Pregnancy timeline complete

I viewed a pregnancy timeline video on youtube once and thought it was so cool. When we found out we were expecting, I wanted to do the same thing. We started out taking pictures once every month and then some time in my second trimester, we took pictures every two weeks. We tried our best to take it around the same position on the wall but hey, we're amateurs! Piecing everything together in iMovie produced the following very unprofessional video. I still like it and it's better than nothing :)

Wow, 39 weeks!

We didn't think we would make it this far.  Being pregnant for 39 weeks is a long time.  This baby is definitely taking its sweet time!  I can tell you right now some of his clothes won't fit him anymore (likely not anyway).  Jean-Louis and I were talking and we both agreed that it was when he installed the base of the car seat in the car a couple of weeks ago that jinxed us.  In fact, we have the car seat ready in the living room too - double jinx!

Today was another doctor's appointment day.  Everything seems to be in order and it's possible I may have dilated just 1 cm but it could still be days or weeks away I guess.  The good news is I seemed to have lost 2 pounds :)  I was quite pleased about that.  It's true I haven't been very hungry lately and decided to eat less.  I think I'll keep that up :)  Because the pregnancy is still on, I'm quite worried that the baby is going to be huge.  The more weight you gain, the higher the risk you have of delivering a heavy baby says postings on New York Times and babycenter.  When we asked our doctor how heavy she thought the baby was, she replied about 8 pounds.  That's huge man!  Am I going to be able to push it out and survive?  8 pounds now but in a week, it will be 9 pounds probably :(  Our next doctor's appointment is next Friday, the 21st.  Man, I sure hope we don't have to go to that appointment.

38 weeks and counting...

Here we are - just 2 weeks away. I'm feeling about the same, except that I ache more when I sleep, my rib spasms are worst, and the baby is moving more lately.

What actually triggers labour? I read an article online that suggests that it's actually the baby that triggers the labour, not the mother, which was what was believed in the past. The theories suggest that once the baby is "ready" it will release either an enzyme or its adrenal glands will send a signal to start the labour process. However, no one really knows what triggers labour. Sort of like how no one really knows why a baby hiccups in your belly. A possible theory here is that it is preparing them to breathe in the outside world. Speaking of hiccups, I'm feeling them right now! Ahh, so many pregnancy mysteries...

Packing for the hospital

It is suggested that you pack a suitcase before going into labour.  Different sources will tell you slightly different things and what you actually bring will vary from person to person.  Here are some of the typical things most sources recommend:

• Copies of birth plan
• Comfortable clothes like sweat suits
  
• Nursing bras
• Slippers, socks
• Several pairs of underwear
• Soap, shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste/toothbrush
• Music
• Partner's swimming trunks (for helping you in the shower during labour)
• Food/snacks for your partner
• Sleeping items for your partner, if he/she is staying the night
• Sanitary pads
• Camera
• Baby clothes, blanket for going home
• Car seat (best brought in the day you leave)

I think there are a lot more things to bring and it's probably best to be safe and pack more, in case you end up having to go through surgery and staying longer at the hospital.  You could always ask your partner to grab things for you from home, given that you don't live that far from the hospital.  However, since I am the main homemaker, it's probably easier and more efficient for me to just plan and pack everything we could possibly need now.  Now, you don't want to look like you are about to go on vacation by showing up at the hospital with 2 check-in luggages.  In fact, the staff at the hospital do stress that storage space is limited and we should only pack a small bag.  So we'll try to keep things to a minimal and pack efficiently so that we can fit as much as possible in our little bag :)

Here are things you may also want to pack:

• Coins for parking
• Insurance info so that you can bill your semi-private or private room
• Hair brush or comb, hair tier
• Chap stick or lip gloss
• Hand lotion, face moisturizer
• Massage tools that you have practiced with
• Refillable water bottle
• Phone numbers and phone card
• Battery charger, extra memory cards for your camera
• Prenatal vitamins
• Breast-feeding cream for nipples
• 2 diapers
• iTouch or watch
• Juice boxes, celebratory drink for after the delivery
• Plastic bags for dirty laundry
• Going home outfit for yourself
• Baby-on-board sign
• Book(s) to read

Did I miss anything?

Baby arrival month

I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed that I was bleeding and I couldn't get a hold of Jean-Louis at work to take me to the hospital. I kept trying to call but couldn't dial the right number and skype wasn't working either. I imagine I will have more stress-related dreams as the days pass by - pfft :(

I'm hoping the baby will arrive early some time this week, preferably on the weekend. I heard that it's common for the baby to arrive two weeks early and that would be this weekend for us. I'm feeling quite uncomfortable these days and anxiety is building up. Heartburn, killer leg cramps, huge belly, baby hiccups, back pain - I can't wait for all this to go away already! I also feel a bit helpless and am having to rely more and more on Jean-Louis. He's been great at helping out with everything but I sort of wish I could do more. I have never been this useless before. I can't imagine doing all this without Jean-Louis's support. I think I'd be doom without him here.

Here is a list of my fears entering into labour and birth:

• Drug use (because the labour has gone on too long or there is a problem)
• C-section (eeks! surgery!)
• Something wrong with the baby
  
• Not being able to breastfeed
• Postpartum depression

For those who don't know me

I'm Susan. I live in the Greater Vancouver Area and I'm about to be a mommy for the first time. Hooray! I'm usually a very private person and I wasn't sure if blogging was the right thing for me. I do have a lot to share and hope that others who read my posts can connect with me in some way. The goal of this blog is to share my life as a new mommy in my 30s and to document this great journey into parenthood for my husband, Jean-Louis, and I.

As a couple, married for 7 years now, we've been through many up and downs and getting pregnant was like winning the lottery for us! We can't wait to tell the world and that's big for us since we're typically reserved and quiet. I will try to keep the blog as interesting as I can. Visit often and please feel free to comment. We would love to hear from you :)

Milestone Day: 37 Weeks Gestation

Happy Halloween Everyone!  I have an announcement to make.  We have finally reached our full term!  37 weeks is a long, long time.

For the first time in many years, I will not be carving a pumpkin :(  Carving is hard work and a bit too physical for me right now in my state.  This Halloween is going to slip by without notice here.  We don't even have candy but no one comes around anyway.  To make it worst for kids this year, it's been raining all day.  But it's beautiful outside with all the autumn leaves falling on the ground though.  This used to be my favorite season every time someone asked me.  That kind of makes it appropriate to be having a baby soon.

How am I feeling?  The same and ready.  Well, sort of ready.  I could use a couple more days.  Jean-Louis needs those few extra days to build me our app on his iTouch.  I actually look forward to testing this geeky project of ours :)  So yeah, maybe after this weekend, we'll be "ready."