and that she is afraid she will die. It is notwher second pregnancy and labor, and I don't know why she is THAT scared. It is not like she is doing everything for the first time. Besides last time she has been doing systematic pain killers. She can do them again. I was with my mom, and lady was like "Awwww, I hope I will be delivering with you, so we can be in one room!". My mom was like: "Heck, no!" My mom doesn't want anyone or anything to stress me out about labor. I am just thinking that there is no point to be scared. I will have to deliver my baby. One way or other.... He is supposed to get out, right?

I have been craving so much today- pancakes. I know it is not good to eat them right now, but I couldn't help it and baked some. I ate just few, so it wouldn't affect my weight and my baby's weight. Besides I lost 1 pound these days.

Already couple days I have the pain in my belly from time to time like menstrual cramps. I talked to my doctor, and she said it can be due to my womb being tensed and I need to take some pills. They are completely safe for the baby or me. They will allow a better blood blow and oxygen to the baby, which will reduce all the tension.

I called to my doctor about analysis of my blood and urine. Blood is completely fine, but urine has lots of salt. I really slowed down on the salt and don't understand why I still have a lot. As well as apparently my kidneys do not allow water circulate well enough. But it is fixable. I would need to take some pills that are based on herbs. Hopefully everything will be just fine!!! Well, not hopefully... It will be just fine!

As well as I talked to her about having a private room. I really don't want anyone to be with me, except my mom and my friends. I am very private person. My doc said that we will arrange it closer to the due date.

I started already thinking about getting a good pediatrician. I believe it is very essential. But how to know which one is the best one?:(


By the way I saw these funny pregnancy comebacks to rude pregnancy comments • "At least I made somebody's heart and brain today. What did you do?" •
"You're huge too — and you don't have the excuse of another person living inside you." •
"Go ahead, but I'm not touching yours."

My Vision got better

I visited my doctor recently and since I have -4 for both eyes, she wanted me to go to optometrist to check my eyes out. Since she wanted to be sure that I can push during labor, and that I can have a natural birth. She told me that there are quite few women who lost all vision when they were pushing. We don’t want that! :) So I went to optometrist, who was so nice. She even gave her home number so I can call her and tell how my labor was and who I had (though I told her that I am having a boy). This really felt good when even strangers talk to you so nicely. So back to my vision. She made bunch of check ups and guess what? My vision got better!!! Now I have -3.5, not -4 like I had before. So these are very good news. It means I can have a natural birth so far. Well, my doctor said not get too excited yet, cause the position of the baby can change during this 1 month, or umbilical cord can get twisted around his arms or neck, or anything else. Have I ever mentioned that when I was born I had umbilical cord around my neck and my forehead? I didn’t scream when I got out from my mom and she thought I am dead. But the doctor slapped me in the butt and I started crying. Poor me!!!:( Well, I am glad I survived. Back then people barely were making c-sections, not like right now. Every second woman wants voluntarily to have c-section. However I am sure we are going to be all good. Me and our Baby Boy. Sweet Baby!!! Our Cutie Pie! So it is all good so far!!! Yay again, for my vision!!! Perhaps, cause I drink good vitamins. I take every day “Centrum” and extra calcium. My friends wonder if I have problems with my teeth, cause they say during pregnancy women tend to have problems with them. I absolutely don’t have any problems with my teeth. They are all healthy, without even a tiny hole. Knock the wood!:)

Preeclampsia

I would like to raise issue here about Preeclampsia, a potentially serious condition. Credit goes to The Book “Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth” Preeclampsia also knows as “toxemia”. It characterized by high blood pressure and protein in your urine. Preeclampsia causes your blood vessels to constrict, decreasing blood flow to many of your organs. This can lead to a host of symptoms (See Below) and in severe cases, serious complications, including seizures, stroke and renal failure. What sucks about this condition is that the only “cure” is to deliver your baby.

Possible Signs of Preeclampsia:

- Swelling in your face or puffiness around your eyes, more than slight swelling of your hands, excessive or sudden swelling of your feet or ankles, or rapid weight gains (more than 4 pounds a week).

