Such a Tease

So I actually slept great last night and felt well rested this morning despite getting home from the hospital after midnight.  I had noticed my belly would get hard some through out the morning.  Last night while on the monitors, Eric would see a contraction start and ask if my belly was getting tight.  Then when I would feel my belly oh ya I guess it is.  I couldn't tell I was contracting unless I touched my belly.  It was still that way all morning.

My doctor's nurse had called me this morning around 11 to give me my results from my GBS swab.  I filled her in on what all happened last night with our trip to L&D.  She asked if I was still having contractions this morning and I told her ya some what but I hadn't really been paying attention since I was only noticing them if my hands were on my belly.  She told me to pay attention to the frequency and time them.  She said if they are consistent and regular about every 5 minutes to call back and I can get squeezed in to check and make sure I'm not progressing.  So I decided to use my little app on my phone to time them.  From 11-2, I was contracting every 5-8 minutes.  They weren't painful and were still just ok ya my belly is tight.  I put a call in to her and she called me back wanting me to come in to get checked to make sure I wasn't progressing.

So Eric came home from work so we could go to the doctor.  We decided to go ahead and take our hospital bag with us just in case, but we really weren't thinking this was it.  I still wasn't hurting.  I could now tell when a contraction was starting and I was getting some pressure down below but no pain.

We got to the doctor's office and hooked up to the monitors to check the baby's heart rate as well as my contractions.  I was on the monitors for 20 minutes and I had 7 contractions, so they were almost as frequent as every 3 minutes.  She was somewhat shocked that I was contracting that frequently.  She checked me though and no progress.  I'm still hanging out at 1cm.

She sent me home and told me to take it easy this weekend.  I have my baby shower tomorrow, which she said was ok for me to go to.  Other than that she wanted me resting on the couch, staying out of the heat, and drinking tons of water.  (I have a 20 oz water bottle and I drink 3 of those during the day at work alone.  Then there is no telling how much I drink when I get home, so I'm not dehydrated.)  I have my normal 36 week exam on Monday, so she will check and see if I'm progressing at all then.

Today was such a tease but that's ok because I'm not considered full term for another 11 days.  Keep cooking baby.

Trip to L&D

So last night was a stressful night in the Adcock home.  All day yesterday I was having some dull menstrual like cramps.  I just attributed it to getting checked for the first time the day before.  Then on my way home that afternoon, I thought you know baby hasn't been that active today.  I decided lets just take it easy that evening.  I laid on my left side and drank some orange juice to get baby moving.  I finally got some movement but nothing like the usual.

Then after dinner, I went to do my kick counts.  This is the time that baby is usually the most active and I always do my kick counts at this time.  It's somewhat of a joke for us to see how fast the baby will get his/her 10 kicks.  On average, I get 10 kicks in less than 5 minutes.  However most of the time it's in a minute and a half.  I just really wasn't feeling the baby move, so I took a bath.  Sometimes the baby will be really active once I get in the water.  Then I had some of my left over slush from sonic (full of sugar) to get the baby moving.  I also drank a cup of orange juice.  After all of that in an hour I only had 4 kicks.  This was totally not the normal for Baby Adcock.

I was getting somewhat worried, and Eric could tell.  He told me well just call the on call nurse.  I called the answering service and the nurse midwife called me back.  She was actually somewhat rude and snotty.  Immediately she said well if you want you can go to the L&D and get hooked to the monitors to check.  I then asked well could getting checked yesterday have caused the baby to slow down a bit because I figured that was what was causing my menstrual like cramps.  She said well if you want to ease your mind you can just go in.  I can go ahead and call them to let them know you're coming.  She made me feel so stupid and was rude about it.  I am definitely glad she is not my doctor's nurse.

Well we get to the hospital and the nurse there was super nice!  Her name was Katie.  She hooked me up to the monitors right away so I could hear the baby's heart beat and that immediately helped ease my mind.  I still hadn't felt movement so I was still concerned.  She had me give a urine sample to make sure I didn't have a UTI causing the cramping I had during the day.  When she came back a few minutes later she asked if I knew I was contracting.  I looked at her like do what???  I was contracting every 2-8 minutes.  I was not feeling a thing.  They kept me on the monitor for an hour and she spoke to the on call doctor for my group.  The doc decided not to have the nurse check me since I had just gotten checked yesterday, I wasn't feeling the contractions, and he didn't want to stir things up.  Since the heart beat was great and I felt some movement during the NST I got to go home.  YAY!!!!  Baby Adcock was just wanting us to do a test run to L&D.

