Week 39

At last night's appointment the doctor announced that the baby still hadn't descended into the pelvic area and I'm still "carrying high." Since I'm having problems with my disability claim because of the way the paperwork was filled out by the doctor's office (frown!), I went ahead and had a c-section scheduled for tomorrow.

Today is going to be spent doing last minute stuff that involve driving, since I'm told I won't be able to drive for a few weeks after the c-section.

Bottom line, the baby will be born tomorrow!

Two people guessed April 5 as the birth date in my baby pool:

• "Courtney" says the baby will be a 7lb, 11 oz. boy.


• "FTPDiva" says it will be a 7lb, 2oz girl.

I will know tomorrow, but I probably won't post until Monday at the earliest.

Wish me luck!

Week 38

Nothing new to report from last night's OB appointment. The baby still hasn't decided to move down. There's no dilation yet. The doctor still thinks it's going to be a C-section. She says it's up to me if I want to wait past the due date to see if the baby decides to move into position on its own.

I'll think about it a bit.

The Routine

I've quickly fallen into a routine now that I'm at home.

I get up at 5:30 and turn on Good Day New York. I fall asleep again and watch the last hour of the news from 8 to 9.

From 9-10 I watch A Baby Story on TLC. From 10-10:30 I watch Bringing Home Baby on TLC, then at 10:30 I watch the last half of the Montell Williams show.

From 11 to 12 I watch The Price is Right, then at 12 I watch Eyewitness News for half an hour. From 12:30-1:00 I watch Geraldo at Large.

From 1-2 I watch Divorce Court, then from 2-3 I watch Judge Mathis.

From 3-4 I watch Judge Hatchett, and from 4-5 I watch Judge Judy. At 5 I watch Eyewitness News again.

YAWN!

Week 37

At my weekly checkup tonight the obstetrician said that the baby still hasn't descended into the pelvic area. At 37 weeks the baby should be further down. She warned me that if the baby remains so high up by week 40, she would schedule a C-section.

I don't have any problem with this. The obstetrician seemed to think that I'd be disappointed if I didn't have "natural childbirth." I so don't care about that. I just want the baby to be healthy.

Packing for the Hospital

No, labor hasn't begun, I'm being proactive. I've packed my bags. I have two small bags, one with the cord blood collection kit and baby clothes, the other with a change of clothes for myself, nightgown, socks, underwear, a sudoku puzzle book, a couple magazines, an MP3 player, slippers and toilet articles.

I also packed a booklet from the birth class since I've forgotten everything they told me already.

I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to be. The only thing I haven't done yet is install the car seat in the car. That's a sticky issue. My gut tells me that the best thing to do is put it in my car, but that means that my father will have to drive my car to pick me up and he'll change all the mirrors and adjust the seat in a way that will throw me off. But when I asked him about putting it in his car, he seemed to think that was going to be difficult to do (???) and more importantly, we can't put it in there because he thinks that will make someone break into his car.

*SIGH*

The crib and the dresser/changing table were delivered on Tuesday. The room is painted. Other than putting up the wallpaper border and putting away the baby's clothes, the room is pretty much done. I always hated that room, but it looks really pretty in there now. I'll take a picture after I put everything away.

One last note -- I'm going to close the baby pool on Monday, since the earliest birthday guess is Tuesday, March 21. If you haven't already entered your guesses for the baby's gender, weight, length and birthday, it's not too late!

Go here to submit your guesses and vote on the baby's name!

Last Day

I made it through my last day of work yesterday.

It really wasn't too bad. The day went by fairly quickly and I was able to finish documenting the things I'd set out to do and leaving things in a state where others can pick up (hopefully) without too much trouble.

There was a shower thing at the end of the day which was less stressful that I'd imagined it might be. I couldn't really eat much of the cookies, pecan pie and cupcakes, 'cause I'm not much of a dessert person, so I took those home. Mom has more of a sweet tooth than me.

I received two gifts -- a gift card for Buy Buy Baby (I'll use that to get the breast pump) and a preemie-sized gift clothing set from Marlon, one of my many cousins.

The only thing weird about the shower thing was this guy that I've never spoken to who showed up. We had a pleasant conversation about baby names and he complimented my choices and I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THAT GUY IS.

I assume he wasn't a figment of my imagination (someone would've said something if I was talking to myself for fifteen minutes), but that was just weird. I guess he came for the cookies and iced tea.

Pediatrician Interview

After work today I had an appointment to interview a prospective pediatrician for the baby. This is something that the maternity books say you have to do prior to the baby's birth, since the pediatrician will assess the baby within 24 hours after its birth.

Who knew!

I came prepared with a list of questions that I pulled off the babcenter.com website and the doctor was generally cool about answering them. The location of the practice is great -- it's in the same building on the same floor as my OB/GYN. It's easy to get to and there's a parking garage. The doctor and the receptionists were friendly.

Only one thing bothered me -- the waiting room and the carpets were dirty! There were Cheetos on the chairs!

