Happy Birthday & Happy Anniversary

The anniversary of my labor pains. 53 weeks ago waddled into a hospital, moaning and groaning, not sure what to expect, excited and anxious. Labor pains which changed my life (and the life of G's) forever. In the span of 24 hours, my heart suddenly latched itself to another being in a way thoroughly unlike the way our heart attaches to our family or spouses.

Labor pains which resulted in this squishy cheeked sweet smelling eyelash envy wonder:

Happy First Birthday to Om.

And Happy Labor/Delivery Anniversary to me.

Pregnancy Tag

Long time coming...Munchkin's Mom's tag on pregnancy.

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Not at all! It was a total shock.




Dharamsala, India; 2007. Love the mountains in the background. I was probably very early stage preggo in this pic. (Can I ever fit into that kurti again? Or have that body again?)


2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes!



A business school (old palace converted) in Shimla, India. Probably early stage preggo in this pic.
3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Bawled my eyes out. Was certain that life as I knew it,was over. (I'm copying Munchkin's Mom on this one!)


Taj Resort, Maldives. 2007. Not sure if I was preggo in this pic...but this is probably where he was conceived! :-D

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU? Noooo waaaay.




Shimla, India. 2007. Sun in our eyes, with a glimmer of baby. Little did we know!


5. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 28


6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
HA...I am probably one of the few who went in to the dermatologist office to get checked for acne, and came out with the news that I was in the very early stages of pregnancy!



At our Seattle reception, Jan 2008. We revealed to everyone that we were expecting during a slideshow. I love this pic because the kids were drawn to the cake like a magnet...so excited! And that's my dear friend Shilpa on the side, setting up some music.


7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?My sister in law, G, and then sister in law's husband (in that order...sis in law and her hubby are both doctors, so naturally I consulted them!) They were all in the room when I found out. Mom in law thought I had a horrible disease that we were all whispering about.


November 2007, my sister in law is on the right and her husband is on the left. (Not preggo in this pic FYI)

8. DUE DATE?August 18th 2008

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
Yes. And every other symptom you can imagine. Go look in a pregnancy reference book...list of symptoms...I had ALL of those.





Swollen feet and ankles on August 17th, 2008. Could not fit into my shoes. And yes, those are scratch marks from my nails. My skin was on fire due to pregnancy PUPPPS.

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
LOL hence the name of this blog! Initially I craved salsa with refried beans, and then I just craved salsa on anything, then I craved peanut butter and jelly, then I craved yogurt shakes (lassi). But nothing like the cliche' out at 3am searching for food types. They were manageable cravings.





Preggo lady on a scooter, Cancun, Mexico, April 2008. My bum hurt SO much after 2 hours on this thing.


Preggo lady with coconuts. Cancun, Mexico, April 2008.



Preggo lady in hotel lobby, Cancun, Mexico April 2008. This was the first time people noticed I was pregnant...we were in the lobby getting Mexican coffee, and the waitress said so when's the baby due? I was so elated because FINALLY I looked pregnant and not just fat!




The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Cancun, Mexico, April 2008. Yes I wore a swimsuit while pregnant. Now that I think about it...I should have gone totally nuts and worn a bikini...every excuse to have my belly sticking out. I got super tanned lying in the sun for 4 days! I just wanted to bake myself in the heat since I'm such a sucker for anything warm. Washington is so dreary, so Cancun sun was a nice change.

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
Oh boy here we go. My nose. The fact that I couldn't breath for 7 months. Constant pain in my hips that prevented me from finishing physical work. The itchy skin that kept me up at night. The heartburn. The vomiting and nausea. The sleepless nights that resulted in my sleeping from 6am to 12pm. Sitting in the library doing work projects only to have to use the restroom constantly and blow my nose every 5 mins, much to the chagrin of folks around me.

As for people, no one really irritated me, everyone in my family and friends was supportive. G, however... no comment! Hehe.

April 2008, Cancun, Mexico. The stage where you know you are pregnant, but other people need to take a second guess...easily mistaken for having a large beer belly. I was SO tan in this pic! I'm slowly getting my normal complexion back...Seattle will do that to you! Although I have to say, I sort of enjoyed being tan...I didn't need concealer or bronzer!

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD’S SEX?Male

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
We were happy with anything. I had dreams it would be a boy.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?
50 lbs. Holy cow!

About to pop. August 17th, 2008.

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes.