- Severe or persistent headaches.

- Visions changes, including double vision, blurriness, seeing spots or flashing lights, light sensitivity, or temporary loss of vision.

- Intense pain or tenderness in your upper abdomen.

- Nausea or vomiting.

So if you have some of these symptoms, contact your doctor, just in case. Thank God I seem not having this condition. But I know a woman, who is my neighbor, she has a terrible swelling of her feet. It is unbelievable. However swelling can be caused as well of not a proper functioning of your kidneys. So pregnant women have to pay a lot of attention to this. By the way watermelon really helps to make your kidneys work better. And did you know that your right kidney actually gets a bit bigger than your left one when you are pregnant? I didn’t know that until I made an ultrasound of my kidneys when I just got to know that I am expecting. It is a usual condition to have during pregnancy, so don’t get scared if your right kidney is a bit bigger than the right one.:) And PLUS, if you pee a lot, it is good!!!:)

Update about me and baby

I do not feel very well today. Actually it started already from yesterday. I have problems with my stomach. I have no clue why. I didn’t eat anything bad for it to hurt, but it does. I read that it is not an unusual thing as organism is cleansing out before labor. I just hope it will over soon. Other than that everything is fine. Baby grows and feels good. I don’t put on weight, which is good as well. I was just thinking that one of my friends told me that her baby was kicking her so much, that she could feel where foot is, and where is hand. But I don’t. I mean he is moving and my belly is moving, but he doesn’t kick me THAT hard. I actually read that it is not good when baby kicks too hard; it means he doesn’t have enough oxygen. That’s why when a woman has contractions she needs to breathe very deeply and slowly. But if she will be panicking and breathing too fast and short, it can damage heart of the baby, or he even can stop breathing at all. So I thought I will mention it here for the ones who are due or going to have babies one day.

It is hot again here, and it doesn’t make me feel good. Did you know that a pregnant woman feels much hotter than a normal person? The temperature of the pregnant woman is higher than a normal one.

I have very long hair. They are now already lower than my back. I love my long hair. However some of my friends say that it will be hard to take care of them when baby comes. Well, no way I am cutting them off. It took me a long time to grow them. I think these say just lazy women who do not want to take care of their hair. I believe that long hair makes a woman more beautiful and feminine.

Well, that’s it for now. I am going to go and eat watermelon. My mom said that watermelon is very good for cleansing the sick stomach. Hope it helps. Anyway I love watermelons. Especially when they are cold, red and sweet. Mmmmmm…. A very good combination to bear a hot weather.

Only 6 weeks to go!

I can’t believe that there are only six weeks left and maybe even less, if the baby will want to see the world earlier than he is supposed to. We are slowly getting ready for his arrival and it brings us a lot of joy and happiness. I really can’t wait to see our son. I can’t wait to kiss his little cheeks, feet, and hands. I can’t wait for him to look at me and see that it is his mommy holding him.

My doctor told me that I need to slow down on eating things with glucose, including bread or sugar. Our baby right now weighs already 5.29 pounds, whereas at week 34 he is supposed to weigh 4 ¾. I can’t say that I put on so much weight, just 11 pounds, but I think most of it went straight to the baby. Since I would like to have a natural birth and do not want to have any complications during labor, I need to try not to put on weight, which is hard.

I must say that I am tired almost all the time. I just wake up in the morning BOOM... I am already tired. It is hard when I start cleaning the house or washing clothes because I get so worn out that it is unbelievable.

I am trying to enjoy the free time that I have left and trying to finish everything I wanted to, because I know I won’t have any extra time VERY soon. Baby will be with me all the time and plus I am a full time student. My studies will start from 1st October, right when baby arrives. So I would need to somehow combine being a mom and a student. I am sure I will handle all of this, especially when I have such a mom, and of course my dog. I am sure he will be helping us out with the moral support very much. LOL!

