Bottomless pit

I am a bottomless pit of hunger today, which is odd because I haven't been very hungry lately. So far I've had (1:00 pm):

A blueberry oatbran muffin
Grapefruit juice
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
1/2 a grapefruit
A couple of handfuls of pistachios
One Trader Joe's green chicken curry lunch
Three small potato pancakes, w/more cottage cheese
3/4 cup of coffee
The other half of a grapefruit...

and I'm still starving. I'm also craving grapefruit. Can you tell?

Jennifer

Appointment Update

I had my 36w5d appointment last night... it was the shortest appointment yet. My Group B Strep test was negative, the protein that I had in my urine last time has disappeared (protein can be a sign of preeclampsia), the swelling in my ankles has gone down a bit, and my weight has even gone down 2 pounds (probably because I was retaining water at my last appointment). She said that everything is completely normal and on schedule and healthy. Baby is measuring average, carrying low (and getting into place for birth). She said I could probably handle an 8lb 5oz baby (which is what I was) without too much problem. I had some cramping yesterday which she said is completely normal at this point. So, all is well - to the point of being boring. I hope it continues this way!!

On Saturday I'll be "term," which means that the baby is basically done baking and can come out at any time!

Only three and a half more weeks!

Only 3.5 weeks until my due date (April 16). I can tell it's starting to get a little crowded in the ol' womb, because baby hasn't been able to kick as much, but is mainly squirming around. Baby's still head down, and so far everything is right on schedule and doing just fine.

I had two baby showers last week - one at work and one at a friend's. My coworkers banded together to give us eight weeks of diaper service. Now I just need to buy some cute cloth diaper covers - we only have one that's infant sized. We're pretty much all set on clothes for the 3-6 month stage, but still need to buy some onesies and things for the newborn. For furniture, we now have a bassinet (an Arm's Reach co-sleeper), a dresser (already full of tiny clothes), and a bouncy seat (that attaches to a door jamb and hangs from a spring). We also have a car seat and a light stroller. Our next big purchases will be a jogging stroller (perhaps the Chariot Cougar One, which converts from a jogging stroller to a bike trailer to a cross-country ski sled), and a backpack for taking long hikes with the baby.

It's amazing how much stuff you "need" (or think you need) for such a tiny, helpless little pink thing.

A few things you're supposed to do when pregnant

Here are few things I've been told to do:

• Drink 80 ounces of water a day
  
• Eat 80 grams of protein a day (a hamburger has about 30 grams)
  
• Increase calcium consumption by huge amounts
  
• Eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
  
• Exercise for at least half an hour every day
  
• Sleep 12 hours a day (um, does that mean I have to go to bed at 7:00 p.m.?)
  
• Do perineal massage for five minutes every day (I can't even REACH down there)
  
• Lay on an incline with feet above head for 20 minutes three times a day (when I was trying to turn the baby)
  
• Get on hands and knees with belly hanging down for a good amount of time each day (to encourage baby to get in correct birthing position)
  
• Eat extra fish (but only the right kinds of fish) or take supplements to increase baby's brain power
  
• Spend 1 hour each day with headphones attached to stomach so baby can listen to Mozart
  
• Drink 5-6 cups of pregnancy tea (red raspberry leaf) every day to tone uterus
  
• Do 200 kegels a day
  

And I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting. Does anyone want to subsidize me so I can quit my job to attend to these duties?

Infant care class

Jeff and I completed our series of two infant care classes last night. They were pretty good. We learned how to diaper (neither of us has ever diapered a baby!), how to swaddle, how to calm a fussy baby (using the Happiest Baby on the Block technique), what to buy and not to buy, and how to get our car seat checked out. It was a very diverse group of students, mostly couples. Unfortunately I don't have any amusing anecdotes about the class, because it was very straightforward and nobody made a fool of themselves (though Jeff did poke me several times during one of the videos about "baby's six states of consciousness.") I almost broke down crying during the Happiest Baby on the Block video because those babies were just so darn CUTE. Obviously I have been taken over by preggo brain, because the sight of a baby usually doesn't make me burst into tears.

What's up, little one?

Baby Metolius has been quite the gymnast lately, first kicking here, then there, then punching my bladder and sticking his or her rump into my ribs. At least, I'm hoping that's the rump and not the head. Last night just as I lay down to go to sleep, Baby decided to start playing drums against my side - and I'm talking fast Zimbabwean drumming, not the sedate Native American kind. And then it suddenly stopped and there was complete calm, no movement at all, for about half an hour. It got me a little freaked out because the doctors always warn you to report any "frantic" activity. I was picturing myself laying on the umbilical cord wrong or doing something equally terrible, with tragic results. But today Baby is up and moving again as usual. I'm looking forward to my next appointment (tomorrow) so I can figure out what position it's in.

An overview of the pregnancy experience

(I first posted this on a pregnancy board I belong to...)

