Still Breech?

I am fairly sure that Brinda Baby is still in the breech position this week. We have our next doctor appointment tomorrow and she will verify this for us and determine what we should do from here. I have still been doing the whole ironing board position but don't think it's been helping at all. This week the baby is supposed to be the size of a Chihuahua or a head of romaine lettuce.

It is definitely getting more difficult to move around now. I am still having issues with my lower legs on our walks and for the past couple of days my right foot has been hurting as well. We have had to shorten our morning walks a couple times now because I just cannot do the regular distance. I have still been able to do my prenatal workout video and my weightlifting exercises though, so that is good at least!

This past week we went through all the baby clothes we have and finally cut off all the tags and washed everything. One of my Aunt Carol's friends went on a shopping spree at Kohl's and bought us a bunch of baby clothing! We have never even met this woman but according to Carol, she really loves shopping and uses coupons and Kohl's cash to get great deals. This is what she sent us:

So many clothes!! She gave us everything from newborn outfits to a 24 month outfit which is great! So now we have been working to get things put away. I don't feel like I am in the nesting phase per se but my Mom is coming out in about three weeks now and the spare bedroom has been our storage for everything baby!! So we have been trying to clear it out so she can actually use the room once she does get here.

Carlton and I attended a breastfeeding class this past week which was very informative. The nurse teaching it gave lots of good information! She is also the lactation consultant that will be available in the Mother Baby Unit if we need any assistance (or even after we go home). We are signed up for a Lamaze Class in mid-March and also a Parenting class that will go over some safety protocols for bringing baby home.

That is about all for this week!! I hope you are all doing great!!
XOXO
Jen

4-5 Weeks to Go!

We are getting closer to D Day!! Still a month out but we are definitely starting to get ready! Carlton put together the bassinet last week and this weekend we put together the dresser/changing table we bought!

It turned out great!! Now to fill it with supplies!

Brinda Baby is now about 18 inches long and weighs about 6ish pounds. I am not sure if he is still in the breech position or not. It has become difficult to tell now! He is still moving around quite a bit, so for all I know he's doing somersaults and continually changing his position still. The belly is still getting bigger and it is definitely getting a bit more difficult to move around. I've also started having swelling in my feet and ankles which is super fun and sexy!! This week Brinda baby is about the size of a mini-lop rabbit.

We had our first meeting with our doula this past week and she went over our birth plan and also did some breathing exercises with us. We will meet with her again in a couple weeks to go over more techniques that we can both use during labor to help things along. We also plan to take a Lamaze class but it's not being given until mid-March.


We did part of our maternity photo shoot just yesterday but the weather was not cooperating and it's not much fun to take pictures outside in the rain. So we are hoping to do round two today if the weather stays clear! In the meantime, here are some pictures from our Baby Shower last weekend!!

Flip flops - a must on a tropical island.

Local saying on a shirt! Perfect keepsake!

Can't have enough diapers!

More diapers wrapped in a blanket & books!

We had a great time!

We have been showered at 34 weeks!

Our wonderful friend Jessica hosted our Baby Shower this past weekend!! Carlton and I had a wonderful time and enjoyed a lot of great food that our friends brought! It was fun to spend time with our friends and we received a lot of great gifts! I do not have pictures of the shower at this time but will share in the next post! In case anyone wants to check out our registry, here's the link: Brinda Baby Registry

Brinda Baby is now the size of a Quokka! I have never heard of this animal before but it's apparently about the size of a domestic cat and is not afraid of humans. Isn't he cute?? Another comparison is that the baby is the size of a cantaloupe which is definitely what it feels like I am carrying in my belly!! The baby is now about five pounds and still packing on fat to help him regulate his temperature once he is born. I am moving slower and definitely feeling large. I know the belly will still grow but it feels like my skin can't stretch anymore!

So here is the latest belly bump picture at 34 weeks. This was taken at Papa's which is a restaurant up on the hill near the airport that has a great view of the coastline. Carlton and I went there for brunch on Sunday for our Valentine's Day celebration.

Sorry we are so squinty in the picture but we were sitting next to the window and it was very bright outside!

