tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4922493379367715982024-03-05T00:33:55.100-08:00Chronicles of a Pregnant Lady Who Never Wanted ChildrenThere will be honesty, there will be TMI, there may be cursing...Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-58480324112645984472017-03-13T12:58:00.002-07:002017-03-13T12:58:54.338-07:00Almost six months...Well, hey, I was never sure if I would keep up with this blog after Speck turned into a baby with a name, so if my posts are a little... infrequent, I suppose you can't blame me. Or, maybe you can, but I don't blame myself. I'm trying to spend my available writing hours on my next book, which is now almost a year behind my planned release schedule for it.<br />
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It's strange to think back... this time last year, I was just starting in on the second trimester of pregnancy and generally feeling pretty good. I think this is around when I started this blog... in fact let me check that... March 29th was the initial post. I suppose I should just sit on this post for a few weeks and then Cedar will be six months old, and this will be the anniversary of the blog but... well, that's far too organized, and who knows when I'm going to have time to write this again.<br />
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So, parenting life, it's interesting.<br />
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So far today, while Cedar has been napping on my lap, I have managed to get 1200 words of rewrite for my next book done, along with this blog (we'll see how much I actually get to write before she wakes up). I have successfully fed myself once, and am hungry for a second meal, so I will likely move on to making and eating food when I finish this post. Those things, along with feeding the child and changing her diaper a couple of times, are all that I have accomplished so far, but it feels like a pretty productive day. Oh, and I managed to look up a couple of writing grants and their deadlines and add them to my calendar so that I can apply for them later.<br />
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In other words, I have actually gotten some gwendamned work done today and that feels like winning.<br />
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That said, I still need to walk the dog somehow (preferably during daylight) without freezing the child to death (it's 13 degrees Farenheit out there (-11 degrees Celsius)), and it would be great if I could manage to get myself into the car and run a couple of errands, but at the moment that seems like an unlikely pipe dream rather than an achievable reality.<br />
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Meanwhile, you would think it would seem pretty attainable after successfully traveling to Arizona and back with the Shmoop, and not only keeping our sanity intact but actually having a really good time visiting friends and family, as well as doing all kinds of grown up things, like going to an art museum and the botanical gardens.<br />
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See, here's Cedar with a butterfly on her hand at the botanical gardens (ignore the finger she's shoving up her nose).</div>
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But, it turns out, that a trip like that, even when utterly successful, tires one out, and when you add all three of us getting a cold on said trip which we are still battling, getting two thirds of us into a car to go run errands seems like an awful lot of hassle. Especially when there's still a dog to be walked.</div>
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Does that give you an idea of our parenting world? I don't know if that really covers the feel... let's see... how else can I explain it?</div>
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90% of the images on my phone are of Cedar doing things that I think are cute. I only share approximately 1% of those with people that aren't her father. Yet, despite my incessant picture taking, whole days have passed where I don't document our lives on film, and indeed we spend a lot of time just reading, playing with things (read putting objects/extremities in mouths) and hanging out. Cedar is becoming increasingly entertaining and I enjoy spending time with her. I also enjoy getting writing done while she's asleep and... bare with me now... sometimes I just let her play by herself while I get work done, make food, or go to the bathroom. </div>
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Please don't call Child Services on me but.... I DON'T SPEND EVERY WAKING MOMENT ENTERTAINING MY KID.</div>
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Whew. It feels good to get that off my chest.</div>
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She's actually quite good at entertaining herself, and it's pretty fun to watch/listen to her play while I get work done nearby. Eventually, I usually wind up swooping in and cuddling her a bit because she's so darned cute, but she still gets time to do her own thing, and so do I. Win/win.</div>
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I have managed to get back into climbing again (albeit only at the local gym so far) and I go once a week with a friend, and once a week by myself. Sometimes I leave Cedar at home with her dad (whenever he's around to make that work) and sometimes I take her with me to the gym. On the nights I take her along she just sits in her bouncy chair and watches me climb. She lasts a good 90 minutes before I have to feed her, change her diaper, or just take her home. It's pretty sweet, especially since I don't have the stamina to climb for much longer than 90 minutes these days anyway.</div>
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I am hoping to take her swimming in the not too distant future, and I can't wait until it's warm enough for me to jog with her in a jogging stroller because as it stands I can only go running when her dad is home. I'm tempted to start going to the gym with her though, and see if she can join me for swimming and running indoors until the weather gets nicer... she fits in a backpack now too, so I am really looking forward to hitting the trails with her once the snow melts a bit, and maybe even before then.</div>
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Life moves steadily onwards. I am finally making solid progress in my writing again, and hope to get my next book out later this year. I have other projects in the works too, and I've done a few graphic design contracts in the past couple of months that have made me feel productive in that realm too. </div>
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I need to schedule some outdoor adventures for when the warm weather returns, but I managed to get out on a few trail runs and hikes while in Arizona and that felt pretty awesome. </div>
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Does any of that tell you what parenting a five month old is like?</div>
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In terms of baby news, Cedar is growing well. At her last doctor's appointment she was in the 50th percentile for weight and slightly above that for length. So all in all an average baby, which is awesome considering she was in the 3rd percentile at birth. As I mentioned before, she has a cold at the moment, which is frustrating for all of us, but she's a real trooper and is still one of the chillest babies I've ever seen. She has two teeth coming in, slowly, which doesn't help matters. These things have combined to interrupt our sleep quite a bit more than we had grown used to (she was sleeping for 8 hours straight for a while there) but we still get enough sleep stitched together at night in order to stay sane. </div>
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She's beginning to stir from her nap now, so I am going to wrap this up, as I expect she'll be hungry at the end of this nap (it's been a long one). Besides, I have more work to do on my novel and that needs to take priority for now. </div>
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I leave you with this image of Cedar and her fur sister. </div>
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I'll try to write back with more updates about the new human soon as well as more parenting insights, including things like: How to know that you're not fucking everything up? (Spoiler alert: you don't) or Why didn't this damned thing (baby) come with a manual? and other heady topics. </div>
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Maybe... if I can find the time. </div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-25571021181672118872016-11-21T18:50:00.000-08:002016-12-23T11:05:34.190-08:00 3 weeks err... 4 we--- 6 wee--- ah, fuck it, why not make it 8?<div style="font-family: times;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">**Thanks to the quirks of blogger this post was briefly deleted. This is the same post originally published on Nov. 21st**</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times;">Right, so it has taken me eight weeks to sit down and write this blog. Or, rather it has taken me eight weeks to sit down and finish a blog post for this blog. To be fair, I've started this blog post at least three or four times in the past two months, but alas, it was not meant to be.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Today though, today I'm making this shit happen.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">But where to start with eight weeks of parenting behind me? I'm sure to have forgotten things, after all I can barely remember my own name some days. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Ah well, I suppose I'll start with why I've finally got this blog post written: I'm starting to reclaim the lost parts of myself. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Last week I went climbing for the first time in over a year. Then, the next day, I went for a run. Then I went for another run on Sunday. I have plans to go for more runs this week and to go climbing again on Thursday night. I've gone out a few times with visiting friends and family, and just to have a beer with local buddies. I've gotten some writing done, some cover design work done, I'm getting back to my revision work, and I've been way more consistent about getting the dog out for a walk in the middle of the day.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Today, getting outside required bundling up a bit, but we did it anyway. The dog got her 4km walk and Cedar and I enjoyed some late fall sunshine. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gGvXa_RRSHTOTZtat-AMK1K3XYJ7wi35FSm8CbZIdArAEhqZWM_qg6QGVarWj3dDpOu9imAsXi2E-zru6bLcjATdY9qMH4EvdTAA2TDt3CKBE7RjiVn7UftX4tBC1xLfoQAGqexIYDis/s1600/20161121_124941.jpg" style="color: #1155cc;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gGvXa_RRSHTOTZtat-AMK1K3XYJ7wi35FSm8CbZIdArAEhqZWM_qg6QGVarWj3dDpOu9imAsXi2E-zru6bLcjATdY9qMH4EvdTAA2TDt3CKBE7RjiVn7UftX4tBC1xLfoQAGqexIYDis/s640/20161121_124941.jpg" /></a></div>
<br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">I also managed to book Cedar's vaccination appointment, do some laundry, do the dishes, and have the inlaws stop by for tea and baby snuggles. Today felt like winning. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">And, as is often the case when one is on an upswing, it's contagious. So, I am SURE that I have the time and energy to write this blog post along with all the other work I have to get done, because -- damn it -- I'm on fire!</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">These days happen periodically. They are interspersed with days of cluster feeding, spitting up ALL THE MILK AND THEN SOME (seriously, where did all this milk come from, your stomach is not this big?!?!?), and curling up in a ball on the couch playing stupid video games on my phone because I CANNOT ADULT ANYMORE. I IS DONE. THERE IZ NO ADULTS LEFT HERE. GOES AWAY!!</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Those days happen too. Many variations on days like today and days where I just want to cry and never move again happen as well as everything in between. Yet mostly, it's adorable baby snuggles, and smiles, and holy crap you are growing so fast I can barely fathom what your body must be going through!, and diaper changes, and spit up, and sleep, and feeding, and more smiles and baby snuggles.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">There's not a huge amount of variance, but it's all pretty good because this little bundle of new human is the most adorable thing I have ever known and I love her with a part of my soul I wasn't aware existed until the day she was born. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWopD-0zvPqq1bwt5QieGsvzehjocYqIeNgEuDpiuHf09RWfm5OvLRQwoTOtLxqe9vZVu_fQGM5N1-sUC3E4XhH4qdXCa7WG-d1q_3z8aUnJ2llH-eYev1oE4X_NxOU48LH1D-rGZQEvkf/s1600/20161104_145140.jpg" style="color: #1155cc;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWopD-0zvPqq1bwt5QieGsvzehjocYqIeNgEuDpiuHf09RWfm5OvLRQwoTOtLxqe9vZVu_fQGM5N1-sUC3E4XhH4qdXCa7WG-d1q_3z8aUnJ2llH-eYev1oE4X_NxOU48LH1D-rGZQEvkf/s640/20161104_145140.jpg" /></a></div>
<br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">So, even on the days when I curl up in the fetal position on the couch I still count myself incredibly lucky. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">And when it comes down to it we have been incredibly lucky. Cedar has her fussy days, leaps and growth spurts, days when she just wont stop eating and my nipples feel like they're going to fall off... but, generally speaking she's a very mellow baby, and we get lots of time where she is happy and playful, or entertains herself in her bassinet. She is happy to be wrapped in a stretch wrap and carried everywhere. She falls asleep when you walk her around and then stays asleep through entire meals, conversations with friends and even concerts. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">We are damned lucky, and I know it might not last, so I am trying to enjoy the hell out of it while I can. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Case in point, as I write this post Cedar is lying in her bassinet practicing moving her legs and arms, having a case of the hiccoughs, and making small grunts and coos as she sorts out what sounds she's capable of, but for the moment (and there is a countdown going on this) she is not crying and I can have both hands free to type this post. </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Let's see... eight weeks... what else do you want to know?</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Recovery from c-section, you ask? Well, it has gone pretty well so far. I am back to running and climbing, as mentioned before. My scar is healing well, and I mostly feel like my old self, just out of shape. Slowly getting back into it though, and feeling so much better for the start. Every little step makes me feel that much better. Overall I was amazed with how quickly my uterus resumed its former size. I think I have a few pictures to share. After all, we watched me slowly get bigger over the course of nine months, why not watch the reverse? </span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br />
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October 5th</div>
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October 6th (yes, I felt like everything shrank overnight)</div>
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October 18th</div>
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November 21st</div>
<br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">For those wondering, I'm not that concerned with "getting my body back" a notion I find rather unfair to mothers unless we are simply talking about reclaiming your body for yourself after it has spent nine months as the incubator for another human. In that sense I agree with the notion. However, I'm not worried about looking the same as I did before pregnancy. I am, after all, not the same person that I was before, so why should I look the same.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Mostly I'm simply amazed by the human body and what it's capable of. Hence the photos of my uterus shrinking back to normal.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">Beyond that, I am concerned with feeling more like myself. Granted it is a new self that I am trying to feel like, but it is a self to whom many pieces of my former identity are still important. I still think of myself as an athlete, so I wish to feel like one again. I think of myself as an outdoorswoman, so I wish to feel like one again. I think of myself as a beer snob, rock climber, runner, adventurer, writer, backpacker, dog lover, world traveler... you get the idea.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><span style="font-family: times;">And now, in addition to all of that, I'm a mom. That still hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm working on it. I'm working on settling into all my identities, both new and old.</span><br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" /><br />
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<br style="font-family: times;" /><br style="font-family: times;" />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-33399880664834087982016-10-01T17:58:00.000-07:002016-10-01T22:12:41.966-07:00Week 42 - The Birth StoryWell, I won't pretend I'm not a sleep deprived still recovering mess, but the truth is, I think I need to write this all down to sort through it all, and I want to do it while it's all still pretty clear in my head. So, here's the full (and I mean full, this will probably be pretty long, go grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and maybe a snack) story on how Speck became a newborn with a name instead of a nondescript alien living inside my abdomen. Please forgive the typos, errata, and disjointedness that I'm sure will follow as I'm not exactly at my best right now. Also, there are pictures of the new human, and details like weight name and sex, but you'll have to at least scroll past the rest of this to get there. After all, what have we been working towards for the past 42 weeks if not this moment.<br>
<br>
To start with, things didn't go as planned/hoped for. This may not surprise you. It shouldn't surprise anyone, and in its way it didn't even surprise me. I was mentally prepared for things to turn out differently than I had hoped, and in the moments where it really mattered I was fine with how everything turned out, but there were some low points along the way.<br>
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Everything started late Saturday night (technically Sunday morning). Corey and I had enjoyed a nice Saturday and done as much as possible to induce labor naturally. Apparently, it worked, because by 2am I was having contractions that were already over one minute long every four minutes. That lasted for one hour pretty quickly and I called my doula to ask if she thought I should call the midwife as that is the time pattern one is looking for when labor goes from early to active. My doula said it wouldn't hurt to let my midwife know that things were progressing. I called the midwife and she told me that the pattern was good but that the intensity didn't seem sufficient for active labor. So I should try to sleep, keep going and let her know how things progressed the next day. Sure enough, I managed to get some sleep (with the help of tylenol and gravol). Some, in this case, meaning an hour and a half or so. When I woke up contractions resumed their earlier pace but still hadn't gotten intense enough for me to call the midwife. They continued that way until 8am when they started to get farther apart but a bit more intense. They remained farther apart for most of the day and I was becoming convinced that I would be in "early labor" for days. Did I mention yet that all of these contractions heavily involved my back? Yep, that's right. I had back labor for the entire duration of this story. For the first 24 hours I managed to breath, sway and dance my way through the sensation, though around Sunday at midnight I added the use of the TENS machine to help with the back pain. It worked. I was surprised that it did, but it really did take the edge off of that part of the sensation. $64 well spent.<br>
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(In retrospect I remember that when I was debating renting the TENS machine I said to Corey, "Well, if nothing else, it will probably be good to have it if I wind up with 36 hours of back labor." Curse me and my prophetic (albeit overly optimistic with the 36 hours part) quips.)<br>
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At 2am on Monday, I finally hit a pattern that was short, (under 4 minutes apart) long (over 1.5 minutes each) and intense (I couldn't talk or do anything else but focus on the sensation when they happened). After that had lasted an hour, I called the midwife again and she agreed to meet me at the birth center. So at 4am Corey and I met our doula in the birth center parking lot and headed inside.<br>
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So, up to this point in the story the timing is pretty clear to me because I was timing my contractions with an app on my phone and I was very aware of the time. However, as soon as we got to the birth center I stopped timing them and started focussing solely on getting through each one. My timing becomes hazy but luckily I had lots of people around me who were aware of the time and I have since gone over the story with them a bit to fill in some blanks.<br>
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We arrived at the birth center and the midwife did a check to see what my cervix was doing. I was a bit disappointed to be told that I was only two centimeters dilated, though happy to hear that I was almost fully effaced. She said that she couldn't admit me until I was 4cm. That made me very sad, not because I thought I would be further along but simply because I didn't want to labor at home any more, and I didn't want to get back in the car while having contractions. I wanted to settle in somewhere and get ready to focus on having a baby. Luckily, the midwife told me that we could stay in the birth center and walk around we just couldn't be admitted to a room. There was no one else in the birth center at that time, so we had the run of the hallways and that was fine with me. I just didn't want to go home, as that would feel like losing progress to me. So we wandered the halls of the birth center and had access to a birthing ball and an exercise mat, and I walked around and sat on the ball and leaned against chairs and got on all fours on the mat and just generally did what one does when one is in labor which is focus ways to let your body do the work it needs to do and get you closer to meeting the new human you've been growing for the past nine months or more.<br>
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At 6am the midwife did another check and reported that I was now 3cm dilated. The good news was, my body was making natural progress, the bad news was, I still wasn't at the magical 4cm and she couldn't admit me. I forget what my reaction was, but disappointment would have been an understatement. I can't remember if I cried or not, I might have, as I didn't want to be told that I would have to go home and that's what I was dreading. She surprised me though, by saying, "there's no one else here and you did make steady progress, so I can admit you anyway, but you won't be allowed to use the tub until you've progressed farther."<br>
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I almost laughed. Certainly I had originally been drawn to the birth center because I wanted to use a birthing tub, but at that moment I didn't care about anything but having a place to settle into and focus. I didn't want to be told I'd have to leave again. I wanted to have the options that those rooms provided (which included an amazing hot shower) and I wanted to feel like I was being taken seriously. Admitting me to a room took care of all of that. Fuck the tub. It would be there when I needed it. I just didn't want to be moaning in the halls anymore like a stranded cow.<br>
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So I was admitted and allowed use of everything the room had to offer aside from the tub. I went right back to what I had been doing before and continued with no sense of time, living from one contraction to the next. They had, of course, been getting progressively more intense and the back labor was getting particularly more noticeable the longer I had it and the TENS machine was becoming less and less of a balm.<br>
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At around 8am my primary midwife came on call and the midwife who had admitted me (who was part of my team but not my primary) went home. My primary midwife is awesome. The other midwife was lovely, she's very professional, has a good bedside manner and is very matter of fact. I like her. But my primary midwife is a freaking rock star, and when she finally came to check me (not until 10am) I felt like everything shifted into high gear. At 10am I was finally at 4cm, but that meant that I'd only gained 2cm in six hours. You have to get to 10cm to push a baby out, you can do math on that one yourself, but if things progressed as they were I was looking at a very long time before pushing was going to even start let alone finish (first time moms often push for at least 2 hours before baby arrives). So, my primary midwife decided we were going to try every trick in the book to speed things up. Her theory was that Speck was posterior (Speck's spine lined up with mine and facing the same way) and that was what was slowing everything down. The answer was to make Speck rotate if possible. So we started doing everything we could to get Speck to rotate. That meant weird positions on furniture, raising my ass above my head, bouncing on a ball in the shower, having people pull on me and push on me during contractions and all kinds of other stuff. It meant doing even more work between and through each contraction and it was exhausting both mentally and physically. When left to my own devices all I wanted to do was try to position myself and breathe in a way that minimized the intensity of what I was feeling with every contraction. Trying to convince myself that it wasn't pain, but only pressure that I was feeling. I remain convinced that I would have been able to do that if it hadn't involved back labor, but I was personally unable to overcome the sensation of back labor and separate it from pain. It fucking hurt, and the more it hurt the more I was told that was good, that's what was making progress on my cervix. I tried to remind myself of that and was successful at times, but that was only so helpful. Part of me kept thinking, this isn't even the worst of it and I'm already close to the edge.<br>
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Of course by that time it was already 6 or 7pm. Maybe later. I don't know. I had no clear idea of time and certain thoughts can't be pinned down. I remember it was still light out when I was allowed to get into the tub for the first time. I remember that it was dark out when I understood I wouldn't be allowed back into the tub until it was time to push because my body wasn't progressing well enough in the tub and we needed me to make more progress.<br>
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I'm sure that in my midwife's head there was a timer ticking down on how much longer I could go before things fell apart, but she never let that show. I really appreciate that.<br>
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Labor is a very inward focused process, focusing on me and on the unborn human, I felt I had virtually no attention to put anywhere else, hence the lack of time. But I have to take a moment to point out how amazing my support people were during the whole thing. Corey was amazing, doing everything everyone asked of him. My doula was also a rock star, and she and Corey worked together to do everything they could to help me make from one contraction to the next and through each one. They helped provide pressure for my hips (something that takes a lot of energy from them especially over time and that works to greatly reduce some of the more negative sensations of back labor) they offered me drinks and snacks, they reminded me to breathe, they reminded me why we were doing this, they told me I was doing great and they never ever ever mentioned how long it was taking or that they were tired, or let a single negative stray thought so much as show in their eyes let alone slip their tongues. In other words those three people (midwife, doula and husband) kept me going in ways that were critical and I truly don't know what I would have done without them.<br>
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Yet still, by 10pm, after twelve hours of official "active labor" at more than 4cm (though more than nineteen hours if we go by intensity and frequency alone) and around 43 hours of labor total starting with "established early labor" I was still only at 8cm. After some discussion we decided the midwife would break my water for me and we would hope that would trigger a big jump in progress. The other choice was to head to the hospital for an oxytocin drip in hopes that it would speed things up. Wanting to put off changing locations for as long as possible (that was seriously my main motivation at that point, anything not to have to sit in the car while going through contractions) I decided to have the midwife break my water. Which is something we would have done as soon as we'd gotten to the hospital anyway.<br>
