26 weeks - Childbirth class and ultrasound!

Hello everyone!

26 weeks!

James and I had a couple of exciting events this week - another ultrasound and our first baby-prep class at the hospital! We've also had a lot of fun going to an orchestra performance and enjoying a fancy Casino Royale themed fundraiser party.

It was wonderful to see baby Zoie last night. My new clinic didn't have any measurements from my Alabama ultrasound, so they wanted to do their own anatomy scan (oh, darn!). Her anatomy looks perfect again, and we could see so much more detail in her body. Her heart, stomach, kidneys, bones... it's amazing to see everything in a baby less than 2 pounds. She wasn't as active this time, but instead cozily curled into ball trying to suck her fingers. We even saw her little mouth open and close, and she stuck her tongue out!

The ultrasound technician said her weight was on track, but her measurements are a little small for 26 weeks. It's possible her due date could be a week later. Who knows though, maybe she's just a smaller baby? Or she'll hit her growth spurt later? (I'm hoping for smaller baby come July!)

On Saturday, James and I went to the hospital to take our Childbirth Education class. It was 4 hours, and concluded with another tour of the Birth & Women's Center. We actually learned quite a bit from the class, the best of which included massage and breathing/relaxation techniques. I could've fallen asleep when James practiced his newly-learned hand massage...

The class also confirmed my desire to have a drug-free birth. Our instructor (also a nurse) personally had natural childbirths, and really talked up the advantages of not being tied to the bed during labor. We practiced different ways to use the exercise ball (or birthing ball, as they call it!) to relieve pain as you're progressing through labor. Sitting, swaying, hanging over the ball on the bed... there are all sorts of positions! The bed itself can incline into a sitting position, and has a bar you can hang onto to put yourself into a squat position. Not to mention easing contractions in the hot tub! I love the freedom and choices, all of which will be available to me as long as I don't take drugs...

Here's a few photos of our little Zo Bo!

Zoie's little face and hand by her head.

She's got some muscle on those baby legs!

And here's her estimated development at 26 weeks:




How far along are you? 26 weeks today (I'm sticking with my original due date!)
 
How big is Baby? She was measured at 1 pound 11oz yesterday! BabyCenter.com suggests 1.68 pounds, so she's exactly on track with weight.

Weight Gain? My weight today is 142.6 - about 11 pounds so far.

Gender? GIRL!

Maternity Clothes? A few more regular shirts ended up in the 130 box this week. They just don't look cute anymore on my bigger middle! Loving my maternity jeans and more generous tops.

Sleep? I don't think I've gone a single night without having to pee at like 3am. I try to move softly so I don't wake up Zoie, because her kicking gets really distracting from sleep! It seems that she sleeps during the night until I wake up in the morning to take Brownie outside (if it's my turn, haha), and when I crawl back into bed to snuggle with James, Zoie begins her morning aerobics!

Movement? She still moves all the time! We learned yesterday that the placenta is attached at the top of my uterus, so that might explain why most of the movement I feel is down lower in my abdomen.

Food Cravings? Dairy has been especially delicious, but still loving all food!

Labor Signs? Nothing yet. I wonder when I'll feel my first Braxton-Hicks contraction?

Belly Button in or out? I finally took out my belly button piercing, because my stretching skin was starting to make it feel sensitive. The inner part of my belly button is starting to peek out! A few more weeks and it might actually protrude... Oh boy.

What I miss? I miss being able to rely on clothes. We got all dressed up for the James Bond themed fundraiser on Saturday night, and the dress I had planned to wear did NOT look flattering. So I ended up wearing this blingin' gold sequin dress I bought for last Halloween (it was a size too big, so now it fit my belly perfectly!). To my surprise, I got like 5 compliments on my "beautiful dress" - it was $20 from Ross!

Best moment(s) of the week? The Childbirth Education class and Casino Royale night were my favorites. I love meeting new people and feeling more involved with my community!

What I am looking forward to? One week from today I'll be in the Northwest! YESS! That also gives me more incentive to finish some current house projects (painting, sewing curtains, building shelves...) before I leave. I'm also looking forward to taking an Infant CPR class with James this Thursday evening!

Cheers,

Martha