The Drop

I have to admit, the timing of this is making me giggle.  Just a few days before New Year's Eve and we've experienced our own "drop".  This is another term I had been pouring over the pregnancy books for.  What on Earth did it mean, when would it happen, and why did some women experience it and some not at all?  The wonders of the human body and of the entire pregnancy/birthing process never cease!

Honestly, I thought I was having an hour long contraction.  My doctor told us at our last visit that I would start experiencing practice contractions likely anytime.  Probably about two months ago, I had a Braxton Hicks contraction, which was a strange sensation, but it only lasted a few minutes. Yesterday, I was so uncomfortable for so long, I was about to leave work and call my doctor to see if I should come into the office.  It started with being unable to get comfortable in the break room.  That wasn't so hard to believe since it's not super unusual depending on the day.  Then lower back pain really started to kick in about twenty minutes after my lunch break was over.  I took two Tylenol and figured in another twenty minutes everything would be fine. Nope!

Starting to get concerned, I began texting some friends who have had a child within the last several months. I figured they would remember more details since their babes aren't too much older than ours.  My plan was that if the pain hadn't subsided by three o'clock (which would have made the whole ordeal about an hour and a half) and if the friends recommended I seek medical assistance, I would.  Why didn't I just call my doctor right away?  Because we've already been to the ER once with a false alarm, and I don't want to make it a habit, or pay the bills for unnecessary testing.  My texting buds got me through it all, and the pain finally went away at about twenty till three.

At the end of the work day, I found out that a coworker's daughter who is the same week along as me just experienced her baby drop, too.  We discussed all the symptoms - strong menstrual cramp type back pain, difficulty walking, discomfort sitting/standing/walking, increased appetite, much more frequent trips to the potty, and sharp stabbing pains in your cervix (it's shortening/flattening out to prepare for delivery).  All of what I had been beginning to feel over Christmas week, and the experience yesterday afternoon was the culmination of our baby girl dropping.  It is literally and figuratively easier to breathe!  What an interesting experience with such an exciting feeling left behind! Our sweet little love is coming soon and we can't wait to meet her!!

The Trimesters

Thankfully, I've had a healthy and relatively easy pregnancy.  I'm already thinking ahead to having a second child in a few years, much to my fiance's chagrin - he'd like to see how everything goes after our first one is born.  Here's the rundown of my trimesters for you to use as a reference point. Again, everyone is different and you should always ask your doctor if you have any concerns or questions of a more serious nature. Otherwise, ask friends and family whatever pops into your brain!

The First Trimester:  bloating; nausea (thankfully, no vomiting, but tummy issues); hot flashes - generally warmer than normal, especially when sleeping, even night sweats; mood swings worse than PMS sometimes; frequent urination, (but not as frequent as it gets in the third); emotional roller coaster; food aversions (wanted nothing to do with hummus) and cravings (wanted everything to do with macaroni and cheese), general appetite increases (assuming you don't have morning sickness); breasts get bigger - but not right away.  Forgetfulness begins....

The Second Trimester:  just as glorious as everything/one says!  Have energy, no food aversions, healthy appetite, sleep well, life really feels pretty normal except that your belly is expanding and you're finally starting to look pregnant instead of bloated or pudgy.  Time to go shopping for bigger sizes, or for some maternity clothes and bigger bras. Take advantage of this time to be social and get things done, or take a trip/vacation if you can.  You won't feel like it later, trust me. Started sleeping with body/boppy pillow.

The Third Trimester:  Here now. Tireds are back; backaches and headaches occasionally; feet and ankle swelling; so hungry I need to bring a supermarket to work with me everyday to keep up with my appetite. Invest in a back brace - my fave is the Boppy belly support with the built in pocket for heat/ice pack.  Some groin pain, which makes walking too much difficult; and restless leg syndrome, which makes sleeping difficult. Depending on the weather/season, buy appropriate maternity clothes - I lucked out and the majority of my maternity wardrobe has come from thrift stores if you're okay with that.  Otherwise, Target has some things, although limited, and Motherhood Maternity has the most, but is not always the cheapest.  Supposedly Sears and Belk have small sections of things too, but I never made it to either store to see for myself.  Invest in bigger bras again if necessary or if just your width is expanding, Motherhood Maternity sells bra extenders. It's hard to want to rest, but know it's important for me and baby - nesting kicks in high gear! So does forgetfulness - things like last names, or details that previously seemed second nature are quite challenging to retrieve from the memory bank.

Thankfully, my spouse is amazing with running errands, doing chores, and taking care of baby and I. Working full-time while pregnant is challenging, especially during the first and third trimesters mostly because of energy levels.  Part-time seems like it would be ideal, but the grass is always greener, right?  I worked hard to get my master's degree, so I gotta get the most use out of it!  Best of luck to you whether this is your first or fourth child!  I know I've been very fortunate throughout this pregnancy and my heart goes out to those who have dealt with pre-eclampsia and placenta previa among other complications.  Cheers to all mothers!