35 Weeks

how far along? 35 Weeks, Wednesday 6/27/2012  
(only 5 weeks to go, I can count that on one hand!!!)

how are you measuring? 36 cm, 1 cm dilated and baby's head is low (she could feel the head) 

size of baby? 5lbs 7 oz (We had a growth scan today and all of the measurements were perfect, just a smaller baby, 38th percentile)

heartbeat? 146

total weight gain/loss? 30lbs (YIKES!)

maternity clothes? Yes as well as Eric's t-shirts around the house.  My size small t-shirts are a bit snug these days over my belly. haha

stretch marks? Nope. Fingers crossed that I won't get any.
sleep? Sleep is really hard to come by these days.  I just can't get comfortable anymore.  Then when I finally do, it's like oh but now I need to use the restroom.  Then after I use the restroom I am so thirsty.  I drink a glass of water knowing good and well I will be up in about 2 hours to use the restroom AGAIN.  It's a never ending cycle.

best moment this week? We had an ultrasound today, so we got to see our baby.  After the sonographer got all of the measurements, she switched over to 3d and snapped some images for us.  The entire time during the ultrasound, Baby Adcock kept kicking the transducer.  He/She did not like her pressing on his/her home.  During the 3d ultrasound she used a cowbell right near my belly, so we could see the baby react.  The baby would open his/her eyes to see what was going on and was making some pretty crazy faces.  It just made our hearts melt :)  
Also, I've spent some time out at the family medicine clinic this week, and we had a few newborn and 1 week olds come in for weight checks.  I just absolutely loved holding those little ones and being able to interact with the new parents.  It just made me so much more excited for the end of July to hurry up and get here.  (It also made me excited that I have decided on general pediatrics for my career choice).

movement? My belly just looks like the ocean at times with waves of movement.  It's so funny.  I think a patient was somewhat freaked out in clinic when my belly was just moving all over the place while I was sitting there asking her questions. haha

The other day I was getting kicked on the side, so Eric decided to rub my belly where the baby's feet were kicking me.  The baby started kicking even more.  We think daddy was tickling him/her.

food cravings? Anything cold to drink: sonic slush, icecream, milk shake, you name it.  It's so hot right now! (I don't really think being pregnant makes these triple digit heats any worse)

gender predictions? I'm still thinking girl.  No we did not take a peak during the ultrasound this afternoon.

what i miss: Being able to just plop on the couch and be comfortable in the evenings.  It seems like this week has been the turning point of being comfortable.  I'm fine during the day while I'm up moving around but the evenings are a little uncomfortable for me.

what i'm looking forward to: The wonderful shower some great friends of mine are throwing this Saturday for me here in Kansas City.  I'm so excited to celebrate the upcoming arrival of our first child with my support group here in KC.  
how are you feeling? I am still feeling pretty good over all during the day.  Like I said above the evenings are a little uncomfortable.  I'm to the anxious point though.  Any little twinge I get I think is this it, is this the start of contractions.  I have no idea what to expect, so I question every little thing.  I'm also somewhat to the point where, I'm done!  I just want this baby to be here.  haha  I guess this is God's way of teaching me to be patient. :)

Development this week:  Today starts week 36 of development.   Right now, most of baby's systems are just about equipped for life on the outside.  Though the digestive system is ready to roll, too, it hasn't really gotten a workout yet.  Up until this point, the baby's nutrition has been arriving via the umbilical cord-no digestion necessary.  But that's soon to change.  As soon as baby takes his or her first suckle, that digestive system will be jump-started-and those diapers will start filling.  (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

34 Weeks

how far along? 34 Weeks, Wednesday 6/20/2012  

how are you measuring? 34 cm 

(We are doing a growth scan next week to check on the baby's growth since I only grew 1 cm in two weeks.  This isn't a huge worry; the doctor isn't concerned.  She knew I was wanting to get a weight estimate so this will give us a way for insurance to cover an ultrasound.)

