The Sensible Mom

I have less than 2 weeks to go in this pregnancy, and time seems to be winding down rather quickly now. There’s no real sign of me going into labor on my own, so we’re making preparations to meet our new baby girl in about 1 1/2 weeks.

Here’s what life has been like:

:: I’ve gained 28 lbs. thus far – not too bad since we just celebrated Thanksgiving. I’ve been hoping to stay under 30 lbs. altogether.

:: We purchased a car seat and stroller thanks to generous friends. You can take a look at it on Target’s website. I paid just about $81 for it shipped and all, though, because it was 30% off when I bought it, and I used a $10 Target gift card that I had.

:: I’ve been having contractions, but not real ‘labor’ contractions. Shucks!

:: After more prayer and research, I’ve decided not to have my tubes tied at this time. I was almost sure I was going to go through the tubal ligation and told my doctor that I was 90% sure I wanted it, but have since decided not to. We’ve decided we are going to practice natural family planning with a method referred to me by a friend.

:: I’m back to being nauseous at times.

:: Some days, my energy level is great, and other days, I feel sapped of energy most of the day. Those are hard days.

:: I’m happy to find out that the hospital I’m staying in has wi-fi. Yay! I hope this means my room WILL have wi-fi. We’ll see. I’m going to have Ruben bring me my laptop either the first or second day I’m in the hospital. I’m hoping to actually write at least a few blog posts while I’m there.

:: I made a big shopping trip today to stock up on easy foods to prepare over the next weeks. As a result, our freezer is looking pretty good, but I’ll probably do one more big shop next week to make sure that we are well stocked and good to go for quick and easy meals after the baby is born.

:: I still only have 5 baby blankets (pictured :-)). I went through one last box in the garage hoping to find more but to no avail. I guess I’m going to have to give in and just buy more at prices I’d rather not. 😉 Oh well.

:: David, our youngest and the child who for almost 8 months denied there was a baby inside of me, have fully embraced the thought that there’s a baby in mommy’s tummy and he even tells others now. Finally!

:: We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with “just us” for the first part of the day. We had fun visiting extended family later on in the day.

Only 4 weeks to go.

It seems like not so long ago I was counting down with 11 weeks to go until delivery day. And now it’s just 4 short weeks until we meet our newest daughter.

Here’s what life has been like the past week of this pregnancy:

:: I almost finished packing my bag for the hospital. I’m only missing diapers (which I haven’t purchased) and blankets (which I haven’t found) for the baby. For myself, I need to add the clothes that I’ll wear home and that’s about it.

:: I had an ultrasound this past week that went well. Everything looked fine with the baby except that she is a bit “petite”. She was estimated to be 4lbs. 8oz., but the doctor who came into the room after the technician finished the ultrasound thinks the baby is actually bigger than their estimation.

:: I’m starting to feel drained of energy. It isn’t so much that I’m tired and want to go back to bed, it’s just that I feel like the energy I should have early in the day has been sucked out of me. Today was especially rough.

:: As the baby grows, it’s harder for me to breath comfortably at times – especially when I’m riding in the car.

:: I got a new nightgown to wear at the hospital for less than $1.00 at Target today. It was on clearance for $3.74, and I used a $3.00 Target coupon good for women’s sleepwear. Then I paid with my Target card, which saved me another 5%. I love these kinds of deals.

:: I’ll start seeing my doctor weekly beginning Tuesday.

:: I had a non-stress test scheduled right after my ultrasound on Wednesday and thought I’d just cancel the appointment for the non-stress test since I had just had an ultrasound and everything was fine. Big mistake. I ended up getting a phone call from a nurse and was told that I’m never supposed to cancel those appointments. The nurse also had to let my doctor know, and I had to wait for a call back to find out what my doctor wanted to me do. I did explain that I had an appointment for another non-stress test the following week scheduled as well as an appointment with my doctor, and that seemed to settle things. But I was warned.

:: I spent a good amount of time this week looking into the area of birth control again and what is biblical and what is not. There are many opinions, but I found some good information on John MacArthur’s website. I’ve looked into my options with each of my last three pregnancies because of the fact that each time I get pregnant, I have to deliver via c-section. This will be my 5th c-section, and I’ve by far received the most interesting responses from people/doctors/nurses this time around than any other time. Having 5 c-sections is not common, and one doctor (not my regular ob/gyn – she’s great!) in particular was pretty rude about it this week. I’m still keeping the matter in prayer, and I’m going to have a conversation about it again with my ob/gyn on Tuesday.

:: We are keeping Thanksgiving small this year because I don’t have the energy to host like I did last year – being 8 months pregnant and all. I’m also not going overboard with the side dishes. We picked up a manageably sized pre-brined turkey this year from Trader Joes, and I have a manageable list of side dishes to prepare, most of which I will prepare the day before Thanksgiving. I’m also making less from scratch this year….store bought rolls and pumpkin pie for sure. 🙂