Baby Shower

Last night the ladies at my office threw me a baby shower.  It was at our office manager Kim's house in Roseville.  The shower was amazing; they really outdid themselves.

The night was filled with food, games, and of course presents.  Baby Stepp is one lucky little girl!  She received many thoughtful gifts.  I am so grateful to work with such wonderful women!  Here are just a few of the many pictures from the shower.

Me and Oliver (Kim's puppy)

Me, Karen, and her daughter Sarah

Pamela and Me

Shannon, Lisa, and Emily enjoying some food

Kim, Stacey, Shannon, Sarah, and Karen playing one of the many games

I promised in a blog earlier this week that we would be revealing Baby Stepp's name.  Unfortunately, the unveiling has been postponed.  Brandon and I have carefully thought about her name and we have ultimately come down to two names that we both love.  As much as we would like to decide on which will be her name we have decided to wait until she is born before doing so.  Once we see her we will decide which name is right for her and since this name will be with her the rest of her life it seems appropriate to not rush the decision.  So we will be making the big announcement once Dunebuggy decides to grace us with her presence. 

29 Weeks

Today is 29 weeks and only 77 more days until Baby Stepp's due date!  This week she is approximately 17 inches long and approaching 3 lbs.  I imagine it is getting a little tight in my belly for her.

Over the next 11 weeks she will be packing on the pounds, fattening up for her grand entrance into the world.

Today we have an appointment with a nurse midwife here in Roseville.  It wasn't a required visit but since we have decided to take that path we felt it best to schedule some time with a midwife before the big day.  I imagine it will be a quick check up like all my appointments have been.

Last night we attended a cloth diapering class at Goore's, a local baby store.  Because of all the benefits both for baby and the environment we are going to give cloth diapering a go.  Here are just a few of the many benefits and facts about cloth diapering:

1. Disposable diapers have many toxins and chemicals in them.
2. Over 92% of disposable diapers end up in a landfill and it is estimated that it takes a disposable diaper 200-500 years to decompose.
3. It has been shown that babies that are cloth diapered will be potty trained 6 months to a year before those using disposables.

The class was somewhat helpful, but mostly a sales pitch.  The speaker was a representative for Bambino Mio, a cloth diapering system out of the UK.  The system is becoming very popular and is sold in 70 different countries.  Although I liked the Bambino Mio system, I have been doing research and am pretty sure we will be doing a similar method but with a different brand.

There is a cloth diapering service here in Northern California that we plan to use.  I must say the biggest downside of cloth diapers is having to clean them, especially the poopy ones.  The diaper service here will deliver fresh pre-fold diapers, the basic cloth diapers that you remember from the past, every week as well as take away the dirty ones for cleaning.  You basically have to do nothing!

Prefold Cloth Diapers

The cloth diapering of the past is long gone and has become so much easier and convenient.  There is now no longer the need to use safety pins and with today's diaper covers leaks and blow outs are held in as good as disposables.  The diaper covers that we will be trying are made here in the USA.  The company is called Thirsties and is based out of Colorado.  They have wonderful reviews and they have many different styles and sizes of covers.  Here is a picture of the style of diaper cover we plan to use.

Thirsties Diaper Cover

It's as easy as folding the cloth diaper, placing it inside the diaper cover, and diapering the baby as you would with a disposable.  When it comes time to change the baby, you take out the pre-fold portion and throw it in the diaper pail for the diaper service to take care of.  There was one product we saw last night which I think we will purchase.  It is a cloth diaper liner and helps make poo clean ups easier.  It is a thin material that you wrap around the cloth pre-fold before placing in the cover.  When you change a dirty diaper with poo you just remove the liner with the poo on it and flush it down the toilet.  The liners are completely biodegradable so they won't clog your pipes and it makes it a lot easier to deal with.  Of course the liners won't do much in the beginning but once Baby Stepp starts making solid poos it will be a lifesaver.

