1 Month

I can't believe it's been one month already! Where did my tiny newborn baby go?
It's been a blur these past 4 weeks. Every day feels long, but the weeks fly by. Every day something new.

Weight: His last weigh in was at 3 weeks. He was 8lbs 1 oz.

Health: According to the drs he's in perfect health. He's alert when he's awake, he feeds well and he sleep well. He has been gassy so we're trying to go dairy free for him. Going gluten free was hard, and I still cheat, but going dairy free? I LOVE cheese and yogurt. He's worth it. I suspect it will just be temporarily until his gut flora and intestines mature a little more. We'll reevaluate in a few months.

Sleep: There are some days where he just wants to sleep on me and putting him down starts the entire feed, activity, sleep process all over. There are far worse ways to spend a day than being stuck under a sleeping baby. He's so toasty warm too which is great for me since I'm always cold these days.
At night he sleeps 2-3 hours, sometimes he's blessed me with 4. He's a great nighttime baby. Very much like his dad and likes to sleep!

Social: starting to smile at us now. He coos, he gurgles and he laughs in his sleep like Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. (Seriously, it's hilarious and adorable)

Diet: ME! We're exclusively breastfeeding and I love it. Judging by the coos and smiles and how he falls sleep soundly after eating, I'm guessing Gabriel loves it too. It's amazing to feel so close to him. It's great to be able to feed him wherever, whenever and not have to worry about cleaning bottles or prepping anything or making sure I have enough with me when I go.
There are some days I feel completely empty when he cluster feeds, but I'm always amazed at my body to provide. Mothers truly are remarkable.
I'm continuing to eat gluten free and am considering diary free for his sake. We'll see how that goes in the next month.

Clothes: He's outgrown his newborn clothes and is now wearing 0-3. He has such long legs that a few of his sleepers aren't fitting him either. He's had a lot of clothes given as gifts or offloaded from friends who have sons that don't fit it anymore.

Baby Gear Love: Wraps - Moby, Maya Ring Sling, Babyhawk Mei Tei. I don't know what I'd do without them. Love the Graco Fast Action Jogger stroller we bought. It's so easy to push and the car seat clips in really quickly. Costco sleepers (Peckle) - they are soft, warm and have long enough legs for him.

Crying: He's had an increase of crying around his 3.5 - 4 week mark which is typical for babies I've read. We realized he had really bad gas and tried to do all the suggestions we've heard and read but nothing really worked. We figured out, and this is going to sound strange, that his cloth diapers were hindering his ability to pass gas. He outgrew his newborn diapers so we put him in his one size Bum Genius 4.0. They say they start at 8lbs. That's a lie. He couldn't bend his legs or his body. I realized that overnight when we use disposables he doesn't fuss and doesn't have gas pains. I thought I'd experiment for a day without his cloth on and it made a huge difference for him. We will definitely get back to using cloth again since we both like it, but for now, this is working for us.

Likes: He loves his play mat and the octopus that he got at the baby shower. He hits it with his hand and smiles. He also loves staring at himself in the mirror. Handsome fellow, so I can't blame him.
Cuddles. He loves to cuddle on his belly against Gilles or I on our chests. He can sleep there for hours.

Dislikes: Hard to say sometimes. Something that worked the day or 4 hours before, he doesn't like later.
Cloth diapers (for now. See Crying)

Postpartum:
Physically - My stitches dissolved the second week. I limited myself to going up and down the stairs once per day only to protect and heal the pelvic floor muscles. Lots of naps when he napped. Thankfully had Gilles home the first two weeks which made a huge difference. He made all the meals and kept me hydrated as well as kept me sane with the dogs. Now at the one month mark I'm able to go for at least a 30 minute walk and have no issues with soreness.
Emotionally - I'm so thankful for my placenta pills. Maybe it's a placebo, maybe it's not. I am at risk for post-partum depression so it was a no-brainer to get the pills done. I started taking them as soon as I got them from our doula. Most days I take one, but there have been a few meltdowns where I just couldn't cope and took 2. I've had a couple nights where I've rocked him and been crying. I'm so thankful for Gilles and him being so understanding. He just gives me a hug and tells me I'm doing great and asks what I need.

Milestones: He lost his umbilical stump around 6 days. He's alert more often. He likes to stare at the roof where the blinds make shadows. We've seen a few smiles and cooing.

The first two weeks

Welcome to life as a new mom! I can't believe that we're here. That two weeks have gone by. They actually let us take a baby home! Are they nuts? We don't know what we're doing.

I'm tired.
I'm in love.
I'm hungry as if it's third trimester again.
I'm thirsty all the time.
I get the best cuddles in the world.
3 am feedings may be exhausting, but his cute little smiles make it all worth it.

