33 Weeks

33 Weeks Pregnant

6 more to go!

I've had goals throughout this pregnancy, besides the "not gaining too much weight" goal I've had milestones that I've wanted to reach because they meant I was closer to having a baby and the closer I got to them, the better off my baby would be or basically he had a chance to live if I reached these certain weeks. Here's a rundown of my goals and why.

Pregnancy Goals:
To reach 14 weeks (2nd trimester): to reach this point is a big thing because you know that you're less likely to miscarry and this is usually when the fatigue and nausea subside.

To reach 20 Weeks: knowing you're halfway there.

To reach 24 Weeks: Knowing your baby has a good chance of survival (50%) if born at this age, not a good thing but a baby can survive.

To reach 28 Weeks (3rd trimester): Besides your baby having a greater chance of survival, you're in the last trimester!

To reach 32 Weeks: 8 months! Baby surviving with little time in the NICU.

To reach 34 Weeks: Lungs are almost completely developed and many babies born at this stage spend a couple of weeks in the hospital but for the most part do great.

To reach 37 Weeks: Not considered a preterm baby and labor will not be stopped if it were to start.

I was just now realizing that I only have 2 more goals to reach before my lil boy is here. Next week I'll reach my 2nd to last goal, WOW!

I've been very blessed to be able to have kids and blessed to have such healthy ones, this pregnancy has been great with some complaints here and there but for the most part I should NOT complain. It's crazy how I can sleep at night still and I read about other people's stories and how they can't sleep for the life of them and I can sleep at ANY time. I know I have 6 more weeks but if I can't sleep for these next 6 weeks I have this to read and remember how easy I had it!

The baby is still very active and still a night owl, he's up all night and sometimes I wake up to turn my big body over and he's still kicking away. Actually last night Naty was hugging me around 3am (I know cause I had came back in bed after going to the bathroom) and the baby kicked him right when he put his hand on me and yelled, "did the baby just kick you!??" and I said, "UUHH YEAH" and he just laughed and went back to bed. Little Nate has a mind of his own and is up late at night so I hope he doesn't think thats ok when he's here.

Also, I've had some swelling in my feet today, nothing major but I just came and sat on my bed and it went away. I've gotta keep up with my water and watch my salt intake to keep it under control cause my feet got really bad with Bubbs but that was because I didn't take care of myself and didn't know what to do.

Overall, had a good week and hoping this week goes smoothly too. I'm going to make sure to walk this week and keep my eating under control. See ya.

Non-Stress Tests

2 out of 14 NSTs done!

Wow! how am I going to drive all the way to Fontana twice a week for NSTs?!? I've had a hard time getting there twice already, I wish they'd give me the equipment to take home, hey I should ask! Anyway, a NST is when they strap you to a contraction and baby heart monitor and they basically monitor the baby's movements and heart and make sure everything is going great. I also get a short ultrasound to check my fluid levels and the nurse usually gives me a short glimpse of Nate. Today was hilarious! Nate wasn't moving cause he was totally knocked out so here comes the nurse with a buzzer and she zaps my belly and the baby started moving like crazy. OMG! it was so funny how she came at me with that thing, she says, "he's head down right?" and I say yes and she just comes at my bottom belly (LOL) and BBzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, I just jumped up, both the baby and I.

So far so good with the NSTs, I guess its all worth it cause they can catch any distress on the baby and can move quickly from there. So that brings me to 2 down and 14 to go. Ok I better get the kids stuff ready, we're going to the drive in!

Cloth Baby Wipe Tutorial

I got my diaper bag!

This is the inside of the bag, I love the polka dots!

I bought it at Babies R Us and I LOVE IT! Can't wait to fill it up, LOL

Doc Appt. 6/15

Had another great appt.! I seen the high risk doctor again and got to see lil Nate again! and this time Naty went with me and told the doctor that he wanted to see his weenis for himself so he showed him and yes, its still there! lol He measured his leg bone that was measuring 32 weeks and his belly that was measuring exactly at 32 weeks so he's doing awesome! and get this.......he's estimated to weigh in at 4 lbs. 8 oz! that's one big kid but the doc said he's perfect, not big or small, just perfect so I'm glad the diabetes isn't making him big. He also went over alot of great information and said I'll be seeing him again, I'm not sure why but I don't mind, that means I get to see lil Nate again, yayy. Not sure when I'll see Dr. Tsai but when I do, I'll get a time to go with my c-section, so far I've got Aug. 2nd but no time which I want to know, badly!

Also, Naty and I passed by the other hospital that the doctor said I can have Nate at and its really nice. Its a catholic hospital in San Bernardino but we're still not sure if we're gonna go for it. Also, the hospital is really far so thats a huge minus.