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A quick lesson on birthing, and birthing in Manitoba specifically. Meconium is a baby's first fecal matter, it has been built up and stored since months before a baby is born and it generally isn't released before birth unless the baby is in distress. Though it could be released for no reason, the chance of distress is high enough that if you are in Manitoba under the care of a midwife and laboring at home or in the birth center finding meconium in the amniotic fluid when your water breaks (or is broken) means heading to the hospital. It doesn't mean that your midwife is no longer your care provider, or that you've reached an emergency (it's a non urgent transfer, you drive yourself) it just means that they want you to have hospital access in case anything escalates and so you can no longer birth in the birth center or at home. I knew all of this in advance, so the second the mid-wife said, "Oh no," after breaking my water. I asked, "is it meconium?" She said, "yes." And I said, "Well let's get to the hospital then."<br>
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So, she left to call the hospitals in Winnipeg and find us a room. It took longer than I would have thought for her to do this and it turned out that was because the first hospital that she called was completely full and they were no longer admitting births. So we headed to the other main hospital in Winnipeg which is actually much closer to where we live as well as closer to the birth center, so that worked out in terms of shortening the car ride, at least. It was also where Speck was going to be born if we hadn't gotten midwifery care. All in all, we weren't too upset to wind up there.<br>
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On the way to the hospital I decided quietly that I would be asking for an epidural as soon as we arrived. I had honestly been thinking about asking for one ever since we started talking about going to the hospital at all. I was so exhausted, the TENS machine was doing nothing for my back labor anymore and hadn't been for a while, and I knew that if I was ever going to have the energy to actually push Speck out I needed to rest. I had simply been at it for too long. I was mentally and physically spent in a way that I had never been before. The car ride, in the meantime, was short but full of all the same pain and desperation of the previous hours. And I no longer had the energy to channel the pain into something else, it was simply pain. I had lost my hold on it and it was consuming me.<br>
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We checked in and I was barely aware of my surroundings, I remember quick flashes of hallways, reception desks and the room I was wheeled into. I do remember being thankful for the wheelchair. Walking wasn't impossible but it was slow and much interrupted by contractions and would have been far worse than being wheeled around. As soon as we stood up in the room I remember clinging to Corey I was vaguely aware of the nurses in the background giving my midwife a hard time about checking in properly. She had gone to triage to check in and they had told her to head straight to L&D and then when she got there they were giving her crap about not going through triage. It's odd but I remember hearing all of this and I remember it pissing me off. I'm sure they were just very busy and having a bad night, but I was angered on my midwife's behalf. In addition it seems that they were making it take as long as possible for us to be admitted which was not what my pain wracked body and mind were in the mood for. I wanted to rest so desperately.<br>
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I can't remember when I announced to the room that I wanted an epidural, but it was not long after we'd walked in. I was sure my midwife would be disappointed but I think I was probably projecting. I was NOT disappointed in myself. I had come to terms with it on the car ride over or even before that. I had worked so hard for so long, and I was going to wind up doing damage to myself if I didn't let myself rest. I knew that resting without medication would be impossible. I knew that even narcotics alone wouldn't do the job, I needed to be disconnected from the sensation of my lower half. It was the only way I would be able to rest. I had done enough. I deserved to rest. (Not that anyone has to earn the right to rest, or to need/want an epidural, just that for the particular mindset I brought to this birth I would have felt differently if I hadn't gone through what I already had first.) I knew It was the right choice and I was sure of that.<br>
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I heard my midwife tell the same nurse who was in the process of giving us a hard time checking in that I wanted an epidural and I remember that woman laughing. I wanted to punch her. It was probably a good thing she wasn't standing anywhere near me. I'm sure she only laughed because they were so over booked and everyone probably wanted an epidural. I'm sure the anesthesiologists were being run ragged in a totally booked labor ward. I remember my midwife saying "she's been in back labor for 46 hours" and I didn't hear the reply of the nurse, because I was too distracted with the next contraction.<br>
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It took the anesthesiologist about an hour to arrive. I don't remember how much time it took at all, but that's what Corey told me. I had gone back to focussing on each contraction as it happened and trying to turn it into something other than pain, I wasn't having much success. I was just fighting to make it through to the next contraction and kept telling myself that soon I would get to stop fighting.<br>
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Of course, epidurals aren't immediate things. The anesthesiologist had to deliver his spiel about epidurals, risks, and consent. Then he had to set up an IV for me...<br>
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Oh the IV struggles. I failed to mention this earlier but as I tested positive for GBS in the week leading up to my due date I was given an antibiotic as soon as I reached active labor. Of course, as soon as, is an exaggeration because apparently I have very valvey veins, which means they are difficult to run an IV tube into. It took the midwives three tries to get my port in and then, when we got to the hospital, because the port had been exposed to air for the duration of the car ride the hospital decided they had to remove it and start over, and then none of the nurses in L&D could do it. Three more tries (all while I was going through contractions) and no one succeeded. They finally waited for the anesthesiologist to do it. One, because anesthesiologists are quite good at putting in IVs and two because they have extra special tools for doing so. Meanwhile I had been without fluids while we waited for the anesthesiologist. So first he got my basic port in, and then he got my back prepared for the epidural. He warned me about the pain of the numbing agent etc. and all the attempts at getting the IV port into me had been painful too, but none of that touched what I was going through otherwise, unless it coincided well enough to magnify things, which only happened with one of the IV port attempts.<br>
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Finally the epidural was up and running, of course, it takes about 20 minutes to set in properly. I was happy though, as I could feel it slowly starting to work. Then I was worried, as after what I thought was 20 minutes had passed and I could still feel enough of my contractions to keep me from sleeping. Then I was told I had a top up button that I could hit at will and had a maximum safe dosage that I couldn't exceed. I hit the button a few times and then I started to drift off to sleep.<br>
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Except I kept getting woken up because of... well lots of things. For one thing I was getting a dose of oxytocin in order to get my cervix to finish doing its job. That was happening through the IV so it's not as though it was distracting, but I was getting checked every hour to see what my cervix was doing in response and... well cervical checks are not things one can sleep through. I remember commenting as a brand new person performed a check that the number of people who had shoved their hand into my vagina without introducing themselves had grown exponentially in the past 24 hours. (Of course they actually did introduce themselves first, I just thought it was funnier without that part.) One of the nurses laughed at my joke most everyone else ignored it.<br>
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The news wasn't great. My cervix was responding but slowly and somehow between leaving the birth center and arriving at the hospital my cervix had closed a bit and swollen. The midwives had described it as very soft and thin for the entire time I'd been with them, but something about breaking my water had changed things and it was now swollen and was only at 6cm when we arrived. The oxytocin was working but slowly. More bad news, Speck's heart rate was dropping and rising in a disconcerting pattern and the staff were concerned that Speck wouldn't react well to pushing when we finally got there and that was still hours away.<br>
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All of this developed over a spread of time that I was unaware of, I would fall asleep between each announcement and to me they almost seemed to happen back to back. But we had arrived at the hospital at close to 11pm and by 5am things weren't looking great. Then we had our panic movie moment.<br>
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As soon as we arrived Speck and I had both been put on heart rate monitors. That's standard procedure for showing up with meconium in your amniotic fluid. But once Speck's heart rate started dropping unexpectedly they suggested putting Speck on a scalp clip heart rate monitor. It's exactly what it sounds like, they run a cord up to Speck's head via my vagina and clip it to Speck's scalp and it monitors Speck's heart rate. We consented because we wanted to be damned sure that Speck was ok.<br>
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The fluctuations continued even with the better monitor attached, and then, at one terrifying moment, they dropped dangerously low and then stopped. The nursing staff performed the incredibly professional calm panic that is their job and ran us (me still in bed and Corey and the doula running behind) down the hall to high risk section of Labor and Delivery where we were right next door to the OR. As we arrived it became apparent that somehow the heart rate clip had come undone. Speck had not flatlined. As soon as the monitors were reattached Speck had a normal heart rate. For a while. Then it continued to dip and raise disconcertingly.<br>
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The resident who had been monitoring us under the care of an OB since I asked for the epidural (epidurals require transfer of care away from midwifery care and into OB care, and my midwife had gone home in order to rest before we called her in for pushing whenever the time came) came in to talk to us about a cesarean section.<br>
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When we first arrived at the hospital this moment had occurred to me as a possibility and I had dreaded it. Then we had been there for so long, and we'd run down the hall because we'd been worried Speck was flatlining and suddenly all I wanted was to be safely holding a child in my arms. I didn't care that it was major abdominal surgery anymore, I didn't care that it had its own risks, I didn't care that I had really wanted a vaginal delivery back before all of this started. I wanted a healthy baby, and honestly, when I really thought about the prospect of pushing for two hours after everything else, I wasn't sure I could do it. And the doctors were telling me that they weren't sure that Speck could do it.<br>
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I agreed to the emergency c-section with a feeling of relief and sudden calm. We now knew exactly what was happening and the waiting would be over shortly. There were risks, of course there were risks, but we had a very competent surgical team, a functioning epidural already in place, and I am a very good prospect for recovering well from major abdominal surgery. Once again it was the right choice, and by the time it came down to making it I had no reservations.<br>
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What would I have said if you'd told that would happen three days prior to going into labor? Well to be honest if you could tell me all the details as I am telling them to you now I think the me of three days prior would have said, GET THE FUCKING C-SECTION! And that's why I am at peace with the situation. There is no iteration of me, who, given all the information, would have made a different choice.<br>
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So, now the anesthesiologist returns to talk to me about how things will go with the epidural during surgery and to test how established it is at the moment and make sure it's distributed evenly. I am lucky and it seems to have taken effect in all the right places. He leaves and some nurses show up to disconnect me from all the machines in my room switch beds and wheel me to the OR, Corey is taken to a place to put on scrubs and told he'll be shown to the OR in about 20 minutes when they're ready to start.<br>
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The OR is a smaller room than I expect it to be, but otherwise it looks exactly as I would have imagined. I am placed on the operating table, but actually I'm still mobile enough to help with the upper half of my body. I'm given an A by the nurses for being able to help move myself. A screen is placed so that I can't see past my chest. The anesthesiologist comes in again and does a lot to make sure that my epidural is topped way up and that I'm truly numb from the chest down. It's a much different sensation to how I felt up until I helped transfer myself to the operating table and I'm glad it has been put off until the last second. I don't enjoy not feeling this much of my body, it makes me feel like I'm entombed in my own flesh. I'm pleased to see that the anesthesiologist is same one from before. This guy has been wonderful the whole time. He has a great bedside manner, is friendly and just the right amount of talkative. I know that it's part of his job to make sure that I'm responsive and thus chatting to me is probably an easy way to do that, but he does it naturally and in such a way that I feel like he's just being friendly not clinically checking boxes for my LOR. I find out he and his wife just had a baby seven months ago, and the baby is a girl. I decide I like him. Also, he's there to tell me what's happening on the other side of the curtain without giving me too much information. Things like, "they're starting now." Then he's kind enough to remind everyone that my husband isn't in the room. I like him more. Someone must have been sent to get Corey because he arrives shortly after. He's dressed in scrubs and I have time to think it's a good look on him before I go back to focussing on the incredibly strange sensation of feeling a surgery happen without feeling any of the pain attached to it. I can feel tugging and pulling, things being moved, but no pain, and no direct sensation. The whole thing is surreal. It's also very fast. Corey keeps eye contact with me and we say silly things to each other. We also say nothing at all. I expected to be terrified the whole time but I feel surprisingly confident in the team that's working on me and their ability to do this well. I feel like I'm in good hands. I do worry about Speck though. Speck's heart rate was really freaking everyone out before we started and I'm scared that we waited to long or didn't do the right thing or... one large pull. "They've got him, they're pulling him out," says the anesthesiologist. Instantly a strong baby cry fills the air and I feel immense relief. "He's crying." "He is a she," someone corrects. "It's a girl."<br>
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I still don't know who announced it and I don't really care, but I remember being happy. She is whisked under the lamp and massaged and wiped and checked for all the responsiveness tests they run babies through. She passes with flying colors. "Would you like her on your chest?" someone asks. YES! They bring her over and push my gown out of the way and lay her on me. I can move one of my arms well enough to hold her. The name Cedar pops into my head. It was one at the top of our list. Corey is there and we get to be a family for a few minutes while I feel them put everything back together on the other side of the curtain. Then they tell me it's time to head to post op, I'm told Corey will go with Cedar and we'll all meet in the recovery room. They disappear and I am left under the lights with my friend the anesthesiologist who is explaining how long it will take the epidural to wear off and what my pain options will be, also the nursing staff are cleaning up and putting things away and then they're all moving me in a dead lift to the gurney and wheeling me to post op.<br>
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I think it was in post op that Corey and I made a decision about the name. He had thought of one of our other top picks when he'd seen her come out, but when I told him Cedar he said he liked it just as much. The more he thought about it the more he liked it until he finally decided he liked it better. So we decided on Cedar. Ashmead as a middle name had pretty much been decided on when Speck was still Speck, so that was an easy choice. Then it was just a question of how the last names were to flow. Which sounded better? McClain Ticknor or Ticknor McClain? In the case of Cedar Ashmead we thought McClain Ticknor sounded best.<br>
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There are many other details, but none of them seem that important now. Cedar was waiting for us in post op and was given to us as soon as she'd been weighed and measured and had her foot poked etc. She cried plenty, but also had moments of quiet. The nurses all said she was beautiful, but I think they say that to everyone. I thought she was beautiful, but I also thought she looked like the weird squished beings that all newborns are, only slightly less squished for having been pulled out by cesarean instead of being pushed through the birth canal. Our nurses were all lovely. There was one largish snafu. Our midwife hadn't been called by the nursing staff and told to come to the OR. I had told our doula to call her and tell her to meet us in post op. The nurses had told us she didn't have OR privileges. I thought I remembered her saying she did have them, but that had been weeks ago and I was in no state of mind to argue about it. When my midwife arrived and asked about why she hadn't been called the nurse repeated what she'd told me, that she didn't have OR privileges. That's not true, apparently and it's kind of a big deal that they messed that up. Luckily, I had Corey with me, and felt like I was in good hands, but imagine if I hadn't liked the anesthesiologist or they'd forgot to bring Corey in at all... Anyway, that was the only thing that was wrong. Everything else was great. Our staff was wonderful, knowledgeable and helpful. We felt very well taken care of, and we were too busy falling in love with our daughter to be bothered by anything else anyway.<br>
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My midwife asked if I wanted to try breast feeding and I said yes, but told her I had no idea what I was doing. She gave me a lesson, helped me position Cedar properly and we were away. Lucky again, Cedar had a good natural latch that only needed a bit of help on my part. Yay! I felt like it was the first thing that had gone right in three days.<br>
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For the next 48 hours we were poked and prodded at various intervals and moved to a couple different rooms. The staff was always kind and helpful. The hospital food was half decent, and eventually we got a private room where we felt we could get some kind of rest. The three of us were all exhausted, and Corey and I were both pretty emotional after everything we'd gone through, but the prevailing emotion was love.<br>
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We were discharged on Thursday afternoon and finally got to take our girl home. It was sad to come back to a house without Artemis, but Corey's parents had very kindly been watching her since the night before and a neighbor of ours had come by to take her out a few times on Monday.<br>
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We're slowly figuring out our normal, a process made more challenging due to recovering from major abdominal surgery, but so far we've been managing and Cedar is still alive. That's five days now that we've managed not to kill the new human, and I'm feeling carefully optimistic.<br>
<br>
So now, I present to you, the light at the end of our tunnel:<br>
<br>
Cedar Ashmead McClain Ticknor<br>
Born on September 27th at 7:10am via emergency c-section<br>
weighing in at 6lbs 5.5 oz<br>
20.4 inches long<br>
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<br>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-6602286137719192912016-09-23T19:12:00.001-07:002016-09-23T19:12:51.015-07:00Week 41 - Still Pregnant... Well, here we are, week 41 all done and still no new human on the outside. For those who are concerned, I can't stress enough how normal this is. One of the many things I appreciate about the health care I have received throughout this pregnancy is that from the very first time I saw a health professional about this pregnancy it was made clear to me that it's perfectly normal for first time moms to go to 41 or 42 weeks. So, I basically had nine months to wrap my head around the idea that having a mid-September due date really meant that the entire month of September was game.<br />
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What surprises me is how calm I feel (today) about the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, part of me secretly wished that Speck would arrive a bit early, and I had a day or two this week where I was feeling pretty damned done with the whole pregnancy piece (more on that in a bit), but for the most part, I'm surprisingly ok with the idea that this kiddo will choose to arrive sometime in the next week or so and I have no control over when that is.<br />
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The one thing I'd like to avoid is being medically induced (if possible, and only because I've heard it makes labor far more intense and increases the chances of a c-section - not that there's anything wrong c-sections, but I would simply like to avoid a major surgery if at all possible) so there are a few things I'm doing to try to kickstart things before we reach that point. However, for the most part, I've reached a point of calm about this kid choosing her/his time.<br />
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However, earlier this week I was not feeling so zen, and my due date buddy and I were texting each other madly comparing notes on what was happening to our bodies and whether or not it meant we were going into labor soon. The funny thing about waiting to go into labor is that suddenly, everything seems like it could be a sign that you're going into labor. From cramping (actually a labor sign), to backaches (also a labor sign), to bitchiness (probably not a labor sign, but we decided it could be), to the position and phase of the moon, stars, and intensity of solar flares (definitely not signs), once one is past one's due date, all things point to OMG I'M GOING TO HAVE MY BABY IMMEDIATELY. In other words everything seems like it CAN be a sign of imminent labor, and many things are, but the same list of things that are can also be... wait for it... just third trimester pregnancy symptoms.<br />
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Damn you, pregnancy; you're a misleading asshole sometimes.<br />
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So, with the terrible I-word looming at the 42 week mark, one of the games one plays in week 41 is: what are all the ways to naturally induce labor and HOW DO I FIT THEM ALL INTO THE SAME HOUR?<br />
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The answers to that question could fill an entire book, and virtually none of them have been scientifically backed by a small thing known as evidence. However, the most popular highlights include (but are not limited to): sex, spicy food, evening primrose oil, raspberry leaf tea, bouncing on an exercise ball, walking a lot, and also sex (yep, it's in there twice). So, many ladies who are ready to meet their newborn try to combine as many of these things into as short a period of time as possible in order to attempt to speed things up. The funny thing is, they've only been proven to work if your body is ready for labor anyway (in other words, you're probably not speeding the process up by much, just triggering what was already about to happen anyway). Still, as a number of those things aren't exactly unpleasant in their own right, lots of women like to see if they'll bring about labor. My due date buddy and I were no exceptions this past week. We tried them all.<br />
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In an odd mathematical coincidence I've walked a total of 37km this week and 37km last week, totaling 74km over the weeks leading up to and away from my due date. If you hadn't guessed it yet, walking is my favorite of the "how to induce labor naturally" tips. I won't give you stats on the other activities, but there have been plenty of those too.<br />
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A new thing I learned in the past week or two is that when you are due date buddies with someone you were already good friends with, TMI ceases to be a thing. You talk about bodily fluids and functions with such detail and candor that there's nothing left to wonder about. It's nice to know you're not alone in all the gross shit that your body is doing and when every new tingle or gush could be the sign of labor starting you get into the oversharing really fast. Or maybe that's just us, but hey, I found it fascinating and excellent bonding experience.<br />
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So along with the excitement/frenzy of trying to induce labor naturally, the first half of week 41 (before I found my zen) was also full of some post-due date angst, and even now that I'm ok with waiting, there's still a feeling of being in limbo at this point. I have projects that I'd like to work on, that I don't necessarily want to start because I know it might be a while before I pick them up again. I just finished the full length novel translation that I had been working on since August and I feel like I deserve a break after that, but I also feel like I should take advantage of the last few newbornless days in order to get some work done. And then I think that I should enjoy some time to relax before the newborn arrives instead, but then I feel guilty if I go through a day without working on any of my writing projects. Yep. It's a strange kind of purgatory. <br />
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In the meantime, I started fantasizing a bit about what it would be like to not be pregnant any more... To be able to wait hours between trips to the bathroom... to be able to stand up from the couch without sounding like a bear wrestling a greased up beach ball... to have a glass of wine or a beer*... to be able to go for a run without feeling like my belly is going to fall off or like an infant is going to fall out of my vagina, and to stop retaining so much damned water.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
Oh yeah, water retention is a thing that started up in the past two weeks. I managed to miss out on it for most of this pregnancy. I've been super conscientious about staying hydrated, as well as just plain lucky in that regard, but now my hands and feet are swollen all the time (enough to make it a struggle to get my rings on and off) and get worse with certain activities and I feel like my whole body is just a bit bigger and softer. Since I haven't changed my eating habits here at the end of pregnancy (and if anything I'm eating a bit less than I was earlier in the third trimester) I think it's safe to say that this is water retention, but regardless, I am looking forward to it stopping.<br />
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Finally, for this week's bump photo I am going to showcase a few highlights from our late, impromptu maternity photo shoot with the incomparable <a href="http://sambaardman.com/" target="_blank">Sam Baardman</a>. Sam is a good friend of ours who happens to be a great photographer, and also happened to have just acquired a new camera that he wanted to play with, and thus a maternity photo shoot was born. He took over 700 pictures, sent us 28 of them, and I will only feature a handful of them here, but we were so happy with the results. Many of them are goofy because we are goofy people. They are all from the 39 week mark, but I figure you won't mind.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*and for anyone who wants to warn me off having a drink with dinner while breastfeeding, please go find some real <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bcpt.12149/full" target="_blank">research</a> about it (and not just a web search that confirms your bias) before you get all up in arms </span><br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-64833341061703875122016-09-15T22:12:00.002-07:002016-09-15T22:12:26.143-07:00Week 40This is the end... beautiful friends, the end...<br />
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Ok, well, Doors references aside, it may or may not be the end. My due date is today, but of course, that doesn't mean that much when it comes to what Speck wants to do. It's also a full moon, so who knows. Perhaps Speck will feel the pull and things will start up.<br />