Things I've learned:
Everything is a phase. Take time to just enjoy every minute. It's hard. It's exhausting. I've never done a job as hard or as rewarding as being a mother. I feel like I am whole and doing exactly what I should be in this life.

These first two weeks have flown by. Gilles intended to take 2 weeks off work so we could get settled, figure things out and be a family of 3 (or 5 depending on how you look at it). It was absolutely wonderful having him home. He kept me fed, kept the dogs walked. Held Gabriel so I could sleep. Did laundry, changed diapers and was the biggest breastfeeding support I could have.
We had visitors nearly every day but no one stayed long. Just a pop by, a cuddle, a little help and then they disappear.

The second week, Gilles went back to work on the Thursday/Friday. Not intended, but I felt like I could do this, like everything was working, and I could manage. It was successful! Those first two days alone were really good. Then we had the weekend together before he went back to work full time. Having a little "trial" was really good for both of us. He got to catch up at work, I got to see if I was capable of caring for our son alone (had to be!) and then we regrouped at the end of the week.

Everything changes so fast. Every day there is something new to learn, a new skill Gabriel learns, or I learn. We are still figuring each other out but so far so good.

The beginning of Adventures in Babywearing

Since before our son was born, I knew I wanted to babywear. The convenience and developmental benefits are amazing. With two dogs, taking them and a stroller for a quick walk around the block seemed a little more daunting than I thought I could handle. At least for the first little while.

I was lucky enough to be given a lot of different wraps prior to Gabriel's birth. I received a Moby wrap, 2 custom made Babyhawk Mei Tais (shorter straps) and a ring sling. I purchased a woven and was given an Ergo from a baby shower.

After the first week home, I tried the Moby for the first time. I couldn't walk very far yet, but I wanted to see if I was strong enough to wear him and go down the block. The amount of fabric that makes up the Moby is a little daunting. I watched a few youtube videos and followed the instructions on the website and had no issues tying it on and getting Gabriel in. A little slow to get everything on and situated, but I did it.
We took our first walk as a family!

I can't wait to start wearing Gabriel more and get out of the house with the dogs. We may not go far yet, but being hands free will be so nice. 

Gabriel!

Been a while since I've posted! We've been busy!
Our little one made an appearance at 40 weeks and 2 days. We have a son, Gabriel.

Here is our story:
Thursday morning, May 8, I had an OB appointment and got a cervix check. There was absolutely no indication of Gabriel coming soon. I was closed, thick but soft, same as the week before. I had an appointment for acupressure at 3 that afternoon and thought I might as well go anyway, the relaxation would be nice even if my body wasn't ready for labour yet.
My mom had been staying with us for the week and decided to go home Thursday after my appointment.
Gilles got home from work around 5, we ate supper then took the dogs for a walk around 7pm. While we were walking I had to stop a couple times for what I thought may be contractions. They weren't painful, but definitely required no movement.
Around 8pm they were regular and coming faster than I thought they should be for early labour. We called our doula around 10pm when they were consistently 3 minutes apart and lasting 30 to 40 seconds to the peak. She suggested I get in the bath and see if that calms things down. It didn't, they stayed right around the same so we called our doula again and she came to the house around 11:30pm
At 2am Friday morning, we headed to the hospital because I had a bearing down feeling and the contractions were still consistent at 2.5 - 3 minutes apart.
They took me right into a delivery room because I was bearing down and grunting when we got there. They checked me and I was only at 3cm. They told me I needed to stop my body for trying to push or I would cause my cervix to swell. That was enough for me to concentrate really hard stopping.
After getting in the room I used the shower and birth ball a ton.
I sat on the ball and leaned my head on the bed. I picked a spot on the moveable tray the nurse was using and used it to concentrate. When that wasn't working anymore, we put the ball in the shower and Gilles and our doula swapped holding the shower head on my back and feeding me bites of granola bar and water. Apparently I smashed my face into the steel safety bars in the shower with every contraction. I thought I was placing my head. I didn't know this until a couple days later when I commented my forehead hurt.