June 2008. Huge. With cinnamon fried icecream and bro. He's probably a fifth of my weight in this pic! LOL.

16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew.

17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
Thyroid issues arose, but other than that was fine (except for pesky symptoms).

18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Bellevue, Washington.

Independance Day (July 2008) at a baseball game (WA vs. Michigan)

19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Let's see...Contractions were uncomfortable at 11pm. Then by next morning I was in moaning type pain. In hospital at 3pm. I pushed for 20 mins, and then Om came out at 8pm. So I was in manageable labor for 20 hours, and only pushed for 20 minutes...which I attribute to a small baby and lots of squats, yoga, walks, and massage.

20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL/BIRTH CENTER? Technically, I drove myself to the clinic for my final checkup with the doc, and then G met up with Mom and I and he drove us to the hospital.

21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?
A whole big party. LOL. My Mom, G, the doctor, 2 nurses, and an intern nurse. It was great. We should have had party hats, streamers, and noise makers. And don't forget cake. Mmmm. Cake.

Note to preggo ladies...get your nails done....pedicure etc...haircut...facial...whatever you need to do. Because you will look like CRAP while in labor.

22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?
Natural.

23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
HECK YEAH...epidural.

24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
6.5 lbs.

25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?
Right on time. August 18th.

26. WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION WHEN THE DOCTOR ANNOUNCED THE SEX OF THE BABY?
We already knew!

27. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST REACTION ON SEEING THE BABY?
I was in a daze, so I just held Om and stared at him while everyone oohed and aahed around me.

28. DID YOU CRY?
No

29. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?
Om

30. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY
7 months

He looks like his Mommy, but I have to say in this pic his Daddy's dimpled chin is clearly showing!

I'm probably the last person to do this tag, so if you haven't already done this, you are it!

Post Partum Support?

Here is one conversation I had with someone that made me change how I think of her:

Me: I heard that M is about to have her baby, can you give my regards to her and tell her that the terrible symptoms will soon pass and if she's feeling a bit depressed it's totally understandable?

Her: Depressed? Why would she feel depressed?

Me: It's the life changes and hormonal fluctuations...I went through something similar, it's called the post partum blues.

Her: You were depressed? How come you never told me?

Me: You never asked.

Her: Wow if I had a baby I would be euphoric with happiness.

Me: Good for you.

Post Partum Weight Loss

Starting weight 10-27-08 : 168 lbs (Need to face the music) (Not sharing body fat %...too scary for Halloween)

Goal weight: 145 lbs

Just a year ago...

I was living in my parents house in MN. Everyday I would go to work 20 minutes away at an ecommerce company. I loooved working...discussing problems and challenges with my manager, interviewing engineers about their inventions, researching new technology, and ultimately prosecuting patent applications. I especially liked managing my own time and choosing which project I felt like working on at the moment.


I would come home fairly late since I preferred arriving at the office later in the day and staying late. I would eat dinner on my own and then go excersise, usually run around my parents neighborhood. Sometimes I'd call up my friend George and we'd run in his neighborhood or we'd use his punching bag in his steamy garage.


I'd probably get a phone call from G on his way back from work (due to different time zones). I'd lay on my bed and chat with him about our day. Then I would get ready for bed and go downstairs to the basement to do 500 jumprope.


It was a simple relaxing time, full of excitment for planning a trip to India for our wedding and the trip to London to see relatives. Lots of shopping, planning sessions with parents and friends, etc. I was physically full of energy and healthy. I was also planning a trip to Baltimore to see a college friend.


I was looking forward to moving to Washington, spending time with my new husband, and eventually going back to work for the same company in Minnesota (either by remote work or by traveling every week to MN). My goal was to take salsa lessons and do lots of experimental cooking, and go travel with my husband.


Then we got pregnant. :-) And now I'm always tired, have odd aches in my body, 30 lbs heavier than I was, living with a mother in law along with a new husband (no privacy), pressured to finish one more exam so that I can find a good job, just getting out of a post partum funk (baby blues) and have a 9 lb mini-me sleeping in the bassinet next to me.

Life is full of surprises. I'm just glad that they are happy surprises.

Half my brain cells

Went to my child during pregnancy. Grammar, spelling, all have gone down hill.

Does breastfeeding increase appetite?

It's either that or the prescription medicine I've been taking to increase the milk supply.

