Hoppin' Around and Ready for Brady

My latest doctor appointment was just a couple of days ago. I had a late appointment, so I could leave work early and have the rest of the day off afterward. I was so excited to go to this appointment. While technically I was 37 weeks and 6 days, I rounded up to 38 weeks. Doctors said I could start to get "checked" around 38 weeks.

My blood pressure was back to my normal range, which is good. Last week, it was a bit high for me. Not necessarily a scary number, but unusual for my usually low rate. I usually have such low blood pressure they check my pulse to make sure that I am actually breathing. Protein levels were good and I only gained a pound since the last weekly visit. Which is right no cue. I'm still below the "Deuce Plus Club" mark, which completely satisfies me. Doctor says my weight gain was perfectly healthy and consistent.

After the usual checkup of stats, Kyle and I were escorted to the examination room. The nurse asked if I wanted to be checked for dilation. I said, "heck yeah". I undressed waste down. Poor Kyle; one of the gross parts of being this far in the pregnancy, that I have noticed, is that my feet sweat. And they sweat a lot. I was wearing leather flip flops and they must've really kicked in the foot juice. I took those things off, and WHOO! He found some aerosol and sprayed it near my feet to hopefully kick the crap out of the killer stench. I blame it on carrying a boy. Boys stink in general. Of course, he felt it was necessary to pick on me throughout the rest of the visit.

So the doctor comes in and right away I had to apologize for my feet. She claimed to have teenage boys and that the smell of stale foot does not phase her. Okay, well I'm sure that she has seen it all. So I leave it at that. She does notice that my feet are swollen, but doesn't make a note of it because they are not extreme, medically, speaking.

After using her measuring tape and measuring the outside of my belly from pelvis to top of the uterus, she found Brady is measuring exact to the day. So much for my hopes that maybe he was measuring large so they would have to do an ultrasound to see him again. Oh well, I guess I would rather push out an average baby than a large one. Brady's heartbeat was in a great range of 140 beats. He sounded like a healthy boy. She could tell his head was down but pushing in my stomach. He's ready to go!

Next, I asked Kyle to stand by my head and avoid the "business end" while the doctor inserted her gloved hand. I gotta say, that is a feeling I had never felt before. It was rather uncomfortable with a lot of pressure. She noted that I was one centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. It could mean he will be here on time, or sooner, or later... The measurement really didn't do much because it's so early for measuring that there is no telling. I have read a lot of women do their preliminary laboring quietly and don't even notice when they dilate to 3 or 4 cms. The doctor basically stated that if I did not have my baby during the next week, I will be back on the following Friday for another check up.

I asked the doctor what is the latest she would "allow" me to stay pregnant. I really didn't want to hear two weeks past due date. She said only a week. So my absolute latest date to be pregnant would be April 18th. That was a relief. Just one extra week if Brady needed it. I still don't want to be pregnant for three more weeks, but if that's what it will take, I will do it. Better to let him do all his cooking inside than to be fussy outside.

Kyle wanted to know who would deliver our baby. The doctor said they have "on call" days that rotate. She usually does all weekends and if we do go past our due date, we would basically be able to choose which doctor from our practice we would prefer to deliver our baby. That's something to look forward to! If I have to go past my due date, the silver lining is I could choose my favorite doctor. There really only is one doctor I would prefer not to deliver my baby. He has the personality of a dried sponge. I figure that, with my luck, I will get Dr. "stalemate" for the delivery.

So, things are going pretty smooth so far. Kyle and I went to Wally World and Sam's Club to stock up on more baby supplies and easy foods for our house. We "nested" and basically got all things we could see ourselves running out of while the baby is new and we wouldn't have any energy to go out and replace. I feel so relieved and ready for baby now. We even got an 80 count diaper package from Wally World. Our buddy has already given us a package of 40 Huggies diapers made with space for the umbilical cord to heal without irritation. We thought of going Bulk Size from Sam's Club, but many people warned that every baby is different and it was best to not buy bulk until we knew for sure what to get.

We also got some bottles. We were so clueless in BabysRUs, that we thanked the heavenly stars that a saleslady walked by us. I asked how many bottles should we start with and what would work best to store breastmilk if I was so inclined to use a pump. We were looking at Playtex bottles, as recommended by a friend (the nipples worked well for her new baby), and considered getting the drop-ins. I am really concerned with colic, gas and other stomach problems that might upset our baby. The drop-ins are convenient for cleanup and the bags prevent air getting in the belly. The saleslady said to avoid the Playtex pump if I did decide to breastfeed, and to use something else. We will probably rent one from the hospital. She said we could pour the milk directly into the drop-ins and store it in the fridge for up to 48 hours. That's nice information right there. We purchased 6 bottles and found that we had three others at home mailed directly from the manufacturer. I feel confident we have a healthy start now.

