Week 33 - Growing

This week things seem to be getting a bit tighter for Baby Frantz (and for Mommy Frantz). There is still a lot of activity going on in there, but the kicks don't feel as jolting. I'm pretty sure this just means that the baby is running out of room to "wind up" before he/she lets go! I feel bigger (tighter) this week, but this could all be in my head... according to the scale I've only gained about a 1/2 of a pound...

I had my last business trip this week. We went to Utah. The mountains were beautiful, but the puffy hands and feet I had when I got home wern't very pretty. I don't remember having much water retention until the last week of two of my pregnancy with Madeline. I'm pretty sure that the swelling had more to do with flying and the elevated altitudes than it did with anything else because after a day at home all of the swelling had gone away.

I also went to talk with someone this week about all of the emotions I'm feeling surrounding the upcoming birth and the feelings I have about Madeline's birth. There are lots of things that have come up and it feels good to be giving meaning to all of them.

Physically, I've been feeling pretty good this week. I little more back pain (now kind-of a shooting pain into my bottom), but this usually only bothers me in the mornings. I plan on going back to the chiropractor soon. The reflux has seemed to have calmed down a bit and the "morning sickness" doesn't seem quite as bad either.

The practice surges are still coming and going randomly. Never a bother, but just an awareness that baby and body are definitely getting ready!

32 Weeks - Morning Sickness?!?!

So I was under the impression that morning sickness was either experienced at the beginning of your pregnancy or throughout all of your pregnancy, but I wasn't aware that you may have it in the beginning and then not again until the 3rd trimester! As I noted in some of my very first posts, my morning sickness during the first trimester was felt, but really wasn't that bad (other than the fact that it wasn't only limited to the morning and seemed to pop up several times over the course of the day). Just as lots of women experience, the morning sickness faded in the 2nd trimester and I felt great! Now, for the past couple of weeks I've once again started not feeling all that great as I'm waking up in the mornings. The nausea tends to go away after a shower and some breakfast, but it's definitely there as I lay in bed after I wake up. Again, it's really nothing to complain about, but I don't remember this happening with Madeline.

We had another great check-up with our Midwife this week - baby is still head down and the heartbeat is right where it should be! Madeline always loves listening to the heartbeat :-) This appointment was fairly short. We talked about the great experience we have had at our hypnobirthing classes and asked how familiar the hospital staff is with this method. Cheryl felt that there wasn't a lot of experience, but that the method was known and accepted. She likes the idea that we plan on having a sign on our door to let people know before they come into the room - she thinks it will really help set the tone in the room :-) Next time, Matt plans on coming to the appointment and perhaps getting the opportunity to go over our birth preferences with Cheryl.

Our hypnobirthing class ended this week and we just can't say enough positive things about it. I think that both Matt and I are very confident that we can have the natural birth experience that we are so hoping for. We will continue to prepare at home using all the things that we have learned and plan to go into our birth experience with a relaxed body and an open mind.

Baby Frantz is very active and loves to wake up in the middle of the night for "dance parties". It's amazing how active the little one is at 2 and 3 AM :-) The movements are still pretty forceful and mainly felt on my upper right hand side - just where they should be!

Week 31 - We're in Position!

There are a few things I forgot to mention last week... one was that CNM Cheryl told me at our last appointment that Baby Frantz is already head down!!!! This is the best news! The last time around we ended up with a cesarean because Madeline was footling breech, but Cheryl is sure this one is head down. Since there really isn't enough room for baby to flip from head down to feet down, we should be in the clear for the VBAC we've been hoping for!!!

Another thing I forgot to mention is that I've been feeling reflux for the past couple weeks and it doesn't seem to be getting any better. Most of the time I just feel it at night when I go to bed, but it has also been known to show up when I'm doing yoga (must be all of those funny positions!) Again, it's really not that bad and definitely something that is pretty easy to deal with :-)

I spent the earlier part of this week in New York at a conference for work. The amount of time on my feet and the not-so-comfortable bed meant a few more aches and pains, but I'm hoping that an extra dose of Yoga should help :-) In fact, yesterday I got to go to my prenatal yoga class and then Madeline and I went to a Tots Yoga class! She had a blast doing positions that imitated all of the animals she knows... a dog, cat, cow, lion & frog. She especially loved reaching all the way up to the sun to get some energy and then laughing as she flopped forward to the ground. We've been bicycling with our feet in the air every day since!

