Miracle Grow

I had my 34 week appointment with Dr. Huynh on Tuesday. We talked about what to expect from labor and the birth plan Ruggs and I had prepared. She listened to his heartbeat, though we had to chase him around a bit. We finally caught up with him at 141bpm. When she measured my fundal height it was a whopping 37cm! Baby J.T. grew a bunch in the last couple weeks!  At my last appointment we were measuring on schedule at 32 1/2cm so Dr. Huynh is a little concerned. I asked her if it could be my weight gain (I've been feeling a little bloated, tired and stretched to the max lately). She said it wasn't really a possibility since I'd only gained 2 lbs since my last appointment 2 weeks ago.

We've scheduled an ultrasound appointment for my 36 week appointment on Sept. 22nd. She's going to measure our little guy and find out how big he really is. She said after we determine what's going on we'll talk about some options (i.e. c section, induction etc...) because we may not be able to let him wait until he's ready to come out. She said an 8 lb baby is all she'll let me deliver (phew!). She said not to worry, she wouldn't do anything with him at 34 weeks so I guess we'll just wait and see.

Meanwhile, being me, I've looked up possible causes for this sudden jump...

What does it mean if I'm "measuring large for dates"?

Measuring large for dates means your fundal height is more than 2 centimeters larger than average for your stage of pregnancy, based on your due date. Your practitioner will probably schedule an ultrasound to find out why. Among the possible explanations are:

•  Your due date is off. (The ultrasound can help your practitioner figure out your correct due date.) - Doubtful since I've measuring on target until now.
•  You have looser abdominal muscles than most women as a result of an earlier pregnancy. - This is my first baby and I've been measuring on target until now.
•  You have uterine fibroids.
•  You're carrying twins or more. - Doubtful since we've had 3 ultrasounds.
•  You have too much amniotic fluid.
•  Your baby is positioned high above your pelvis, which might be the case with a breech baby or if you have a placenta previa. - We know he's not breech. The Dr. can feel that he's turned in the right position.
•  You have a bigger-than-normal baby because of gestational diabetes. This condition is known as macrosomia. You may need to be tested to rule it out. - I've been tested (twice) and do NOT have gestational diabetes.
Or you might simply be carrying a big, perfectly healthy baby.

Overall, I guess we can just hope that it was a fluke or that someone is feeding him miracle grow and he's perfectly healthy! I'll be sure to keep you posted!

Here's a sequence of belly shots. It's amazing how much he's (we've) grown!

I also took a little video of me playing cat and mouse with his feet. You can see him moving around! It's subtle, but I think you'll still be able to see it in the video (especially at the end).

Shower, Placenta Surprise

My sister Amy and Ruggs' sisters Karyl & Kathy hosted a baby shower for us last weekend. We had the shower here at Ruggs' and I's house since it was centrally located. I think space may have been an issue, but we made it work and it was a great shower. I can't wait to post the pictures! We got lots of cute clothes, blankets and towels for Baby J.T. We also received a lot of pacifiers and a pack 'n play (which we'll use as a bassinet when we bring him home).  We're working on getting the nursery finished and I'll be sure to post pictures when we do.

My book club also had a "Baby Book Club" for me at our meeting last night. We received lots of cute books - I can't wait to start reading to our little guy! 

As of my last visit with Dr Huynh we're measuring on target now... or closer to it: 32 1/2cm last week. Baby J.T. is turned and we seem to be doing great. At our Bradley class the instructor recommended we do a birth plan so I gave Dr Huynh a rough draft. We'll be discussing labor, when to call her and the birth plan at my visit next week.

Meanwhile, we preregistered at Avista Hospital yesterday and we are taking a tour tomorrow. After meeting with the nurse to preregister and talking to her about what we could expect Ruggs and I felt much better! We're very excited for the tour tomorrow and look forward to using the balls, jacuzzi and patient refrigerator when it's time to deliver.

We've now covered stage 1 and stage 2 labor in our Bradley classes. All of the information we're given is very helpful - I'm hoping we can remember it when the time comes! We also have lots of homework to do: practicing positions, breathing, relaxation techniques and daily exercises.

Baby J.T. is moving around a lot and seems to be not only motivated by food these days. He moves around a lot through out the day and even more between 7-11pm! My favorite game right now is Guess the Body Part.

The strangest thing happened this week! I'd been at my water class and I was a little chilly (the air just turned from summer to a more autumn feel here in CO). I came home sat in the air conditioning and ate breakfast while I check my email. Eventually, I was super chilly and decided a warm shower was good idea. When I looked in the mirror I noticed a big red circle on my belly! It felt warmer than the rest of my skin. I rushed to show Ruggs and we decided that it was likely the placenta showing through my skin!! You can sort of see it here, but it was much darker and noticeable in person! We were surprised, you could not only see it, by how large it is!

