cathryn

So I've been using the home blood pressure reader to check my BP when I feel particularly swollen. Tonight my face puffed up, along with my feet and ankles, and I took my BP it it read pretty high.

Paranoid, I called my mom and she told me to call the doctor. So I called the office, expecting to get a nurse on call. Instead the answering service transferred me to the poor doctor at eleven pm. He told me to go to Labor and Delivery at the hospital. At that point I decided I didn't want to go, but my mother AND father arrived at my house ten minutes later to take me. (Husband's on a business trip, won't be home till Saturday.)

Of course they hooked me up to the BP monitor, the fetal monitor, and the contraction monitor, took a urine sample, and had me lie there for two hours. My BP went down immediately. I constantly have Braxton Hicks contractions, but apparently they were every five minutes. (I can't feel them most of the time.) So they gave me all sorts of stuff to drink, but they wouldn't slow down. This led to a cervical check, which was the most uncomfortable thing ever. No dilation, no effacement.

They finally sent me home and told me to come back if I had swelling, headaches, blurred vision all at once. I'm never using the home monitor again, since it made me paranoid and I ended up lying in a hospital bed for two hours. I'm so embarrassed.

I finally realize, however, how much it sucks to be strapped down in one position for so long. I can't imagine how it would feel if one was in labor.

This evening I picked up my new vehicle. It's pretty badass. I took the long way home. Chris is in San Francisco on business, so I'll take it to pick him up at the airport on Saturday.

During dinner my ankles looked swollen and I felt like my nasal passages were narrow. My mom has this little digital blood pressure reader that wraps around the wrist, so we used that and it was 137/90-something, which is slightly high, and definitely high for me. It's always been fine at the doctor, but that's usually in the AM. I just checked it again and its' down to 137/76. I'm also feeling paranoid and using the reader every ten minutes, which is probably making things worse.

( Here's a picture! )

Tonight I went to my parents' house for dinner and they took me to test drive some cars! I ended up choosing one that's much larger than I ever imagined. (2004 Mitsubishi Endeavor)  (that's the color, too)

The back seat is really spacious and it's a nice mom-mobile. I will probably get it on Thursday, at which point you can all make fun of me for having an SUV. It just worked out that way.

I'm ecstatic, because my current ride is a 1993 Ford Taurus without heat, ac, properly latching driver's side door, functioning exhaust, or rear view mirror. I would never drive my baby in it. I've also been painfully envious of my husband's Pontiac Vibe since last summer, and now we'll be even.

I went to see a different OB-GYN for a second opinion about my GIANT baby. Apparently there isn't any real evidence that my kid's too big. He told me he'd only plan a c-section if she was estimated to be over 12 pounds, which really is enormous, and she doesn't fall into that category. I decided to switch to his care simply because he is more supportive of a normal birth and more confident in my ability to stay at home longer before I go in, go longer without an epidural (or possibly not need one) etc.

So yay!

We have five weeks left. My friend, with the help of my mother and mother-in-law, is having a baby shower for me on the 17th. I can't wait!

We had our 33 week ultrasound/checkup today. The most exciting part was finding out that she's definitely a girl. We also got a clear shot of her face:



She has her hand squished against her face, but you can see the main features. So cute!

My doctor gave me a due date based on my last period. I wasn't exactly sure of the date, so I estimated a little ahead to avoid being labeled "overdue" later on and having to be induced and given extra drugs and whathaveyou. The baby has "measured" two weeks ahead throughout my OB visits, and today my doctor told me the baby was "huge" and we should probably discuss a scheduled c-section.

WTF!

Reasons this is a ridiculous idea:

1) Ultrasound weight estimates, at this stage, have a margin of error of more than a pound. For a baby "measuring" 5 pounds, 8 ounces, that's a lot.

2) Numerous other women with whom I've been communicating have very similar weight estimates and their doctors have said nothing of baby being "too big."

3) I might just be further along than she thinks.

