Week #37 - subtitle - Relaxxxx

This week the baby is measuring approximately 19.25 inches, 6.3 pounds, and the size of Swiss chard...? The internet says Swiss chard is a leafy green vegetable often used in Mediterranean cooking.  Here is a photo:

The baby is now officially considered "full term", which means that he or she can arrive literally at any time.  The baby's organs are all nearly fully developed and prepared for the outside world.  Since the doctor does not want me to go past 40 weeks, it is very likely that we are down to a dozen or so DAYS.

Here is a rundown of the latest and greatest going on in the Raposa household...

On Saturday night in to Sunday morning, Ben's coworker Jonathan threw him a diaper kegger/Dad-chelor party.  The premise is that Ben's friends will bring diapers in exchange for beer, food, laughs, etc...  Apparently these parties are very popular in the mid-west, but we both just recently became aware of such a thing.

Let me just say that the thought of Ben spending the night away (even if it was just in the next county) while I was 37 weeks pregnant was not particularly inciting to me.  However, he's been under a lot of stress at work recently not to mention the impending life change we are about to undergo, so I came around to the idea.  (Let the record show that I did ask if I could attend (denied) - everyone knows that Jonathan makes the best smoked sausage in town!)

So, while I'm not privy to the details of the party, it appears that everyone got along really well and these men sure did deliver!  Also, I was super impressed his Dad-chelor party was attended by men ranging in age from their 20s to their 50s(!) - the photos looked like a true pack of misfits  Check out the diapers:

The final count was just over 2,000 diapers and 1,000 wipes.  Ben and I were discussing it on Sunday, and we really do have such an amazing support system.  It is very difficult to express (in words that make sense) how appreciative we are to have such incredible family and friends that are willing to help us navigate this new/scary/crazy adventure. 

Speaking of family, on Saturday, I attended Kristi's shower in Dade City.  Here is a photo of myself, Kristi and Charity (We all have February due dates - 13th, 26th, and 15th respectively).:

The shower was beautiful and I got to see a lot of family members, presumably for the last time before we welcome the baby.  It was a really relaxing afternoon hanging out with the ladies of the family talking about babies, eating delicious food, and cake.  Speaking of cake, check out the adorable/delicious cake Auntie Tallie (and Shyla!) made for the occasion:

On Sunday, I started to try all sorts of things to get Baby Raposa moving in the right direction.  Here is a link to the article our doula recommended.  We have tried the forward leaning inversion, side-lying release, breech tilt (with ice pack at the top of my stomach and heating pad at the bottom).  I'm anxious to see if any of these efforts are working, but we won't know until some time next week.  Other options include an ECV, visiting a Chiropractor for the Webster Technique, and finally a c-section if all other options do not work.

In addition to trying all these tips,  I have been trying other natural things in order to prepare my body for baby.  I have been drinking red leaf raspberry tea (daily) - here is some information on the benefits.  Taking evening primrose oil supplements (1 x day) - here is the thought on how it works in pregnancy. I've also been walking as much as possible to open up my hips and prepare.  Finally, I've been trying to chill the heck out.  My personality truly is to be a high-strung individual.  I can't really help it.  But, if I find myself getting too worked up over something (especially something silly), I try to just take a couple deep breaths and move on.

Also!  I'm no longer taking the Lovenox shots.  The doctor officially switched me Heparin until the baby is born.  Heparin is a lower dosage blood thinner, so it will exit my body sooner than the Lovenox shots.  The difference is that you (i.e. Ben) has to draw the liquid in to the syringe for the Heparin; whereas the Lovenox shots were pre-loaded.  Additionally, because it is a lower dosage, it has to be administered twice a day.  Here's a photo of the new set up:

The needles are smaller so it actually does not hurt as badly as the Lovenox, but it clearly is a lot more work on Ben's part to load the syringes.  I've been told that these shots will likely cause more bruising as well.  The great news is that there clearly is some light at the end of the tunnel.  The shots will only have to be administered for a few more days and then we are going to stop 48 hours before the induction.  A few days after, we will resume the Lovenox shots for 6 weeks postpartum.  

That is all for now y'all - until next week!

Week #36 - subtitle - NINE MONTHS!

I've officially been pregnant for nine months.  Wowww...seems like forever some days and other days it seems like the pregnancy has flown by. This week the baby is 18.75 inches long, 5.75 pounds, and about the size of a crenshaw melon.  Apparently a crenshaw melon is a hybrid melon with very sweet, juicy orange flesh.  Here is a photo for reference:

The baby is still gaining weight and becoming rounder in appearance.  He or she is most likely head down at this point.  We went for a walk around the neighborhood on Sunday morning and it dawned on me that Ben and I only have about 3 weeks together as a duo - forever.  Bananas!

