Hospital Bags and Birth Plans

This past week my anxiety got the best of me and I packed our hospital bags.  Given that Natalie is head down and ready to go, and I am already 1/2 cm dilated and FULL TERM (woohoo!!), I figured it really couldn't hurt to be prepared for the big day!

Natalie's Bag:
Receiving blankets, coming home outfit with matching hat and headband (if I have a bald baby, I want it to be clear that I am bringing home a precious little girl), scratch mittens (that of course, match her outfit), diapers (I am told you are given some at the hospital - but I have packed newborn and size 1 in case I need one and they have the other), wipes (you never know) and I also packed a couple cute burp clothes that my friend Jessica gave me at my shower.  I have a nursing cover in my diaper bag already as well as nipple cream and nursing pads.  You can never be too prepared!

My Bag:
Toiletries (disposable razor, toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, body wash, face scrub all in adorable little travel sizes - if I leave a travel size version of my favorite shampoo, I will be less upset than if I leave my bottle of shampoo at the hospital), boppy for nursing and bonding, pajama night shirts (both light weight and flannel) to wear instead of the hospital gown, leggings to wear with my pajama shirts, flip flops (to wear around the hospital and in the shower), nursing bras, roos, a couple nursing tanks, my very own comfy coming home outfit (maternity leggings and a long sleeve shirt).  I will be picking up some comfy socks/slippers to add to my bag at some point this week.  I also packed Natalie's baby book so that I can get her hand/foot prints done by someone who might not suck at it :) Rumor has it the nurses at the hospital are really good at it.  I also have some chucks that I took from work that won't be coming to the hospital in my bag, but rather will be in the car in case my water breaks - it will save us some money on detailing.

Pregnant Chicken has a great hospital packing checklist that I used and she also explains why certain things are awesome to have around.

Thanks to Pinterest, I found an awesome idea for the labor & delivery/postpartum nurses that I will encounter during this adventure. Little thank you bags with candy, hand sanitizer, chapstick, etc. Just a little something to let them know that we really do appreciate all of their hard work and know that without the nurses - this really wouldn't be possible.

In the last week or so, I have gone over in my head how I think this whole event will play out and what I want and what I don't want and it's so funny how much has changed since I first pictured this whole thing happening. If you asked me 7 or 8 months ago how I pictured my childbirth experience, I would have said that I want soothing music playing and my mom there coaching me and I want my husband there telling me how wonderful I am and I want all of my family and friends close by so that we could share in the birth of this child right as/after it's happening and I would want a peaceful environment and an epidural.  Flash forward to now and I want to seriously smack that girl in the face.

Now that it's closer, I want an epidural (ok, so that girl 7-8 months ago wasn't a complete idiot), party music (because I am that much closer to being able to drink pumpkin beers), and NO ONE in that room besides the doctor, the nurses and Brandon.  I want the first hours after my baby is born to be just Natalie, Brandon and me.  I don't want to share those first hours with anyone but the little family that I have made for myself. I want to be selfish. I honestly believe that I need to be selfish. Our lives are about to drastically change and I want to have some time just the three of us in that quite safe hospital room space because once we open the door to visitors (and bring her home to life with the pups), it becomes really really real... and I will have to share her and I don't know that I will be ready for that in those first few hours. I have had this small human attached to me and dependent on me for the last 37 weeks and while I am so ready to have her out of me (I am DYING to sleep on my stomach), I am not ready to have anyone else hold her and that includes Brandon (it's a terrible, terrible thing).  It's so funny how things have changed in my mind as this pregnancy has progressed.  

37 weeks! FULL TERM!

How far along: 37 weeks! FULL TERM!! woohoo!!

loved this graphic from Pregnant Chicken's 37 week post

Baby is the size of: a watermelon... holy crap

Weight Gain: My appointments are weekly now, so I get to be told each week how much weight I have put on... lovely, such holly jolly goodness.  However, since my last appointment I have only put on .4lbs.  I can totally deal with that.  So since the beginning of time... or my pregnancy, whatever... I have put on 31.4lbs.  I am pretty much ok with that.

Maternity Clothes: I am still happily rocking a mixture of both. I am able to wear normal people pajama pants... but I steal one of Brandon's shirts to wear with them. So I mean, technically, I am not wearing anything maternity to bed - score one for my team! Work is another story - I can only wear maternity pants but I have some shirts/sweaters that I can still wear that aren't maternity.  I can't wear shoes anymore - just flops. It's pathetic. I hate being so swollen. It's starting to be noticeable in my hands which means it's only a matter of time before my face is a swollen mess. UGH.

