Brie Fit

Our 5K walk did not send me into labor, but it felt worthy of commemorating since this is a fitness blog and all.  Yes, I finished, and it wasn’t that bad aside from having to pee and general baseball-bat-to-the-crotch feeling.

I don’t know why I’m posing like a supermodel, but…why not. 

So…bam.  41 weeks today.  Working it.

Let’s get this induction party started.  22 hours and counting!

…and still pregnant.

I haven’t been blogging lately because frankly, my mind is pretty much 100% consumed with impending baby.  I am completely in the "get it out" mindset now.  It hurts and I’m tired.  Mentally, I’ve been "preparing" myself to go late from day one since I know the first-time-mom lottery isn’t in my favor, but there is really nothing you can do to prepare for this. 

The good was that this was my last week of work, but man, it wasn’t pretty.  I was dragging major ass all week.  I am so, so tired of wearing the same 8 maternity dresses, let me tell you.

My co-workers threw me a book-themed shower, so this kid is fully prepared to be a big nerd like his parents now–it was very sweet of them and I had a great time!

The bullet points:

• I feel like I’ve been kicked in the crotch.  My pubic bone is obviously separating and it makes doing anything in which my legs need to go two different directions extremely painful.  The absolute worst things are putting on pants, rolling over in bed, and getting up into our very high bed.  Ouch.
• Doctor’s appointment again billed us both as perfectly healthy, but involved the phrases, "We’re just going to have to wait this kid out," and "hmm, there’s got to be a cervix up in there SOMEWHERE."  So basically, no progress, but essentially all that is meaningless anyway.  (RIGHT?  RIGHT!?!??)  My OBs are very natural-minded, and don’t talk induction until you start getting past 41 weeks, which is both reassuring and panic-inducing.
• Foot cramps.
• One of the frustrating things about being almost due is that I feel like I can’t procrastinate anything!  Everything has to get done right now this minute…or it might not get done.  And I feel like my house has to be fairly tidy all the time, because God forbid I go into labor with dust bunnies on the floor.
• Baby’s movements are starting to hurt.  He is clearly running out of room, so when he sticks knees or elbows or a butt out, I really feel like he’s stretching out my skin beyond what it should be.
• Related: oh, the stretch marks.  I avoided them altogether, but now there are more every day, mostly in a nice smile beneath my belly button.
• Absolutely no contractions.  Mild cramping, some in my lower back, some that could be round ligament pain.
• Did acupuncture last Saturday and going again later today.  Since I was 38w6d at my last appointment, she did a more gentle “labor preparation” session, but said she would step up the intensity this week, since I will be just twelve hours shy of my due date.  And if I DO reach the point where there’s an induction on the calendar, I’ll go in for a full-blown acupuncture induction first.
• I gave up on the idea of cooking a beautiful freezer full of meals to eat after the baby is here.  I’ve been lucky to get dinner on the table at all this week, so forget any extra cooking.  Instead, I went to Trader Joe’s and stocked up on frozen meals and snacks.  Same difference, right?

So, now I’m on maternity leave. 

have had a generally easy, very healthy pregnancy, for which I am very thankful.  In fact, I found myself telling my OB this week, "It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be."  And that’s true!  I really anticipated that I would be horribly uncomfortable at this point, and I’m not. 

Buuut I’m kind of over it.  I have one more week of work, and I am just not quite mentally all there anymore.  I am achy by the end of the day, and we’ve still been seeing triple digit temperatures every day.  And I am rapidly outgrowing my maternity clothes, or also getting stains all over them because I can’t eat a meal without covering my giant belly in food.  And I can’t go out in public without feeling like a total sideshow.

And you know what I realized last week?  Between miscarriages and this pregnancy, I have been pregnant for almost the entire last year.  (Beginning in early September 2011, I was only NOT pregnant in some capacity from November 1-20 and December 3-24-ish 2011.  I have been pregnant for all of 2012, though we didn’t find out until a few days after the new year).  Gross, right?

Every morning I wake up and think, "damn.  Still pregnant.  Guess I have to go to work today."