My water finally broke while on the ball leaning on the bed around 6am.
The contractions were coming faster and harder. I asked to use the gas after they checked me at 8am and said I was 7cm. After using it for a while I was checked again and still at 7cm. The gas didn't do much for the pain, but it forced me to breathe through each contraction and relax. After a couple hours of what we think was transition, I was done and asked for the epidural. This was not our plan, but I believe there would be no way I would have been able to deliver Gabriel without getting a little rest. The Dr (whom I'd met before) suggested that the epidural would also speed things along at that point.
I was a champ sitting through the contractions while the epidural went in. It numbed my right side first so I spent a lot of time on my left side. I was able to have a nap and so was Gilles. They got me to turn on my right side, but Gabriel's heart rate dropped so they kept me on my left side. Our doula and Gilles both gave me a neck massage while I was laying there resting which felt like heaven!
I hadn't been able to go to the bathroom during the transition phase or while having the epidural for whatever reason, so they had to drain my bladder twice with a catheter. That helped move things along with the pressure from my bladder gone.

They checked me again at 12pm and I was 10cm. Baby was at 0 station so they let me be to see if baby would come further down with contractions. At 12:45 they checked again and baby had moved slightly. I started pushing. I first pushed on my side with my leg up in a hold. I would pull my knee up to my shoulder with every push. I didn't feel like that was working enough so I asked to squat. That was a fail, since my legs were numb. Since I was on my back, we propped me up with pillows and I was able to pull my legs back with every push. After an hour he was almost out. They used a very small vacuum to assist and he was born! Such a relief! The feeling of his head going through and then his shoulders was amazing.

We did delayed cord clamping and skin to skin immediately. He breastfed right away, was very alert and then did skin to skin on Gilles. Gilles said he just looked at him the entire time. Our doula got me tea and toast with jam on it. Delicious!

I had a small 2nd degree tear that needed some stitching. And what the Dr described as road rash on my labia. They put stitches in and said told me they would dissolve in the next week or 2.

We were moved to a recovery room (shared) around 5pm and given supper.

Gabriel was born May 9, 2014 at 2:53pm.
Weight: 6 lbs 6 oz
Length: 20 inches

39 Weeks

How Far Along: 39 Weeks.

Baby Size: Watermelon

Symptoms: Sore, aching back. Hip soreness and SI joint pain. Lots of "lightning crotch". Bébé seems to be adjusting itself to move down.

Weight Gain: 23 lbs.

Sleep: This week was rough. I was either too hot, too cold, or just couldn't get comfortable. Definitely getting harder to roll over and get out of bed

Best Moment of the Week: The nursery being done. Piano being done. But the best part: I finished all the courses for my Natural Nutrition Diploma. I still have a lot of work to do in terms of case studies and studying for my final late this year, but I reached my goal of having the courses done before baby.

Worst Moment of the Week: The annoyance of pain. It's not really painful, just makes me move much slower.

Any cravings or aversions: Nothing I'm craving or have an aversion to. Just food. I just want to eat.

Wedding ring on or off: Finding it easier not to wear them unless I'm going out of the house.

Belly button In or Out: Out

What I'm looking forward to: Having my body back and being able to sleep more comfortably. I definitely am looking forward to not bumping my belly into things

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Emotions: Definitely feeling like it's time. I will miss my belly and feeling baby move inside, but it's time. Eviction notice is given ;)

Nursery: Done! Check out my previous blog post for photos

Shopping:  Nothing this week.

To-do: Relax. Enjoy the sunshine.

The Nursery

It's done! A few little things left to add here and there, but it's done. 

We've added a dimmer switch for the overhead light. Blackout curtains and I'm still needing a replacement bulb for my salt rock lamp.

This is my favourite feature. The colours are so bright and it makes the room cheerful
The little owl hamper was a gift from Auntie L

Spoiled with stuffies already. 

Gilles restained this glider. It used to be a light wood and now it matches the furniture.
The shelf beside it (hidden a little) he also did in a dark stain. 

38 Weeks

How Far Along: 38 Weeks. Today is the day our doulas are officially on call for us. Yikes!

Baby Size: Pumpkin or Watermelon

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks all the time, but especially after walking. Cramping especially after walking. Sore hips that get worse with the zinger pelvic pain. Get tired quickly. Lots of pelvic pressure, like a heavy feeling. Said this week: "I feel like my pelvis is being pushed apart"

Weight Gain: 21 lbs.

Sleep: Not getting up as often, or maybe I'm just used to it now. I have noticed that my hips and shoulders are getting sore and that's what wakes me up now so I have to switch sides. Definitely feeling warmer at night.

Best Moment of the Week: Gilles being more attentive. After walking with me for a couple days this long weekend and seeing how tired I get during the day, he's started to get me things rather than me getting up for them. Offering to help with hip pain, cross things off MY to-do list. It's been awesome. He's starting to look a little like "omg this baby is coming soon" which is so cute. I think it's starting to really hit home for him now.
Other best thing was the King Crab legs we had for dinner Friday. I ate an entire one to myself and if Gilles hadn't eaten his it would have been mine lol.

