Cravings!

I thought it'd be a good idea to have a list of cravings so that next time around, I may be able to revisit the list and remember the foods that have made me oh-so-happy this pregnancy.

First trimester

Nothing much appealed to me during this period. Main staples were:
macaroni & cheese (Kraft with the real cheese pouch, not the powdery stuff)
peanut butter
yogurt
popcorn
bananas
cottage cheese on toast with cinammon
mashed potatoes

Second trimester

My appetite went crazy during this time. I ate my face off with:
ice cream
at least 2-3 pears per day
peanut butter
frosted shredded wheat
cheerios with splenda and sliced bananas
skim milk
thai food, especially anything with white rice

Third trimester

I'm going to have to revisit this list as I get further along in the third trimester. :)

Pregnancy self portrait (6 1/2 months)

Getting HUGE!

Your baby now weighs a little under 2 pounds and measures about 14 inches, from head to heel. The nerve pathways in her ears are developing, which means her response to sounds is growing more consistent. Her lungs are developing now, too, as she continues to take small breaths of amniotic fluid — good practice for when she's born and takes that first breath of air.

Birth Plan

If someone had asked me six months ago what a birth plan was, I think I would have looked at them with a blank stare.

But now that I'm eyeing my third trimester, it's becoming clear to me just how important the decisions around labor and delivery are. And even more important is making sure that the people around you (midwife, partner, hospital staff, etc.) know EXACTLY what you want and don't want.

So that's where a birth plan comes into play. There's a tool on the Baby Center website (which I love, by the way) that has you answer a bunch of questions and then creates a birth plan for you.

Here's my first draft:

Ryan and Brian's Birth Plan
Date: April 22, 2006
Birth Attendant: Midwife
Birth Facility: VCU Hospital, Richmond, Virginia

ATTENDANTS AND AMENITIES
I'd like the following people to be present during labor and/or birth:

• Partner: Brian

I'd also like:
• To bring music

• To dim the lights

• To wear my own clothes during labor and delivery

• To take pictures and/or film during labor and delivery

LABOR
I'd like the option of returning home if I'm not in active labor.

Once I'm admitted, I'd like:
• My partner to be allowed to stay with me at all times
• To eat if I wish to
• To stay hydrated by drinking clear fluids instead of having an IV
• To walk and move around as I choose

As long as the baby and I are doing fine, I'd like:
• To have intermittent rather than continuous electronic fetal monitoring.
• To be allowed to progress free of stringent time limits.

If they're available, I'd like to try:
• A birthing stool
• A birthing chair
• A squatting bar
• A birthing pool/tub

When it's time to push, I'd like to:
• Be coached on when to push and for how long

I'd like to try the following positions for pushing (and birth):
• Whatever feels right at the time

As long as my baby and I are doing fine, I'd like the pushing stage to be allowed to progress free of stringent time limits

PAIN RELIEF
I'd like to try the following pain-management techniques:
• Acupressure
• Bath/shower
• Breathing techniques/distraction
• Hot/cold therapy
• Self-hypnosis
• Massage

If I decide I want medicinal pain relief, I'd prefer:
• Regional analgesia (an epidural and/or spinal block)

VAGINAL BIRTH
I'd like:
• To view the birth using a mirror
• To touch my baby's head as it crowns
• To risk a tear rather than have an episiotomy

After birth, I'd like:
• To hold my baby right away, putting off any procedures that aren't urgent
• To breastfeed as soon as possible
• To wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsating before it's clamped and cut
• My partner to cut the umbilical cord
• Not to get routine oxytocin (Pitocin) after I deliver the placenta

C-SECTION
If I have a c-section, I'd like:
• My partner present at all times during the operation
• The screen lowered a bit so I can see my baby coming out
• The baby given to my partner as soon as he's dried (as long as he's in good health)
• To breastfeed my baby in the recovery room

POSTPARTUM
After delivery, I'd like:
• All newborn procedures to take place in my presence
• My partner to stay with the baby at all times if I can't be there
• To stay in a private room
• To have a cot provided for my partner

I plan to:
• Breastfeed exclusively

The following can be offered to my baby:
• Pacifier

I'd like my baby fed:
• On demand

I'd like:
• To make my decision later depending on how I'm feeling (as to where the baby stays, i.e. with me all the time or in a nursery)

Baby S. this week...

Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. His weight — a pound and a half — doesn't sound like much, but he's beginning to exchange his long, lean look for some baby fat. As he does, his wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and he'll start to look more and more like a newborn. His hair is probably recognizable now (in color and texture), although both may change after he's born.

It's just dawning on me how BIG you are getting! Tonight, while we were waiting for a table at a new pizza restaurant, you kicked so hard that I could see it through my shirt. Wowsa! You got some legs on you, girl! :)

Last night, you made me laugh out loud in an empty room.

It was late and I was just finishing up some bedtime reading. Getting ready to turn off the light, I felt a funny sensation in my tummy. I could tell that you were up - you'd been moving around for a while.

But when I put my hand to my belly, it was is if you were going to jump out of it! I felt this quick little kick on my hand. It was so bizarre and wonderful!!

I lifted my shirt up a bit and sure enough, your kicks made my belly jump. I could actually SEE where you were kicking! And I could feel it on my hands, too!

Usually, you kick or move around once and then settle down. But last night, you must have been exercising or having your own little dance party because you kept right on kicking for a good ten minutes!

I really wish your dad had been there to see it - he's out of town on business this week. He laughed out loud when I told him the story this morning - but I could hear the disappointment in his voice. Hopefully, you'll give a command performance when he comes home tomorrow night!!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've written. SO much has happened - and life has just gotten away from me!

To my sweet, sweet baby - you showed us a few weeks ago that you are, in fact, a GIRL. (Does that mean I need to rename this blog??) Your dad and I both cried as we saw you on that screen- you have so much personality, wiggling and dancing around inside of me like you can't wait to take the world by storm. We can't wait to meet you!!

You are at least a week ahead of schedule in terms of length and weight (I'm not at all surprised!) and you are extremely strong and healthy. Our last ultra sound was a month ago- that's when we found out you are a girl - and you were already one pound!!

The technician that performed the ultrasound was female - and you danced around and bounced the whole time. When the male doctor came in, however, you got still and wouldn't show him what he was looking for. You must be very modest.

I got to see your face during the ultrasound (even though it was very tiny) and I could see your heart beating and the umbilical cord delivering nutrients to you.

Since then, you've gotten even more boisterous! I can feel you move and kick inside of me. You love ice cream - whenever I eat it, you start to tap dance. And you love when I take breaks from work - you start moving around right when I get up, just to remind me that you're still there.

This week, I'll be six months pregnant. Our next check up is tomorrow and I can't wait to tell our midwife how much you've grown and changed in the last month!! I don't think we'll have another ultrasound - so I won't get to see you again until you are actually born. But I love knowing that you are always with me and feeling you wiggle.

Now we just have to think of a name for you, our sweet girl. :)