30 Weeks-labor plan

In childbirth class last night we practiced the birth ball techniques. During labor you are supposed to move around and try out different positions to find what is comfortable and the birth ball is supposed to help especially if you have back pain. I sat on it last night and my back immediately felt better. I have been having some back pain in the last week. I am thinking this might be something that I try out. I have also decided and mabye a lot of people go into labor thinking this, but I am going to try really hard to have the baby without medication. I know I can say now that I feel like I have a high pain tolerance, but who knows when it comes to this. I cannot use the birth ball if I have an epidural because they won't let you walk around, so hopefully this ball is the answer, ha.

Successful weekend

Brent was successful in completing the 100 mile Ironman bike ride from Lakeville to Belle Plaine back to Lakeville and I was successful in finally finishing my curtains for the nursery. It was a good weekend. Brent went up for the Ironman with a couple friends from Mankato and they finished in 6 1/2 hours, right when it started to snow. Here he is relaxing afterwards. He must not have been too tired , when he got home he suggested we go for a walk on the trail.


Here is on the of curtains for the nursery, they turned out really cute, it's hard to see the actual colors in them, but the top border is brown and the rest is blue and browns. Thanks a ton to Bev for helping me with these. This is officially my first sewing project completed. I now am ready for a new project.

Here is a close up of the fabric.

Grandma's comforter

My mom and I visited my grandma this week at the assisted living facility she lives at. We took a trip over to her house and she pulled out this slick comforter that she got back in the day for a gift and never used. I thought it was incredibly hip and couldn't resist taking it with me. Check it out.

29 Weeks

Your pregnancy: 29 weeks

See the big picture

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about 2 1/2 pounds (like a butternut squash) and is a tad over 15 inches long from head to heel. His muscles and lungs are continuing to mature, and his head is growing bigger to make room for his developing brain. To meet his increasing nutritional demands, you'll need plenty of protein, vitamins C, folic acid, and iron. And because his bones are soaking up lots of calcium, be sure to drink your milk (or find another good source of calcium, such as cheese, yogurt, or enriched orange juice). This trimester, about 250 milligrams of calcium are deposited in your baby's hardening skeleton each day.See what your baby looks like this week.Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:
Your baby's very active now.

Your practitioner may ask you to spend some time each day counting kicks and will give you specific instructions on how to do this. Let her know if you ever notice a decrease in activity. You may need a nonstress test or biophysical profile to check on your baby's condition.

Some old friends — heartburn and constipation — may take center stage now. The pregnancy hormone progesterone relaxes smooth muscle tissue throughout your body, including your gastrointestinal tract. This relaxation, coupled with the crowding in your abdomen, slows digestion, which in turn can cause gas and heartburn — especially after a big meal — and contribute to constipation as well.Your growing uterus may also be contributing to hemorrhoids. These swollen blood vessels in your rectal area are common during pregnancy and usually clear up in the weeks after giving birth. If they're itchy or painful, try soaking in a sitz bath or applying cold compresses medicated with witch hazel to the affected area. Also avoid sitting or standing for long stretches. Talk with your practitioner before using any over-the counter remedies during pregnancy, and let her know if you have any rectal bleeding. To prevent constipation, eat a high-fiber diet, drink plenty of water, and get some regular exercise.Some women get something called "supine hypotensive syndrome" during pregnancy, where laying flat on your back causes a change in heart rate and blood pressure that makes you feel dizzy until you change position. You might note that you feel lightheaded if you stand up too quickly, too. To avoid "the spins" lie on your side rather than your back, and move slowly as you go from lying down to sitting and then standing.


Last night was our first night of childbirth classes. It was pretty cool. Their are about 50 people in the class and we watched a video and then we split into small groups for the last hour. So every week we will be in the same small group of about 8 people. It's fun to hear different people's stories of getting pregnant and getting ready for the baby. I will now refer to Brent as "Coach".

Nice weather

The weather was wonderful on Sunday, I enjoyed a nice walk with Heidi, Lucy and Heidi's mom.
After the walk we picked up our glider from my moms boss, Tina is already enjoying it. I found another old wooden rocking chair at a garage sale on Sat. for our bedroom, just what I wanted.

Thor was not going to let Brent get out to paintball without taking him with, he was laying on top of all of Brent's paintball gear.

Glider

My mom's boss is having a huge garage sale and let us come over before hand to see if their was any baby things we needed. Her daughter is getting rid of all of her baby stuff. We found a great tan glider for the nursery, which is exactly what we wanted and half the price of anything we had seen, so that is a bonus. My mom and I are going to some garage sales in the morning that are advertising tons of baby stuff, who knows what we will find.