Symptoms/Labor Signs/Sleep: No labor signs.  Still only .5cm dilated. Sleep is interesting.  Some nights I get GREAT sleep and I only wake up once, around 3AM, to pee. I have stopped being lazy about getting up to pee and it's been working out much better. My hands are getting worse.  It's sometimes a little bit scary. And now the pain is starting to last longer.  This morning my hands still hurt and feel tight and I have been up over 2 hours. I have the occasional Braxton Hicks contraction, but nothing terrible.

Food Cravings: No cravings - just aversions and occasional loss of appetite.  Tuesday was a weird day - I had a huge breakfast, normal lunch and then I didn't even eat dinner - something I didn't realize until 3 Wednesday morning when I got up to pee.  I did have a nice bowl of cereal yesterday morning and I had lunch plans with Michelle which is nice. I thought I wanted Chipotle (it's usually where we go to lunch) but then I thought about Chipotle and felt queasy - which is terrible. Like I said in my last post - the aversions are most definitely back.  Thankfully I was able to eat the pot roast dinner I had cooking in the crockpot all day.  It was delicious and we have enough leftover that my genius father suggested Brandon and I put the leftovers in a tupperware in the freezer for when Natalie arrives.

What I miss: do I really need to say it? I miss my dang rings.

Movement: Yes. In fact there is so much movement that Tuesday night I had a meltdown and begged Brandon to take her off of me, to get the baby away from me.  I just wanted five minutes by myself.  No one touching me, no one poking me, no one shanking me from the inside.  (My newest theory is that Natalie has broke off a piece of my ribs, whittled it into a shank and uses it to stab me in the side... totally possible) I want to make it to 40 weeks, to my due date (maybe even a few days later to allow me to have a longer leave), but the closer we get the more I just want this little monster out of me.  I told Brandon I am half tempted to call my OB and ask for a C-section (except the recovery time for the bod is terrible and I am shallow and want to be skinny and toned within 6 months of this baby).  I also told him that we might be a one and done kind of family. That is how crazy this is making me.

Best Moment of Last Week: Brandon's co-workers threw him a surprise baby shower on Monday and then my co-workers threw me a surprise baby shower on Thursday :)  This little girl is very spoiled and very loved.  Dr. Levy got her the highchair we wanted.  I was off on Friday and had it put together by 7:30 in the morning because I was so excited.  Turns out - that thing is so much cooler than I had originally thought.  It also turns out, I am so lame because of how cool I think my daughter's highchair is. My co-workers chipped in and got the pack-n-play for her and that came in the mail yesterday.  It was put together before I went to bed.  That thing is so cool too. It has a place where we can hook up our iPods so Natalie can listen to Brooks & Dunn's greatest hits while she naps. Love it.

the cake made by one of my co-worker's daughters :) love the cowboy boots!

Natalie is seriously one spoiled little girl!

What I/We are most excited about: my birthday. Just kidding.  This year I am not really excited about my birthday.. mostly because I am too tired to be excited about my birthday. I am excited about seeing my parents and spending time with them.  I am also excited about seeing Michelle and having dinner with her.  It's a lot of DNA for one week, but I need it.  I need small goals to get through the next few weeks, otherwise I might not survive.

36 weeks!

Disclaimer: I am putting up my 36 weeks post when I am officially 37 weeks, but let's forget about that. I mean, I wrote the post when I was 36 weeks, so that has to count for something. I just needed to take the picture.  I am in the process of writing this week's post and will be putting up the 37 week post probably tomorrow or Thursday... promise... provided we take the picture :)

36 weeks and 4 days

How far along: 36 weeks! [Officially nine months pregnant!]

Baby is the size of: a honeydew melon! 

Weight Gain: So, it turns out I was making myself two pounds lighter at the start of this process.  When I got my FMLA and short term disability paperwork filled out at the doctor's office, I learned that I was two pounds heavier, so I have really only gained 31lbs since we got pregnant.  Hot damn that feels good!

Maternity Clothes: I am in a good mix.  My friend Caitlin gave me a pair of pajama pants - not maternity or anything - and I have been living in them.  They are so comfortable and they make me feel really good.  There is a good chance they will be making the trip to the hospital with me... or at the very least, be the first thing I put on when I get home from the hospital.