At our last OB appointment, my doctor told us that she would be inducing me between 39 and 40 weeks if I have not gone into labor by then. So this baby's birthday might be sometime between March 18th and March 25th! Also, my Mom has made arrangements to come out for three weeks around that time. It will be great to have an extra pair of hands to help us in those first couple of weeks!

I hope you are all doing great!!

XOXO
Jen

33 Weeks and we are spinning!

According to our OB appointment this past week, the baby is still stubbornly enjoying the breech position. So my doctor recommended a website that gives positions to use to encourage the baby to rotate so that he is head down. Actually there is only one position to get him to turn but another position is recommended to help the ligaments stretch so that your labor is a bit easier. So every day now I have been doing both positions in the hopes that we can avoid having the doctor manually try to adjust him inside the womb (that process does not sound fun!). The position for stretching the ligaments is a forward lean inversion that you hold for 30 seconds. It's not bad at all. The position for getting the baby to turn though involves an ironing board (not very comfortable but thank you to Jessica for lending us her ironing board!) and laying upside down for about 15 minutes (also not very comfortable). Here are a couple pictures so you have the visual!

Forward Leaning Inversion

Breech tilt position

So far I do not think he has turned but sometimes it's hard to tell which end is up!!

At this point, the baby is about 4 pounds and 17 inches long - about the size of a pineapple. He is also about the same size as a ferret!

Other than gaining fat, his skeleton is also hardening in preparation for his arrival. He is still very active when I am sitting still or laying down (right now it feels like he has the hiccups, which is a funny sensation!).

The belly is still growing and getting rounder now. I am definitely moving slower around the house and really do better when I get my daily nap!

One of the gifts Carlton received from Santa Claus this year was a couples massage package at a local resort. So on Superbowl Monday (yes Monday, not Sunday), we went and had our spa treatment in the afternoon! It was wonderful! We both got a body scrub, followed by an hour long massage. Then Carlton had a scalp massage while I got a facial. It was definitely a wonderful way to spend the afternoon!!

This week we will be attending a Childbirth class held at the Naval Hospital, so we should get a tour of the Mother Baby Unit. Also this weekend is the baby shower! We are both looking forward to that, it should be a lot of fun!!

Hope you are enjoying your week!!
XOXO
Jen

Carlton is Home!!

YAY!! It's been a long wait and the last week seemed to crawl by as we were waiting for our guys to finally make it home! We had a drawing to choose several spouses who would be allowed to go on one of the tug boats that goes out to meet the submarine as it pulls into port and I was one of the wives that got to go!! So I have some pictures of the sub as they pulled in and then some of the guys (including Carlton) came out on top as the sub continued its way into port.

Carlton waving

Offloading passengers onto the other tug

Pilot riding with the others on the sail

Getting the sub ready to be tied to the dock

Getting out the lei that the wives made

All lined up, standing at attention

The lei is out!

Getting the sub tied up

Waiting for the bridge to be placed

First hug and first kiss recipients

Each homecoming there is a drawing for a wife to receive the first kiss and for kids to receive the first hug. So those sailors are the first two off the sub so they can greet their  family.

Carlton finally gets to check out the baby bump!

I helped cup the fence this time!

Now that Carlton is finally home, we got to celebrate Christmas!! So we were able to sit down last night and open our presents to each other.  Carlton received several books from me...cookbooks, a book about the SR-71, and a book about the origin of the marathon.

Scuba diver tea infuser

New onesie for Baby Brinda

The flask he's always wanted

The onesie has a picture of a submarine and says "Sometimes I blow kisses to the bottom of the ocean." 

New clothes!

The Christmas Train

As far as Brinda baby is concerned, we are now at 32 weeks and things are still going well. We just had a doctor's appointment and everything looks good except that he is still enjoying the breech position. It's not really a concern until we get to about 36 weeks, so we are hoping that he will start to turn around. I plan to look up different methods that can be used to get him to move into the correct position.

He is now the size of a naked tailed armadillo and weighs about four pounds. 

