Andi’s exciting life.

On Sunday we went down to James and Lynne’s to carve pumpkins. A fun time was had by all, and you can fancy our fine jack o’ lantern workmanship in these photos. Lynne made the vampire pumpkin, I made the one looking up with a sideways mouth, Matt made the one with teardrop-shaped eyes, and James made the bat signal pumpkin.

We took the dogs down with us, and they were having a fun time running around and exploring their back yard. Adelaide got a little too fast for her own good and tried to jump underneath a bench to get onto the deck, hitting her back on the bench in the process. She yelped and ran over to Lynne and I, and there was immediately this huge lump on her back. I freaked when I first saw it because I honestly thought it was a dislocated vertebra or something, but it seemed to be just soft tissue swelling and she was getting around fine. When I saw the lump I thought we were going to be making a trip to the emergency vet, but Lynne had the bright idea of putting ice on it. So, we used a wrap bandage to hold ice on her back for 5 or 10 minutes, which she tolerated suprisingly well, and the swelling went down very quickly. She seemed totally fine afterwards, although she didn’t try running under the bench again. Luckily, no one else sustained any injuries.

Matt I went to Clancy’s Pumpkin Patch last night to chose pumpkins for carving. We had to look at every pumpkin in the place to find these gems. Now we just have to search deep within ourselves for jack o’ lantern inspiration. I’ll post photos of our fine carving work later.

Ugh. I’m getting a cold. This is only the second cold I have gotten during this pregnancy, with the first one being in the first trimester or early second trimester. That’s probably about right because I think I usually only get one or two colds a year. I woke up at 3 a.m. with a sore throat bad enough that I couldn’t sleep through it, and a sore throat is how colds always start for me. The good thing is that I’m getting it out of the way now because I was kind of worried about being sick when I went into labor. Although, a friend of mine mentioned that she got a bad cold in the last week of her pregnancy and she thinks that all the coughing she did caused her water to break. I tend to get a bad cough with colds, so maybe I can cough myself into labor next week…

Yesterday I finally installed the car seat in our car. It was no small feat because you have to get it perfectly level and super tight, so it took several attempts to get it just right. I think the installation is easier if you have LATCH, but since our car is a 1999 and LATCH wasn’t added to cars until 2001, we have to use the seatbelt. We’re going to have it inspected at the local police station to make sure it is done properly, although I haven’t made an appointment for that yet. I also got the diaper service set up yesterday, and our prebirth delivery of diapers will be November 8. Those final preparations really made me feel like we are about to have a baby! The hospital bag is well on its way to being packed (it’s a gradual process), and I think finishing that up is about the last thing we have to do.

I’m hoping to feel well enough this weekend that Matt and I can carve pumpkins tomorrow or Sunday. We were supposed to go to James and Lynne’s on Sunday and possibly carve them with them, but we’ll probably hermit up all weekend so that I can keep my illness to myself. I’ll post photos of any pumpkin carving efforts we do. It will be hard to top last year…

Last night we had our fourth and final childbirth class, so we should now know everything we need to know about having this baby. I do feel very informed and like I have a good idea of what to expect, and I think Matt does too. This week’s class was pretty physical because we had a “dress rehersal” of labor. We practiced again using different positions and breathing through contractions. Then, she showed us a couple of different pushing positions and the mechanics of how to hold a breath and push and how many times to push with each contraction. We had to get on the floor with our partners and assume the positions and pretend like we were pushing. I didn’t really like this part because the room was really too small for everyone to be on the floor comfortably, and it was a little close quarters for me to be on the floor with my legs spread open, although at least everyone else was doing the same thing and surely felt equally awkward about it. In talking to Matt about it after class, he thinks it was useful to see just what we will need to do when the time comes to push, which makes sense, especially since he needs to help me through it. Now he’ll kind of know what to tell me to do.

So, now the nursery is ready, our class is over, we have pretty much all the baby gear we can think of, and I’ll be full term a week from today. Even if I went into labor right now, I don’t think they would do anything to stop it and would just let the baby come a tad early. So, the coming weeks are just a waiting game. I am so eager for our new addition to arrive!

I’ve had a very busy week, and I’ve gotten a little behind in my updates. Brace yourself because I have a lot to say.

Let me start by saying that I am in a much better place than I was when I wrote that whiny post last week. I had a few days of feeling pretty bad there, but this week I have felt back to my old happy pregnant self. I really haven’t been that uncomfortable, although Baby Gleeson is feeling very big and I’m definitely feeling like he is cramped in there. Overall we’re both doing great though.

