Thursday, May 8, 2008

Book Reviews

Now that pregnancy is almost over, I wanted to share the books I read and how they helped me.



Easy Labor, suprisingly enough, is not a work of fiction. Written by an anesthesiologist, this book discusses every single type of pain management and pain relief moms can use during labor. It gives input from doctors, nurses, midwives and moms. Easy Labor provides an unbiased look at alternative and medical intervention for pain during labor.













What to Expect When You're Expecting gives a general overview of pregnancy in a question and answer format.

This book was a good source of medical facts and answered many general questions.











Knocked Up, by Rebecca Eckler, is a humorous account of Rebecca's pregnancy that reads like a novel. This book gave me a welcome respite from the facts and figures of some of the other pregnancy books. I read Knocked Up during my first trimester, when I needed a laugh more than I needed to read more medical jargon.


















Baby Bargains drills down and gives you the scoop on which baby gear is worth the extra money, and what you can skip altogether. I found it to be a great resource for choosing furniture, toys, car seats, breast pumps, and all the other things that were totally unfamiliar to me as a first-time parent. Jon and I got a kick out of seeing all the parents in Babies R Us clutching their copy and referencing the book when making a purchase.


















Written by a mother of four, The Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy is a practical and humorous book about what's going on with baby, mom & dad's bodies and minds during pregnancy. It deals more with feelings and emotions than other pregnancy guides, discussing your husband's fears and telling moms-t0-be to check their vanity at the door for a while.





















Shopaholic & Baby, by Sophie Kinsella, is part of Kinsella's series about Becky Bloomwood, a Londoner with fabulous taste and a wee bit of a shopping compulsion. Becky's credit card bills and letters from the bank always make me feel better about myself.













Jenny McCarthy's Belly Laughs tells the story of Jenny's pregnancy. Jenny shares all the things nobody ever told her about pregnancy, and frankly, nobody ever told me, either. Jenny tells her story in her trademark gross-out style, but with pregancy as a backdrop, it doesn't have its usual shock-value. This book made me realize that motherhood means getting past my usual gross-out threshold.









Your Pregnancy Week By Week gives weekly updates on what's happenning with both baby and mom. The chapters are short and easy to understand. I also downloaded the audiobook to my iPod and listened to it during my commute.















Buff Moms-to-Be was great for me to use as an exercise guide during pregnancy. They should put a warning on the chest-press exercise that it shouldn't be done after the 7th month or so. I almost had to get help from the staff at the gym when I couldn't get up from the bench!




























Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Monday, May 5, 2008

35 weeks: "Your baby is very uncooperative"

I thought I'd have at least a few years before I would get a bad behavior report.


At today's doctor's appointment, the baby was sitting on one of my veins during the biophysical profile, cutting off oxygen to my brain. I had to stop the exam and get water and ice packs twice. The baby wasn't moving much either, so we failed our first BPP. That meant a trip to the hospital for more monitoring.



I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, so I thought the baby could use some energy before we took the next test.


We drove through McDonald's for a quarter pounder and a Coke before heading to the hospital, and what do you know, we passed this test! The baby is still in breech and weighs 5 pounds, 12 ounces.


We are both doing fine and home safe and sound.


Here's what's going on at 35 weeks:


Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (or 5 3/4 pounds in our baby's case) (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.
Here is a picture from Friday's ultrasound. Everything was too eventful to get pictures today.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Boy or Girl?

There are just 12 days left to vote on whether Baby Ladewig will be a boy or a girl! We moved up the date, because Dr. Picco told me at my last appointment that I will either be induced or have a C-section between 38 & 39 weeks. We'll find out May 12 which one it will be, so stay tuned!

For those who like a little evidence to back up your predictions, here are some old wives' tales and what they would predict:


Carrying High, Carrying Low
The way you are carrying during your pregnancy is one of the most oft cited ways of determining the sex of your baby. The general story goes that, if you're carrying low, you're having a boy. If you are carrying high, then you must be having a girl.