Today we met with one of our 2 possible doulas, Gina. We went over all of our expectations and hopes for Baby Frantz' birth day. She was wonderful to talk to and had some really good advice. We feel more comfortable with her each time we meet and we're sure we've made the right decision! This week our other possible doula, Beth, is coming to our hypnobirthing class with us - we think it will be great to have her there with us :-)

That's about it for this week!

30th Week - Very Encouraging visit!

We had another prenatal appointment this week and it was another very good one! Baby Frantz' heartbeat was just over 160 and mommy's blood pressure was lower than usual (106/61) :-)

CNM Cheryl was just wonderful again this week. I told her about the book I am reading "Gentle Birth Choices" and explained some of the things about gentle birth that I was learning. She said that she had never read this book in particular, but that she knew of the author and was going to add it to her list of books to look into. We also talked about our hypnobirthing class. She was very encouraging and said that she has always been amazed by families committed to using this method.

We went over some of our questions about how we are wanting our labor/birth to progress and she was very supportive. In fact she had several amazing birth stories from last week... she had 7 births in the last 5 days and 6 of them were completely natural - no interventions or medications! She said she hadn't had a run like that in quite a long time, but loved every minute of it and was so glad that her stories were so inspiring to us. We had a great conversation and seem to connect more and more with every visit. She's completely on-board with us wanting no interventions and said that she knows we can do it - she said can "see it in my eyes" :-) I'm looking forward to seeing her more often, as our appointments are every two weeks now!

As far as aches and pains go, not much has changed... still some back pain in the mornings, but I'm hoping that getting back into the yoga routine this week will help!

29th Week: Birthing Classes

Not a whole lot to report this week, but Baby Frantz has had the hicups more and more lately :-) My second session with the chiropractor really seemed to help more with my back pain. She also suggested a prenatal massage so, I called my wonderfully talented cousin who owns her own massage business, Therapeutic Body Massage. I went to her this afternoon for my very first massage ever. I could tell that she found quite a few knots and really worked on breaking them up - I'm looking forward to feeling the results over the next few days! She also suggested that I come back in a few weeks and I definitely will :-)

Matt and I also started taking a birthing class at Blooma - Hypnobirthing.

***Yes, this is our second child, but because I did not experience labor with Madeline (who presented footling breech and was delivered via cesarean) this will be a totally new expereince for both Matt and I - we're trying to learn as much as we can :-)***

Sooo, Hypnobirthing does not mean that I will be hypnotized during the birth, but rather helps develop a meditation/relaxation routine before going into labor. Our instructor is great! She is a registered nurse at a local hospital and has so many wonderfully inspiring stories of women managing and truly loving their birth experiences. She shares an abundance of information on the birth experience and what you should expect so that you are not scared or aprehensive before your big day arrives.

The first class was great and I've really enjoyed learning everything I can with Matt right by my side learning everything right along with me. I've never been much of a "meditaor", but I really want to try... Anything that may help us on our journey to a natural birth is worth taking a better look at!

28th Week: We're in the Third Trimester!

This week Madeline and I went to my 28 week prenatal appointment with CNM Cheryl. We hadn't seen her in 12 weeks (one appointment with OBGyn Huldeen & one with CNM Renae) and we were so glad to have her back! She talked with me for over an hour and answered all kinds of questions I had regarding hospital policies and recommendations she had for a natural labor/delivery. There are some hospital policies that we don't agree with, but Cheryl said that we will work together to make our experience everything that we are hoping for.

