8 Months Along

So here we are at the 8 month mark! It's hard to believe that Baby Neufeld is due in 5 weeks!

So what's been going on since my last post....quite a bit actually...

Mike's Mom and my sister-in-law threw Baby Neufeld and I a lovely baby shower this month and we were so blessed with the company of such supportive and loving women and very generous gifts. We have washed all the clothes, blankets, sheets, towels, etc. now and we've got them all ready for Baby Neufeld to use.

Last week I had a midwife appointment and got to hear the baby's heartbeat again. That sound really never gets old. It's really just music to my ears. My midwife measured my belly and as it should be, she said it corresponds exactly to how far along I am in weeks. My midwife felt for the baby's position (head down or up) and said she wasn't able to determine for sure which way the baby was facing (she said she was 50-50) so she gave me the option of either going for an ultrasound to determine the baby's position or to come back in a couple of weeks to get her to try and feel the baby's position again. I opted for the ultrasound because I know that if the baby is breech the sooner you try to turn it, the higher the rate of success. My midwife said that 80% of babies are head-down at 35 weeks and by 38 weeks 95% are head-down, so Baby Neufeld still has some time. She also said that if the baby is breech that we will try and turn him/her through various methods, one of which is having an obstetrician physically try and turn the baby from the outside. That sounds pretty uncomfortable to me so I'd like that to be a last resort if possible. Apparently at 35 weeks most babies who are already head-down will stay that way, but 15% of babies who are not yet head down will turn before labour.

I talked to my acupuncturist (who is also a doula) about it and she told me that moxibustion before 35-36 weeks is 90% effective in turning a breech baby and she gave me some moxibustion sticks to use if my ultrasound determines that the baby is breech. Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine technique which involves burning mugwort (or moxa stick that looks kind of like a cigar), and holding it close to an acupuncture point on the pinky toe in order heat it up and stimulate bloodflow and baby's movements in pregnant women. I would have to do the treatment twice a day for ten days. My acupuncturist also said there are all sorts of acupuncture treatments she can do to help turn a breech baby as well and the sooner I do these, the better the results.

My ultrasound appointment is on Friday, July 23rd and I am really anxious to find out Baby Neufeld's position. I'm praying for Baby Neufeld to be head down, but if he/she isn't yet head down, I'm praying that with some encouragement and perhaps some moxibustion and acupuncture, he/she will move head down on his/her own. I've been completely analyzing every single kick and movement from Baby Neufeld since my midwife appointment to try and determine which way Baby Neufeld is sitting. I'm feeling all of the movements at the top of my stomach and in the upper left. I assumed that this was from the bum and feet of the baby, but I guess it could also be from the head and arms. It's hard to know!

The people I've talked to about all of this have all told me that it is great that my midwife is being so thorough and making sure she knows the baby's position instead of guessing. I've heard horror stories of women having been told their babies are head-down only to find out during labour that they actually are not and then having to have an emergency c-section. Yikes!

I'll keep you posted...

Hello Summer!

I'm in my 33rd week of pregnancy now and my belly is really starting to get big. I've had so many people comment on how much my belly has grown in the past few weeks. Apparently this is the time when Baby Neufeld is packing on the chub so he/she doesn't come out looking scrawny.

The summer has decided to peek it's head around the corner and it's starting to get HOT! I think a trip to Kits pool this weekend may be in order to cool down. Just this week I've noticed that my feet and fingers are starting to swell sometimes (mostly when I'm walking) and my back is starting to ache from supporting my growing belly. I guess these are the fun 3rd trimester things that come with pregnancy. I love that it's summer time though and I can wear non-constricting summer dresses and sandals. I've taken my rings off my fingers so they don't get stuck on my stubby fingers when they swell and I've booked myself a prenatal massage for the weekend to help with the back aches so I think I'm in pretty good shape for now.

Baby Neufeld is squirming around a lot these days and I'm loving every minute of it. It's so neat to see my belly moving and knowing that it's our baby inside doing that. Although my belly is making everything I do a little more awkward these days, I'm still really enjoying being pregnant and I am so looking forward to meeting our little rascal in the next couple of months.

7 Months and Getting Excited!

7 Months Along

Infant care class. Check. Prenatal class. Check. Breast feeding class. Check. Dresser/change table. Check. Rocker/glider. Check. Bassinet. Check. Crib. Check. Crib mattress. Check. Crib bedding. Check. We are well on our way to getting prepared for Baby Neufeld's arrival! Mike has repainted the baby room with a fresh coat of paint and we've built some of the baby's furniture. Our crib should be coming into the store for us to pick up in a week or so and then it's time to set up the baby's room and get it looking good.

Baby Neufeld is doing a lot of rolling and stretching in my tummy and often has hiccups. At my last midwife appointment my midwife checked and said the baby is head down right now with his/her feet to my right side. That explains the constant kicking at the bottom of my right rib cage. She said the baby can still roll around quite a bit in my tummy but it's a good sign that the head is down right now. At my last midwife visit I had to schedule the remainder of my midwife appointments until the birth. My next appointment is July 14th, then after that I have an appointment 3 weeks later, then 2 weeks later, then weekly until Baby Neufeld arrives. That means I have only 4 more appointments until my due date!