I start my Non-stress tests (NST) this week and that is when they monitor the baby's heart and any contractions to make sure everything is still going good since I have GD. I'll be going twice a week for that and seeing the doctor every 2 weeks.

Here's my appts.
June 17th @ 10:40am.........NST
June 19th @ 8:40am..........NST
June 29th @ 3:00pm..........NST
June 29th @ 3:40pm..........Doc Appt. w/high risk doctor

I just noticed that they didn't schedule me for NSTs for the week of the 22nd so I'm gonna have to ask when I go Wed.

Oh and I forgot! when we seen the baby his legs and arms were over his face, it was so cute but the doctor couldn't get any good pictures of him but he did give me two that he took but again, they're hard to make out. I'll upload them tomorrow, other than that, I couldn't be any happier...Thank you JESUS!

32 Weeks, 8 Months!

32 Weeks Pregnant

yayy!! 7 weeks left!

According to babycenter and other pregnancy websites my baby is about 17 inches long and 4 lbs already! I'm still getting the, " you don't look big" and "i didn't even know you were pregnant" comments which are totally fine with me! LOL I was even told that I look like I lost weight instead of gained a bunch of times already. My belly looks hard and not so big to me but I can totally feel the weight down there. I feel so heavy and drained by the end of the day. The good thing that I'm happy about is that my sciatica pain is gone and hasn't been bugging. I'm also really happy about the weather lately, I know it can change really soon but its been in the 70's so I've been very comfortable (temp. wise).

I'm thinking of going to Babies r us and getting the rest of my stuff (diaper bag) so that I'll be ready for the hospital. I have almost everything I need and we just can't wait. I know I have a little time left over to sleep but I just can't wait to meet this little hyper child. I really have a strong feeling that he's going to come earlier. Like I'm gonna go into labor or my water will break before my c-section date. So lets say that happens at 37 weeks, that means I have 5 weeks left which I hope doesn't happen, I want him fully baked before he comes, nothing before 38 weeks is what I'm hoping! Yeah I'm uncomfortable and feeling heavy, I still want a healthy baby. The kids are still super excited, they kiss my belly and talk to him alot. I can't wait to see them all together, my three kids! WOW!! 3 KIDS!

Anyway, I have a doc appt. tomorrow so I'll update when I get home!

A small update

I forgot to mention in my last post that I've been having contractions at night. I've skipped some nights but for the most part I've been getting menstural like cramping every night but it only happens once or twice and then its done. I know it can be a million other things but I believe they are contractions and I'll bring it up to my doctor on the 15th. So far I've had one tonight and I'm not sure if I'm having them when I'm asleep but I wouldn't doubt it. Ok, thought I'd write this since I forgot about it.

P.S. this pic was taken about a week ago so I'll make sure to take another pic soon, a far away one, lol.

31 Weeks

31 Weeks Pregnant

8 weeks to go!

Still doing good, having occasional pressure and round ligament pain but that's to be expected. I still don't think I'm that big but I can feel the weight still. Nate is still moving around alot and kicking like crazy, he's one active boy!

But overall things are going well, I really don't have much to report since things have been kind of boring around here. I was just complaining to Naty that I'm so bored and don't know what to do with myself and he said I should read a book! LMAO! oh yeah! that will solve it all. But I really think I need to get out more, we were busy all weekend and today I slept most of the day and felt like a big loser. Bubbs was sick at home today and I just wanted to lay around and be a bum but it made me feel down. I really need a hobby.

anyway, things are good and I have nothing to complain about! see you soon.

Hospital Bag

I went to target to find the perfect diaper bag and they only had 2 to choose from. So I decided to wait till I made a trip to Babies r us to find the perfect one. I made a list of everything I need and bought some items off my list for my hospital bag. Here's a pic of what I have so far.

I'm glad I made this trip because the breastpads and nipple cream was expensive! It was almost $20 for both items! So I think its smart to start early so that things don't add up all at once.
The items I have are nail clippers, face wash, toothpaste, antibacterial gel, shampoo, mouthwash, wipes (they don't have these in the hospital, they give you dry rough ones that you have to wet, they suck), breastpads, lotion, chapstick, and nipple cream.
OH! and that long thing under the breastpads aren't going with me to the hospital but I thought they were neat! they're disposable baggies for stinky diapers, They have an extra roll that comes with it and it clips onto your diaperbag.

So far I'm missing, toothbrush, deodorant, rubberbands, brush, some makeup, razor, nursing bra, my own towel, soap, conditioner and for baby his going home outfit, mittens and his lotion. So far so good!

Advice: Recovering from a C-Section

Here I'll attempt to offer my wonderful advice about recovering from c-sections. I had 2 in my time, 1 not so enjoyable and the other alot more tolerable.