At the appointment I had my Glucose screen for gestational diabetes and everything came back clear. I also received my Rhogam shot (because I'm RH- and Matt id RH+) and got to listen to the heartbeat - always Madeline's favorite part! I can't remember exactly how fast the heartbeat was this week, but Baby Frantz definitely had the hiccups while we were listening in! Cheryl said that the hiccups are a great sign and mean that Baby is practicing breathing just as he/she should be :-)

Appointments are every two weeks now so more updates to come!

I mentioned last week that I was going to see the chiropractor at Blooma - Dr. McKinley. Well, I went on Wednesday and she found that my pelvis is out of alignment and that is what is causing my pain. She did a few adjustments, told me to ice regularly, add a few new daily exercises, wear the pregnancy "belt" my cousin so kindly let me borrow and cut back on yoga for the next few weeks. I've been doing as she instructed and still have some pain... I go back in next week for a follow-up and we'll see what finds!

No yoga for a couple of weeks :-( Since Dr. McKinley said to cut back on yoga for the next 2 weeks, Blooma graciously extended my month unlimited package so that I can fully take advantage of the package once I've been cleared to practice again :-)

On another note...We've chosen a doula! Well actually we have chosen 2 doulas... Gina and Beth work together and have worked out a schedule to help them achieve balance between home life and doula life :-) We met with them last Sunday and they seem to be the best fit for us. They have each been doulas for about 8 years and together have attended more than 300 births! We are excited to get to know them and have them get to know us. It is so comforting knowing that we will have someone with us throughout the entire labor, showing us new ways to find comfort, providing insight as to why certain things are happening (and why they are normal), helping us remember to ask the right questions when certain situations arise and reminding us of the plan we've put so much thought into.

I've also started reading a great book I found at Half-Priced Books last weekend, Gentle Birth Choices, by Barbara Harper. It has been very inspiring and definitely reenforces the choices we have been planning for this birth. I highly recommend reading it if you are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant - its a great reference regarding all of the choices you have during your birth experience.

27th Week: Hicups & Refux

I felt the baby hicupping for the first time this week! It was late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning. Not as pronouced as I remember with Madeline, but I'm sure the feeling with get stronger as the baby continues to grow :-)

I've started to feel a little bit of reflux after dinner and before I go to bed. Nothing painful, but there none the less.

I've also started going to prenatal yoga this week and love it! I'm going to Blooma in Edina - a yoga studio that caters specifically to expecting and new Mamas. In fact, I'm enjoying it so much that I enrolled in the month unlimited and plan to take as many classes as possible - I've already been 3 times! It's definitely harder than I imagined it, but it's a great workout and gives me an hour and a half to relax and just think about Baby!!!

Blooma is a great place for all things pregnancy related. I first heard about them when researching the Minnesota Childbirth Collective. The Collective has free educational meetings/classes every Monday night at Blooma. Matt and I have gone to "All about Doulas" and this past Monday I went to "Comfort Measures". We learn something new at every session and everything we've learned helps us focus on acheiving the natural birth/VBAC that we want so badly.

Speaking of the Childbirth Collective, this is where we got the names of the doulas we are going to interview. We've already had one interview and the others are scheduled for Sunday - we hope to make a decision sometime next week!

Blooma also has a prenatal chiropractor, massage therapists, acupressurists, acupucnturists and miriad of other prenatal prefessionals right on sight. I've scheduled a chiropractic session for next week to see if she can help with my back/pubic symphysis pain - I hope she can help!

While at Blooma we also borrowed the movie, The Business of Being Born. Matt and I watched it together and it really helped us open up to each other about how we felt about birth and how we wanted this birth to unfold. This is a movie I wish we would have watched together earlier on in this pregnancy and even before we had Madeline... but watching it together now was a great experience and I feel we are so much closer because of it. I think EVERY couple should watch it together if/when they decide to expand their family :-)

26th Week: Just Bigger

Really not much new to report this week, except that my belly just keep getting bigger & bigger! I haven't done any official measuring, but you can tell from this week's picture that I've really "popped" over the past few weeks. My weight is still under control... I've gained less so far than I had at this point with Madeline, but we'll see if that holds true for the whole pregnancy :-)

Another thing I've noticed lately is that there has definitely been a reduction in the amount of hair I've been loosing. I think everyone typically losses somewhere around 100 strands of hair per day, but during pregnancy this number is supposed to go down. I think I commented towards the beginning of this pregnancy that I thought my hair loss was staying the same as it had before I was pregnant & that I was losing more than I had while I was pregnant with Madeline. Now it seems to have slowed down - just as predicted. I guess that means more hair loss catch-up after this baby is born too :)

25th Week - Innie or Outie?