4) She seems to think that a full term baby over eight pounds is ENORMOUS. It's not. She estimated that the baby could be eight and a half pounds by birth, which is still well within the "normal" range.

5) C-sections are emergency procedures. I'm not going to schedule a risky surgery with a long, painful recovery time because there's a chance my child might be larger than average.

I told her that I would be making my decisions based on medical risks to the baby, and she had to admit that a vaginal birth was NOT a medical risk to my baby. Even if the shoulders get stuck, the problem is most easily solved by changing positions or being more upright. She still advised me to consider scheduling the surgery, though. I was so upset - I have a pretty natural birth planned and a c - section is the last thing I want. She told me I could "try" to give birth normally, but if it started taking too long, she'd want to do a c - section. That means the clock will be ticking in my face as soon as I get to the hospital.

I have not gained even the average amount of weight during my pregnancy. I only have six weeks to go and I've gained fewer than fifteen pounds, so it's not as if I've been overindulging and making my baby fat. I came home so upset, called my doula, and got a recommendation for a different doctor. I don't think I'll be seeing the other one again. The new guy as apparently more supportive of a birth involving fewer medications and will hopefully give me a different opinion.

I WILL be sending my old doctor a birth announcement after I successfully have an adorable, possibly GIANT baby without being sliced open.

I want to see Away We Go so badly, even though the reviews say it's overly sweet and just and adult version of Juno. Will it release nationwide? When? I can't find any information on a nationwide release for the U.S. I want to see it while I'm still pregnant, and preferably not a crappy bootleg.

Facebook comment from random right wing fundie Chris happens to know after I point out his opposition to women's rights:

"it sounds like you have your hands full with your new wife. She sounds like a feisty one and you know as well as I how strangely familiar this is to me :) "

Response from awesome husband:

"If by 'feisty' you mean she can form and express her own opinions, then yes, she is (and does) that. I'm not sure what else you're referring to.

I don't have to deal with her being mad at me, mostly because I am in support of furthering the awareness of equality of the sexes - so I don't have my 'hands full'."

And fuck that guy.

Earlier my mom stopped by with a baby swing someone had given her to give to me. It needs to be thoroughly cleaned, but I'm happy! We have all the essentials now. If we get any other things they'll be luxury items. The kid is already so spoiled. My mother has been amazing; every weeks she buys a pack of diapers and a couple of other things.

My friend Jessica now wants to plan a baby shower, which makes me feel so guilty. Lately it seems as if everything's being handed to us so easily. We are so blessed in every way. I've signed up to volunteer at the YWCA to give back a little, but I would like to do a lot more.

Only four days till our annual trip to Destin, Florida. I can't wait. I'll feel like a huge whale this year, but this view makes up for it.

I used to get lots of vulgar text messages that were meant for a girl named Nekia. Sometimes I'd get calls for her. I told everyone to spread the word that Nekia's number had obviously been recycled (I have a prepaid phone) and that I was not her.

Today I had a few missed calls from a local number with no voicemail, so I googled the number and it was on a website as the cell phone contact for a real estate agent. Our landlord wants to sell our house and has offered it to us before, so I assumed it was his realtor. However, this evening the same number has called me three times! It's a girl who obviously communicates with Nekia in some other fashion, because as soon as I answer she'll say, "Hey, I'm leaving now," or, "Did you get blah blah blah?" or, "What are you doing tonight?"

You'd think she'd just...ask Nekia for her new phone number?

Yesterday I had a glucose screening test, which involved drinking a large cup of "orange" flavored glucose syrup in five minutes. An hour later I had four tubes of blood taken to check sugar and iron levels. I have an enormous sweet tooth, so I was surprised at how dizzy and woozy the syrup made me feel. I didn't get any calls from the lab today, so I do not have gestational diabetes.

