Weekend of birthing classes

Yep, thats right! This is every husband/father to be's dream come true. hehe
When looking at our options for birthing classes Edwin and I decided to go with the weekend getaway. This was a CRAM session of birth in 2 days. We had class on Friday (Sept 14th) from 6:00 to 9:30 pm and then Saturday (sept 15th) from 9:00 to 4:00. Edwin decided this was the best option for him since he works early in the morning during the week.

When we first got there on Friday night they had us make name tags and they had a little package full of baby stuff for us. They had coupons for diapers and samples of laundry soap. Then they had usdo a little icebreaker and meet some of the other couples. It was fun to get to know the others and realize we all had a lot in common. I think I was one of the latest due dates. Most of the women were due the end of sept or the first part of Oct. Right after the icebreaker she had us watch a video on what the birthing process is. This video did not show very much it just explained what the Placenta was and how everything works together to provide for the baby. They ended the night with GREAT massage techniques to use while in labor. the guys had to practice all of them on us. IT WAS WONDERFUL! Then we switched and gave the guys a backrub. I think that was edwins favorite part. The time went by pretty fast and we learned a lot the first night.
The Second day edwin and I got there a lil late (hehe) and they had already started their discussions. She went over epidurals and C-sections and all he typical topics hat new parents have. She shared with us the pro's and cons of each and shared funny stories. Then onto the part that every couple loves! Breathing!!! She set up little stations and had us try different positions for labor. My favorite was called slow dance. The mom puts her hands on her husbands shoulders and they rock back and fourth. I liked this because edwin toook that time and told me that he loved me and he wanted to be the best support he could be. It was a special moment and really brought this whole situation to reality. We are a team and we are going to do all of this together. We also practiced the different types of breathing we need to do in the different stages of labor. This was funny at first but the teacher wouldn't let us laugh... she said we didn't have time.. hehe then she would giggle.
We then watched 3 different deliveries. One C-section, one natural delivery, and one with an epidural. They were all so informative and fun to watch. I love watching these types of things because this is what I want to do when I am done with nursing school. It was fun to see edwins expression when we saw the baby head crowning. I don't think he realized what a women goes through. When we got home he just kept saying. WOW! LOL I think it gave him a whole new perspective.
Oh one other thing they did was had us lay down on the ground and hold ice in our hands for 1 minute the guys were supposed to support us and help us get through the pain. Then we switched and the women had to help support the men while they held the ice. It was funny to watch their expressions.
Over all it was a great class and we came home with lots of information and free goodies! They also had great snacks for us while we were there.

Well Thats all I can remember right now.. I will add more if I remember later!

Week 32- Busy week

Eight months! I can't believe it! It is funny to look back and remember when I took the first pregnancy test and how shocked I was. I remember siting on the couch that night and not being able to concentrate on the TV show we were watching. I had a million things running through my head. Then here I am 8 months later and this baby is more of a reality to me than ever. I feel her move around in my belly and I try to picture what her movements will be outside the womb. I also look at my husband and imagine what qualities she will have of his. I hope she has his smile because I personally think it is the best. It is just amazing!

This week was my last week at work... I had been at the company for a little over two years. It was a bittersweet week. I was ready to be done with work and just have time to relax and get some cleaning done around the house. But I am also worried about finances. I have never been out of work. I have been able to provide half our income and we have felt pretty comfortable for the past year. I know I will be getting unemployment and that will be good I just want to make sure I do no get lazy and forget what it feels like to work. I don't want to lose the drive to work full time and go to school full time. Before I didn't have any other way that was just how things worked. (But anyway enough whining)
God worked a lot of things out. I got a retention bonus for staying until the end of work and with that and my final paychecks we were able to pay our rent until the end of January. We were also able to pay some of our little bills. This was a great feeling and we can feel comfortable knowing our biggest bill is taken care of each month until January.

Okay onto the baby stuff.. hehe
Some of the symptoms I have had this week
* a little more back pain (I lifted something wrong earlier in the pregnancy and threw out my back. Since hen it had not been right)
* Lots of cramping in my lower abdomen. Pain seemed to shoot across the bottom and up the abdomen.
* Cramping that feels like menstrual cramps (not fun) I just want to curl up in a ball
* Sorry if this is TMI BUT I want to make sure I remember.. I had a lot of leaking this week. It was more like a steady trickle.
* Baby movement is not as fast. She seems to move slower and in more stretching like movements.
* Cravings ... CHOCOLATE! I wish I didn't bu I do! Watermelon... Pizza... Coke slurpees from 7-11 ... and any type of fresh fruit
* sleeping is getting harder and harder because I cannot find a comfortable position.

