Contractions Have Stopped

I haven't had any cramping since last night about 8:30 PM. I've been dealing with an upset stomach and heartburn since dinner last night though and that isn't fun. I can't seem to find a position to sit or lay down that eases either one. If I find a way to lay that helps out my stomach, then my heartburn flares up. If I sit up to help with the heartburn, then my stomach is all smooshed and uncomfortable. And I'm super emotional right now. I want to cry so bad because I feel like sh*t but then I tell myself not to cry because I know if I can't handle this pain, ain't no way I'm going to handle the pain of labor and delivery. I'm trying to be strong but I can tell it's wearing on Chad. He feels bad that I feel bad and he feels bad because he spends a lot of time outside and I just can't go outside or I swell up. So I've been spending a lot of time by myself. Oh well. It's a short week for me. I have Thursday and Friday off and plan to take it easy. My cousin Brent is getting married in Bloomington on Saturday so I'm trying to stay off my feet to keep the swelling down so that I can head down there for his wedding. At least the weather is cooler. It's made a big difference already in my swelling!

False Contractions?!?

So I'm pretty sure it's false contractions, but I have been having some cramping/back pain since about 5:30 last night. There's no pattern to it and the pain isn't getting any worse so I'm not too concerned right now. It feels like Braxton-Hicks contractions (with the tightening of the abdomen) but with period cramps and sometimes some pain in my lower back. But it doesn't do that each time. At first they were running about every hour and fifteen minutes but through the night they slowed down and I really haven't had anything too bad this morning. I cramped up this morning when I woke up and then again when I stood up from my desk chair and began walking but it went away when I sat back down. I'm going to continue to monitor it and I do have my 36-week checkup on Thursday so I'll have lots of questions for them that day!

Belly Video - Up to 35 Weeks!

For some reason ... I think this is going to be a problem!

Baby Shower, Bed Rest, and Back to Work!

First of all, I wanted to thank Kelly and my mom for an awesome baby shower on June 13th! It was perfect. The theme was "King of the Jungle" and they decorated with big bold colors! I loved it! We got lots of presents for Colton and it was great seeing my friends and family. Thanks again Mom and Kelly and to everyone else who was able to attend!

Secondly, I've been on bed rest this past week because of my swelling but I have to say that it has helped out soooo much! I feel so much better and was cleared to go back to work on Monday. The swelling in my feet is much better, but I'm still having trouble with my hands and my face is still pretty puffy. This heat is just horrible on me! And lastly, we had our 34 week checkup on Thursday and everything looked good. I had my Group B Strep test, had my swelling checked, had my first internal exam (not a fan!) and got to hear Colton's heartbeat which was up a little bit from the doctor pushing on me to see if she could tell what position he was in! Dr. Martin thinks he's head down but couldn't tell for sure from the internal exam. If we can't tell at our next appointment, then they'll do an ultrasound to see. I lost weight these past two weeks but since my protein levels were fine and my eating habits haven't changed any, Dr. Martin wasn't too concerned about it. I'm right on track with my weight gain which is something I've been concerned about this whole pregnancy. We talked about work and Dr. Martin recommended that I only work a few more weeks. Tentatively, my leave should begin on Monday, July 13th. That's about it. We've got the room all ready and we're stocked up on all kinds of goodies for Colton. All we need to do now is practice putting the car seat into the car, pack our hospital bags, and be patient! Our next appointment (36 weeks) is Thursday, July 2nd. I hope time goes by fast because I'm ready for him to get here!

Another Baby Shower!

We just finished up with our baby shower here at work. It was so much fun. The food was sooo good, the decorations were adorable, and the cake was too cute! They took my theme from my nursery and made a cake to match! We played a few games but my favorite was matching up candy to different things about being pregnant, having the baby, etc. For example, what candy goes with a girl's name? Baby Ruth! It was definitely interesting hearing some of the answers (especially since it was a co-ed baby shower!) The pictures turned out pretty good ... even though I am looking down in most of them! They kept teasing me that my eyes were shut but I told them with chubby cheeks like mine, my eyes just close when I smile. There's no room for them!

Thank you girls for a great shower! My girls from left to right: Gayle, Sarah, Val, me, Karrie and Colleen.

Busy ... busy ... busy!

So this week has been crazy! We've signed up for daycare at GracePointe church (thanks Lisa for the recommendation ... we loved it there!), we had our 32 week checkup, we've narrowed down our pediatrician choice (but still need to make a call to schedule a consultation), and we attended a newborn basics class. Whew! I'm tired!

Our checkup went well. We're measuring at 33 weeks instead of 32 weeks but that is normal. The heartbeat was a solid 147 bmp (I think last time they were telling us my heartbeat instead of his). My weight is pretty good and I'm still "all baby". I'm supposed to watch my salt intake, keep drinking lots of water, and quit carrying such a heavy purse ... whoops!

Colton is still breech so we've started to discuss our options there. We're going to do an ultrasound at 36 weeks to check his position and if he's still breech, then we'll schedule a C-section for 39 weeks but there's still plenty of time for him to move around. Dr. Castillo told us that just a few weeks ago she had a woman in labor and the baby was in the perfect position but during one of the contractions the baby did a 180 and moved to feet first. So you just never know.

Our next appointment is Thursday, June 18th. Just the usual: weight, blood pressure, measurements ... but we'll do our Group B Strep test then as well.

I've turned in my tentative maternity leave schedule (what can I say I'm a planner). Our contract with the daycare isn't until mid-September so I'll probably have to use my maternity leave plus vacation time to get me to that point. We'll see though ... some things just can't be planned.