I really can't believe I am this far along in my pregnancy. We had our first prenatal class last Monday and it was quite...interesting. We learned lots of things that we thought we'd never need to know in our lifetime. For example, when I lose my mucus plus, we do not need to bring it to the hospital for them to examine it. When I heard this, I turned to Jessica and was like, "Who would actually fish that out of the toilet?" I mean, goodness, wouldn't a picture suffice? Ha! Josh, Justin, Jessica and I shared a lot of laughs during the whole class. Another funny piece of information was how women mistake peeing their pants for their water breaking. The teacher, with a serious tone, was talking about examining it and sniffing it to be sure. I looked at Josh and he immediately said, "I'm not sniffin' it." The breathing exercises were even more hilarious. My husband definitely knows how to breathe and he does it well. With every breath our teacher demonstrated, I could hear him beside me practicing it and mastering it, too. Then we had to break off with our partners and practice breathing with them. This was a hard task because Josh kept making me laugh and I could hear Justin and Jessica behind us laughing, too. My favorite part was when Justin said that Jessica failed at breathing. We missed out on the second part of the class this past Monday because of the lovely first snow of the winter season, so we missed out on the fun stuff. Hopefully we'll be able to get into another class later. The next available one is on my birthday and I really don't want to spend my birthday talking about epidurals and c-sections when I could be eating cake and enjoying the evening. :)
We went to my 25 week appointment yesterday, which went a little differently than I expected. My blood pressure was good, but my weight gain was a little much this time around. I gained ten pounds, which not only surprised me, but everyone. I was a little disappointed with myself the rest of the afternoon because I was doing so well and gaining minimal and good weight at all the appointments before. Susan was a little surprised, too, but was very nice and said to just watch what I eat and go walking, so that is my game plan. Thankfully, on a good note, I passed my gestational diabetes test, but she said I was borderline anemic, so I just need to get better about taking my little Flintstone vitamins with iron since I've been slacking on that a bit. We got to hear Gracie's heartbeat, which was 150 bmp, and she is measuring perfectly for 25 weeks. We talked a little bit about epidurals and my hesitance to have one and she was very reassuring that it would be fine if I did or didn't have one and that she wouldn't pressure me at all, so that made me feel good. At the next appointment, we'll be discussing warning signs of labor and an idea of our birthing plan.
At this point, we really don't have a "plan" plan. I have decided that I don't want to walk in there with a set in stone plan because anything could change. I just don't want to walk in there with expectations of a play by play and knowing exactly what will go down and then be set up for disappointment when something doesn't go as planned. The most that I know so far is that I want to give it the old college try and do it naturally for as long as I can, or ideally, for the whole birthing process. However, I'm not going to be contrary about pain medicine; if it is far too painful for me to handle, then I will not be turning drugs away. Another thing we've decided is that we would like it to just be Josh and I in the room. As much as I would love to be surrounded by people that I love, I really just want to share this experience with Josh and let it all soak in for just us. Plus, when it gets close to time for Gracie to make her grand appearance, I'm sure the room will be getting pretty crowded with us, Susan (or the doctor), nurses and whoever else has their designated "baby" job. We also learned at the prenatal class about having a back up coach. When I heard that term, I knew immediately that we would need a backup coach so Josh can collect himself outside throughout the birthing process (aka have a cigarette or two or five), so we decided that my mom is going to be the backup coach. That is all we really know about the "plan" so far and as for everything else, like c-sections, epidurals, breathing techniques and birthing positions, I am pretty much open to anything as long as Gracie is safely brought out into the world.
Gracie's room is almost finished and it looks so perfect. Josh finally put together her pink shelf and it was a lot bigger than I was expecting and planning with the blue print in my head. So, we rearranged the her room a little bit and I love the new layout. All that we have left to do (I say we, but I mean what Josh has left to do and what I have left to supervise) is to put up the wall shelves, get a curtain rod and one or two more little trinkets for the Alice in Wonderland theme and then it will be complete. I am so excited to do the big reveal soon. A few friends and family have already been in the room, but I am ready for it to be completely done. Here's a little preview of what I was working on this weekend.
And, my favorite, the weekly belly update. I'm feeling a lot more plump in the belly these last few weeks. :)
How far along? 25 weeks!
Total weight gain: 10 pounds (YIKES!) But, I lost two pounds at the last appointment, so in my crazy brain, I only count 8 pounds and Gracie is over a pound, so technically, that's only 7. Yes, that was me making myself feel better about the weight gain. :)
Maternity clothes? Of course. And I made my own preggo leggings using a belly band and some leggings from wal mart. I am awesome!
Stretch marks? Yup.
Sleep: Sleep is soooo good right now and Josh hates me for that because I am taking up the whole bed and he is losing sleep. Oopsie.
Best moment this week: Josh rolling over to cuddle with me and immediately putting his hand on my stomach to try to feel her. Then he put his face on my stomach and said, "Wake up, Gracie!"
Miss Anything? Sometimes I miss being able to eat a steak without feeling nauseous afterwards, but I've been getting by just fine without steak.
Movement: In the morning around seven, usually around one in the afternoon and around ten thirty at night.
Food cravings: Rice crispy treats, which I made when we were snowed in for the day.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Occasionally, the lunch at Leggett, but I think it has the same effect on my mom sometimes, too.
Gender: Pretty girl.
Labor Signs: Nope
Symptoms: I've been taking afternoon naps, which I never did when I wasn't pregnant, so I have definitely learned the power of a good nap.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Other than briefly being down in the dumps after my appointment yesterday, I am very happy.
Looking forward to: More dancing and fluttering from Gracie Mae, finishing her room and our birthdays and anniversary coming up next month. ;)