On Sunday, my friend Tracey hosted an amazing shower for myself and Baby Raposa.  There was even a baby version of Jeopardy! (my favorite game show!).  My team totally dominated the "Celebrity Mom" category, but we did not get Final Jeopardy correct...  Here are some photos to enjoy:

Here is a photo of my friend Michelle who is due about 2 1/2 weeks before me (January 26th).

 It has been really nice to have another first time mom to compare and contrast what is going on.  Can't wait for our little babes to meet each other!  I've been really, really bad about taking photos lately.  I know that I need to be a little more diligent because I'm not going to get this time back, but my brain is just not working correctly, y'all.

On Monday, I had my very first non-stress test.  It was not as bad as I was anticipating, it was actually quite nice to listen to the baby's heartbeat and read for 20 minutes.  The nurse told me that everything was "perfect" with both heart beats and my blood pressure.  I asked her that if I continue to score perfectly, would I be able stop coming twice a week and she said no!  Of course.  But, she said it's only three more weeks, so it shouldn't be too bad.

Since I was off work on Monday for the Martin Luther King holiday, Ben's office coordinated a shower for us as well as two other couples in his office who are expecting.  One of the couples is due on the exact same date as us and the other is two weeks after us.  (Of course all these dates are relative to what baby decides).  The party was so generous and everyone is so excited.  There are so many more people that work in Ben's office than mine, so it was a little intimidating and I totally needed a nap afterwards!  Here's a photo of the three of us:

On Wednesday, we finally got to see our little babe again.  I was over the moon excited because it had been since September since we had an ultrasound.  The baby has still not "turned" head down, but from what I've been told it can happen pretty quickly.  Also, there are technically still four-ish more weeks.  Here are the photos that we got:

The lips are very prominent and apparently the baby does not like having their photo taken.  Their arms and hands have always been covering the face in every ultrasound.  The legs are pretty cramped as most of you can imagine (Ben is 6'3") and they are folded in half essentially.  The baby in weighing in at almost 6 pounds now, which seems about right on track for the delivery date.

On Thursday, I had my second non-stress test as well as my weekly doctor's appointment.  This was the first time that I've gone to my doctor by myself.  Ben was a little nervous because it appears every time I go to the doctor without him, something bad happens or I get some really bad news.  Well, he may actually be correct on that one.  The doctor is really concerned that the baby is still in the breech position.

The doctor said that if the baby does not turn on his or her own by my next doctor's appointment, a c-section will have to be scheduled.  Now, I'm going to be doing everything in my power (i.e. laying upside down on the couch, bouncing on the exercise ball, etc..) to make this baby turn on it's own.  Any (not-too-crazy) suggestions are welcome as well!.  Naturally, after the appointment, I was pretty upset.  I don't think having a c-section is the end of the world, but because of the blood clotting disorder, any surgery puts my health in more risk.

I'm trying my hardest to just relax and tell myself that this is truly a situation that is out of my control.  Also, the baby is thriving and my mind and my heart know that he or she will be here in just a few weeks and everything will be fine.  But at the same time, I'm really scared that something may go wrong.  For now, the plan is to focus on getting through the next couple of weeks and seeing what happens.  Ben did give the baby a stern talking-to last night about "turning" after reading his nightly story.

Time will tell - that is all for now!

Week #35 - subtitle - Showers of Appointments!

At this point, all of the baby's major organs are nearly complete.  His/her kidneys are completely developed and the liver is functional and capable of processing waste products.  The baby is approximately 18 inches long, 5.25 pounds, and about the size of a honeydew melon.

Week 35 has been a very busy/exciting one in the Raposa household!  On Saturday, my sister threw Baby Raposa (and myself) a shower for family and close friends of the family.  She really outdid herself and put Martha Stewart to shame! (Although, Martha would have had two brie dishes...kidding!)  Here are some highlights:

Fox and friends cake (so delicious!  I should note that I got the cake cutting responsibilities taken away from me because I apparently don't cut small pieces of cake...):

Drawing babies on their forehead:

Super creative onesie painting! I took a moment to look around the shower as everyone was diligently painting and decorating onesies and was completely overwhelmed by all the love in one room. (Let me also just say that everyone was SUPER creative and they all turned out great!  I can not wait to put these adorable creations on the baby!  I requested that everyone "sign" or mark their onesies so that way when the baby is sporting their creations we will know):

This is the rocking chair that my mom rocked my sister and me in when we were babies.  My sister and her friend Carrie re-finished, reinforced, and changed the fabric on it and then used the same chair for my nephew and niece when they were babies. Now, our little babe will get a go in the same rocking chair: 

 With Auntie Kim:

This is no doubt that Kimber is going to be the greatest auntie ever!  We are only 14 months apart in age and it is no secret that I wanted to be just like her when we were growing up.  Even though we are very different people, she has always been there for me.  I couldn't be more excited to see our little babe in the arms of Auntie Kim.  Clearly, the shower was a major success!