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My friend who is due the same day I am and I are texting each other back and forth with symptoms we think might be the onset of labor. Sadly, many of these symptoms are also just the symptoms of pregnancy, so it's really just an excuse to text each other.<br />
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Either way I figure I should get this post written now just so that no one will get their hopes up about Speck arriving simply because I was late posting to the blog this week. This is the post. If I produce a new human anytime soon I'll post about it here sometime next week. If I don't produce a new human I'll post normal week 41 post discussing just how common it is for first time pregnant ladies to go a week or two past their due dates. (And seriously, it's really common, so don't be too surprised if I get through weeks 41 and 42 before you see a new human on here.)<br />
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For now though, this week was largely an experience in doing a ton of last minute preparation for having a baby, being tired, walking a lot, and experiencing lots of practice labor.<br />
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Also, Speck rolled back over to LOA for my last midwife appointment (on Tuesday) and seems to be there at the moment, but I am fairly certain that Speck has been ROA at least once since Tuesday and is shifting back and forth at her/his leisure. I'm spending a lot of time sitting on my exercise ball and lying on my left side in order increase the odds of Speck being LOA when it comes time for this whole process to start, but the ease with which Speck changes things up has me a little bit disconcerted. (And since I started writing this post Speck now appears to be ROA again. What gives little one? Why you rotate so much?)<br />
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In the meantime, Speck is otherwise doing quite well. Heart rate was totally normal at our last appointment and Speck seems to be "a good size" according to the latest midwife assessment. My blood pressure is in my normal range and I'm feeling pretty good, so I guess we're ready for this kiddo to show up any time.<br />
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I repacked my hospital (read: birth center) bag today, and yesterday I repacked Speck's diaper bag, because the first time I packed them was pretty half hearted. This time I did it a bit more carefully, though to be fair, knowing that we'll get sent home from the birth center 4-6 hours post Speck arrival makes me not worry about it too much. My needs are pretty minimal, but we do need to do a snack related grocery run.<br />
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And, in other news, we finally got a dresser (which we will be using as a changing table also) for Speck. This is fabulous because I was finally able to put away all the wonderful hand me down clothes we've been sent, as well as the cloth diapering supplies. YAY! So our basement feels a little more like a place to hang out with a newborn a little less like the random place we shoved all of our crap.<br />
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So we're starting to feel ready as we tick off the long list of things that need to be done and we're pretty excited to meet this new human out in the open. So fingers crossed that when the time comes all goes smoothly.<br />
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Speaking of which, today I acquired a (rental) TENS machine which, for those who have never heard of one, or only know of them for PhysioTherapy purposes, are devices that send an electric impulse through the skin of your lower back during labor in order to raise endorphin levels in order to combat pain. Some women swear by them, some women say they don't work at all. Apparently results vary. But renting one was pretty cheap, so I figured it can't hurt to try it. Or, rather, it might be nice to know I have one on hand in case my meditative practice doesn't seem to be cutting it. To be honest, I don't like the idea of relying on something external for pain relief, so I'm rather hoping I don't need to use it, but I do like the idea of having a back up plan that doesn't require drugs... So I have it, and now I hope I won't need it.<br />
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On that note, I'd just like to point out, because I'm not sure when the last time I said it here was, that I don't think there's anything wrong with women using all the joys of modern medicine to get themselves through labor if they choose to/need to, etc. You do whatever you have to do in order to have a safe, healthy, delivery and it's not up to me to decide what safe or healthy is, that's between you and your healthcare provider. Seriously, no judgement.<br />
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What I do feel judgmental about is how as a society we've made it seem like going for the least medical birth possible is somehow irresponsible, or crazy, when it's what women have been doing for as long as there have been humans. We have quite literally evolved with this purpose in mind, and the species would not have succeeded as well as it has were we not pretty good at it, overall. Of course, modern medicine has made a lot of births that would normally have resulted in the death of the mother or child or both, quite a bit safer and more survivable, and that's a wonderful thing. Yet that doesn't mean that the majority of women and their babies can't get through labor and birth without any medical intervention. Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that there will be a hospital within a five minute ambulance ride of where I will be giving birth, but I also love that unless it becomes medically necessary I won't have to set foot in a hospital in order to deliver this kiddo.<br />
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It's funny, one of the things that bothered me most about my care before I was able to get a midwife was the (completely understandable) feeling that my doctors were shooing me out the door because I was perfectly healthy, I was just pregnant. It bothered me not because it's wrong, pregnant women are indeed perfectly healthy and I appreciate that attitude, but because it left me with unanswered questions about the process my body was undertaking. It makes total sense for people whose job it is to cure the sick, to tell the healthy pregnant woman that she's fine and send her on her way. But the feeling is mutual, and hospitals are for people who aren't well, not perfectly healthy ones, and as a "perfectly healthy" pregnant lady I see no reason for me to be in the hospital unless shit turns south. (Which is a real possibility, so I'm extremely grateful, again, that there will be a hospital within easy reach.)<br />
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Anyway, those are just my feelings on the matter, and I maintain that women should be able to labor wherever they are most comfortable. If being in the hospital gives a woman a sense of comfort because she knows the medical staff is right there, then she should do that. If she prefers a birth center where the medical staff is only a stone's throw away, she should do that. If she wants to labor at home where she is the most relaxed and comfortable, she should do that. Do whatever you need to do, my fellow pregnant ladies! My point is, we should all have a choice, be informed, and be given the chance to have whatever kind of birth we want, but I don't feel like north american society does that particularly well.<br />
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I, certainly, had never heard any useful information about giving birth anywhere but in a hospital right up until I got pregnant. Until then I had heard some random comments, offhand remarks, and useless stereotypes, but that's about it. I had to do some serious digging to get any objective information (until I wound up in midwifery care, where they handed me lots of information about all three birth location options) and the only reason I considered digging up extra info on birthing outside of a hospital at all was because of references in the hypnobirthing books, and also in one of the pregnancy groups I'm a member of. And, the only reason I even looked into hypnobirthing was because of my general curiosity as a human. I heard the name and thought, that <i>sounds</i> stupid, but what is it actually? So I did a bit of research and then thought, well the name is terrible but that sounds completely sensible. So, yeah. Points for curiosity, but why doesn't anyone tell young women about this stuff? Why aren't we provided with more information about our options and why does the media portray non-hospital births as wacky?<br />
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Ok. Rant over.<br />
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Anyway, it is now past midnight, so officially my due date, and I'm going to go lie on my left side for a while to try to get Speck into LOA just in case Speck decides to join us tomorrow. In the meantime here is a bumpie from today. Not very glamorous, and I seem to have given myself an extra chin thanks to body angling, but hey that's the truth of the third trimester I'm afraid.<br />
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Will it be the last bump picture???? We shall see... Come on, SUPERMOON!<br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-35245830889360916412016-09-11T01:28:00.001-07:002016-09-11T01:28:48.072-07:00Week 39Just so you don't think I've gone into labor already, I figure I should get this up and out into the world.<br />
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Speck is still on the inside.<br />
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Week 39 was busy with work, but still dotted with lots of napping and included my first pregnancy 'freak out over nothing but get checked anyway just to be sure.'<br />
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So, to start with last weekend involved some weekend festivities in which I got a lot of weird looks from people because my non-alcoholic beers looked a lot like real beer. Part of me wants to wear a t-shirt in that situation that reads "no, it's not real beer" and part of me just wants to tell everyone to fuck off for their judgmental stares. The part of me that wins is the third part that actually just doesn't give a crap. In related news, I found two new fake beers that are pretty tasty! (Why oh why did I only find them when I've got 1-3 weeks of this left?!?) Anyway, it turns out the same company that makes the delicious non-alcoholic radler that I enjoy so much also makes a fake heffeweizen and a fake pilsner that are both pretty good (though I prefer the heffe personally). Krombacher for the win! So for any pregnant ladies reading this who are still in need of some good fake beer, go check those options out and see what you think.<br />
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Sunday involved driving three hours away to go visit a friend who is in the hospital (on the mend, thankfully) which brought up an interesting question that made the imminence of this whole thing resulting in a baby strangely real: What do we do if I go into labor while we're three hours from home? Well, the short answer was we bring the carseat, the hospital bag, and the baby bag and deal with it as it comes up. If there's time to get back to Winnipeg, great. If not, hey, we're already at a hospital!<br />
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As I've already told you that Speck is still on the inside, it's obvious that nothing happened, but it was a bit unsettling to have to acknowledge that this is close enough to happening that we needed to have all of our gear with us, just in case.<br />
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Anyway, there and back no problem, no labor, and Monday I went straight back to work on translation stuff (yes, I know it was labor day, no that doesn't mean I gave myself the day off). So, I've been squeezing work in wherever I can these days, and the thing I am squeezing it into tends to be between naps and dog walks. I am not sleeping very well at night (hence why I'm writing this at 3am) and then I am taking multiple 2-3 hour naps during the day. I have to say, I'm happy that I'm able to get sleep at any point in the day, whether or not it's a night. I am getting enough sleep that I generally feel well through most of the day, but some days my brain doesn't feel like it kicks in properly and then I try to put off my contract work until I've got enough thinking power to do my job well. So, that's a thing.<br />
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Meanwhile, I spend lots of time on my exercise ball to save my back and hips and still try to walk the dog a long ways during the day to keep the body from seizing up.<br />
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On Wednesday I went to my midwife appointment and all was well. Speck seems to be doing fine and my blood pressure is normal etc. The only minorly troubling thing was that Speck, though still head down, had switched from what's known as LOA to what's known as ROA. I won't get too into the details of this one, but for those who don't know, babies can be in all kinds of positions before labor, and the position they are in when labor starts can greatly affect how long labor takes and how "comfortable" it is (or not) for the woman giving birth. LOA is considered optimal for a shorter, more efficient labor. ROA is not. If you would like more information on these positions the internet is full of it, please enjoy some online research.<br />
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Speck had been LOA for weeks prior to this last appointment, so I was disappointed to find out that Speck had moved to a position that was likely to draw labor out for me. But my midwife is awesome and had some great tips on how to encourage Speck to head back on over to LOA. So I went home being not too worried and excited to try some things out.<br />
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Fast forward to that same night and I explain to Corey what the different positions are and why I'm concerned and decide to demo the forward inversion (putting my ass in the air and my head on the ground in order to give Speck the freedom to move a bit - totally dignified, makes an excellent party trick) that my midwife has shown me. That all goes fine, but right afterwards Speck is moving a ton and suddenly feels like s/he is no longer engaged (head nestled cozily in my pelvis) and seems to be splaying out sideways and OH HOLY SHIT I'VE RUINED EVERYTHING MY BABY IS NOW TRANSVERSE. Ahem, or so I thought to myself.<br />
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I proceeded to freak out for most of Wednesday night and well into Thursday. So far into Thursday, actually, that I only finally called my midwife around 4pm after my doula convinced me it was a good idea and she wouldn't mind. My midwife was wonderful, calmed me down, and booked me in to see her on Friday to check and see where Speck was and make sure all was well. She also suggested I walk as much as possible to see if Speck settled back into my pelvis.<br />
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Sure enough, come Friday's appointment (which I walked to because it was 10km round trip and I thought it would be the easiest way to follow the midwife's advice) Speck is back in place, still head down, and engaged once more, and... still ROA. But the midwife answered all of my questions, and we talked through things enough that I am now confident that if Speck needs help turning I can do another inversion and not be worried that Speck will do somersaults and wind up breech or something. (Turns out there's just not enough room in there for Speck to easily turn into any of the really bad positions -- it wouldn't be impossible, but it's highly unlikely -- so even though Speck will likely move around a fair bit after being dislodged via an inversion, Speck will ultimately settle head down again and hopefully just turn to LOA first if I do things right and Speck isn't feeling too stubborn.)<br />
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So, that was my completely unnecessary freak out. I would feel embarrassed, but it's been my only one so far this pregnancy and I swear, if you had felt the way this kid was moving around after her/his head came free you would have been freaking out too. I figure I get at least one freak out pass and that was it.<br />
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Ok. That takes us to Friday, which was my changeover day finishing up week 39 so I think it's safe to call this post done. And now it's 3:24am and I am finally feeling tired enough to go to sleep, so I am going to do that. (In fact I'm tired enough that I question the coherence of the last part of this blog.) Here's this week's bump pic:<br />
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Bonus dog!</div>
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Next week could be a normal week on the blog or the bump pic could be on the outside! Only time will tell... </div>
<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-88123503785563224602016-09-02T12:13:00.000-07:002016-09-02T12:13:17.621-07:00Week 38Well, I'm actually managing to get week 38 on time, which is surprising to me. I'm still working on my translation project, but I need breaks now and again, so I might as well get this post written. Also, week 38 has been a little bit crazy.<br />
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Speck has dropped, or is dropping, I'm not sure what counts as fully dropped but I'll ask my midwife at my next appointment. The first phase happened overnight. I went to bed on Monday night with Speck riding above my pelvis and woke up to this:<br />
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It may not be easy to tell from where you are, but my lower abs have turned into a funnel pointing straight towards my crotch. This was not happening before. </div>
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As if to confirm my suspicions my cervix felt like it was getting twisted and pinched on and off all day Tuesday. My midwife informs me that it's not actually being twisted or pinched, but rather those feelings come from it preparing itself for labor (ie. working on effacing and dilating) so it's a good thing even if it doesn't feel like it at the time.</div>
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Since Tuesday I have felt... less comfortable than before. My lower back has started to ache, something I had been blissfully free of for most of this pregnancy. My hips are even less comfortable than they were and sleep is even harder to come by (almost impossible on many nights, but I did manage to get at least 6 hours last night). Apparently this is all normal especially once something the size of a baby has decided to bury its head in your pelvis. So, yeah, I am starting to think Speck could arrive any time (although Speck is still statistically likely to stay in til 40 weeks or later) and I would be ok with Speck arriving on the sooner side in terms of bodily comfort. (Although there are a number of things that will be less comfortable for a bit after Speck arrives.)</div>
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Which brings me to some of the fun adventures I've had this week:</div>
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<li>Buying adult diapers<br /><br />Curious about this one? So, there are lots of things that people never tell you about pregnancy, but I've found that the largest number of surprises lie in what people don't talk about postpartum. For example, did you know that by the time a woman gives birth to a child her uterus is over 1000 times the size it is when not pregnant? Well, after you give birth, it starts shrinking, and also, as it shrinks, it sheds the lining that it's used to incubate the new human it was growing for the last 9 months. So... yeah... that's a period TIMES 1000. In other words, you bleed a lot for a while. So much so, that regular pads aren't going to do the job (tampons are off the table entirely) and adult diapers become a thing that you need before the age of 85. So, yeah, I bought adult diapers yesterday, so that I have some ready for the aftermath of this epic endurance event I will be participating in at some point in the next 4 weeks. Boy do I feel sexy now.<br /><br /></li>
<li>Making padcicles:<br /><br />In addition to the fun bleeding copious amounts via ones crotch, one also gets to experience the joys of having pushed a melon sized object out of a decidedly not melon sized hole. The results of this can be anything from bruising, to mild tearing, to having had a giant cut made and then sutured up, and are bound to be... tender no matter what version or combination of those results you experience (and the bruising is apparently guaranteed even if you're lucky enough to miss out on the rest). This is why I've been doing my perineal massage folks. I'm trying to reduce the likelihood of the more dire results here. But, still, no matter what I do to prepare, I'm going to be sore after this, so... padcicles are a thing. What thing are they? They are maxipads soaked in witch hazel and slathered in aloe and then put in the freezer for a good long time. It's like a freezy pop for your vagina.<br /><br />I had never heard of them before becoming pregnant, but they have now been recommended to me by many women, and I think they sound blissful for a beat up crotch. I'll let you know how they do after the fact, but I have a stack of them in my freezer ready to go. Very strange thing to have in one's freezer.</li>
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So yesterday was a weird day, as on top of buying adult diapers, and assembling a bunch of padcicles, I felt strange all day, and even though I was able to walk 5km with the dog and such, nothing ever felt comfortable, I had a few practice contractions, my back ached, my body cleared out my digestive track in a quick and impressive fashion, and I generally spent the day wondering if any of it was going to turn into early labor or if it was all just twinges. Seems like it was all just twinges, but today I feel the same. Also super tired and needing lots of naps which I am allowing myself to take because if I do go into labor any time soon I want to be as rested as possible before hand. It's making getting work done pretty difficult, but I'm trying anyway.</div>
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I am seriously considering going for a prenatal massage soon, just to help me relax and get more rest before Speck arrives. That might be on the docket for next week. Perhaps I will treat myself once I've finished this translation project.</div>
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Ok, enough about the discomfort. Onto other things!</div>
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Like how generous our friends and family are.</div>
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Honestly, thanks to the generosity of our family and friends over the past few months we have hardly had to buy anything at all for this kiddo. We are getting ALL THE HAND-ME-DOWNS and it is making life awesome. I cringe at the thought of buying a bunch of new stuff for an infant that will only use any of it for a few weeks or months max. I LOVE that so many people are willing to give us all the stuff that they've already used for their kids. On Tuesday night we got a huge haul of stuff from some local friends and could barely fit it all in the car. I think Speck now has everything Speck could possibly need until age 3 or so. </div>
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I'm particularly happy that we have filled out our cloth diaper collection and have only put down $40 but thanks to friends and family who have handed along their old supplies we have ALL the cloth diapering supplies we'll need until Speck is using the toilet. Amazing. Many people spend between $200 and $400 outfitting themselves for cloth diapers. Between buying and receiving used supplies we have saved SOOO much money. Yay reusing! </div>
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Ok. So, yeah, we're excited about that. We've even purchased supplies to make our own cloth wipes and cloth wipe solution. As two DIY nerds from way back, I think we're getting extra excited about all the DIY aspects of cloth diapering. </div>
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Alright, I'm sure I'm forgetting something (I feel like I'm perpetually forgetting things at this stage), but my body is telling me that it's nap time, and I am inclined to let it have it's way. Then it'll be time for lunch, dog walking and an attempt to get more work done. </div>
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Here is a bump photo from today! It honestly feels as though Speck is dropping a bit more every day, and today I woke up and felt like my bump was smaller. </div>
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Or maybe I'm just losing my mind. I think either option is equally likely.</div>
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Anyway, that's all for week 38. See you in week 39! I might make Corey do another guest blog sometime soon, so that's something to look forward to. ;-)</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-52942475589681515262016-08-29T16:08:00.000-07:002016-08-29T16:08:08.285-07:00Week 37So week 37... I have been so buried in work I barely remember what week 37 was like.<br />
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I did a video for you (sorry it's 10 minutes long - I edited it, but super basic editing, nothing fancy) and if you have the time and really want to see what week 37 looks like it's probably a pretty good example, because boy do I seem tired and lackluster throughout. (Also, holy crap is my rack really that big?)<br />
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The details are within, and I apologize if you generally enjoy the blog at work and don't have time for a 10 minute video.<br />
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I worked all weekend, which is why this post is late to begin with, and I didn't have time to write out my usual spew of words. So you get a video and a week 37 bump pic taken by hubby.<br />
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And I'm going to get back to this project that has a deadline looming that I am just barely keeping up with.<br />
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Short version: I'm doing pretty well, all things considered.<br />
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And here's the bump picture:</div>
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And hopefully I'll have time to get the week 38 post done on time and in the more regular fashion. Until then, dear readers! Until then... </div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-243622276422775372016-08-21T23:21:00.000-07:002016-08-30T01:31:44.921-07:00Week 36Well, it's after midnight so I suppose this is a Monday post, and thus, a few days late. However, after being so breathtakingly on time for the two weeks that I was road tripping, I feel... not terrible about this Monday post.<br />
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Week 36... where to start?<br />
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It has been a bit of a mixed bag, that's for sure. Though, again, I'm so grateful that I'm mostly doing quite well, and that all my symptoms seem to be mild compared to what many pregnant women experience.<br />
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That said, third trimester is getting real and... there's only one month of this left. Actually, crazily, at the end of this week I will be 37 weeks, which means that Speck will be full term, which means that it's totally fine for Speck to show up any time after Friday. So, basically any day between Friday and six weeks from now would be perfectly normal arrival dates for Speck. Holy shit. That's incredibly soon no matter which of those days it happens on.<br />
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So, things that I have experienced in the past week:<br />
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1. Practice labor - because practice makes perfect! For those unfamiliar with the joys of the third trimester, the fun can start super early, and a pregnant woman's body, while preparing for the whole birthing process, can start contractions just for funzies. It's sort of like a systems check. Your body is like, "Hey, are you aware that this is a thing that's going to happen? Are we prepared? Are all systems working properly? How about now? Or now?" And you're like, "WTF is this? Why do I feel like I'm getting period cramps while getting punched in the cervix from the inside? Is this labor? Is this what labor feels like?" And then you lie down and drink a bunch of water and it slowly goes away. Which is how you know it's NOT labor. Then you go about your business, read up on practice labor vs. real labor just to make sure that you're not losing your mind, and then wait for it to happen again, because it will. (And just to be safe you might download a contraction timer to your phone so that you can easily make sure that the contractions are going away and not getting closer together.)<br />
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2. Breathlessness - Speck doesn't seem to have dropped yet. (Something that may be in the process of happening - hence all the cervix punches I've been experiencing.) While Speck is still riding high, my lungs are super squished and on top of that all the extra blood etc, makes oxygenating the blood I've got extra work and I get out of breath for no reason at all, and it's frustrating.<br />