I'm going to use this week to write about a few things I forget to mention over the past couple of weeks...

First I'll mention that my belly button seems to have completely transformed from an "innie" to an "outie". The process started while we were on vacation in the Cayman's over New Years (Week 20) and now it pretty much sticks out as far as it can. I don't think this happened with Madeline until sometime after 30 weeks... perhaps I am carrying differently this time. I think I'm sticking out in front (as oppossed to the sides) farther this time. I'm starting to wonder if this means this one is a boy... but Madeline is convinced it is going to be a baby girl :-)

I also seem to have developed a large freckle near my left eyebrow. I'm not quite sure when this happened, but I know it has been within the past month or two. I thought maybe I could see from my belly pictures exactly when it appeared, but that side of my face isn't very prominant (and I haven't been very good at taking them every week since the holidays came around and I went back to work). I've read that some pregnant women develop something called the "mask of pregnancy". This is when skin discolorations appear on their face or other parts of their body while they are pregnant, but disappear after birth. This never happened to me while I was pregnant with Madeline, but maybe that is where this freckle came from... we'll see if it sticks around after the arrival of Baby Frantz in about 15 weeks!

Something new this week is that my legs have been falling asleep a lot more frequently this week. Again, this is something that is normal & expected, but rather annoying none-the-less...

I've also been able to see baby Frantz moving around in my belly this week :-) I think I could have been able to see it earlier, but I never looked down at the right time. Now that the movement has increased so much it's hard to miss it!

24th Week - Midwives & Doulas

Friday we had our 24 Week prenatal appointment at our Midwife's office. Unfortunately, we showed up at 3:30 and our appointment wasn't scheduled until 4:30... luckily, one of the other 2 midwives on staff at Western OB was able to see us at 3:30. We were glad to meet her because, just as with most OBGyn practices, the midwife that will actually be with us during labor and delivery depends on who is on-call that day. She was very easy to talk to and answered my questions about the low pelvic pain I've been having... just as I read online, the pain has to do with making way for Baby Frantz and it completely normal. She suggested sleeping with a thicker pillow between my knees and perhaps investing in a pregnancy support band. I plan on trying the thicker pillow to see if that helps, if it doesn't I might try and find a support band :-)

We also got to have another quick ultrasound to capture the last required shot of Baby Frantz - the elusive profile shot. Once again Baby Frantz had his/her hand up by his/her face and made it difficult to get a decent view, but eventually the hand moved away and this is what we saw! Another successful prenatal visit :-) Today Matt and I went to our first doula interview. This particular doula was recommended to me by someone I met through ICAN her in the Twin Cities. She helped my friend successfully VBAC completely naturally without any interventions/pain medications so we were very excited to meet her! We met at her at Starbucks and chatted for about 1 1/2 hours. She answered all of Matt and I's questions and seems to have a lot of the qualities we are looking for: Dedicated to learning how we want the birth to go - so she can remind us of the things we really want during labor, completely supportive of Matt doing most of the hands-on support - yet showing us many new approaches to natural pain management, non-confrontational - really emphasizes establishing a positive working relationship with the hospital doctors and nurses, seems to have a good knowledge of when to speak up and when to let things progress on their own, doesn't seem to have her own hidden agenda - truly wants us to have the experience we are hoping for, & became a doula for all of the right reasons!

We plan on interviewing at least 2 more doulas over the next couple of weeks, and making a decision by the end of February. We've gotten a lot of good recommendations and just need to set up a couple more interviews :-)

Another good note... no more issues sitting down this week - I'm really hoping that was an isolated event ;-)