But enough bitching.  I’m going to use this weekend to spoil myself and do things I enjoy.  I got a pedicure last night after work.  Whee! 

Randoms:

• It’s hilarious now when people are like, "DON’T LIFT THAT BOX!" and whatnot.  I want to be like, "Um, so what if it sends me into labor?  I’m full term, bitches.  Give me more boxes!"
• Doctor’s appointment this week was fine.  Baby and I are the picture of health.  My blood pressure was something like 110/70, baby’s heartbeat was in the 140s. 
• I have had some signs of progress, but nothing major or worth getting excited about.  But I get excited about it anyway, and it leads to a big fat nothing.
• I read two books of birth stories this week, both of which I enjoyed much more than the oft-recommended, absurdly crunchy Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth.  The first was The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times about a midwife working with nuns in London after the war.  I am currently working on Baby Catcher: Chronicles of a Modern Midwife, which is about a midwife in California in the 1960s.  I have really enjoyed both of them and it’s been great to read birth stories that are less about visualizing ocean waves in my yoni or whatever than about regular women, having babies in whatever way feels best to them.
• Still love our giant bathtub so, so, so much.  That is where I do most of my reading.  I soak for about an hour each night and it’s the happiest part of my day.
• Going for acupuncture today.  I haven’t been since the end of first trimester, since everything has been so easy peasy for me.  According to my acupuncturist, these “pre-birth” treatments will help start relaxing everything to prepare for labor.  And if I DO reach the stage where my OBs think I need to be induced, I can do an acupuncture induction with her first to try to prevent that.  (But, I’m not there yet.  Tomorrow is just general birth prep.)

Almost there.  It is crazy that the milk in my fridge will expire after my due date!

Other possible subtitles: a study in growing out a short haircut; a tour of ugly bathrooms; or I can’t believe I used to think I was big.

Depending on how you judge it (some people say 37 weeks, some say 38), I’m now one day shy of full term pregnant.

And this is what that looks like:

I’m no longer panicked.  I feel like some sort of calming hormone has been released, and even though I can get ragey about all kinds of other stuff, I am not afraid of labor, or being a mom anymore.  Maybe I should be? 

I know we’re as ready for this as we can get.  I know Tim is going to be a totally amazing father, and we are going to be lucky enough to have family and friends to help us find our way.

Anyway, remember how I said I wouldn’t write a birth plan?  Well, I’m still not, but we decided it would be a wise idea to have a cheat sheet regarding purely medical decisions, just in case.  I refuse to say things like "I will want music" or "I will require vanilla-scented candles, green Gatorade, and three pillows" because I still have no idea what my preferences will be.  But medical decisions probably won’t change in the moment.  So, without further ado, my birth “cheat sheet” or whatever:

• I would prefer to have a flexible birth environment above all else and want to know my options before any decisions are made.
• I would like to go without pain medication for as long as I can tolerate, but I am open to pain relief and will ask for it if needed.  In the event that I request pain relief, I would prefer an epidural to analgesics.
• I would prefer to tear naturally over an episiotomy. 
• After the birth, we would like the cord clamping and cutting delayed until it stops pulsing.  We would prefer to delay any non-emergent procedures such as a bath until after breastfeeding has been established.
• In the event the baby and I must be separated, Tim is to stay with the baby at all times.
• We are undecided on circumcision and would like to speak with our pediatrician before it is done.

Anyway, that’s the best I could come up with, and I think it’s pretty clear.  I really hope I don’t get the eyeroll for being the chick with the birth plan, but I think this one’s fairly flexible, which is what we were going for.  (BTW, skin-to-skin immediately post-birth is the default at my hospital, which is why I didn’t write it in there.)  I may or may not even give it to my doctor.  I don’t know.  It was helpful to write it out, anyway.

