UPDATE on previous post

So I bought a maternity bathing suit. Finally. I was at the store looking for something else when I noticed it. They had one, and only one left and it was my size and on clearance. So, throwing caution to the wind, I took it home put it on and went to the pool at our gym with my lovely husband. In a word, fabulous!!!!

The water wasn't too cold so I could float around and I utilized the kickboard. The suit fit well and stayed where it was supposed to. For the first time in probably 6 weeks, I did not feel my back ache, I did not feel the weight of my stomach or any downward pressure. I even got a few kicks of cheering encouragement from Baby Girl Milette.

Fabulous!

26 Days until the due date??!?!?!

Seriously??!?! I am not going dwell on the speed of time, again.

Anyways, yesterday was the first day of maternity leave/summer vacation. In a fit of determination, I set off the beach. By myself. One of my colleagues had recommended a beach that I had never been to. So off I went with my lunch, my blankies, tons of water, and a few other props to keep myself comfortable.

I should first mention that I do not own a maternity bathing suit. And I refused to be on the beach bare belly. So I wore a bikini top from many summers ago, a loose fitting tank top, bottoms from yet another bathing suit from many summers ago and some gym shorts. None of these items matched any of the other items, so I was quite the sight.

So after a longer than anticipated ride to get there, I made it. It was already nearly 90 degrees in the parking lot around 9 am. All I wanted to do was plunge in the water, which is extremely out of character for me, but I have been extremely hot recently. Anyway, first a stop to use the bathroom, then I lugged my gear out of the trunk. Staring at me was a daunting flight or two of stairs that I had to go up to get to the beach. So up the stairs and the hill I trudged, only to find more stairs on the other side. I dropped my stuff and ran breathless into the water, which was a chilly 57 degrees. Sounds like exactly what I needed with being so hot right?

Well Baby Girl Milette disagreed, loudly and a strongly. As soon as I made it in to my hips (or the region formerly known as my hips) it was contraction city. So I took the hint and got out, after splashing some water on my upper half. I set up the camp and went for a walk, crossing over to a sand bar. I tried to go in again because the water was warmer and once again, 2 contractions back to back.

I tried to rest on the blankie but couldn't find a comfortable position. Then it was uphill and upstairs to the bathroom. After 20 minutes there and back, I went into the water, being careful to avoid the baby zone. I went for another walk in the opposite direction and tried to sit on the balnkie to do some people watching but once again couldn't get comfortable. I decided that it was time for lunch and couldn't wait any longer to dig into my tabbouleh salad. Imagine then my dismay when I learned that I had not brought a fork with me. As I was bemoaning that situation, I realized the tide was coming in and my camp was in danger of being taken over by the next wave. So I moved everything up beach.

After yet another hip high adventure into the water, I decided I would go back up the hill and up the stairs to get a fork from the concession stand. I arrived out of breath and practically panting. The 16 year old who was working informed me that forks were for customers only. I promised to buy something later and patiently explained my situation. Thankfully, he gave me the fork and said I did not need to buy anything. Back to the blanket to realize that I have already consumed more than 50oz of water and that I am now out of water ( that I could have bought at the concession stand!) I ate my salad, splashed in the water a few more times and decided that it was time to go.

Back up hill and upstairs with all my gear, a pit stop in the changing room, a dollar in the vending machine for water and to the vehicle. The beach was absolutely gorgeous and I was sad that I couldn't spend more time there enjoying it. I welcomed the blast of AC and drove away, feeling like I had worked really hard when I was planning a relaxing day.

Here is what I learned:

1. Maybe a maternity bathing suit would have been a good investment after all
2. Baby GIrl Milette does not like cold water
3. A spouse/girlfriend/companion would have made things easier
4. When planning a beach trip while pregnant, understand where the bathrooms are in relation to where the beach actually is
5. Bring a fork, always
6. Bring way more water than you normally would

Fun times!!

All is well

Midwife appointment went smoothly yesterday.

According to external measurements, BaBY Girl Milette is still growing normally. My blood pressure was fine. We talked again about iron and the ickiness of iron supplements. We talked about the birth plan and bringing it in to our next appointment. Otherwise, we are now at the point where we need to go every week, which means that Baby Girl Milette will be joining us soon!

35 weeks

Child birth class is half over and I feel no more prepared for her arrival than I did before class started. If anything, I am more anxious. I am working hard to keep it in check. Of course, I am anxious. I have never done this before. But I must remember: I am strong and capable. My body was made to carry a baby and birth successfully. The hospital has experts who know a lot about how to birth a baby. Millions of women for generations have been birthing babies.

I did enjoy seeing Greg wear the empathy belly even if it was only for a short period of time.

I am also still slightly anemic and have started taking an iron supplement every other day. Hopefully my body will absorb it properly and Baby Girl Milette will get what she needs. Typically, babies make a 6 month store of iron in their bodies before they are born. This is because relatively little iron is passed through breast milk and most babies will start solid foods sometime either before or around the 6 month mark. First foods are typically iron fortified cereals. Isn't that handy how that works?

Running the numbers

34 weeks pregnant

42 more days until the due date

9 more school days

170-180 baby heartbeats per minute at the midwife appointment this past Thursday!

1 out of 4 natural childbirth classes completed

0 pairs of non-sweat pants that fit comfortably

2 more days until the bureau arrives and then her room is basically done, except for a lamp

quick quip form birth class

"No bad birth stories, please. My baby is listening."

Just loved this and thought I would share.

More details about birth class to come later, but the need for sleep can no longer be ignored. Good night!

Pediatrician

A few weeks ago we went to an open house with some other soon to be new parents to meet with a potential pediatrician. I was inspired by her energy level, considering that she had worked all day and was hosting this info session in the evening.

It was very informative and we were both impressed with what she had to say and the practice itself. Here are a few of the positives:

• The practice is close by ( less than 10 minutes away)
• Lactation consultants who make home visits
• Great hours (including some evenings and weekends at their other location a town over)
• Separate times of the day for well baby visits and sick kid visits so healthy babies hopefully aren't sitting in the waiting room next to sick ones
• She didn't freak out too much about the vegan diet
• Pediatric triage line for late night freak outs and or legitimate concerns
• Pediatrician has hospital privileges at the hospital we plan to deliver and at Children's
• She seemed to truly love being a doctor
• She is a fairly new mom herself so everything is fresh in her mind

All in all, we were liked her a lot and did not find any reason not to go with her. Just an overall good feeling, I felt at ease when we were talking with her so we have to go with that. If it doesn't work out, we can always switch pediatricians later but I'm very confident that it will work out just fine.