If you do chose to use a fastener with the cloth diaper underneath the diaper cover there are better ways to do so than with the old fashioned safety pins.  The option that I like is a fastener with 3 prongs called a Snappi.  There are little hooks on each end that will cling to the diaper and hold the cloth on.  They are really easy to use and you can attach them with one hand.  I am not sure if we will need these or not but I plan to purchase a few and experiment.  Cloth diapering will definitely be a learning process for both Brandon and I!

Snappis

You can read more about the Thirsties company as well as the many benefits of cloth diapering on their website at www.thirstiesbaby.com.  I also found an interesting article about the comeback of cloth diapers http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/135776/cloth_diapers_better_for_the_environment.html?cat=25.

Hospital Tour

We just got back from attending the Late Pregnancy Class and hospital tour at Kaiser.  The class covered the 3rd trimester of pregnancy as well as an overview of what to expect when you are admitted to the hospital for delivery.  I thought it was very informative and I am glad we attended.

The instructor was a certified birth specialist for Kaiser and was in her mid to late 30s.  It was obvious she loved her job by the way she spoke during her presentation.  She began the class by asking everyone to introduce themselves and tell whether they were having a boy, a girl, or a surprise.  There were 12 couples in the class and it was almost split down the middle for the baby's gender with the exception of one surprise.  I would guess most of the couples were close to our age however there were a few couples that were obviously younger.  We didn't feel particularly old for the group, but there were no couples that were obviously in their forties either.

The instructor then discussed common occurrences during the 3rd trimester such as shortness of breath, discomfort, swelling, etc., most were due to the sheer size of the basketball sized object growing in one's abdomen.  She also mentioned symptoms of pre eclampsia and preterm labor that require immediate attention.  She then transitioned into determining when you are going into labor and when to go to the hospital.  Contractions should be 3-5 minutes apart, each lasting one minute, for two hours before you head for the hospital.  The sitcom-friendly water break is also an indication that it is time to go.  As she was going over this I pictured Brandon and I sitting in the den timing my contractions and then us freaking out that it is time to go...ha!

The women's center at Kaiser Roseville, which opened in January 2009, is separate from the main hospital. Instead of going to the ER we will head straight to labor and delivery in the women's center which is just adjacent to the main hospital.  When we are first admitted we will spend approximately an hour in the triage area where the nurses will monitor me to determine whether I am indeed in labor or if it is a false alarm.  Once they determine I am in labor we will then be moved to a private delivery room where we will remain until Baby Stepp is born.  We were able to go into one of the rooms and were both very impressed.  It was huge and with the exception of the needed medical equipment and monitors resembled that of a hotel room rather than a hospital room.

Approximately two hours after Baby Stepp is born we will be moved upstairs to a private post delivery room for the remainder of our stay at the hospital.  When you are moved upstairs to post delivery they play a lullaby over the speaker system and it can be heard throughout the women's center.  As we were taking the tour we heard the lullaby.  It was very cute and exciting at the same time.  We of course were looking around for the new addition to the floor but didn't get a chance to see the new mother and child before we had to move on.  The postpartum room was smaller and looked more like a hospital but still was very nice.  We will remain there until we are both cleared for discharge by the doctors.

Brandon later explained to me that from his limited experience, the term postpartum automatically translates in his brain as postpartum depression.  He had to consciously remind himself that we were not going to the depression room after Dunebuggy is born.

On a side note, the instructor said that during 2009 43% of the babies born at Kaiser Roseville were delivered by midwives.  A statistic that surprised us both.

The tour helped me feel a little more at ease knowing what I can expect when the day does come.  With the delivery of Baby Stepp approaching fast we now have to consider other preparations such as packing a bag for the hospital.  I imagine we will start that process over the next month.  In the meantime we are working on finalizing a name for little Dunebuggy.  Be on the lookout for a blog update later this week with the big announcement!

Warning: This may blow your mind!

After a long Sunday of cleaning house, Brandon and I treated ourselves to a delicious fatty dinner.  We picked up Taco Bell for me and sushi for him and brought it back to the house to pig out.  Not long after I started eating, Baby Stepp start going nuts!  She must share my love of Mexican food.  She was kicking and turning for about 30 minutes straight.  Luckily I had my phone nearby so I could capture some of the action.  You'll have to look closely but you can see her doing her twists and turns under my shirt.