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I was watching the Olympics a lot last week, and while I was duly impressed with all the true athleticism I was witnessing in Rio there were times when I felt I deserved an Olympic gold simply for getting up from the couch by myself, or putting on a pair of pants without injury. Yep... and this is form someone who has actually completed an Olympic distance triathlon and two half marathons. Pregnancy takes a lot out of a person.<br />
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3. Exhaustion - much like the first trimester, I am back to having a very limited amount of energy in any given day, and I need to nap a lot. This is a combination of reacting to another huge surge in hormones that comes at the end of pregnancy, and the fact that sleep is fairly elusive at this point (I'll get to that in the next list point). So, getting my work done, walking the dog, and feeding myself successfully in one day can feel like an overwhelming set of tasks (especially since it can only be accomplished by way of a two hour nap in the middle of it all). I do manage to get all three done on most days though.<br />
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4. Insomnia - Ok. I'm hesitant to call it insomnia because I can fall asleep, I just can't stay that way for very long. Though, there are nights where I don't even feel tired until after 3am, which makes it feel more like actual insomnia. Last night I finally caved and took benadryl before bed (as a soporific) and was rewarded with a few 3-4 hour sessions of continuous sleep interrupted by only having to pee twice. It was blissful. Generally speaking, between having to pee and hip discomfort I'm waking up five times a night and never feeling like I've reached deep sleep. :-(<br />
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5. General discomfort - along with the breathlessness and the hips and back aching, I just generally feel like I'm about to pop. Speck moves lots (which is nicely reassuring) but as there gets to be less and less room available for speck I feel like I'm being beaten up on the inside a bit. It doesn't really hurt (except for the odd sharp twinge) but it feels deeply uncomfortable and when added to everything else, makes it difficult to rest.<br />
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6. EATING EVERYTHING - Speck is growing rapidly still and apparently it is now my job to EAT ALL THE THINGS in order to feed Speck's growth spurt. This is generally fine with me, except that my stomach fills to capacity pretty quickly and then my digestive system takes forever to process things and I feel uncomfortably full for hours at a time. (Note: My stomach doesn't fill so fast that I can't find a way to shove an entire large pizza in there... on a day when I've already eaten a fairly large salad a few hours before...)<br />
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Soooo delicious... I could order another one right now...</div>
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Delicious salad made even better by watching the Olympics (feels even healthier to watch others exercise while eating vegetables)</div>
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7. Hot flashes - Yep. More hormones, and I'm getting random hot flashes again. Not too many, but they still weird me out. Suddenly feeling the need to strip down to as little clothing as possible for reasons that don't involve jumping into a body of a water, or jumping someone's bones, throws me for a loop.<br />
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So, that's the list of symptoms. In other news, we finally bought a car seat, and at the same time discovered a baby store that did not make me want to vomit (if you're curious as to why that is, I'll give you a hint, a decided lack of pink was involved). However, everything in the store was incredibly high priced, except for the car seats, which appeared to be the same price as anywhere else. Feels good to finally have that done, although, again, holy crap, this baby is coming in no time. PANIC!<br />
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In fun-stuff-good-times news, Speck appeared to be head down at our last midwife appointment and the midwife said Speck seemed a good size. My uterus continues to measure normal for dates and my bp was normal (and no longer on the super low side of normal, which is apparently... wait for it... normal- yay for WORDS THAT MEAN VERY LITTLE!). :-) Long story short, Speck and I both appear to be in good health.<br />
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In the category of shit that you probably don't want to read unless you are pregnant yourself or planning to become so soon, or are really into the weird personal details of pregnancy... Perineal massage! Now there's something I never thought I'd have to do... (If you don't know what it is, please look it up, I... just don't have the right words.) Right, so I gave this a shot and found it to be extremely awkward in terms of contorting my body to get things done. I have not done it again since. However, Corey is now on my case about it because he read the part in the birthing books that said "DO THIS OR REGRET YOUR LIFE CHOICES FOREVER AFTERWARDS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!" So, I need to do it, but I'm reluctant because it's a pain in the... vag? Anyway, it's annoying. I'm going to try to be better about it though, because I really don't want a. an episiotomy, b. serious vaginal tearing, or c. some terrible combination of the two. Of course, doing it doesn't guarantee that those things won't happen, but it does reduce the likelihood enough that it's worth doing, and I should really remind myself of that. Sigh... Coconut oil is going to ruined for me after this I can tell.<br />
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Well, that's about it from week 36 I think. Here's the bumpie from last Wednesday as Corey and I failed to take a weekend bump picture. I will try to bug him about it this week and see if we can get one because I think it's nice to have the same background comparison etc, but at least I have some photographic evidence of looking pregnant. Please enjoy forward facing and side facing angles!<br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-19807117330397678562016-08-13T12:10:00.000-07:002016-08-13T13:24:01.992-07:00Week 35Well, I'm managing to post this on time because Corey and I busted our butts in order to make it all the way home last night. To be fair, Corey busted his butt in terms of driving (we were doing a very even split all day, but when it came to the final push I had to bow out) and I busted my butt in terms of trying not to go insane with discomfort in the passenger seat in the last two hours of a 15 hour drive. I'd say we put in equal effort really.<br />
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So, we're home, finally, and with two full days to recuperate before going back to work. Well, ok, Corey gets two days to recuperate, and I have to get back to work today, but whatever we still get to take it slow and hang out a bit without being in the car, so we're calling it a weekend.<br />
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The question you're all probably dying to have answered is: how did a two week road trip in the third trimester of pregnancy actually go?<br />
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The answer: pretty well, actually.<br />
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I mean look, it was still weeks 34 and 35 of pregnancy, so it was bound to have its downsides wasn't it? Just because I was traveling doesn't mean I got to leave behind pregnancy or any of the inconveniences that come with it. And I've never been pregnant before so I have no baseline for what weeks 34 and 35 would have been like without sitting in a car for hours at a time, sleeping on a thermarest in a tent, or staying in unfamiliar beds for two weeks. However, I do have a strong baseline for what those things are like outside of weeks 34 and 35 of pregnancy and I can tell you that they are not made in any way easier or more enjoyable by being pregnant. That said, they were still pretty fun.<br />
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Keep in mind I'm the kind of person who LOVES road trips when I'm not pregnant. If you were to walk up to non-pregnant me and say, "Hey, Virginia, I'm thinking about going on the road for a month, driving between 6 and 16 hours a day, and camping/sleeping in the car on my way across north america and I need a buddy to do it." I would reply, "Well, you have come to the right place, my friend. I am precisely the buddy for that kind of adventure." I might jump into your arms and hug you as well. I seriously love road trips and always have. My mom started me on them when I was young, and for many years it was a thing we did together. When I got old enough it was a thing I often did solo. I have driven across the US by myself a handful of times. I have been in all 48 contiguous states largely thanks to my road trips. I have traversed, alone and with friends/family, the east coast from north to south and back again. The west coast from south to north. Gone from coast to coast east to west and west to east, and many shorter trips in between. I've driven from just north of the Mexico border all the way into Canada. And from various spots in the US down into Mexico. I have now gone from Winnipeg to Toronto and back twice. I really desperately want to go coast to coast through Canada sometime in the not too distant future.<br />
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I think you get the idea. It's safe to say I love road trips.<br />
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So, I didn't think I was going to suddenly hate them while pregnant, and I was right. I was so happy to be road tripping, something that is a big piece of my identity pre-deciding to have a kid, that I was able to blissfully ignore most of the small discomforts that road tripping while pregnant brings with it.<br />
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But you folks are here precisely because of this whole pregnancy business, so while I may have ignored them or suppressed them to the best of my ability in order to do a thing that I love, I will still enumerate them here so that you don't get the wrong idea about smooth sailing through late pregnancy symptoms etc.<br />
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I could give you a play by play of the whole trip, but that would take forever, and I have bunch of work that I need to do, and you probably have places you need to be, so we'll just do two lists; one of lowlights, one of highlights, throw in a few pictures from the whole thing and call it a blog post. Shall we?<br />
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Lowlights (aka when pregnancy got the best of me on this trip):<br />
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<li><b>sleep -</b> funnily enough some of my best nights of sleep were in a tent, with benadryl to aid my slumber (and yes I did squeeze my pregnancy pillows into my sleeping bag with me, and yes it was totally worth it) but mostly sleep was elusive and shoddy for the whole two weeks. Naps helped a lot, and kept me functional and able to enjoy the rest of my time, but even my "best" nights of sleep were uncomfortable (holy crap! I didn't think my hips and lower back could hurt that much without pulling or dislocating something) and filled with far too many pee-breaks. Last night, our first night home in two weeks, was the best night of sleep I've gotten since we left and I still got up to pee 5 times. </li>
<li><b>sitting in the car -</b> normally, I love both my driving and non-driving car stints as I find them peaceful, scenic, and good excuses to get writing and reading done (I never get motion sickness and this may be one of the reasons that I'm such a fan of road trips). However, pregnancy has put a serious damper on this. I still don't get motion sickness, thank Gwen, but I find that I can't sit still for more than hour or so before my hips and back start to ache. I managed to stretch and shift enough in the car to make it through, but it was a challenge that it has never been before. I have never found myself so uncomfortable in a car. Last night, as we neared the end of our only 15 hour drive of the entire trip I was about ready to pull my own hair out to distract me from the pervasive discomfort in my hips and back. I stretched, I twitched, I pretzled myself, I did everything I could and I still felt like my hips were on fire. While my normal cut off for driving hours in a single day is around the 16-19 hour mark I would put my pregnant cut off at 10 (ideally 8 or fewer - really) or 12 if pushing things, but really no amount of car sitting was comfortable/enjoyable the way it usually is, it all came down to a question of how long I could suppress the discomfort. :-(</li>
<li><b>heartburn -</b> I don't think this was road trip related except that heartburn is less likely to creep up when one is properly hydrated and staying properly hydrated when one is trying to make any forward progress in a car while pregnant is simply not possible unless one wishes to install a catheter system for the car. I had heartburn flare ups a few times on this trip and it appears that this is a fairly common symptom at this point in pregnancy. I hadn't had much yet in the third trimester and I now attribute that to staying hydrated. On a day when I am at home and have easy access to a toilet I drink between 3 and 5 liters of water easily every day. On a day when I am in a car for 8 hours or more I drink substantially less than that because to drink my normal amount would lead to needing to pull over 4 times an hour which is simply... not going to get you anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. I tried to drink a liter before we left camp in the morning, and then drink two more after we stopped for the night, with one more liter spread out slowly over the drive, but that generally wound up being too little too late in terms of my stomach acid deciding that it wanted to explore other regions of my body. When we were in civilization and restrooms abounded I managed to drink enough to not suffer heartburn too badly but there were two nights on the trip where it completely stopped me from sleeping. </li>
<li><b>getting kicked in the crotch from the inside -</b> a novel sensation to be sure, but some part of Speck making sudden and harsh contact with my cervix (best guess) hurt enough to double me over mid-stride, but at least had the decency to be a short lived experience. The first time this happened was on Wednesday of this week, and it has since happened a couple more times. I am not a fan. Speck has been warned that this is not acceptable behavior, but my guess is that Speck is bored and there's not much else to do in there aside from lash out at things and see what happens, there's also a chance this isn't Speck hitting me, but is something else entirely. I will mention it to my midwife at my next appointment, but I don't think it's anything too worrisome. </li>
<li><b>the heat in Toronto -</b> Ok, it was actually humidity in Toronto, since heat itself doesn't usually bother me (I'm a desert rat at heart), but 95 degrees with 95% humidity fucking sucks in the 35th week of pregnancy. It made sleep, and everything else, difficult and sticky. Thank goodness we were visiting some of our favorite people in the world, or it would have been easy to get down about the heat. As it was, it seemed like a mild nuisance in the midst of an otherwise lovely visit.</li>
<li><b>needing to pee a bajillion times a day/night - </b> I think this has been roundly covered in other points, but just in case anyone forgot about it between a few paragraphs ago and now... well, I haven't. I've already had to pee twice while writing this blog post. It's annoying even in the middle of a normal day working from home and on a road trip it's... well I think you understand. </li>
<li><b>having to get up/down, bend over, get in/out of a car, or just roll over in bed with a 35 week pregnant belly -</b> these simple motions are not only uncomfortable, they can often result in an uncomfortable kick fest from Speck, and make me alternately (and sometimes simultaneously) out of breath, nauseous, or feeling like all the blood in my body is made out of molasses. All I have to say is camping is a lot harder when bending over is hard and I am really fucking glad that I'm good at picking things up with my feet.</li>
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Ok, that's enough whinging about how my perfectly healthy pregnancy with minimal negative symptoms made my fabulous road trip harder than normal. Here are the highlights, along with some photos, so we can get back to the point where I said the whole thing was pretty good all in all. Because it really was a good trip and I don't want my attempt at keeping honest about pregnancy symptoms to make anyone think I didn't have a great time, or that I didn't appreciate just how lucky I was to be able to make the trip at all.</div>
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So here go the highlights - some are pretty general, others are very specific:</div>
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<ul>
<li><b>visiting awesome people -</b> from our very first stop in Canyon Lake to our days in Ottawa and Toronto the best thing about this trip was getting to spend time with so many of our favorite humans. It is always nice to go out into the world and be reminded of how wonderful people are and to feel truly lucky in our friends and family. Speck is going to have a really great group of adults as role models and that's no small thing. </li>
<li><b>eating amazing food - </b>road trips for some people may mean cheap fast food eaten on the fly (and it has meant that for me many times too) but on this road trip we did food properly. Our first night of the trip we were treated to an amazing meal by our friends in Canyon Lake and we went out of our way to make/bring delicious road food so we weren't hurting for good meals even on the road. Then, at our various destinations our friends and family treated us to amazing meals at every turn. From fresh caught lake fish to delicious salads, fabulous curries to killer pizza, pan fried halloumi to pancakes with bacon in them, and gourmet burgers to specialty cheese stores, we did food right this entire trip. To cap things off I introduced Corey to the amazingness that is Tuco's Tacos in Sudbury on our way out of Toronto, a stop that he was dubious about at first, but quickly changed his tune when he put the first bite of taco into his mouth. (While I am sadly lacking in photos of most of our culinary adventures, I do have this one shot of our Taco experience. I ate most of them before I remembered to take a picture. That's how good they are.)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtELDL6nwDgmfzdop0X8nMT6QyVpkDkYrlQI7E8_xsvVLPnYOICI1KDo0YFCuVE-xDMeMXLDuh688ZiRarHrBdJR6Q1AcYfBJg8ClEWqxS45M8mCYt5yFrOGBBwHspDe1eqLSeVe-IKiHd/s1600/20160811_153406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtELDL6nwDgmfzdop0X8nMT6QyVpkDkYrlQI7E8_xsvVLPnYOICI1KDo0YFCuVE-xDMeMXLDuh688ZiRarHrBdJR6Q1AcYfBJg8ClEWqxS45M8mCYt5yFrOGBBwHspDe1eqLSeVe-IKiHd/s640/20160811_153406.jpg" width="640" /></a></li>
<li><b>touristy things -</b> I often skip the more touristy things that one can do in any given destination as I prefer to see what the locals are up to rather than tick of a list of "must sees," but it can be nice to do a bit of touristy sight seeing too, when one is in the Capital of a country for example. Here are some photo and video tidbits from our Ottawa days:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1fi_hsS7sIPxqQBxOzPUgP2vpX7O6wNGKglJd6upuENvzoR8ThJ0jt4nVFT2cbRQGoc3XkYADi1WkhzQNYBOuheVXz-Cis7yS3U51c2ZuVWQHMvQgttRJONny68GDdYuWFFzHllJJgr4/s1600/20160804_100100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1fi_hsS7sIPxqQBxOzPUgP2vpX7O6wNGKglJd6upuENvzoR8ThJ0jt4nVFT2cbRQGoc3XkYADi1WkhzQNYBOuheVXz-Cis7yS3U51c2ZuVWQHMvQgttRJONny68GDdYuWFFzHllJJgr4/s640/20160804_100100.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QlnUfDBa9q5lLz_NDwGCJwve9NN9QoJpGeUQq9F1Pwi7mQRH-PFmu4VlDDP5OJ20sCCyvFuJoCJw-OYAfeHrQ_UP3_I-V2skGMMeUPC7nZLdbp0WhG1cNo5q6naBvEn8YGv8vpkgPWRQ/s1600/20160804_152012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3QlnUfDBa9q5lLz_NDwGCJwve9NN9QoJpGeUQq9F1Pwi7mQRH-PFmu4VlDDP5OJ20sCCyvFuJoCJw-OYAfeHrQ_UP3_I-V2skGMMeUPC7nZLdbp0WhG1cNo5q6naBvEn8YGv8vpkgPWRQ/s640/20160804_152012.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KKnd8M3_rkLXuMBbHuvabTzg0bFpOEWtq-gou6YqrgFyjYfZAUtivepX_MsRkd4S1NphnY23ZEFgVxgftsr6Yxk2yK76cnnv7LFPEYeBMTHHI-ktAKC-edQvaVCeqzhyAJ_0-ivKjvIP/s1600/20160804_152024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KKnd8M3_rkLXuMBbHuvabTzg0bFpOEWtq-gou6YqrgFyjYfZAUtivepX_MsRkd4S1NphnY23ZEFgVxgftsr6Yxk2yK76cnnv7LFPEYeBMTHHI-ktAKC-edQvaVCeqzhyAJ_0-ivKjvIP/s640/20160804_152024.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmmUS8cw3N8c2qSJ0xzvZ-wcvH9_Z_MK1ugF5emehsLMbTMVZaFz9_YgawCBo_kl4S_Ofy1iVUXM807m5DFTe7zHmaYIbXfzv966Egb-aKTbOKPnHyQTiQOy9TE-LVRYjmWmWkY-2nunV/s1600/20160804_155353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmmUS8cw3N8c2qSJ0xzvZ-wcvH9_Z_MK1ugF5emehsLMbTMVZaFz9_YgawCBo_kl4S_Ofy1iVUXM807m5DFTe7zHmaYIbXfzv966Egb-aKTbOKPnHyQTiQOy9TE-LVRYjmWmWkY-2nunV/s640/20160804_155353.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />You may have seen some of these from my last blog post, but fear not! There are new pictures coming in some of the next bullets.</li>
<li><b>camp/outdoorsy things - </b>we didn't just tour around big cities with friends and family, we also camped with friends and family and went to the beach and stuff. These were honestly my favorite parts as I am very much a fan of spending time outdoors, and less interested in cities no matter how cool they are. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of the lovely camping we did with our Ottawa homies, which is too bad, because it was freaking wonderful part of the trip and produced many highlights for us both. Corey has some more photos on his phone, but they aren't easily accessible to me right now, so these two beach pics with dogs in them are all you get.</li>
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I do, however have a series of awesome photos of a beach day in Toronto with our good friends who are also 35 weeks along with their first baby.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8j7yXMHyOPBKLEKX4UpdPR1yzTXqPyWHHS05EB7ll6O-jq8KySLq9wbjoNG9bFAzHTXZD1TDtu4JKTwzkBDxuXOMXo4ER5L1CsR6J-FFF0Lsa35gy4UJavzChN19WE7alxcqaS0sq_0hU/s1600/20160810_170852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8j7yXMHyOPBKLEKX4UpdPR1yzTXqPyWHHS05EB7ll6O-jq8KySLq9wbjoNG9bFAzHTXZD1TDtu4JKTwzkBDxuXOMXo4ER5L1CsR6J-FFF0Lsa35gy4UJavzChN19WE7alxcqaS0sq_0hU/s640/20160810_170852.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHSAnsngKql0s3AbnBX28SLBfgxrjXs_TAFtucYcB2jhyphenhyphen-K8o0yVwDKYfeFPdi-U2uqEITwtdb7S7NLovScehdzlmSIv38R_avINqyHfDdb5JDbu9LWO435GQmwKh_OMKojiVPlANdVPK/s1600/20160810_171108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHSAnsngKql0s3AbnBX28SLBfgxrjXs_TAFtucYcB2jhyphenhyphen-K8o0yVwDKYfeFPdi-U2uqEITwtdb7S7NLovScehdzlmSIv38R_avINqyHfDdb5JDbu9LWO435GQmwKh_OMKojiVPlANdVPK/s640/20160810_171108.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUCcIkWhtX_l7Mw0wJp6RFqzP7O4JhQH2aDaphxheG3UBP9y8o1RRw1lYB_XsM0wmgs-nc63w4Euu6IrCwtfXP_HhPx9RjfaegXAEw4zZpmMKpOUJ3Ltw88Z-DYdxcEmrmhKN4CkD9UGE/s1600/20160810_170959.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUCcIkWhtX_l7Mw0wJp6RFqzP7O4JhQH2aDaphxheG3UBP9y8o1RRw1lYB_XsM0wmgs-nc63w4Euu6IrCwtfXP_HhPx9RjfaegXAEw4zZpmMKpOUJ3Ltw88Z-DYdxcEmrmhKN4CkD9UGE/s640/20160810_170959.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FVf2osvwewmPpLliLoQx9q2glNBHxli8gQrWC__2GbvbY8BJSSjS8rUCFYUFlSPYvENnp9DHww-0AQ-bRE2VxXKq4FEjPkxyMtzVU-udp6ouHDwJ0N4iLYn3w6FJgnnJIMB9mvZP2Pfz/s1600/20160810_171031%25280%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FVf2osvwewmPpLliLoQx9q2glNBHxli8gQrWC__2GbvbY8BJSSjS8rUCFYUFlSPYvENnp9DHww-0AQ-bRE2VxXKq4FEjPkxyMtzVU-udp6ouHDwJ0N4iLYn3w6FJgnnJIMB9mvZP2Pfz/s640/20160810_171031%25280%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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These pictures lead nicely into my next highlight bullet point... </div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><b>visiting our good friends who are also 35 weeks into this whole first pregnancy thing - </b>there is something particularly epic about sharing this adventure with two people that have been good friends of mine for 8 years and good friends of Corey's for... a whole lot longer than that. We've been in touch via the various wonders of technology throughout this crazy ride, but getting to hang out in person for five days was extra wonderful. This beach day was a highlight of a highlight and despite being a writer I cannot express to you in words how fabulous it was to be able to spend time with these two at this particular moment in our lives. We felt all the feels. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><b>the epic scenery that is the northern coast of Lake Superior and parts of northern Ontario -</b> note that those are two pretty different locations, but they were both gorgeous and sadly... I did not get many pictures of the scenery as I was too busy soaking it all in. Corey snapped a few scenic shots and I might add them here later, but if not go ahead and do a google image search for Agawa Bay, Neys Provincial Park, and Algonquin Park, and you'll get an idea of how spectacular the scenery we enjoyed was. In the meantime, here's a shot of sunset in the Whiteshell that I managed to snap from inside the car last night on the way home (which is Manitoba, not Ontario, but hey you're stuck with what was on my phone camera instead of Corey's).<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf3Th4UKGPT0wxJpxFx-8HsxJL1aLKGPyR38uyN4-vGntD4QKnyS9U4OP5y_bBn3Ul82dM1PUyjeCuMVuJB3KhFXWk_VcqCXEdmWxlA32giYvqtlqwX9xOXW_4tYzINeJefdTmZb_4Pa7/s1600/20160812_202652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwf3Th4UKGPT0wxJpxFx-8HsxJL1aLKGPyR38uyN4-vGntD4QKnyS9U4OP5y_bBn3Ul82dM1PUyjeCuMVuJB3KhFXWk_VcqCXEdmWxlA32giYvqtlqwX9xOXW_4tYzINeJefdTmZb_4Pa7/s640/20160812_202652.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<b>traveling with my partner - </b>Corey and I travel very well together, it's one of the reasons we're still together after eight years. Our adventures together are a big part of why we work as a couple. After all we cut the teeth of our relationship on dropping everything and moving to Japan together, and traveling and exploring have always been mainstays in our life together. This was a small adventure when compared to many of our others, but was still an adventure, and something that we both needed and missed. It was also a good reminder that we make excellent adventure buddies, and that part of the reason we chose to try procreating was that we decided it would just be the next big adventure.</div>
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I'm certain that after two weeks of travel and not having even finished unpacking yet I am forgetting things. Pregnancy brain is great that way, and so is travel brain. But this post is sufficiently long, I'm now up to 5 pees and a lunch break since I started writing, and I'm going to go ahead and call it finished. Week 35 was wonderful and filled with lots of fabulous things.</div>
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Here is the week 35 bump pic! Taken just today, I think it shows off how swollen and tired I feel after so many days in the car, but hey, that's pregnancy for you. See you next week!</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-40415250020658387862016-08-05T08:12:00.003-07:002016-08-08T09:05:54.419-07:00Week 34So, week 34 totally on time and everything, even in the midst of a two week road trip. Impressive, no? Ok, well maybe not impressive, but certainly surprising. If I don't post today though, it's not happening til Monday and I have enough work to do for Monday anyway, I might as well knock it out now.<br />
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So much to say! It's been a busy week. We left on Saturday of last week and our first stop was only four hours away from home where we enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of some friends of ours who have a cabin on an small island in the middle of a lake. We were fed one of the best meals I've had in a while, offered a chance to swim and explore the island and then enjoyed some quiet socializing, complete with alcohol free beer. Which I considered a win. Sleep was a mixed bag. I spent the first half of the night thinking I had less space than I did and hanging half off the bed, which was not conducive to resting successfully. However, once I shoved my self into a more central location on the bed I was able to log some z's.<br />
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The next day brought a seven hour drive filled with gorgeous views and a lovely stop at Kakabeka Falls, but due to a late start (my bad- I slept in) we didn't get to our campsite until 10:30pm.<br />
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Kakabeka Falls, resplendent as ever.</div>
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PDA!! ;-)</div>
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Turns out my super comfy road tripping clothes are not super flattering for bump pics. Oh well. It was a chance for Corey to take a week 33 bump pic, so we took it. Flattery be damned.</div>
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Still, the drive had been lovely and scenic and my tent is super easy to set up, so we were able to curl up and go to sleep right after arriving.<br />
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Well, Corey was able to go to sleep.<br />