Worst Moment of the Week: The annoyance of "you haven't had your baby?" and "you must be so ready". I'm 38 weeks folks. And if you're on the list, you'll know when baby is here. Otherwise you can wait to find out with the rest of the world.

Any cravings or aversions: I'm a continuous eating machine. I want to eat everything. Gilles laughed all weekend because after every episode of TV we watched I got up and got something else to eat. Ate an epic turkey dinner for Easter. Kept eating whatever was around me until it was cleared.
Still loving my nightly fudgesicle. I ran out and had DQ one night. NOT the same. Went the next day and bought another box.

Wedding ring on or off: Finding it easier not to wear them unless I'm going out of the house.

Belly button In or Out: Out

What I'm looking forward to: Holding this baby in my arms.
I had a dream bébé was sleeping on my chest in an adorable orange striped onesie. Rather than wake baby up, I tied a Baby Hawk around him/her and was able to get up and walk around.

What I miss: Sleeping comfortably.

Emotions: Feeling like something has changed. My body feels different now and I feel emotionally like this is the "in-between" Not like labour is imminent, but like my body is now in that last stage of preparations. Love trusting my body knows what it's doing. I feel like I've reached the point of waiting and it's exactly what I should be doing now.

Nursery: The dimmer switch is in for the light.

Shopping:  Didn't shop this week at all for baby. My mom gave us a pair of Padraig slippers for bébé for Easter. They are adorable!
Ended up going to Costco and buying tons of meat. I made 8 freezer meals so far and have another 6 to make this weekend. We are going to be stocked up! 

To-do: One more assignment and one more test. Then I'm officially done my courses. I'm hoping to be done by Friday.

37 Weeks

How Far Along: 37 Weeks. According to the Canadian definitions, I'm considered "full term". The US has changed theirs to consider me "early term". Either way. I'm happy if bébé stays in there until at least 39 weeks. The more brain, lung and immune system development the better.
21 Days to go. Seems like such a short time left.

Baby Size: Winter Melon

Symptoms: Phases of nesting, high energy and being tired and in need of relaxation. I'm taking the high energy days to get stuff done and allowing my body to rest on the others. It's frustrating, but I figure there is a biological reason for the shifts.
Lots of pelvic pressure, braxton hicks (some that make me feel nauseous) and period-like cramping.

Weight Gain: 21 lbs.

Sleep: Woke up once this week at 4am STARVING. Got up, ate, went back to bed and slept. I hate waking up hungry.

Best Moment of the Week: Getting a sneak peek at our maternity photos. I can't wait to see the rest of them. We had them done by Amber Holt Photography. She is amazing and I'm so excited for her to do our newborn photos as well. The number of props and outfits she has is crazy!
Gilles is feeling my belly more since you can actually see limbs sticking out. Love it!

Worst Moment of the Week: Having a couple more of those days where I'm super low energy and can't function much. 

Any cravings or aversions: Subway

Wedding ring on or off: Finding it easier not to wear them unless I'm going out of the house.

Belly button In or Out: Out

What I'm looking forward to: 

What I miss: Walking at a good pace

Emotions: Feeling like I'm exactly where we should be. I had an overwhelming sense of "I love my life" this week. Very satisfying. I'm finally done piano lessons now so I feel like I can finally give my full attention to studying and feeling ready.

Nursery: Liner for my diaper pail came in. Bassinet mattress came in. Got another glider from my oldest sister for the basement.

Shopping: Bought arnica for after labour. Calendula oil to make some padsicles. Rockin' Green detergent for my cloth diapers. Diaper pail liner.

To-do: Almost finished my last test. Hoping to have it done by next week!

Why the rush?

I'm in a group online and I'm starting to see a trend. Moms to be are so excited and uncomfortable they want to have their baby RIGHT NOW. Some of these ladies are less than what is considered Early Term (37 - 39 weeks) and definitely not Full Term. They are now considering 39 weeks to be Full Term, and 41 - 42 Late Term in case you thought 37 weeks was it.

I get that we're uncomfortable. I get that we're excited. I'm right there with you. Pregnancy is 40 weeks for a reason. The average is actually 41 weeks and 3 days. Our babies are still developing up until the time they start labour. Let me repeat that last part - THEY START LABOUR. Not you. Babies come when they are ready. Sometimes that fits our schedule, most of the time it doesn't. Sometimes it doesn't fit the medical schedule either and we're "overdue". When they are early for whatever reason - sometimes it's in our control, most times it's not - there are higher risks of problems arising (not saying it always happens but the risks are greater). Lungs aren't developed properly, the immune system isn't finished, breastfeeding can be more of a challenge and the list goes on. Why wish that for your baby just to ease your comfort? Suck it up.