Prenatal Course

Today Mike and I went to our Prenatal in a Day course at BC Women's Hospital. We were both looking forward to learning about the labour and delivery but we weren't really looking forward to spending a whole sunny Sunday in a hospital classroom. Much to our surprise the course was extremely informative and well worth it! The prenatal course at BC Women's also includes a free 2-hour breastfeeding course that we are going to be taking next week. Bonus!

There were 10 couples in our prenatal course - most in their third trimester. Our instructor was extremely knowledgeable. The course went over the stages of labour, what to expect in each stage, different ways to cope with the pain in each stage of labour, how to recognize different stages of labour, when to call your medical practitioner, what to pack in your overnight bag, relaxation techniques, breathing techniques, choice of drugs during labour, c-sections, the use of forceps and vacuums, inductions, different delivery positions, and much more. We especially enjoyed the tour of the hospital and the rooms so we'll know where to go when Baby Neufeld decides to make an appearance into the world. We also really liked the way our instructor emphasized how labour is about teamwork between the mother and father and that the positions and drugs or lack thereof that a mother chooses to use during her labour is a personal choice. She spent a lot of time demonstrating and having us practice different techniques we can use together during labour to help ease the pain and get through each stage of labour. It really made Mike and I really understand that although I will be the one in labour, his support, encouragement, and help with relaxation exercises is so important.

This course definitely alleviated some of fears of the unknown and made us much more aware of what we could expect to happen during our labour and delivery. We watched a few birth videos, which to our surprise, made us quite emotional. We feel a lot more prepared for what will happen when Baby Neufeld decides that it's time to come out. All in all, we are very happy that we took this course together and would definitely recommend it to anyone.

6 Months Along

6 months

I am just over 6 months along now which means I have 3 months to go! I am feeling great - pretty much normal, just with a big belly.

This past weekend we spent 4 days in Oroville and I did my first little bit of shopping for Baby Neufeld. I can't believe how cheap things are in the United States! I got a really cute diaper bag, some onesies, a few sleepers, some baby socks, hats, receiving cloths, wash cloths, a baby carrier, a nursing pillow, and a baby bath. I could have spent so much money on baby stuff but I was really good and only bought the things I thought we would need right away when the baby arrived. We still have a lot of things to get including all the bedding, nursery decor, furniture and big stuff like stroller and car seats but we're on our way!

Infant Care Class

This weekend we spent an afternoon in an Infant Care Class that I signed us up for through BC Women’s Hospital. The class was held at Children’s Hospital and since our friends Becca and Shayne are expecting their first baby a month before us, they signed up for the same course too.

There were seven couples including ourselves in the course and we each were provided with a baby doll, bath tub, receiving cloths, wash cloths, cloth and disposable diapers, etc. to practice with. The instructor covered topics such as what to expect your baby to look like when he/she first comes out, we learned about the two fontanels (soft spots) on a baby’s head, at what age a baby tends to cry the most, how to change diapers, and things to expect in a developing baby from 0-6 months (like cradle cap and little white dots on their face, etc). The instructor went over bathing, holding, and soothing babies, as well as how to properly put a baby in a car seat, the kinds of things to look for in a sick child, how you should try to portion out your day for the 1^st six months and a WHOLE LOT more.

Since Mike and I will be brand new at this, we found it very useful and informative. The course basically covered any topic I’d been thinking or wondering about. I would highly recommend it to all new parents.

Shopping for Baby

We just rode over the 24 week mark in our baby journey. We're starting to research and shop for baby stuff like strollers, carriers, cribs, bedding, dressers, change tables, rockers/gliders, and nursery decor. There are so many options out there that to say it's overwhelming is an understatement! We haven't found out the gender of Baby Neufeld so we're going with neutral colours for everything.

We've decided that we want the stroller travel system with the carrier that fits into the stroller and is also a car seat because we've had so many people recommend it and it just seems really practical to us. We've gone to look at and test out strollers and we really like the Graco line because the prices are good and they feel sturdy, yet not bulky. They also fold down really easily and they aren't too heavy.

As far as cribs go, we like the idea of getting a convertible crib which will turn into a day bed and eventually a double bed down the road if you buy the bed frame. We also like the idea of getting a crib with a drawer at the bottom so we can have that extra storage space. We've heard of all the crib recalls that have happened over the past few years and it seems that they are mostly due to the drop side cribs. They don't even sell those anymore so I think most of the cribs for sale now are pretty safe...hopefully.

Our baby room is a good size but it's not huge, so we've decided that we're going to buy a dresser/change table combination to save space. We've seen quite a few out there but they are not cheap!

One of the things I really want is a rocker/glider because I know I will be spending many nights waking up to nurse and rock our baby throughout the night. I don't really know what to look for in a 'good' rocker/glider, but I figure as long as it's comfortable and feels sturdy, it'll probably do the trick, right?

We've looked at all sorts of bedding patterns and nursery decor for our baby's nursery and wow, where do you start?!?!? I know baby pads are bad and we might not even actually use the crib quilt that we buy because it may be too bulky and dangerous to put in the crib with the baby, but we'll get them anyway just to use for looks.

We are signed up for an infant care class next week which is supposed to teach us what to do with our baby once we leave the hospital. It sounds like a great course to me since we're new at this. The course is also supposed to help you figure out what you 'need' to buy before you have your baby so hopefully that will help us with our shopping. If anyone has any suggestions, good places to look at, or things to look for in any of the items I've talked about please let us know. Any bit of advice would be appreciated :)