June 3

Everything is still moving along and the belly is getting bigger! Some days I just can’t believe there is a little 5-ish pound little one inside my belly. It’s pretty amazing.

We had our first appointment with the midwife practice this week. It’s definitely a different experience compared to a normal OBGYN office. They did the weight, pee, and blood pressure test. Then they listened for the heartbeat and little man kicked the midwife! Oops! Maybe it’s because she said he has a bony butt. 🙂 She said I am measuring a bit small but that I could just be a bit smaller and that’s ok.

They asked me why I was switching practices so I explained my reasoning. To my relief, she said a lot of people change towards the end of pregnancy because just like me, they don’t really start thinking about the delivery until much closer to the due date. We talked about epidurals and my concerns and said we can definitely decide the day of. We talked about inducing, and while I didn’t ask how long they’ll let me go after my due date (should it come to that), she talked about their goal in not inducing if at all possible. Overall, it wasn’t a long appointment but I did feel very pleased with our decision to make the switch. The only thing that surprised me is that she said I didn’t have to come back for two weeks.

Because she didn’t need to see me for two more weeks and because I’m just nervous, I went ahead with the follow-up sonogram to check Baby Ruf’s measurements. I just needed peace of mind in knowing he’s doing ok. This week, every movement or lack of movement has had me on edge and assuming the worst.

Of course, he’s measuring just fine! He’s still got super long legs and they are measuring a week ahead of everything else. She said he’s measuring about 5 lbs 8 oz (give or take 8 oz). And, he has hair! Can’t wait to see what color it is. Andy was bald for a long time before growing in beautiful blond hair. I had very light brown/strawberry blond hair. I hope he gets my curls.

Baby Ruf sucking on his fingers

Working out – Whoa! It’s getting harder and harder every day. I do find that the days I don’t workout, I’m more tired. Guess I’ll keep at it!

Hormones – I haven’t really been too emotional or had any crazy mood swings (you can ask Andy for the real story) this entire pregnancy. Over the past few weeks though, I get these over-the-top urges to cry. I don’t really know how to describe it but it’s overwhelming. I haven’t actually broken down and cried but it’s that I get the urge, think I’m going to lose it, then it passes. Weird.

My mom and maid-of-honor, Elli, hosted my other baby shower. It was awesome and everyone was so generous. One of my dearest friends, Sarah, happened to be in town (all the way from Switzerland) and she’s 30 weeks pregnant with a boy! The three of us have been through everything together and it’s so cool to be able to share this with them. Thanks to everyone who came and showered us with tons of love and an insane amount of gifts!

Baby boy bumps

Judy made this gorgeous quilt!

cousins Stacy and Rhonda

Boston – 3 months 

Traci and Beverly

Lydia and Mom

Mothin-in-law, Robin 

Lydia and Casey

Marie

Pat (Godmother), Stacy (cousin), Kyla (Boston’s mommy)

Sarah and Carly

May 27

It’s about time to have a comparison. Yep, I’d say there is something cooking in there.

22 Weeks                                                         34 Weeks

This week we had a doctor appointment and the 3D/4D appointment.

First was the doctor appointment. We met with the PA and she was awesome. I don’t think this will change our mind about moving to the midwife practice though. She said my fundal height is a measuring a bit small. She’s not too concerned but we should keep an eye on it for the next appointment. She gave us an order for a growth ultrasound if we wanted to go ahead and get it done anyway for peace of mind.

At first, I wasn’t concerned. But then, it just churned all afternoon and I got worried, so…we’ll definitely be going for the follow-up. Plus, I like seeing the little guy.

Because she noted him/me being a bit small, I asked her about my weight gain or lack thereof. She said she wasn’t concerned because everyone is so different. She said to just keep an eye on it and indulge a bit. I should be gaining about a pound a week according to the norm and I haven’t gained a pound in almost three weeks. Oh, how things have changed in 8 months. I bet I won’t have this concern in about 6 weeks! 😉

After the doctor appointment, we had our 3D/4D sonogram. Seriously??? Baby Ruf didn’t cooperate again! He still has his head buried and they just can’t get a good view of him.  Apparently, I have lower amniotic fluid (not too low) plus, he’s got his face nuzzled right on the placenta and buried behind my hip. All of these make it hard to get a good view of his face. After about 5 min of planking and being on all fours, he moved just a bit for us to kind of see him.

He looks like…a baby.

Big yawns!

Here’s a few pics from the awesome baby shower my two sister-in-laws threw! Aren’t they the best? Love them. Thanks girls!!!

Awesome cake made by Andy’s cousin. It looks just like the invitations, which the girls came up with b/c of my blog name, and then added little crocheted cowboy boots (another story behind that).

Baby Ruf now has his own designer onsies. What a cute idea!

Cutest table decorations and favors. Inside the pouches (which they sewed!!) were chocolate dipped pretzels, then secured shut with a diaper pin.

Baby Ruf isn’t complete without his own Detroit Lions attire!

They’ll kill me for posting this but it was the only pic with the two of them.

May 20

And with this post, we’re officially back on track and caught up with the baby bump.