(Do not assume from the title of this post that Om's breastfeeding has been extremely successful...we are still working on it, right now he just uses the brown eyes for between-meal snacks and soothing himself to sleep. Oh well.)

I packed up all my clothes so that I wouldn't get depressed looking at them. Few items remain in my closet that fit, but I am still finding stuff on a daily basis that I have to put in the "wait until 30 lbs lost" pile. Keep pondering joining weightwatchers again.

I highly doubt I'll lose weight with breastfeeding like many women do. As with most of my pregnancy experiences, I'll probably be in the small percentage of women who GAIN or maintain their weight and lose it after their babies are weaned.

Labor and Drugs

I didn't take Demerol or any sort of narcotic, but I did get the epidural during Om's birth. This scene isn't very accurate (why is John Travolta in scrubs and a mask? and 5 to 6 cm dialated is fine for drugs) but it's cute to see the baby acting high inside her (and I sympathize with her intolerance to the pain...you don't understand until you are actually in that moment!).

Birth Story

Saturday, August 16th, (a day after my dehydration stay in the hospital) was pretty good...no contractions. The night before we had friends over and I was able to eat decently despite the day full of naseau, that's why I think I was able to stand the next day. It was the Hindu holiday of Rakhi, so I tied G's rakhi on his wrist and G did the same for me (in his household it's customary for the brother's wife to get a rakhi as well). Afterwards, G and I went to the North Bend mall to do some cloth shopping for G. We also stopped to do some farmer's market shopping and grocery. Below is a pic of me right as we are leaving to go shopping. I was enormous. Probably around 188 to 191 lbs. The weather that day was wonderfully sunny. We had a flat tire along the way back home so our plans for an evening movie were canceled.

Sunday, August 17th was normal enough, Mom had arrived the night before from Minnesota. She cooked lunch (yay desi okra) and then in the afternoon we decided to take Mom to the Cascade mountain range, about 5 hours from where we currently live. In the morning I started feeling light contractions, but I knew that this was just random practice labor and decided to be risky and drive far off where there is no cell phone reception a day before my due date. :-) Of course we didn't tell Mom how I was feeling, if she had known she would never have agreed to such a long drive. Below is a pic of us at a pass in the Cascades.

By the end of the day, I had to really pace myself because I was having contractions every 30 minutes, and my whole lower region was achy feeling and I walked at a snail's pace. I was also really craving liquids, especially gas station slushies. :-) We came back at night and I barely ate dinner (I think I put on more of a "show" that I was eating dinner just to satisfy G and keep him from getting on me about not eating). Everyone went to bed, and I began having more painful contractions every 20 minutes or so. They were still bearable, but I was unable to sleep the entire night. I kept a log of the contractions while G slept peacefully besides me (halfway through the night I started moaning and of course woke up G with each contraction).

By 4 am, Monday the 18th, I woke G and told him we definetly need to go to the hospital, I didn't care if we didn't match the 5-1-1 (5 minutes apart, lasting a minute, for an hour) rule, they were getting too painful. So we woke up Mom and all 3 of us headed to Overlake. They checked me into a room, and the most annoying nurse came into help me. She checked my cervix and I started crying out of pain, she took WAY too long to measure the cervix (most people pop their fingers in and out, she took her sweet time). G and Mom were holding my hands the whole time. The annoying nurse told me I was 3 cm dialated and could have the baby now if my OBGYN popped the bag. Luckily my OBGYN was at the hospital at the time (I love the docs at this hospital, they show up for everything!) so he dropped by and discussed my options. I told him I wanted a chance for the bag to break on it's own, so Mom and I dropped G off at work and then Mom drove me back home. I was VERY much in pain by then, so Mom had to deal with a very moody and crabby daughter giving her directions back home. Back at home I took a LONG hot shower and beared through 4 hours of intense contractions. I tried reading, watching TV, anything to get my mind off the pain. G actually had the balls to ask me if I could take the car to the autoshop to get the spare tire changed (from our flat tire on Sunday) while I was writhing in pain at home. Obviously, that didn't happen. :-)

At 1pm Mom and I left for my afternoon appointment (I had originally had a 40 week checkup with the OBGYN scheduled). G was supposed to meet me there after he had lunch with a friend. G was 15 minutes late and I was pretty mad, but in so much pain that I really didn't care to bitch about it. The doctor was also late. The doctor said I was a whopping 7 cm dialated by then, so it meant baby was ready to come that day. The nurses in the clinic were excited and we all said goodbye and headed to the hospital. In the labor room a super nice nurse, Corey, helped me get ready for the epidural. I wanted an epidural more for rest...I had been contracting strongly the whole day and night before so had very little patience and strenght left in me. I changed into my own gown, and then the anesthesiologist had me curl up in a c shape and did the needle work. The oddest popping feeling followed. A student from a tech school came in to assist Corey, her name was Danita and she was also sweet and even cried at the end of the labor when Om was born.

