I stopped by the post office on the way home and got a package of cloth all-in-one diapers that I bought through ebay. I just washed them and moved them to the dryer. Between those, a sample pack of several different kinds that I got from CottonBloomers, and some pre-folds and unfolded ones that coworkers gave me, I should be set. I counted 42, so if the kiddo uses 10-12 like the experts say, then I should be able to go 2-3 days between washing diapers and have a days worth as a cushion. I could use a few more nice covers, though. I have 1 Fuzzibunz and 1 other nice one, and a 3 pack of vinyl pants. Actually I just remembered 2 cotton wraps that I got in an eBay auction, so I'm pretty well set for diapers. I'm not sure how we'll handle wipes, though (disposable, or wash cloths, or something else).

37w2d

After sitting in a seminar all afternoon yesterday, my feet were swollen and I felt very run down. I slept okay until about 4am, then didn't sleep well after that, so I haven't felt "up to speed" today either. There isn't anything particular wrong, I just don't feel very energetic. The baby has been moving around a lot more today and last evening.

37w1d

My Dr. appointment went well today. My BP was between the two readings from last week. My belly measured 39, up 2 cm from last week, but my doc said that toward the end the cm-to-week correlation isn't as good because if the baby happens to stretch or move, then the measurement changes. We talked about my Birth Plan and he seems very supportive of natural/unmedicated birthing. He didn't balk at the "no IV, not even a hep-lock, unless needed", but he did comment that they send babies back to the hospital for the PKU instead of doing them in the office (if not done before leaving the hospital). I learned that "the state" makes them repeat the test if it is originally done when the baby is less than 24 hours old. He said 48-72 hours is fine, so even if we decide not to decline it, as least we can wait several days hopefully without being hassled too much by medical staff.

Some breastfeeding links that I found:
Ten Reasons to Breastfeed
ProMoM, Inc. - 101 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Child
Test Your Breastfeeding IQ
Breastfeeding, My Story

Today is Blog to a Baby's one year anniversary.

A lot has changed in the past year, the most obvious and probably most significant, is that I am pregnant and expecting a baby in about 3 weeks! When I chose the name Blog to a Baby I was intentionally being optimistic. I am so grateful to God and to my doctors that the IVF "worked".

DH and I survived having to give me shots for the fertility treatments, and we have pretty much adjusted to the idea that we really are going to be parents soon. I had a wonderful trip to New York city with my aunt and several other female relatives in May, including meeting and spending time with a cousin who lives about a mile from "Ground Zero". A few months later (just days after 9/11, actually), my aunt passed away. That was hard because it brought back memories of our family reunion in July 1998, just weeks before my mom passed away. I hope I'm still as close to my sister at 66 as those two were when my mom died, and that our children love their aunts as much as I and my cousins loved ours.

This blog has helped me cope with the stresses of fertility treatment and the ups and downs of pregnancy. I hope it has helped others in some way also. Soon it will evolve again, from a pregnancy journal to a new-mom journal, probably including the trials and tribulations of diapering, breastfeeding, and sleep-deprivation. Stay tuned for a birthstory and other baby things to come.

According to FlyLady of FlyLady.net, I fit the definition of a SHE (Sidetracked Home Executive) who is living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome). We tend to be perfectionists who have messy houses (and offices) because we either don't start cleaning when we know we can't finish, or we get started and get sidetracked too easily. She focuses on creating routines and working in "baby steps". One of her mottos is "housework done incorrectly still blesses your family". Another one is "You can do anything for 15 minutes."

I just emptied and loaded the dishwasher and got the plastic recycle stuff ready to go (then my timer went off). Now I'm spending the next 15 minutes on email and blogging. My doula told me that if I have a hard time during labor, she will suggest we try something different "for 15 minutes" to see how it works. I will remember FlyLady's motto... I can do anything for 15 minutes!

Baby Count Down

36w5d

Things are still going well. My carpal tunnel problems are flaring up a bit, but so far wearing a brace on my right wrist at night helps. My fingertips still get numb and tingly fairly easily during the day.

The baby is usually quite active when I'm around music, but last night it was quiet while I was singing in the Easter cantata at church. During the dress rehearsal on Saturday the baby was very active, particularly when we were practicing some parts with just the drums. This kid likes music!

I Loved You Enough parenting story.

This is a good response to the Sippy Cup "problem"... Dispute over sippy cups points to lazy parenting. The author, John Rosemond, is a pretty no-nonsense, parents take responsibility, kind of guy. Oh, he definitely leans toward the conservative.

