36 weeks and Counting - Due Date: 15 February 2012

Still here and waiting for THE DAY! The baby and I have been very well behaved; me staying at home and getting a lot of rest and the baby staying put in my warm belly. The mid-wife is happy with our progress and 1 more week to go and the baby will not be considered premature, if I happen to give birth earlier.

The baby room is far from ready, therefore we've put everything in our bedroom, baby bed, changing table, etc. I think once the baby arrives and cries in our room, the Cat Man will be motivated to finish off the baby room. Actually, it's not a question of motivation, it's an issue of time, as he's been really busy with work.

I've been given instructions from the hospital for THE DAY. We are to go when I have contractions every 5 minutes for 2 hours. This means I will have to manage a lot of time at home, however personally, I think I will go when the contractions are every 10 minutes, I don't want to cut it too close. Right before going to the hospital, I'm to take a suppository to empty out my you know what and take an antiseptic shower. With regard to the pain, anytime my cervix is 4cm dilated, the anesthesiologist will give me a local anesthesia to numb the area and then give me the epidural. They will keep us in the hospital for 5 days and if there are complications, up to 7 days. This all sounds great in theory and hopefully everything will go off without a hitch.

Here are some cool presents we've received:

All the baby essentials from my cousin in Canada. Blankets, PJs, onsies, etc.



Everything to keep a baby warm, clean and comfy. How awesome!

Home-
made knitted cardigans from a wonderful lady in our village. She also made a grey one, but that one is packed away in my suitcase.

Cute little bunny with baby perfume from my dear friend. Baby perfume! How chic and tres French!

Converse sneakers! So cool! I had a pair when I was in junior high! This is going to be one stylish baby!


Baby movements are very frequent. Weight gain so far, 8 kilos. Have been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions in my lower abdominal area. Gestational diabetes is overall under control through diet, although I am craving chips and cakes like crazy! Blood pressure is normal. Sleeping habits still the same, wake up at around 4:00am, watch TV and fall back asleep. Almost there!

33 Weeks and Counting

Normally, my due date is mid-February, however my little guy seems eager to start life early. Was hospitalized for 2 days, right before Christmas, as my blood pressure shot up. Took medication to reduce the blood pressure, which is now normal and I really need to watch my diet, so that my gestational diabetes does not act up. They also gave me a shot of cortisone in my butt, so that the baby's lungs mature faster, just in case he decides to come out early. So much for a medicine-free pregnancy. I was actually feeling great and by chance, when I saw my lung specialist, he advised me of my blood pressure. After that, I went to the pharmacy for 2 days, and they confirmed that my blood pressure was a bit on the high side. I then contacted my doctor and he had me come in for a check up and voila, he put me in the hospital immediately, which surprised me, as I really didn't feel tired or bad. I didn't have time to pack a bag, so my poor husband had to organize all my stuff for me. I admit, I am a high maintenance cat lady, so he had a lot to bring to the hospital, even if it was a short stay. I need all my creams and magic potions, otherwise I look like a scary cat lady. During my stay at the hospital, I did start seeing "black flies" in front of my eyes, which is a symptom of high blood pressure. It actually looked like large black dust particles.

Anyhow, that's all behind me now. I had some good bed rest, ordered a lot of baby stuff online, as I'm really not ready yet and had my last ultrasound today. The baby measures normally, heart is in good condition and he weighs around 2kgs.

For good measure, the doctor has asked a mid-wife to visit me 3 times a week. She brings a monitoring machine and registers the baby's heartbeat for 30 minutes, takes my urine sample and blood pressure. The machine can also tell if I have any contractions. During the first visit, I actually had 3 contractions during the 30 minutes! I didn't even feel them, but she said the machine never lies. During the second visit, no contractions, so I guess bed rest does really make a difference.

The care in France is top notch! I'm in really good hands, feeling very zen and it's all going to happen very soon! So exciting! Just need to keep this bun in the oven for a few more weeks and then it's rock and roll!

6-1/2 Months and Counting

Getting closer! 2-1/2 months to go and we'll get to meet our little guy (yippee!)