Symptoms/Labor Signs/Sleep: My sleep remains about the same.  Some nights are better than others and some mornings are better than others when it comes to the carpal tunnel.  As for labor signs... Welp, I am .5 cm dilated.  

Food Cravings: I am not having cravings, but the aversions are definitely back.  Just the sound of some things makes me stomach turn.  Over the weekend, the idea of pulled chicken bbq made me feel so sick. I guess this nausea is to make up for the lack of nausea I had at the beginning of my pregnancy.

What I miss: I am sure if you have read my blog with any regularity you would know, it's most definitely my rings.  I haven't had to really deprive myself of anything that I love since red wine is good for pregnant ladies, but being without my rings has been so incredibly hard.  It's pathetic. I never realized how much importance I put on them until I couldn't wear them anymore.

Movement: I thought once she was head down, she would be less vicious.  I was wrong.  She loves to shove her heel (or what I am assuming is her heel) deep into my side.  It's lovely.

Best Moment of the Last Week: definitely the surprise visit from my brother-in-law.  His company is on strike, so he had a few days off before he had to return to the picket lines on Friday.  It was so nice having him here.  The dogs had company all day so when I got home from work they weren't so needy so I was able to get into the house and relax without them being up my ass.  It was also nice that Brandon got to spend some quality time with his brother... which allowed me to go to bed at 7pm totally guilt free.  

What I/We are most excited about: Geez -  I don't really know.  I mean obviously, we're excited about the arrival of Natalie, but I think we're also very anxious about the unknown.  I have known what to expect from the beginning of my pregnancy until now.  Now, I have no control over things and I just have to wait and see what she wants to do.  I am excited about seeing my parents soon.

35 weeks

How far along: 35 weeks

Baby is the size of: a coconut! I was told at my appointment on Sept. 12th that she was 4lbs and she was probably going to be on .5lbs every week until delivery.  If that is the case, Natalie weighs between 5.5-6lbs.  Holy crap.

Weight Gain: Today at the OB we learned that I have put on 31lbs since this whole thing began.  As much I hate that, I really cannot complain.  I had someone at the grocery store approach me from behind and when I turned around she was stunned to find out I was 8 1/2 months pregnant.  Talk about an ego boost... guess I am wearing all this weight quite well.

Maternity Clothes: It's the same as last week... a nice mix of both.  I am seriously obsessed with my maternity skinny jeans that I found on sale at Khols.  That place has so many gems.

Symptoms/Labor Signs/Sleep: Much to my dismay, the carpal tunnel and seriously super sexy swollen feet haven't gone anywhere. Some mornings the carpal tunnel is so bad I want to cry but I just take a deep breath and Brandon forces my hands into fists and massages them and then it's fine and I am better. Thank God for Brandon.  As for that whole sleep thing, I have been sleeping really well when I actually sleep... and when I am not too lazy to get up and pee at 3AM. This morning is the most rested I have felt in awhile.  I am sure the fact that I went to bed at 8PM helped that.  I have decided to stop fighting the sleepiness and to just go to bed when I am tired, who cares that it's 6PM, for the love of God I have a small human residing in my uterus.  Today at the OB we learned that she is seriously head down. Dr. Masiky was surprised that I am not feeling more pressure.  And apparently, I am already 1/2cm dilated.  Obviously I know that's not a lot, but for 35 weeks, it's not too shabby.

Food Cravings: This week is weird.  I am backing to feeling grossed out by certain food descriptions/names.  Last night we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner with Brandon's brother Evan.  Brandon got the "chicken broccoli cheddar bake" - just typing that makes me feel queasy. It smelled good when it arrived at the table, but the name itself made me cringe. The idea of cake makes me feel queasy.  Cookies, cupcakes, brownies, ice cream - fine, but cake, I don't know something about it just doesn't sound appealing.  Maybe it's because I think of sheet cake with horrible overly sweet icing - woof.  I am amazing pumpkin frozen yogurt tonight and it was everything I never knew I always wanted.

What I miss: still my rings.  I am quite anxious to get them back on.  I am tempted to bring them with me to the hospital in hopes that they fit as soon as she is out, but I need to be realistic and not set myself up for heartbreak. 

