Andi’s exciting life.

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.

Matt and I went on our birth center tour this week. The tour itself was pretty lame. We first met in a classroom, and the slide projector wasn’t working so we couldn’t watch the usual slideshow. Then, we all walked over to the hospital and up to the birth center together. Part of the tour was showing us where the elevators were that we needed to take, and the tour guide kept mentioning a big “orange triangle” at the elevator. When we got there, she said, “Here is the orange triangle I was talking about.” We all looked down, and there was an orange and yellow rectangle on the floor with no sign of a triangle anywhere. Everyone in the tour seemed to think that was funny and weird.

Anyway, so we all go up to the 15th floor, the penthouse of the hospital, if you will. We are then supposed to see where the welcome desk is, which is open from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. and where we check in. It was about 6:00 p.m. and it was closed, so we just went in the door when someone else was coming out. Top security. Then we got to the nurses’s station, and the nurses seemed almost surprised to see us even though these tours happen on a regular, scheduled basis. They said they were very full and only had one labor and delivery room available, which hadn’t yet been cleaned. So, that was the one we went to. Luckily, the bed had been stripped and there was nothing yucky to see. The nurse had nothing prepared to tell us and we all just stood around trying to think of questions to ask her. She did seem very nice and well informed though, and the room was ridiculously nice. As I mentioned, it’s on the 15th floor, and there were two walls of windows overlooking San Francisco and the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a really beautiful view, and all the rooms have that.

So, the nurse answered any questions that we had and then told us that there was no postpartum room to show us because they were all full. So, our tour guide said she would take us to see the Well Baby Nursery. We walked over there, and the blinds were closed and we couldn’t see anything. Seriously, this was the most crippled tour possible. We did get to see two very cute and quiet newborns passing by while we were there, and we didn’t hear any women or babies screaming, which was nice.

I expected to be scared after the tour because of the realization that I would actually have to deliver this baby soon. Actually, I felt more comforted and relaxed after seeing the place and getting an idea of what to expect when we arrive. Matt said he felt better too afterwards. If you are interested in seeing a virtual tour of the UCSF birth center, go here.

Yesterday I had my 31-week appointment with the midwife, and I am happy to report that Baby G is head down! I knew I could feel some part of him up high at the top of my uterus, and I was hoping that was his rear and not his head end. Upon palpation, the midwife confirmed that it is indeed his butt that I’m feeling, and she said he is in a very good position. She also said that he is unlikely to turn at this point, so I should be out of the woods on having a breech baby. Also, my fundal height was right on schedule at 31 centimeters. At my 26-week visit, the doctor I saw measured me at 30 centimeters, but I didn’t trust his measurement at the time. The midwife seemed to be more careful to be accurate, so I feel confident that the baby’s size is just right.

This was actually a new midwife who I had not seen before, but I really liked her. She mentioned that if she does the 37-week appointment that she does a limited ultrasound to double check the baby’s position and size and amniotic fluid levels, etc. I would LOVE to get another ultrasound, so I changed that appointment to be with her. Matt will go with me to that one, so he’ll be able to see the baby too. I can’t wait!

After waiting for a few months for this newborn basics class, I was really looking forward to it and expecting great things. It really didn’t live up to our expectations. The teacher was a lady who was very California and had a masters in counseling, so she was kind of touchy feely and liked talking about feelings. She seemed disorganized and just sort of touched on random things here and there without going as in depth as she could have on lots of subjects. If people asked questions, she couldn’t really give clear or complete answers. We expected it to be a labor and delivery or pediatrics nurse teaching the course, which I think would have been more useful. Matt wanted to leave at the lunch break (which was only half an hour!), but we decided to stick it out.

The fun part of the class was that we had a doll, pictured above, that was “our baby” througout the class. We picked a monster huge one that was too big for any of his practice clothes or anything. Hopefully our baby will not be born anywhere near his size. At the beginning of the class, the teacher said she wanted us to hold and interact with “our babies” throughout the class, which was fairly silly. She was holding a doll of her own and would baby talk to it periodically.

Anyway, all in all we walked away with a few tidbits of information that we didn’t know going in, but overall it was a waste of time. We did get to watch a portion of The Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, which was very useful after I had just read the book, but I could have just bought that on my own and saved a lot of time and money. Matt says he feels slightly more prepared than he did before the class, so I guess it did some good.