So basically I had done 75% of the labor at home. The epidural was GREAT...God bless the person who invented it. I could still feel sensations in my legs and the urges to push. I still needed a catheter to use the bathroom, however, and getting that put in HURT. (I figured out I'm a big baby when it comes to anything below my waist...I would rather get 10 IV's put in my arm than go through an internal exam or catheter inserted).

Om kept playing with the umbilical cord while inside me, so his heart rate kept jumping up and down which concerned the nurses and had me turning sides to get his heart rate back up. Eventually I was a full 10 centimeters dialated and my OBGYN showed up to do the delivery. I pushed for 20 to 30 minutes, and then Om was born. He had a 3 feet umbilical cord (really long) wrapped around his neck, and he was covered with a film of meconium of greenish color. Apparently he had a bowel movement about a month back, hence the film. Due to that the doctor didn't put Om on my stomach, instead he was whisked off for some checking. I heard Om cry and saw him through my legs briefly. I was in a weird state of mind at that time, and was focused on the pain from the OBGYN stitching me up, so I really didn't mind anyway.

G was holding one leg of mine up the whole time, and the OBGYN was holding the other leg up while attending to the labor. My mom and the two nurses were near my head and giving me encouragement for pushing. G had a very close view of the labor, which I really didn't want to happen, I wanted him to be near my head giving me encouragment, but in the heat of the moment the doctor told him to hold my leg up and things started moving so fast that there was no time to adjust people's positions. But the good thing is that G knows how many breaths Om took before crying, how he looked right as he emerged. That is really special and I'm glad someone saw all that, despite how dirty it can be down there during labor. The nurses mentioned that the labor was really dramatic...I'm not sure how, but I guess all the people around me and how fast things went made the scene dramatic.

The OBGYN had to use an internal monitor on Om during the pushing phase to keep track of his heartbeat. He also used a vacuum to turn Om's head a bit. Om now has a slight bump at the back of his head, hopefully that'll go away soon!

Baby Om

Born August 18th, 2008, at 8:13pm (his due date). :-) He's as sweet as can be, and cute as all heck. Mom must keep from eating him.

40 Weeks

After 3 days of zero appetite, vomiting, naseau, and loose stools (gross I know), I finally had to drag myself to the birthing ward in the hospital to get some sugar running through my veins. Friday morning I woke up and felt extremely guilty about baby not eating anything, so I talked to baby and told him that this morning we are going to eat toast with peanut butter and jelly with milk on the side. I went back upstairs to eat in bed, and took one bite and immediately my gag reflex kicked in. I rushed to the bathroom and did a repeat of the past few days.

Frustrated and concerned (and not feeling hungry at all, which was really weird), I called up the OBGYN nurse and she arranged to have me go to the birthing ward. After cleaning the house a bit (I was worried I may end up in labor) I left. The nurse in the birthing ward was super nice, and she kept me company while I was hooked up to an IV for 3 liters of dextrose and whatever other chemicals. I was put in a room similar to what I'll be in for actual labor, so I got a little experience of utilizing the bed. I felt much better after 4 hours of the fluid (although my hands hurt from the IV) and the other nice part was that my OBGYN was performing a c-section at the same time so he dropped by to say Hi to me and check how my blood tests etc were going. So far I'm really happy with Overlake Hospital nurses and doctors. They call you back very soon, depending on the severity of the situation (in dehydration they called me back within 10 minutes, otherwise they take a couple hours). The doctor is very hands on as well, instead of referring everything to nurses. But let's wait and see how the actual delivery goes and if my doctor shows up.

Friday night I was able to eat some food, and today went relatively smoothly with food etc. Looks like my body needed that round of IVs. In other news my hands and feet are incredibly swollen, and I'm having constant Braxton Hicks contractions. Walking is becoming harder and harder, and I feel like I'm on my period 24/7 (the cramping etc). Tonight we pick up Mom for her visit for 2 weeks.