1) Take your pain medication on time!
If the bottle says every 4 hours, take it at exactly every 4 hours. This was a tough lesson that I learned with Bubbs birth. I was so excited to go home that I didn't think about getting my prescription right after I left the hospital, instead I waited past the 4 hours and then when I started to feel pain asked a friend to go get it filled for me, DO NOT ATTEMPT THAT! I had problems with the insurance and had to wait about 10+ hours since my last pill to have my medicine and let me tell you, it DID NOT work! It took about 10 more hours for my body to relax and calm down from the intense pain before it started to work, so meanwhile I was grouchy, crying and couldn't take care of my baby.

Now for Audrey's birth, I was on top of it, I had my alarm set for every 4 hours and took it right when my alarm would go off and never had severe pain like I experienced with Bubbs.

2) Use the HELP!
Just being cut open isn't pleasant so make sure you get your army of family and friends there to help you. I luckily have my MIL and mom to help with this so I will be using them as much as I can and as much as their willing cause doing too much too fast can cause pain and slow down the healing process. I had a hard time with this one cause I'm very independant but again, I learned a tough lesson here. I was cleaning, washing, cooking, etc.. a day after I got out of the hospital (again with Bubbs) and that was NOT a good idea. I remember being so exhausted that by the time I'd sit down to relax, that is when the baby would wake and I'd have to suffer getting up all over again and taking care of him. So if people offer, use them for a day or two and spread them out so that they don't feel overwhelmed and so that you don't feel as bad for having them help you. You shouldn't feel bad though! I know people that feel honored that you have accepted their help. Or if you don't want them in your direct presence, ask them to help with a meal.

3) Get Outside!
This one might be hard for me since I'll be having him in the summer but I'll make sure to sit out in the early morning to get my sunshine and natural chemicals going that will help with depression and my overall mood. I've suffered from depression after both delieveries so I'm pretty sure I'm prone to getting it again but since I'll be breastfeeding (BF), I've gotta keep up with the natural remedies of keeping it away till I stop BF.

4) Have everything within reach!
So that you're not getting up and overusing your muscles, make sure you have everything close by. I'd have a little table filled with water, apple juice, crackers, medication, phone, diapers, wipes, extra change of clothes for baby, crossword, book and now I'll make sure to have my laptop right by my side! This time I'll use one of my closet boxes or you can use a hamper or a little plastic container from the dollar tree to house non-food items. My box will carry diapers, wipes, extra clothes for baby, tissue, book, bibs, socks, etc.. and keep it close. I'll most likely be on my bed or on the couch so it will move with me. The most important is your water and medication!

5) Eat 6 small frequent meals!
to keep your constipation at bay. Make sure to eat fruit/veggies with each meal. Constipation and Gas are a major problem for C-sectioned mothers, mostly cause of the pain medication but also because of the procedure itself, because things are shifted and moved around in there, the bowels need time to adjust and can results in weird things. If I were you, I'd also take stool softeners, no matter what twice a day. Just to keep the constipation away and esp. if you're taking Vicodin (ouch).

6) Keep Hydrated!
Make water your main source of hydration and add the juices in here and there for the energy, taste and help with constipation. I would usually pour half juice and half water so that I wasn't getting pure sugar. I know drinking too much can make you go to the bathroom alot and make you get up more than usual BUT I think that is good exercise and should be your only exercise for now (the first week). Because you have your stuff close by it can keep you from numerous trips of getting up and straining yourself. Another thing that might work is drinking your water before you eat so that after you eat you can make a trip to the bathroom before going back to your spot.

7) Stretch and Change positions often!
If you're laying down, switch sides, if you're sitting down maybe sit on a donut or pillow from time to time to take pressure off your tailbone cause believe me, ur butt will start to hurt! Also, do light stretching while sitting there to keep the blood flowing.

8) Keep your incision clean and dry!
Make sure to take a daily shower and gently wash your incision when the doctors say you can. Make sure to wash off all soap, do not leave anything behind and once you're done, dry it good. I would gently wipe it with a towel then blow dry it with cool air, then I'd use a pantyliner in between my belly flap so that theres no skin to skin contact there (I know, sick!) After about a week I use a slab of toilet paper and it works really good. This whole procedure will keep your incision from haboring nasty bacteria and causing infection. I've known many that have gotten c-section infections and it is not good, they've all told me different stories and none of them were good.

9) Nap when baby naps!
This one is very popular and you'd be surprised on how many don't do this and this is such a must. It will help you be refreshed and help you with your late night feedings. You don't have to sleep all day or everytime but at least twice cause those late night feedings and changes are going to be HARD!

So far, thats all I've got BUT I know I'll remember things later on so I'll update as I remember. The main thing to remember is, Do Not Be Afraid, if it was that horrible I wouldn't be having my third c-section. Once that baby is in ur arms you totally forget about everything! so good luck and congrats!