03 Dec 2003 - 9:52am - The Waiting Game - or should that be Worrying?

The problem with having the answering machine in the bedroom is that I often forget to check if we have messages when I come home. Of course, we rarely have them - most people use our cellphone, and we just don't receive many calls at our home phone number.

And yesterday, I was so tired, I don't think I would have remembered to hang up my jacket if the coat rack hadn't been right in front of me.

So I didn't see the blinking red light until I was crawling into bed. A quick hit on the button relayed the message to us - it was my doctor's office, asking me to call back in regarding some test results.

My heart jumped into my throat at that.

Because I'm pregnant, they do tests every time I visit the doctor's, to check on the health of both me and the baby. As such, they don't call regarding the tests unless there's a problem.

John, of course, was perfectly at ease, and told me not to worry - he was sure it was fine. But I couldn't help it. I did worry.

And of course, it was faaaar too late to call last night, and I was fairly chomping at the bit this morning for the office to open so I could call.

As soon as 9am hit, I was on the phone. Of course, I got the receptionist, who took my info and said the doctor would call me back.

So now I just have to bide my time, and wait. Hopefully it's nothing major.

03 Dec 2003 -11:36am - Don't Worry, Be Happy Now

So I got the call back from the doctor's office.

Thankfully, it's nothing major. My first few is that my glucose test had come back abnormal, and that I might have gestational diabetes.

Instead, I am slightly anemic - my iron levels are very low. They told me that it's perfectly normal, in that it happens a lot during many pregnancies. The baby is taking nutrients out of your blood, and especially during the third trimester, the baby's iron demands are very high.

So they're putting me on iron pills for now, and offered some advice on foods to eat to increase my iron levels. I'll have to dig through the wonderful pregnancy food books Cobweb gave me when I get home to pull together a list of foods and recipes that I can use. Suggestions from the peanut gallery are most welcome, of course.

At least this explains why I'm so very exhausted these days, and good to know that even if I don't continue to sleep through the nights, I might recover some of my energy levels once my iron levels even out again.

17 Dec 2003 - 11:39am - 28 Weeks - The Final Stretch Begins

You're in the home stretch. The third trimester typically starts this week and lasts until 40 weeks and sometimes even beyond. (Don't worry — 42 weeks is the maximum! After that, a woman usually is induced to give birth.) Most women gain an average of 11 pounds during this trimester.

By this week, your baby weighs about 2 1/2 pounds and measures about 14 1/2 inches. At about this time, your baby can open his eyes and turn his head in utero if he notices a continuous, bright light shining from the outside. The fat layers are forming and the fingernails appear.

Your baby's eyelids, which have been fused shut, begin to open ... along with a new set of eyelashes! Your baby already appears a lot like he or she will look at birth. The skin, though, is quite wrinkled due to constant immersion in amniotic fluid. Aim a flashlight at your expanding belly this week, and your baby will turn toward the light. It's a sign that her eyesight is maturing.

You're probably vacillating between feeling as if you've been pregnant forever and being nervous about childbirth. Checking off things on your to-do list can help. Start soliciting possible baby names and begin interviewing pediatricians.

If you aren't already, you'll probably start visiting your doctor once every two weeks until the eighth month, when you'll switch to weekly visits.

Though it's something no mom-to-be wants to think about, it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of preterm labor.

If you have back pain or menstrual-type cramping that seems to come and go, or if your uterus seems to be contracting four to five times an hour, drink two glasses of water and call your care provider immediately.

The home stretch is here: the third trimester has begun - just twelve weeks till our baby is due to enter the world. And given how quickly these last 28 weeks have gone by, that will be here in no time.

I feel as if there are a million things I must do before that day comes, most of important of which is finishing the baby's room, and getting all the baby stuff we need. Not to mention figuring out childcare, which has been occupying our thoughts (and our stress levels) for the last week or more.

I've filled out my admittance form for the hospital, which shall go in the mail tomorrow. We need to start putting together our lists as well - who to call when I go into labor, so that they can come to the hospital (and related to that, who beyond my parents and siblings wishes such a call), and then who to call or email or what-have-you after the baby has arrived. And I should put together my hospital bag soon, just so we are prepared. After all, I was around 6 weeks premature, so that "welcome to the world!" can happen sooner than one expects.

I suppose we should really finalize girl's names at this point too, no? :)

Though this past week has entirely slipped away from me in a way past weeks, despite their rabid passing, has not - no doubt due not only to the holidays, but also to the sheer, bone-numbing exhaustion I've been having for the past couple of weeks (related, I am sure, to my low iron levels) - I am excited at the thought that our baby will be here soon (though I grow more and more nervous at the thought of actual childbirth).

My darling husband conspired to get me a glider and ottoman after Thanksgiving, and now I have the most wonderful and comfortable chair in all the world - and have already begun to rock our child, though it hasn't been entirely successful in putting him/her to sleep as of yet. ;) Of course, it also gave John an excuse to rearrange our living room again, which he has done - and it has a very comfy, homey feel to it now. Wherever shall we put the tree, though? Because of course Christmas - and decorating for Christmas - occupies my thoughts as well, though I have not had the chance to do so as of yet.

We also obtained one of the Bebe Heartbeat Listeners as well when we picked out the glider, and have made a tradition this past week of listening to our child's heartbeat every night before we go to bed. It is a very different sound than heard on the dopplers... it is, in fact, the "natural" sound, as the Listener is similar to a stethoscpope almost, whereas a doppler is electronic noise. It sounds almost like horses galloping in the distant - our little one's heart really goes!

The baby moves quite a bit these days, and has even reached the point where s/he can awaken me at nights when s/he kicks pretty hard. I am certain our cat can sense that the baby is soon coming, and the pending doom this means to his sole place in our affections, and thus has been very needy and craving being held a lot as of late. He even crawled onto my tummy the other night and slept there, till the kicking of the baby startled him away.

My next doctor's appointment is in two weeks, and our next ultrasound is scheduled for the morning of Friday December 19th. Soon, soon, we shall see our baby again! And have new pictures to share with everyone!

I just cannot wait to bring our baby home!

And, now, I really must give in to my exhaustion, and collapse into bed. But first, to listen to the heartbeat...