And I'm craving slushies. From the gas station. Go fig.

Almost there!

Yesterday, Aug 13:

8:15 am - Awesome pre-natal massage from a deep tissue therapist.

12:30 pm - Weekly checkup with OBGYN. NST goes normal after nurse freaks out from seeing baby not moving for 30 minutes, then proceeds to feed me to get the heart rate up. Nurse is thoroughly relieved and I am thoroughly annoyed by her freakout session. I am also very naseous all of a sudden. OBGYN does the internal exam and says I am 1.5 cm dilated. (HATED internal exam BTW).

2:00 pm - Rush home, leave keys in the door in my absent minded nausea, and hug the porcelain bowl for a while. After vomiting, lay in bed and try to read. Contractions begin in my lower abdomen, feels like a bad stomach ache, and occur every 30 to 40 minutes.

5:00 pm - Try to get mind off of contractions, call up a friend and chit chat for a bit. G calls saying he is coming home early (thank goodness!)

6:00 pm - G comes home and makes the chicken curry I was orignally planning to make. I load dishwasher. Try to eat chicken, take one bite and rush to the bathroom and empty my stomach of any further solid items.

8:00 pm - Go on walk with G around neighborhood. Still having random contractions that are just irritating, but not excruciating. Keep trying to contact Mom but she's working late.

10:00pm - Feeling really crappy by now. Take a shower, notice that mucous plug has started to leak out of me. G and I research online as to what that means. Call up G's sister in India, she contacts some doctors she knows and basically tells us to go to the hospital. I am SO not up for random visit to the hospital that will end up taking 3 hours of our night, only to be sent back home. I call the hospital nurse line and explain to them my symptoms, and as I had guessed the nurse said this is early labor and that I can totally wait this out at home to see if it gets worse.

11:00pm - Vomit again, contractions continue. Go to sleep, toss and turn all night with extreme itch, keep waking up.

4:30 am - Contractions subside and I wake up still not feeling hungry (and not have eaten anything all day before) but decide to try to eat for sake of baby. I hope today is not a repeat of yesterday. If I have contractions I want to go into the hospital and have this baby, not just feel like crap all day with no delivery!

Bad Idea

Looking at somewhat old pics of yourself during undergrad and law school...before pregnancy heaviness and leper like skin.
BAH! 2000 - poofy baby cheeks but I could fit into those jeans!

2001 - Hanging around in the dorm, before the winter ball.

2003 - India visit

2005 - Shopping in St. Paul

2006 - Barrister's Ball, Law School

Pregnancy PUPPPS

For all the pregnant ladies out there suffering from Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy (PUPPP) like I am, here are some things I've tried and tested:


1. Baby Oil - Doesn't work for the itch, but is nice way to moisturize after the shower.

2. Cocoa Butter - This is the hugest myth out there in my opinion. Not only did the constant applying on my abdomen NOT prevent stretch marks from appearing, the cocoa butter makes itching and sensitive skin WORSE with all the ingrediants and fragrances in the cream. It also leaves an oily residue anywhere you apply it and feels greasy.

3. Cortaid (Hydrocortisone) cream - Doesn't really make a difference to itchy skin. Waste of money

4. Doctor prescribed steroid creams - Works better than over the counter stuff, but is not 100%. I would say it works to decrease the itch about 10%. Plus you have to make sure your hands are free of the stuff after you apply it, don't want to get it in your eyes.

5. Zyrtec Antihistamine - This worked for the first couple weeks, then I think the hormones increased in my system and now the Zyrtec doesn't work as well as it used to. I still routinely take it though, because even if I get an hour or so of reliefe I feel like it's worth it.

6. Benadryl - Does nothing for the itch, but great for getting to sleep at night when you constantly find yourself waking up and scratching the skin off of your legs. It increases my sleep from 3 hours to at least 8 hours.

7. Calamine lotion (or Aveeno) - Works like the doctor prescribed steroid cream (see above).

8. Burt's Bees Mama Bees oil - Doesn't do anything for the itch, but is I apply it to my stomach in lieu of the nasty Cocoa Butter lotion. It contains lemon juice, vitamin E, and other nutrients. I figure the lemon oil may work to fade the various marks on my skin (while growing up I always saw Mom applying lemon to her dark spots to fade them). It also isn't greasy and smells good.

At this point (39 weeks) there is no good way to fix the itchy skin, but I think trying a combination of things lessens the stress a teensy bit, especially before you sleep.

