31 weeks - Breastfeeding class & Update on Zoie's room!

Hey everyone!

31 weeks!

Another week has gone by, and it's been HOT here in Kansas. In the 90's! Luckily, the past few days we've had a break from the heat by enjoying some rain, thunderstorms, and tornado warnings. We even slept in our basement one night when we were under tornado watch! Thankfully, the storm passed, and all is well. At least we got a fantastic lightening show! We don't get cloud-to-cloud lightening much in the Northwest, so for me it was a real treat!

On Saturday morning, James and I went to another class at the hospital: Breastfeeding Basics! I was a little skeptical since it was 3 hours long, but it was awesome! Even James enjoyed it. I mean, the whole concept is pretty fascinating. The science behind how milk is made and released, the hormones involved, and the way a woman's body creates exactly the right type of milk for her baby blows my mind! Did you know that during the hot summer months, a woman's milk will contain a higher water content to make up for the baby's perspiration?

Our teacher also gave us some good information regarding breast milk storage and bottle-feeding. I definitely plan on pumping and storing some milk to let James feed Zoie with a bottle, and to give myself a flexible schedule when friends and family take care of her. Guidelines for safe milk storage? Fresh milk can last 4-6 hours at room temperature, 3-8 days in the refrigerator, or about 6-12 months in the freezer (if kept super cold). Once your baby has started to drink from a bottle, she up to 2 hours to finish or the milk needs to be thrown away. If you're pumping a little bit at a time over several hours (the "leftovers" after feedings), you can combine these portions as long as you cool them separately in the fridge before mixing. Our teacher did warn us about pumping too much though (especially pumping out a daily "feeding" in addition to what the baby eats), because we can trick our brains into overproducing milk. There's a fine balance between collecting some extra and becoming a milk factory!

I'm excited to use our Comotomo Natural Feel bottles with Zoie! We've been calling them boobie bottles. I hope she likes them!

In other news, we've been making some good progress on Zoie's room! Walls are painted, curtains are hung, and details are starting to fall into place! Stay tuned, I'll add pictures tomorrow when I can take some daylight photos.

--- New photos! ---

Zoie's Room!

Thonet style Bentwood rocking chair

Play area next to Zoie's bed

Cloth diapers & inserts on right, wipes & some disposables on the left

 Large bin for cloth diaper laundry, small bin for wipes & liners

This little girl will be well-dressed :)

Bassinet co-sleeper for the early months - it fits into bed with us!

Maya wrap, diaper bag, and Boba 3G carrier

Photos of me & James

We're going to add an acrylic mirror (17 times more resistant to shattering than glass!) above her cube shelving unit so she can play with her reflection once she can pull herself up. We also need to add a little more artwork and photos to her walls, and perhaps a mobile above the rocking chair. Maybe cute alphabet cards lining the walls along the ceiling? Also, James' mom picked up one of these pink IKEA lamps for us during her visit in Maryland - it's going to look so cute on Zoie's dresser! One of our last nursery items to purchase is a Foscam video monitor. It's a surveillance camera with night-vision, 2-way audio, and pan/tilt control. Best of all, we can set up secure remote viewing via the internet! Babycam on my iPhone? Yes please! James could even see Zoie while he's at work if she's playing/sleeping in her room. Also, it's about half the price (even 1/3 the price!) of many baby video monitors.

Our little girl is growing fast, only 9 more weeks until we get to meet her! Here's her latest development at 31 weeks.



How far along are you? 31 weeks! Almost exactly 2 months until her due date!
 
How big is Baby? Zoie should be a little over 16 inches long, and weigh about 3.3lb (she feels heavier every day!). I can't imagine her being a whole 8lb by the end of the next two months...

Weight Gain? Morning weight today was 146.8lb, which was my exact weight last Tuesday! Weird...

Gender? GIRL!

Maternity Clothes? All the time, except a few regular tops. My workout clothes still fit decently. I just ordered a ton of maternity shorts (hopefully some fit, and I'll mail back the rest!), because I just realized not a SINGLE store in my city sells maternity clothes!

Sleep? Sleep has gotten a lot better this week! We got our air conditioning fixed on Friday (apparently we had a burned out wire in our AC unit), which has made life so much better. Also, the itchy rash that has plagued me the past 4 weeks has been disappearing! I hardly itch at all now. I can't pinpoint the solution, but I started using Neosporin colloidal oatmeal cream about a week ago. It actually soothed the itching sensation, and probably gave my skin enough time to heal! I'm SO HAPPY to not have itchy skin anymore!

Movement? She still moves all the time! It amazes me how high in my abdomen she kicks. Sometimes it tickles, sometimes it actually kind of hurts. She gets the hiccups pretty regularly!

Food Cravings? I've been craving a really really good hamburger. I've already had two this last week, but they weren't good enough! No seasoning, not juicy... not satisfying! I need James to make me one of his famous cheese-stuffed burgers. Mmmm....

Labor Signs? I'm almost positive I felt a Braxton-Hicks contraction on Friday as I was driving home! I felt my abdomen muscles tighten and cramp for about 30-45 seconds, and then the feeling disappeared. It didn't hurt, but it felt weird.

Belly Button in or out? It's poking out a little more, and a little more... Nothing extreme yet, thankfully!

What I miss? We're headed to Kansas City this weekend... I sure wish I could have some beer with my BBQ and a cocktail at a jazz club!

Best moment(s) of the week? I've enjoyed going on long walks every morning before it gets too hot during the day - just me, my puppy, and my audiobook! This sunny weather has been gorgeous. We've gotten together with a few friends, went to the farmers market, tried a new restaurant, and got some work done around the house. It's been a nice relaxing week.

What I am looking forward to? Tomorrow our new baby nephew makes his way into this world! I'm so excited for my sister-in-law! We wish her all the best :) Also, this weekend is Memorial Day weekend! James and I are going to drive over to Kansas City and do a little exploring.


Cheers,

Martha