The boy's got it real bad!

I keep reading about how the nesting instinct is supposed to kick in soon. Truthfully, it would be hard to know if it had or not because I have so much work to do with the move and all of it involves organizing and cleaning. However, I certainly don't feel any rush of energy that requires me to prep for the baby.  Scott, on the other hand, seems to be nesting like mad.  He has been working on our house every night since we took possession of it last Monday. He drives into Calgary nightly to do the painting, work on the floors, and redo our kitchen.  He is a man on a mission - I've never seen him so motivated in my whole life!  I think that it's fantastic and I truly appreciate all the effort that he is putting into getting the house ready for our new family.  I have only seen it once since he started working on it but tomorrow is my first chance to see it since he put the flooring in and redid all the kitchen cabinets.  Can't wait for the "reveal" tomorrow!

Weekly whinings...

• It almost feels like the baby is getting too strong.  S/he no longer kicks but constantly pushes all over my belly.  It's kinda neat but kinda weird because I can see all the movements and can constantly feel the baby when I touch my stomach.  The feeling gets pretty intense at times.
• The baby has taken to punching/kicking me in my internal organs.  I don't know which organs are being hit but it isn't all that pleasant.  At least this only lasts for a few seconds every couple of hours or so.
• Thanks to my rapidly shifting pelvis, I have started to adopt the dreaded "waddle".  I thought that the waddle was just from the big belly (which certainly plays a large role) but I mostly think that it is because everything is moving around and you need to just try to walk in a manner that is somewhat comfortable.  
• Again, thanks to the pelvis movement, walking has started to feel really awkward.  I'm truly impressed by those who can walk for long periods of time because that certainly isn't me.  

All in all, my belly is much bigger than it was before and it still has a long way to go.  I certainly am starting to understand why women get sick of being pregnant!  

Week 33 of pregnancy

I had a lovely time on Vancouver Island last week - visiting my parents, one of my sisters, and some old friends from high school.  I was completely pampered and didn't really do much of anything (except eat which should help with my lack of weight gaining).  Now I'm back to reality - working full time, doing house renos (well, Scott is doing them...), and getting ready to move on Saturday.  All this while I'm starting to slow down, get more tired, and feel more like a big whale.  I had felt really good up until last week but I certainly have noticed a difference this week.  My belly feels bigger, I feel more awkward, and I can feel my pelvis shifting apart.  The baby is getting stronger and stronger but is doing less kicking as there just isn't the space.  S/he still moves around quite a bit but now it just feels more like the baby is trying to find enough space to stretch out in my cramped belly.  My wedding rings don't fit anymore and I feel more puffy (along with feeling much more round).  I think that I'm going through another growth spurt because my body certainly feels less than comfortable these days.  Oh well, only 7 more weeks to go...

Today is brought to you by the number three...

I'm thirty-three years old, am thirty-three weeks pregnant today, and am about to move into a house that cost us $333,000.  Scott thinks that the number three is a lucky number and he was convinced that we were going to get pregnant in my 33rd year.  Looks like it turns out that he was right!  When we made the offer on our house in Calgary, we made $333,000 our final offer - just because Scott believed that it would be good luck.  Maybe we should name our baby something that is connected to the number three...

Maybe I'm doing something wrong?

I keep reading all these things that say that I should be having trouble sleeping now that I am 32 weeks pregnant. I'm supposed to be all big and uncomfortable and am supposed to be getting up frequently in the night to pee. Well, I feel somewhat large but I actually don't feel all that uncomfortable these days. Also, I am peeing more often in the day but I very rarely have to get up in the night to pee. I keep waiting for this to change but so far, so good. I personally am crediting my Snoogle pillow with helping me sleep so good. I do wake up briefly when I have to change sleeping positions but honestly, I'm sleeping way better than I was prior to owning the Snoogle. Best $60 I have ever spent!

Oh, the irony...

Through the first and second trimester, I had been very concerned about the amount of weight that I was gaining. I had gained more than I had hoped and was worried that I was heading towards a 50 or 60 pound weight gain. Now, my weight gain has totally slowed down and (at my 32 week check-up) I had only gained 2 pounds over the past 6 weeks. I had been weighing myself occasionally over the past month (I know that I said that I wouldn't but I just couldn't commit to getting rid of my scale) so this wasn't much of a surprise to me. However, I was starting to worried that I wasn't gaining enough weight. My doctor did take note of it and we discussed it at my last appointment but she isn't concerned. My belly (as evident in the photos on this blog) is growing and growing and she can feel that the baby is a decent size. In general, women usually gain about a pound per week in the last trimester but it seems that my body is on its own program. I guess that this is another good reminder that each woman's pregnancy is completely different than the next.

