21 Weeks: Growth Spurts

Brrr! Here, at the end of March, I'm hoping this is our last week of Winter. Next week, the forecast has 70-degree temperatures, so I'm going to hold them to that! :)  Today, we have been having steady flurries all day. It eased up a little while we were taking the pictures, but in the ones you can see, it still just looks like weird lines (like going warp speed in space).

My updates tell me that Mini should be about a pound right now. They also tell me that the baby is about to start the stage where her main business is getting cute and chubby! Well, I added the "cute" part. Let's assume that. But she's going to be fattening up! She also is growing eyelashes and eyebrows (hopefully not a unibrow, baha...)

And my belly seems to be at a stage where it looks bigger every week. The pictures this week prompted a "Whoa!" from me. Pictures always make everything more apparent!


No, I am not wearing a jacket in these. Yes, I am a little crazy. I'm tired of Winter cramping my style!!

Nope, not cold at all. I'm too cool to be cold. 

You can see the snow in this one! And I was very happy to put Tyler's ugly but warm coat back on.

20 Weeks: Halfway Home

I can't believe it's been a week since the ultrasound! This past week went by so quickly, but it was pretty busy, so I guess that's to be expected. But we've also hit a new milestone! 20 weeks! Assuming the pregnancy lasts exactly 40 weeks, that means we're halfway there! In some ways the last 20 weeks flew by, and in others, it feels like it's been forever. Especially when I think about that we got our first positive pregnancy test right after Thanksgiving.

I haven't felt Mini much lately, which is normal at this stage. I hope I start feeling her again soon, though, because it's a lot easier to talk to something you feel moving than just to talk to your belly like a crazy person! All the updates say she can definitely hear me now. Most of these updates also say she's around 10 ounces, but last week they estimated 12 ounces, so when I read those updates, I just kind of laugh.

Mini isn't the only one growing these days. My belly has gotten visibly bigger in the last week. I don't think I would need a picture to tell me that, with all the stretching feeling and itching. If my belly is any indication of how much baby girl is growing, then I'm starting to think that she might actually be a July baby! I've bought some adorable clothes for her, and Tyler and I have even found some names we agree on.

Tyler and I have been missing our friends and family, and we wish we could see you all more often. But, at least we have technology, which keeps us so much more in touch than we would have been even 10 years ago.

Today was a pleasant but cool 60-degree day. We were delighted to see that they finally opened the gates to our old picture spot. Here are the fun and sunny pics!

Nesting: Nursery Plans

Tyler and I are still not sure where we'll be living when the baby comes, but for now, I'm operating under the hope that we will be in a 3 bedroom establishment. If not, my nursery plans will merely be a sized down version, split with my office, so I see no reason to stop thinking about it.

I spent most of yesterday planning out the main look and major pieces of the nursery. I knew I wanted a modern but feminine look, but not too frilly. My inspiration room made things a lot easier, since I am not the most talented interior designer. The idea of an inspiration room, is that you follow the general look and idea and let it inspire you, but not copy it exactly.

So I worked on a virtual board filled with items I could actually acquire for my own nursery. It will have pale mint green walls, white and cream furniture, a black and white rug, and salmon pink accents. I also had a lot of prints from Etsy saved in my favorites already that I want to use for the art wall. 

Some of these pieces are still just serving as inspiration, because I plan to find them cheap at yard sales and thrift stores, but a lot of them are the exact items I will be getting! My sister found an amazing deal on the sheep mobile, a Pottery Barn $62 mobile, for $8 at Kid's Market! Pretty sure I owe her a home-cooked dinner for that one.

The art wall is almost exclusively from Etsy shops. The photograph will be replaced instead with a similar one of Tyler and mini, I'm hoping :)

The curtains that are on the closet, will actually be on the window. I'm going to buy white curtains, then Mom is going to sew the trim on. I was having such a hard time finding those curtains!

So, this is it! I'm pretty happy with the result so far, and I hope you are too!

Doula Love Me?

Along with the other events on Tuesday, Tyler and I also met with a doula for the first time and interviewed her. Her name is Jessica, and we were very happy with her answers to our questions, and her attitudes toward birth. A lot of people are unfamiliar with what doulas do, and why they are necessary, so below is some information from DONA International, the most well-known doula association.

The word "doula" comes from ancient Greek and is now used to refer to someone experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to the mother before, during, and just after childbirth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.  Studies have shown that when doulas attend births, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily. 

Specifically, the presence of a doula reduces the overall cesarean rate by nearly 50%, length of labor by 25%, oxytocin/pitocin use by 50%, pain medication by over 30%, the need for forceps or vacuum extraction by 34%, and requests for epidurals by up to 60%. Doula-attended mothers also report less pain during labor and postpartum show significantly less anxiety, fewer signs of depression, and a higher level of self-esteem.