The biggest news is that this past Sunday we had our shower, and it was wonderful. It was graciously hosted by my friends, Lynne and Robin, and it was held at our house. There were about 20 people there, and we really enjoyed having our friends over and getting a chance to visit with everyone and show them the nursery. The decorations had a cute Halloween theme, and there was a lot of yummy food, including my favorite thing which was a roasted red pepper and cheese dip that Lynne made. We had three desserts, a very tall and very delicious chocolate cake (my favorite), a key lime pie (Matt’s favorite), and a pumpkin pie. Robin set up a little onesie decorating station where people painted pictures on plain white onesies, and those are nice keepsakes for us. Our friends were very generous with gifts, and we got just about everything else we needed to be ready for the baby’s arrival. It was really the best shower I could have hoped for, and it will always be a very fond memory for me. My only regret is that I didn’t remember to take more pictures, which is very typical for me. You can click on the photo above of Lynne and my bellies to see the few photos we did remember to take. Thanks to Cory for taking the gift opening photos!

So, that was the weekend. Tuesday I had a midwife appointment, and Matt went with me to that. Everything was fine and normal. My blood pressure was a little higher than usual, but I was a little stressed because we had to wait a long time for my appointment and that might have caused it. She said it was still in the normal range and nothing to worry about. At our next visit in two weeks, we should have a quick ultrasound to check the baby’s position and I’ll also have a culture done for group B Strep. If that comes back positive I’ll need to be on IV antibiotics during labor and delivery.

Tuesday night we had our third childbirth class. This week we covered medication options and possible complications. It was informative and good to know a little about all that stuff going in. I definitely feel even more sure that I really, really don’t want an epidural, but I am a little more open to trying Fentanyl in early labor if I need to rest. She showed a C-section video at the end of class, but we left before that because Matt didn’t want to watch it. There were a few other couples who skipped it too, so we weren’t the only wimps. I can’t believe how fast this class series has gone and that we only have one left!

Wednesday night I went with Lynne to a breastfeeding class at UCSF. The teacher was great, and it was very informative about the basics of breastfeeding. Because of a past breast surgery, I am sort of special needs when it comes to breastfeeding so I still have a lot of unanswered questions. I talked to the teacher about it after class, and she recommended that I meet with a lactation consultant before the birth and again in the first few days of the baby’s life to help me be as successful as I can be. I’m in the process of finding a lactation consultant now.

Yesterday I washed all the baby’s bedding and any remaining smallest-sized clothes that I hadn’t washed already. So, his bed is ready for his arrival now. I also packed his diaper bag for the hospital with one cloth diaper for him to come home in and his coming home outfit and a few other little things. That’s really all we have to take for him because the hospital provides everything else for his stay there. We’ll just use disposable diapers in the hospital and then switch him to cloth when he gets home.

It has been an action-packed week, and Matt and I will both be glad for a little break this weekend!

I’ll be honest with you, my friends. I’m not feeling quite as great as I have been up until now in this pregnancy. I’m generally aching somewhere most of the time, like my feet or hips or back. Baby Gleeson has gotten very big, and he likes to push himself under my right ribs, which isn’t very comfortable. I feel really tired like I can hardly keep my eyes open a lot of the time. I get heartburn pretty frequently, but that one is no big deal because it goes away with Tums at this point. Possibly my biggest complaint is that I feel very fat and have outgrown most of my maternity clothes. So, in addition to feeling physically uncomfortable, I also feel dumpy on top of it. Of course I would do it all again and know it is all worth it for this baby on the way, but I have to admit that I will be glad for pregnancy to be over at this point.

Enough whining. I have real information to share. We went to our second childbirth class last night, and it was enjoyable. I feel like I am getting so much out of every class. Last night we started out talking about the pain of labor like what makes it painful, what to expect, how to deal, etc. For me, my biggest fear is not of the actual labor but of the delivery. All that pushing and stretching and tearing scares the hell out of me. I fessed up about this in class, and our teacher really helped to alleviate my fears, which I am grateful for. She said that women generally tolerate pushing much, much better than contractions and that it is not really painful. She mentioned the dreaded “ring of fire,” which is the burning sensation that a woman feels when the widest part of the baby’s head is being delivered. This was a biggie fear for me. She said that, yes, it burns, but it lasts about 30 or 45 seconds and then it’s over. I’m sure that will be an extremely uncomfortable 30 seconds, but knowing how short lived it is makes me feel like I can do it. I asked about tearing, and she said that there is so much stretching going on and such diminished blood flow that women don’t even feel it if tearing does happen. This seems impossible to me, but I’ve heard other people say the same thing and will just have to believe that it is true.