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I was struck with one of the nastiest bouts of heart burn I've ever had the displeasure of experiencing, and was unable to sleep at all until around 6am despite taking Benadryl (which usually knocks me out without question). That sucked. And the following day, as we got up and hit the road again, I was useless to do anything until I managed to sleep for a few hours in the car. Thank goodness I was actually able to sleep in the car at least, and then take my driving shifts afterwards. Yay for a sweet sympathetic hubby who let me sleep for a long while before I took my first driving shift! Oh, but before we hit the road we did manage to take a dip in Lake Superior, and then grab a hot shower, both of which felt wonderful and made the night of not sleeping seem pretty worth it.<br />
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The nine hours of driving that followed was hard on both of us, and we didn't get into our campsite that night until 9:30. However, we did manage to make a fire, play a few songs by it, and have a beer (or just drink a lot of water in my case) before bed. T'was lovely, and the sleep that followed was some of the best I've had in a while. Despite sleeping on two thin thermarests and cramming myself into my sleeping bag along with my pregnancy pillows, I was pretty comfortable all night, and between benadryl and exhaustion from the previous day I was able to sleep as well as I sleep in my own bed. WINNING!<br />
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The next day brought a much less refreshing swim in a tiny river, but it was also followed by a nice shower. If there's one thing I love in pregnancy (even more than usual, and I usually love them quite a bit) it's a hot shower. It's one of the few things that makes me feel comfortable and human, not for the being clean afterwards (though that's a nice perk) but for the warm massaging of my back and neck. Ohh.... it is so good. Especially when riding in the car/driving for hours at a time makes my lower back and hips hurt in a way that... damn I feel old. It's just pregnancy, this has never been an issue before, and I think I'm doing pretty well all things considered, but I really do miss that damned exercise ball. My hips and lower back definitely note the difference.<br />
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Luckily, walking still helps a lot, and after arriving in Ottawa after our last day of driving (only five hours, thankfully) we have done a fair bit of walking. Between taking Artemis for a walk along with her "cousin" Biggie on our first day, exploring the Diefenbunker on the next day, and then walking all over downtown Ottawa yesterday, we have gotten a decent amount of walking in. Enough to keep my body from totally freaking out, I think. I've had to work hard to stay hydrated though, but I've made a point of taking my nalgene with me everywhere I go and draining and refilling it often. That didn't prevent my hands and feet from swelling a bit in the heat and humidity yesterday, but it kept it to a manageable level at least.<br />
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The view from the Peace Tower in Ottawa</div>
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The Changing of the guard in front of Parliament (purely a tourist attraction, as there has never been a beefeater style guard in front of Parliament in Canada, they started the "tradition" in the 1950s, modeled after the changing of the guard in London and run it in the summers only, for tourists, once a day--fun fact: Corey did this as a summer job back when he was in University)</div>
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And Artemis and her cousin Biggie (because if Artemis is our fur baby, and Biggie is Corey's brother's fur baby, that makes them cousins right?)</div>
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Ok. Time to get real folks. There's a big TMI section coming up about all the less pleasant pregnancy symptoms I've experienced over the past week. Before we go there, for all the folks who won't read past this point, know that Speck is doing well, moving a ton, and seems to be doing everything a baby in utero is supposed to. Speck is also taking up all the room where my stomach, lungs, and digestive tract used to be, and the result is that I cannot recline without being out of breath, and I only have two modes of being: uncomfortably full or hungry enough to start eyeing people's limbs as prospective food. So, yeah, good times. There's another side effect of this that I'll get to in the next section, but...</div>
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Only read on if you are a. pregnant yourself and interested in the gory details of someone else's pregnancy, b. are considering becoming pregnant some day and want to be fully informed on all the pluses and minuses of pregnancy, c. are the kind of person who enjoys reading about other people's bodily functions because hey, humans are weird or d. are now too enticed by all the mystery of the secret TMI that you cannot stop reading even though you really want to. (If you skip the numbered list note that there's still a recent bump pic down at the bottom of the post.)</div>
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Consider yourself warned.</div>
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Alright, here we go, TMI pregnancy tidbits from the last week, in list form! </div>
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<li>Disgustingly copious vaginal discharge batman! What the hell? There is a lot of fluid coming out of my vagina that has nothing to do with urine, nothing to do with amniotic fluid (don't worry, I looked it up to make sure) and doesn't smell bad, or cause itching or anything it's just... there. A lot of it. And, while it doesn't smell so bad itself, when combined with my sweat throughout the day I can only wear pants one time before they need washing, despite going through 1-2 pairs of underwear as well. For someone who usually rewears pants a few times a week, and now only has a handful of pants that fit... this is problematic. Not cool, vagina, not cool. Sadly, from everything I've read, this is just a standard pregnancy symptom especially in the third trimester. Nothing to be done really unless I want to start wearing panty liners which, let me be perfectly clear, I DO NOT.</li>
<li>Body odor. Ugh. I struggle to find a deodorant that works at the best of times, but finally found balance with the use of a bit of teatree oil and not much else. However, now, randomly, once a week, my body decides to REEK. From what I can tell it's from hormone spikes related to baby production but it's incredibly disconcerting. I find myself trying to wash my armpits in random public bathrooms just to stay on top of it one day, and then the next day return to barely smelling like anything. So strange.</li>
<li>Constipation and diarrhea seem to be my only two forms of digestion. Yep. That's as fun as it sounds. I go from feeling like I need to poop but not being able to one day, to sitting down to pee and suddenly having to violently empty my bowels without prior warning the next. Luckily, I go back and forth between these two with enough regularity that I seem to be keeping up with a normal digestive calendar, or at least one that I don't think constitutes something worth worrying over. I basically poop every other day. My theory for why this is happening? Well, I've read that the lack of space for the digestive tract causes it to move more slowly in general, and my guess is that while I might feel the need to poop one day, I don't have enough going on to actually make progress, meanwhile, the next day there's enough build up that I suddenly need to poop whether I felt like it or not. Anyway, at least the system still works.</li>
<li>THE FUCKING CHAFING! Holy sausage limbs on a stick. What is up with the chafing? So, walking still feels really good, and is in fact one of the few ways for me to stay comfortable. However, my thighs feel such a strong urge to meld into one flesh that it no longer matters what kind of pants I wear, they meet up and rub together (or rub together through my pants) no matter what I wear, and I wind up with BLISTERS ON MY THIGHS EVERY DAY!! I am pretty pissed about this, and about to buy myself some body glide, because fuck it. I miss walking without pain. </li>
<li>This final one isn't really TMI but I forgot to mention it earlier, so I'm throwing it in here. Swimming still feels amazing, but recently, submerging the bump feels like... well it feels like what I imagine submerging testicles feels like if you're a guy. The bump is super sensitive to temperature now, and while the rest of me is happy to fling itself into water I find myself doing the timid kid "ooh, eee, ack, argh" slow submerge every time I get into the water because some part of my brain says "DON'T SUBMERGE THE BUMP!" Which is weird, because the bump seems to be fine once I finally get it in there. Anyway, that's weird for me, and I thought I'd mention it in case anyone else was experiencing it and wanted to know they weren't alone. </li>
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Alright, that covers the TMI for this week. Next week should include more camping and road tripping highlights as well as a report from Toronto. Here's this week's most recent bump picture. Taken on Wednesday right after a shower (with a bonus front shot too). </div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-218788331274669832016-07-30T21:56:00.002-07:002016-07-30T21:58:02.577-07:00Week 33<div class="p1">
Well folks, I might just squeak this in before midnight, which means that it will have gone up on Saturday, which is pretty darn close to on time, so I’m going to call that a victory.</div>
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We are on day 1 of our 2016 road trip extravaganza! Two weeks of driving through (mostly) Northern Ontario and a combination of camping in the Canadian shield and visiting family and friends. For those who are wondering: yes, I brought my pregnancy body pillow, but I won’t have a report on how it works for sleeping in the tent until after tomorrow night, so you’ll just have to wait for the week 34 update to find out how that went.</div>
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So, as it’s a bit early for reports on our road trip (which can currently be summed up as, we came, we saw, we ate food, we swam, we went to bed) I’ll just get you caught up on how the past week has been.</div>
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I have been struggling to get as much work done as I need to with the amount of energy I have in a day. It’s not as bad as it was back in yonder days of the first trimester, when just getting up and starting my day was enough of a drain that it required an immediate nap. But, napping is becoming a daily activity again, and I’m low on energy for the rest of the day if I miss out. And, with the amount of work I have, and the deadlines I’m currently working with (one self imposed, the other on contract) I need more hours in a day when I can be productive. But, I’m making it work for now, and hoping I can keep it going through the end of August.</div>
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Meanwhile, in the land of Speck: we had a midwife appointment on Wednesday, and Corey came too, because it was the appointment where we got the lowdown on all the details of giving birth in the birth center, and what that means compared to a hospital birth or home birth etc. Corey was just as drawn in by how beautiful the birth center is as I was, and our current plan A is that we will be birthing there. </div>
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Of course we also had a normal midwife appointment as well, and Speck is doing well, seems to be head down (yay! fingers crossed that remains true), had a heartbeat of 135 (which is Speck’s normal), and my fundal height is 32 centimeters, so right on track. My blood pressure was normal (although a bit high for me, but I attribute that to the excitement of the appointment in which we get to hear all about giving birth in the birth center… also known as, SHIT GETTING REAL). As we were driving home from that appointment Corey said, “so, have you considered the possibility that you could go into early labor on this trip?” (Referring to our road trip.) </div>
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Yep. Sure have. But I’m not about to keep us from having a nice vacation just on the off chance Speck decides to show up early. </div>
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It continues to be difficult to get comfortable, sitting down in chairs that aren’t completely upright makes me feel like my stomach is inside my lungs and breathing and eating seem like activities that take up too much space. Walking still feels really good, and laying down is a close second. Sitting on my exercise ball feels awesome. I briefly considered trying to crush it into the car in order to bring it with us on this trip. Then I realized that was idiotic. Still, I thought about it.</div>
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Swimming feels great and I was happy to do some more today, and looking forward to swimming again tomorrow. Yay swimming. All the swimming. So much swimming. May we swim every day for the next two weeks! </div>
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Speck moves around a lot on any given day and seems to be working hard to drive elbows and knees into all the nooks and crannies of my uterus. I’m not sure how exciting that world is to explore, but Speck seems to be leaving no stone unturned. A+ for your sense of adventure Speck, now please kindly remove your hand from my cervix. Thank you. </div>
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I get out of breath at the weirdest times. Standing up from the couch, for example, winds me terribly. While swimming for 750 meters or running 2km does nothing of the kind. Pregnancy is weird. </div>
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Well, driving for 4 hours after not sleeping particularly well last night seems to be finally catching up with me, and my eyes are fluttering shut as I write this, so I think this is where I will leave you. Corey and I haven’t managed to squeeze in a bump shot yet, but I’ll try to get some pics of me in my pregnant bikini clad glory over the next few days to post in next week’s entry. For now I leave you with my Wednesday bump shot. </div>
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Oh and PS. HICCOUGHS. All the damned time. Speck is a hiccough machine. Kinda cute. ;-)</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-48894628452486066452016-07-25T16:22:00.000-07:002016-08-30T01:27:08.052-07:00Week 32Ok. So, Monday. That's one day earlier than last week. A nice careful progression towards actually posting on Friday or Saturday again, right? Right.<br />
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Right.<br />
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Well, week 32 was busy and full of non-pregnancy related importance but I'll try to focus on the pregnancy related bits.<br />
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And week 33 is already so busy that I really only have time to do bullet points for this post. So here goes...<br />
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<li style="text-align: left;">Corey and I had our anniversary last weekend and enjoyed a nice meal to mark five years of marriage and eight years of being together. The only downside was not having a nice beer to go with the meal. Le sigh... </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Despite how busy I've been with work endeavors I have managed to get plenty of walking in, along with a bit of running, swimming and hiking. This makes me feel pretty good. And, to make my walking go a bit farther I've downloaded an app that makes donations to an animal shelter of your choice just for walking your dog (or walking without a dog). I selected the no kill shelter where I adopted Artemis and this makes me happy. (Now all I have to do is remember to turn the damned thing on before I walk the dog. I'm currently batting about 500 in that regard. Freakin' pregnancy brain.) </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">The swimming is so good that I feel it deserves its own bullet point. I once more went to a nearby manmade lake that is about 750 meters long and swam the length of it. It felt damned good, and this time I remembered to bring my goggles so I actually swam freestyle for most of it (mixed with breast stroke for sighting) and it was glorious. I would do that every day if I could. (And if I were willing to bike the 30km each way to get there and back and I could do that... and prepregnancy me would have enjoyed that bike ride but now... I'm not so sure.) Anyway, it's a nice treat when I can get there. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Despite all that exercise, I still feel like I'm getting... fluffy. I miss having distinctive arm muscles, and I miss being able to do pull ups... Still, I'm pretty happy with my overall fitness level, and grateful for the amount of physical activity I can still manage. Fingers crossed I can keep it up all the way until Speck's arrival. </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">This past week marks the first time I've really used pregnancy as an excuse to not do things I would normally do. For one, I didn't bother dressing up to go to a medieval fair even though I have the costuming for it. The thought of trying on yet more of my old clothes and not having them fit was too sad, and besides, it was hot with a possibility of rain in the future and I thought, eh, fuck it. Episode two of this was parking in a paid parking lot with a minimum two hour payment and not paying because a. I was only going to be there for 15 minutes and it was the middle of the night anyway and b. I'm pregnant, fuck you people, it's 11pm and I don't feel like tripling the distance of my walk just because you have a parking monopoly. (Hormones may or may not have entered into that last one.) </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">Corey went on a crib buying spree last week. He bought two cribs (used) one of which he returned, and we now have a crib. Holy shit. We have a crib. Which is where babies sleep. We are having a baby. Holy shit! How did this happen?!? </li>
<li style="text-align: left;">I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting stuff, but that's all I remember at the moment, and I have a ton of work to get done as well as house guest, so I really need to get going. I'll leave you with a bump picture of course (this one actually taken by Corey) and will endeavor to include all that I've missed in the week 33 blog. This pregnancy is flying by now. Speck will be here in no time. That is both exciting and pants shitting. </li>
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Bonus dog who didn't feel like getting out of the shot. Also, hurray pre-preggo pants that still fit (granted they were huge before pregnancy and strictly purchased as working outside pants, but whatever, I'll take it)!</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-26966797455427779982016-07-19T16:09:00.000-07:002016-07-19T16:32:20.330-07:00Week 31<div dir="ltr">
Welcome to the week 31 post, yes, a few days late, but really just under a week after the last post went up, so I hope you'll excuse it...<br />
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Let's start with last week's midwife appointment, shall we?<br />
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The appointment went pretty well. My midwife and I talked about music for a good 20 minutes and then got down to the business of checking on Speck.<br />
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Speck's heart rate was 130 which, as you'll know if you have an excellent memory for numbers mentioned in previous posts, is just about the same as it always is, so that's good.<br />
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My fundal height was at 30cm which is exactly right for being between week 30 and week 31 (my appointment was last Wednesday). So yay! My uterus is the appropriate size. Huzzah! (Really this isn't that big a deal, but it's a good guideline that things are continuing as they should.)<br />
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Speck was moving lots and totally batting at the doppler wand and the midwife's hands. Speck is moving lots in general, and that's good news too. Basically, all is well with Speck.<br />
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My blood pressure was 90/60 which is still in the normal range, but is the low end of the normal range bordering on not normal. At least we don't have to worry about me having hypertension. Keep in mind my blood pressure is generally pretty low (the beginning of this pregnancy marked some of the highest BP I've ever registered) but I can't remember ever getting anything as low as 90/60 before. My midwife was not at all concerned, but I wonder if low bp is part of why I've been feeling so sluggish lately.<br />
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My midwife drew blood just to check out all my levels (which hand't been checked since the first trimester) and I already have results back and everything checks out in the normal range. However, my iron is on the low end of normal, so she suggested adjusting my diet to incorporate more iron and to be wary of eating foods that will inhibit iron absorption in the same meal as the iron heavy foods. So, you know, no big deal, but something to monitor.<br />
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And now, I would like to take a moment to appreciate the woman who draws blood at the lab that I usually go to. She is a master of blood drawing. Having your blood drawn by her is a complete non-event. You sit down, she preps you, you look away for a second and when you turn back she has filled five vials with blood and slapped a bandaid on you and you wonder when she managed to do all that. Not so my midwife. Of course, it is understandable that she wouldn't be as accomplished at it, her job, after all, is to do many things related to prenatal health and only one of those is taking blood. She probably only takes blood a handful of times a week, if that. Meanwhile, the lady at the lab probably takes blood close to 50 times a day, maybe more. She's really fast. I bet she could fit in even more than that. I don't really know, but... Anyway, I understand why there's a difference... but I didn't really appreciate that difference until my midwife spent a minute and a half prodding around in my arm trying to find my vein after stabbing it for the second time and claiming it rolled away. It was only weird and uncomfortable until she pulled the needle out and then it was suddenly (but briefly) painful, and then it bruised for a few days. It wasn't a big deal, but it made miss my lab tech.<br />
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So thank you, wherever you are, lovely lab tech who generally takes my blood, you are wonderful and deserve serious accolades for being good at your job. You probably do other things too, but I appreciate your mastery at blood removal. It is awesome and I now miss it.<br />
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Ok. Right. Probably no one cares about that but me, but it was a downside I didn't expect. (Though weighed against the convenience of the midwife doing stuff in house and still getting results back super fast it might be a wash.)<br />
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Meanwhile, the day after my midwife appointment I met a pregnant friend and we went to get <a href="http://ohdoughnuts.com/" target="_blank">Oh Doughnut</a>s again. This was my second time to this wonderful land of magic, kittens, unicorns, sugar, and the short road to diabetes. However, you will be happy to know that I branched out and didn't simply get a repeat of the two wonderful flavors I tried last time. (Though to be fair I totally would have gotten the lemon merengue again, but it wasn't in the flavor rotation for the day.) So, I ventured into two new flavors and the results were mixed. I tried the French Toast doughnut and the Raspberry Curd doughnut and had mixed experiences with both. The french toast had an absolutely fabulous frosting, but the filling was a "vegan cinnamon cream" which had a perfectly acceptable flavor, but the texture was that of custard that had congealed. My guess is that the vegan custard served hot is still a good texture but once it has had a chance to cool all bets are off. Still, the overall texture of the doughnut (which was soft, chewy, and delightful) combined with the texture and flavor of the icing, made the overall experience quite pleasant despite the dubious texture of the filling. Meanwhile, the raspberry curd itself was fantastic, a smooth tangy curd that was the exact right texture for my palate but, sadly, it was wrapped in a perfectly plain doughnut covered in granulated sugar that was... fine but nothing special. So, in Virginia's ideal world, these two doughnuts would actually be combined, into something called raspberry french toast. That would totally rock my socks off.<br />
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Hmm... that somehow turned into a detailed doughnut review. Weird. The good news is, if you live in Winnipeg you can go check out the fabulous selection at Oh Doughnuts yourself and then you don't have to listen to me ramble on and on about it.<br />
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Ahem.<br />
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Next topic! So, I mentioned that Speck is moving a lot these days, and yet for a while every time I would want to show Corey the crazy spectacle that is my abdomen looking like a scene from Alien just before things get gory, Speck would stop moving as soon as I called Corey's attention to it. Well, the other night (maybe Thursday night? I can't quite recall) Corey finally got to see the shark circling my belly button. I have yet to successfully capture video of it, but Corey and I got to lay on the couch and be mesmerized by Speck looking as though s/he was trying to break on through to the other side. Which was a. cool, because it's always neat to watch, b. vindicating, because it felt like Speck had been gas-lighting me and Corey thought I was nutzo, and c. fun family time!<br />
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In completely unrelated news, I kind of got to use my budding hypnobirthing skills the other day because... *warning TMI coming up* I had a sudden need to poop and when I sat down to get to business it was suddenly really painful, but then I thought, "Fuck you, pain! Relax and breathe, body!" and lo and behold, my body relaxed, the pain went away completely and everything was just fine.<br />
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I found this incredibly reassuring, because it was a solid example of mind over matter which is all that hypnobirthing is. And, I know that birth is going to be quite a different level from "painful bowel movement" but, I've actually heard a number of women describe it as "the biggest, most painful shit of your life." So, I am taking this episode as a good sign that hypnobirthing will help me get through labor in a calm and positive fashion. Yay confidence boost!<br />
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And finally, on Saturday, Corey and I swung by a local used children's stuff store and then promptly ran away vowing never to return if at all possible. I, for some reason, thought that a consignment kids place might be less overwhelming than a "baby store" but I was completely wrong. The place was jam packed with stuff, there was barely space to turn around, and after we quickly ascertained that they didn't have any cloth diapering supplies, we shuffled awkwardly to the nearest place where turning around was possible, then tucked tail, and ran.<br />
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Apparently being 31 weeks pregnant has done absolutely nothing to change my hatred of baby clothes. Oh well. Luckily, it seems that my sister in law is sending some stuff our way, so hopefully I'll be able to put off buying any myself for a while longer.<br />
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And I think that covers it for this week. I'll try to post next week's blog by Monday at the latest, but I might even post it on Friday or Saturday if I have time. We shall see.<br />
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Here's this week's bump pic (Corey is failing at his job as bump photographer so it's another selfie for you). And, as a bonus, below the bump pic is an awesome wild flower I saw on my dog walk yesterday.<br />
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-49911384654733834772016-07-13T20:26:00.000-07:002016-07-14T12:32:53.952-07:00Week 30Well, this post is late, but then, I warned that it would be in last week's post. After all, I was fairly certain that volunteering for the Winnipeg Folk Festival combined with hosting my wonderful cousin for the weekend would ultimately result in not having time to blog. (Though to be fair to my cousin, volunteering alone would have led to me not having time to blog over the weekend.)<br />
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Yesterday was spent recovering from the Folk Festival and today... well, today was spent trying to express in the written word why <a href="https://virginiamcclain.blogspot.ca/2016/07/privilege.html" target="_blank">the Black Lives Matter movement is important</a>. After writing that fairly lengthy blog post, I didn't have the energy to get this one written and up by the end of the day. So, it will ultimately be past midnight by the time I finish this, and I may delay posting it until tomorrow (Wednesday) just to avoid the middle of the night death knell that results in posting something when the rest of the world is asleep.<br />
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So, a recap of week 30 (possibly squeaking into week 31 because Folk Fest went from Thursday to Sunday and leaving parts of it out to cover next week just seems silly)...<br />