This week:

• Another doctor’s appointment.  Everything is normal.  I saw the OB this week who did my D&C back in November, and it was bittersweet.  Seeing him reminded me of my losses, of course, but I’m glad to be seeing him in this state this time around.  He was very impressed that I have not had any swelling at all, my blood pressure was in the 120/70 range, baby’s heartbeat was 152 and my fundal height is right on track.
• Serious craving for fountain pop.  I want a huge Diet Coke with lots of ice, and the canned variety will not do.
• At least 2-3 bathroom trips overnight.  Laying on my side all night makes my hip ache ON that side, so I tend to sleep to the left, get up to pee, switch to the right, get up to pee, repeat.
• Generally large, tired, easily annoyed, and my back and hips ache, but…you know.  That’s normal, I guess.  I feel surprisingly good given the circumstances, so long as I take it relatively easy and don’t try to do too much.

And now…we wait.

Ginormous belly.

I just don’t feel like I can get any bigger, but I suppose I’ll have to? 

I know a lot of people get to a point where they’re just ready to not be pregnant and meet their baby, but I’m not there yet.  I mostly still like being pregnant, am pretty comfortable, and I am not ready for him to make his appearance for at LEAST nine or ten more weeks. 

I had a doctor’s appointment on Monday, which confirmed my suspicions that the baby went through a growth spurt.  At 27 weeks, I was measuring 27 weeks exactly.  At 30 weeks, though, I’m measuring at 31 weeks.  So…Lumpy’s been growing nicely. The rest of the appointment was routine–blood pressure good, pee sample good, heartbeat a steady 144.

The OB wasn’t able to tell me a ton about the baby’s position, but based on a few things she could tell me…

I’m kind of fascinated with belly mapping and figuring out where this kid is. 

That diagram roughly equates to:

Or something.  He has plenty of time to turn, so I’m not concerned. 

Weekly randoms:

• I reiterate, the only appropriate comment to say to a pregnant woman is “You look great.”  Not, “YOU HAVE TWO MONTHS LEFT?” or “That’s going to be a big baby!” or “Have you dropped yet?”  And FFS, don’t call me “mama” in a professional environment.  I get that people are just trying to be interested and nice, but…it is going to be a very long nine weeks, I have a feeling.
• I can no longer paint my toenails.  It’s official.
• I’m so tired.  I’m more exhausted in third trimester than I was at the very beginning.  I could pretty much always go for a nap.
• I’m anxious to finish the nursery.  Right now, we’re just waiting for the glider/ottoman to be delivered (should be here by the end of the month, hopefully) and our curtains/crib bedding to be finished (friend is making it, not sure when she’ll be done).  My nesting instinct is no freaking joke, y’all.
• This kid already has a more extensive wardrobe than I do and I haven’t even had a shower yet.  I’m going to need more storage.  Help.  Send cubes!

31 weeks, up next.  Crazy.  I’m not ready for this!

This was the week where maaaybe I started to feel uncomfortably pregnant.

I think the baby had another growth spurt this week.  I woke up on the Fourth of July, looked in the mirror, and was like, "um, hello."  Plus, I’ve been starving and tired.  I am glad he’s growing, but a little nervous at facing the scale at the OB’s office on Monday. 

Randoms

• I thought the baby was breech a few weeks ago, but it seems like he’s done some flipping.  I feel lots of kicking going on on my right side and up higher than before, and a butt-like bulge a little higher than the kicks.  Also, there’s a lot more pressure on my bladder than I ever felt before.  So, if I had to guess, I’d say he’s head down, punching and kicking my right innards.  I’m going to see if the OB can tell where he is at my next appointment.  I have the self awareness of a hippopotamus, though, so don’t be surprised if I’m completely wrong.
• I’m nesting.  Suddenly, the laundry room wallpaper/painting project had to GET DONE RIGHT NOW OMG WE’VE BEEN WORKING ON IT SINCE DECEMBER.  And I have organized the baby’s sock drawer about five times.  If a registry gift arrives, I set it up immediately, and then move it around the house twelve times until I find the perfect spot for it.  And when the hell are my glider and ottoman and curtains and crib skirt going to be ready OMFG? 