There are definitely things like exercise, teas, massage, etc that can help labour, but they won't start anything unless your body (read: baby) is ready. This may be me being naive as a first time mom and not having reached 40 weeks yet. I am uncomfortable and I know it will get more uncomfortable as the weeks go by. My comfort will mean nothing and seem incredibly selfish if bébé is born and has problems somehow. It's not about you anymore.

I'm a firm believer that my body and baby know what their doing. I believe that when it's time, it's time. Am I going to book an acupressure appointment for 40 weeks and a few days? Absolutely. Am I going to book it at 37 weeks? No.
Will I ask to be induced medically or have a membrane sweep at 38 weeks? No. I don't think that intervening early is necessary. It opens you and baby up for complications, higher risks and infection and issues after birth. Could intervention be something I consider when I'm nearing 42 weeks? Possibly, but that's another conversation at a later date if it's needed.

Let your bébé bake. They will arrive when they are suppose to. And if you're late according to the medical system, there's a whole different conversation to have at that point.

36 Weeks

How Far Along: 36 Weeks - I feel like I JUST wrote my 35 week post. Time is moving fast and slow at the same time.
4 Weeks until my due date.
1.5 weeks until I'm finished teaching (most of my students. I'm keeping a few of my adults going for another week)

Baby Size: Honey Dew

Symptoms: Heartburn acts up depending on what I eat. With all the movement bébé is doing I feel rolling waves of nausea somedays. Sharp shooting pain straight down my cervix area. Lots of Braxton Hicks. Tired more through the day than I have been. Still a huge lack of concentration.

Weight Gain: 19 lbs.

Sleep: Still getting up frequently. Some nights more than others. Hip pain here and there but mostly still sleeping as well as I can be.

Best Moment of the Week: Getting compliments from random people about how great I look.
At our prenatal class this week, we did a "labour rehearsal". Basically our teacher gave us a card of how our "labour" was going and called out Contraction! and we had to get into whatever position made sense for what we were doing at that point in time, be it walking, squatting, in the bathroom, relaxation, etc. It seems silly, but I think both Gilles and I found it really helpful to put what we've learned into a practice. Nothing can prepare you fully, but at least we both feel like we're more ready for it all.

Worst Moment of the Week: Having to leave church after 30 minutes because I was going to pass out. I felt SO sick from low blood pressure and sugar. I got up twice in the first half hour and then couldn't do it anymore. Drove myself home and laid on the couch for the rest of the morning. I've had a couple mornings like that. I'm hoping they don't increase in frequency

Any cravings or aversions: Anything dairy. Milk definitely. Fudgesicles are fantastic right now

Wedding ring on or off: Opting for my wedding band now. Still take it off to sleep.

Belly button In or Out: small outie now

What I'm looking forward to: Setting up more baby stuff around the house. Once Saturday comes and goes I'll be able to. Piano lessons and the recital are nearly over.

What I miss: Running and bike riding. Won't be able to do either of those until August.

Emotions: Feeling like I want to be done teaching but at the same time I know it's good for me to have the distraction and something to do. I'm irritated with my energy levels and not being able to clean my house more

Nursery: Picked up a diaper pail from my sister. Just need to put a new liner in it and buy a new charcoal filter. 

Shopping: Bought a bassinet mattress. We got a bassinet handed down to us, but it needed a new mattress. Should be here next week! 

To-do: Finish another assignment for my courses. You'd think writing a resume wouldn't take long but I haven't started yet.

Fun comparison shot from the week we found out to 36.

35 Weeks = 35 days left!

How Far Along: We've hit the milestone of 35/35. 35 Weeks Pregnant. 35 Days left.

Baby Size: Coconut

Symptoms: Hips and knees are sore. Low back is sore when I lay down to sleep. Starting get a 'zing' in my cervix area every once in a while. I had some period-like cramping but nothing to be concerned about.
Bébé is moving around a lot still but has firmly positioned himself/herself with head down in my pelvis.  My OB this week said baby's head is very low.
Love seeing his/her little bum move back and forth across my stomach. Starting to be able to see feet stick out my side which is very uncomfortable at some points. Alien!!
Definitely experiencing pregnancy brain. Having a hard time concentrating on anything for more than 15 minutes. Good thing is, I work for a bit on something and then switch to something else so I'm not bored.

Weight Gain: 18 lbs.

Sleep: Because my hips get sore when I lay on either side, I wake up from that, then have to pee. Past couple nights have been up 4 times. I've had a couple people say "Oh, that's like having a newborn". Yes and no. The number of times I'm up maybe, but blindly going to the bathroom and back to bed is not the same as getting up, feeding our bébé for however long it will take and then going back to sleep. The time I'm up will be drastically different.