A little reassurance goes a long way

I met with my doctor last week for the first time since the decision was made to close the Banff hospital to obstetrics. It was my first opportunity to speak to her about how things were going with deliveries at the Canmore hospital and to find out about likelihood of being sent to Calgary. Jane (my doctor - I know her from work so I always call her by her first name) was very good at reassuring me that Canmore is bending over backwards to accommodate all the extra deliveries and are working very hard to ensure that no-one needs to be sent to Calgary. Jane told me that she herself will be around to deliver my baby, not some doctor that I don't know and don't trust. We discussed my imminent move to Calgary but she wasn't at all concerned about that interfering with our delivery plans. I felt much better after meeting with her and feel confident that (as long as there are no complications) I will be able to deliver with Jane, in Canmore, in the manner that I had planned. I'm still disappointed about the fact that we can't deliver in Banff with the nurses that I know and trust but I have been able to come to terms with that.

31 weeks pregnant

Happy pregnant lady (what a liar face!)

Not the greatest look on my face but a good side view of the belly 

(and a more accurate representation of how I feel while pregnant...)

For the love of salt

I normally don't eat too much salt.  I occasionally get salt cravings but nothing too intense.  All that changed over the past three months.  I LOVE salt these days!  I love salty foods and I love putting tons of salt on foods that don't have much salt on them.  I truly feel like I can't get enough of it. Scott had read somewhere that women crave salt when they are carrying boys so maybe this is a sign of something?

An apology to my husband

I truly hate the stereotypes that come along with being pregnant but as I slowly move along in this process, I really that some of these stereotypes seem to be somewhat based in fact.  Last week, I experienced the most intense mood swings.  Now, I do realize that I have a whole lot on the go right now (between buying a house, moving in three weeks, losing my ability to deliver in Banff, making the decision to leave my job, worrying about labour and delivery, etc. etc. etc.) and all of these things would normally make me quite stressed but I certainly am reacting in a way that I never normally would.  I have so little patience for the idiots that inevitably come into my life (I try to remember the phrase "Be nice to the idiot in your life because you are the idiot in someone else's life" but that doesn't always work) and I feel intense rage towards them. I've woken up super cranky most days over the past week - all for no apparent reason.  (Scott even asked me how I could be so grumpy so soon after waking up!)  In addition, I've cried numerous times, each day, over the past two weeks. All these mood changes kind of make me laugh because I truly feel like I have no control over them.  Just another thing about pregnancy to be fascinated by...I did tell Scott that I was sorry for whatever behaviours I exhibited towards him over the next 9 weeks - hopefully he understands that it is nothing personal.  

Trying to look on the bright side...

Now that my belly has grown so much, my boobs feel way smaller than they used to.  I don't think that they haven't actually shrunk but I think that things are much more in proportion now. Whatever the reason, it makes me happy (despite the fact that shirts don't really fit all that much better, but hey, that's another story)

The ups and downs of this pregnancy journey

Even though I had known for about three weeks that the Banff hospital would very likely be closed to labour and delivery, I have taken the 'official' news quite hard.  It is so disappointing to not be able to deliver in Banff.  While I remain hopeful that my doctor will agree to go to Canmore to deliver babies, at this point, this has not yet been confirmed.  Even if she does agree to do this, there is still the possibility that patients will need to be sent to Calgary if Canmore becomes too busy with women in labour.  I am terrified of being sent to Calgary, simply because of a bed shortage.  I hate the idea of giving birth in a big hospital, surrounded by other women in labour, all while being attended to by a resident or doctor that I have never met.  It makes me very sad and upset to evn think about this possibility.  I know that I am being dramatic and this likely won't happen, but it's really hard to not think of the worst-case scenario, especially because this situation is completely out of my control.  I have started to research options in Calgary and would be ok with using a midwife in a hospital in Calgary but I'm pretty sure that they are completely full and can't take on new patients.  I know that I should focus on the fact that I will be having a baby soon and shouldn't focus so much on the experience of how that baby is born but I've always had strong ideas about the type of labour and delivery I hope to have and it feels like that is being taken away from me.  I can only imagine how overwhelming this situation must be for women who are due to give birth in the next few weeks - the only thing that I can be thankful for is that I have 9 more weeks to come to terms with this issue while many other women don't get that opportunity.  

Banff baby ward closed

Hospital pays price for nurse shortage

 

BY MICHELLE LANG, CALGARY HERALDMARCH 4, 2009 3:01 AM

 

 

Expectant mothers in Banff are outraged after the local hospital confirmed it's temporarily suspending obstetric services-- a decision that could lead one local doctor to stop delivering babies if the move becomes permanent.