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Well, I know we usually save the bump photos for later, but Corey took last week's bump picture after I'd posted last week's blog entry, so we'll go ahead and start with that. This was taken last Monday:<br />
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The angle is a bit weird because Corey was standing in a different location than usual (closer than he usually stands and thus had to angle the camera in order to get me fully in the shot) but BONUS: Artemis decided to stick her adorable mug in the shot. You're welcome. ;-)</div>
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So, Monday was the day after we returned from our adventures four hours north of Winnipeg in a land of no internet (blissful if you ask me), enough mosquitos to fell a moose (substantially less on the blissful side of things), and three hours of tubing down a slow shallow river with assorted beverages and good company (back to blissful since I stocked virgin mojitos and managed to only lightly sunburn the bump rather than full-on extra-crispy myself). In other words it was overall a good time and while I found sleeping in a bed that is not the one I'm used to far less comfortable than usual (once upon a time I could sleep anywhere without complaint) I enjoyed getting away from the city for a few days. </div>
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We returned home Sunday evening, and I spent that evening and the following Monday promoting the end of a four day sale on <a href="https://amzn.com/B00RWV9XQM" target="_blank">my book</a> and compulsively checking sales stats and rankings. Tuesday was largely spent updating my Patreon campaign with new chapters of my <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/5706562" target="_blank">Victoria Marmot webserial</a>, as well as dealing with the tail end of the aforementioned sale. Wednesday was spent in a frenzy of cleaning in preparation for the arrival of my cousin and then spent hanging out with said cousin. </div>
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Thursday through Sunday were spent attending/volunteering at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. So, here's where things get a little crazy. Folk Fest is pretty tiring even when I'm not pregnant. This is my third year volunteering and between spending all day in the sun, being on my feet for each of my 10 hour shifts (only two of those- so not terrible), and not getting home in time to get enough sleep before getting up to do it all again the next day, I find the weekend wonderful but exhausting. This year I added extra sleep deprivation due to pregnancy discomfort to the mix, just for funsies, and the result was a slight reduction in my overall enjoyment of the festival. I was a fair bit grumpier by the end of the weekend than I would usually be, and quite a bit less willing to stay past the end of my shift than I normally would have been. (Most of which would normally be soothed by a beer or two at the end of the night, but that wasn't really an option this time around...)</div>
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Still, I had some wonderful moments of enjoying music, spending time with friends, and meeting some favorite musicians to make the weekend overall a lovely experience, plus I got to share the whole thing with my cousin, which was truly lovely. Speck also seemed to enjoy the music, and took quite a few opportunities to 'dance.' Seriously, Speck was moving rhythmically to the music from what I could tell, but I'm willing to admit it might have just been my perception of the movement. </div>
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Ok. So all of that was basically just a long way of saying being pregnant made me grumpier and less tolerant of shenanigans over the weekend, but I still managed to have enough energy for all of the running around I did including the day where, according to the pedometer in my phone, I walked over 15km (that's over 9 miles) in the course of the day. And, oddity of oddities, aside from having sore feet at the end of my 10 hour shifts (spent entirely standing and walking) I felt much better all weekend for all the walking I did than I have on weekends when I've been more sedentary. Walking and staying busy is still making me feel way better than not doing so, and that makes me happy.</div>
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So yay for still having energy so far in the third trimester! Of course, the follow up to that is that yesterday, after sleeping for eight hours and then taking my cousin to the airport in the afternoon, I came home and slept for another two hours, and then slept for another eight hours last night. </div>
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Today, I didn't have a nap, but I did manage to eat more than half of an extra large pizza this afternoon. </div>
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And I would be remiss if I didn't mention that over the past few weeks I have felt a lot of strange sluggishness and difficulty catching my breath when sitting in a chair or reclined on the couch. Luckily, lying flat still feels good, as does sitting on the exercise ball, as does standing up and/or walking... but resting is getting hard to do without getting fully horizontal.</div>
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Running was on hold during family visit/Folk Fest time, but I hope to start up again this week if the weather decides to cooperate (and maybe even if it doesn't). </div>
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I'm struggling to jump to paragraphs with any sort of reasonable segue at this point (so much so that I gave up last night and decided to finish this today- Wednesday) so I'm just going to say fuck it and start the next paragraph without any introduction, and probably all subsequent paragraphs as well. Please forgive my seeming non sequiturs. </div>
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So lately Speck has been moving a ton more than in the second trimester. Instead of being active for 30 minutes a couple of times a day (and particularly at night) I can now feel Speck move a bit a few times an hour or more. Which leads to constant reminders that Speck is there, and also to me learning more about Speck's personality, especially as Speck seems to react to certain stimuli outside the womb. For example, Speck totally seemed to be dancing during parts of folk fest, which seems about right considering Speck's parentage. Also, Speck pushes back at anything that prods her/him, such as doppler wands and midwife hands that are trying to assess how Speck is doing. All of this gives me small insights into what Speck's personality might be, and it makes this whole creating a new human things seem more real than it ever has. This has led to two very mixed emotions on my part:</div>
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1. Speck is totally a person in my mind who I already care about quite a bit and talk to periodically and... if anything were to happen to Speck I would be completely devastated. I have definitely bonded with this kiddo already.</div>
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2. HOLY FUCKING SHITBALLS WE MADE A NEW PERSON THAT WE'RE GOING TO MEET IN 9.5 WEEKS!!!!!! I AM SO NOT READY TO BE A PARENT. HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT WHAT HAVE WE GOTTEN OURSELVES INTO!?!?!?!?!?</div>
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Ahem. In other words, I'm torn between already feeling pretty attached to Speck and feeling like I might have ruined my own life, and nothing will ever be the same.</div>
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Now don't worry. Feeling number one trumps feeling number two for most moments of any given day, but I just want to make it clear that even this far along I am still feeling major moments of doubt and concern. I have decided that this is perfectly fine because a. I'm not spiraling into a pool of negative thinking, I'm just having brief moments of "oh holy crap!" and b. I don't think I'm alone in this. So, don't worry you don't have to write in with your sunshine and unicorns and tell me that "having a baby is something you'll never regret," yadda yadda. I get it. Intellectually, I understand, and I even have moments of thinking how cool this is rather than wondering what kind of drugs we were taking that made us think it was a good idea, so I think it'll all be fine. But read the fine print at the top of this blog again: there will be HONESTY. So there you have it. If I'm 100% honest, which I'm a fan of, I admit to still having moments of severe doubt. They tend to be brief, but they are totally there and I am willing to admit to them.</div>
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Mostly though, I think this is just going to be the next big adventure and probably a pretty cool one for the most part. </div>
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To that end, I had a moment when my cousin was visiting where I for some reason got excited about cloth diapering supplies and I decided to go through the stuff that I bought at the sale a while back. Turns out we got a pretty good cloth diaper stash and when I went through it I may or may not have practiced folding a "pre-fold" diaper to fit a baby. My cousin wanted to take a picture me doing so, but I wouldn't let her. Shh.... don't tell anyone. I have a rep to keep. </div>
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And in the final bit of randomness this week I've realized that it's time to buy some shit. I have made a list of the things we'll actually need for Speck's arrival and it's about time to pick some of that up so that we're not adding that to the shit we have to do when Speck is already here and we're just trying to stay above water with sleep deprivation and "Holy shit, did I just kill the baby? I think I killed the baby. Is it breathing? I didn't even touch it. How did it die?" *baby cries* "Oh thank, Gwen! The baby is still alive."</div>
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So we will be heading out to the local gently used baby items store sometime soonish to get a few items, or at least to start pricing things out. </div>
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And I think that's it for this week. Chances are good that the week 31 post will happen on Saturday or Sunday, since Friday is probably a little too soon after this one.<br />
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Here is this week's bumpie, taken on Monday (and a bonus front facing shot just 'cause):<br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-53927896707062018002016-06-30T17:08:00.000-07:002016-06-30T17:08:00.910-07:00Week 29Well, this week you get another slightly early blog post, this time because I'm going to be gone all weekend and figured if I didn't write everything down now, you wouldn't hear from me until Monday or Tuesday. And considering how busy NEXT week is supposed to be... well I don't know but it's possible two whole weeks of pregnancy blog would go missing, and we can't have that!<br />
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So, here we are, week 29 almost wrapped up in a pretty bow, and week 30 about to start. Holy crap, where has the time gone? Speck will be here in 11 weeks!! (Well, 9 to 13 weeks really, but damn people, that's crazy!)<br />
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I have a feeling most of the third trimester is going to fly by, especially because we have a seriously busy summer schedule. Then I expect the last couple weeks before Speck arrives will drag by in the way that only a combination of impatience to meet a new human and the discomfort of feeling like a bloated and rotting whale corpse can account for. At least, that's what I've read. We shall see.<br />
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Meanwhile. Let's stick to the present. Enjoy the hell out of the now people, it's the only thing we can be sure of. So, what things do I need to tell you about week 29? Let's see first up, some good stuff.<br />
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I RAN 4 out of the past 7 days! And I may yet go for another run today too. Now, keep in mind when I say run here, I mean super slow running around a simple grass field, and the only thing that keeps it from being jogging is my posture and stride. In fact, just to make sure that I don't jog, I'm taking my shoes off and running barefoot around this field. The idea being that running barefoot will keep my weight forward, keep me on the balls of my feet and keep me from doing the up and down bouncing involved in jogging. And why would I want to avoid jogging you ask? Well, aside from the fact that it's supposed to be worse for your whole body and especially your joints, it also causes Speck to put WAAAAYYYY too much pressure on my bladder. So a running stride, even if slowed to a practical crawl, is vastly preferable to me. So there you go. RUNNING! Slow and only for between 1 to 1.5 miles at the moment, but still. Running. It feels so good to run again at all, I will take it. And, as I'm sneaking it into the middle of my 4km dog walk, I am sure to get a decent warm up and cool down each time. Ok. I've probably gone on about this way longer than most people are interested in, I'm just so happy about it that I can't stop telling people. It's like regaining a tiny piece of pre-pregnant me and it feels really good.<br />
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Moving on.<br />
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Acquisitions! Well, I have been avoiding buying many baby things, as I may have mentioned, but I have received one awesome gift from my mom which I will talk about in a second, and yesterday I bought some pregnancy things. The pregnancy things yesterday were no big deal, just some more athletic pants I can run in that aren't too hot, and an exercise ball for posture, baby positioning, and labor. My doula informs me that sitting on a exercise ball in the last trimester can help ensure Speck is in the right place come b-day, and I am all for that. Plus they're supposed to be damned handy things to have in labor (so much so that the birth center has a whole stack of them just waiting for use) and I hope to labor at home for as long as possible before heading to either the birth center or the hospital, so it'll be nice to have one here. Not to mention it's a nice comfortable alternative to my standing desk that still allows me to work at a pleasant angle relative to my computer but doesn't require me to sit in a chair for hours on end (something my preggo body is decidedly against). I've only had it for a day so far, but my verdict is (as I sit on it to type this blog entry) that if you have a desk job, are pregnant, and have become increasingly uncomfortable in your chair, this might be the solution for you. Might not be though. Keep in mind there's no back support, you have to do that part yourself (which is good for you, helps maintain posture and make your back stronger etc.... unless your back is already messed up, in which case it might not be good for you, please consult your doctor, don't take my random ass anecdotal evidence as science).<br />
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This was the best I could do for a selfie that included the exercise ball. It's the grey blob in the middle there. But this is totally me right now. Rocking the ball and working at my laptop. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDQySJOUa_8AGcyxazcUeLAnDFJlurJFs7bssrE0ckxS7jmjdGOQmFOmY5AztS8jHtXPdetZF2e7qUvmNQoEGK6GeV92rmsd3yNHJiPACLMPYBRiSxqhHHuusIWpuPxu7IDYUL2f_69Is/s1600/20160630_123736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDQySJOUa_8AGcyxazcUeLAnDFJlurJFs7bssrE0ckxS7jmjdGOQmFOmY5AztS8jHtXPdetZF2e7qUvmNQoEGK6GeV92rmsd3yNHJiPACLMPYBRiSxqhHHuusIWpuPxu7IDYUL2f_69Is/s640/20160630_123736.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Here's a shot demonstrating what a nice height the laptop is for my neck and arms. Well, it sort of demonstrates that... mostly it demonstrates how messy my work space is. Hi, Mom! ;-)</div>
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So anyway, that was the main pregnancy related thing I got. The other things were just big, flowy, light colored, long sleeved shirts to wear while being out in the sun all day and needing perhaps more coverage than mere sunscreen can provide. Not to mention, providing a bit of extra mosquito protection as I am reluctant to use DEET products while carrying Speck. So, if a thin flowy shirt will help reduce the amount of mosquito repellent I need to use, I will happily wear one. </div>
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The REALLY AWESOME THING that my mom got me as a gift (despite my protest that gifts, and new things are not really what we're doing this pregnancy--but she's allowed to ignore me on this because she's my mom--no one else get any ideas) is THIS:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3m1KyYEOVzYyJKdoNEX8yhQZIYlAemTjqFOE7BwEyfC94Lt7RlTytWNh2X6jYhCIdbNpE0CtXZiEMCjOgW6Pi0P781jgv6v0GqkGj-YoY4YwZELN2glpAycxbJ1ZaE6QI9jwXVhUi97w/s1600/20160630_122025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3m1KyYEOVzYyJKdoNEX8yhQZIYlAemTjqFOE7BwEyfC94Lt7RlTytWNh2X6jYhCIdbNpE0CtXZiEMCjOgW6Pi0P781jgv6v0GqkGj-YoY4YwZELN2glpAycxbJ1ZaE6QI9jwXVhUi97w/s640/20160630_122025.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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If you're wondering what that is, it's a diaper bag. The world's coolest diaper bag, to be specific. </div>
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Don't believe me... check it out!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFKo2x0hdd6CEDsY9ThsN02HoYvoNDS6-g0ZytOo4jFauRHoI2raUTK0R47RSIT98elbWhEstQvHcy5M7zwZ8yxChpls_B49j8C6JvZfLOiLXEn2ZK5CWXcvq62LbR5CSYg9pDbxzQ1cz/s1600/20160630_122035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiFKo2x0hdd6CEDsY9ThsN02HoYvoNDS6-g0ZytOo4jFauRHoI2raUTK0R47RSIT98elbWhEstQvHcy5M7zwZ8yxChpls_B49j8C6JvZfLOiLXEn2ZK5CWXcvq62LbR5CSYg9pDbxzQ1cz/s640/20160630_122035.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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It's lined with water proof lining that can easily be hosed out or wiped down without damaging the bag. It also keeps rain out when you're trying to keep your diaper supply dry.</div>
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It comes with this super awesome folding change pad that is both stylish and functional. (Note the binky holder in the corner there. That's a neoprene pouch sized just for pacifiers.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8AlHaWZY2aEzCp8UndVa-n7XYqxZzCEL1xuTCK7zLRRMiDIr34SUtDC_kZm8y7XqtFIctitU_aX8XnTjIKmGwxUPYoBUKifR2W_gwWs6LfIlco2QU78_HX5N7pjfvFsJQu-cuX_yV0tv/s1600/20160630_122054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk8AlHaWZY2aEzCp8UndVa-n7XYqxZzCEL1xuTCK7zLRRMiDIr34SUtDC_kZm8y7XqtFIctitU_aX8XnTjIKmGwxUPYoBUKifR2W_gwWs6LfIlco2QU78_HX5N7pjfvFsJQu-cuX_yV0tv/s640/20160630_122054.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Unfolded you can see the two mesh pouches for holding clean diapers as well as the see through watertight pocket for dirty ones. The bright teal area is baby change land--also covered in a totally fluid resistant (yeah we won't pretend that's gonna be water) coating for easy clean up.</div>
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Change pad tucks away nicely and despite my inability to hold the bag open and take a picture at the same time, the bag is large and full of lots of useful pockets.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpeSqUc8KbyEAhzcSj4K1ZAI1x4K808uWFm1JWgU3msGCwzFewC1QD27w1dtXdNwK0c2LUCJ1HE1K-hV_Mg2R8M8rcUfSyoM8uY5KOcPjh4sdoe4HLfzZ_EXTc4t5Z7K0FHq2QZY-e9_j/s1600/20160630_122149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWpeSqUc8KbyEAhzcSj4K1ZAI1x4K808uWFm1JWgU3msGCwzFewC1QD27w1dtXdNwK0c2LUCJ1HE1K-hV_Mg2R8M8rcUfSyoM8uY5KOcPjh4sdoe4HLfzZ_EXTc4t5Z7K0FHq2QZY-e9_j/s640/20160630_122149.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Timbuk2 makes amazing products, I have a few things made by them and they are all in mint condition despite being years old. I have a laptop bag of theirs that is 9 years old and still perfect. Not even a single zipper has broken. I looked into a lot of diaper bags and backpacks, and this one was the one I wanted most. I personally was not interested in any of the frilly designs on other bags, and I hate hand bags, or shoulder straps that can't be worn across the chest. Timbuk2 makes awesome messenger bags and this is basically a large messenger bag with a few adaptations specifically for diaper related issues. In the meantime it just looks awesome (in my opinion). </div>
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Corey was skeptical at first, and I don't know if he would have gone for it if mom hadn't gone ahead and gotten it for us, but funnily enough on the day it arrived he met up with a friend on his way home who is a dad and whose opinion Corey holds pretty high. This dad friend mentioned that it was worth it to buy a diaper bag that rocked because you spend so much damned time with the thing. I think that sold Corey on it more than anything I could have said and when I showed it to him he seemed impressed. </div>
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THANKS MOM!!! (And anonymous dad friend.)</div>
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So those are all my recent acquisitions. Let's see what else do you need to know?</div>
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Oh right. I had another midwife appointment this week. This time to actually have a real appointment instead of just meet the midwife and talk and get to know each other. It was lovely because we went over all of my files in detail in order to make sure she had everything and just to make sure I had all the details I wanted. What was particularly fabulous about this was that she took the time to go over my 20 week ultrasound results with me. Something my doctor (or rather the resident I meet with instead of my doctor) had flat out refused to do. Which I get, I mean it's time consuming to go over that kind of report and my results were all "normal" so I understand why she couldn't take the time. But, really this is a big part of why I wanted midwifery care to begin with. Being pregnant may not be medically a big deal, especially to people whose job it is to make sick people healthy again, but it's a big damned deal to me. I've never done it before and I like to know what's going on with my body, and I like to know all the details about how Speck is doing. So it was great to have my midwife go through all of the measurements the U/S tech had taken of Speck and show them to me on a measuring tape so I could get a great visual of just how big (or tiny) Speck is (or was 9 weeks ago). So cool! Also, at the time of the U/S I had normal amounts of amniotic fluid, a nicely closed cervix, and a posterior placenta that was not in any way blocking my cervix. All of which is good. Yay details!</div>
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The update from the latest appointment was that my fundal height was measuring right on time 28cm (I was 28 weeks and 3 days at my appointment). Funny thing; as my midwife was trying to measure where the top of my uterus was she exclaimed, twice, "you have very strong abs." Which just made me chuckle, because, yeah, I keep thinking that's why my bump is so small even though my fundal height is perfectly normal. Speck is measuring just fine, but my abs are keeping everything crammed in tight. Don't know if that's a good thing or not, but it's what I've got. </div>
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Meanwhile my bp was still nice and low (the low side of normal that is) and Speck's heart rate was not only normal but on par with all previous heart rate measurements so far. Speck is consistent like that. </div>
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*multi-hour time lapse*</div>
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Speck took me down for a two hour nap and by the time I woke up Corey was home and it was time to make dinner and take the dog for a walk. So, that all happened in between that last paragraph and this one. </div>
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That's a thing. Speck is back to taking me down for naps even though I am generally feeling pretty energetic. However, I have noticed that I'm not up for all night hangs as I once was. We had guests over the weekend and we had plans to go out both Friday and Saturday night. I managed to stay out to somewhat respectable hours both nights, but on Friday night after a few hours of dancing I was exhausted and barely managed to stay awake until our 1am departure time. Meanwhile, on Saturday night a few hours of talking to new people wiped me out and I left the party at 11pm. </div>
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The only new thing this week seems to be that Speck is moving a lot, and the movements can be pretty huge. I have had moments of being distracted from working on the laptop by seeing a shark circling out of the corner of my eye. That's no shark though, it's the protohuman inside of me doing barrel rolls again. I suppose this has been a slow build over weeks, but it seemed particularly marked this week. </div>
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Alright, I think that covers this week. We're off for a long weekend in the northern part of the province and I will return to the land of interwebs late on Sunday. Hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. Here are two shots of the belly to hold you over til next week.</div>
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I added a forward facing one so you can check out my slowly darkening linea nigra. I think it's awesome. </div>
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One of these days I'll get Corey to take a proper belly shot again, but at least we have these mirror selfies in the meantime. Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July everyone! (Or just a random weekend in July if you're not from the northern two countries in north america.)</div>
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-75734698533214373012016-06-23T12:58:00.000-07:002016-06-24T09:09:49.329-07:00Week 28Well, I'm a day early I suppose, since today is technically the last day of week 28 and week 29 doesn't start 'til tomorrow, but honestly, it's close enough and this weekend is going to be packed with activities and guests coming from out of town and well, it just makes more sense to write and post today.<br>
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I guess I could go ahead and schedule this to post tomorrow, but I figure after all the late posts I've made in the past few weeks an early one is probably just the thing. So here you go.<br>
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Week 28 has been fairly eventful, at least on a relative scale.<br>
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I've already forgotten what we did on Saturday but I remember it was busy, and on Sunday we went out to Corey's parents' place for a father's day hang which was nice. At some point in there I bought some new preggo summer clothes. Most of what I bought is NOT maternity. I'm really working to avoid buying maternity stuff because a. it's expensive and b. I hate the idea of buying clothes that I am only going to wear short term. So, we rocked the thrift store shopping and I did buy two maternity tops for dressing up a bit, but otherwise I bought stretchy long tank tops that cover the bump and the top of my pants and will continue to fit when I regain my normal shape. I also bought a pair of spandex shorts to wear under dresses and prevent the dreaded thigh rub, as well as a running skirt that has built in spandex shorts for the same purpose. Everything is a bit larger than I would have purchased pre-pregnancy, but not a ton larger and all stretchy athletic stuff, so quite likely to still fit in the future. Yay! And it feels good to have more than one top that I can wear with my limited number of pants etc. I'm not much of a fashion person, but even I was getting frustrated being limited to two outfits on repeat every damned day.<br>
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I deleted facebook from my phone at some point in the last ten days (can't remember when exactly) and it has led to a huge boost in productivity. I now only go onto facebook on my computer and facebook on the computer is a lot more clunky and less inviting, so it's easy to ditch it and get back to whatever I was supposed to be doing in the first place. Also, the damned app takes up almost a half a gig off space on a phone, so clearing it out was a huge help to me being able to download important things... like The Room 3... (If you don't know what that is, but you like puzzle games and you have a smartphone or a tablet, start with The Room and work your way up from there. Thank me/curse me later. Hours of your life you will never get back, but you'll be happy to give them up if you love puzzles, amazing graphics and creepy storylines and soundtracks.) Ahem... anyway...<br>
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Pregnancy, right. That's what this blog is about.<br>
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Which reminds me, there are two big things I forgot to mention in my last post, but which are just as relevant this week as they were last week so I suppose it's ok that they got spread out anyway.<br>
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1. Pregnancy brain! I hadn't noticed much in the way of this during the first or early second trimesters, but over the past few weeks I have noticed it and it is weird. My vocabulary recall has plummeted. Words that I use all the time. Common simple words. Words that five and ten year olds use on a daily basis, have escaped me completely for minutes at a time. It's ridiculous. And it happens a few times a day. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm used to having little moments like this normally, but maybe once a week or so, maybe less. Not a FEW TIMES A DAY. Seriously. Words like "bike," "furniture," and "couch" are three examples that have already eluded me today. What the fuck, brain? Why are we doing this?<br>