Sooooo with all this cramping and the slow trickle symptoms that I was having I was glad my doctor appointment was this week. I am still rotating doctors so that I can meet all of them before I deliver just in case my doctor cannot be there. This weeks doctor was not my favorite. She was not very personable. The nurse weighed me (as usual) and I gained 4 more pounds. So my total is 22 lbs so far. Then she did the urine test... this was the weird part. Usually they take the strip and throw it away but this time she said she needed to keep it to show the doctor. They never told me why. So then I told them my symptoms and she had me undress and put on a gown ( this is also not a routine thing) The Dr. came in and didn't ask me any questions she just had me lay down and listened for the heartbeat (which was fine) she didn't even measure me. She got a swab of the inside and put it under the microscope. She told me everything looked fine and she wanted to know when my next doctor apt was. I told her it was scheduled for the 28th and she told me that was to far away. She said I needed to come in every week from now on. BUt the frustrating thing is she wouldn't tell me why. I asked her if there was anything I needed to do and she said no. I asked her why I needed to come in earlier and she said she wanted me to see the new doctor next week. UGH! Soooo of course I came home and cried. I hate not knowing why they do certain things. My mom took the morning off next week so she can go with me and give them a piece of her mind if need be.. hehe (Gotta love my mom)
So that is this weeks update. We also did our birthing class but I will write about that separately.

Week 31- kicks, kicks, and more kicks

Hey everybody! Well I guess I will list some of the symptoms I have been having...

*Lots of movement (lower abdomen) Sometimes I feel like she will kick her way right out! I still cannot tell if it is a leg or arm that is jabbing at me but it is fun to feel her moving around. I notice the most movement in the morning while I am sitting at work. (between 6 and 8) I think she had hiccups the other night.. it made edwin and I laugh because he pulsing of movement was sooo consistant.

*Edwin is getting more and more excited by the day! He went to ross the other day and came home with the CUTEST baby outfit. She is going to wear it home from the hospital!

* I have to make sure I eat smaller meals more consistently. I have found that if I forget to eat or if I wait to long to eat I get really shaky and start to feel nauseated. Also if I eat to much I feel like I am going to die. No buffets for me!

* I pee like 30 times a day!!!! Not even exaggerating. I think I have to go the most at night, I wake up at least 4 or 5 times to go to the bathroom.

* fatigue- I think this is from my frequent trips to the bathroom. My sleep is interrupted a lot so I am not getting the full 6 or 7 hours that I used to. I try to not let it effect my attitude very much but I am on the verge of crying half the time.. hehe BUT I only have one more week of work left and then I can sleep in a little and relax.

* I have been craving sweet things.. Chocolate mainly and regular milk. But I try not to eat very much of both because I do not want to gain to much weight.

* Swelling in my left foot- Yep that's it just the left foot. We were sitting down for dinner the other night and I looked down at my foot and freaked out. My toes looked like little sausages! Edwin massaged it for me and that made it feel a little better and then I put ice on it (hehe not sure why but it seemed to be the right thing to do) The swelling was gone by morning.

* My next doctor appointment is this Thursday at 1:45 so I will let you all know how everything is going.

* Last but not least... we bought a WII!!! I know I know that is not a symptom.. BUT I am about to be unemployed and don't have a lot of projects to do around the house since the nursery is done. We are setting it all up tonight and I am SOOO excited!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support I can't wait to introduce you to our new little one (whenever she decides to grace us with her presence.)

Married one year to the love of my life!