1. First, take a long hot (not too hot for baby) shower or soak in the tub for 20 minutes.

2. Then come out and pat dry the skin. Smooth calamine lotion or Aveeno lotion anywhere you can reach.

3. Also apply a thin layer of the prescribed steroid cream on the most itchy areas (like the stomach).

4. Take Benadryl about 30 minutes before you go to sleep. The lotion mixture helps to numb the skin for a little while the benadryl makes you drowsy enough to sleep before you start scratching.

Note: I also take Zyrtec every other day, spaced apart from the Benadryl.

Other things to try that I've researched online but haven't had a chance to test out yet (and I'm due next week so hopefully won't have to):
- Pine Tar Soap
- Baking Soda in the bath

Oh Baby!

39 Weeks and no contractions. Please baby make it to the 16th when my Mom arrives! By then the house and garage will be clean, most of the random errands done.

Recent Reads

Despite being incredibly itchy and scratching my skin off nightly (makes me feel so sexy), I've been managing to keep up with my reading lists. When I can't sleep at night due to the rash, reading is what really helps get my mind off it.



Vine of Desire - Chitra Divakaruni

Unaccostomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri

Lilah - Marek Halter

The boy I loved before - Jenny Colgan

38 Week Appointment

Today went for the 38 week follow up appointment. I didn't see my usual OBGYN since he was at a family reunion (thankfully now rather than 2 weeks later!) so was seen by Dr. Lacy. First I went through the NST again and this time I made sure to have sugar and water running through my system before reaching the clinic. I think it helped because this time they didn't force me to eat during the procedure. The nurse did mention that I was a bit dehydrated. The problem is that water during my pregnancy tastes HORRIBLE. I used to drink 8 glasses of water daily before getting knocked up, but that was during work where I sat in front of the computer all day so could just hook a straw to my mouth, and I used to infuse the water with green tea bags and splenda. Green tea is not good for baby, so during pregnancy I've been doped up on gatorade and all other liquids (besides diet coke, which I drink occasionally just to tide me over...I used to LOVE diet coke). Now someone told me that gatorade isn't good for the final trimester, so I have dropped that in favor of Kool Aid, Gingerale, water (when I don't gag, which is usually during the nite) and of course milk and all it's varieties (smoothies, indian lassi).

Anyway I digress...so the NST went fine and the substitute OBGYN measured my belly and asked a billion questions, which is good but very different than my usual OBGYN, who pretty much just decides things for me. Normally I would be worried, but I've found that my normal OBGYN is usually right on point and so far I have no reason to doubt his experience (which I think is more than most). I mentioned to the sub OBGYN about my HORRENDOUS itching problem that just keeps getting worse, and that the Zyrtec and steroid creams aren't really cutting it anymore. She said she can't really prescribe anything else at this point, and that other ladies at 38 weeks are coming in for appointments all bloodied from scratching themselves as well (I draw blood on my legs at least once a day, but I guess she didn't notice the scratches). I basically have to just wait until baby comes out to get rid of the rash, and continue the antihistamines. She ruled out any liver problems when I said that it all started on my belly and then spread. Apparently if it begins near the stretch marks on the belly it is more likely to be PUPPS, or a typical pregnancy rash that reveals small bumps all over the body. If it begins elsewhere it could be liver issues but of course that also requires blood work to make certain. Everything else was normal, and she asked if I could feel any pressure down near the crease between my belly and thighs. I don't, I still feel all pressure near my lungs. Guess baby isn't coming out anytime soon.

In other news I also got my first prenatal Mom to be massage. It was AWESOME and I would recommend it to anyone in their final stages. The only thing is that they are really gentle so for folks who like hard core massages this is probably not their thing. But for me, who just loves being touched period (I fall asleep at anyone even caressing my head, I love when G gently massages my shoulders) I'm the type of person who would be perfectly happy being paid in massages, they are that wonderful for me. Anyway back to the prenatal massage ... I got it done at InSpa in the Redmond Whole Foods shopping center. I had a gift card from last year (thanks Sabrina/Sachin) for my birthday/Sangeet/bachelorette part so added some more dough and got the 60 minute massage. The maseuse was very gentle and I caught myself snoring halfway through. They don't have preggo ladies lie on their stomach of course, you lie on your side and have your leg draped over a pillow.