I did a little surfing "during lunch" and found several interesting web articles:
Paternity leave and the Family Medical Leave Act
Finger pain and numbness
Ten tips for labor coaches
Preparing for Life With a Newborn
BabyCenter -- Circumcision: Everything you need to know

We met with my "OB" (but really still Family Practice) doctor today. My BP was 130/90 at the start of the appointment, which is quite a bit higher than usual. After the standard questions and checking the baby's size (fundal height measuring 37 cm at 36 weeks, which is fine) and position (head down, facing my left a bit) and heartrate (also fine, but I didn't ask for the number), the doctor suggested that I lie down for a few minutes and he would have the nurse check it again. I don't have any other signs of toxemia, but he wanted to make sure that it was not any higher. While I waited (on my left side), my DH talked me through a visualization like we have been doing as part of our Bradley class relaxations. When the nurse rechecked my BP it was 110/70! I don't think it's been charted that low since my PG started.

I also learned that the wrist support that will be prescribed if I ask for it extends the wrist joint instead of just keeping it straight. And my Dr will plan on the first vaginal exam in 2 weeks -- he says that there is no point in doing one now, particularly since they are uncomfortable. We have the next 3 appointments scheduled for "first thing" on Thursdays. That way we don't have to go to work then leave and go back, we just go to the doctor then go to work late.

36w1d

After not sleeping well (the 2nd half of the night) last night, this article, Sleep aids during pregnancy, caught my attention.

36w

Although Dr. Mercola's articles tend to be alarmist, they do have some good information. This one, for instance, How the Cord Clamp Injures Your Baby's Brain 3/20/02 gives reasons behind the recommendation that I have seen many places to "let the cord finish pulsating before clamping and cutting".

35w6d

I'm staying home from work today. This morning I was really exhausted and my head felt a bit funny. For the past 2 evenings I've had very uncomfortable gas, so I finally send DH out for Tums. They helped, but I still felt run down this morning, so I decided to take it easy. I slept on and off until almost past noon, so I decided to stay home this afternoon also. I feel okay now, just still tired and hungry even though I am eating.

This is scary... Federal claims court seems to connect vaccine, SIDS... it's getting so I don't want to read any more about vaccines, but I can't not try to educate myself.

A letter to Congress from 1999 about HPB

Where can I get more information about the risks and benefits of vaccines?

It is so hard to know who to believe about vaccines and other "routine" newborn procedures! Do I heed this warning: Warning: New Hepatitis Vaccine Recs Can Devastate Newborn's Health 1/23/02, or believe this "mainstream" opinion The hepatitis B vaccine? And that's just one of the six different vaccines (15 doses) recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics for the first year!

Pregnancy: Dr. Brewer's pregnancy diet

34w

I had 3 showers yesterday! The first one in the bathroom with nice warm water :-) the second one was at work with lots of presents and diaper full of cash, and the third one was a surprise at my FCE group with more presents.

I have several of the Thank You notes from Saturday's shower finished, and I will be working on more of them this evening. It's hard to believe that I am only 6 weeks away (more or less) from being a mom!

33w5d

I had such a wierd dream last night! It was so strange that I was shook up for a couple of hours after waking up. It didn't have anything to do with the baby or being pregnant, though. The only similarity was that I was away from work for a period of time and had to ask what had happened while I was away.

On a much more pleasant note, I got some nice presents for the baby this weekend. The ladies at church had a shower for me Saturday. My dad and sister and one niece were there, plus about 10 ladies from church. Several people who couldn't be there had sent presents, and two more brought presents to church on Sunday. (The weather was very cold and streets were slick, so several people stayed home because of that.) My brother, SIL, and their kids brought more presents over last night when they brought the cradle and crib over for us to borrow. I'm going to start on the Thank You notes this evening.

The nursery is about 1/2 ready, or more accurately, 1/2 of the nursery is ready. (The other half needs decluttering and cleaning still.) The computer and filing cabinet have been moved to the dining room, and things are starting to look like we're expecting a baby soon. It's a bit scary to realize how soon everything will be changing, but I'm hoping that I'll get more used to it as the next 6 weeks go by!

33w2d

I'm having a hard time focusing on my computer screen this morning. I moved my monitor several inches closer, since my baby belly makes me sit several inches further away, but that only helped a little. Then I thought it was the poor lighting because we often have the overhead lights off and use only desk lights, but I have turned on the overheads and I'm still having trouble. I'll be doing some research on visual changes in pregnancy to see if it is common.