34 Weeks!

Today marks 34 weeks, and the point now where if I'd start labor my doctor said often they do little to stop it (of course, Little One's goal is to always stay put at least until 37 weeks for full development). It was also the day of several firsts: first day of fall, first baby classes, and first time I think I have ever washed the globes around the bulbs of our ceiling fan since we bought our house almost three years ago to the date! The "nesting" instinct seemed to ramp up for me today, as I found myself with new urges to do other things I rarely do beyond cleaning the ceiling fan, like really wipe down all the base boards along the floor in the bathroom. I also cleaned the whole bathroom, and did 4 loads of laundry. Cleaning is getting a lot harder to do, and I have a harder time bending over to pick stuff up especially repetitively. I now prefer picking up a lot of stuff with my feet, and with long legs this isn't too awkward!

For this week's belly shots, I can definitely see that I popped out a little more compared to two weeks ago! My waist now hit 40 inches! The baby is supposed to be a similar weight/mass to an average cantaloupe right now and it definitely looks and feels to me like I swallowed one whole! This week's pictures are dark again because I was so busy working around the house today that I didn't stop to take these until after our baby classes:
How am I feeling? Overall, I am still feeling good and have plenty of energy most days. However, my discomforts are slowly increasing. I have definitely hit the point of pregnancy where I feel quite warm at times. One night I was practically sweating, checked the thermostat and was shocked to see it was only 72 degrees in the house! At least this didn't hit me in August, and it isn't a constant problem for me. Though we are still having a little 80 degree weather for now, the evenings are nice and cool and soon we will enjoy highs ranging in the 70's. Besides difficulty bending over, sitting is often more uncomfortable. One night I woke up and my hip hurt. I also have to be careful now how much I eat, because when my stomach gets too full I get extremely uncomfortable, especially when sitting down.

To understand why it is so uncomfortable, I found a chart of how a woman's organs are rearranged as the baby grows. Look how much room the stomach (and bladder) end up with!! http://www.pennhealth.com/health_info/animationplayer/fetal_dvlp_tool.html

Our first baby class was over breastfeeding, and I actually did learn a lot of different things. Ironically, when the couples went around and said their names, due dates, and if they knew what they were carrying we were in the majority that did not find out! I know breastfeeding can be a lot more challenging than many women would expect, but they went in depth explaining what a proper latch looks like, and how it can prevent so many problems. We also learned how to hold the baby (got to practice with a doll), how to know they are feeding properly, how and when to use a breast pump, how to unlatch them so they don't hurt you, and all kinds of interesting things. I learned when you breastfeed, you are not supposed to give the baby pacifiers at first until you get to the point you want to start introducing them to bottles. We also learned how to help make sure your body produces enough milk and stuff like that. Men also got to learn how to help support their woman, and some possibly for the first time in their lives got to see videos showing breasts that were in no way sexual! Speaking of breastfeeding, I got a gift in the mail from my friend Jenn: a cute Cover in Style that I can use for breastfeeding when I'm around others or in public and want privacy. I definitely wanted one, so I am very happy! It is made by Hooter Hiders, a name I think is amusing.

Our second class was all over baby care basics. How to give baby a bath, how to change a diaper and what is normal, how care for their cord, how to set up their beds, take their temperature, recognize illness, how to recognize their non-verbals, how to calm fussy babies, trim their fingernails (only file with an emory board at first!), and also how to swaddle. Michael got swaddling down on the first try, while I did not! We also learned more in detail what is done with the baby right after birth, and I love how our hospital will let me hold the baby skin to skin against my body and will encourage me to breastfeed within the first two hours of birth! I am excited to do this and I do feel it is important. They learned babies separated from their mothers after birth often seem to have more trouble breastfeeding, and maybe that is one of the reasons this hospital was supporting and encouraging it so much.

Beyond that, we also learned about SIDS prevention, were told to crawl through our house to look out for hazards when they get to crawling stage, and also what to do to get pets adjusted to the baby. We were also told we have to be very careful because of the time of year to make sure anyone who holds our baby washes or sanitizes his or her hands first, and we definitely are supposed to avoid bringing the baby around crowds or in public for the first month at least (but they said talk to your pediatrician for more guidelines). We might have to skip church for awhile, or do smaller gatherings for Thanksgiving, or make sure no one is sick where we do go. At least breastfeeding does help with their immune system.

We also watched a video of this one pediatrician who was great at calming babies and he (and some of the babies expressions) gave me the giggles. We called him the "baby whisperer" because he reminded us of this crazy show I once saw at my parents house about this guy who was supposedly a dog whisper. Michael thought it was funny/ironic how several of the moms-to-be in the room were like "aw, cute" at babies that were obviously angry or upset. I thought it was funny to see some of the guy's grossed out faces when they talked about baby poop and using the suction bulb.