I'm so loving the whole pregnancy massage thing that I'm going to try a massage therapist referred to by my chiropracter as well just to compare with the InSpa therapist. Why didn't I get these massages done earlier? (Of course I'm dropping money into this but hey I figure it's for making me feel good, and anything at this point that makes me forget my itchy skin and pain in the hips is worth it).

37 Week Appointment

This week's appointment was random and boring. The nurse hooked my belly up with two monitors, one for monitoring baby and one for monitoring me. Then she had me lie down on my left side on the table and handed me a switch type thing to push every time I felt baby kick. She turned the monitors on and then left for about 20 minutes. I clicked the switch every time baby kicked as directed. Nurse came back in and took the results to my doctor. He wasn't too happy with baby's movements, so the nurse had me drink juice. Then she left for another 20 minutes. Apparently that didn't work either, because the doctor told her to give me crackers and water. Another 20 minutes passed while I munched on those and continued clicking the switch for movements. I actually noticed a decrease in movements after consuming the juice and crackers (I swear this baby falls asleep after he eats...I feel more movements when I'm starving). But whatever the case, the nurse came back saying everything was good to go.

(Note: I was not as comfortable as this woman seems in the picture...I was facing a white wall and on my side, plus had to consume liquids and food while in that position since moving while the monitor was on was not allowed).

The doctor had to attend to a delivery so my post stress test appointment was canceled. But I guess that's okay since my pee test and blood pressure were normal, and the stress test came out normal as well.

Weight & Skin Sadness

Before pregnancy: 141 pounds. Size 11 - 12 in women's and misses. Feet size was 7 to 7.5.

At 9 months of pregnancy: 184 pounds. Size L to XL in maternity clothes.
Feet size is size 9 in flip flops, size 8 in regular shoes.

Skin before pregnancy: Awesome due to months of ProActive and Azithromycin, plus sulfuric
washes (all due to upcoming wedding).

Skin at 9 months of pregnancy: Horrendous stretch marks at bottom of once unmarked belly.
Dark linea nigra (line) that divides belly in half, random spots
from ingrown hairs. Arms and legs covered with scabs from
scratching (from the rash) and face has full blown acne (am only
using soap now since the antiobiotics and creams for acne are no
good for baby)

Shopping for baby

We *almost* have everything we need for baby's arrival in less than 3 weeks. It's hard to predict what is necessary and what's just fluff, but I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunities to find out. :-) Some items we've purchased new, and some items we recieved at our baby shower as gifts. A couple items were found on craigslist. But the majority of items are just used things from friends. So far we've recieved TONS of free baby stuff from really nice friends willing to part with the items they no longer use.

Items we purchased new include a few sets of baby outfits (mostly impulse purchases by baby's mom while they were on clearance in the first trimester). We also purchased 2 plastic storage drawer sets (the kind I used while I lived in a dorm) to keep baby's clothes organized. We got new safari print crib sheets, bassinet sheets, and safari crib mobile. Also, we bought Dr. Brown bottles and a bathing tub.

Items from craigslist include a car seat/stroller system, and a playpen (that will be used when he's a bit older).

Used items include a really nice but rarely utilized white crib, mattress, crib sheet and bumper. There are also two bassinets (one is smaller for newborn, the other one is longer for when baby grows), two nursing pillows (boppy style), a baby seat, parental education books (baby massage, safe parenting, what to expect the first year), a co sleeper wedge, prenatal yoga dvd, a cow shaped rug, plush toys, nursing nipple pads/guards, bottle sanitizer, cloth diapers (not sure if we'll use those), baby carrier sling, diaper genie refills, and TONS of baby clothes/accessories. The clothes I have to emphasize because I stopped shopping due to the amount of clothes we recieved.

Last but not least are gifts from our baby shower, which include baby swings, play gym, bottle warmer, tons of baby clothes, first year toys, baby bank, safety kit with all the trimmings, books, diaper genies, baby slings, etc etc etc. There were also donations to the March of Dimes and gift certificates to BabysRus.

Of course baby doesn't NEED all of these things, it just makes things easier for us... while growing up I didn't have half of these items and Mom/Dad managed pretty well. But back then Mom was staying at home 24/7 and we lived in a two bedroom split level house with little room for superfluous stuff. Even then, I still had more than my hubbie G. For now, I'm just glad that we didnt' go over board like some crazy parents who purchase everything possible for baby and spend thousands on the nursery, only to have things destroyed or outgrown. But that's just my opinion! :-)