1 Year anniversary!!!!

This past weekend was our one year wedding anniversary. Can you believe it has been one whole year?? I love that it is on Labor Day weekend because we were able to go on a long weekend to the coast! We decided to go to Lincoln city since we had both never been there. We had so much fun just hanging out on the beach and playing in the ocean. I got a bunch of GREAT picture of Edwin trying to body surf (trying was the key word) hehe. I love going to the coast and looking through all the little shops they have and watching people with their dogs on the beach. It is so relaxing to go there and just listen to the ocean and not have a care in the world. We decided on Saturday night to go to the Casino and try to become millionaires! But we soon learned that playing the penny slots one penny at a time will only make you 10 dollars richer. LOL But we had a lot of fun and I liked that they had a non-smoking section so I didn’t have to breathe in the fumes. On Sunday we decided to go to the outlet malls and see what we could find. We went to the carter outlet and found some REALLY cute newborn outfits. We of course had to buy them! Edwin picked out one outfit and I picked out one. Malaika moved a lot this weekend at times it felt like she was going to claw her way right out!!! Edwin got to feel her a little and felt how strong the movements were. I think she liked the casino noises because she moved the most while we were there.
I love to spend time with my hubby so we had a lot of fun just talking about our dreams and goals and what we both see in our future. I am so lucky to have met him and been able to share my life with him. I know he makes my life more complete and we share the same dreams for life. I am so excited to have children together and see what qualities they are going to have from each of us. It is going to be funny to see who they look like and who they act like. I just thank God everyday that he brought us together!

Week 30- ups and downs

Week 30 was a pretty busy week for me… I was taking medication for the spider bite and I am happy to say the swelling has almost disappeared. One of the wonderful side effects of the medication was (sorry if you didn’t want the details… BUT this is my reality… LOL) a yeast infection. So I went from miserable to even more miserable. Luckily I finished the medicine on Wednesday and my doctor’s appointment was scheduled for Thursday. This week’s doctor’s appointment was a roller coaster ride full of uppers and downers.

I was excited to go this week because they are starting to rotate me with the different doctors so I can meet each one in the event that my doctor cannot be there for the delivery. I personally am not attached to my doctor so I was excited to see who else they had and if I would click with any other. This week was Doctor Bennett and I LOVED HER!!! I will probably ask to switch to her. She was a little more relaxing and answered all of my questions without rushing me out the door. That meant a lot especially with all the questions I had.
When I first got in they weighed me (This always makes me nervous) BUT I about fell off the scale when she said I had only gained 1 pound!!!!!! Talk about a mini relief! So far the total weight I have gained is 18 pounds which is good. The Doctor would like me to only gain 15 – 25 total so I have been trying to watch my cravings and make sure I do a little bit of exercise each day. Next they had me do the urine sample which came back okay. For this appointment I had so many questions I made a list. I was excited when I asked the doctor if she could answer them she pulled up her stool and said she would love to. (You have to understand my actual doctor tends to roll her eyes and seems impatient)
I asked about my RH negative blood type. When they diagnosed me with it they told me I would need another shot at 28 weeks. So I wanted to make sure I got one. They set it up and did it right away (however they did it in the butt muscle… not what I expected. LOL) Next I asked her about the medication I was taking for the spider bite and the side effects I was having. She confirmed, and prescribed me an anti-fungal cream to use for a week and that would clear everything up. I also had just basic questions about Braxton hicks and what they felt like and when the baby is supposed to flip (She said they will start checking that at 36 weeks) Overall it was a very good appointment and I was so excited when I left. Oh... and the baby’s heartbeat was 144 and I measured at 30 CM so I am right on track!!!

The Nursery is completely finished and we have purchased everything we will need. This is a huge relief to both Edwin and I because I only have 2 more weeks until I get laid off at work and we know that we will have to tighten our money and make sure we have enough for bills and such. I love going into her room and just sit there daydreaming about what it will be like and how she will look in all of her new outfits. I also LOVE how the cradle and crib bedding turned out! I am VERY happy with it! I can’t wait for her to get here!!!

