Baby prep is in full gear despite the fact that we're still in limbo with the move to Atlanta. The good news is we do have a house in Smyrna now and the nursery has already been painted the lovely shade of gray that we chose for Bean's first room. The bad news is, that's about all we have. A few days ago I had pretty consistent Braxton Hicks contractions which had me more than a little freaked out and once the worry had passed and we realized we weren't going to meet Bean, it hit me how much we have to do to prepare (and how much of the baby stuff we already purchased is in the container that is sat in customs..)
I've been to two midwife appointments now in Atlanta at Intown Midwifery. I will be honest, a midwifery in the states would probably not have been our first choice if we were insured, but I'm pretty happy with our decision now. We would have used a midwife in England if we stayed as it's standard procedure but it's a little bit different here.
Our first appointment left me in tears as the midwife I met was a bit old school and made me feel guilty because I 1.didn't want a water birth 2. Hadn't read the books she thought I should have read and 3. Made me feel completely and totally unprepared without offering any real help. Luckily, the second midwife I met (they are on a rotating schedule so you may meet the same one twice) was a much better fit for me. She really put me at ease and even gave me some stretches to help with this awful pelvic pain (whine whine whine...)
So, I'm in my 8th month now and here's what's happening:
Crazy Cravings: Does everything count? I mean every. single. thing, from chocolate chip cookies to jalapenos, I want it all. I'm trying to be a little more careful what I'm eating these days as the last month or so I've gone a little crazy and I'm noticing it in my increased cheek size (both sets). Only 2 months left to go so no reason to get carried away now, right?
Bean's Stats: The little guy is growing like a weed and gaining weight like mad. He is around 17.5 inches and 4.25 lbs.
Movement: Holy smokes this kid has moves. As I write this he's celebrating an Arsenal goal with his daddy. I can feel little hands and feet move across my belly now and he's pretty good at playing bladder bongos. We're only just getting to the point where the occasional kick brings tears to my eyes but it's mostly just the sweet little movements that makes us realize he'll be here very very soon.
Weight Gain/Maternity Clothes: So far so good as I'm just over 30 lbs gain although it seems to go mostly to my face. I won't lie, I was stressing out about gaining weight because I had just about reached my goal weight before we found out Bean was on his way. It doesn't seem so important now, I just want to be careful to not go too crazy so it won't be impossible to get back to normal after he gets here. I'm still in the same size maternity pants that I started in but I do see leggings being a staple in the next few weeks.
Belly Button: In! Thank God, I'm so weirded out by the idea of it sticking out...not long left so fingers crossed it stays securely IN.
Mood: Generally good, just trying to stay busy and not think of the impending labor and delivery right around the corner (yikes!). I'm more than a little nervous about our stuff being held up but very excited about our baby shower this weekend!
Now, I'm off to finish packing my hospital bag because, as more and more people are telling me, it can really happen any time now...
H x