Registered for the following courses that is 100% covered by the French social security (double yippee!):

-3 x aqua gym classes (which is heavenly for my back and leg cramps)

-birthing

-breastfeeding

-baby care

-2 x fetal monitoring from a mid-wife closer to the time of delivery

My asthma started to come back a bit at the end of November, so I did use the inhaler once and felt much better. To be cautious, I've taken an appointment with the lung specialist again for next week.

Recently found out that I have gestational diabetes. The test is quite simple, I had a blood test, then drank a tall glass of sugar water and they took a blood test after the first and second hour. My sugar level was just a wee bit over the limit, which sucks because I luvvv to eat. Went to the specialist and now I need to prick my finger 6 times a day and measure my sugar level (before and after each meal). This is no big deal, because they gave me a little gadget that does all the work and I'm so used to getting shots during IVF treatment that I'm now a pro at taking it. Honestly, the prick to the finger feels like a little pinch. I also need to watch what I eat. Nothing too strict, but I need to limit my starch intake, no desserts and avoid sugar, as much as possible! I didn't know this, but bananas have a very high level of sugar content. Anyhow, I've been measuring my sugar level and it's been normal, so I suppose I'm being good for now, however this is going to be hard with Christmas coming up! The risk to the baby is that he will be too big and I may need to have a C-section if that is the case, but the doctor thinks that if I control my diet well, all should be fine. The diabetes should also go away after giving birth, so that is a relief! However, I do need to lose some pounds after the birth so I don't get it in the future. I suppose my love for food has finally caught up with me :-(

Feeling the baby more, although nothing dramatic, I feel tender kicks from time to time (mostly in the morning and evening). I've gained 7 kilos so far, my blood pressure is good and feeling quite energetic.

Happy Holidays and be sure to eat some extra desserts for me for Christmas! I suppose I'll be tasting all the yummy stuff with my eyes and nose!

Baby Names, Baby Clothes, Baby Baby Baby!

Our little bundle of joy will be arriving in about 3 months and we are still struggling with finding the right name for our little boy. For the moment, the French name Jules is in the lead (pronounced Jool in French and Jools in English). We like the name Jules and I think it's original, however in the French culture it's apparently quite a common name. I also like Noa, Julien or Maxim, but my hubby is not crazy about those names. I've given the responsibility of finding an original middle name to my mom and she's struggling also.

I've started to buy some baby wear, but what size should I really be buying for a newborn? They grow so fast and who knows what size they will be when they actually arrive. So far I've bought onesies for a 1 month old baby. The newborn size just looks so small and by the time I wash it, it will probably shrink. As for the pyjamas, I think I should buy for a 3 month old, because with the washing shrinkage factor and the diaper and onesie underneath, I imagine the baby will feel like a tight little muffin in a newborn or 1 month old PJ. What to do, what to do?

I'm now feeling regular movements from the baby. I must admit, I do get startled sometimes when the baby moves. I feel like this is all a dream and I'm just getting fat, but I'm actually having a baby, very soon! I feel so blessed and I'm enjoying every second of being pregnant! Life is good! Heck, it's grrrreat!

Here's a little belly or shall I say a big belly shot of me. I always thought it was cheesy posting these types of photos, so I guess I've become a huge cheeseball myself and happy to be one! This is me at about 5-1/2 months. I feel like the Pillsbury Doughboy or more like Pillsbury Doughboy's big fat pregnant sister! Poke me and I'll giggle!

Solution to Pregnancy Leg Cramps

Started feeling some mild leg cramps during the night and although it's not as bad as a charley horse, it did wake me up from my deep slumber.

My hubby gave me a very good suggestion, which works quite well. Sit up on the bed with your legs stretched out. Point your toes towards the ceiling (do not point your toes like a ballerina or that will make it worse) and pull on your big toe. Seems a bit silly, but it worked for me. My hubby actually learned this as a kid when he took swimming lessons. The instructor told him to pull on his big toe if he ever gets leg cramps in the pool.

Voila, a simple solution to a pesky problem.

5 months and Counting

Went for my 2nd trimester ultrasound and we finally learned the gender of our baby. We're having a boy! Now we can start thinking of names and start buying some clothes and baby equipment.