Banff Mineral Springs Hospital officials announced Tuesday that a severe nursing shortage is forcing them to put the facility's obstetrics pro-gram on hold and send women to give birth at hospitals in Canmore or Calgary.

Alberta Health Services said last week the program would be suspended for about three months, but hospital officials now say it's not clear when Banff will begin delivering babies again.

"There is no end date to the suspension, it's not necessarily three months," said Cindy Mulherin, executive director of the hospital, noting the program could restart before or after that period.

"It's all dependent on our ability to acquire skilled nurses. We're not going to compromise patient safety."

The decision met with an angry response in Banff, where residents said pregnant women in the area, including Lake Louise and Field, B. C., would now have to rely on the space-strapped Canmore hospital.

Kelly Moynihan, a Banff woman who is expecting her first baby in April, said she's worried about potentially having to drive all the way to Calgary to deliver, if the Canmore facility is full.

"We might be having our baby on the side of the road somewhere between Morley and Springbank,"she said. "It's absolutely appalling."

Meanwhile, one of two Banff physicians who delivers babies said she won't continue her obstetrics work if the temporary suspension of the services becomes permanent.

Dr. Jane Fowke said she can't repeatedly drive 20 minutes to Canmore, at all hours, to deliver babies, while maintaining her family practice in Banff.

"I'd have to stop doing deliveries, which is devastating," she said. "That's what I love to do."

The hospital's announcement comes less than a week after dozens of residents staged a protest calling on the facility to continue delivering babies. Protest organizers said they are planning a second rally for this Saturday.

Banff Mineral Springs Hospital handles about 120 births a year.

Hospital officials said they made the decision after losing several nurses, including one who is on extended vacation, a nurse who left on an early maternity leave and several others who are planning to take leaves.

The facility's acute care unit, which provides the maternity services, has four job postings for registered nurses, and the small hospital said it has had trouble recruiting nurses with obstetrics skills.

While staffing shortages motivated the decision, Mulherin confirmed that health officials have studied the feasibility of consolidating Banff and Can-more maternity services.

"The studies found there was some merit in consolidating services in one location," she said, noting the reviews are several years old.

"But that's not what has driven this suspension of service."

Banff town council said Tuesday it's concerned over what it calls the loss of "an essential community service."

One councillor said the community is committed to helping recruit nurses and added the town wishes the hospital had asked for assistance sooner.

"We've heard from the community, and the community wants this service to continue uninterrupted,"said Stavros Karlos, Banff's acting mayor.

Waves of emotion

I worked an overtime shift last night and left the hospital at 10pm. As I was leaving the parking lot, I saw a (very!) pregnant woman and her partner coming in.  She was obviously in labour as she often stopped to breath and he seemed to be timing her contractions.  I became very overwhelmed by watching them and got pretty choked up.  I've always been fascinated by the idea that one minute you are a woman and the next, you are a mother.  One minute you are a couple and the next, you are a family.  In one minute, your life is altered for the rest of time.  Even thinking about it now makes me teary.  I still can't believe that we are having a baby in 10 weeks and that our lives are about to change forever.  What an amazing thing!

For those who have been asking

I finally got around to creating a baby registry gift list.  There are a number of items that we need for the baby but I like things from different stores so it took me awhile to figure out how to make a registry list that wasn't store-specific. These are primarily suggestions for things that we like - our baby welcomes all gifts!  I truly appreciate people's interest in getting things for our little one. We thank you in advance.  

To access the baby registry, go to www.mygiftlist.com/ look for "find a registry" and enter my name.  I hope that it is fairly straightforward to figure out - I have never used this site before but it seems reasonable to use.  

Slips of the tongue

I was talking to a colleague last week about going to do a certain activity. Thinking that this was something more suited to people with children, I found myself saying "well, Scott and I will do that once we have kids".  Apparently I totally forgot that I was currently carrying a kid! (which is truly amazing since being pregnant is pretty much all that I think about...)

He's so sweet!

I know that I have gushed before about how cute Scott is about this pregnancy but I simply can't resist gushing a bit more.  I had been reading about a book that taught new parents how to soothe their babies.  It seemed like a good book so I ordered it from the library.  It arrived yesterday and Scott has been reading it non-stop ever since!  He loves to tell me about all the interesting facts in the book and he's super excited to try the techniques that they recommend.  A friend's girlfriend was over for supper last night and she was telling me that she can't believe how much Scott talks about the baby.  She said that her boyfriend can barely listen to it any more!  Luckily, she's more than happy to listen to it and thinks that it's great to see how keen he is about parenthood.  I find it all quite hilarious but am truly appreciative of how much he is looking forward to becoming a father.  I can't wait to see him in action.