Hint: Watch the left side of my belly.  The video may take a few minutes to load before it can be viewed.

28 Weeks

Hello 3rd Trimester!  It's hard to believe there is only 3 more months until Baby Stepp's due date.  Over the past few weeks there has been a definite change in my body as she continues to grow.  

I am slowly finding it more difficult to do everyday tasks that I took for granted like putting on socks and tying my shoes.  I can't begin to imagine what it will be like a few months from now.

This week Baby Stepp is 2.5 pounds and 16 inches long!

We are looking forward to our upcoming classes and appointments this week.  Tuesday we have our Late Pregnancy class at Kaiser which includes a tour of the hospital where Baby Stepp will be born.  Thursday we will be attenging a cloth diapering class at Goore's our local baby store.  And last but not least, we have an appointment on Friday with one of the midwives we met at our class last week. 

I passed...with a 65!

It has been a few days since I took the glucose test and I have not received a call from the doctor's office.  When I took the test they said they would only call if I did not pass the test.  I checked my lab results online, a feature Kaiser offers, and I passed with flying colors.  The recommended score is less than 139 mg/dL and I got a 65!  I can now mark off gestational diabetes from my list of things to worry about during pregnancy.

Tonight I attended a class at Kaiser called Pain Management Options.  It was taught by a Certified Nurse Anesthetist and covered anesthesia options in labor and delivery.  The main focus was on the epidural.  She reviewed the procedures of administering the epidural, the desired results, and the common side-effects.  I am more informed having attended the class however I did not walk away feeling like it was the best class I have attended to date.  In reality I could have learned everything we went over tonight from a quick search on the internet.  I am still glad I attended the class and appreciate that Kaiser offers these classes to help women as they prepare for childbirth.

I am definitely not opposed to having an epidural, but at the same time I don't intend to demand one as soon as I am admitted into the hospital.  Every woman and every labor is different and I will have to see how my body handles labor when the time comes.  I would like to have minimal medicinal intervention during labor and getting an epidural can sometimes increase the chance that additional medicine will need to be administered to progress labor.  As of now my plan is to see how I feel when I am admitted and wait to request an epidural once I am extremely uncomfortable.

Valentine's Day 2011

This morning was a busy morning for us!  It started with a tour of the local Phoenix School, a daycare we are considering for Baby Stepp.  The school is just over a mile from our house so it is very convenient for us both.  Phoenix Schools is nationwide and has programs for children as young as 6 weeks up until Pre-K.  It also has a private kindergarten here in Rocklin just up the road from the daycare we visited. We have great public schools here in Rocklin, so if we're still here then, she'd probably go to public school.

Overall, we were pleased with our visit and felt good about the place and the care they provide.  It was quite a different experience from our trip to Merryhill School, our other option, as the tour there was on a Saturday while kids were not present.  On our tour today, kids were everywhere!  It happened to be picture day and the kids were precious getting their pictures taken in costumes like an astronaut or a pilot.  With the exception of the kids being present the two schools offer very similar care so it will be a tough decision on which daycare is right for us.  Fortunately, we still have some time so we will start weighing the pros and cons soon.

After our tour we headed to Kaiser for our monthly doctor's appointment which included a gestational diabetes test.  I stopped by the lab to drink the sugary concoction before heading upstairs.  I was dreading the test but it actually was not as bad as I anticipated.  The drink was fairly small but insanely sweet!  The worst part was having to chug it in front of the lady at the lab.  She pulled it directly out of the fridge before handing it to me and it was so cold that I was getting brain freeze while downing it.  After finishing, I headed upstairs to my appointment, having to wait one hour before having blood drawn for the test.  I checked in with the front desk and we waited to be called back.  Soon after sitting down, Baby Stepp started moving around like crazy!  She must have gotten a sugar high from that drink.  I guess that is a sign of things to come.  Note to self: don't feed babies sugar, they go crazy!

