35 1/2 weeks and getting bigger!

We had our last prenatal class a week ago. I can't believe how fast time flies. The class was great and I really learned a lot. It was all about breastfeeding. I guess I never really realized how much of a skill it is. Growing up I always just thought it was natural and automatic. One thing the teacher said that I know will really help is that I am teaching the baby to breastfeed. He's never done it before so I have to help him learn. She said if I have that in mind then I won't get as frustrated. There were lots of little tricks and things she taught us. There will be a lactation specialist that will be there at the hospital to help us also. I'm grateful about that. She said if you have to do formula, it usually costs about $125/month! That's motivation enough to keep trying! I'm going crib shopping with Tyson's mom sometime next week. I'm excited about that. I'm really grateful she's willing to help us out with that. I borrowed a cradle type thing from a coworker for the baby to sleep in the first few weeks so he can be in our room with us. Things are coming together. My mom is going to buy us a carseat. We got one from Tyson's mom that had been used but it was over 5 years old. Our prenatal teacher said that carseats have a 5 year expiration date-- who would have thought! The plastic gets old and it's not as safe. So we're going to get a new one. There's so much stuff that babies need. I'm sure there's more stuff that I don't know about that he'll need. I have my dr. appointment on Monday. It's my first cervix check! I'll let you all know how that goes! :) Until then, you have a pretty picture in your mind!

Gas and Indigestion!

I had my doctor's appointment yesterday. I waited about 30+ minutes and was with the doctor for about 5. Things are good. Blood pressure is good. Pee was good. Baby's heartbeat was 155. We could hear it on my left side this time- last time it was on the right. I asked her about episiotomy (I don't know how to spell it). She said she only cuts one if the baby is struggling and she needs to get him out fast. She said with a woman's first baby she generally will tear a little but she won't cut an episiotomy unless the baby is in danger. That made me feel a little better. We talked about them in our last prenatal class and the teacher said to ask our doctor what her ratio was for cutting. I have my next appointment on Monday the 23rd and then it's every week after that! My next appointment will be an important one. She checks my cervix and then she does a test where she puts a swab up me to test for Strep B. She said some women have the virus but it does nothing to them but if her baby were to come out and come in contact with it, then the baby would get it and possibly die so if a woman has Strep B, then they treat her with antibiotics while she is in labor and that's supposed to take care of it. I hope I'm not one of the few lucky women to have the virus.
Yesterday was a hormonal day for me. We got a new KING size bed for free, which I love. I had a hard time sleeping the first night, so I didn't get much rest and then on top of that, bills just keeping piling on and Tyson's not working as much as he was in the summer so our income is much smaller but our expenses are increasing and especially with a baby they will even more, so I was stressed and had a little melt down and cried. After I got it all out, I was fine. It was nice to have a good cry. Tyson doesn't understand and thinks that when I cry, something is terribly wrong and when I don't want to talk about it, he gets frustrated. All it really is is released emotion. Poor boy!
As far a physicalness goes- I'm getting bigger. I have lots of gas and I'm getting indigestion more and more, which is something I've never really had to deal with-- the indigestion that is-- gas is a whole other story! :) I'm getting more and more uncomfortable. I'm still able to do quite a bit at work. I'm on my feet pretty much the whole day. The middle of my back gets sore and I feel like a brick is hanging from my crotch, but other than that things are great! Sometimes I'll be standing there and all of a sudden all my energy will drain out of me and my legs feel like I've just run a marathon. It's a weird feeling. It doesn't happen too much, which is good.
The baby's room is coming together a little more. We moved our old bed into his room for when my mom comes to stay with us after the baby is born. We'll leave the bed in there for when people come to visit. We still need a crib but other than that, I think we've got what we need. I'm sure when he comes I'll be wishing for more things, but right now we're pretty much set.

Well, our last class is tomorrow so I'm sure I'll be posting then.

3rd Prenatal Class

I'm at 34 weeks now! We had our second to last prenatal class a couple of nights ago. We had a sub because our usual teacher couldn't make it. She was cool and went through things very well. We talked a lot about what it will be like after we have the baby. She showed us the backless gowns we'll be wearing. She showed us this underwear that we have to wear while we're at the hospital and also the pads we'll be wearing. They were huge! We have to wear 2 of them side-by-side at a time too!! She said we'll probably bleed for about 4 weeks. Great!!! We'll have a bottle that we'll have to spray water down there everytime we use the bathroom. We talked about breastfeeding and some other stuff and then we had a Pediatrican come in and talk to us. He talked about baby check-ups and immunizations and things like that. He recommended that we all get flu shots. I guess I better get used to the whole needle thing! He talked a little about breastfeeding too and that when our babies are born their stomachs are really tiny and don't need much milk. It takes a couple of days for the milk to come in so the colostrum holds them over. He suggested that for how much your baby weighs, you cut that number in 1/2 and that's how many oz. of milk they should get a feeding. He said to feed them about every 3 hours. The sub talked about pacifiers and that if your baby isn't latching on and having a hard time breastfeeding, it's not a good idea to give them a pacifier because they might get confused but if they are breastfeeding just fine, then it's no big deal. Same with a bottle-- if your baby isn't latching on and you want to breastfeed, then you shouldn't use a bottle until they've got it down. I thought that was interesting. We're having a lactation specialist come and talk to us this next class. I think that's probably the thing I'm most worried about is breastfeeding and hoping it will work. Formula is just too expensive and breast milk is much better anyway. When Tyson was a baby he couldn't keep breast milk down and he was having a lot of diarrhea, so his parents had to get special formula for him. He's always had acid reflux/diarrhea type problems his whole life so there's a chance our baby might too. I hope not. My next doctor's appointment is on Tuesday. In 2 weeks I have one more and then it will be every week after that. The appointment in 2 weeks will be the first time she checks my cervix to see if I'm dilating and then she will every time after that. I can't believe it's getting so close. I'm feeling pretty good still. Today while I was cleaning, I had to take a bunch of breaks. It's getting harder to get around and do things that I normally do. It's not as bad as I thought it would be though. I think I get around pretty well compared to what I thought I would. I hear the last month is terrible though so I might be eating my words. Anyway, things are going well. My best friend Jena had a wonderful baby shower for me last weekend. It was so much fun to see friends from high school and visit with everyone. I got a lot of nice things too. I can't wait for him to come so I can use all of it! Well, I think I'm going to go lay down! I cleaned for about 3 hours or so and now I'm exhausted!! I'll post after my next dr. appointment.

Week 33

I feel like I've gotten HUGE!! I compared my first picture with this one (I'm wearing the same shirt) and I just feel like I've gotten so big. I still have 7 more weeks too! He's going to be a big boy!