This pregnancy has been surprising for me in several ways. First, I was amazed at how easy it was for me to get pregnant at 38, after being warned by several doctors that it could be very hard. It just took about a month. I feel very lucky that way.

I'm also surprised at how easy it is to generate a baby, and basically how easy it is to host the miracle of birth. It's just incredible how the baby develops from a single cell (or two) to a full-fledged human being - and it just happens. Your body knows what to do and it doesn't require any intellectual effort at all!

This has been a very easy pregnancy - no complications (knock on wood) other than an early scare about a possible blighted ovum. I haven't had a lot of unbearable symptoms and I didn't get morning sickness, thank God. I also haven't been the hormonal wreck I was expecting to be - actually I think my hormones have been more even than usual - I have had fewer meltdowns with Jeff than I did before I was pregnant!

On the other hand, I'm suprised at how incredibly uncomfortable it is to be in the third trimester. Nobody ever warns you about that when you're thinking about getting pregnant. I can't walk without pain, it's hard to sleep, I get heartburn, I have a pinched nerve that's really annoying, etc. etc.

I'm also surprised at how much I miss exercising (the kind of exercising I like to do - skiing and hiking).

All in all, though, I'd have to say that being pregnant has been a very positive experience. I'm not dying to do it again anytime soon (especially not right now), but I really can't complain. I'm looking forward to meeting the baby but I know I will miss my belly, the specialness, and the baby's movements. But it will be nice to have my body back, too.

Birthing class

Last night we had a birthing class in our home. Originally there was going to be another couple there, but they broke up, so it was just Jeff and I. Jeff hadn't been too keen on taking a birthing class (mainly because he read all the wrong parts of Birthing From Within and thought any nontraditional birthing class would be all about co-chanting and creating a partnership with your unborn baby). Anyway, the midwife who was teaching the class showed up with her things at quarter to six and set up her little ritual candle and placed a small statue of a pregnant Lucy (our hominid forebear) on the table. I was a little concerned about what was going through Jeff's mind at that point, but he maintained his composure well. The midwife explained the birthing process, showed Jeff how to rub my back in labor (very nice!), explained how NOT to touch a woman in labor (don't just diddle around without intention, and don't talk to her when she's in a contraction), did an exercise with icewater (more on that later) and talked me through a guided meditation, where you visualize contractions as waves in the ocean (which might have been more calming before the tsunami).

The ice exercise was really helpful. First she had Jeff do it. He put his hand in a bucket of ice water for 45 seconds (while I talked to him normally) and then took it out for 45 seconds. Then he put it in again for 45 more seconds, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing. Then, out for 45 seconds, and back in for 45 seconds. This time he wandered around the house with his hand in the bowl of water while I talked to him and rubbed his back. Afterward, it was my turn. I was surprised at how painful ice water can be! I also found it helpful to have Jeff try to distract me, and to concentrate on my breathing and focus on the pain. Walking around aimlessly didn't help quite as much, but it could be useful if the contractions weren't too intense. All in all, it was a useful exercise, and one that I might practice again.

OK, I'm starving now, Nature calls, and I must go home.

Right side up!

At my appointment last week the midwife confirmed that the baby is indeed right side up. I'm now getting kicked in my upper right side (facing away from my body) and feeling little hands moving around very low, near my pubic bone. (Now, that's a strange feeling!). When the baby hiccups, which is usually about ten minutes after I eat, I'm feeling it along my left side. The baby's head hasn't moved into delivery position yet. No worries (actually, maybe that's a good thing), but the midwife told me to keep on walking so the baby's head will lower. I've heard about how uncomfortable that can be and I'm not sure how eager I am for it to happen!

My most recent nightmare

The night before last Jeff woke me up because I was wimpering in my sleep. Actually, I was screaming in my dream, but it came out as a wimper. In the dream I was in a big old mansion making up a four-poster bed. Some unseen hand pushed me from behind and I fell over the side of the bed and got completely tangled up in the bedcover. That's when I started screaming.

This dream makes sense on so many levels. First off, our bed has become a nightmare to me because it's so high and it's painful to crawl up there. I avoid getting out of bed as much as possible for that reason. I never make the bed anymore because it's too much work, especially since we have a large, unwieldy duvet cover (anyway, that's Jeff's job). I get tangled in my Snoogle every night, and every night I seem to get less sleep.

Of course, on a deeper level it makes sense too. I got into this whole mess while I was in bed! An unseen hand keeps pushing on me - from the inside! I'm trapped and I can't get out!

A friend suggested that it was actually the baby dreaming of a former life, but that's just too complicated for me.

Right side up?

I'm thinking the baby may have turned. I'm getting kicks now where the head used to be, and feeling hiccups down low on my left side. Both of those seem like good omens. I should find out tomorrow when I visit the midwife again.