My asthma got pretty bad from end of August to mid October. Laying down made it worse, so sleeping was minimal. I was taking Ventalistin, which is a type of inhaler that helped at the beginning, but I ended up taking it every 2 hours, as the asthma got worse. Physical activity and even talking wiped me out, so I went to see a lung specialist and he gave me a new inhaler, which worked instantly. I was breathing normally within a minute and although I really wanted this pregnancy to be medicine free, I relented and accepted this new treatment. Well, not totally. I'm supposed to use the new inhaler every morning and evening for 30 days, but I ended up using it for only 3 days and I feel like my normal self again. So asthma is under control (even non-existent) and I feel great.

My hubby finally started converting the garage into a baby room. He's redone the electricity, pipes for the bathroom, new insulation in the ceiling, took away about 4 trucks of gravel and they poured the cement last week. A lot of work done and still a lot to do, but I'm glad it's finally happening.

Had a meeting with the "sage femme" which is a midwife in France. They are the team that supports you during the delivery. I kind of pressed her about wanting a c-section, as I'm a bit stressed about delivering downtown. She reassured me that the best method is delivering down there and that I need to have confidence that the baby and I can do this. The other week on the television, they showed a lady giving birth and we had to change the channel as we got so scared. Oh boy! Well, I'm not going to stress about that now, I'll deal with that later. On a positive note, my hubby has finally agreed to be with me during the birth. He gets faint at the sight of blood and needles, but I told him to be by my side during the event and to be sure to stay north and not to look south. I've got an aqua gym class in November to take and they will teach us the breathing techniques to use for the delivery. After that, I've got about 4 hours of courses to take with regard to taking care of the baby, breastfeeding, birthing, etc. In France they give us pregnant ladies really good support and education throughout this whole process.

-Weight gain: 4 kilos (doctors are happy that I have been relatively good about food, since I had a lot of bad habits of eating chips, cake, etc.).
-Baby movements: not really feeling too much yet and during the ultrasound the baby was quite calm. The doctor said not to worry, as it's my first pregnancy and should be feeling more by the end of the month.
-Maternity wear: bought my first pair of maternity jeans and they are sooo comfy! Heck, everyone should be wearing a pair, pregnant or not, elastic waist pants rock!

Next OB appointment, 21 November.

First and hopefully last meltdown

Had my first meltdown last week. I've been having a lot of difficulty breathing during sleeping time and the only thing that seems to help is when I sit up completely straight. Therefore, I am a bit sleep deprived. I've had a bit of a cough, a very stuffed up nose, and difficulty breathing, so I went to the doctor and discovered that I have asthma, which is what I was afraid of. The doctor is not sure how I got asthma, but I suspect it's my cats. Although I love cats, I do have an allergy to them. In general, I've been able to cope with it and with time it got a little bit better. However, this year, I think with the 2nd cat that is living full-time in our house and with her gorgeous long hair, it has affected my body. Thus, I think my allergies escalated to asthma. Thank goodness the other 6 cats live outdoors. The doctor has prescribed 2 inhalers for treatment, but I'm really weary of taking any type of medicine at this stage.

Finding out I had asthma is not the end of the world, but it really scares me when I can't breathe well. On the same day, I didn't close the freezer door correctly, so everything melted! Furthermore, I'm worried, because my hubby has not started converting the garage into a 2nd bedroom for the baby and time is ticking. All of this made me feel a bit overwhelmed and I had a mini-meltdown with tears, runny nose, etc. I imagined that I would stop breathing, that the baby would be sleeping in our dresser and I felt extremely guilty of all the food we'd have to throw away from the freezer. Well, there's always a solution to every problem. My husband bought me a Hepa air filter, which I'm hoping will help with the asthma plus I'm now vacuuming everyday. My husband cleaned out the freezer for me - what a sweetheart - and this week he started working on the 2nd bedroom. I'm usually not a cry baby, so I will blame this episode on my hormones and I think I'm allowed at least 1 meltdown during pregnancy. I realize that my problems are not really big or serious, so I'm back to my cool collected self....for now at least.

Had my OB appointment today and all is well. On the ultrasound, the baby was sucking his/her thumb, it was so adorable. I lost 1 kg since last month, so the doctor was really pleased and my blood pressure went down, so that was also good news. So far, I've only gained 1 kg since the beginning of my pregnancy. I was a bit worried that it was not enough, but the doctor said it was fine and to continue not eating too much. In France, they are really strict about diet and gaining weight. He said that I should know the sex of the baby at my next rendezvous, which is the 21 October. Can't wait!