size of baby? Large Cantaloupe, 19-22 inches, 5.5 lbs

heartbeat? 140-150s, the baby was super active and the heartbeat was all over the place (which the doctor said was good)

total weight gain/loss? 29 lbs

maternity clothes? Yes.  I don't like wearing my maternity dress pants for work.  They're not as comfy as the dresses. haha

stretch marks? Nope. Still hoping I don't get any
sleep? I am now getting up about 3 times every night to use the restroom.  I usually go right before I start getting ready for bed and then I will go one last time before getting in bed.  Then I usually get up at 12, 2, and 4.  UGH!  Oh well I guess I'm getting prepared for those night time feedings.

best moment this week? Eric and I were able to get so much done this weekend to get ready for baby.  That was a lot of fun.  Then on Monday I had my pre-admission appointment at the hospital.  I am now registered at the hospital!  Then tonight we did a maternity hospital tour, so we know where to go when "It's time!".

movement? It's funny to see the changes from week to week as the baby is running out of room.  I just love being able to feel the baby moving around all day.

food cravings? Nope nothing this week.

gender predictions? I'm still thinking girl.  Hopefully less than 6 weeks until we know.

what i miss: Not having that man I need to use the restroom ALL the time feeling.

what i'm looking forward to: Getting to see Baby Adcock next week for the growth scan.  No we are not taking a peek to find out the gender. :)
how are you feeling? I am still feeling pretty good over all.  This week I have spent some more time out at the clinic seeing patients all day which really makes me tired by the end of the day.  I'm also starting to get some pressure down low.  I feel like I fidget a lot to get comfortable when sitting.  I think the baby has started to drop.

Development this week:  Today starts week 35 of development.  The baby is standing somewhere around 20 inches and continues to follow the 1/2 pound-a-week plan, weighing in at about 5 1/2 lbs.  While growth will taper off when it comes to height (the average full-termer is born at about 20 inches), the baby will continue to pack on the pounds up until delivery day.    Something else he/she is packing on with the few weeks remaining are brain cells.  Brain development continues at a mind-boggling pace, making baby a little on the top-heavy side.  And speaking of tops, its likely your baby's bottom is.  Most babies have settled into a head-down, bottom-up position in the pelvis by now.  That's a good thing, since it's easier on you if baby's head (the biggest part) exits first during delivery.  Here's another plus: baby's head may be big, but it's still soft, allowing that tight squeeze through the birth canal to be a little less tight. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

What's Cookin in the Kitchen

Monday: Happy Hour following our Doctor's Appointment :)

Tuesday: Buffalo Wild Wings: Wing Night

Wednesday: Mango Pork, Wild Rice, Salad

Thursday: Turkey Burgers Hawaii Style & Sweet Potato Fries

Friday: Orange Chipotle Chicken

Saturday: Bfst: Breakfast Date at Le Peep (Groupon)
      Lunch: Shrimp in Tomato Feta Sauce over Angel Hair Pasta, Parmesan Zucchini & French Bread

Sunday: Home Cooked Breakfast :)

Ready for Baby!

On Thursday I had a panic freak out mode with tears.  I realized, we only have around 6 1/2 weeks until Baby Adcock is due to arrive.  Yikes!!!!  I was born 6 weeks early, so I realized baby could come any moment now.  The doctor said once I hit 34 weeks, they will not try and stop my labor.  I then thought wow med school sections were only 6 weeks long and that's how long Eric and I would go without seeing each other.  Putting it into perspective like that somewhat freaked me out.

Then the tears started flowing.  Initially they were tears of joy.  To think that we would meet our little one so soon and they changed to panic tears.  I thought OMG we do not have anything ready for a baby, so I made myself a to do list of everything I wanted to get done this weekend.

1. Get the crib and changing table organized and ready to go.  The mattress should arrive this week.  I washed the sheets and they are ready to go.  We also bought a box of newborn diapers to have ready.  I received a pack of wipes in the middle of the diaper cake from my shower.  We haven't really been buying diapers in case this little one doesn't like a specific type of diaper.

2. Put the car seat and stroller together.  We purchased the car seat and stroller back in November at a Black Friday Sale.  The box has been sitting in our bedroom ever since.  Eric put this together and enjoyed showing me all of the details and how to fold it up etc. 

