Category Archives: Liz’s Life

39 Week Update

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I hit 39 weeks on Thursday and Lila officially became the fruit equivalent of a watermelon … a WATERMELON is in my stomach. Crazy!

My doctor’s appointment this week was a little disappointing  First, I haven’t progressed at all in the last three weeks. She’s still sitting really low and I’m close to being fully effaced, but no dilation. I’m trying not to dwell on that too much as I’ve heard women can be up to 5 cm dilated for weeks and it makes no difference in when labor starts.

Second, I found out that my doctor is going to be on vacation starting next Monday through the following Tuesday. I knew she was off for Thanksgiving, but didn’t realize it was a week long thing. I feel really comfortable with her, so it’s a little concerning to think a doctor I’ve never met could be delivering Lila. But I guess it’s out of my control and she’s coming out some way or another!

I came down with a bad cold/cough over the weekend and am still struggling to get over it. In general, I’ve just been pretty run down and not sleeping well. Last night I woke up four times to use the bathroom … before 3am! Thankfully, today is my last day coming into the office for work. I am going to work from home next week, which will make it much easier for me to rest up my body and get healthy before labor begins.

My colleagues have been so wonderful throughout my pregnancy, but even more so these last couple weeks. Rachel, the coordinator I work with brought me some beautiful flowers for my last day and a group of us are going to a spicy lunch today. I am seriously so thankful to work with such great people – it makes all the difference in the world!

It’s really hard not to read into every little thing happening with my body as a “sign of labor.” My Braxton Hicks have picked up and yesterday my stomach was rock hard for most the day … but of course as soon as I got home and laid down, it all went away. Sigh. I know I need to avoid Google for now and not read into everything I feel, but it’s hard not to be anxious to get this show on the road.

Luckily I have some distractions … one final pre-baby date night this Saturday with Luke, Thanksgiving and my family arriving from Ohio and San Francisco next Wednesday.

Now come on Lila- Mommy and daddy want to meet you!

 

38 Week Zombie

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I’m 38 weeks today and have officially hit the “ready for this to be over” stage. I can’t even begin to complain about how I feel, because I have had a much easier third trimester than many, but I hope these next two weeks go by quickly.

Out of no where this week I started having to get up about four times a night to use the restroom. Before that it was only once, so I’m thinking it has to do with Lila moving lower and putting pressure on my bladder. Couple that with a mind racing with thoughts of labor & delivery, maternity leave wrap up, Thanksgiving and Christmas plans, and sleep has become a mystery to me.

I’m still working full time, which up until this week was a great distraction. Now though, I find myself asking my colleagues to repeat themselves 2-3 times before my mind actually comprehends what they’re saying (which I’m sure they love!). And my back is usually in a tight knot from sitting all day by 1pm. My coworkers are all being wonderful though- one donated a ball from his office for me to sit on and we have a “what if my water breaks at work” plan in place.

My plan is to continue to work until either I go into labor or my doctor decides I need to stop. I really want my full three months with Lila, so the thought of wasting any of it before she comes doesn’t sit right with me.

November is already an incredibly busy month in my life – the ski season starts, Luke’s birthday, Thanksgiving, my nieces’ first birthday – but I’ve realized this week that I have to just do what I can and then give over control to other people to help. My priority has to be preparing my body, mind and home for this little girl’s arrival.

Luckily we are incredibly blessed to have the support of so many. My sister is “on call” to come from San Francisco whenever I go into Labor. Luke’s brother lives in town, so we can rely on him as well. My parents are coming for Thanksgiving and my mom will stay three weeks to be my right hand with baby-care and recovery. Then Luke’s family is coming for Christmas AND his mom is coming again in February for two weeks when I first go back to work.

On top of that many of our friends in-town have already offered to make us meals and help however they can once Lila is born.

Like I said, we’re so blessed.

I’m trying not to dwell too much on the labor and delivery ahead of me. I have been listening to some birth affirmations and reminding myself that if my body can grow a human with no help from me, it knows how to birth that human too.

We met with our doctor yesterday to go over our birth plan – basically to have as easy and healthy a delivery as possible without any unnecessary medical interventions. She was fully supportive of our plan, which is great. She also confirmed that she has no concerns about me being over-due based on Lila’s position and how effaced I am. Yeah!