I feel like I'm carrying to the right, since that's where the baby likes to hang out, with it's head under my right ribcage. I wonder what that means?

VERDICT: Baby is a Republican?

What Your Urine Says
This next test to determine a baby's sex may not be for everyone, although it is very simple. Just take a sample of your urine and mix it with Drano.


I'm not doing this one!

VERDICT: Baby is a Scientist?




Heartbeats
One belief that has been around for some time, and even had some acceptance in the medical community at one point, is that the fetal heartbeat differs for boys and girls. If you're having a girl, then the fetal heart rate will be above 140. A boy will have a heart rate below 140.

I get to hear baby's heartbeat 2x a week now, and sometimes it is above 140, and sometimes below. Last week it was 121, on Friday it was 153.


VERDICT: Baby is confused?

Craving Something…Sweet?
Many people believe that your cravings are caused by the sex of your baby. So, if you can't get enough chocolate, you could be having a girl. Does the idea of drinking straight lemon juice sound delicious to you? Then those sour cravings are a result of the little boy inside of you.

Who wants to drink straight lemon juice?

VERDICT: Girl

Weight Gain
The belief is that, if your husband puts on weight during your pregnancy, then you will be having a girl. If he doesn't put on a pound, then you're carrying a boy.

VERDICT: Girl

Is Her Face Round and Full?
Some say that the shape and fullness of your face during pregnancy can indicate your baby's sex. Every woman gains weight differently during pregnancy, and every woman experiences different skin changes. If people tell you that because your face is round and rosy you are having a girl.

My face isn't that full ...

VERDICT: Boy


Breasts
If the right one is larger, you're having a boy! A larger left breast indicates a girl!

Isn't everyone's different, depending on the dominant hand?

VERDICT: Girl


Keys
Pick up a key. If you've picked it up by the thinner end, you're having a girl. Picking it up by the bottom, rounder part means a boy is on the way. Did you pick it up by the middle? Then congratulations! You're having twins!

Who picks up keys by the thin part?

VERDICT: Boy


British Scientists
According to this recent study, how a mother eats affects the baby's gender. If you eat bananas and cereal for breakfast, you'll have a boy.

VERDICT: Boy

Sunday, April 27, 2008

34 weeks

34 weeks according to babycenter.com:


The baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (actual weight from Friday's sonogram: 5lbs, 4 oz) (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

Here is the baby's face with its hand in front of it:


Thursday, April 24, 2008

The week of many doctor's appointments

I think this week marks my personal record for doctor's visits ... I'll have 4 to 3 different doctors.








Tuesday: OB & Sonogram


This was a regularly scheduled sonogram with an emergency visit to my OB. I felt like I was going to pass out, and so I saw I had my blood pressure taken and blood drawn and saw Dr. Picco. I've had some rapid pulse episodes that have made me feel really sick the last 2 weeks. She recommended I see a cardiologist and also visit my dermatologist about the rash on my legs.








Wednesday: Dermatologist


I felt like my legs were on FIRE! Dr. Gottleib didn't think they were that bad and told me none of the usual oral medications would be OK with the pregnancy. So, instead I have some perscription creams. They're not really doing much. Seriously, do these legs look not that bad?






I think they're disgusting. Thanks to modern technology, we have documented the crazy rash and I can come back to it when I start my litany of problemos, "When I was pregnant with you, do you know what I went through?"








Thursday: Cardiologist
On Thursday, I saw the award-winning Cardiologist Susan Bennett. I had an EKG, and everything looks OK, I just had a rapid pulse and she heard my heart murmur. She's not too worried, it might just be the effects of being pregnant and in the heat. I'm going back for some more tests and monitoring, but I probably just need to "rest more and take it easy."

Friday: Sonogram #2
This week starts 2 sonograms per week. I'll be going back for my second sonogram tomorrow.