The Final Countdown

Oh man, by this point I was ready to be done! I was ready to hold you and be done with all this discomfort! I missed being able to correctly fit in my clothes and had heard enough pregnancy advice to last me a lifetime. I have some sort of blocked duct on my back which has given me a lovely little bump. I consistently wake up at 5 AM to go to the bathroom. The hair on my tummy has gotten a lot darker. I also get a rash (not itchy or raised, just little dots) when I shower. I wasn't quite sure what Braxton Hicks felt like but once I figured out it turns out I had been having them for quite a while! I just thought it was weird cramping. So those are some interesting developments.
On May 3rd (34 weeks) I weighed 125.6 lbs and my heart rate was 90/50 while yours was 150.  We have been tv (actually watching it on the laptops since we don't have cable) hounds. We have watched all the seasons of Lost, Monk, Arrested Development, and The Office. Sometimes you put your whole self on one side of my stomach so I look like I have a lopsided tummy. You move a lot after I eat. I can see you move a foot or a hand across the whole length of my tummy which is pretty freaky! On May 13th we thought my water broke, I had lots of lower abdominal pain. At 11:30 pm we went into the hospital where we learned that I had a urinary tract infection but I was also dilated 1 cm. Getting my cervix checked is definitely one thing I will not miss about being pregnant. May 17th, I was 125 lbs and they said that he had moved to the head down position. They estimated that he was about 5 lbs. I was craving Raising Canes and cold things like popsicles or Red Mango yogurt.
The ninth month-My message to you "Hurry up and get out of there!" I am afraid for the IV line and possibly the epidural or episiotomy. I had a lady come up to me and ask me if I was pregnant. When I told her that I was she told me that she was paralyzed by her epidural during her labor. Great..just what I want to hear! On May 26th we had a baby shower hosted by my friends Brittany, Emily, Allie, and Kayla. It was so fun! They did a great job and it was fun to see lots of my friends since everyone had been away at college. On May 29th we had our Lamaze reunion and all the other couples had their babies! Our due date isn't until June 14th but there were other couples that had due dates later than that. On May 31st I was 127.8 lbs with a fundal height of 35. They estimated the baby to be about 5.5 to 6 lbs.
We started walking every day trying to hurry you along. My stomach had purple lines on it which we later found out were stretch marks and the diastasis recti (splitting of my abdominal muscles). On one of our walks the craziest thing happened, we saw a bunny give birth. It was disgusting but we thought it was a sign you would come that day. Nope! On June 18th, four days after the due date we had an appointment. I was 130.2 lbs You were at a -1 station and I was still only 1 cm dilated but I was 50% effaced. Since I was miserable enough already, we decided to be induced the next day..

Room Family out for Dinner for my Bday

30 Weeks

The hostesses and I

Diaper Cradle that Brittany's Mom made and Diaper Cake that Allie made

Cute cake! 

Who needs a table when you are pregnant?

Looks like I'm not the only one gaining weight :P

Your Grandma and I

Getting your room decorated!

I kept your outfits out because I loved to look at how sweet they were

6/18 My stretch marks!

                                                                                                                

The Glow

I don't know what this pregnancy glow was supposed to look like, but I didn't get it! One of my favorite things about pregnancy though was feeling you move and seeing it. One of the more impossible things-sleeping, sitting comfortably, standing comfortably, just being comfortable in general! Over Christmas break, we moved into the apartment, I was so so excited to find out your gender so that I could start getting your room ready. The first movement that you made and I felt was on January 16th. For a while after that you mostly only moved at night. You were already set on keeping me up at night! :) How do people work out when they are pregnant? I was a lump and used it as an excuse to not workout. I did try for the first time since I found out about you and it was an utter failure. January 31st, the big day, we found out you were a boy!!! Names I like: Dominic and Dechlan. The doctor said you were at the 40th percentile for growth. We can work on that.
The sixth month-My belly button is like half popped out which freaked me out and I was afraid it would never go back! It did haha. During week 24, I thought I didn't feel him move for three days so we went to the hospital to be monitored. Everything was fine, paranoid pregnant lady syndrome. February 28th is when we started going to Lamaze. Loved it! Our instructor, Jill, was amaaazing and I would highly recommend this to any pregnant couple. Especially if your partner hasn't had a lot of baby experience. I think Chris got a lot more out of it than I did, it prepared him for the possible cone shaped head and other weird looking things that newborns may have along with the rainbow array of baby poop. We weren't big on the breathing but we did use level one breathing and it did help. What I really liked was learning about the different massages, mostly because I got a backrub but also we learned a lot about labor positions. On March 21st I got that rhogam shot in my butt because Chris is blood type O positive and I am B negative. My heart rate at this appointment was 80/50 while yours was in the 140s. Our fundal height was 24 and my weight was 118.8 lbs.
Seventh Month-this is when the heartburn decided to kick in! Pizza seemed to be a large contributor to this. March 31st, we had a baby shower hosted by my Mom's best friend. We had a great turnout lots of my mom's friends, my family, and my friend's parents came. 

 You on January 31st for Ultrasound Pictures

My baby bump at 25 weeks

At relay for life with Allie and Brittany

28 weeks!

Chris's baby bump haha

Diaper cake Mary made me

Awesome cake!

Your Aunts and I

Mary and I

Your Grandma and I

 

My cousin Emily (your Godmother) and I   

The Very Beginning

So I have to backtrack a bit because I feel like I should share my pregnancy experience. Chris is my boyfriend. We went to high school and now college together. We found out that we were pregnant with you on October 9th, 2011. The first three months I had a little bit of "morning sickness" which is totally a misnomer..i got sick throughout the day not just the morning! At this time I was about 109.5 lbs. Apparently you were craving some protein, mostly Wendy's and steak. The smell of popcorn made me super nauseous. November 15th we had our first appointment. My mom, Chris, and I were all very excited to see you! The OBGYN's name was Dr. Gibbens. I learned that I have hypothyroidism and would have to start taking medication for it. Before this point I couldn't swallow pills and had always taken liquid medicine. So now I would be taking the prenatal vitamin, the DHA vitamin and this levothyroxine pill, this was a struggle every time which sometimes spurred on some throwing up. I got online and saw the effects that hypothyroidism can have on an infant and I was so nervous for you. I was afraid I didn't know soon enough and that you were going to be sick. We went to the latest twilight movie which absolutely horrified me for labor. Also at this time I was a night clerk at the residence hall I was living at so I was working the wonderful 12-4 or 4-8 shifts, paired along with pregnancy..at the very best..I looked like a zombie most days.
The fourth month is when my back started to hurt, ALL the time. We decided not to do any prenatal test  (amniocentesis etc) because we will love you no matter what :) A few weird pregnancy quirks: 1. My tummy has gained so much hair it looks like Chewbacca and 2. Having tons of dreams about baby animals. Some interesting places I have gotten sick: 1. My dorm sink 2. My dorm shower 3. The side of HWY 77 (bonus-no cleanup necessary!) 4. Church     Happy New Years! You are 16 weeks along! My bump is finally starting to show! But I am 108 lbs now..how that works I have no idea. January 3rd, 2012 we found out that I am Rh negative.

Jess and Chris at Christmas, no bump really yet!