yay 6 months!!!

Week of June 28th  

How Far Along? 25 weeks!!!!

25 weeks YAY

Due Date:  October 11th

Total weight gain/loss: not so sure...don't really care...

Maternity Clothes? everything and i love them. They are waaaay more comfortable than regular clothes...I may NEVER go back! 

Stretch Marks? It's been a bad week for these. I worked on Friday and came home to take a shower and saw 4 small faint stretch marks on my stomach. I no joke didn't sleep for 2 days. I know they may be a part of life, and I have SEVERAL on my sides from growing so fast as a kid, but honestly having them on my stomach makes me feel like the ugliest pregnant girl EVER. I hate that I feel that way but I do. I had my down moments and self pity moments but I've boughten like 3 different products and am lathering up my stomach with burts bee's mama bee balm, bioOil and cocoa butter. Hopefully this will help because I can't loose anymore sleep over this!

Sleep?  It's been bad this week too. I've stayed on sides but I just can't seem to sleep through the night. I know it's only going to get worse but man...this sucks!!

Best Moment of this Week?  The mural in the baby's room is done. My friend from FL came up and painted a tree and a scene from one of the winnie the pooh books. I had originally wanted her to paint more but since I don't have anymore furniture that would make it hard. Also we sort of ran out of time while she was here. So she's going to do some canvas paintings that we will place throughout the room. But she did a fabulous job and I couldn't be happier with it!

Movement? YES!!!! For like 2 days straight I felt the baby a lot, but then for the next 4 I hardly felt it at all, it was like he/she tired it's self out and slept for 4 days...more like it's dad then it will ever know! But I've felt a lot of movement the last few days :)

Food cravings? nope...not really

Food aversions? nope

Gender? I'm still keeping you guessing, even though people are really getting annoyed with me...i find it funny. 

Labor Signs?  Contractions still happening daily. I freaked my instructor out bc she thought I was going into preterm labor, so that was funny. But not really having more than 4-5 contractions a day. 

Getting BIG!

My ugly no belly button ring...boy that was dumb!!

Belly Button In or Out? Still in thank goodness, starting to get slightly more shallow

What I miss? not feeling tired all the time, and my throat not burning. I'm assuming this is heartburn, but  it's really just in my throat so IDK?

What I am looking forward to: Taking my final on Thursday. Then I will be down to only 1 class before graduation. Also I will be starting the application process for taking boards and beginning to study...lots of good things to come!

Size of the Baby:

Baby's now the size of an eggplant!
That oh-so-handy sense of equilibrium is kicking in, and baby's learning to distinguish right side up from upside down.

Incomplete...WHAT???

Today marked my last clinical for my Community Health Class. I have been at a facility called Tender Care Home Health for the last week. They offer home health services to different clients throughout the city. The clients I saw were mostly children who needed almost 24 hour nursing care.

What I liked most about this company is that it was run the way companies should be run. They cared more about the care they were providing to patients rather than the bottom dollar. You often hear horror stories about home health companies but this one was different.

I really enjoyed my time there and it really showed me a different perspective on nursing. While it may not be something I can do daily, it would offer a nice change of pace. So it's always a possibility...in the future.

Well anyways today was supposed to be last day. My client was on the southside of town. I had to be there at 8 am. well I was a mere 10 minutes from the clients home(it was almost a 50 minute drive) when the agency called me and said that the nurse I was to be with had a death in her family and wouldn't be there that day, so I couldn't go. She then said there were no other nurses I could follow today because they had a monthly meeting and they didn't have nurses out doing visits....WHATTT??? I said ok, I'll call my instructor and find out what to do.

Well I called my instructor, but she didn't answer, so I called the other instructor. She did answer and told me that I would have to make up the clinical. I told her how was that possible because I have to work the next 3 days, then I have to study for my final next week. She said well then you'll get an incomplete until you can fit it in. WTF lady? It wasn't my fault they cancelled. I was pissed.

In the mean time my instructor called me back, I explained the story to her. She offered me trying to go to another facility today where there weren't students, and since most didn't start until later in the morning it might be a strong possibility. It was about 7:45 at this point. I said ok so I should head back north? She said yes, and that she would make some calls, that she knew the maternal fetal medicine clinical didn't have a student that day so hopefully I could get in there.

Well in my 45 minute drive back to my house, I called my mom, frustrated as ever, who offered me my comforting support as always...but as I was about to get off on my exit she called me back saying MFM could take me and to just head over there. Needless to say I was thrilled!

So today has been stressful but everything worked out in the end!!! And I got to see 5 ultrasounds and a non-stress test, and learn about gestational diabetes! It turned out to be a great day and I'm so thankful things turned out in the end. It just goes to show you that things always happen for a reason and for me it was so I could get an experience I would truly cherish!

My stressful day turned out to be a wonderful one! And to top it all off my friend came over and got started on the mural for the baby's room. I love it and cant' wait to see the progress she makes tomorrow. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful people like her in my life! :)

Sweet Viability!

