Baby Update!

Much to update on! I will be 31 weeks this Saturday....very exciting. Only 9 weeks left to go....about 63 days! That really puts things into perspective! I had my 30 week check up yesterday. Everything went great. I have been feeling a ton of kicking in my right rib these last couple days. I wasn't sure if it was a foot or not but it definitely felt like a little heel stabbing my rib. So when the doctor started to find the heart beat, he always starts on the right side of my belly....no heart beat found there. So he shifted to the left and there it was.....I asked him what this meant since it is always on my right side. He said that the head was down, the back went up my left side and the bottom was in my left rib and then the feet and hands were probably in my right rib....go figure! I was so happy to hear the head was down...that also explains my urgent need to run (waddle) to the bathroom 3 times an hour and the added pressure. The heart rate was in the 140s, once again. I am not sure what I measured...I always get wrapped up in talking to the dr. that I forget to pay attention to those things. I am guessing it was fine though because he said nothing.

Zach and I started our Ready & Able class last week. We had our second session yesterday. We went on the tour of the Women's Pavilion. We saw the delivery rooms, recovery rooms, nursery, NICU, OR and much more. We went over all the rules of the hospital and what would happen in each room. Very helpful. Zach and I have already decided it would only be the two of us in the delivery room, but seeing how small that room actually is and learning how many people will be in there for delivery...I don't think you could squeeze another body in there. We also went over all the procedures that will take place after the delivery. If all goes well, once the baby is born, our instructor let us know that for the next hour or so, Zach and I get one on one bounding time with the baby before they start all the tests and other things in the nursery. I so look forward to this time! Once we have this time, we will be moved to the recovery rooms and the baby will be taken to the nursery. Oh I can't wait!

Going to this class has really motivated me even more to deliver naturally. It may be that our instructor delivered naturally and she is very honest with the information she provides or that the more knowledge I have of the whole process helps me wrap my mind around what actually is going to take place and encourages me that this is possible. One thing that I am sure of is that I will need Zach to be there for me every step of the way. In class, we have been practicing breathing techniques and ways to help labor progress, walking, swaying, moving around...another reason why I don't want an epidural even more now. This past week, we learned a way to have Zach help me calm and release tension. Since it is hard to do this without pain, our instructor suggested that I hold ice in my hands for 60 seconds and have Zach try to calm me. I am not quite sure how the pain of holding ice actually relates to the pain of having a baby, but it can't hurt to try.

One other thing that our nurse suggested to us, since we were the only couple not finding out the sex of the baby, was to talk to the doctor ahead of time and let Zach announce who our little one is, Zoe or Ben. This made me almost start crying right then....imagine on the day of delivery! But how special would that be? That is if Zach will even look down there on the day of delivery. I am finding the more and more he learns in this class about the whole process...the closer he will be to my shoulder and facing the wall. Bless his heart. I don't think he gives himself enough credit. He is going to be amazing!

Lots going on this weekend....Chicago at The Fox Theatre on Friday night, Berry on Saturday for the shower and then home for a farewell dinner for my sister on Sunday. I am going to be exhausted!