Carpet, congestion and kicks

Hi! Well, it's been awhile since I've blogged. Monday we got new carpet installed and it's just beautiful! It really makes the whole house look almost new. Along with that I also came down with a bad cold with congestion. I didn't sleep much even with Benadryl. So at Wednesday's OB appointment, the doctor said I could take some Sudafed and a number of other things on my list. Mom was able to go with me to my appointment since she was in town. We heard the heartbeat and got my vitals checked. Everything looked good. I think I may have lost a pound or two because I'd been sick. I have been drinking lots of fluids and making sure I eat and rest. Baby girl has been really active lately. I feel more movements from her. It feels like she's kicking or punching but sometimes it feels like she's rolling or changing position. OH! Like right now. She's letting me know she's awake. Hahahaha! I'm about to nap and that's when she starts moving. Hope she lets me sleep some. Nighty night.

30 weeks and counting

Can you believe it? I'm 30 weeks pregnant today! It's all becoming too real now. We just got our crib delivered so we'll put it together maybe this weekend. Once the new carpet is installed and the house is back to normal we can start figuring out what's going in the nursery and start decorating it.
Yesterday I went for a walk around the neighborhood and that really tired me out. Everyone has said that walking is good for me so I'm going to try to do it everyday. Jon and I usually workout in our living room at least 3 times a week. I mostly walk in place or move side to side while Jon does more complicated moves like kickboxing. I think moderate walking is going to help me get fresh air and good exercise. I'm going to try to get some new pictures of me posted so you can see how much of a baby bump I have.
Baby girl kicks a lot nowadays especially in the morning when I really want to sleep in. I'll always remember those kicks. A couple of days ago Jon was talking to me and she started kicking or moving around a bit. I like to think she recognizes his voice by now. Ofcourse, then he changed his voice to sound like Elmo so maybe she'll think he's Elmo.

Insomnia

Hello! Well last night I finally had a fairly good night's sleep. These last few nights I've been waking up almost once an hour due to bathroom visits and shifting positions and sometimes just thinking about life with a new baby. Some nights I just walk around the living room for a few minutes then go back to bed. I now sleep with about 5 pillows. I use my body pillow but sometimes it just frustrates me because it's so big. I've tried napping but I seem to wake up after 10 or 15 minutes. Today Jon and I went walking around the Town Square in Southlake and we even did some exercise at home thinking that might help me sleep better tonight. Hopefully tonight I'll sleep better. I'm thinking about taking a warm bath and listening to music. Maybe that's what I need!

Finding a Pediatrician

At my last OB appointment, my doctor said I should start looking for a pediatrian or "baby doc" as he put it. So far I've contacted two offices - one close to where we live and one 15 minutes away. They are both affiliated with Cook Children's Medical Center. One is affiliated with Baylor Grapevine where I'll deliver and the other is affiliated with HEB Harris, which is very close to where we live. Although I couldn't go in for a prenatal consultation due to the high incidence of children being seen for the flu, I did speak with the nurses and they were very nice. They answered all my questions which weren't many because I wasn't sure what to ask even with the worksheet I had in front of me. Now that I've talked to a couple of people I may talk to one more and then decide. I found out that one of my friends is a pediatrician in Fort Worth! It's too far for us to go but I'm sure I'll be asking her some questions.
I've got all my baby info, contact numbers, etc. in a binder now. I'm feeling good about everything so far.

Test Result

I got my glucose test result today and I passed! Thank goodness for that! Any kind of medical test always makes me feel anxious.

Today "little one" has been very active moving around and kicking me (or maybe she's punching me?). Earlier I went to get some groceries and I noticed how I was waddling down the aisles. I felt like a giant penguin! After I got home and rested for a bit, I began to sort through some things in the office. I now have to do things slowly or else my heart rate gets high and I get winded. As I write this I'm feeling quite sleepy. I think it's time for a nap!