Best Moment of the Week: My OB appointment. I asked about eating at the hospital during labour. She said absolutely, as long as there is no risk of a c-section at that point in time. So unless I'm induced, or there is some reason for a section, I'm able to eat/drink what I want. This is great news because of my low blood sugar.

Worst Moment of the Week: More and more heartburn is coming back. I've tried to watch what I'm eating to trigger it, but I'm starting to think it's just pregnancy at this point. Not bad considering I've done without heartburn for the majority of it.
I also had a few days with morning sickness again. Not fun, but it seems to have subsided

Any cravings or aversions: Still craving sugary foods. Trying to combat that with fruit rather than junk. Definitely able to eat more at a time which is great.

Wedding ring on or off: On during the day again. Swelling a little at night so I take it off before bed.

Belly button In or Out: Definitely flattened.

What I'm looking forward to: Post-pregnancy: Laying on my back.

What I miss: Spring. It snowed every day this past week. I'm so tired of it!

Emotions: Nesting instinct is in full swing. I'm starting to feel worried about post-partum and my emotions. There's not much I can do now but prepare as much as I can and get a support team in place.

Nursery: So close to being done. A couple more things left! Here is a sneak peek at the decal. I love the colours so much. Makes the room so much brighter.

Shopping: Amazingly enough, nothing! 

To-do: Try out meals from my "freezer meal" list.

34 Weeks

How Far Along: 34 Weeks

Baby Size: Watermelon or Butternut Squash

Symptoms: I had a horrible charlie horse last week that went away after relaxing, but the muscle was sore for the last week. Hungry. It's like first trimester again. I feel like I need to keep some snacks on my bedside for when I wake up in the morning.

Weight Gain: 17 lbs.

Sleep: Takes more and more effort to turn over and a little longer to get comfortable. Still sleeping fairly well once I am asleep.

Best Moment of the Week: Having my mom see the nursery almost complete.

Worst Moment of the Week: Heartburn making a comeback. I know it's food related so I need to keep on eye on what I'm eating better

Any cravings or aversions: Sugar. Definitely craving junk food

Wedding ring on or off: On except at night. I woke up with pinch marks so I may start wearing just one instead of both

Belly button In or Out: Hood. Not an outie completely.

What I'm looking forward to: Maternity photos this week!

What I miss: Not having to put boots and a parka on every time I go outside. I'm so sick of winter. That said, I don't really have any spring maternity clothes.

Emotions: Getting excited, anxious and nervous. Frustrated with myself and lack of mental concentration to finish my courses.

Nursery: Wall decal came in. Just need to put it up. Glider is almost finished being stained. 

Shopping: Zulily.com got me good this week. So did the crunchy mama store. I bought a Belly Bandit for post partum, a nursing bra and shirt. Bought some great cloth diaper laundry detergent, wool dryer balls, red raspberry leaf tea. I also bought another cloth diaper and 3 covers from TenderTushies.

To-do: Study. I need to be more diligent about it.

33 Weeks

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Baby Size: Watermelon

Symptoms: Hip pain on my right. Achey low back. Nothing too bad, just uncomfortable. Shortness of breath and very thirsty all the time.

Weight Gain: 17 lbs.

Sleep: Crazy dreams that keep me awake after. Typically most dreams I have resolve themselves before I wake up, but these ones aren't and it's frustrating. They aren't terrible or nightmares, just annoying.

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing bébé again for an ultrasound. Found out he/she has LOTS of hair and long legs. Measuring perfectly. Finding out my blood test results for antibodies was clear.

Worst Moment of the Week: Unrelated baby stuff but it's all good now.

Any cravings or aversions: Starting to see things on TV that people are eating and think that would be tasty, but never enough to go and get it.

Wedding ring on or off: On but getting snug.

Belly button In or Out: Outie, but not by much.

What I'm looking forward to: getting back to yoga

What I miss: sleeping through the night. It will be a long time before that happens again

Emotions: irritable and impatient. Feeling like everything is very real. Booked all my prenatal appointments from now until 1 day past my due date. Didn't have to flip the calendar that far. yikes!

Nursery: Ordered a decal for the wall

Shopping: Bought one soother clip

To-do: Study some more. I'm so close!

32 Weeks

How Far Along: 32 Weeks

Baby Size: Squash

Symptoms: Tired. Some hip pain on my right side. Sore low back.