Movement: She is one active little girl. She loves to move around first thing in the morning - she especially loves tap dancing on my bladder first thing in the morning. She moves around quite a bit throughout the day, but slows down, perhaps for a nap, in the afternoon.  Tough life.

Best Moment of the Last Week: Seeing Jemayne and Laura tie the knot.  I was quite the weepy mess during their ceremony.  Hearing Mayne say his vows was such an incredible experience.  Something I never thought was going to happen and I know Laura felt the same way!  Laura was absolutely stunning.  There was not a dry eye in the place during their first dance.  After a moment of the two of them dancing together, Mayne bent over and picked up their daughter, Jada, to be a part of the first dance.  It was so incredibly touching.  

It was a gorgeous day for their wedding... so happy for them :)

three very handsome groomsmen :)

First Dance... seriously adorable

Kerri, me and Emily with the gorgeous bride, Laura :)

What I/We are most excited about: the slow down.  I am upset that we are missing Brittany and Shane's wedding this weekend, but with the Lister doctors coming in for a visit from the UK there was no way I was going to be able to miss work.  If I weren't pregnant, Brandon and I would definitely be making the drive for the reception - but being 35 weeks pregnant puts a damper on any after work plans that involve driving two(+) hours.  I have no doubt that Brittany is going to make an absolutely stunning bride and Bella is going to be the most adorable flower girl.  I hope that Shane and Brittany have the same weather that Jemayne and Laura did - but maybe a couple degrees cooler - 85* in October was pretty ridiculous. 

Also - I had an "oh shit" moment this morning.  I was going into our Target registry to add a couple things because there are a couple more baby showers and Natalie needs blankets (or so, in my insanity, I think she does) and Target greeted me with this:

Oh Shit.  It's really happening... and SOON! I mean 5 weeks sounds like a long time compared to 33 days.

34 weeks... and 5 days

How far along: 34 weeks and 5 days (we've been pretty busy this last week so I didn't have a lot of time to do this post)

Baby is the size of: a butternut squash

Weight Gain: I don't know. I have my 35 week check-up on Thursday so I will know then.

Maternity Clothes: I am still in a balanced mix.  My work pants are all maternity at this point, but I have sweatpants and leggings that aren't that I still wear.  I just bought a pair of maternity jeggings a couple weeks ago and I am obsessed.  I can definitely see them being a staple in my wardrobe post baby.  They are wonderful and Brandon says I look good in them which really boosts my ego. 

Symptoms/Labor Signs/Sleep: I am still enjoying swollen feet and pregnancy carpal tunnel. Woot.  I am sleeping great which is nice - something I am seriously cherishing. I am told this is not normal so that makes me feel good and very lucky.  Today I am experiencing some pelvic pressure which is apparently a sign of labor, but I am not reading too much into it.  Brandon and I are just going to take it easy today and wait it out.  We're not really worried about it since I am not feeling any other signs of labor.  This may or may not be the smart thing to do, but I have chili in the crockpot and laundry in the dryer, so I am really not trying to go to the hospital right now.  Obviously, we'll bring these things to Dr. Masiky's attention on Thursday.

Food Cravings: I am still a big fan of skittles.  Still not to the point where I am going to go get them, but enough that if I see them, I generally buy them.  I have been drinking a lot of apple juice lately.  I am finding it very refreshing. I think I might be craving ice cream.  We haven't had any in the house lately and I have had several dreams about it, but when we were at the store today, I didn't buy any because I don't need it. Apparently, I don't see a need to satisfy any cravings.  I have been a big fan of baked potatoes and always talk about going to Wendy's to get one but have been too lazy to do so... seems to be a trend here.

What I miss: still my wedding rings.  

Movement: she is a very active baby.  She really responds to certain voices and sounds.  She is really responsive to football announcers and music - especially certain songs and bands.  It's really quite interesting.  I am excited to see how she responds to those same things after she is born.

Best Moment of the Last Week: our maternity pictures.  I had a great time doing them and it was so much fun.  Stacey is awesome.  I am seriously obsessed with her work and the way she works.  She is so nice and really funny and so easy going - it was so easy to be relaxed when working with her.  I am so excited to see how the pictures turn out.  She has put a couple of them up on facebook and I am in love.

What I/We are most looking forward to: at this point - we have nothing really going on between now and our due date.  I am excited for some down time with Brandon to just enjoy each other before Natalie arrives. We have had so many weddings and so many commitments this summer that I am ready for things to slow down before the madness begins.