It was nice to read in my book that if baby will be born at this time, he will have no problem of surviving outside womb. However, I want him to stay inside me until the due date. I guess we will see how nature will take it’s course. Well, I am going to go and lay down. I am SO tired! Thank you for everyone who reads my blog and leaves comments. It is so great to know that there are people out there who care.

Update About Our Baby

Our baby is 33 weeks today with only 7 weeks to go. YAHOO! Baby is growing rapidly and I already have gotten so big. Today I went to the hospital to talk to a doctor who will be delivering our son. I really liked her. Tomorrow we are coming for Doppler sonogram and ultrasound. I will try to get more pictures of our baby son and show them off. Doctor told me that my belly looks a bit bigger than it is supposed to be at 33 weeks. So she told me to stop eating any sweets and bread, but I don’t eat any sweets anyway. However, I love sweet peach and rosehip tea and I eat bread so I am going to stop. I told her that I put on only 11 pounds and she said it is not bad but that I would still have to stop eating sweets.

Tomorrow she will tell me how much our baby weighs and will post the news here. Everything with our pregnancy seems to be going well and have had no real problems as of yet, so we are still expecting him in the beginning of October (the 1st or 2nd). She also gave a list of things I need to bring for myself and baby when will be admitted to the hospital so whatever I don’t have already, I will start buying it all. I want a bag with everything to be ready as soon as possible because you never know what can happen. I don’t want to be unprepared if our baby will come earlier.

Tomorrow I am going to see a private room and semi private room. I want to be in private room, but doctor said that most of them times it is occupied. Well, let’s see. I am excited for tomorrow, because I will see our baby again. I can’t wait to hold him though and am always so anxious about this. It is just so unbelievable to me still! When we got to the hospital, I felt like I am already going to deliver and it made me a bit shaky. It was just a weird feeling that soon I will be going there to deliver, and not just for check up.

Well, that’s it for now. I am going to sit and count the kicks of our baby just because I LOVE it!

P.S. Look what we want to get for our baby!!! Classic Pooh Bedding!!! Isn’t it adorable? Oh BTW, we have got it and Sandon still uses some of this bedding. :)

Breastfeeding - The first few weeks.

I found these great tips of how to breastfeed baby correctly, and make him to latch on to the breast properly. This will help make the process pain- free for the first few weeks: (Credit goes to the book: “Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth).

- The best latch on position is when your baby has more of the areola below your nipples in his mouth. To accomplish this, line up his nose with your nipple- that way his bottom gum will be far away from the base of your nipples when he opens his mouth.

- Your baby needs to take in a good mouthful of both your nipple and areola. Gently tickle his upper lip to get him to open his mouth wide; then move him to your breast with his chin (rather than nose) coming to your breast first.

- If one breastfeeding position isn’t working, try another- lie side by side or hold your baby like a football (cradled under your arm with his feet behind you).

- Squeeze your breast to express a few drops of milk so your baby can taste it on your nipple. Once he realizes there’s food there, he may grab on.

- If your baby is very upset, it can be hard to get him calmed down enough to correctly latch on. During these times, put your little finger (washed first, of course) nail side down in his mouth. Your baby will often suck on your finger a few times and calm down. As soon as he does, immediately move him over to your breast.

I hope these tips will be helpful for many breastfeeding mothers!

My Insomnia

My insomnia is back. It is a terrible feeling of tossing around all the time, being tired physically, but your mind keeps working and you just can't fall asleep. I tried to clear my mind and not to think of anything, counting till 100, counting sheep, stars- nothing works. So I decided to get my book "Essential Guide to Pregnancy and Birth" and read what I can do. They have few good things that I can do to help me to sleep better. So I just wanted to share some of them here. I think these tips are not only good for those who are pregnant, but for any person who has insomnia. I am going to follow these tips starting from today and see if they really help.

Tips to sleep better:

• Keep to a regular bedtime and morning wake- up time. And try not to nap too late in the day. Well, this is going to be hard, cause when I have insomnia I usually nap late daytime. As well as it is hard to keep a regular bedtime and morning wake. It is all depends from different things, if I have something to do that day, or just can relax and etc.
  