• My movement is getting more and more restricted.  It’s hard to get up off the couch and out of bed.  "Hoist" is being used as a verb more and more frequently.
• Middle of the night bathroom trips are back.  There were a ton at the end of first trimester, and then they waned for awhile in second trimester, and now they’re probably here to stay until the bitter end.
• We booked a newborn photographer and tentatively scheduled a date for those pictures.  (Whoa!)
• It is really damn hard to exercise these days, between still working full time, being exhausted and huge, and the 100+ degree temperatures here.  I’d like to get at least 3 workouts a week in, and even that seems ambitious to me, but I don’t want to give up completely just yet.
• Food-related: I want banana coconut cream pie.  I still have mild aversions to Greek yogurt and scrambled eggs.
• I’d like a beer, please and thank you.  Sigh.

Week 30 ahead!  Bananas!

I’m at a point where I kind of have to scratch my head and be like, "what week am I?"

But yeah, week 27, also known as the beginning of third trimester.  Whaaat?

The highlight of this week was taking my gestational diabetes test.  And by highlight, I mean, "it really wasn’t that bad, so stop bitching about it, collective of pregnant women out there."

My instructions said to avoid "concentrated" sweets the day before, and not to eat anything after I’d had the drink.  I started the morning with a protein-packed breakfast.  I know eggs would have been the easy option here, but they’re really the only food I’m still kind of finicky about.  I like them hardboiled, and not in the morning.  So I went with something more palatable: almonds, cashews, and string cheese.

Then, one hour before my appointment, I drank the glucose drink they’d given me to take home at my last appointment.  I did this in my car, before visiting a daycare.  No big deal.  It tasted like flat Sprite.  I went for the chug approach and it worked just fine.

I visited the daycare (which is nice, and uses cloth diapers, and made me happy to realize that it’s not staffed by axe murderers and the children appeared happy), then went to my appointment.  An hour after I chugged, they drew my blood. 

The worst part was waiting for the doctor, who was running behind due to a delivery, after the blood draw for 45 minutes.  Boo.

Baby was agitated by the glucose and kicked the shit out of the Doppler wand a few times, but his heart rate was 144 and just fine.  My pee was clear, my blood pressure was fine (117/74 or so?), I’m gaining weight appropriately (on the high end of normal, okay, but not too bad), and according to the old tape measure, my fundal height is right on track for 27 weeks.  Maybe this won’t be a giantoid baby after all!

Anyway, I passed.  I was nervous, because I have a family history of diabetes, which is a risk factor, but it all wound up okay in the end.

Randoms:

• I’ve had an unfortunate resurgence of nausea/morning sickness.  God, it kills me to type this.  But I think I am at a point where the baby is just running out of room, and just kicks the shit out of my stomach and guts, and it makes me kind of queasy, and I am generally kind of uninterested in food lately.  It’s worse on an empty stomach.  I hope this goes away, but I’m not convinced it will.
• This week, my baby shower invitations went out!
• This also means that the first few items have been purchased from our registries.  Yes, I’m a shameless registry stalker.  What?  Amazon sends me an e-mail every time someone buys something.  It’s thrilling!  It appears two Baby Containment Devices have been purchased, which is good, because those are high on our priority list. 
• I am kind of reducing the frequency of CrossFit to about twice a week.  As much as I love it, it’s not quite as fun when I have to find a way to modify pretty much everything, and any running makes me cramp up pretty regularly.  I’m making up for it by trying to walk more with the dog in the evenings.

Oh, and hey, it’s a bump.  At what point do we just refer to it as a mountain?

God bless the co-worker who told me that I’ve only gained weight in my belly, and the rest of me doesn’t even look pregnant.  I’m pretty sure this is the #1 best thing you can ever tell a pregnant woman, ever.  FYI.

So, I started the Under Armour What’s Beautiful challenge feeling kind of “meh” about staying healthy and fit during pregnancy.  Sure, I WANTED to, but I wasn’t exactly driven about it.  I was doing an okay job at it, but there were too many mornings I slept through my workout and not enough healthy meals.

Writing down this commitment has been good for me.

