I went to the doctor last Friday for the 34 week visit. Still looking good – I had not gained any weight since the last visit, still at 23 lbs total gain, and my BP was 100/45. Braylon’s heart rate was normal and my belly still measured large for 34 weeks.
Dr. Shaw checked out my feet and the swelling. She said it was still normal and that all I could do is elevate them. Since my blood pressure is not high, there does not seem to be any cause for alarm. But she did decide to see me back in 1 week, rather then 2 weeks as we had planned, mainly to watch the swelling.
The Saturday before this, Josh and I went to the birthing class at the hospital. They covered everything from how to know when you’re in labor and should go to the hospital, to basic newborn care. We took a tour of the birthing center and the rooms look super nice. I will be in the same room the entire time for labor, delivery, and after. Braylon will stay in the room with us except for going to the nursery for his initial bath, pictures, and footprints. They also went over pain management options, and I was both surprised and disappointed at how the talk was really geared toward having an epidural. I’m not thinking that I want one, so I tried to ask questions about the other options only to have the nurse talk more about epidurals. So I asked Dr. Shaw at my visit. She said 95% of women deliver with an epidural, I was surprised it was that high a number, I knew a majority did, but wow! She said the docs are really good about not pushing you one way or another during delivery. We talked about how I just don’t think I want to be totally numb through my legs and would like to have more control than I think an epidural will allow me. Dr. Shaw concurred that it sounds like I should go into this not planning for the epidural, but being flexible if labor proves to be more than I expect. I am totally open to that – if I decide to get an epidural once I get into it, then that’s what we’ll do. So that’s the plan.
Then Mom and I went to the breastfeeding class the next Wednesday night. This class was even more informative. Now I feel like I know how to hold the baby in the proper position, get him to latch on, and know if he’s getting enough to eat.
This past Sunday was my next baby shower that was held at our house! Mom spent countless hours helping me clean and get the house together the few nights before. The shower was great! We had around 15 relatives and friends and I got lots more essential stuff that Braylon will need! The big gift from Mom and Dad was the travel system with the car seat and stroller. Josh and I installed the car seat last night. Now if I can just get that hospital bag packed, I’ll be ready for the hospital.
My next visit is tomorrow at 35 weeks. They will do the ‘head check’ ultrasound to see if he’s turned head down and hopefully get an estimate of his current weight. Below is a 34 week picture, a few more pics in the nursery, and cake from the shower.
Dr. Shaw checked out my feet and the swelling. She said it was still normal and that all I could do is elevate them. Since my blood pressure is not high, there does not seem to be any cause for alarm. But she did decide to see me back in 1 week, rather then 2 weeks as we had planned, mainly to watch the swelling.
The Saturday before this, Josh and I went to the birthing class at the hospital. They covered everything from how to know when you’re in labor and should go to the hospital, to basic newborn care. We took a tour of the birthing center and the rooms look super nice. I will be in the same room the entire time for labor, delivery, and after. Braylon will stay in the room with us except for going to the nursery for his initial bath, pictures, and footprints. They also went over pain management options, and I was both surprised and disappointed at how the talk was really geared toward having an epidural. I’m not thinking that I want one, so I tried to ask questions about the other options only to have the nurse talk more about epidurals. So I asked Dr. Shaw at my visit. She said 95% of women deliver with an epidural, I was surprised it was that high a number, I knew a majority did, but wow! She said the docs are really good about not pushing you one way or another during delivery. We talked about how I just don’t think I want to be totally numb through my legs and would like to have more control than I think an epidural will allow me. Dr. Shaw concurred that it sounds like I should go into this not planning for the epidural, but being flexible if labor proves to be more than I expect. I am totally open to that – if I decide to get an epidural once I get into it, then that’s what we’ll do. So that’s the plan.
Then Mom and I went to the breastfeeding class the next Wednesday night. This class was even more informative. Now I feel like I know how to hold the baby in the proper position, get him to latch on, and know if he’s getting enough to eat.
This past Sunday was my next baby shower that was held at our house! Mom spent countless hours helping me clean and get the house together the few nights before. The shower was great! We had around 15 relatives and friends and I got lots more essential stuff that Braylon will need! The big gift from Mom and Dad was the travel system with the car seat and stroller. Josh and I installed the car seat last night. Now if I can just get that hospital bag packed, I’ll be ready for the hospital.
My next visit is tomorrow at 35 weeks. They will do the ‘head check’ ultrasound to see if he’s turned head down and hopefully get an estimate of his current weight. Below is a 34 week picture, a few more pics in the nursery, and cake from the shower.
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