Empathy Belly

We had our second Bradley class on Monday. This week the Dads got to try on an Empathy Belly. Ruggs had never tried one on before I think he now has a new understanding of what I'm carrying around!

First, Debbie (the instructor) wraps their deflated ribs so it's harder to breathe.

She makes sure it's on there pretty tight!

Then, a couple of the other Dads help put the belly on. It weighs 40 lbs so it takes two! There's even a bean bag to push on the bladder.

Can't breath, have to pee and carrying around an extra 40 lbs. Sounds about right!

The instructor had him sit down on the couch.

And she had him lay down.

Ruggs decided he needed some extra support under his new belly!

 She had us stand belly to belly. :)

I had my 30 week check-up on Wednesday. I've been sick again with a chest/head cold. After a round of antibiotics over the weekend I'm slowly starting to feel better again. Dr Huynh recommended lots of rest! She said pregnant women have lower immune systems so our bodies don't attack our babies so we sick easier. She said next month I'll be getting a flu shot! Otherwise, everything is going well with baby J.T. He's turned head down, had a heart rate of 141bpm and we're measuring 31cm.

I've also started to get the top part (from my chest to the top of my belly button) of the linea nigra.It's faint, you can't really even see it in pictures, but it's there. My belly button is also getting very close to being stretched to the max!

Shaping Up

We went to our first Bradley Method class on Monday evening. Thankfully, it was pretty much what Ruggs and I both expected! There are only 5 couples (including us) total, so we have a small class and get lots of attention from the instructor. The instructor is experienced and down to earth and we both like her. Most of the other couples in the class are about my age (or younger) and are due sometime between Sept - Nov. It's fun to be around other pregnant women and see how their belles compare to mine!

The instructor, Debbie, did some introductions and then passed around a few rubber baby replicas from different weeks in pregnancy. She had 7, 15, 20, 28 and 40 week replicas. It was amazing to hold the 28 week replica (big enough for both hands) and see/feel how substantial baby J.T. is! I reminded myself that he is even a week bigger than the doll. It was pretty neat!

Debbie then showed us some exercises we are to do daily for the remainder of our pregnancy:

• Tailor sitting (or sitting cross legged) for 20 minutes
• Squatting for up to 2 minutes a few times a day
• Pelvic Rocking (on all fours or standing) 10x
• Hula 10x (I was doing it well so got to demonstrate for the class - kind of embarrassing!)
• (Coach Assisted) Butterfly 10x
• Kegels (start small and work our way up)
• Side Relaxation (with massage!) She showed the Coaches (or Dads) how to massage the moms. She demonstrated on me and she knew exactly where to go! She obviously knows her stuff!

We were both very active in the class and had a pretty good night. We are looking forward to next week! 10 more weeks of classes and pregnancy doesn't seem like enough time, but it's shaping up to be a very informative and exciting 10 weeks.

I also attended my first Prenatal Aqua Aerobics class on Tuesday morning at the local Rec Center. I was unaware of how out of shape I am until I'd been swimming for about 20 minutes! I should have been doing this all along! I thought this would be an easy class to alleviate some back pain, but it really worked my arms and abs. It's a smaller class as well and the warm water feels amazing even if it is a little work. I'm excited about this new class too and am committing to Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-10am until baby comes.

Hopefully between my daily exercises, weekly Bradley classes and Aqua Aerobics classes I'll be in better shape and Dad and I will be better prepared for the big day!

Weeks 29-32 (Month 7): Squash

Baby’s energy is surging, thanks to the formation of white fat deposits beneath the skin. (Have those kicks and jabs to the ribs tipped you off yet?) Baby is also settling into sleep and waking cycles, though -- as you’ve also probably noticed -- they don’t necessarily coincide with your own. Also this month, all five senses are finally functional, and the brain and nervous system are going through major developments. 

Little Ninja

We're in the 28th week and starting the 7th month. I know I say this every blog, but time is flying by! He's about 2.5 lbs and about 16 " from head to toe. He has little eyelashes and blinks. He's also a very active little boy lately!

Syd & Jud have each felt the little guy kick! He gave Sydney a few big kicks. She was surprised and excited to feel how strong he was. Baby J.T. wasn't cooperating quite as nice for Jud, but he did get to feel some movement. J.T. has a tendency to do that with Dad too. Recently, I was taking a bath and he was moving around so much I could see my stomach rolling. Of course when I tried to show Ruggs he stopped. Twice. It's a game of cat and mouse! I get to experience him all the time but showing him off to others doesn't work as well. I'm sure it'll be that way after he's born too. He'll likely do something really cute and then when I try to show someone else and he won't do it. That's one of the the joys of parenthood I guess!?