• Cut down on caffeine consumption, and avoid it altogether in the late afternoon. Well, I don't drink any coffee at all since I got pregnant (mmmm, I miss it though:() and some tea. Mostly at night I drink milk or skim milk.
  
• Avoid heavy, spicy meals before bedtime, and drink more fluids during the day and less in the late afternoon and evening. I don't eat spicy meals at all. It makes me sick. The heaviest thing that I eat during evening can be some fruit or vegetable. Well, I can't live without water though. I drink a lot of it always. It is just so hot not to.:(
  
• Get some massage by your partner or warm bath.
  
• Don't exercise or do any housework closer to sleep time.
  
• Make sure your bedroom is conductive to sleep. Well, it is hot, so it is not exactly conductive, I guess. As well as I have become very sensitive to any sounds.
  
• Stop watching the clock. I do this all the time when I try to sleep. I don't know why. I keep looking at the time and then think, man, it is so late already and I am not sleeping yet.:)
• If you aren't asleep 20 minutes after climbing into bed, get up and go to another room. Read a magazine or listen to music until you feel drowsy; then go back to bed. I think I should try this...
  

So these are the tips. I hope they will help me as well as whoever has the same problems I do with insomnia.

Circumcision

Tomorrow I am 32 weeks. And as you can see on the picture, that's how baby looks now. When I had an ultrasound, I was told that baby lays down in this exact position, which is very good.:)

Since we are having a boy, we decided to circumcise him. It is not that we are religious about this, but simply because of the hygiene, and as well because it has health advantages. I read in my book that some medical evidence suggests that circumcision lowers the risk of sexually transmitted infections, urinary tract infections and penile cancer. We didn't discuss this yet with our doctor though. I want to do it from one side and from another side I don't want our baby boy to be in pain. Though the baby can be given pain relief. So this is what we have decided so far. It would be nice to hear people's opinions about this... Well, Sandon has not been done any circumcision, cause I just didn't allow. I cannot bear that Sandon will be in pain. Kill me now! So.... we discussed and decided that when he grows up he will decide himself what he wants to do.

Baby is growing...

I didn't post a blog for some time. I know BAD me!!!:) I am feeling fine, except as usual getting very tired, having shortness of breath and heartburn. I can't say that my back hurts very much, unless I move too much, sit for a long time or clean the house. Mostly all the weight goes to my feet and buttocks. This is actually called sciatica. With sciatica, you may feel more pain below the knee, legs than in the back. As well as I have cramps on my left leg when I lay down, and what is weird only on my left leg. It is pretty unpleasant and even hurtful to wake up in the middle of the night from these cramps.

Also since the moment of me gaining 11 pounds, I just stopped right there and don't gain or loose any weight at all. This is good news for me, though in my books it says that I have to gain a pound each week during third trimester. Oh well, I guess every woman is different.

As for the baby growth, he now has toenails, fingernails and real hair. His skin is becoming soft and smooth. He moves all the time. My mom says that he just can't wait to get out already. Well, I want him to slow down though. It is too early. LOL I am as usual very hot and I just checked that it is going to cool off only after 11th August. So 6 more days to go. YAY!!! Finally!!!

We are slowly getting ready for the arrival of our little one. Buying things online and in stores. In my next blog, I will post few links of what we are buying for our baby. We think we are going to get for our baby Classic Pooh Collection Bedding. Who doesn't like Pooh? We love it! I am sure baby will love it too. I think choosing bedding was the hardest thing for us. :) Everything looks so cute. I just want to get everything and then change bedding every day. LOL!

The other day I asked my sister how was it when she delivered her daughter. All she said "listen to doctors". Then I asked mom, she told me the same thing.... So whoever I ask, they all say "listen to doctors". Nobody can't give me a response I am looking for. Oh well, I will just listen to doctors then.

I guess that's it for today and I will write more soon and will try to update my blog more often. Thank you all for sticking around and commenting. It encourages me! :)