My two sister-in-laws, Angie and Sarah, threw me a shower last weekend. It was fantastic! They were so creative. Once I have the pictures, I’ll post a few. Just wait until you see this cake Andy’s cousin made and the adorable cowboy boots for the top. So cute! Thanks to everyone who came. We’re so thankful and Baby Ruf is so spoiled!

Warning! Long and somewhat opinionated post coming up…

It’s been an interesting week baby-wise. Ya know, just a rib out of place and changing doctors at 33 weeks. No big deal!

So, for the first. I know with being pregnant comes back pain. With my history of back problems, the pain I’ve had has been minimal. So minimal, I haven’t talked (complained) about it. This past week though, it was getting uncomfortable. I couldn’t quite get a full breath and when I took a deep breath I got a sharp pain in my mid-back. Turning over in the middle of the night was the worst.

Andy rubbed my back a few times then one night said,”Your rib feels funny.” Duh! I should have realized an old injury would pop up when all of my insides are being squished and moved around. A few years ago, I had some ribs slip out of place. I’m still not exactly sure what this means but basically, everything that keeps your ribs lined up gets out of whack and it’s not comfortable. After a visit to the chiropractor, I’m breathing much better but still very sore. Unfortunately, he said it might not feel right until I deliver since the baby will continue to push at my ribs.

For the second item…changing doctors. I’m not completely sure when or why this happened but I was just getting uncomfortable with my practice and information I was finding out about the hospital. I probably should have researched more of this early on, but as the due date approaches, I’m just now thinking of some of these things. I’ve had two concerns from early on: 1) I don’t want to be tied to machines my entire labor and 2) I don’t want a c-section if at all possible.

I just learned the hospital I’m planning to deliver at has a 38% c-section rate. That’s high and they have one of the highest in MD. Also, I know a few people who have delivered there and been induced way before they wanted to. One had to have a c-section.

I didn’t know much about midwives and all I really think of when I hear the term is water-birth and giving birth at home. I don’t want either of these. I want to deliver in a hospital but not be forced to do things I don’t know enough about or that aren’t necessary. After doing a bit more research on some local midwife practices, I gave one a call. Because I’m past 32 weeks, their only caveat was I had to do a hospital birth. So, I set-up my first appointment but it’s not until June 6.

• Their c-section rate (including the hospital births) is only 5%.
• Epidural is still an option (this is a game-time decision for me)
• IV and constant fetal monitoring is optional assuming everything is going well
• Episiotomy rate = 1% and induction rate = 10% (Admittedly, I don’t have numbers to compare this to but they seem fairly low to me after talking to others.)

Before June 6, I still have another appointment at my original office where I’ll ask a few more questions and if I’m not pleased, I’ll continue with the midwife. We also have our hospital visit and birthing class before the 6th so I can ask more about the hospital’s standard practices and how they make some of their choices.

Andy also says he’s pleased with us going this direction. It may be more that I’m at ease but either way, he’s on board.

By next week, I could completely change my mind again so don’t hold me to anything! Also, I know that by making all these “plans,” nothing will go as planned. It just makes me feel better and more prepared.

May 13

It feels so good to be home with my conferences over. We can focus on baby, knock a few items off our to-do list, finish a few books (I’m in the middle of Hunger Games!!) and try to enjoy these next two months.

No big news from this week’s doc appointment. Heart beat is good, he’s still head down, Braxton Hicks have stopped, and my weight good. I also double checked with the doc to make sure that when baby is digging around, I can push him right back. 🙂

Weight gain is right at 16 pounds. A couple less than the books say is “normal” but I’m eating when hungry (plus some) and the doc hasn’t said anything. I thought this didn’t happen until much closer to the end of pregnancy, but I’ve already found I can’t eat as much in one sitting. I just get too full and uncomfortable very quickly. I’ve always been a snacker, so eating smaller, more frequent meals hasn’t been an issue.

A few people ask me what I’ve been doing for workouts these days. Since we moved, we no longer belong to a gym. It’s a bummer but I’ve made it work. I have a few DVDs that I swap from day to day, plus I try to walk on nice days.

Summer Sanders’ Prenatal Workout – I really like this one because it has different workouts for each trimester and a full and short version of each. This one seems more tailored for someone who has been active prior to pregnancy so I appreciated that. Doing the same workout for three months straight does get a bit old so I bought a few others.

Denise Austin Fit & Firm Pregnancy – I got this one near the end of my second trimester. Had I purchased it earlier, I might have been bored, but now I love it. It has great cardio but isn’t too strenuous. If you’ve been active in the past, you’ll probably find the 20 min cardio to not be enough. Combined with one of the 20 min strength training portions, it’s just right.

Yoga Pregnancy: Pre and Post Natal Workouts – This is good for those days where you just have no energy or need some good stretching. I’d been having a bit of back pain and tightness and thought some yoga might help. I’ve done yoga here and there throughout the years and find this DVD to be a bit easy. I’ve found it’s a good one to combine with another workout. Also, it’s been great for keeping me flexible as the other two DVDs focus on cardio and strength training.

Most of all, keep moving! I really think it’s helped me in keeping up some energy and feeling better overall.