Week 29- spider bites

Sooo week 29 (Sunday) started out with a little bump on my leg... I left it alone and brushed it off as nothing big and went about my day. On Monday that bump became the size of a golf ball. It was also purplish and very sore. I tried to put a warm wash cloth on it and thought maybe it was a pimple that was infected and if I put a warm washcloth on it then the infection would be drawn out. By Wednesday it has spread deeper in my leg and there was a rock hard center about the size of a plum. I was getting a little worried because about 2 years ago I had an abscess on my spine and it started out similar to this. (Not a fun experience) SO I decided after work I would go to the doctor and see if they could drain it or do something with it. (It was getting harder to walk because of the throbbing pain) The doctor looked at it and decided to try to cut it open and drain it BUT (sorry if you have a weak stomach) when she lanced it nothing came out it was just blood clots. She asked me if I had a spider problem and I said I didn’t think we did since I have not seen or killed a spider yet in our new house. She said that if it was an abscess then their would be stuff coming out... but with a spider bite it is usually just blood clots and some liquid (poison usually) SO she left the cut open and bandaged it and told me to put a hot pack on it and elevate my leg all day the next day to see if anything would change. She also put me on a medication called cephalexin (she promised it would not hurt the baby) this is supposed to kill any virus or infection inside the body. I am supposed to go back in 2 days (Saturday) if I do not feel any better and if it is still swollen.
So today is Friday and it is still swollen and still about the size of a plum. I am praying it will go down by tonight so I don’t have to worry about it.
Other than that the baby seems to be doing fine… Since I was off all day yesterday I had more time to think about her and think about how life will be like. I am really nervous about the delivery and having the responsibility of a baby. But I have an amazing husband who is there to support me and I know he will be a great help and an amazing father. He is always there to alleviate my fears… (And it seems I have had a LOT of those lately.) This baby is one loved little munchkin!
OHHH we also got an email letting us know our crib bedding is in. YAY!!! So we are going to go pick it up tonight and try to set up the crib!! I will take some pictures and post them in my myspace! Week 30 here I come!!!

Week 28- The longest week EVER!!!

This week started out with a call from my doctor… They wanted me to come back in for another glucose test. This time I needed to schedule the appointment for 4 hours with the lab and I needed to fast for 12 hours before the test. I decided on Wednesday and I took the day off because I knew that with my nerves and also an empty stomach I would not be the best person to be around. My appointment was scheduled for 8:30. I got there around 8:15 to get checked in. They took me to the back and drew my blood and then made me drink the syrup again. (This time they gave me Orange flavor... I liked it a LOT more) I got done drinking the syrup at 8:21 so they scheduled me for 3 more blood draws in the next three hours (9:21, 10:21, 11:21). While I waited I was not allowed to eat or drink anything and I had to stay in the waiting room. I was BORED out of my mind!!!! But time actually went by really fast and the lady that did my blood did a VERY good job! I left the lab around 12:00 and by that time I was VERY hungry and a little sick from the pure sugar drink but I didn’t want to get fast food ( all I really wanted was honey nut cheerios… hehe ) I decided before I went home I would run to Target to get laundry soap. BAD IDEA! By the time I got the soap I was so light headed I went straight for their food isle. I grabbed some animal crackers and tried to eat some but I was not feeling any better. So I decided to go pay for things and then hurry out to the car. By the time I got to the car I was sweating so bad (probably from nerves and the 90 degree weather) I jumped in and just sat there hoping I would be okay to drive home. A few minutes later I started driving home and when I got home I ate a bowl of cereal and then went to sleep... I slept for a good 3 hours and felt SOO much better. But that was sure a scary experience.
I had to wait for 48 hours before the results came back and those had to have been the SLOWEST 48 hours of my life. On Friday I called the office and they said the results look normal and I am A-OK!!! Whoo hoo! I was so much more relaxed after that. Edwin was probably grateful because I was sooo cranky the whole week.
Over the weekend Edwin and I did some more prepping for the baby room. We found a dresser and re-painted it to match the other furniture. We picked up a baby monitor and some plastic drawers for storage. It is so fun to see the room coming together! The crib bedding should be here by Friday so I am looking forward to that.
The baby has been moving around a lot more this week! I dream about her moving too (not sure if she is really moving or if I am just dreaming about it) In the middle of the night I have these crazy dreams about her doing flips in my belly. It is a cool feeling and I always wake up feeling excited! On another note…Fresh fruit seems to be the craving of choice. I have been eating so many Mangos and plums and watermelon! I also crave milk and honey nut cheerios. (That’s all I have been wanting for dinner) I am glad it is not chocolate I am craving because then I would be in trouble.
I started a new workout routine. I really want to be in a little better shape for the delivery. I know I cannot do anything major right now to change things but I am doing a pregnancy Yoga tape and taeboe everyday. It has really helped my back and the little aches and pains I get in my legs. I also sleep better at night! Well that’s about it for this week Edwin and I are getting more and more excited to meet this little one! It’s not to far away.