34 Weeks, Baby Class and Doula Home Visit

34 Weeks
On Friday we hit our 34 week mark and we are very excited about it.  We had a Dr. appointment and I really like the Dr. we met with on Friday.  She showed Jerry how feel for the baby and how to know where her head, back and little bum is.  He loves knowing that he can feel for her and we joke that she in there going "Why are you rubbing my bum?"  LOL

Little Annabelle is head down and laying on her side facing to the left.  She is not able to move as much any more but I can feel her little hands and feet move around a bit.  Last night I think Jerry startled her when he was cleaning the garbage disposal and turned it on with ice in it.  As soon as he turned it on it felt like she jumped and kicked her feet out, he he he he.  You would think she hears so much in there that something like that wouldn't effect her but it was to funny that as soon as he did that I felt bam, bam, bam on my ribs...

Walking is getting harder on my feet and I am having hip pain when I sit for a long time and then get up.  Last night I had really bad sharp pains in my lower back when I tried to stand up and Jerry had to massage it before I could get up.

But as far as over all pregnancy goes we are doing well just very tired all the time and I feel like I don't have time or energy to get everything done that we need to.  I am also only getting 2 mayyybeee 3 full nights of sleep a week, other wise like tonight I am up every 2-3 hrs and end up down stairs on the couch watching TV.   Usually that makes me feel like crud the next day.  But she will be here soon!!!

Baby Class
On Saturday Jerry and I went to an all day (8:30-5) baby class at the hospital.  It was a lot of information for one day and where I didn't sleep well the night before I found myself yawning often and so did Jerry.  The class went over everything from the stages of labor to infant care.  The part I was looking forward to the most was seeing the maternity ward and seeing an example of a delivery room.  The hospital is very nice and doesn't smell like a hospital and the rooms are private and comfortable.  It really helped me relax seeing the room and knowing what we need to do when we go there.

The instructor was great but I am thinking that maybe taking the couple day version might of been helpful to break it up some.  It really made for a long day.

Doula Home Visit
Yesterday 2 of our Doulas came to our home to visit and talk to us.  We got to meet Bonny who was out helping a mother deliver a baby when we went to meet the Doulas for the first time and she was very nice.  Poor Kristy blew her tire hitting the curb outside or house and had to keep running outside to meet the road side service.  No biggy.

We went over our birth wishes with them and talked about situations.  Honestly I don't know how I will be when I am in labor but Jerry thinks I will want to be left alone (cave mom), we will see.  I don't mean alone as in no one with me more in no one talk to me or touch me, but this is much different than any pain I have had before so I am sure I will react a little different.

Everything is falling into place and we can't wait for little Annabelle to be here!!

Found a Doula and a Pediatrician

It sure has been a busy week with Christmas right around the corner and us trying to cross off things on our "To Do" list.  We went and met the Doula's we had found and we really like them and are very happy with our decision to have a Doula present at our birth experience.  There are 3 Doula's in the practice so we are assured to get someone who is fresh and awake and if we labor goes beyond a day we will have a new fresh Doula come in to help through the rest of the time.  They really seem to love their jobs and they are very informed.  Here is a link to the their site http://www.thebirthingwell.com/meet-the-doulas/. 

What is a Doula you ask?  They will help us with the following:

• Helping with alternative pain relief for those who don't want medication for pain relief.
• Being an advocate for our wishes (they can't speak for us but can help us better understand what is happening so we can make the right choice).
• Help be there for emotional support for Jerry and I, so Jerry will be able to get a break if the labor goes long.
•  They will come to our home to help us labor if we would like them to.
•  They know a lot of the policies at a hospital and they can help our wishes to be met.
•  If we would like them to they can take pictures for us (of course respecting any boundaries on what type of pictures)

We are very much looking forward to  working with them during the birth of our little Annabelle.

For the Pediatrician we went to a prenatal visit with a couple of other expecting parents.  This practice seems to be GREAT!  They gave us a very informative package of information and spent time talking to us about what to expect in the hospital at birth and how the practice works.  They are open 364 days a week and available 24/7, I mean seriously I have never heard of that and that is AWESOME!!  They are located in the building that is attached to were we will be having the baby and I especially like that they have different waiting rooms for sick kids vs. well kids vs. teenagers vs. infants.  Here is their website http://raleighchildren.com/ . I think we found a great fit for our little Annabelle and I am very happy we will always have someone to call day or night in case of illness. 

31 Weeks:
Tomorrow is 31 weeks and I am very excited and feeling more ready every day.  We still have a bunch to do and buy but now that we have the Doula and the Dr. I feel better and more ready.  I do need to take a picture of my belly so you all can see what it looks like but it really isn't as big as I thought it would be.  She is riding really low on me so most of it is below my belly button line.

Little Annabelle is still right at home and been kicking and moving around more and more.  We are now seeing our OB every two weeks and soon we change over to once a week.  So 9 more weeks to go and I just think back to waiting till 12 weeks before we could tell people and I keep saying that time went by fast so this will too!

I hope everyone is having a great Holiday!!!  We defiantly have had our prayers answered this year and  I thank God every day for all his blessings this past year has brought.  I still get emotional when I think of our little one that we lost on Christmas last year and our second little one we lost in April but I know everything happens for a reason and we were blessed to have them with us for the time we did.

Merry Christmas to All!