3. Clean out our cars and install the car seat.  I was expecting this to be a pain but with the newer vehicles having the latch system it wasn't difficult at all.  That black seatbelt looking strap was on the car seat base and it just clips onto these silver hooks that I have near the seatbelt buckles.  Then the car seat clicks into the base.

                                          

4. Purchase a swing.  I couldn't decide what type of swing I wanted.  Eric really liked these Mamaroos, so we did a little research.  Instead of just the front to back or side to side motion like typical swings this gadget is suppose to mimic the motion the baby feels in my belly while I'm up moving around.  There are a few different types of motion you can select.  There is a side to side swaying and then there is a U shaped so it goes up on the sides and then there is more of a bouncy up and down while it sways side to side.  It seems really sophisticated and from the reviews and friends we've talked to the baby loves it.  Hopefully Baby Adcock will love their Mamaroo as well. 

I also cleaned out the fridge while Eric was putting the car seat and stroller together.  We started to pack our hospital bag but didn't get too far with that. 

Still left to do on our list.

1. Finish our Hospital Bag

2. Clean out the freezer

3. Organize bathroom drawers/cabinets to make a special spot for baby's stuff

4. Use a groupon to get our cars detailed and washed

5. Hire someone to do a deep clean on the house  (I read on some blogs/message boards that a lot of moms wish they would have done this before the arrival of the baby, so they are coming to a super clean house)

6. Use our groupon to have the carpets cleaned

7. Schedule my pre-natal massage that Eric bought me for my birthday

What else should I do to prepare for Baby Adcock's arrival?

Belly Pics

One of my friends took these pictures for me as a gift for the baby.  We had so much fun taking these although I have chigger bites everywhere!!!  Thank you so much Devin for capturing this special moment for us.  (You can search for SeeKING Photos on facebook)

33 Weeks

how far along? 33 Weeks, Wednesday 6/13/2012  

how are you measuring? ?

size of baby? Pineapple, 19-22 in, 4.9 lbs

heartbeat? ?

total weight gain/loss? 27.5 lbs

maternity clothes? Yep. No hiding this pregnant belly.  I love Maxi dresses.  So comfy!

stretch marks? Nope. 
sleep? I slept better this last week after being back from all of my traveling.

best moment this week? I had my first shower this last weekend.  It was so much fun and amazing to see all of the love that everyone showed for Baby Adcock.  A friend of mine took pictures of the shower, so once I get the pictures I will post pictures.

movement? The baby is super active around 10-11 am, 4 pm, and then again around 8 pm.  It's so fun seeing the baby's routine.  My belly just dances and moves like ocean waves haha.

food cravings? I love sweet tea!  Other than that I really haven't had any distinct cravings that are like, "Oh my gosh Eric I need this right now please go get it for me."

gender predictions? I'm still thinking girl.  Hopefully less than 7 weeks until we know.

what i miss: Being able to get off the couch or out of bed without it being difficult.  My belly is starting to get large enough that I have to make sure I get up a certain way.  It's quite funny.  Eric has helped me up off the couch a few times which makes it easier.

what i'm looking forward to: Getting everything ready for Baby Adcock.
how are you feeling? I am still feeling pretty good considering I am 33 weeks pregnant.  I can't really complain.

Development this week: Today starts week 34 of development.  The baby could be as tall as 20 inches right now and weighs almost 5 lbs.  Got male?  If so, then this week his testicles are making their way down from his abdomen to their final destination: his scrotum.  Those tiny fingernails have probably reached the tip of his/her fingers by this week, so make sure you have baby nail clippers on your shopping list!  (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)

What's Cookin in the Kitchen

Man after a whirlwind the past 2 weeks with traveling, we can finally get back into a routine. 


Monday: Sausage and Spinach Pasta with Salad and Bread

Tuesday: Baked Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy, Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

Wednesday: Baked Fish, Wild Rice & Squash

Thursday: Apricot Chicken, Brown Rice and Sauteed Green Beans

Friday: Date Night

Saturday: Breakfast Date, Le Peep (Groupon)

Sunday: Happy Father's Day!  Whatever Eric requests :) (fish fry?)

Do you know what you're having?

Nope...I get this question all of the time.  My response is always, "Nope, we want it to be a surprise!"  Then I get to hear it all.  What you're crazy....How can yo not find out...So how are you decorating...You can't dress them in all yellow and greens...