Did I catch them on a bad day? Is that typical of what most pediatrician's offices will look like at the end of a long day with lots of kids coming in and out? :(

Four-oh

I’m forty years old today. I’m having a birthday party/baby shower today, which should be interesting. I can’t remember the last birthday party I had. It may have been my twenty-first birthday, which was at Windows on the World in the World Trade Center, which, of course is no more. If I can find pictures of that I’ll post them. I had a jerri curl. It was very shiny. ;)

I was unhappy about turning thirty, but this fortieth birthday wasn’t a big deal. Fifty may be sobering, however.

Use a Car Seat, Britney

This is the photograph of Britney Spears driving a car with her baby son sitting on her lap.

Dumb ass.

Birth Class 1

I went to the first of four birth classes on Monday. It was better than I expected. The one problem was that the classroom was packed and the chairs were uncomfortable. Okay, that’s two things. :)

The classes took place at Methodist Hospital, which is where I’ll be giving birth (it still sounds weird to say that). The hospital is very nice -- the lobby is like an upscale hotel. I’ve heard that the maternity ward is very impressive, but we don’t get to see it until week three, I think.

The nurse who taught the class was good. Not too old, not too young. Good speaking voice. We went for two hours with no break and it didn’t seem so long.

Class one was basically all about labor -- the phases of labor, positions in labor, how to tell real labor from false labor, etc. The nurse also went into exercises we should be doing (I haven’t been doing jack for fear that I’ll hurt myself or the baby).

What everyone really wanted to talk about was pain and pain medication. It’s funny how there’s pressure on women in this country now to not accept or ask for any medication.

Why?

Who makes these rules? Me, I want as much drugs as possible. I don’t have shit to prove. And believe me I will not hesitate to ask for a C section. Why mess around?

Maternity Clothes That Suck

One upside to not having gained the 15-20 pounds I should’ve by now is that I haven’t grown out of any of the suits I wear to work. I bought a winter coat that is two sizes too big back in December in anticipation of ballooning up, but it wasn’t necessary. I wear it anyway, though.

It’s a good thing that I can still wear these suits because NOBODY MAKES BUSINESS ATTIRE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN.*

You can find plenty of jeans and t-shirts, but God help you if you work in a professional environment. And if you were a size fourteen or over to begin with, you can’t find even the casual stuff.

I’ve posted some pictures of what the designers consider to be sensible maternity wear.

Gotta love that tie-died poncho!

*I found one site that has one suit that you could wear in a professional environment. There's a definite opportunity here for someone to make a lot of money if they could fill this vacuum.

Belly-Envy

For the first time in my life, I’m concerned that I’m not gaining enough weight. Believe me, this has never been a problem. But as of my last pre-natal appointment two weeks ago, I had gained a net of only four pounds since July. I actually lost weight at one point, despite the fact that I went on two cruises during that time period and the free food tends to make one pack on some pounds.

I’m not quite sure why I’m not gaining the proper amount of weight. I think I’m at least eating the same amount of food (and I was steadily gaining weight before) and didn’t have a morning sickness problem. The doctor said not to worry about it, but I’m worried about it anyway.

Another problem with not getting classically round? I just look extra fat as opposed to pregnant, so people aren’t graciously giving up seats for me on the subway and they glare when I try to squeeze into a seat next to them. :(

Prenatal Education System

I’m sure you’ve all heard reports about babies that develop into geniuses because their mothers played Mozart CDs for them or read novels to them while they were still in the womb?

Well, I feel stupid and self-conscious doing that, but my child will have to compete for a spot in preschool against those kids, so, dammit, I have to do something.

I bought this thing called BabyPlus, which advertises itself as a “prenatal education system.”

This is the product description from their site:

BabyPlus is an audio device that introduces patterns of sound to prenatal children in the only language they understand—the maternal heartbeat. As a baby discriminates the heartbeat sounds of BabyPlus from those of the mother, learning has begun and the child’s brain has been activated in a way never before possible.

Basically you strap an electronic device in a fanny pack to your belly (stop laughing) and it plays sounds.

Okay, I know what you’re thinking. But it probably won’t cause damage (I hope). I mean, read this glowing testimonial from Amazon.com:

I began using the system when I was 18 weeks pregnant but could not keep up the schedule with a fast pace career. I stopped when I was about 31 weeks. I thought that my efforts went down the drain and did not try to look for any benefits from BabyPlus. However, when I went back to the testimonials to compare I realized that my son has accomplished many of the same feats other BabyPlus babies have. I cannot believe that only 13 weeks of using this system had such a positive impact on my son's development. He never had colic, has been extremely happy and expressive since he was born, laughs as if it's rolling from his toes since he was 4 months, latched on immediately after birth and today has a vocabulary of about 50 words, not including animal sounds he can make or hand gestures he's memorized for his favorites songs. I highly recommend this product!

Great, huh!

I’ll let you know in a couple months if product has had any positive effect.



Technorati tags: BabyPlus | Prenatal Education System

Baby Pool Update

So far 16 people have voted in my baby pool. Here’s how the poll is going:

Gender: 69% think the baby will be a boy.
Weight: Guesses are coming in at 7+ pounds.
Length: Guesses are coming in at 20+ inches.
Birth Date: April 10 is the median.