So, after she talked about all that, we then practiced different positions we can use during contractions to help with relaxation and to ease the discomfort. I didn’t really like any of the positions she showed us, but we have even more in our book, so I’m sure there’s something in there that I’ll like. I expect to spend a large amount of the time in the bathtub, but we’ll see how I feel when the time comes.

Then, the big moment came of watching a video of a woman’s labor and delivery. I was feeling worried that it would traumatize me forever, but it really wasn’t that scary and actually made me feel better about the whole process. Basically, the more classes we go to the more comfortable and prepared I feel, which is great.

As a side note, let me give props to the delicious Mediterranean restaurant, The King of Falafel, where we have been eating dinner before our classes. This place makes a mean shawarma or falafel sandwich. It’s on Divisadero at Bush, and I would highly recommend it if you’re in the neighborhood. I can’t wait to get another falafel sandwich before next Tuesday’s class!

I have noticed in the last month or so that I blush really easily really often, and I hate it. I have to assume it has something to do with my increased blood volume or something. I guess I’m hoping that it’s a pregnancy thing because that gives me hope that it will go away soon. I actually blushed a lot all through high school but thought I had pretty much outgrown it. Now, anytime I feel in the slightest bit embarrassed or self conscious, my face gets beet red. I can feel it happening and feel embarrassed that my face is red, and that only makes the situation worse. My fingers are crossed that this will soon pass!

Last night we went to our first of four childbirth classes through UCSF. We were excited to go but a little nervous because that newborn basics class was such a flop. I’m happy to say that this class is very good so far! The teacher has been a labor and delivery nurse for 15 years and teaching childbirth classes for 8 years. She is very nice and friendly and explains things well. She had lots of visual aids, which were very helpful in understanding whatever she was describing. Last night we introduced ourselves first, and then she talked about some of the mechanics of pregnancy and labor and birth. She went over the stages of labor and when to go to the hospital and that sort of thing. We hauled two pillows and a blanket to the class because the course description said we would need them at every class session, but we didn’t end up using them. We are supposed to bring them again next week though, when we will be learning different birth positions and relaxation techniques. We’ll be glad to sit on the floor or move around or whatever next week because the chairs in the class are very uncomfortable.

We were given a few homework assignments, one of which was “intensity practice” in which we are supposed to do an intense physical exercise every day to help us prepare for the intensity of labor and getting us in the right state of mind for that. The exercise we were given to do is an arm exercise that involves putting your arms straight out to your sides and then slowly lowering them to 45 degrees and raising them back up. Basically, you do this until your muscles are fatigued and then keep doing it a little while more. You take a break for about a minute and then repeat, take another break and repeat once more. I’m not fully understanding what we are supposed to get out of it, but she is going to talk about it more next week. This week, we’re just supposed to do it every day and pay attention to what our inner thoughts are while we are doing it.

She gave us an alternative to the arm thing if we didn’t want to do it, and that is to turn the water to cold at the end of our shower and stand in it for two full seconds, working up to standing in it for ten seconds. This morning at breakfast, Matt reported to me that he did the cold water exercise today! He said it was about as bad as it sounds. I was very surprised and impressed with his dedication.

I’m looking forward to next week’s class and do feel like we will get a lot out of this. I think we’ll feel prepared by knowing what to expect, and I think that will help me get through the pain and intensity of labor.

As for me and the baby, everything is going well. He will be full term in 4 weeks and there are only 7 weeks until my due date. (That also means only 4 more weeks until we get a glimpse of him on ultrasound at my 37-week appointment.) He has been more active than ever for the past few days, and he is definitely growing and filling up the space in there. I can feel his little rear end way up just under my ribs now. Yesterday morning he was really pushing against my ribs, and I tried to push him down a little. He pushed me right back and wouldn’t budge! He is already stubborn like his mom.

Another weekend has passed, and I’m realizing how few weekends Matt and I have left before our family grows. It is already October, and there are only about 50 days left until my due date. Of course I am very eager for the arrival of our new addition, but I am also trying to cherish and make the most of the rest of our just-the-two-of-us time. We have been spending our weekends going out to eat a lot and just being generally leisurely while we still can.

This Saturday we went with our friend, Cory, to a French restaurant called Metro Cafe. This place is nice because they have delicious food, and you can get a prix fixe meal with soup or salad, entree, and dessert for only $15. Anyway, we went there, and typically we would get a bottle of wine, but Baby Gleeson is still a little young to start drinking. I decided to treat myself and got my first nonalcoholic beer for this pregnancy. This was my first beer of any kind for about seven months, and my first nonalcoholic beer ever. It was good! It tasted just like beer and was deliciously refreshing, although it didn’t really compliment my meal. It would have been better with pizza or a burger, but it still felt decadent to have a beer and I enjoyed it fully.