He did give Dr. Huynh a couple of big kicks while she was trying to listen to his heartbeat today with the doppler. In fact, he directly kicked the doppler! He's like a little ninja in there lately! He's moving around pretty consistently and getting stronger each week. Everything looks good (heartbeat at 137 bmp and measuring 29 cm). I have to start going in for check ups every 2 weeks now instead of every 4. Its routine, but she starts to monitor things more closely since we're getting closer to the due date.

We start our Bradley classes next Monday. I'm pretty excited to get prepared for the big day. It seems like a daunting task not knowing what to expect so I'm hoping that I will feel more confident between the classes and a tour of the hospital (we won't schedule the tour for a few more weeks). I tell myself it's a natural process and women have been doing it for 1000s of years. It makes me feel a little better even though the closer we get the less confident I feel. I'll be sure to let you all know how our first Bradley class goes next Monday. It'll be a new (and hopefully fun) experience for us both!

Can you pass the ice cream? Wait, I mean I'll pass on the ice cream...

I can't believe we're 26 1/2 weeks! It's been amazing and now baby JT is starting to kick around like crazy! Lately, at about 11:30 at night (right about the time I'm trying to sleep), he starts to kick. Not just little flutters - it's like he's having his own dance party! If I'm awake I will play with him. I will lightly tickle my side and then lay my hand down and wait. Then, he'll kick kick kick! And we'll do it again. When Ruggs is awake he also feels and plays with him. It's a nice way to connect with baby Joseph even though he's still in utero.

Here's a belly pic. Yes, I'm wearing a swimsuit. Yes, it's bikini. Not sure I look "good" in it, but at least it tans in my belly a little!

Last week my Dr. asked me to have a routine glucose test to check for anemia and diabetes. So, Friday morning I drank the little orange drink, had a couple of eggs and went in for the blood draw. Sadly, there was a break down of communication and I ended up having them draw blood about 15 minutes early (which at the time I didn't think would make a difference). Tuesday, the nurse called and said that my results came back (my glucose was at 141 and my Dr. wanted to see it at 130) and I needed to come back in and have 3 hour Glucose test.

Worried, I went in yesterday morning for the test. (I was truly worried! I had even skipped my nightly ice cream until I could make sure everything was ok.) It was a very long morning! I arrived there at 8:15am. They did a blood draw to make sure it was safe for me to drink the stronger glucose drink. It was ok and I finally got to drink the orange drink about 9am. You have to drink it within 5 minutes. Yuk! The drink itself isn't so bad, but not eating AND drinking it was awful! It made me nauseous and I had to lay down for the last half hour of the first hour. Then, every hour after I finished drinking it we had to draw blood. So after 4 hours and being poked 4 times we finally left a little after noon.

The nurse called today and YAY! Everything is ok! Phew! Now where's that ice cream sandwich....

100 Days til Baby

With exactly 100 days until our due date we thought it might be nice to get Dad's POV too...

Well, here we are, 25 weeks. So far so good. I’ve weathered the 1st and 2nd trimesters, like a champ. My right shoulder and knee are still giving me problems, but since neither of those have anything to do with the actual pregnancy, I guess that’s kind of a moot point.

Let’s run down the checklist:

• The furniture is bought and assembled. Which was ridiculous, btw. Very pretty stuff, but far too many things to assemble.
   - “I’m a Doctor, Jim, not a carpenter!”
• The registries are finalized.
• The birthing classes are scheduled.
• The tower has now put us in a holding pattern… so here we sit and spin.

The good thing is - I think we’re pretty well prepared at this point. (I’m kind of an old dog at this, so the tricks have been learned.)
The bad thing is - There’s nothing to do except sit around and watch OUR bellies grow!

… and I do mean OUR. Both dad and mom are pushing maximum density. Maybe it’s the 36 pack of ice cream treats from Costco in the freezer. Maybe it’s the 9:30 popcorn munchies. Maybe it’s the fact that chips and salsa taste really great in the second trimester. I guess we’ll never know, but we’re having fun along the way. You see, pregnancy has eliminated a lot of exercise, travel, etc that Leslie may have been doing during this time, but I’m still lifting twice a week, playing softball once a week and trying to sneak in some tennis during a lunch break (or two.) One might think I would actually lose a pound or two with a regiment like this, but, no, to the contrary I am the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life. I am claiming “sympathy weight.” End of story.

Since this is my first shot at this blog, I suppose I can set the sarcasm aside for just a moment…

I was able to feel the little guy kick the other day and I’ve started talking to him more and more. I know he’s excited about coming out and playing with his dad, because he kicks his mom everytime I’m around. I am very excited about becoming a father again, and I can’t wait for Oct to come so we can usher JT into our family! Now that we’ve decided on a name and his bedding, I think I’ve officially covered my consulting service obligations. Now, I’m just looking forward to holding my little man for the first time!

T-minus 100 days. Wish us luck!

Love to all!

Ruggs

P.S. Leslie is a champion pregnant lady! This has truly been a breeze and a pleasure. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!