Our appointments have been alternating each month between my OBGYN and the nurse practitioner.  This appointment was with the nurse practitioner and was fairly uneventful.  Per normal procedure, they checked my vitals and all was well.  However, I am still convinced that the scale at the doctor's office is broken!!  During the appointment, we got to hear the heartbeat with the doppler.  Every other time, the heartbeat was all that one could hear, but this time the predominant noise was her moving around in there...still on her sugar high.

Since we recently decided to go with a midwife for our delivery we requested assistance in scheduling an appointment with one of them in Roseville.  This process quickly turned into a situation as nobody was sure how to schedule it!  After 3 failed attempts we finally had a woman come by that was familiar with how to schedule an appointment with a midwife.  She got our information and told us she would set up an appointment and would call us later today.

We then headed back down to the lab to have my blood drawn, having successfully passing the hour with the appointment and our scheduling pursuits. As soon as we got to the lab I had my blood drawn and we were done!  In addition to gestational diabetes the blood work will be analyzed for anemia.  If they see a problem they will call within the next 3 days, otherwise we won't hear from them.  We have our fingers crossed that we don't hear from them!

We split ways and headed to work, both wishing we could call in and take the rest of the day off.  Unfortunately we both had obligations and couldn't give in to our desires.  I'm glad that I made the decision to go in since my wonderful husband sent me a beautiful bouquet of roses to the office! :)

Now that the day has come to an end we are headed out to a romantic evening of Burger Mania at Woody's and Gnomeo and Juliet in 3D!

27 Weeks

Today is 27 weeks!! This marks my last week in the second trimester. So far everything is going well and Baby Stepp is one active little baby! She’s making herself at home in there and is constantly moving around…especially after meals.

Here is a little update on her development at 27 weeks:

This week she is 14.5 - 15 inches from head to toe and weighs approximately 2 pounds! In the past month alone she has doubled in weight. She's sleeping and waking at regular intervals, opening and closing her eyes, and perhaps even sucking her fingers. Because her sense of hearing has developed, she may even recognize our voices!

The Meet the Midwives class Wednesday night went well. There was actually a much larger group of people in attendance than we anticipated. I guess there is a lot of people interested in having midwives deliver their babies! The class was very informative and provided us with some insight on what to expect by choosing to have a midwife vs. a doctor during the delivery. The main points they reiterated were 1) they believe pregnancy and labor are normal processes and are best handled with minimal intervention and 2) they are your advocate during the labor process to ensure your experience is what you desire it to be.

In some folks, I’m sure that the mention of a midwife conjures visions of a medieval birth in a straw covered floor or a hippie pushing out a baby in a bathtub. In this case, the midwives are nurses who hold graduate level degrees in midwifery; similar to nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists and all of their deliveries take place in the hospital. They’re even cool with pain medication. The basic difference is in their philosophy of keeping birth as simple as possible. Any complex or high-risk deliveries would still be handled by the OBGYN.

We have decided to go with the midwife program. The impact is fairly benign for now. Our office visits for the rest of the pregnancy will alternate between the midwife and the OBGYN. This way we can satisfy Brandon’s semi-irrational need to defy societal norms while still completely playing it safe. At the same time, I like the midwife philosophy, but am comforted that I’ll be in a modern hospital with all of the advantages that technology offers should anything go wrong.

Meet the Midwives

I can't believe Friday will be 27 weeks! As we get closer to the arrival of Baby Stepp we are beginning to prepare ourselves for things to come. Over the next few months Brandon and I have signed up for a multitude of classes through Kaiser on pregnancy/birth and infant care. We are very fortunate that Kaiser provides these classes to us free of charge and since we are clueless when it comes to the care of a new baby we decided to take all the classes we can!

Tonight we are attending a class called Meet the Midwives. Kaiser has a team of certified nurse midwives that are specialized in normal pregnancy and childbirth. The hospital is set up to have a rotation of OBGYNs on call for labor and delivery, so the chances of having our doctor be on call when I go into labor is very slim. Thus far we have had no complications so we are considering the option of having a midwife deliver Baby Stepp. The class is more of a meet and greet where we can learn about the services they provide and get to know their team of midwives before making any further decisions. Hopefully it will be informational and will provide us with the answers we need.