Weight Gain: 16 lbs. Didn't gain anything this week. Hoping for a growth spurt at my next appointment

Sleep: With the hip pain I'm tossing and turning more, but still feeling fairly rested in the mornings.

Best Moment of the Week: Meeting my OB and really liking her.

Worst Moment of the Week: Being told I'm measuring small by 4 weeks and low on the weight gain end.

Any cravings or aversions: Lots of things are sounding good this week. Pancakes were the biggest one

Wedding ring on or off: On.

Belly button In or Out: Getting a bit of a hood overtop but still not an outie

What I'm looking forward to: Having an ultrasound Monday to see how the baby is doing.

What I miss: Crab legs and shrimp and lobster

Emotions: Feeling like there are less important things in life as the due date gets closer

Nursery: Organized the things I bought this week

Shopping: Bought the rest of the newborn diapers, a wetbag for the nursery and one for my diaper bag. Bought some shampoo/baby wash and a few things for me post-partum

To-do: Study. Study. Study

31 Weeks

How Far Along: 31 Weeks - SINGLE DIGIT WEEKS LEFT!!!!

Baby Size: Pineapple

Symptoms: Tired. Knot in my back, pain in the front opposite it.

Weight Gain: 16 lbs. Lost two pounds this week. I wasn't feeling well and had a couple days of not eating much.

Sleep: Good week this week. Had a couple nights of only getting up once which was amazing.

Best Moment of the Week: 
Went shopping with my mom this weekend when I went to stay with my parents. She helped knock a few things off my list. The rest I can get next week from the crunchy mama store and I'm done shopping.

Worst Moment of the Week: Being tired like first tri again

Any cravings or aversions: Moved on to apples instead of oranges

Wedding ring on or off: On.

Belly button In or Out: Slightly poking out just a bit. Still not an outie!

What I'm looking forward to: FINALLY seeing my OB tomorrow. I get a 1 - 1.5 hr appointment with her. I'm excited. Also have a prenatal massage tomorrow at my chiropractors office. Can't wait.

What I miss: Not being light headed

Emotions: Ready to meet this bébé

Nursery: Gilles is still sanding and staining the glider. The bookshelf is done, which is awesome. Looks great!

Shopping: My cousin offered to sell me some newborn cloth diapers. Kissaluvs and two Bummies Super Brite covers. They are adorable!!
6 THX diapers coming from the diaper co-op. Going to the store next week to buy prefolds and then I'm done!

To-do: Study. Study. Study

30 Weeks

How Far Along: 30 Weeks

Baby Size: Cucumber

Symptoms: Having trouble sleeping. Sore back. Sore heels - I've started wearing moccasins to help. Out of breath more easily

Weight Gain: 18 lbs

Sleep: Had a couple rough nights of not being able to get comfortable. Frequent trips to the bathroom and general irritation doesn't help.

Best Moment of the Week: My dad feeling the baby move.

Worst Moment of the Week: Finding out my prenatal massage therapist isn't covered with Gilles insurance as of Jan 1. His insurance company changed their requirements and she doesn't meet them.

Any cravings or aversions: Fruit. Still all over fruit

Wedding ring on or off: On.

Belly button In or Out: In, but barely.

What I'm looking forward to: Meeting up with some mamas for lunch. Going to visit my parents this weekend to relax and hang out.

What I miss: Being able to buy cute spring clothes onsale right now. I have no idea what size I'll be this summer.

Emotions: Feeling like I'm ready to be done but still loving pregnancy.

Nursery: Nothing this week

Shopping: Bought some new clothes for me this week. Ordered a newborn cloth diaper off Zulily

To-do: Make a list of what else still needs to be done. STUDY! 

29 Weeks

How Far Along: 29 Weeks

Baby Size: Acorn Squash

Symptoms: Lack of concentration and motivation. I just can't seem to get myself going in the mornings. Part of that may be do to the cold weather last week. The beginning of the week was frigid. Sore back in one spot when I sit too long. I have a numb patch just below my sternum to the right. It's about the size of my palm. Apparently my sister had it and it never went away after her babies. It's the weirdest feeling and the edges are slightly painful, like never pain. I'll have to ask my OB when I finally get to see one.

Weight Gain: 16 lbs

Sleep: I had the pleasure of waking up to a party in my belly at 4am one morning and the way bébé was kicking my stomach I nearly got sick. Changed positions and he/she stopped kicking so hard.

Best Moment of the Week: Gilles agreeing to cloth diaper ourselves from the get go. We had thought about using a service but we did some more comparisons and it's cheaper for us to buy newborn cloth than to use a service. Now I'm on the hunt!