(Klaus, Kennell, and Klaus, The Doula Book)

A birth doula: 

• Recognizes childbirth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life.
• Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor.
• Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for the birth.
• Stays with the woman throughout her labor.
• Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures, and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping
  the woman get the information she needs to make informed decisions.
• Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner, and clinical care providers.
• Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience.
• Allows the woman's partner to participate at comfort level.

Doulas specialize in non-medical skills and do not perform clinical tasks, such as vaginal exams or mother/fetal heart rates.  Doulas do not diagnose medical conditions, offer second opinions, or give medical advice. Most importantly, doulas do not make decisions for their clients; they do not project their own value and goals onto the laboring woman. 

The aforementioned information courtesy of DONA International.

After our meeting with Jessica, we've decided to use her as our doula. She is very focused on enabling the husband be as involved and feel as useful as possible, and helping with pain management when necessary. A lot of times husbands want to help, but don't know how. 

Her full time job is as an RN, so she has been present for a lot of births and C-sections and is familiar with both sides of the process. We're very excited to have found her. She will also meet with us a couple of times before the birth, once at our home, to discuss and practice laboring positions and techniques. We were happy that she is willing to come see us, when we are so far away, without charging extra. 

We're so excited to have found our doula!

19 Weeks: Shocking news!

Tuesday was the day we'd all been waiting for! Little did I know, we would do a lot more waiting....

Our appointment was at 2:30, but we got there early. I did as I was told, and made sure my bladder was full. Which isn't hard when you're pregnant. I really only need about 15 minutes notice!  When I signed in, the receptionist said they'd call me back in a few minutes. The receptionist must have had no idea what she was talking about. I didn't get called back into the ultrasound room until almost 3:00. Let me tell you, an uncomfortable, full bladder pregnant woman is not one you want to keep waiting for an hour. I ended up going against her advice and going to the bathroom at about 2:25, when she had told me 10-15 minutes ago it would just be a little longer. 

waiting... waiting...this is early. Still in good spirits

Anyway, enough about my bladder!

I went to the ultrasound room alone at first. The tech quietly found everything she needed to find on the baby, while I laid there and wondered what she was doing and finding. She put TONS of goo on my stomach! Eventually, she called Tyler and Jessica back and immediately showed us what we all wanted to know-- boy or girl? I knew as soon as she pulled it up that it was a girl. But I was still in disbelief. She told me that the baby was measuring 20 weeks, and was 12 ounces (!!!). I told her that didn't surprise me. She showed us lots of adorable body parts and a beating heart and well-developed brain. She told us our baby was crossing her ankles, which I thought was adorable, because I always sit in similar positions. She said the baby looked beautiful and had a perfect spine and everything looked great. Woohoo! At the bottom of this post you'll find a video of baby girl stretching out inside my belly. Too, too cute. 

Watching the big screen tv with our baby girl on it!

After the ultrasound, and yet another eternal 1 hour wait to see my doctor, we headed to a local park to meet with the Moms and spill the beans. They were thrilled, if you couldn't guess that!

The "reveal" pic that no one could see on their phones. In all fairness, I knew it was hard to see when I made it. I just didn't expect to be using it. 

I don't have to post estimated measurements and sizes of the baby, since the tech gave us the best estimate already. But I will say that I think I have hit a stride in the second trimester. I'm feeling great, if a little uncomfortable at times. I mostly feel like myself (with a bigger belly), and I'm enjoying it. I'm also enjoying the nursery planning. I've even bought a few outfits. It took me all of Tuesday to wrap my head around the fact that I'm having a girl. I'm still a little in shock. But she's adorable and we're excited. 

Any symptoms were made better by the surprise movement I started feeling on Sunday night. It wasn't how I expected it to feel, but it was really neat, and immediately I felt more connected with the baby. The tech said the baby is right up against the placenta, which is why I probably wasn't feeling much movement (or why it took so long). 

So that is week 19, for you! Expect more updates to come, as now I have a lot more planning and decisions to make!

18 Weeks: Jane Tired

I had a busy weekend, and came back today exhausted! I went to Chattanooga on Saturday for my sister Jennifer's House Warming Party, then to Tuscaloosa the next day so that I could celebrate a friend's birthday on Monday. I decided to drive back this morning instead of last night, because I was so tired! I still haven't recovered because I've been worn out all day. But Baby Mac hasn't been giving me much trouble at all over the busy weekend-- I had no headaches and no other major issues. I'm very happy about that!

Baby Mac is about 5 and a half inches, crown to rump, but stretched out he/she is anywhere from 7-10 inches! Baby can hear sounds, like the beating of my heart and the gurgling of my stomach, and maybe even a loud noise from outside my belly, too. This is the week that most first-timers feel the first movement. I've been waiting very patiently, and I'm really hoping this is the week!

Today it was super windy and stormy, and I was completely pooped when I took these photos, so you'll have to forgive me for these. Next week will more than make up for it, when I post the answer to the big question "Pink or Blue?"!