week 36 OB appointment

Here I am home again from another DA. The office was crazy busy today so I was expecting a short visit, but I have to say that I had one of the more satisfying appointments than I have had in weeks.

I have gained 3lbs in the past two weeks which puts me at 33 total pounds gained. My OB told me that I can use pregnancy as an excuse, lol. (as an aside, my SIL has only gained 18 lbs, which bummed me out a little cause she's a week ahead of me).

The RN had to do my BP twice because we were chatting the first time. She said the first one was too high so I tried to stay quiet the second time. It's good, but then again I'm not sure I know what "normal" is.

In the OB's office I was told that my GBS culture came back negative, so I am practically healthy as I can possibly be! He told us that we were right about the position of the baby because we both felt that the bum was nice and high and that s/he is to the right. The HB is also nice and strong. DH asked about the speed and the OB explained that it'll stay that fast, even after birth. During labor, we should expect it to be around the 140 range.

I then asked OB if there were any more tests. He said no, that the next test was labour (lol), but that he might send us for another u/s to check on the size and position of baby. I figure that it'll be nice to see baby one more time before the birth...that is unless I give birth before we can have the u/s!

So, all is well and we go again next week. Time is counting down and as my OB put it "we'll see each other each week and become a big happy family!"

34 week OB appointment

DH and I just got back from my 34 week appointment. As usual, the OB was in a rush so didn't get to spend much time with me.

I've gained another 4 pounds putting me at a total weight gain of 30 lbs. I was told that my last u/s was normal and was told again that my GD test came back normal.

It was then that he said to me that I was due for another test...the dreaded strep B swab. He asked me if it was ok if he did it today, to which I said yes. DH said he was leaving the room, because he didn't want to see it, lol. So I undressed from the waist down and the OB came back in just as I was sitting back down on the table. To my surprise, he only swabbed one location of the two that I expected (I'll let you use your imagination).

He checked the heartbeat for all of two seconds, declared that the HB was good and that he would see me again in two weeks. After my appt in two weeks, he'll start seeing me once a week. WOW time has flown!

So me and my little herculean baby (I swear baby is so strong now!) have a lot of OB appointments coming up. I'll be seeing my family doctor soon and I think he'll either become baby's Ped or refer me to one in the building.

I'm excited, there's only 6 weeks left!

31w 6d OB appointment

I just got back from my OB appointment. My regular DR is on vacation so I saw another one on the same floor. She is super nice and it was interesting to see how the two DR offices operate.

Usually I go in, drop off a urine sample, have the RN weigh me and take my BP and then I visit with my OB who only checks my chart and the baby's HB.

At this office, the RN (not sure if she really was one) weighed me on a different type of scale, which showed me at a 3 pound loss. She had me take my urine into the examination room with me as well! However, I liked the DR visit better with this woman. She did the urine test (was good), BP (very healthy) and told me that I had normal results on my GD test (yippe!). She then went on to measure my fundal height, which my other OB never did and checked the HB. She told me baby's HB is 154, which is the first time anyone has ever told me the heart rate. She palped my belly to feel baby's placement (which my other OB also does not do) and then asked if I had any questions. It was a satisfying visit!

I went back over to my regular OB's office to book my next appointment (34 weeks, btw) and told my favourite RN about the scale. She said she was told about it and then offered to weigh me. Instead of losing 3 pounds, I've gained 4, which puts me at a total of 26 pounds and perfectly normal.

So baby and I are very healthy and I really am looking forward to my next appointment! That is until he sends me for a Strep B test, I'm sure...

30 weeks and 6 days u/s

Today I had another u/s of our LO and it was amazing. Tomorrow I will be 31 weeks. It didn't start off so great because I was loosing my patience in the waiting room. We were there for over an hour and I saw some people go in before me that had arrived after me. But I am going to safely say that the wait was worth it.

The u/s tech allowed DH in the room for the whole thing, unlike last time. She was very nice about the questions we asked and showed us everything we asked to see. Baby is laying with it's spine to the left and legs waaaay up in my right rib cage. Head is down, which is great.
The most amazing part was that she spent some time showing us baby's face. Baby was blinking and even moved it's eyes, which was a weird thing to see in an u/s. He/she also was moving it's mouth in a sucking motion; I think baby has DH's lips, lol.