That night at about one am I started having lower back pain and cramps and nausea. I couldn't sleep, so I went downstairs and sat on my exercise ball, walked around, consulted several books on what might help, did some weird stretches, and eventually threw up a large amount of watermelon. (My primary food yesterday.) Huh.

Today I purchased a "Nonfat Iced Mocha" from Mcdonald's. I was surprised by its comparability to iced drinks from various coffee shops. Beware, though, that it is not "nonfat." The milk added to the espresso (I believe it's a premade espresso that comes in bulk; no one brewed an espresso for my drink) is nonfat, but the beverage includes chocolate syrup and a huge mound of whipped topping (which is incorrectly called "whipped cream" in the description, but is definitely not real cream.) The mocha weighs in at 270 calories and a whopping 8 grams of fat.

Yummy, but this is a dessert, not a thirst quencher.

I am now 28 weeks along. I can't believe we have fewer than twelve weeks to go! I'm dying to meet her. In preparation, we purchased a "travel system." (a stroller/car seat set that's cheaper than buying them separately)

We decided on this one:

The "Chicco Cortina Keyfit Travel System" in the "Discovery" color scheme. This was harder to choose, I think, than our car.

Here's a phone photo of Chris assembling:


And a close up of t the carseat part, which I LOVE. It has enough padding and harnessing and buckling and impact-absorbing features to satisfy me, the most paranoid future-parent ever:


Chris is in San Fransisco for the whole week on business. I hate it!  Also, I think my brother is finally being kicked out of my parents' house, which is a good thing and a cause for concern. His violence and drug abuse are such a problem, but my mom is convinced she'll never see him again, which is not an unreasonable assumption.

Chris and I received this vacuum as a wedding gift.

It's small and easy to handle. It's light enough for me to carry it up and down the stairs even though I'm six months pregnant. I originally put it on the registry because it claims to work well on pet hair and hard floors. I've been extremely happy with the suction power of the vacuum, and it works really well on our hardwood, which is throughout the house. The two filters are easy and quick to clean, and really cut down on dust inside.

We only have two rugs, so I usually use the "floor to carpet" attachment. The carpet attachment is much more effective, but not enough to make me switch over every time. 

Negatives? The cord isn't that long. I have to unplug it a couple of times while doing the kitchen and living room. The rolling floor/carpet attachment sometimes flips upside down if I lift it up, and it's always a ten second pain in the butt to rectify. 



I bought this ice cream because it was on sale. It's got a fantastic texture and I can taste all five ingredients. It's not too rich for summer time. The mint could be more assertive, though it's still refreshing.

Usually I can feel the baby move around a few times a day, in spurts. She has become stronger every week.

But today she's out of control! I woke up to her jabbing me, and it hasn't stopped for more than ten minutes. I don't know if it's because it's suddenly hot (meaning I'm suddenly hot) or if she's just bigger and therefore more active.

It's like having a fish in my belly, flopping around.

In other news, we got a crib! It was a gift from my parents. I will post pictures of the nursery once I get a bit more decorating done.

Our wedding proofs are finally ready! Here are some of the mushiest photos.

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The guy that mows our lawn was originally hired by the landlord. He doesn't ask when he should come by. He mows the lawn far too often and charges $20 per mow.

Why do cats wolf down large amounts of food and then vomit immediately afterwards?

I just cleaned up a huge quantity of completely undigested but chewed up cat food.

Things About Pregnancy I Love:

- feeling baby move
- my family's extra nice
- planning baby's room
- being a family
- being proud of my body
- legitimate sewing projects

Things About pregnancy I Hate

- Unsolicited, outdated, and nonsensical "medical" advice
- Racist comments about worldwide birthing practices
- Belly touching
- Heartburn
- Sleeping on my side

me: would you rather have a cute kid with a salvia addiction or a fat ugly one with a sausage and grits addiction
chris: um... cute kid, i suppose
me: parenthood is looming
chris: i am excitied
excited

ETA: not just a sausage

We haven't got our professional photos back yet, but here are a few shots from some friends.




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