Worst Moment of the Week: My OB saga: In January my Dr referred me to a clinic that only delivers at Rockyview hospital which is not the one we wanted. I declined since that is not what I asked him for at EVERY appointment since 8 weeks. I went back to him and said do it again. He sent it out to only 1 out of 2 clinics that deliver at the new hospital, and they declined me as they are full. They had to resend my referral to all the other clinics in my area and now I finally have an OB appointment, but it's at the hospital we didn't want. I'm sad and disappointed. I'm also kicking myself because I could have been seeing an OB for the last 2 months if I was going to end up at Rockyview any way. My first OB appointment will be at 31 weeks. My last prenatal appointment at that point will have been 6 weeks before. 

Any cravings or aversions: Still loving oranges.

Wedding ring on or off: On.

Belly button In or Out: In, but getting flatter.

What I'm looking forward to: Chiro this week.

What I miss: Wine. (It's a continual thing.)

Emotions: Excited. Thinking about the birth process is fascinating.

Nursery: Nothing this week

Shopping: Not really shopping but I joined a cloth diaper co-op.

To-do: Research newborn cloth 

27/28 Weeks

I missed posting week information last week. It was a really busy week and I never got around to sitting down, making the time.

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Baby Size: Eggplant

Symptoms: This week has been good. I've had very little back pain or hip pain. The previous week was much worse. I definitely had SI Joint pain and knee pain.

Weight Gain: Up 14 lbs since prepregnancy. I feel like I should be gaining more because of my low starting weight.

Sleep: Up 2-3 times a night to pee, but usually in a 4 hour, 3 hour and 3 hour set. Good training? I didn't have a lot of discomfort which was great.

Best Moment of the Week: A woman I met at a birthday party said I look beautiful. Gilles is able to see my belly move while we watch TV. I organized the nursery a little and feel much better about it.

Worst Moment of the Week: Not hearing from an OB. We're almost at the bi-weekly appointment weeks and I have yet to see one. My family Dr is alright, but I don't feel like I'm getting the care I should be at this point.

Any cravings or aversions: Clementine oranges. They are the perfect size and I've been eating 1-2 a day. Love the freshness!

Wedding ring on or off: On. The cold weather is actually making it loose. I also don't have much swelling anywhere at all, so that would also make a difference. My massage therapist commented on my lack of swelling when she was doing my feet and calves.

Belly button In or Out: In, but very flat.

What I'm looking forward to: Getting a phone call from the maternity clinic. I'm really hoping I get a call this week!!

What I miss: Shrimp. I've been wanting shrimp and rice, but avoiding the seafood.

Emotions: 27 weeks I was feeling a little bit nervous. Not about birth, but about having a baby. It's crazy to think I'll be a mom. This week, I'm excited! I held a 4 week old baby girl on the weekend and I can't make these next 11 weeks go fast enough.

Nursery: We bought stain for the glider, ottoman and shelf. Gilles wanted everything the same colour. The mattress came in for the crib so that is officially all set up. I repurposed some baskets I had been using for other things and now I don't need to buy any special ones. I washed all the clothes I have already and organized it in to size. The drawers are organized for the most part now.

Shopping: Stain for the glider. A couple onsies for newborn.

To-do: Blood tests Monday. Start reading up on breastfeeding and baby care

Week 26

How Far Along: 26 Weeks

Baby Size: Head of lettuce

Symptoms: Little bit of nausea creeping up here and there. Hip pain when I sleep some nights. Heartburn. Low back discomfort. Feeling squished into my diaphragm. According to my yoga teacher this is relatively normal for a first pregnancy.

Weight Gain: up 13 lbs since prepregnancy

Sleep: Good nights and bad nights. Some nights I wake up and can go back to sleep easily, others I toss and turn.

Best Moment of the Week: Having the crib set up

Worst Moment of the Week: Getting sick after having too much dairy

Any cravings or aversions: nothing.

Wedding ring on or off: On

Belly button In or Out: In

What I'm looking forward to: Nothing really baby related this week. Organizing a bit more of the nursery?

What I miss: Sleeping on my back without being out of breath

Emotions: Nervous. I get my Gestational Diabetes test results back today.

Nursery: The furniture is set up!

Shopping: Ordered the crib mattress. Should be delivered next week. We bought a change pad, a couple covers, some clothes for newborn, and a couple sheets for the crib and bassinet. I also bought a new sports bra finally.

To-do: Start reading on baby care and post-partum. 

Second Trimester Bump Pics

It's been since first trimester that I posted a bump photo on here.
Here are a few over the past couple months.
I can't believe there is only a couple weeks left until third trimester. Crazy!

15 Weeks

17 Weeks 

19 Weeks

21 Weeks

24 Weeks