Know Your Rights

When embarking on a new adventure, be it a trip, a new job, having your first child, or even just trying a new recipe, it's usually wise to read up on where you're going, what's expected, what's involved, and so on.  As I've mentioned before, my fiance' and I are not as young as we look.  My OBGYN records say I'm of "advanced maternal age" - lovely, right?  Makes it sound like I'm in my eighties or something.  Anyway, both of us have several friends who have multiple children.  Our parents friends have grand kids, they know loads of people with kids and grand kids.  Point being, I don't care how old you are or if you've never been married. Whether you're in your twenties, thirties, or sixties, you had to have known people with children at some point in your life, which also means, you've heard things or picked up tidbits over the years on how it all works.  Well, dear readers, you should sit down.  I have managed to meet at least one person who has no clue whatsoever about child raising.  In fact, I think there may be more than one person in this boat.  The sad thing is, these people worked with children on a daily basis, which included working with their parents, too, again leading one to believe that said people would have the slightest clue about child rearing. These people are the inspiration for this post.

Back to the beginning, when you start something new, especially as big a deal as raising a child, you should know the rules.  Yes, there are rules, unsolicited advice, each and everyone's opinion, etc.  What I'm referring to here, however, is literally knowing the laws.  If you don't know your rights, unfortunately, people like the ones referred to above will unknowingly lead you in the wrong direction and possibly try to change how you planned to raise your child.  Thankfully, I was familiar enough about breastfeeding laws to stand up for myself and get things rolling in the right direction without wasting much time.  Here is the Louisiana Law and here is the Federal Law so you can also familiarize yourself.

My dilemma has a happy ending, thankfully.  Unfortunately, I spent an entire lunch break crying in my car and discussing other employment options with my fiance' because of the ignorance I experienced that day.  Pennsylvania has created laws to protect expectant mothers about people touching your belly.  They are the only state so far to pass such a law, but hopefully more follow suit.  Now, if we could just get all the people who think they're doctors that love to say things like, "doesn't look like you'll make it to your due date", to zip it or face consequences, that'd be amazing.

Nesting

I'm sure at some point I heard the term, but I had to look it up once we were expecting to really get the gist.  Nesting is the urge or drive that many expectant mothers get, especially toward the end of pregnancy, to get everything in order before baby arrives. I definitely had spurts throughout the last seven months. It hasn't all been saved for now; however, I've read that at 33 weeks, it really kicks into high gear. I'll find out tomorrow when I begin my 33rd week.

To-do lists, even for small tasks and focusing on trivial things, like getting my fiance' lights for his special Christmas tree and exchanging them for the exact right kind (he was just happy to have a tree and lights, but I wanted it to be just right!), are symptoms I've been experiencing. Then there's keeping up with regular chores, plus being in the holiday spirit on top of everything else. There's baby stuff everywhere post showers, and I would love to start washing her clothes and blankets, but it will have to wait until I have more energy. Apparently, until they're toddlers, the baby things taking over is normal, then there will be toys everywhere.

It's frustrating not being able to do as much as my non-pregnant self, but again, my fiance' is wonderful, and as he reminded me this morning, getting rest is for a good cause.  He's got me on bed rest today while he's out running errands I planned to do.  We attended the Old Mandeville Sips of the Season last night, which was a great event, but I walked WAY too much.  It was painful.  A golf cart or wagon would've been wonderful to ride in!

Home Sweet Home

Being off four days in a row for Thanksgiving could not have come at a better time.  Thankfully, there are only three weeks of work left before another extended break for Christmas.  At 31 weeks pregnant, a girl needs all the rest she can get.  It's hard to remember, but I would say the level of tiredness now is near the level of tiredness experienced in the first trimester.

It's tough for anyone to go back to work after being off for a few days, but going back today seemed harder, probably because I know how close our baby's due date is, and because the energy just isn't there to get back into the swing of things.  Staying home to rest today seemed like the best plan of action ever, although it didn't happen.  Luckily, at lunch, I was able to sneak in some shut eye.

Working during pregnancy is challenging.  During the first trimester, if you're not telling people right away, it's stressful mentally, plus you're dealing with the super sleepiness, bloating or nausea, and physical body changes.  The second trimester is great!  I wish it lasted longer.  If you have vacation time to spare at work, take a trip, get the baby's room ready then, plan dates with your spouse, be social.  I really felt great those weeks.  I got projects done at work and at home during that time. The third trimester, you're less physically comfortable because you've grown so much, you're possibly not sleeping as much because of hormones, physical discomfort, hunger, hot flashes, etc. Getting up to go to work in the morning is not exactly what you want to do after only sleeping for five hours at night.  Plus, I just want to be home with my spouse and enjoy some quality time before we're both so sleep deprived we won't remember each other's names (just going by what we've been told by those who have gone before us).

Only eight or so weeks left to go, though, so we'll power through it just as all other working parents have.  So looking forward to meeting our little bundle of love soon!  We'll sleep again in a few years....