As for the names, Bryce is leading for boys and Francesca is leading for girls.

If you haven’t already voted, the polls are still open! :)

Click here to log your guesses.

Gestational Diabetes

The obstetrician called to say that the blood test I took on Monday shows that my blood sugar is high and I may have gestational diabetes. I have to take a three-hour glucose tolerance test next Monday.

I can’t say I’m surprised. I was kinda expecting this to happen. :(

Anyway, I’m doing some research on this.

Ripped Off

I was ripped off today at the doctor’s office.

No, I’m not talking about the high cost of medical care.

Someone literally stole my money!

I took off the ID holder I wear around my neck and gave it to my mom to hold (yeah, that was a BIG mistake right there) while I was getting a diagnostic test. I step out of the room to use the restroom and when I come back, mom’s left the room. I ask for my ID holder. She can’t find it. We search her pockets, we search her bag, we search the bathroom, we search the examination room, we search the garbage -- no ID holder.

My money, two ATM cards, an American Express card, my license and registration, my medical insurance card, my TransitCheck subway card and over $100, all gone.

I’m pissed. She’s blaming me. She can’t handle all this stuff, she says.

Wow, it’s too much to ask your mother to hold your ID for two minutes?? I’m thinking to myself, Down the road, do I dare leave this woman alone with an infant child? Will I be able to take a shower, much less go to work?

We alert the manager of the office and the office workers and technicians look for the missing ID holder half-heartedly.

Nothing.

I wait in the waiting room and think about all the bullshit I’m going to have to go through to get all the cards and IDs replaced.

Time passes as I wait for the3D ultrasound technician to see me. Finally I go into another examination room to have the 3D ultrasound done. Halfway through there’s a knock on the door. Mysteriously, two hours after the ID holder disappeared, it has shown up in the middle of the floor near the reception desk. This is the area inside the door that leads to the examination rooms, not in the waiting room area. We walked up and down that hallway when we were looking for the ID holder, so how did it just magically get there hours later?

The money’s gone, but the cards are all there.

So what am I supposed to think?

Either a pregnant thieving patient strolled by the room (that my mother left without checking to see that she had everything) saw the ID holder, grabbed it, took the money and had the presence of mind to dump it near the receptionists before waddling her ass to her car... or a thieving technician did the deed between doing ultrasounds.

It’s grimy either way.

Unbelievable.

Note to self: Don’t EVER let mom hold your ID again.

Side note: The baby was very uncooperative during the 3D ultrasound. I hoped to get some nice facial pictures, but the baby kept pushing his/her face up against the placenta and we couldn’t get a good frontal shot. From the profile shots, the baby looked like he/she was pouting, which was amusing. The baby was swallowing too, which was fascinating to watch.

Baby Pool!

I've started a baby pool!

(I know y’all are going to get tired of me and this topic, but this is new to me.)

Participation in the baby pool is easy. Go to ExpectNet.com and login to the game named pessoa (all lower case). You don't need to register to participate.

On the game page enter your name and your guesses for the baby's gender, weight, length and birthday.

The due date is April 11, but due dates are only estimates.

While you're there, cast your vote in the baby name polls I've set up.

Thanks!

Cribs

Today my mom and I started buying the first of many items for the nursery.

Back in October we started began out items at Babies R Us, but I wanted to wait a bit before the buying started. Using two books -- Baby Bargains and Consumer Reports Best Baby Products -- I put together a registry online at Amazon.com -- registry number #90725519, if you’re interested. ;)

I visited the local Babies R Us store at the Gateway mall in Brooklyn around Christmas and had a really negative experience with the associate at the registry desk. Despite the fact that I got her manager on her and my dealings with the other associates were fine after that, my opinion of the store in general soured. The selection of items was broad, but I didn’t see the crib style I wanted. I didn’t see the glider (that’s a type of rocking chair used for nursing) I wanted.

In other words, I wasn’t feeling it.

Last Friday on my day off I decided to broaden my search. We visited five specialty stores -- one in Brooklyn and four in Manhattan. We saw a bewildering array of cribs ranging in price from $199 to over $1000.

There were too many options! Each crib looked better than the last!

I liked the Pali cribs, the Sorelle cribs, the Berg cribs, etc. And Buy Buy Baby had almost 30 Dutailier gliders on display so I sat in one after another until I zeroed in on the features I wanted.

I finally decided to get a Ragazzi Cooperton crib, the baby changing station, a mattress and a glider with matching Ottoman at a place called Schneider’s.

Those five items totaled about $2,500.

WHOA!

And I have 91 more items on my registry!

On the plus side, I knocked off four of the most expensive items today with the purchase of the crib, changing station, glider and Ottoman.

The next most expensive items will be the electronic breast pump (though somehow I know the baby won’t “latch on” and will end up on formula), the travel system (combo infant carrier and stroller), the bedding and the playard (combination bassinet/play pen)

After that there are a bunch of things that cost under a hundred dollars that will quickly add up -- baby clothes, a gate, a nursery monitor, a sling carrier, bottles, bath tub, and, of course, educational toys.

And so it begins.