I've been pretty crafty and have been requesting samples from manufacturers, as well. I have three cans of Similac formula, and Wally World brand. We have two $5.00 checks toward any purchase of Similac, and also received at $15.00 check toward Nestle Good Start formula. We took the $15 check to BabysRUs and purchased a can that had an additional 30% more in it for $20.62. We only ended up paying $5.62 for it. It feels so good to have additional formula in our cabinets for our boy. My friend has informed me that her pediatrician told her that "nipple confusion" is a myth and that bottle feeding will not "confuse" the baby from breastfeeding. This makes sense to me, because how else would you feed your baby pumped milk? I have also been reading up on breast/formula feeding and have learned that you can switch from formula brand to another fairly simply. As long as they are all milk based, it shouldn't cause any problems. Most formulas are made the same and have the same ingredients. We will stay as consistent as possible, but not freak out about staying devoted to a certain brand. That is reassuring to me as well.

The carseat is now officially installed in the back of our truck. The bassinet will have to move into our bedroom soon. We have most of his clothes and blankets washed and ready-to-use. He has diapers, wipes and Butt Paste (thanks to a great friend). I found a Boppy play mat at Marshall's yesterday for half the price of usual stores and picked it up. He has bottles, and pacifiers specific for 0+Month olds. I think we are ready. Well, probably not that ready, but I feel that he at least has stuff needed for his first few weeks of life. I think we are ready. Now, if only he would get ready. Let's hope he doesn't push me past Easter weekend... I would really like some wine with my Easter ham!

Unscheduled Delivery

Based on emails I receive weekly from a plethora of baby-making sites, Brady is getting locked-and-loaded, and ready to come into the world. I think I am ready for him to arrive. Part of me is ready to see my feet again and to feel like myself again. Another part of me is kind of afraid of what it will be like to not carry a baby. He's been a part of me for so long now. While I have been counting down the whole duration of my pregnancy, I think a part of me was in denial the day would actually come.

Brady is a full-term baby now. He can survive outside the womb anytime he decides to join us in the breathing world. It still baffles me that he went from the size of a needle tip to a full fledged little human. He will go from breathing liquid to inhaling air, only to never be able to breathe liquid again. It amazes me. I know I should know all of this stuff from Biology class, but it never really sinks in until it happens to you. Kinda like how our parents wanted to bestow their hard earned knowledge of life on us, only to have us make our own mistakes and learn on our own. I just won't believe anything until I see it for myself.

People ask me if I'm ready for the baby. Then they mention that I look like I'm going to pop. Yup, I used to say that to pregnant women too. It's really gross to think that people see me and think of me exploding. It really eeks me out. There are some times where I really feel like I will pop, though.. My skin feels so tight and I tell myself that it's okay, I can't possibly grow anymore. Then I do. I am due for a weigh in on Friday. I'm sure if I haven't reached 200 yet, that I will soon. I just really wanted to stay below the Deuce plus club. Oh well. I've only gained about 40 pounds so far. I guess I am okay with that. As long as it brings me a healthy baby, I'll gain three hundred pounds for him if I have to.

I think that we are ready for Brady, by way of actual things. I think. We still don't have any bottles or pacifiers. We don't have a lot of play time things. We don't have a high chair or even a diaper bag. But then I tell myself that a lot of those things won't really be needed for a while. He won't be able to do more than eat, pee, poop and sleep for a while. He won't need toys or a highchair for a little bit. So, I think that since we have clothes for him and a place to lay his sweet head, we have what we basically need. Right? Yeah, I'm probably wrong. I've learned that a lot with this pregnancy. Just when I think I know what I'm talking about, I'm proven just how clueless I am. I don't know why I even try to fake it.

I wonder how I will do when it comes time for delivery. I'm really in denial about how that will happen. I haven't taken any classes. I watch a lot of "Baby Story" on TLC. I basically believe that I just gotta go with the flow on this. I don't know what to expect and I have to remind myself that people have been giving birth for thousands of years. It's a relatively simple procedure for hospitals nowadays. I tell myself that it will all be a blur to me. I will go through the motions and then it will be over and done with. I figure that is why there is really no need to stress about the "what ifs". Although, being a natural born worrywart, I really doubt my abilities to not freak out. I find myself doubting that we even saw all ten fingers and toes on the last ultrasound we had almost 20 weeks ago. I keep worrying that maybe they missed something. But, I know that our ultrasound tech was very good at looking at everything. She counted all chambers of the heart, saw the stomach, bladder, saw no cleft lip.. counted toes, fingers. She was very thorough. I guess I'm just doing the nervous first time mom thing.

One of my oldest friends told me that when I see Brady for the first time it will feel like I've always known what he looked like. She said that when she saw her baby girl for the first time, she felt that she had always known her and always loved her. It's amazing how that works. How can you go from complete strangers to feeling like you've connected your whole life? I guess that is how soul mates work. Our child will be our soul mate.

Poor Brady. If things go as I think they do, he chose to have us as parents. Poor boy, he really has no idea what he got himself into when he picked us. We're gonna be those parents who embarrass the crap out of their kid just cuz it's so darn funny! He will be loved, no doubt, but he sure is in for it!