Week 40 Update

No big news this week in terms of Baby's arrival... we had an appointment Monday morning (the 27th) and I'm still the same as last week. My next scheduled appointment is Monday, the 3rd, where an inducement will be scheduled if I haven't already gone into labor! They won't let me go over 41 weeks.
Although the munchkin won't be needing it for several months, my husband put together the high chair last night while watching the Vikings/Eagles game (while I somehow found more rearranging and organizing to do in Baby's room). I took a few before and after pictures of the high chair :)

She's a "happy" baby :)

We had our weekly visit to the doc last night to check in on the little one... doesn't look like she'll be making an early entrance (or exit, rather) this week. Our doctor still says to "expect anything," but I haven't started dilating yet so we're thinking she's staying put for a little while longer :)

The doc checked her heart rate after I'd had a good contraction and he commented that she was a "happy baby." Her heart rate shot up after the contraction, which he interprets as a great response to stress and what he calls a happy little baby. I'm thinking she was extra happy this week due to all of the yummy sweets Mommy has been eating... :) !!!

I'm feeling alright lately... she's grown a good amount in size which has me sleeping a lot less at night and more of her little feet digging into my ribs! Our excitement to meet the little one is growing by the day... I'm never going to let go of this little peanut!

The evolution of the bump...

24 weeks

31 weeks

34 weeks

36 weeks

38 weeks

Two weeks to go!

We had our 38 week appointment today and all went very well! Our little peanut is still head down (very deep in my pelvis) and is weighing in at approximately 6 lbs 5 oz. She gained somewhere around 5-6 oz over the past week. My cervix is still closed at this point so no (very) early baby arrival as of today. The doc still said to "expect anything any one of these days"... does she prefer 2010 or 2011? We'll see... !!!!

This week's appointment :)

Just got home from the doctor and great news to share -- our baby girl is positioned head down (YAY!) and is a little under 6 pounds. The average weight for a baby at this point is 6 to 7 pounds, so she's doing just great and a little on the smaller size :) Fine by me! Her heart rate was 133 - also great. At this point he isn't changing the 1/1 due date, but said to expect anything from now until early January. Ahhhhh it's SO CLOSE!!!!

Packing up the Hospital Bag

It's about that time to have everything ready to go for the hospital, just in case our little one decides to make her entrance into the world early :) I think I've put more thought into packing these two bags (one for Baby and one for me) than the luggage for my four month abroad trip in London!

Many packed items are no-brainers (i.e. comfy pants and buttoned shirts to sleep in, slippers or slipper socks, toiletry items, nursing bras, etc.) but there are a few additional items I've added in there that were recommended on a Today Show segment last week:

The Homedics Sound Spa Relaxation Sound Machine

I fall asleep to a relaxation sound machine every night, so I was pretty excited to have already purchased this additional one last month for the baby's room. It can be plugged in or battery operated and isn't too cumbersome (great for traveling!) This will definitely come in handy at the hospital while trying to get some (well, a little) rest!

Bath Robe

Although they suggested to bring a thick terry cloth bath robe, I've decided to leave that one at home because I don't intend on sitting around in my robe (or primping in the bathroom) for too long. I packed my comfy silk robe instead, which fits a lot better into my hospital bag :)

CHARGED Camera

Seems obvious, but this is definitely something I've already put in the bag fully charged.  I can't tell you how many times I throw the camera in my purse and turn it on to find out it has very little or no battery. I've also packed our Flip Video Camcorder as well

IPOD and some reading material

At this point we have no idea how long my hospital stay will be, but bringing along the IPOD and a few good books/magazines sounded like a great idea to me. I plan on bringing one pregnancy related book, a couple magazines and whatever book (or two) I'm reading at the time I go into labor. 

My Tempur-Pedic Pillow (with an old pillow case!)

I had planned on bringing my own pillow to the hospital, but hadn't thought of covering it with an older pillow case versus our really nice silk ones. Great idea because I wouldn't want a case from one of our nice bedding sets to get ruined. Same thing goes for slippers/socks here... definitely not bringing my nice UGG slippers with me - packed a few comfy pair of slipper socks instead :)

                   

There are several other little things that I've thrown in the bag -- among them are a pack of organic lolli pops, some Clif Bars, water bottle... the munchkin's bag is pretty basic but a few of the items include her coming home outfit, the infant bundle me for the car seat (which we installed in the car a couple of weeks ago!), and a warm blanket and coat. Every now and then you'll hear of people bringing the breast pump with them to the hospital, but that seems quite silly to me. You aren't supposed to start pumping until a couple weeks after you give birth, so unless you need another tutorial from a nurse/lactation consultant on which gadget goes where there is really no need to bring it!

A cure to my restless nights?!?!

We are strong believers in tempur-pedic in this household, and the last couple of nights I discovered what could be the cure to my "mild" nightly backaches. I guess I could have figured this one out a while back, but I simply flipped the tempur-pedic pillow so that it lays vertically under my body versus horizontally so that my upper body is more elevated. Sleeping on my left side, I also have the body pillow in front of me and a firm support pillow behind me. I had the best night's sleep in weeks!!! 

If you don't have them already, I'd say that a good body pillow and a SIDE tempur-pedic pillow (they have a specific design for "the flip" I do with my t-p pillow) are great purchases to make for your pregnancy :) I really hope this set-up continues to work!!

There are definitely other stores that carry the tempur-pedic side pillow at a reduced price, but here is the pillow at tempurpedic.com:

http://www.tempurpedic.com/Contoured-Pillows/Tempur-Pedic-SidePillow.asp

The home stretch!

Today marks the beginning of my last month of pregnancy (if our baby girl decides to come into the world on her 1/1 due date!) She hasn't decreased her activity level yet (at all hours of the day and night) so with my growing tummy it has gotten a lot harder to get a good night's sleep.
Overall I think pregnancy has treated me very well -- can't complain about a few rough nights of sleep and a little back pain (which my husband can usually fix very quickly!)
It's been tough being home alone all week... every time my husband travels it makes me realize how much I love having him around, especially during this exciting time in our lives! Even though she's been quite active in my tummy for months now, sitting/lying down with my husband and feeling her move around will never get old!!
I'm so excited for him to come from NJ late tomorrow night, and will be even more excited mid-December when he is home for good for a bit!
My next doctor's appointment is December 7th, which should be quite telling in terms of her current weight/length and positioning. I'll definitely be checking in with all updates on our little munchkin!
Each week I get a few updates from different pregnancy websites. Today I got a little blurb on the positive effects of exercise during pregnancy:

Fit Pregnancy, Happy Baby

There's science behind it, but who cares? It works! Here's a surprising payoff to exercising during pregnancy.

How's this for a payoff at 36 weeks pregnant?  Babies of pregnant exercisers tend to sleep through the night sooner, are less prone to colic, and are better able to soothe themselves. Scientists attribute this to these babies being stimulated by their moms through changes in heart rate and oxygen levels, as well as the sounds and vibrations they experience in the womb during workouts.  But who cares about the science?  Pass the sneakers!