Oh, and I once again feel inferior about my belly size after the class. There was one girl who was 33 weeks along with a huge round belly, and I still barely look pregnant at all if I’m sitting down. Matt says I should be happy if it means that we aren’t going to have a huge baby and that a 7-pounder wouldn’t be a bad thing. He makes a good point. Also, I guess everyone just carries differently, and I need to stop having belly envy. I do get lots of comments from people now, so at least I am noticeably pregnant to the outside world. I’m just not that big.

Last night we went to the Armenian Food Festival with our Armenian friend, Garen, and two other friends, Cory and Alex. It was a good time, and we had some delicious food. Cory showed up with not enough cash, and Matt and I didn’t bring that much but we covered him, so we had to be very careful with our spending. Like eight-year-olds trying to blow our allowances, we spent every dollar we had between the three of us. For dinner, we got kebab plates with a kebab, rice, salad, and bread. Matt and I also got dolmas. They had pastries for dessert, and we got two pastries each. We both got something called Armenian Apple Delight, which was delicious and like apple pie with phyllo dough. Matt also got a baklava-like roll and I got a cream puff (which was not Armenian as I was told by Garen after I already bought it). Everything was yummy, and we saw some pretty good dancing acts while we had dessert.

I am thrilled to be 30 weeks along today! I’m 75% of the way to my due date and only 7 weeks away from the baby being full term, which is considered to be any time after 37 weeks. I will admit that 10 weeks still seems like a long time to go because I am so eager to meet this baby, but I have a feeling the next couple of months will go by quickly. September is almost halfway over already!

Last night I finished reading The Happiest Baby on the Block and now feel more prepared on how to handle our little dude’s crying. Of course I hope that we will have an easy going baby who hardly ever cries and sleeps like a champ, but it’s nice to feel like I have a clue as to what to do to calm him down if he is fussy. The book really could have been about a third as long as it was because the author likes to expand unnecessarily on things, but it was definitely a very informative read. Next up is The No Cry Sleep Solution, which is supposed to teach us ways to get our baby to sleep well without constantly holding him or letting him cry it out.

To further prepare for our little one, we have our newborn class this Saturday. It’s through our hospital, UCSF, and it’s called something like “Surviving the First Two Weeks with a Newborn.” I’m really looking forward to it and think it will be good for building our confidence that we are ready for this baby.

Yesterday I watched an episode of “House of Babies” that showed a mom with a breech baby who had to have a C-section instead of the natural delivery at a birth center like she wanted. Now I am afraid that our baby will be breech, although I have no reason to think that would be the case. My next appointment with the midwife is next Tuesday, and she should be able to palpate my belly and tell me the baby’s position at that point. Hopefully he will be head down! The last time we saw him was at 19 weeks and he was head down then, but I don’t think that really means anything because it was so early on. I can feel where he is in my belly now, but I don’t know what I’m feeling for so I can’t tell a head end from a tail end.

I take back every bad thing I ever said about Babies R Us. Today I went to the grand opening of a new store near us (in Colma), and a brand spanking new Babies R Us is a beautiful thing. Everything was so well stocked, and all the display models of everything were pristine. Plus, all the employees were super friendly and helpful since it was opening day. Now that I have this one so close, I can go there for anything I need without having to go to that ghetto one in Redwood City ever again. I was so smitten by the store that I wanted to delete my Target registry and start anew at BRU. I think it’s a little late for that though.

My venture to the baby superstore was only shadowed by the fact that my pants kept falling down. Seriously, it was a good thing that my shirt was so long or else I would have been in danger of mooning people behind me. I’m finding it harder and harder to dress myself as my belly grows bigger. The rounder it gets the more I like it, but getting pants to stay up when you have a spherical midsection is proving to be difficult. It can only get worse as the baby (and I) keep packing on the pounds.

Tomorrow is Matt’s birthday, and we are going out on some adventure to celebrate, though we don’t know exactly what we will do yet. It will probably involve a museum and some lunch. We got the party started tonight with his birthday cake that I made a day early. It needs a more clever name, but it is called Lemon Apricot Coconut Cake. I had never made it before, but it turned out to be pretty good. Anyway, I’d better hit the sack in preparation for our big day tomorrow.