On Tuesday, we had a doctor's appointment.  It had been almost three weeks since we have seen the doctor and we had a lot of questions.  When we arrived, the waiting room was packed!  Turned out that the doctor was at a delivery and they wanted everyone to reschedule if possible, unless you have to see the doctor every week.  We decided to wait it out and it turned out that it wasn't too much of a wait (plus I couldn't/didn't want to take off work to see the doctor on Wednesday).

Anyway, we wanted to talk more about the induction/birth plan, which we were able to do.  First topic was the Lovenox shots.  There was some debate about the shots and when they should be stopped, if they should be changed to a lower dosage, etc...  The risk of bleeding too much during childbirth while taking the shots (which are essentially a blood thinner) is the concern.  For that reason, he wants to induce some time between the 39th and 40th week (February 6th and February 13th).  The plan for now is to stop the shots two days before the induction date OR when/if contractions start on their own.  This means that we will be having an Aquarius baby for sure!

Second topic was our birthing plan.  Depending on the last administration of the shots, I may or may not be a candidate for an epidural.  Luckily, the hospital that we chose does offer nitrous oxide as an alternative that the doctor thinks would be a better/safer option for pain management.  There is also a water birthing tub (ONE!) at the hospital that may alleviate some of the pain/pressure.  Our plan is to try to get the tub if possible for laboring, but not have an actual water birth.

Finally, starting next week, my doctor feels like it is necessary to start performing two non stress tests each week as well as a biophysical profile once a week.  This may or may not change the due date.  Either way, we are coming down to the wire here, y'all!  The really exciting news is that we finally get another ultrasound next week!  Eeek!  It's been since September since we have "seen" the baby and I'm so excited!

That is all for now, until next week y'all!

Week #34 - subtitle - I'm running out of creative subtitle ideas!

This week the baby is about 17.75 inches long, 4.75 pounds and about the size of a large cantaloupe.  The baby's lungs are continuing to mature in preparation for breathing in the outside world.  It is hard to believe that our little babe will be in a mere six weeks or so!  It's very exciting and scary at the same time.  I feel like there are so many things that need to be done before he or she arrives, but I just have to have faith that things will fall in to place

Workouts this week:

Monday: yoga
Tuesday: 3 mile walk with Ben
Wednesday: 3 mile walk with Ben and exercise on demand video
Thursday: rest
Friday: Exercise on demand video
Saturday: 3 mile walk with Ben
Sunday: 4 mile solo/run walk with 1 mile walk cooldown

Sunday was the first time that I've actually ran/jogged in a bit and it felt really good.  Ben and I met up with Tracey and her family at Flatwoods and I forgot how much I liked it out there.  It has been unseasonable warm in Florida (shocking!), so I just make sure that I keep my heart rate in check and drink plenty of water when exercising.

Things we accomplished this week:

Got the car seat installed!  Ben is officially in charge of putting together and installing all things related to baby.  On Sunday, he set out to put the car seat base in my car because we are supposed to "be ready" at any time now.  I was really surprised when he came back inside after about 3 minutes and said he was done!  It was a lot easier than he thought (yay!).  We are still going to have one of our firefighter/paramedic friends check out the base to make sure it was installed correctly (the hospital told us that 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly).  But it is REALLY strange to look in my back seat and see a car seat!  Yikes!

Here's a photo of his hard work:

Also, we found a pediatrician!  Woo!  I also did not know that the baby will need to be discharged by a pediatrician and my doctor will discharge me from the hospital.  We were given a list of pediatricians who visit Countryside hospital and I was able to schedule a couple of appointments for my last week of Winter Break.

We decided to go with North Pinellas Children's Medical Center in Westchase.  (Also, there is a Starbucks right out front of their building - that did not hurt matters at all).  There is a group of doctor's at the practice, so they do try to keep you with the same doctor, but that may not necessarily be the case every single time.  I also liked that they had a separate newborn waiting room so that babies do not have to be around other sick children.

I went back to work!  The It really hasn't been as bad as I thought it was going to be and everyone gives me a little extra special treatment because I am pregnant.  It really is amazing to me how interested perfect strangers are about my pregnancy.  Students that I don't even know ask me so many questions and are so excited about someone they hardly know.  I can't believe that someone would waste the time they have for themselves to ask questions about me...

Ben and I have both been putting in more hours than normal this week, so it makes things pretty hectic.  At least for me, the peak registration/busy period will only last through January 16th so there is an end in sight.  I do not know how people who have jobs that are physically demanding (i.e. nurses, police officers) are able to work while they are pregnant.  The tiredness alone is enough to make me want to put my head down on my desk at some moments.

Thanks is all for now - have a great week, y'all!