We were told that baby is 1.6kg or 3.6 lbs and has a big head!! Holy moly we're going to have a big baby!

We've gotten three more pictures to share and once I get them on the comp, I'll post for everyone to see. They are of the feet, which were crossed at the ankles, the face and a profile shot. I can't wait to meet this LO!

28 week DA and Glucose Test

So yesterday was my week 28 OB appointment and glucose test.

I arrived early and checked in. The RN told me to head to the lab to start the glucose test and come back to see the doctor. I did just that. DH was out getting breakfast (he works nights and woke up at 1pm; our appt was at 2) so I went to the lab and did the paperwork. They handed me a chilled bottle of orange drink and a small cup and was instructed to drink it as fast as I could. Now, I hear all the stories about how disgusting the drink is, so I was anticipating something syrupy or overly sweet. I have to admit, it tasted like Orange Crush and I had no problem drinking it!

Back at the OB's office, I was weighed and was a little shocked to find that I've gained another 7lbs in 3 weeks! That puts me at a total weight gain of 22lbs, but the OB and RN were happy, so I'm not worried. When I called my mother afterward, she seemed surprised in a bad way, though. She told me "the weight isn't just going to drop off after the baby is born". Thank you, I know this, but I don't care. I'm not gorging on food, this is just the weight I'm gaining! I am going to estimate around a total of 35lbs of weight gain by the end.

The OB gave me paperwork for another u/s! Talk about shocked! I asked him why, thinking there was something wrong, because I was told by my SIL that we would only have the two. He said they wanted to check the position and growth of the baby. I'm so excited to see our LO again! We'll totally be getting pictures again.

To wrap up (sorry for being long) around the 45 min mark of the glucose test I started feeling dizzy and sick...I didn't throw up, but it was not a good feeling. Now I just have to wait for the results and I go back for my next appt in 3 weeks. Time is flying!

Nursery Paint Treatment

DH and I are getting ready to put our nursery together. We have talked about it for a long time now and have mostly come to a decision, except for the paint treatment.

We both agree that we don't want to do a flat colour around the room and even have considered a chair rail.

We don't know the gender of our baby, so we thought of going with a light green. DH wants something sage-y, I want something more pastel-like.

Here is the bedding that we've chosen: Bunny Meadows

Here is the furniture that we've chosen:
Crib - Chelsea Crib
Changing Table -Emma Combo
Glider - Glider and Ottoman

We're also staining a wardrobe we have to match the rest of the furniture instead of getting another dresser for the room.

What do you think that we can do to the walls to dress it up a little bit more? Stripes? Mural? Thanks for the input!

6 month OB appointment

I had my 6 month appointment today...a week later than normal, but we were on vacation last week.

I cannot believe that in the last 4 weeks I've gained about 7 lbs! That's more or less what I've gained in the past 5 months before it. However, it felt good when the RN showed me my weight chart, wrote down the number and told me that I was doing a good job. I really like her...I should really find out what her name is!

The OB is pretty happy, too. Both he and the RN made comments on how I'm growing, mentioning that I wasn't out as much the last time I was in. Baby even gave the OB a hard time finding the heartbeat (again) because it was moving around so much!

I also asked my OB about the hip pain I've been having and the hemroids. The hip pain is normal, but I didn't think to ask him what to do about it. The hemroids he said are also normal, however he explained them better than any internet source I read. Most sources said it had to do with an influx of hormones. He said that the baby is resting on my intestines, which is pushing the tissues which cause the hemroids. As long as I don't overdo the activity (like I did in the garden on saturday), I should be able to cope.

Next appointment is in 3 weeks when I also have my 1 hour glucose test. I also got my registration package for the hospital. Apparently it takes 2-4 weeks to get a consulting nurse to contact me, so I'll start the calls now! I was also told that the hospital offers prenatal classes that are 9am to 4pm on a Saturday, but it costs $200. I think I'm going to find another resource. Any ideas?

All in all, everything is good with my active little baby!