So, in an effort to enjoy these last two weeks as best I can, tonight I plan to NOT cook dinner. We’ll order Thai. I’ll take a bath. Maybe read. Do some prenatal stretching. And most certainly will be going to bed no later than 9pm.

One Month Until D-Day

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Today marks exactly one month until my due date – Nov. 22. It seems surreal to think that my pregnancy is almost over and pretty soon there will be another human living in our house, fully reliant upon us to provide, protect and care for her.

This weekend we spent quite a bit of time preparing for life with a new baby. On Saturday we completed our “labor test run” drive down to our hospital in Carson City … about a 45 minute drive from our house. As we made our way along the two-lane highway that hugs the edge of Lake Tahoe, I was thinking a few things:

A) I really hope it’s not snowing a blizzard when we are going to the hospital

B) if I am having contractions every five minutes (as many women are when they are hospital-bound) I will have about nine contractions in the car (EEP!) and

C) having this baby IN the car is not an option

We arrived at the hospital and after going through pre-registration, went up to labor & deliver to get a tour. One of the nurses took us around the L&D floor and I was amazed at how chill it was up there. So quiet. Dim lights. Laughter in the halls.

Each mom gets her own new room with a tub, shower, bed for her husband, TV, WIFI and fridge. Plus some pretty great mountain views out the big windows.

They do everything in one room – labor, deliver and care for the baby. There is no crowded nursery your baby is sent to for their post-birth checks. It’s all done right next to your bedside. I also really appreciated that the nurse went out of her way to tell me they are big advocates for immediate skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. I was worried about Lila getting whisked away for unnecessary cleanings and measuring before I could really bond with her.

Walking out of the hospital, I felt at peace and not fearful at all. The facilities were relaxed. The nurses were sweet. And my doctor is incredibly supportive and nurturing. All elements are lined up for us to have the birth we want.

Later that day, after feeling like we had the labor & delivery prep down, I started thinking about what we needed to know once we bring Lila home. Thankfully I’ll have my sister and/or my mom in town depending on when she arrives to help guide us. But still, I really have no clue what goes into caring for a newborn.

So, I parked myself on the couch and watched video after video on YouTube regarding “Infant Care.” I found this baby series from “How Cast” to be pretty good. It covered the basics like swaddling, picking up a newborn, calming a crying baby, bathing and feeding. Basically though I realized it’s a lot of common sense and mommy intuition.

As the sun got lower in the sky that day, I went downstairs and sat in Lila’s nursery to have some quiet time rocking in the chair we have there, re-folding some blankets and thinking about how much our lives are about to change. It’s overwhelming at times to think about the things we’ll be giving up: freedom to come and go as we please, time to spend doing hobbies (like blogging) and the ability to live our lives solely for ourselves.

But truthfully, I am happy to let our current life go if it means getting to experience everything that comes with motherhood. From what I hear, pretty soon after adding a baby to the mix, you can’t even remember (or want to remember) what life was like before they arrived.

And so, the final countdown to baby girl’s arrival begins!

Monday Night

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Yesterday evening I got home from work around 5:45 pm. I took a photo of this gorgeous Aspen tree outside our front door and then immediately went inside and changed into a comfy nightgown and robe.

I laid on the couch and rested my back while I waited for Luke to come home. He arrived at 6:10 with two bags full of groceries for the week and a kiss for my forehead. He asked me “how does lamb sound for dinner?”

Yummy. He grilled the lamb while I cooked up some swiss chard. We ate at the kitchen table and talked about our day.

Then I had a bit of deliciously crisp white wine someone gave us as a hostess gift at our football party this weekend. Luke chose red wine. We shared the couch and watched two of our favorite shows – Dexter and Homeland.

For dessert we indulged in a few scoops of peanut butter ice cream. I can’t resist ice cream right now.

We got ready for bed and read for 20 minutes or so on our Kindles. Luke rubbed my back, like he does each night lately.

Then Lila got the hiccups. We both rested our hands on my belly and felt her little, rhythmic movements for about five minutes.

Right before we turned out the lights, I turned to Luke and asked with a smile “do you think we’ll always be this happy?”

After a quick kiss he said “Probably even happier.”