He's kinda cute

Belly is definitely sticking out now!

We were very lucky in our shopping trip to the NEX over the weekend! I wanted to show Carlton the changing table/dresser they had in the baby section. Of course there was only one on display but we wandered through the other aisles and found a clearance section that had one other option. Not only did we get a changing table/dresser that we liked better than the one on display but it was marked for 50% off!! SCORE! Now we just have to rearrange our bedroom furniture to make room and then put it together.

In other baby related news, my friend Jessica is hosting my baby shower in a couple weeks, so we are definitely looking forward to that!! My baby registry is up and I have had a few friends look it over to make sure I didn't forget to include anything. Now we just need our baby boy to get out of the breech position!

Only About 9 Weeks to go...

At 31 weeks, Brinda Baby is now close to his birth height but still needs to pack on about 3-5 lbs of baby fat. Braxton-Hicks contractions are a possibility from here on out but I have not experienced them yet. His brain is still developing along with his immune system. He is now definitely crowding my lungs more! I am still doing my weightlifting workouts but I definitely need more rest time during them to catch my breath. The hormones have been affecting my ankles too...I have noticed on my walks that my ankles (more the left than the right) get very tired so that they don't want to work to pick up my feet! I have to make sure I stretch them really well to get through my walks or I have also had to stop during my walks and stretch them out. One of the women attached to our boat is a massage therapist and she came to my house this past week. It was a glorious massage - especially for my back and feet!!

I am still napping when I feel the need but I have found I need to be careful with how long I nap! There have been days when my nap lasted 2 hours and then I have trouble going to sleep at night. Cute animal of the week is the small clawed otter.  The baby is about the same size as the otter not including the tail.

As you can see here, the belly continues to get bigger!! I know I have 9 weeks left but my stomach feels like it's already stretched out as much as it will go!

I finally received my breast pump as well! Tricare completely covers a breast pump and a bunch of accessories that come with it, so along with the pump itself, I received a package of storage bags, a bottle set and nursing pads. About six weeks after the baby is born, Tricare will also allow you to order more supplies (like storage bags and nursing pads) to replenish your supply. I am very grateful for that!

The other good news for this past week is that I finally heard from Carlton!!! We hadn't had any contact since the day before Thanksgiving when the boat left. They were able to do a stop in Japan, so we were able to videochat which was great! So nice to be able to talk to my hubby after so long! They should be home relatively soon which is great! I am definitely looking forward to having him home for awhile!

XOXO
Jen

We Have Hit 30 Weeks Now!

At this point most everything has developed but still needs to complete development. For example, Brinda Baby's eyes are in the correct spot now and he is opening them but his vision is still poor. It will continue to improve over the next ten weeks although I doubt there is much for him to see until he is born anyway! Also, it will be interesting to see how long he enjoys having good vision since Carlton and I both have poor vision! This poor kid might be in glasses at a fairly early age...we will see.

He is currently about 17 inches long and weighs about 3.5 pounds. Soon he will stop growing in length and just pack on the baby fat that he needs to keep warm once he is born. He could be moving into the head down position soon but at my Ob/Gyn appointment this past week, he was still enjoying the breech position. Apparently he likes being able to kick my bladder or just wedge his butt down there to add more pressure. Ha!

According to my app, he is supposed to be about the size of a platypus without the tail. So here's your cute animal pic of the week!

The belly continues to grow as it should (see pic below). I had some blood work done recently that showed I was mildly anemic (I was mildly anemic before pregnancy) and also I have borderline hypothyroidism. So my doctor has me taking Synthroid now to try to boost my thyroid for the remainder of the pregnancy. I haven't noticed any symptoms so we will see if the medication makes a difference. I do take a nap almost every day but usually after I have done my workout (other than walking the dogs). I have been able to do longer walks with the dogs on the weekends - this past weekend we walked 3.25 miles! That is the longest walk I have done in about six months!

This weekend was pretty low key although I did have a great potluck dinner with friends which is always nice! I also went to see Rogue One with a friend and that was enjoyable as well!

I hope you are all enjoying January! Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day!

XOXO
Jen