Week of June 21st   

How Far Along? 24...we've made it to viability!!!! yay!

24 weeks! YAY

Due Date:  October 11th

Total weight gain/loss: last week I was up 18

Maternity Clothes? everything and i love them. They are waaaay more comfortable than regular clothes...I may NEVER go back! 

Stretch Marks? No new ones thank goodness, Adam did tell me I need to start putting cocoa butter on my boobs and stomach...well thanks babe!

Sleep?  It's been bad this week too. I have resorted to placing two pillows on either side of me, pushed together and then laying on top of them. My shoulders keep falling asleep and I wake up with neck cramps when I sleep on my side...ugggg, the things we do for our children :)

Best Moment of this Week?  ADAM FELT THE BABY KICK yesterday!!! I have been trying in vein to have adam feel the baby, I swear everytime he/she would kick I'd run and grab him and he/she would stop. The real problem lied in that he was just not home very much when I was when the baby would start to move. And for like 4 days I swear I only felt the baby move like once a day. It was kind of beginning to freak me out.

Movement? YES!!!! For like 2 days straight I felt the baby a lot, but then for the next 4 I hardly felt it at all, it was like he/she tired it's self out and slept for 4 days...more like it's dad then it will ever know! But I've felt a lot of movement the last few days :)

Food cravings? nope...well people keep saying ice cream but I love ice cream, it's my favorite food when i'm not pregnant

Food aversions? nope

Gender? I'm keeping ya guessing! We are back to thinking girl, but i think thats because more people keep telling me its a girl 

Labor Signs?  Contractions have increased slightly this week, but nothing too major

i see the starting of my darn stretch marks! UGG

Belly Button In or Out? Still in thank goodness

What I miss? not feeling tired all the time, I'm burnt out on school and just don't wanna do it anymore but we'll get there and someday i'll sleep past 5:30 am again...

What I am looking forward to: Finishing up this Community health Class...that means we will be down to only 1 class left. PRAISE THE LORD!!! Only bad thing is that the 4 days following the final I work all 4 of them, Friday, Saturday, Sunday AND Monday...my feet may be the size of tree trunks! 

Size of the Baby:

Baby's now the size of a papaya!

Baby's skin is becoming more opaque as the fat starts to pack on. And, thanks to the formation of small capillaries, her newly thick skin is taking on a fresh pink glow.

**my camera died so pictures will come tomorrow after it charges :)

Birthing Preferences

I have a unique outlook on childbirth, and have given it a lot of thought over the years. Since I always hoped I would get pregnant and have a baby I knew it was something I would have to go through someday (or I'd hoped)

The idea of an epidural never really appealed to me. Sticking a needle unnecessarily in my spine just doesn't sound like a fun or good experience to me. Also I tend to have a naturalistic view on things and don't really love the whole medical intervention thing (odd since I'm going to be nurse someday...) but I believe in doing things as naturally as possible. Obviously there are times where this is just no possible, hence why there is open heart surgery, antibiotics, and medications.

But I've long been a proponent of doing what you can naturally before turning to medical interventions. Hence why when I was 23 and had high cholesterol I cut certain things out of my diet increased my exercise and lowered it by 70 pts YAY.

Well these views of mine continue with childbirth. I believe that God gave us this wonderful opportunity to carry a baby, and while it has been the most unique experience of my life, it ends with a rather (so I'm told) painful few hours. Now maybe I'm crazy as so many people have told me, but childbirth is NOT supposed to be pain free, I don't believe God intended it to be so. Also while doctors may say that an epidural is safe for the baby, the only way to really know that is to test the baby and I'm not sure that any of that has been done. Everything passes through the placenta and that means the epidural too, and it just doesn't sit right with me to possibly put my baby through some danger all so I can not feel any pain during their birth.

Like I said I have extreme views on childbirth and I'm well aware of the fact that they are not the norm for our society but I feel that our society relies way to heavily on the medical profession. We are one of the most unhealthy nations in the world, and we are relying on doctors to guide us...something just isn't adding up.  Now while I understand there are reasons for C-sections and medical interventions and thats what those resources are put there for.

So anyways I'm not writing this to sway anyone on their birthing decisions, or make them feel guilty, just writing how I feel. I in no way judge those who aren't cut out for natural childbirth, I'm just offering a different perspective.

So due to my unique views on childbirth I searched for a Child birthing class that would offer me everything I wanted. And I found it. It's the Bradley Method of Childbirth, or also known as Husband Assisted Childbirth. It's a 9 week long course that covers ways to cope with the pain and what to expect. We have had two classes so far and I must say I LOVE IT. It's everything I believe in and want for my birth experience!

I will try to keep an update of what goes on with each class. But I have to say I just love it!! It makes me more and more excited about giving birth and holding my precious baby!!!!