I’ve started to think less about the goal of having a healthy pregnancy and more about what that fit pregnancy will get me (hopefully): an easier and quicker labor and delivery, a healthier baby, and hopefully a quicker time bouncing back post-partum.  Thinking about the results is what gets me out of bed these days!

It’s been pretty great to have UA supporting me through this whole thing.  I really appreciate that their clothes have been pregnancy-friendly—the tops are all nice and long, and everything stretches really well to accommodate my, uh, expanding midsection.

One product I’ve really enjoyed is the Charm Tank—it’s fit me really well, but shrinks back after a wash so I’ll be able to wear it post-baby, too!

Anyway, here’s a check in on the specifics:

• Work out 3-4 times a week.  Check.  Mostly 3 times a week, but that’s okay with me.  Those are three intense workouts!
• Know my limits.  Check.  I really wanted to do a full Murph on Memorial Day, but scaled back to a partner version due to the heat instead.
• More fruits and veggies. Check!  As of the last check-in, I was struggling with this, but I’ve started centering my lunch around a salad and fruit and that’s really helped.  I do have an insatiable sweet tooth lately, though, which is a bit of an issue.  But I’m improving!
• Take my vitamins. Check.
• Don’t stress about the post-baby body.  Check.  I’m too busy stressing about becoming a parent, period, to worry about this!

Side note: I’ve sort of started thinking about CrossFit as my birthing class, since we’re not doing one of those beyond the quickie one-day session at the hospital.

From everything I’ve read about birth, many of the concepts are the same!  (Like if something hurts, move around until it feels better.  Don’t push until you feel ready.  Squats are your friend.  A little pain is okay.  It may hurt now, but you’re not going to die from the pain.  Et cetera.)

Anyway, I’m glad I feel like I have a better handle on a healthy pregnancy, and I’ve been able to refocus myself.  Here’s hoping I can keep the motivation going through a long, hot third trimester!

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So!  Now that we know it’s a boy, we’re actually DOING stuff to prepare for said boy.

Last weekend, we registered.  Which, I might add, was totally frigging overwhelming.  We’re going with Babies R Us and Amazon, so we spent Saturday wandering around the store with the scanner gun.  (Then, I spent the rest of Saturday changing everything.)  I wish I could have you guys review, but, you know, privacy and all. 

Basically, I registered for one of everything.  I’d rather have too much stuff than not enough.  We have a crapton of storage room, and can re-evaluate priorities after any shower/showers that take place.

We also (I think) settled on some sort of design for the nursery.

This is going to be our rough color scheme:

(Source.)

I think the plan is…

• Light aqua blue walls, like the chevrons in B and the dots in D
• Either this crib in white or this crib in gray
• Use either the chevron or dots fabric for a crib skirt
• Dark gray valance and/or curtains
• A gallery wall with white frames and children’s book artwork/prints in the rough color motif of aqua/white/gray/red/black
• This dresser?  Maybe?  Can you have a dark wood dresser with a gray or white crib?  Is that weird?  Should I get a dark wood crib then, too?
• Neutral-colored glider, perhaps with a fun red quilt.

Discuss.  I have no idea if this will look crappy or not.

Other stuff:

• I now have to hoist myself off the couch.  My “core” as I knew it is totally gone.
• Had a check-up, baby was good and we were both called “perfect” by the doctor.  He seems to enjoy making the nurses chase him around with the Doppler wand.
• I’ve had some serious shortness of breath lately, primarily after meals.  I think this baby is squashing my lungs.
• My skin feels super sensitive.  TMI, but I’d go naked 24/7 if I could.  Bras and underwear irritate the crap out of my skin.
• I got my first two stranger comments this week, both “When are you due?”…once from a meeting at work, and once from the lady at the DMV.
• Movement is pretty regular now.  I’ll go most of the day without feeling him, but he seems to go nuts in the evenings and before bed.  I feel him the most after eating and before bed.  Nothing that’s like “that’s a kick!” yet, but I can feel him rolling about and generally doing things.

And finally, le bump:

I can’t believe this baby is half baked on Sunday.  Whoa.