It kind of gets annoying to hear everyone's opinion as to why I need to find out the gender.  This is our baby, and no we don't want to find out the gender.  We want to be surprised!  You always know Christmas is coming and that you will get gifts but you typically do not know what you are getting. The two deliveries I assisted on that the parents did not know the gender were so fun for everyone in the delivery room.

We decided there are not too many surprises left in life, so why not let this little miracle be a surprise.  Also I didn't want to hear the oh you're having a boy, they're so much fun (what about girls, they're just boring?)  Oh you're having a girl, little girls are such a blessing (and boys aren't?).  We just want a healthy baby and could care less if it's a boy or a girl.  Either or will be a blessing from God. 

Eric was the one that mentioned not finding out the gender and the more I thought about it I decided ya that will be fun.  I am a major planner as in I had already figured out when the best time would be to have a baby prior to talking to Eric about trying etc. haha  Everyone has been so shocked that I did not find out because I do have to have everything planned out and organized.  It really has not been that hard to plan things.  I actually think not knowing the gender has been a blessing in disguise.  I have not bought every cute little outfit I see since we don't know the gender.  It has saved us a ton of money! haha

1. Nursery:  When we began looking at bedding, I was never drawn to the all pink/blue decor.  That just wasn't me.  I loved the earth tones and neutrals as well as animals.  This is what we decided on for the nursery decor.

2. Stroller: Again I was drawn to the brown and sage green.  This was back when I was still in my first trimester, so we hadn't 100% totally agreed on not find out yet.

 

3. Clothes:  We have not purchased too many clothes.  We have about 15 gender neutral onesies to get us through that first week in newborn size as well as sleepers.  I will purchase a going home outfit in both genders to have ready to go.  Once the baby is here, then Eric can wash which ever one is appropriate.  We can then always take the other one back.

4. Names:  We have a boy and a girl name picked out.  Carter Douglas or Alexis Jean  Both of the middle names are our middle names that have been passed down.

5. Toys:  Majority of the toys that we registered for are animals and bright colors, so they don't really matter if it's a boy or a girl.


After reading this post, do you think you could go without finding out the gender?

32 Weeks

Sorry I didn't get to post a 31 week post.  I was in Chicago last week for a very intense medical course.  Class was 8-6 followed by an evening of reviewing the material.  I will try and post about that later.

how far along? 32 Weeks, Wednesday 6/6/2012  

how are you measuring? 33 cm (I've been consistently measuring 1 week ahead)

size of baby? Honeydew, 19 in 4.5 lbs

heartbeat? 150

total weight gain/loss? 26.5 lbs

maternity clothes? Yep. No hiding this pregnant belly

stretch marks? Nope. Still hoping I don't get any.  Fingers crossed!
sleep? Last week in Chicago was rough as far as sleep.  I feel like I've been sleeping better this week.

best moment this week? Seeing the crib put together.  Eric surprised me on my birthday.  That will go in my Chicago post, so I will post a picture.

movement? The movements now are more like rolls than distinct kicks.  Every now and then I will get a big ol kick but not too often.  It's obvious this little one is running out of room.  Baby is head down with the spine to my left and feet over on the right side of my belly.  Or at least that's what I think.

food cravings? Nothing really right now.

gender predictions? I'm still thinking girl.  Hopefully less than 8 weeks until we know.

what i miss: Energy in the evenings.  I'm starting to drag now.

what i'm looking forward to: Our first baby shower is Saturday!!!  I'm so excited to see everyone.  It is all coming so fast and baby Adcock will be here before I know it :)
how are you feeling? I really am feeling pretty good.  Not really miserable yet.  I hope that continues as we are entering into the summer heat :)

Development this week: Today starts week 33 of development.  Baby is gaining weight almost as fast as I am, averaging out to about half a pound a week.  The grand total weight at about 4 1/2 pounds.  He or she may grow a full inch this week alone.  The amniotic fluid level has maxed out, there's no more room for fluid now.  This explains why those kicks are sometimes uncomfortable, there's less fluid to cushion to blows.  Antibodies are also being passed from you to baby as the little one continues to develop his or her own immune system.  These antibodies will come in handy on the outside and will protect your baby to be from many of those playground germs. (According to What to Expect When You're Expecting)