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So yeah, that's fun.<br>
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2. THIGH RUB! Holy hell. My poor skin. Now, let's get one thing perfectly clear, my thighs always touch a bit. Even when I'm in damned good shape my thighs are not the kind that stay gracefully separated. I've come to terms with this. No problem. But why, oh why, are they now suddenly magnetized to one another and attempting to become one piece of flesh? And I'm only kind of joking there, because after all the skin has rubbed off from chaffing the damned things are just likely to heal as a single piece as the two they started off as. OW!<br>
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Today I pushed thigh rub to a new limit accidentally by going for a run. I was wearing my new running skirt and thought it would prevent the dreaded thigh rub, after all, the spandex shorts cover my thighs... but no. The thighs are so determined to join forces that they pushed shorts out of the way and made sweet sweet love to each other despite my best attempts to pull the shorts back into place and now... I have pepperoni thighs. Only without all the deliciousness of pepperoni.<br>
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But, serious plus side to all of this: I RAN TODAY!! Granted, it was for just under a mile in the middle of my dog walk, but it was running, and it felt good, and SPECK DIDN'T TRY TO USE MY BLADDER AS A LIFE PRESERVER!!! YAY!!!<br>
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So, I'm going to try to make a habit of that, even if I stick to just a mile or two and keep it super slow. It felt good to do more than just walk.<br>
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And in bigger news, yesterday was the day of getting all the things done. I took the car for maintenance and tire changing (we don't have extra rims so we can't change them ourselves at home) and I went to upgrade my phone (I always feel guilty about giving up on a phone that still works just fine, but I couldn't resist getting the newest Samsung phone (the S7) for FREE by trading in my old phone). AND I met with my new midwife.<br>
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Oh yeah. That's the big one.<br>
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We talked for over two hours. She's great. The birth center is freaking gorgeous and I am SUPER tempted to give birth there rather than the hospital and... yeah. Despite my doubts last week I totally decided to switch over my care. It feels really nice to have all of my concerns addressed and to feel like I'm not being rushed through everything. So, yep. Midwife. I've got one, and I'm very happy about it.<br>
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Let's see... anything else? Speck is moving a bunch these days and can now push hard enough that my whole stomach moves around visibly when s/he decides to do a barrel roll. (At least I assume that's what Speck is up to. Certainly, it's what I would do, if I were suspended in fluid and had nothing else to keep me busy.)<br>
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I think that about covers it. Here's a photo of Artemis enjoying the summer wonderland that is our typical afternoon walk:<br>
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And here's a mirror bumpie that I took today (Corey will take the proper bump pic tomorrow, but this is what we have to work with today). And just for variety's sake there are two, one with a shirt (one of the new ones I just got) and one without.</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-59075475048690954712016-06-18T13:45:00.001-07:002016-06-18T13:45:37.860-07:00Week 27<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>It's officially summer (ok solstice says three more days, but whatever) and this is Artemis' and my favorite walk. Loving the green. Not loving the mosquitos, but they're not too bad yet.</i></div>
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Well here we are. Week 27 is done. Week 28 has started. Which means I am 27 weeks pregnant, starting my 7th month and officially into my third trimester... unless you're of the calendar that chooses a to accept the third trimester as starting at 28 weeks, in which case I might have another week to go, but I honestly don't care at this point. I'm going to call it the third trimester. Why not?<br />
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First up, some news and a dilemma (good news, good dilemma, nothing bad here): I received a call from the Women's Health center and there is an opening for a midwife that I can take if I want it. On the one hand that's super exciting because I REALLY wanted a midwife when this whole thing started. I wanted one for lots of reasons, not least of which was that I was terrified about how this whole thing would go, I didn't know the first thing about pregnancy, and I felt alone and unsupported (aside from my hubby--this was back in trimester one, when we weren't telling anyone and I felt very isolated) and the idea of having someone who would spend over an hour with me once a month going over everything that was happening to me sounded incredibly reassuring.<br />
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But when that didn't happen, I made do with what was available, did a ton of my own research, found a doula and a doctor who was down with natural childbirth and now... Now I don't know. I still love the idea of a midwife. I don't particularly enjoy the 15 minute sprint through the doctor's office that constitutes my monthly prenatal appointment (soon to be biweekly). However, I do like the doctor I found, and if he's actually the one who delivers me I think all will be well. I'm ok with the idea of a hospital birth as long as no one pushes interventions at me, and I think my doula is awesome and we're pretty prepared for this whole thing. Plus my doctor now would become Speck's pediatrician and that's pretty cool. So... do I really want to go through the hassle of switching healthcare providers at this point? I don't know... but, being one who is all for having the most information possible for any decision, I have made an appointment to meet with the midwife to see how awesome she is. Apparently I can do this without upsetting anyone and make my choice after we've met. Plus I'll get to see the birth center (which I have to say is another really appealing part of having a midwife, it looks SOOO comfortable and you get a private room and everything). So, lots of thinking to be done, and a good problem to have, really. I look forward to meeting the midwife and seeing how I feel about her. My hope is that Corey will be able to come too and he can throw in his two cents. We shall see...<br />
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Now then: Things that are new in the past week...<br />
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HOT FLASHES. Holy shit. I understand that hormones, and blood levels, are all surging and my body is working overtime to adapt to everything that's happening but DAMN. For someone who generally runs cold, and tends to wear fuzzy slippers and a hoodie while reading at night even through most of the summer, suddenly feeling an urge to strip down to as little as possible at 1am is disconcerting at best and downright freaky at worst. (Worst being the first time it happened and I freaked out wondering if I suddenly had a fever, or if the temperature in the house had suddenly spiked, or if I had caught fire without noticing it somehow...) Anyway, having never experienced a real hot flash before this was unsettling, and I immediately turned to the internet to make sure it was a pregnancy thing and not... I don't know... the plague? But yeah, we're all good. Super common in pregnancy especially during the third trimester. So yay! Not the plague! But BOO! COMMON in the third trimester. Blech. I could do without that.<br />
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Gas. Gas is not new. Gas has been a big part of this whole deal from the start but lately it's been... more prevalent, shall we say? I don't know. I've been gassy since the first week of pregnancy, but it's like now I can't get up and walk across the room without crop dusting the whole way. Also, apparently, quite common and due in large part to a slowing of my digestive system directly related to pregnancy. Great. Fun isn't it?<br />
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Fatigue! Also not new, but having made a more decisive return. While most of the second trimester was spent with only quick bouts of fatigue that were generally cured by napping, the past week and a half has swung back towards the all day fatigue that plagued me in the first trimester. Though, to be fair, it hasn't been quite as all consuming... or rather, it seems to be more of a physical fatigue and less of a mind, body and soul fatigue. I feel tired for no reason, as though I've just run ten miles or more (would that I still could) and sluggish, almost like one feels during a flu. Yet my brain still functions relatively well and I have maintained most of my motivation for writing and work in general. Most, but not all. It has taken a hit. But so far it's nothing compared to the all-I-can-do-is-curl-up-into-a-ball-and-question-all-my-life-choices fatigue of the first trimester. Small victories. We'll take 'em.<br />
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PANIC!! This one is pretty new. Not that I haven't had moments all through this pregnancy of disbelief/doubt about what's really happening here, but with Speck moving more and more I'm now constantly faced with the reality that there is a living human growing inside of me and that pretty soon (13 weeks from now) that human is going to come out and say hi, move into our house, and take over our lives. ACK!!! Unprepared doesn't begin to cover how I feel about that, but it's the best I can come up with on short notice. Still, there are other moments when it's pretty cool. Speck is in there, doing her/his thing and becoming a person. There is personality there already. Something I didn't realize until I had close friends have kids is that even new borns have personality. They don't do much with it. Mostly sleeping, crying, eating, and pooping, but it's there, and if you spend enough time with them you can tell. That's the part I'm looking forward to. Getting to know this little human we've made and learning things from it. Seeing the world anew through her/his eyes and sharing that sense of discovery. That part is going to be awesome (in the most literal sense of the word). Then there will be the crying, pooping, eating, and sleeping, but I guess we'll get through that too.<br />
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And, finally, DISCOMFORT. I won't pretend that's exactly new, because let's face it; this whole thing is essentially a nine month exercise in seeing just how uncomfortable you can be in your own skin, but the body is really ramping it up here in preparation for the final third. Finding a comfortable way to sit for a long time is pretty much impossible. I wake up every few hours in the middle of the night with various body parts aching, or my bladder flashing neon signs at me saying "EMPTY ME NOW, OR ELSE!" None of my clothes really fit anymore, and I need to buy new tops that cover the waistbands on my maternity pants... everything is a pain in the ass. From getting out of a chair, to trying to go for a long walk without having to pee half way through. Running is out, not because it's too much for my body, but because it's too much for my poor bladder. Five minutes in I feel like Speck has decided that we've entered rough seas and my bladder is her/his life saver. Speck clings to it like a wayward teddy bear and I slow to a walk because damn it, it's just not worth it. Turning in bed feels like turning an unruly boat with a broken rudder, and I am constantly, vibrantly aware of my bump and the fact that it often moves on its own.<br />
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So, yeah, people keep telling me I look great, and I know that as far as pregnancy goes I've been super lucky. And, furthermore, I feel pretty good most of the time. I don't want to give you the impression that I'm miserable. Far from it. I think I am lucky, and have had a pretty good run of this thing so far. But I guess that's my point. Even when your pregnancy is going super well, and you feel pretty good, and can still do lots of stuff, and everyone thinks you look wonderful... PREGNANCY IS STILL A PAIN IN THE ASS! So, if you know anyone who is pregnant, please be nice to them. And don't compare their pregnancy to your pregnancy, or your wife's, or your friends, or your brother's sister-in-law's third cousin's. Every pregnancy is different and they all have their sucky moments. So hugs all around for the pregnant ladies, for keeping the species going and putting up with all the parts of this that are bullshit. Not far now, ladies. Just one hot, sweaty, sticky summer to go. ;-)<br />
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Here's the weekly bump picture! It was pretty hot yesterday so I'm not wearing much. Those are prepreggo jean shorts that I was amazed to find still fit (with a hair tie buttonhole extension of course)!<br />
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-32820378857325387782016-06-10T18:56:00.001-07:002016-06-10T19:08:15.573-07:00Week 26Well, it has once more been a busy week, but this week I'm determined to get back on schedule! So, here we are. It's actually Friday, the day I flip over to week 26 completed, and I am writing this blog. WINNING!!!<br />
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So let's see... this week...<br />
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Lots of walking to and from things and appointments and with the dog. I can't say it enough, walking rocks. I shudder to think how out of shape I would feel if I weren't walking as much as I am. And I already shudder at how out of shape I feel, so that's saying something.<br />
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It's not 'cause I look pregnant. Not really. Though granted, this week I've decided I thoroughly hate my own ass and thighs (why? who knows, I'm guessing a combination of hormones and insecurity--certainly I remember them once being two distinct lumps of flesh... this is no longer the case), but whatever. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about not feeling strong. I usually feel strong. I usually feel like I can lift lots of heavy things, do pull ups, carry couches, and run for a long time. I don't feel like that right now, and I don't like it. I want to feel that way again. I'm going to try to do more things that help me feel that way.<br />
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Moving on...<br />
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Speck was moving lots for a week or so, and then was quiet for a few days. Of course that had me mildly concerned, but as long as I was feeling some movement I wasn't really worried and I kept getting the odd jab and poke so I was mostly not worried. And then the day before yesterday Speck pulled me down into nap land for a few hours in the middle of the day and I realized it must have been another growth spurt. Then again yesterday I needed extra sleep, and some more today. And ever since my nap today Speck has been moving around plenty. So... I'm going to call that a growth spurt.<br />
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I had another prenatal exam today. Nothing unusual happening. Speck's heart rate is 138, my fundal height is 26cm which is spot on, and my own blood pressure was 100 over 62, so all is normal. One funny moment at the appointment came when the doctor was checking Speck's heart rate. She was using a doppler, but was timing with her watch so she had to count and Speck kicked the doppler right as she was mid count and she lost track. I laughed. I like the doctor, she's great, but she always seems to be in such a hurry and I often feel like I'm getting pushed through my appointment quickly, so it was kind of funny that Speck kicked the doppler and made her start over. It seemed to me like Speck was saying "everyone just chill out!"<br />
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Teehee. Totally my kid (and Corey's come to that).<br />
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Despite the hurry my doctor (or the resident I see most times instead of my doctor) seems to always be in, I do feel well cared for at this point in time. She's always very thorough in asking me how I'm doing and making sure I'm not experiencing any symptoms that could be problematic. Today I finally got to hear how my ultrasound from a month ago went. The answer is "everything looks normal." I was also given paperwork to go take a gestational diabetes test in a week. It's purely routine and precautionary, I don't have any indicators to suggest I would have it, but I guess it's common enough they like to test for it regardless. I'm not looking forward to the sugary drink, but otherwise I'm not too worried about it.<br />
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Oh, and I know I keep talking about walking, but did I mention how glorious swimming is? Last week I went swimming with a friend at a tiny lake just 45 minutes out of town and it was wonderful. I have always loved swimming (back when I did triathlon it was my favorite part of training) and I felt so good in the water that I went ahead and swam the whole length of the lake. And before anyone gets too impressed it's only 700 meters long, but still, it felt really good to swim for a long time without worrying about flip turns and to get out of the water and not smell like chlorine. I can't wait to go back with my goggles and cap and make at least two laps out of it. And, I have to say, it would go a long way to making me feel strong again.<br />
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Well, I think that's about it for this week. I'm stoked to actually be posting on the appropriate day for the first time in a while. The only downside is that Corey and I haven't taken my bump picture for the week yet, so I'll have to leave you with my bumpie from Wednesday. It's only two days off anyway. Hope everyone is doing well! More next week!<br />
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(I struggled to take a non-blurry pic so I'll give you two options, blurry but showing my face and more of the bump or crisp but hidden faced and poorly angled for maximum bump exposure.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y6EhI1zKGeKE1TITq77ZRuPfTwPaKazdu1BHM-zdE_c1yT-FumhPH4F1dphfk2rSsHg3IueT_yglF4XBJqCayCmhRdJzTgZ1IUqZ5hux_01f9qa8Vl-DEh6GBlfwXk3tZenByV5YRFHu/s1600/20160608_174829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y6EhI1zKGeKE1TITq77ZRuPfTwPaKazdu1BHM-zdE_c1yT-FumhPH4F1dphfk2rSsHg3IueT_yglF4XBJqCayCmhRdJzTgZ1IUqZ5hux_01f9qa8Vl-DEh6GBlfwXk3tZenByV5YRFHu/s640/20160608_174829.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Note my snazzy new haircut!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfTzlLiAckihxLQOnpBMKV5Q1IbOxBdVtrasd12a8JwPDqdSDIQ-oJqHQwurnHx8Pehw_RNAln1MUt3ZufKxl_Gr6SVJS2krDdshSqWapMxB9ocqEYfrqn1xcfiC9wLoiBP_5bO3i5KUj/s1600/20160608_174750.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfTzlLiAckihxLQOnpBMKV5Q1IbOxBdVtrasd12a8JwPDqdSDIQ-oJqHQwurnHx8Pehw_RNAln1MUt3ZufKxl_Gr6SVJS2krDdshSqWapMxB9ocqEYfrqn1xcfiC9wLoiBP_5bO3i5KUj/s640/20160608_174750.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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Oh, and two quick non-pregnancy related notes: </div>
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1. I wrote a blog post recently about the Stanford rape victim's letter and the sentencing debacle that went along with it. If you're interested in seeing me curse in the name of severe injustice instead of just for kicks you can find that <a href="https://virginiamcclain.blogspot.ca/2016/06/youre-feministing-wrong.html">here</a>. </div>
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2. I have started <a href="http://patreon.com/virginiamcclain" target="_blank">a Patreon account</a> to support my various writing endeavors and there's a whole <a href="https://www.patreon.com/posts/first-three-of-5706562">parody YA Urban Fantasy web serial</a> that I'm writing attached to it, should that interest you. Fair warning, the main character of that web serial is a 17 year old who curses like a Spanish sailor.</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-60107517074235482112016-06-06T10:52:00.001-07:002016-06-06T10:52:59.050-07:00Week 25Well, damn.<br />
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I had really hoped to get this written and posted on Friday or Saturday, but no such luck. It has been yet another busy week. This time I had multiple moments where I wanted to write this blog instead of what I was doing, but NO TIME!<br />
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Well, here we are now, and considering when I posted last week, I suppose it's only appropriate that I posted this one a week later. Don't worry, I don't plan to make this a habit. Sigh...<br />
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Alright. Here we go, pregnancy shit that came up in week 25:<br />
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<li>Speck started kicking more. No, really a WHOLE lot more. Like Speck went from saying hi a few times a day at odd hours to being up and about MOST OF THE DAY! This is great, except that now, of course, I'm paranoid whenever Speck is sleeping, or chilling, or whatever Speck gets up to when I don't feel Speck move. Still, mostly a bonus.</li>
<li>Wednesday I had a crazy hormonal melt down of doom. It was totally weird. So first of all, I felt angry/sad/angy/sad/normal in weird bursts all day on Wednesday. And, interestingly, I could tell it was happening the whole time. I kept thinking "Woah. What a strange hormonal surge, I'm totally angry for NO reason." And, as I was alone and working all day, it really was for NO reason. Then I made the mistake of exchanging words with someone on the internet and then when my husband came home I told him how crazy and hormonal I felt, and he sympathized briefly, and then managed to bring up a topic that I'm always defensive about even when I'm feeling normal and we had a stupid argument that ended with me sobbing for 20 minutes straight for... yep, you guessed it, NO REASON! I mean really, at most, slight annoyance would have been an acceptable response. Sobbing was definitely not on the table. But no matter how many times I told myself that, the tears streamed. Fuck you, hormones!</li>
<li>On Thursday I met up with a friend for lunch and we got doughnuts. Yep. Just doughnuts. Well, we also had coffee. Coffee and doughnuts for lunch. LUNCH OF CHAMPIONS! They were delicious high end doughnuts. Here look: <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TEwJgGKdWgPA2YLQkzYT0-U7VCd5a1peCZ0rFf8VA_7yja20zvV4WNejz31VOmziTgeQNyN7HgGwGgZi-oOTEbJL8940rxxyEd-cSm2r7kWtXQ_1m6EvMSN4SFHppWY14f9q8yY81G6m/s1600/20160602_121535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TEwJgGKdWgPA2YLQkzYT0-U7VCd5a1peCZ0rFf8VA_7yja20zvV4WNejz31VOmziTgeQNyN7HgGwGgZi-oOTEbJL8940rxxyEd-cSm2r7kWtXQ_1m6EvMSN4SFHppWY14f9q8yY81G6m/s640/20160602_121535.jpg" width="360" /></a><br />See? Totally high end doughnuts. The one on the left is lemon merengue and the one on the right is cherry amaretto. Both were amazing but I think the lemon merengue won. If you live in Winnipeg you can try these beauties yourself at Oh Doughnuts on Broadway. :-) And for anyone wondering, no, I am not making a habit of eating doughnuts for lunch, but it was a lovely treat for one day.</div>
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<li>I totally look pregnant now. I mean, I wear baggy sweatshirts sometimes and then you can't really see it, but if I'm just in a t-shirt or whatever, I look pregnant. That keeps throwing me off. It's weird to look in the mirror and think I look pregnant. It's also weird that it has taken this long. And, I think my "bump" is oddly shaped. I don't have the nice round belly that so many pregnant ladies rock, I have... I don't know a beer gut? A barrel? I'll post the weekly pick at the end and you can tell me what you think it looks like. Regardless, it's a pretty big difference from where I started...</li>
<li>I've finally accepted the idea that we're having a kid enough to look into buying some things. Mostly, we're trying to get everything second hand from folks we know or online, but I've just finally delved into real research for cloth diapering and now thanks to a supremely <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVo6SMebcX8">easy to understand youtube series</a> I finally feel like I understand what the hell is going on with cloth diapers. And now that I understand them I'm ready to buy them. The great news is, I already bought some back in early May when we went to the childcycle consignment sale here in Winnipeg. I had just barely understood enough of what people had told me to know that buying a stack of "prefolds" would probably be useful. That was seriously about all I understood. I didn't even get how to put them on when I bought them. Now, however, after that super useful youtube series, I know that I bought enough prefolds to get us started, along with extra inserts and wipes, and two snappis. So we just need to buy a few covers, maybe one more set of prefolds just to cover between wash times, and we should be good to start. YAY! Thanks past self, for accidentally scoring us some cloth diapering essentials for a super low price. *Pats past self on the back.*</li>
<li>I also now wish to buy a super awesome but far too expensive diaper bag made by timbuk2 (because I hate the idea of flowery tote style diaper bags and would much rather have a messenger bag or backpack) but that's just random eye candy for the time being. It's very strange for me to <i>want</i> to buy baby stuff. I have been largely repelled by it this whole pregnancy so far. To be fair, I still am, mostly, except that now that I understand cloth diapering I am kind of excited to try it and thus am having fun looking at covers etc. online. </li>
<li>I can't get my head around the idea that my uterus is supposed to be the size of a freaking soccer ball right now. I mean... holy crap. A SOCCER BALL? That's big. I don't feel like I'm carrying a soccer ball around in there... except when I do.</li>
<li>There have been a few times where I've felt uncomfortably pregnant, most of them while sleeping these days. I've been using a pillow between my legs for weeks now, but I think it's time to go full body pillow. Hubby makes a pretty good body pillow, but he gets hot too easily for that to last more than a few minutes and I can't stand waking up covered in my own sweat, let alone someone else's. So, off to find a washable pillow, methinks. </li>
<li>My boobs are much larger than I would deem necessary. It kind of irks me and they're a bit uncomfortable. Hubby is not complaining. Men. Sigh...</li>
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And that's about all I can come up with for now. Still walking tons, and feel much better when out walking than when sitting still. My hips and lower back don't hold up well to sitting for very long, but they love walking, yes they do. So, I'm trying to spend as much time walking the dog as is reasonable and the rest of the time at my standing desk. I still wind up sitting more than I would like but I've managed to knock it down some. </div>
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Off to walk the pooch and get back to work. Hope everyone else is doing well! Oh, and here's the week 25 bump picture!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L0xmzHuWNY2jmvRFYyX-HXjTnXiaSZTkP7QMK851kAymHEmu0fbhNSe8DQ7LLMx0AuDQ_cWenkZCgeMcTnzBnQ2ynouUXCpFj5Vdn-dm9jp-kUw4WY4ZpqKccmbCTiIe_DBZE7jtecH-/s1600/20160605_135407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9L0xmzHuWNY2jmvRFYyX-HXjTnXiaSZTkP7QMK851kAymHEmu0fbhNSe8DQ7LLMx0AuDQ_cWenkZCgeMcTnzBnQ2ynouUXCpFj5Vdn-dm9jp-kUw4WY4ZpqKccmbCTiIe_DBZE7jtecH-/s640/20160605_135407.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
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What do you think? Barrel? Beer gut? I'm not sure.</div>
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Also here's a comparison of week 5 to week 25 just for kicks:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3RY_nqnT___uM1IU5Pv8nxqtmLfVxL3zOJi4RhkkkxNAiAcPdJwQDFILV3wXipZZvCJxlnvHlJCKFxIWK_lipSJVnSoSPu4idCuDi9Q8M_EBEKvvjs9NQyeAsaR-lmdkXIuJ1enuu-El/s1600/5weekvs25week.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip3RY_nqnT___uM1IU5Pv8nxqtmLfVxL3zOJi4RhkkkxNAiAcPdJwQDFILV3wXipZZvCJxlnvHlJCKFxIWK_lipSJVnSoSPu4idCuDi9Q8M_EBEKvvjs9NQyeAsaR-lmdkXIuJ1enuu-El/s640/5weekvs25week.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-48629025281864497512016-05-30T12:04:00.002-07:002016-05-30T18:05:51.907-07:00Week 24Sorry I'm late.<br />
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Super late.<br />
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Super duper late.<br />
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Like stupidly late.<br />
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Sorry about that.<br />
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I have been opening up shop doing graphic design for book covers, as well as advertising my already existing formatting services, and setting up future promotions for the books I already have out and... well geeze, what am I saying, I had a busy week at work, and then I worked all weekend.<br />
