Monday, March 16, 2009

thirty-three weeks




Yes, we are at 33 weeks now and these photos were taken yesterday. I haven't kept up with my writing, though, so the following are some "highlights" of the past week:

Tuesday morning Mr. C woke up from a night of poor sleep, since the chest pain he had been experiencing off and on for a few days had plagued him during the night. He'd had his vitals taken both by one of our nurses and Mothership over the weekend and everything looked fine. But still, something was obviously not right. We both suspected that a call to his doctor might force him to go to the E.R. but what neither of us were expecting was that not only would that be the case, but so would admission to the hospital for 18 hours of "routine" observation. Ugh. Hospitals suck. However, he is (thank God) fine and his heart, blood pressure, cardiac enzymes, etc. all passed all of their tests with flying colors. He has a follow-up appointment with his doctor tomorrow. After he got home from the hospital he decided it might be a good idea to remove the memory foam topper from our bed, and reports that he has slept better since then and has no chest pain. Hmmmm...
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My sweet, dear friend flew over from the other side of the state for a visit this weekend. It had been a long time since we'd had a visit, but she is one of those friends who you see after a long time and it feels like you were just together the day before. It was wonderful to spend time with her and I am so thankful for her :)
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We started our childbirth class on Monday and it went well. There are four couples total, as another couple joined the class, so that feels like a good number of people. My impression after the first class is that two of the women are fairly naive about the whole thing. One of them kept talking about the movie "The busine$$ *f being b*rn." The teacher seems to have a very balanced perspective, though, and does a good job of redirecting the conversation as needed. She knows about my history and has encouraged me to share as much as Mr. C and I feel comfortable sharing. My feeling is that I will talk about things if they become relevant. After the class Mr. C did vent a bit to me about how he was feeling in response to some of the things that were said by the two women in class. Overall his sentiment was that the most important thing, the thing that will make this a "successful birthing experience," is to bring home a live/healthy baby. That's it. Sure, we may have to deal with some things that are annoying or a bother--a nurse may say something rude or insensitive (perhaps, but this hasn't been our experience in the past--quite the opposite, actually) or someone might push the epidural pretty hard (and we, gasp, might even say yes) or we may even get to a point where a c-section is advised (and yes, we trust our doctor and our advocates enough that if this is advised then we will trust that it is warranted) but when all is said and done what really matters is that this Little Guy will be on the outside, safe and sound. Maybe something along these lines will be shared at some point in class. Perhaps, but hopefully only if it can be said in a gentle, honest way that will actually be heard. We have our second class tonight.
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Mothership sat next to my OB at one of her doctors/practitioners meetings at the hospital last week and they got a chance to talk. We had planned to discuss the hospital situation with him at my appointment tomorrow, but she brought it up with him then. Turns out that unless I go into labor before 37 weeks I will have to deliver at the hospital that is close to my house, where he delivers all but the preemies (the other hospital, the one I'd prefer, has the NICU). I have no desire to jump ship and find a new OB at this point, so I will deliver here. It will be OK. I'm glad that I have a few weeks to wrap my brain around it, though.
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As I believe is evident in the photo above, the Little Guy is continuing to grow--and I, subsequently, am getting huge. I had to break down yesterday and buy several new maternity tops, since the tops I'd thought would last through the pregnancy just aren't covering the belly anymore. Fortunately, although when I look at my legs and my behind I find it hard to believe, my pants are still fitting me.
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I believe that I may be experiencing what they call nesting. It may just be a response to being on modified activity for so long, and now being able to be more active, but I have been working on projects all over the house. It feels nice.

9 comments:

heathers243 said...

I think you have a great perspective on a "successful" birth experience...I wanted a med-free birth and ended up with a c-section, and while I wish things were different, I was indeed blissfully happy holding my sweet, healthy little boy :)

Also, isn't that a b*tch the way you need new maternity clothes at the end? Who designs those things anyway? What a joke!

Hennifer said...

You look fabulous. it really looks like you've got some wonderful pregnancy hair going on. It looks thick and soft :)

I hope your classes continue to be nurturing and that there is a chance for open dialogue for you.

Monica H said...

You look beautiful momma!

I hope mr. c is okay. Do you think there really is a connection between the foam topper and his chest pain? Interesting.

I hope you feel comfortable enough to voice your concerns in your cb class.

BasilBean said...

Thanks for the nice compliments ladies. I've never understood why pregnant women so often say they feel like they look horrible (I know some feel just the opposite--lucky them!) and now I totally understand.

Hennifer: I just got a haircut a week ago and it has made a world of difference in how my hair looks.

Monica: I really don't know if there is a connection between Mr. C's chest pain and the mattress topper. I do know that he seems to be snoring less (I'd apologize to him for sharing so much personal info, but he told me that my blog is a place of my own to express myself, and he doesn't read it). Since it has been pretty much established that his heart is fine, then there must be some other reason for the pain. I know that I have had pain in my chest before that was caused by my vertebrae being out of alignment. It could also be caused by stress--he's been working a lot this last month or so.

Anonymous said...

OMG you are so cute!!! and 33 weeks that is huge it really is. I am so happy for you guys!!!

Anonymous said...

thank you thank you thank you...
also you're bathroom towels an d/or pattern are adorable AND I came back on just to see your beautiful large belly again... :) it makes me smile and these days i could pretty must just use that pic as a screen saver ha ha

Anonymous said...

um wow I should have someone over at the dictionary and grammar store go over my posts before I hit post huh...

Coggy said...

You look amazing. I don't think for one minute you have too much weight. I measured above my weeks for a while then towards the end I settled back to measuring dead on. I think everyone grows differently.

Your hair does look good ;o) I never got a pregnancy glow.

I can't believe how close you are to meeting your little fella.

I hope Mr C is feeling better.

Unknown said...

HI! Just chiming in to add my voice to the chorus! You look so beautiful and vibrant!
Hope all is progressing well.
Janice