OB Appointment

Hello! Yesterday Jon and I went to my OB appointment. The first thing I did was the glucose tolerance test. I had to drink a super sweet fruit punch liquid in 5 minutes! Then I got weighed (gained 3 pounds since December) and my blood pressure was measured (it was good). After that Jon and I went to see the sonographer. Our baby is the right size and weighs 3.1 pounds! She looks so cute from what we can tell. She kept moving her mouth and she held up her hand to say "hi!" It's hard to tell who she looks like but we think she's cute. Then we saw the doctor and he was pleased that everything was going well. I'll start seeing him every two weeks now. He told us I couldn't travel anymore and that we should start looking for a pediatrician. He also mentioned cord blood banking as an option. I will have to investigate that. After seeing the doctor I had some blood drawn to see how my body reacted to the fruit punch. I should get the results soon. The test was for gestational diabetes.
After being at the doctor's office we decided to get an early dinner at Jason's Deli. Jon told me he's ready to actually see the baby and get things going. I'm excited to see her too.

Doula or Not

I've got some time before heading out to my OB appointment today so I thought I'd blog about doulas. Doulas support laboring women through the whole birth experience. They are not midwives and cannot deliver babies. They are certified through www.dona.org. I've done a lot of research online and in books about doulas and Jon and I think we may hire one. The statistics show that most women who had doulas had less incidence of requesting pain medication, induction or C sections. I think it would be very helpful to have someone with me besides Jon for extra support. The doula does not substitute the father but rather she supports him and guides him on what to do during labor and delivery. There are two kinds of doulas - birth and postpartum. Some doulas are also lactation consultants and can help with nursing.
So I think I'll meet with a couple of doulas before deciding to hire one. I just want to be as prepared as I can be. I know things don't always go as planned but at least I'll have some sense of what to expect when it's time to labor!

Last days of work

This week was my last week of work at Everest College in Fort Worth. I started there October 19, 2005. So it's been about a little over 3 years. Everyone was very nice to me and some were really not wanting me to go. I felt a little strange about leaving the workforce. I know it's temporary but I did like having a job to go to even though some days were a challenge. One of my students is also taking time off for her new baby. It was weird having her in my class with both of us being pregnant. As I went by a few people's cubicles to say goodbye I felt good about leaving on a good note. I worked hard and enjoyed teaching. It's a bigger challenge than I thought it would be but it's also rewarding.
Everyone's excited about baby Barlett! One instructor keeps naming her everyday. I think yesterday she was "Brianna". I know I don't like that name!
I really didn't want to work until my water broke so making the decision to quit now was a good one for me. I'm sure once Monday rolls around I'll be lost and not sure what to do. But there will be plenty of things to keep me busy as we prepare for baby girl to get here in April.

Holiday 2008 Photos

Jon and me at church on Christmas Eve. Me by our Christmas tree in December. I'm 6 months pregnant. And Jon and me at Thanksgiving in Corpus Christi.

New Year New Projects

Happy New Year! Yikes we're gonna be parents this year! So far I've been making lots of lists from what to pack for the hospital to what baby needs at home. Jon has been wonderful. He's painted the baby room and has taken over some of the cooking and cleaning. He always makes sure I'm comfortable wherever I am and has done a lot of reading about labor and delivery. We going to get new carpet soon for the whole house. We got rid of the full size bed that was in the baby room so now we can fill it up with a crib, changing table, nightstand, rocking chair and storage for the closet. Things are definitely moving along. I'm so lucky I have two baby showers to look forward to - one at the end of January and one more at the end of February. Both will be up here in DFW. We're really blessed to have such wonderful supportive friends. Our next class to take will be Basics of Baby Care in February and I'll be taking a class on breastfeeding. So far I've done lots of reading about breastfeeding so it'll be nice to get advice from a lactation consultant and other moms who breastfeed. I am feeling all sorts of emotions nowadays from excitement to stress. And my appetite is sure going strong although I can' eat really big meals without feeling bloated. Baby girl is kicking and moving a lot. I can't wait to see our next sonogram on the 14th.