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In the first trimester I got way behind in my job because as someone who is self employed, works alone, and works from home, when I felt like crap there was absolutely no one to tell me: too bad, work anyway. So... I spent about three months not doing the things I need to do for my job (and you can see the total drop in sales that came from that if you look at all the handy dandy sales sheets I keep track of things with--bright side: at least I know when I'm doing promotions and marketing it actually works). The flip side of that, of course, is that when I get a fire lit under my ass I then spend all day every day working, including into the wee hours of the night and all through the weekend, because once I'm motivated (and not feeling like a three week old, slightly reheated corpse) my brain won't shut the hell up and let me sleep until I DO ALL THE THINGS! Or until I do some of the things for long enough that my brain completely runs out of power and I finally have to shut down.<br />
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Which is precisely what's been going on since last weekend. I basically worked through the weekend selling books and then went straight into a full week of reading, revisions, graphic design, formatting, and marketing and promotions. And then that kept going into the weekend, and now it's Monday and I still hadn't written this blog. Which is silly, really, because it falls under the heading of 'my job,' but as it isn't a provider of income, my brain decided to ignore it. Which is a shame, because I enjoy writing this blog.<br />
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Anyway, that big ol' rant on why I haven't written this blog tells you a good deal about how week 24 went. It went by quickly, in a haze of productivity, and I had the energy to do everything, as well as walk the dog a lot, and managed to spend time with my husband over the weekend (and even mustered up the enthusiasm for gettin' busy - which has been something I have seriously struggled with in pregnancy so far) and so life has seemed pretty normal.<br />
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The only difference is that every now and again I receive a kick or poke to the ribs from the inside, or I take a good look in the mirror and go, holy shit, look at my abdomen! It's huge! And it mostly UTERUS! WTF?!?<br />
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Sadly, Corey and I forgot to take a bump pic this weekend, so you'll have to make do with this bumpie (that's bump-selfie for the uninitiated) on Wednesday instead:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6ywBE7HdrXGqWYjQHQXhOxtucKEWF1FRYUPiVv2l1qbgKgFCaLrKaOpnSPVwwfa83X-XxbkDfqlKYtmk_GCjo0qAqzPbFk6MGUvpNOlOFCKZDSizDl2_rjlLTjRNQlAxtkGkXmxxXVON/s1600/20160524_110115.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP6ywBE7HdrXGqWYjQHQXhOxtucKEWF1FRYUPiVv2l1qbgKgFCaLrKaOpnSPVwwfa83X-XxbkDfqlKYtmk_GCjo0qAqzPbFk6MGUvpNOlOFCKZDSizDl2_rjlLTjRNQlAxtkGkXmxxXVON/s640/20160524_110115.png" width="360" /></a></div>
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And, to make up for the lateness of everything and give you a chance to see my bump in its present glory. Here's some video made just for this blog, just now:</div>
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Oh and one final note that I forgot to put in the video, but what is up with the reduced lung capacity?! Holy crap, body, I get out of breath if I sit down the wrong way, and trying to sing the other day felt like running a marathon. Also, I just did some pushups (trying to stick with my new goal) and am now as out of breath as if I had been sprinting. What the hell? Anyone else getting that? If it's this bad now, what's it going to be like in the third trimester? </div>
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Oh dear.</div>
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Well, that's really it for today. Off to go swim in a lake! See you next week! </div>
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-26015570841661456132016-05-21T12:46:00.000-07:002016-05-24T20:56:38.506-07:00Week 23<div class="p1">
So, after the lovely week 22 blog post courtesy of my husband, there are a few highlights that he didn’t include and since week 23 has largely been a continuation of week 22 I thought I would cover some highlights for both weeks in this post. </div>
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The weekend of week 22 saw us going to a child cycle sale which had tons of baby and kid stuff, as well as a bit of maternity gear, all second hand and for great prices. We didn’t buy much, just a few blanket type things and some cloth diapering supplies. The ‘exciting’ thing for me was finding two pairs of maternity pants that actually fit for the far more acceptable price of $6 each. Take that, Thyme maternity! Suck on your $125 price tag.</div>
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Ahem. Yeah. So that was cool… I am surprised to report, however, that I still fit into most of my normal pants as long as I can extend the button. My shirts, however, are straining to contain my ever expanding bosom and growing bump. So, I’m wearing a lot of stretchy tank tops and baggy sweaters. And yet, for some reason, I haven’t purchased any maternity tops. I can’t seem to bring myself to spend money on clothes that I’m not going to use for more than a few months. (And yes, I recognize I won’t instantly return to my original shape as soon as Speck pops out, but even so, as I’m not at all convinced that we’ll be doing this again, it’s likely to be a pretty limited time that I’m using anything “maternity.”) And I’m cheap. And I don’t particularly like clothes shopping in general. So… yeah.</div>
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On the other hand, we have been getting a bunch of free stuff from friends who already have kids and that has been hugely helpful. We are all about the hand me downs. </div>
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As Speck can now hear voices and start recognizing them, Corey and I are talking to Speck more often. One day last week, when I was trying to nap, but Speck was having a dance party instead, I spent an hour and a half describing to Speck its entire family in Spanish. Why Spanish? Because this kiddo is going to be bilingual at least! Speck will definitely learn Spanish early on, and hubby and I will probably throw a bit of German and Japanese in there too, because I’m all about kids learning as many languages as possible so we’ll use all the languages we’ve got. </div>
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And we’re increasing our singing. This kiddo is going to get serenaded as often as possible. </div>
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One notable thing from week 22 was that on Mother’s day people wished me a happy Mother’s day. That seemed weird to me. Not that I didn’t appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t feel like I’ve earned the title yet. I consider myself a proto-mom, I’ll reach full momdom when I’ve pushed this little one out. </div>
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My last prenatal went well, weight is on track and I didn’t get any more lectures in either direction, and Speck seems to be healthy. Due to a misdirection of paperwork I did not get the report on Speck’s ultrasound, but I will assume that now that that’s been corrected no news is good news and I’ll just wait 'til my next appointment. </div>
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The biggest thing that has happened in the past two weeks has nothing to do with Speck, but I’m too excited not to mention it. I finally finished the first draft of my next book, which means it’s time to dive into revisions soon. I’m thrilled to have gotten back to writing fiction in this pregnancy as the first trimester completely wiped me out in a way that didn’t leave me with enough creative energy to do much at all, let alone write fiction. And even once the energy returned, it took me a while to get back into the book that I had started writing back in November. I finally managed it, however, and now the first draft is done. There’s lots of work ahead before I can release the book, but having the first draft done feels like a huge weight off, and I’m looking forward to revisions. </div>
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Then the biggest Speck related news is that not only can Corey feel kicks now, but I can sometimes see them, which is a wholly new and alien situation. Seeing your body move at someone else’s volition is an insane experience. </div>
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In terms of overall pregnancy wellness, I mostly feel pretty good. I generally feel as though I have my normal energy level and I only occasionally need to go down for a nap in the middle of the day, but I do still periodically feel like Speck is pulling me down into an abyss of slumber against my will. Nausea has been very sporadic, but still pops up now and again. Nonetheless, trimester two seems to be treating me quite well. What’s crazy to think about is that the second trimester is almost over. Where the first trimester seemed like it would never end, this trimester is flying by. I’m curious to see how the third one goes. </div>
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Speaking of which, at the end of next week Speck will be ‘theoretically’ viable outside the womb. Which is exciting when one considers all the things that can still go wrong. The pessimist in me will be greatly relieved when we hit that milestone. </div>
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And I think that about covers weeks 22 and 23. Right now I’m sitting at KeyCon in Winnipeg, selling my book to folks and chatting with people as they stroll by. Conventions like this are generally big sales weeks for me, as well as a lot of fun, so I’m glad that this seems to be a high energy week for me. </div>
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However, due to how busy I’ve been prepping for this weekend, and the weekend itself, I have no bump picture for this week. Fortunately, since last week you all got to enjoy Corey’s bump I have last week’s shot for you as well as a non bump shot of me from today.</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-83772176667628934132016-05-14T11:50:00.002-07:002016-05-14T11:50:45.437-07:00Week 22 - Guest BlogWell, I woke up to a few wonderful things today. First of all, hubby made french toast, which is delicious, and second of all, hubby wrote a guest post for this blog which is well... one of the funnier things I've read in a while. <div>
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I might follow up in another post with some additional notes on things that happened over the week, but for now, I leave you in Corey's capable hands... <br /><br />Hello, faithful readers of a pregnant lady’s travails! Bit of a curveball coming your way this week, as her blog has been temporarily taken over by her male roommate and purported co-progenitor. <br /><br />You’ll be relieved to hear I’ve been making my way through the required reading, and, aside from the obligatory foot rubs, back rubs, bringing of beverages, and telling her she’s beautiful, the literature indicates that another good way I can pull my birth weight is to just try to make life easier for her in general. So I figured giving her a week off her blog duties counts just like taking out the recycling or finding just what exactly stinks so gawdawful in the fridge. <br /><br />It seems we’re at week 22. She is definitely showing - more like a couple of brown bag king cans than a 6-pack these days - and there is a lot of movement going on in there. “Spekk” supposedly likes to really start running uterine laps around 1am, although I have yet to be awake for any of that. However last weekend during a lazy afternoon the little duffer started kicking up a fuss and I was able to feel several well-placed kicks (elbows?) which made it all seem pretty real. Sure, seeing a grainy ultrasound of a little stomach alien sucking its thumb is one thing, but actually feeling it in real time...oy vey. Other than doing the Vader and saying “I AM YOUR FATHER”, I’ve started singing to The Tummy lately. Apparently the wee ‘un can already hear and recognize our voices, and it’s best to get a start on all the Tom Waits repertoire early in one’s life. V disagrees and thinks I should layoff any renditions of “Eyeball Kid” until after the 2nd birthday. Ugh. They said parenthood would be hard. <br /><br />There’s a book in our house called ‘The Expectant Father.’ I’ve been skimming it for weeks now and mostly I’m glad we don’t have to worry about the extensive sections on how to pay for the hospital bills (American author). I did learn one word though - ‘couvade.’ It’s from the French for ‘a man’s sympathetic beer gut caused by his partner’s pregnancy.’ However it means much more than having one’s toes slowly recede out of sight. It can also refer to any pregnancy-like symptoms typically experienced by women which men may also experience - like forgetfulness, irrational mood swings, and gas. Although I haven’t really noticed any big symptomatic changes in myself, it’s just a relief to finally have some cover for one’s normal behaviour. Anytime I forget my keys, spill some beer, or accidentally yell too loudly, I can make the guilt disappear by uttering my new favourite word: couvade. Couvade. It’s so sensual, so effortless the way it rolls off the tongue. Couvade. It could be the name of the latest Porsche model, or maybe one of those $1200 strollers. But it comes in real handy if an attempt to blame “that awful smell” on the dog fails. <br /><br />I still go to my aikido classes as often as possible. One of my friends there is in his mid 20s and is super fit and very good at aikido. I’ve been enjoying my slide into middle age with something known as ‘always having stiff shoulders’ and when he takes me down for an arm bar pin, he’s begun making smart-ass comments about “taking it easy on the dad-bod.” Then, one day, I looked up dad bod on the internet, and after that I noticed I’ve been going after him just a little bit more….intensely. So far he hasn’t killed me, but it’s become markedly more satisfying when it’s my turn and I actually manage to mash him into the mats a bit. I usually celebrate my martial arts prowess after class with a couple advil followed by going to bed at 9:30.<br /><br />We found a doula. Correction: Virginia found a doula and I was invited to the interview. Catherine seems super nice and extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of childbirth. I had no idea what to expect before meeting her but now I’m pretty sure this is the smartest idea I’ve ever been made to feel was partly mine. We have some friends who shared their pregnancy stories and wisdom with us and became EXTREMELY animated and insistent when they got to the part about having a doula. Doctors? Hospitals? Tubs of warm water? Strolling accordion player? When giving birth one can do without all of those so-called essentials, but do NOT attempt to do it without a doula. Unless of course you’ve lucked into a midwife. Then you’re all good. <br /><br />Well, the mid/late September due date is bearing down (hah!) upon us, and with a busy work schedule 'til then I’m sure the remaining 18 weeks will fly by for me. We’ve decided to attempt a holiday road trip to Ontario in early August that may involve camping. V loves camping and sleeping in tents, but I’m thinking I may have to bring a tent of my own once we factor in all the body pillows, duvets, and extra sleeping pads required for someone almost 8 months along. The best part will be visiting our friends Gord and Kelly in Toronto, as they are not only also expecting, but their due date is essentially the exact same date as ours. It will be a double-baby-belly-photo-op extravaganza! I can’t wait to see the two ladies strutting side by side, double wide, up the sweaty Danforth in their resplendent fertile glory. Or maybe we’ll just take a cab if they’re tired. Gord has assured me he’ll have several batches of homemade beer ready for action, so I predict a lot of crying, yelling, and spilled drinks - especially if the ladies aren’t around. COUVADE!</div>
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Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-19679170850495188652016-05-07T17:59:00.003-07:002016-05-10T12:04:40.312-07:00Week 21Well, sorry I'm a bit late with the blog post again. This time it's mostly because yesterday was a super busy day and while I had thought I would have time to get this post written I wound up being completely mistaken.<br />
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.... *Reality notice: I wrote that first paragraph around 3pm right after eating lunch. Speck demanded a nap, however, and I just woke up again. It is now 7:15. Holy crap, Speck!*<br />
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Now that I'm back from midday dream land... Where was I?<br />
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Right. Last week. Week 21.<br />
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First of all can we talk about "required" weight gain? At my last Dr.'s appointment I received two lectures from two different doctors. The first was a lecture on why I shouldn't lose weight in pregnancy (I had dropped one kilogram since my previous appointment) and the second was that, "pregnancy is not an excuse to eat whatever you want." Which I haven't used it as. The first lecture was tempered when I explained that the weight loss was probably from the fact that I had been exercising a lot more since the second trimester arrived (hand in hand with warmer weather and a big spike in energy/absence of nausea). And the second lecture seemed to be a generic lecture rolled into one long "pregnancy talk" and not directed at me particularly. But still...<br />
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It's a little weird for me to talk that much about my weight at all as it's not something that generally comes up for me at doctor's appointments. Thin privilege revoked! Apparently, as a pregnant lady I will now join the ranks of the thousands of women who are forced to discuss their weight with physicians at every appointment.<br />
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I understand why losing weight in the second trimester can be problematic. I also understand that "eating for two" is an outdated concept and that pregnant ladies around the 21 week mark really only need around 300 additional calories a day to support the growing human inside them. And honestly, as far as I can tell Speck is growing just fine, and so far, I'm not growing much aside from boobs and belly. So I'm not worried about it. I just wish everyone else would not worry too. I feel for my sistren who have to deal with this kind of thing on a more regular basis. My brief exposure to it has not been high up my list of things that are fun, and as someone who never weighs herself (seriously, we don't even own a scale) the whole obsession with numbers instead of my overall health has been disconcerting.<br />
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That said, all the doctors I've seen so far have been very nice, professional, and courteous. Plus I finally met the doctor who is supposed to deliver me and he seems pretty cool, is down with natural childbirth, and even encouraged me to get a doula once he heard that I had been hoping for a midwife. So that is all very promising.<br />
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Now as to the doula, we met her last weekend and she is very nice and seems like she'll be a good person to have around for the birth. It's very reassuring to know that someone will be there that Corey and I have both met several times who knows what the heck is going on and can talk us through everything. Neither of us have any idea what we're doing after all, and while we're both reading multiple books to catch up, we're still looking forward to having a more experienced person with us who is calm and collected and paid to just pay attention to us and help/reassure us. :-)<br />
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I had never considered having a doula until a month our two ago. Frankly, until this pregnancy started, I didn't know what the heck a doula was. But a number of women I know have recommended them and I have yet to see anyone write or say, "I had a doula last time but I think I'll skip it this time." Everyone instead has said, "I had a doula last time and now I can't imagine labour and birth without one." Those reports swayed me, as did a close friend insisting that it was a good idea, and finally it was sealed by my doctor saying it was a good idea. When a guy who delivers tons of babies says, "If I were capable of going through labor I'd want a doula with me when I did" I listen.<br />
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And then on Monday we had our first and perhaps only ultrasound. Which was super exciting because even though we had no interest in finding out Speck's sex, we still got to see live footage of Speck's whole body (minus the crotch shot) and saw little hands and feet moving around, saw Speck's adorable little nose. Saw Speck's spinal column and brain, saw the arms and legs, saw... well a freaking baby. And one that looked more like a baby than a tadpole or an alien. And hey, I have to admit I might have been slightly disappointed to discover that speck was missing the wings and tail that would have marked Speck as a dragon, I will accept this little miniature human because holy shit, I MADE THAT!! Ok, ok, hubby helped, but for months now it has been mostly me.<br />
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Fun ultrasound details. Speck must have behaved fairly well, because the U/S tech said that the whole thing would take 45 minutes before she would call Corey in, but it only took about 35 by the time she called him instead. That said, Speck was apparently disobliging because s/he was lying on top of my<br />
cervix and the tech needed to get a picture of my cervix. So Speck was pushed and prodded quite vigorously, and when that didn't work the tech shifted the cool electronic exam table so that my feet went way up and my head went down, hoping that Speck would slide away from my cervix, and when THAT didn't work, I was finally, blissfully, instructed to void my bladder (in the bathroom thankfully, not right there on the table) so that the tech could get better leverage to push Speck out of the way. That final trick must have worked because the tech took a couple more shots after I came back from the washroom and then she called in Corey to come watch video with me.<br />
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We were both mesmerized by watching video of the little human we made as it moved its hands in front of its face. In addition, during all the photos the tech was taking for measurements I could feel Speck swatting at the wand as if trying to fight it off. That is definitely my child. The tech said Speck was moving lots. She also asked me early on if we wanted to know the sex and I said no, but she said she had to take a picture of the genitals so clearly they must have presented themselves pretty clearly. Speck is not shy. Now that is Corey's child. ;-) (Ok, ok, mine too.) The tech reminded me that I'll have to remind my doctor not to tell us the sex because the doctor will know as soon as he sees the ultrasound results, so now I'm worried I'll find out by accident, but oh well.<br />
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True to form, I came home from our U/S appointment and immediately fell into a 2.5 hour nap. And, the night before the U/S I was sitting up writing at my laptop and FELL ASLEEP SITTING UP IN MY CHAIR.<br />
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Speck is ALL ABOUT the naps these days. Which leads me to believe that Speck is growing like crazy.<br />
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In terms of exercise this week I've just been walking the dog a bunch, but haven't managed to get much else done. I keep meaning to go for a run, but after I walk the dog a few miles I always feel like I need a break and then it never happens. Also, I've been focusing on writing fiction and also doing marketing and promotion for my novel. So, that has kept me quite busy (it is, after all, my job) and I have not made time for running. But I should anyway, because my health is more important than anything, especially now.<br />
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Yesterday, I somehow managed to fit into the clothes I pulled out of my closet to constitute a lion tamer's costume as my dog and I volunteered to be part of a mental health and wellness awareness week Circus! It was fun. We met lots of folks. It was one of the many things I did yesterday. I didn't nap yesterday though... maybe that's part of why I needed a 4 hour one today.<br />
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Alright, that's probably more than enough from me. Here are two pictures one is this week's bump picture and the other is a picture from the "Circus" yesterday.<br />
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Hope everyone is doing well. See you all in week 22!<br />
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The quotes are for the twitter hashtag #Getloud, speaking out about mental health.</div>
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-492249337936771598.post-52451966129674145692016-04-30T10:13:00.000-07:002016-04-30T10:13:05.088-07:00Week 20Wooooooaaaaaaah we're half way theeerrreee oooohhhhh livin' on a praaaaayyyyyyeeerrr!!!<br />
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Anyone, anyone? Bon Jovi? No?<br />
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Sigh... oh well.<br />
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Only one day late with my week 20 post! That's an improvement, right?<br />
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So, week 20... let's see. It was a pretty good week overall. Though I've had a resurgence of fatigue and a strong need to nap a few times a day over the last week, I've also had days where I felt totally energetic and normal, and I've managed to accomplish a fair bit on those days, so I consider it mostly a win.<br />
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For example, on Sunday of last weekend my husband and I took the dog for a 12.6km hike in the Whiteshell. It was beautiful, just strenuous enough to tire the dog out for a day or two, and left my calves and quads feeling like they'd done something. (There was a lot of steep-but short-up and down on the hike as we followed the cliff strewn lakeside trail around Hunt Lake and Westhawk Lake.)<br />
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The day before that I managed to go for another run and it felt better than the last one. I felt pretty good for the first half mile and then started to feel Speck jouncing against my bladder, which was... uncomfortable, but not painful, so I kept running for a while and then eventually walked my way home. Slow improvement. I'll take it.<br />
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Tuesday was the day of eating ALL THE THINGS. It could partially be due to me recovering form the hike, but DAMN. I ate two cinnamon rolls for breakfast, had a homemade energy bar for a snack, two portions of lasagna plus another cinnamon roll for lunch, and then another two portions of lasagna, plus a salad, plus garlic bread for dinner! Holy bottomless pit, Batman!<br />
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Then on Wednesday Speck very clearly requested brownies. So, I made brownies. From scratch. They were actually pretty good. But what's up with the sugar cravings, Speck? That's not usually how we roll. (As an aside, Speck celebrated the consumption of brownies by breakdancing in utero. At least I assume that's why I was getting punched and kicked every few seconds for about 20 minutes.)<br />
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All that food has been fueling my creativity though, and over the past week I've managed to add over 20,000 words to my latest novel. So that's a major win! I'm hoping to finish the first draft by the end of this weekend. I am greatly enjoying this return to creative capacity, because I had been feeling terrible about how little progress I'd made on my latest works in progress for the past few months. This is much more like it.<br />
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So for some reason I feel like I'm looking more barrel chested than pregnant, but certainly I'm noticeably... different. Anyway here's the week 20 pic so you can see for yourself:<br />
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And here is proof that I actually went hiking during week 20:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDNl4Pc8RRK4V8r1iC3e_dk32scO8Hw7cSkEJ48cLJwxEiREV5kmkneJI0szvK-x6_bJ9W2Yrd48qRDilFxzQDiyxGTkGBa77LVSZg8oGhQrDRiVWwGqJaexlEHu3sOQbhJl4T7KIxrEi/s1600/Frozen+Lake+Mid+Thaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDNl4Pc8RRK4V8r1iC3e_dk32scO8Hw7cSkEJ48cLJwxEiREV5kmkneJI0szvK-x6_bJ9W2Yrd48qRDilFxzQDiyxGTkGBa77LVSZg8oGhQrDRiVWwGqJaexlEHu3sOQbhJl4T7KIxrEi/s640/Frozen+Lake+Mid+Thaw.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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That about sums it up on the week 20 update. Oh, just for a splash of TMI it's been a pretty gassy week. I hear that's pretty normal though. Pregnant ladies fart a lot. Go figure. See you next week where we may have... pictures of Speck! That's right, our very first (and probably only) ultrasound is on Monday. We won't be finding out the sex but we're still excited to see the little one. And we're interviewing a doula today, but that's technically part of week 21 so I'll tell you all about it next week. </div>
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Ok. I'm done now. Seriously. I mean it.</div>
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02491166048513589728noreply@blogger.com6