Not too much planned for the weekend, but I imagine it will be spent outside, the forecast looks great:)

Day Care

So, we finally got the confirmation that we are accepted into the daycare facility with Brent's work. We are so relieved. We didn't visit that many places because we felt we really wanted to go to this one, so we were hoping to get into it. They couldn't let us know until 5 months before we would need their services. I am planning on having atleast 8 weeks off after the baby is born.

We chose a daycare center because it just makes sense with our schedules. My work schedule is crazy and if for some reason the home daycare facility was closed it makes it incredibly tough last minute for me to get off of work. We love the idea of them only having one week off per year and it is always the week before Labor Day. We both like the idea of it being a structured learning center also. Once the baby is older they are in a classroom setting for most of the day where they are constantly learning new things.

The best thing about this facility is that it is right next to Brent's building at work, he can even see the children playing outside from his office. Very convenient. We are very happy with our decision.

Buddies

It was a nice quiet weekend for work this weekend. I worked a nuns funeral at the convent Saturday and that was the extent of my work. Brent and I watched No Country for Old Men, which we rented out of the red box at Cub Foods, I recommend this method of renting movies, only $1.07. Sunday we had brunch with my parents and supper with Brent's parents. We got the yard all ready for spring flowers. We had a lot of raking and cleaning to do in the garden. Not fun work, I think I am going to be sore tomorrow. But, it's all taken care of now.

Weird Dream

Brent had a funny dream this weekend about having the baby. It was a girl! She was huge , had a very large head apparently and once she was born the doctors told him to take her back to his hotel and get her something to eat. So, he took her back to his hotel and he was clueless what to feed her, so he was going to call me and ask. He got to the hotel room and the cats were there and they were sort of like gremlins and they had chewed the numbers off of his phone so he couldn't call. I guess he was in a panic not knowing what a baby eats, haha.

Hopefully we will just keep the baby at the hospital with us for a day or two and then go home together, ha.

Riding in Style

This is Brent's new ride, we are both loving the new van! It was hard to say goodbye to the blue pick up , but Brent is doing a good job of making the van look cool. He is counting down the days until the baby comes, he feels a little weird with the van and no baby yet.

Whoa, double digits!

I just realized that I only have 91 days until my due date, it's in the double digits. Three months from today is my due date. I am 27 weeks today:) The baby on average is around 2 lbs now, so it's lungs are developed enough that if the baby was born early it would most likely be okay. The baby can open its eyes now and has developed some sort of sleep/awake pattern. I should be able to notice anytime if the baby gets the hiccups, which I have heard is pretty cool.

I on the other hand just keep getting bigger and bigger. I was just saying the other night how I don't beleive my stomach can stretch anymore and I have three more months to go, ha. Work is getting harder and harder, the physical part anyway. I am only going to be on call for the rest of April and then I will be done with that. So far all of my coworkers have been awesome when it comes to the heavy lifting, they always step in and don't allow me to do anything I don't have to. But when I am on call and by myself I have no choice. If it was a real concern of mine, I could stop being on call now, but my goal is to make it until the end of the month.

We start our childbirth classes in a couple weeks, 4 Monday nights from 7-9. Should be exciting.

I'm hiding

6 months pregnant

Here I am in the nursery 6 months pregnant, don't you love the blue walls!!!!

26 weeks

Your pregnancy: 26 weeks
See the big picture

How your baby's growing:Your baby now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber), from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:Around this time, your blood pressure may be increasing slightly as it returns to its normal pre-pregnancy range. (It was at a low from 22 to 24 weeks.) Though preeclampsia most often occurs in the last trimester, this is a good time to be aware of the warning signs of this dangerous condition that occurs in about 3 to 7 percent of all pregnancies. Signs you should be alert for include swelling of the hands and face, sudden weight gain (due to water retention), blurry vision, seeing spots before your eyes, sudden severe or persistent headaches, or upper abdominal pain. By checking for high blood pressure and protein in your urine, your caregiver will monitor you for preeclampsia at your routine prenatal visits, but call her immediately if you have any of these symptoms before your next appointment. Early identification of preeclampsia is essential for the health of you and your baby.If your back seems a little achy lately, you can thank pregnancy hormones (which are loosening up your joints and ligaments) and your shifting center of gravity. Walking, standing, or sitting for long periods, bending and lifting can all put a strain on your back. A warm bath — or cool compress — might bring relief. Or you may want to schedule a prenatal massage by a trained therapist. Use a pregnancy wedge when sleeping, to support your back and abdomen. Try to maintain good posture, which will help reduce the strain on your back, and always take care when bending and lifting. If you experience severe pain or numbness in any area of your body, call your practitioner.


I got a book from a friend called "Love you Forever", and Brent read it to the baby last night, they say the baby can hear our voices now and pick up on them that way when they are born they will recognize our voices, so we read the baby it's first book. We got some kicks from the baby so it liked storytime.