Saturday, October 30, 2010

Sugar Sugar

Sugar, Sugar
by The Archies


Sugar, ah honey honey/ You are my candy girl/ And you've got me wanting you/ Honey, ah sugar sugar/ You are my candy girl/ And you got me wanting you


And, we survived the 28-week appointment.  Going in without LB was harder than I expected - I was feeling nervous when I arrived, and wasn't helped any by the weigh-in (have I really gained that much? Can I blame it on the cool-weather clothes I'm wearing now?).  The first time the nurse took my blood pressure, it was too high (140 over...something), but she was very kind about it and said we'd take it again at the end of the appointment.  I was relieved about that, since I'd read stories online about women being pushed for way more testing based on one blood pressure reading, but that little relief didn't keep from feeling incredibly stressed about the upcoming glucose test, and the blood tests, and the second blood pressure.

Luckily, midwife number 5 was very calm, and I think she probably knew that I was nervous, because she spent a lot of time answering my questions and spoke in a very soothing voice the whole time.  She reassured me that the crappy sleep was normal (which is fine, but I'd still like to get a decent night's sleep), and said that the tight feelings I've been having are Braxton-Hicks contractions (those feel way different than I expected).  The best part of the appointment, though, was learning that there is a better medication I can take for heartburn - 12 tums a day was too many, so she sent me off to Costco to get an acid reducer that actually works! 

After the appointment, she took my blood pressure again, and it was much better (though still high for me), and off I went to the lab to wait for the 1-hour glucose blood draw.  It was pretty funny when Bean started kicking and flipping around while I was waiting - I guess the sugar got to her.

That afternoon, the midwife called to let me know that the glucose test came back normal (hooray!), and LB took me to get the acid reducer that was recommended.  That alone was worth the visit - the last three days have been SO much better without constant heartburn.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Carry You Around

Carry You Around
by Ani DiFranco 

And I know the fact of your presence/ Will dominate my memory of this restaurant this table/ This day and this town/ 'Cause I carry you, baby/ I carry you around

Well, the countdown has reached double digits (ack!), those shirts I was so sure were too long back in June are now too short (whoops!), and among my back, hips, and neck, something always aches (owwww...).  Must be third trimester time! 

The next visit with the midwives is this Thursday, and for the first time, LB won't be able to come along.  Since I have to do the 1-hour glucose tolerance, we couldn't make the appointment for after work like last month, so I'll be going alone on my morning off.  On the plus side, this means I will have an iron-clad reason to skip out on the superintendent's visit to our school.

I can't shake the worries planted by my mother's rant a few weeks ago; I keep nearly convincing myself that I'm not going to pass the glucose test, or that I have symptoms of preeclampsia, or that something else drastic and abysmal is coming down the pike.  LB keeps reminding me that I just need to ask these questions at the appointment on Thursday, and I am eternally grateful for her cool (and non-pregnancy addled) head. 

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Adelaide's Lament

Adelaide's Lament
from Guys and Dolls 

The female remaining single/ Just in the legal sense/ Shows a neurotic tendancy, see note:/ Chronic organic symptoms/ Toxic or hypertense/ Involving the eye, the ear, the nose, and throat.
In other words, just from worrying if the wedding is on or off/ A person can develop a cough.



It's one month into the school year, and so I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised to wake up on Wednesday with a sore throat and a lingering tiredness.  By Friday, I was posting for cold-relief suggestions on Facebook and consuming enough peppermint tea to keep Stash in business for another year.  I consulted various online sources (Dr. Google never fails, eh?), but was unable to make heads or tails of the conflicting information available through my fogged head.  I knew Dayquil (my go-to drug for colds when I'm teaching) was probably not approved for someone "in my condition" (my mother's latest favorite phrase, for some reason), so this morning, at LB's suggestion, I broke down and called the midwife hotline to find out if there was anything I could take.  Their approved suggestions? Tylenol (no more than 650 mg every 4 hours), a neti pot, and robitussin (the plain kind).  LB, my wonderful girl, is out getting me the robitussin while I down a few more gallons of tea.  

She's also buying a finish for the crib:

SNIGLAR Crib  Length: 53 7/8 " Width: 29 1/8 " Height: 33 1/8 " Bed width: 27 1/2 " Bed length: 52 "  Length: 137 cm Width: 74 cm Height: 84 cm Bed width: 70 cm Bed length: 132 cm
Yesterday, we decided to start buying the big items for the Bean, and headed to Ikea for a piece of furniture.  We knew which dresser we wanted, but weren't decided on the crib, or if we also wanted the changing table, so we looked at everything and compared in the store before deciding to head home with one of the two cribs we liked, a mattress, and some teething rails (the Bean will need teething rails!?!).  LB started assembling it while I made dinner last night, but discovered upon opening it that the crib in the store must have had some kind of finish put on it, because this crib was much less finished than the one we had seen (which had been our concern, but had been allayed by seeing both cribs in the store).  I was ready to return the crib and get the more-expensive-but-lacquered crib we also liked, but LB said she would varnish this one and then assemble it, so that's the plan.  


Its crazy to look in The Bean's room and see a crib and baby toys, and to open the closet and see baby clothes and equipment stacking up.  Also crazy?  Today we're at 26 weeks!  The picture in A Child is Born is labeled, "Past the line," as a baby born after this point has some chance of survival.  It's far too early for Bean to arrive, of course, but still, wow.