Charting the Belly: Week 23

I know.  It's been about a month since I last posted a picture.  But, my photographer was busy finishing his thesis...

Too many Christmas cookies?

Insurance Woes

Worst case scenario happened...WEA Trust, my school district's insurance plan, has refused to cover any of our Certified Professional Midwife's services.  Not even an out-of-network percentage.  Their reasoning is that LaNette, the midwife we were working with, is not a nurse, and therefore, the plan will not cover any of the claims submitted.  I found this out a couple of weeks ago after the insurance company called me, and I was super bummed.  We have absolutely loved working with LaNette, and she has been everything we were looking for in a provider.

After I had my meltdown, I took the recommendations of LaNette and a Physician's Assistant friend here in the Milwaukee area, and we decided to go with Aurora Sinai Midwifery and Wellness Center.  It's a group practice of Certified Nurse Midwives, and they have birthing privileges at the Aurora Birth Center.  We took a tour of the birthing center, and it seemed nice (like a hotel room nice), except that they don't allow water births.  They do have a whirlpool to labor in, so that's close.  It's on a first-come-first-served basis, and the nurse that gave us the tour said that not many people use it.  Good.  That means that as soon as I get there, I'm jumping in and not getting out until the baby is delivered.  Nate reminded me that if I do that, they'll probably drug me.

I look at it like this: having a baby out of the "standard hospital-OB/GYN birth" box is a luxury birth, even though it costs significantly less.  Some behind-the-times insurance companies refuse to recognize that there are other options to having a baby that cost half the amount of what the traditional methods cost, and these options are just as safe.  Unfortunately, Nate and I cannot afford to pay the near $5,000 it would cost us to have the prenatal care and delivery that we wanted, so we're forced to have the baby in a traditional hospital setting.  Of course, this all happened for a reason, and whatever reason that is, I've been trusted to have this experience, even though this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

Does This Baby Make Me Look Fat?

I'm depressed.  I have already gained 20 pounds so far and I'm just over 22 weeks along.  According to the guidelines, I'm "a bit ahead of schedule."  The baby isn't even one pound, yet my check up last week showed that I gained nine pounds from last month to this one.

Does her mullet add a pound or two?

I guess I'll have to tone down the eating now that the holidays are over.  No more of these kinds of conversations:

"I'm going to finish the apple pie, okay?" I inform Nate.
"Split that apple pie in half and share it."  He gives me that you already ate your extra 300 calories today look.  I ignore the look while I reluctantly cut the pie fairly evenly down the middle, but I scoop the larger piece out of the pie tin and into my hand.  I lift it up to my mouth and Nate sees me chomp down, enjoying it like a giant slice of pizza.
"You don't want a plate?" he says.
"No.  Do you?"
"Um, yeah...And a fork."

Merry Christmas!

I must say how impressed I am with the amount of gifts an unborn fetus can get for Christmas.  Nearly 300 diapers, stuffed animals, onesies, a pacifier, hats, sleepers, a bathing chair, and I can't even remember what else.  At least no one got it this sweet Christmas tree costume:

Mr. Belvedere has been punching away lots in the last couple of weeks, but it's been rather quiet since we've been at my in-laws for the holiday.  I think it's going to be like its introverted dad--quiet around people it doesn't know.

It's Alive!

I can no longer question if I'm feeling Mr. Belvedere--it's definitely moving around and kicking!  Probably since before Thanksgiving, I've felt the "flutters," but I was hesitant to say that it was.  As a side note, I personally think that the movements feel like a muscle spasm, like when your eyelid twitches or you get a spasm in your arm.  But in the past week or so, it's no longer been in question.  Yesterday at work, after what was an exhausting day, I was sitting at my desk with my hands on my belly, and I felt what was an unmistakable punch, kick or head butt.  I looked down, and on the next movement, I actually saw a small area of my belly pop out.  I laughed.

This afternoon, I had to send a student down to the in-school suspension room, and any time I have a confrontation with a student, the adrenaline starts to pump through my body.  Well, that seems to make the baby flip around a lot, and it tickles.  So while I'm trying to discipline this student in front of a wild class of 32 eighth graders, I feel like laughing.  Not helpful.

This is Ridiculous

I haven't laughed this hard in awhile.  You have got to check out these awkward pregnancy photos.

Half-Baked

Yesterday marked 20 weeks down, and about 20 more to go!  I celebrated by...eating!  This is my favorite thing to do, especially when I find something that hits the spot.  I can go to the Pick 'n Save somewhat hungry, but not find a single thing in there that I want to eat.  And I will look hard, too, even doubling back through the aisles trying to find that one thing that's going to hit the spot.  I keep telling Nate that I want steak, but we don't have a grill that would make that possible.
I am horribly repelled by any reheated meat, however.  I noticed this the day after Thanksgiving as I pulled my piping hot leftovers from the microwave, took one whiff of the reheated turkey, and quickly moved it far away from the rest of my food.  I have sometimes remembered to zap lunch meat in the microwave to fry the Listeria bacteria before I ate it, but I couldn't tolerate that dead carcass smell, so I'm done with that precaution.

Unfortunately, one not-so-tactful 8th grade young lady who frequents the office I share with a couple of other teachers noticed how much I am consuming and the frequency with which I'm eating.  She said, "Ms. W, every time I come in here, you're always eating."
I stopped the forkful of salad on its way to my mouth and said, "So?  I'm hungry.  And I eat lots of little meals throughout the day."
"Yeah, but you eat fattening things like pasta.  But I guess the broccoli you add to it makes it better.  You really should be careful."
"Thanks for the advice, Olivia."
Punk.

Unwanted Pregnancy Advice Slayer

Charting the Belly: Week 19

Baby + Thanksgiving =  Gratitude for elastic waistbands

The Students are Curious

Yesterday, during my ninth hour Spanish class, I was sitting on the floor grading some papers while the students were working on a project, researching at the computer, and putting together posters.  I had several piles of papers around me, and I went to grab a stack, and there was a folded piece of paper with "To: Ms. W" written on the front.  I opened it up, and it read:
"Are you pregnent [sic]?  If you are, tell the whole class."

I laughed aloud, stood up, got the class's attention and said, "Yes, I am expecting a baby at the end of April.  And no, I'm not just putting on weight from the holidays."  I smiled and asked, "Who wrote this, by the way?"

A girl piped up and said, "I did.  And I wrote it with my left hand.  Can you tell?"

Then came the cacophony of responses:
"Really?!"
"I knew it last month."
"When's your sub coming?"
"Will you name it after me?"
"Are you having a boy or girl?"
"Can we throw you a shower?"
"How come you're so small?"

At least this wasn't nearly as ridiculous as the response I got from a student in my seventh hour class last month:
"Who's the dad?"
I couldn't believe it, but then I remembered where I was.

Flutters and Flips

I'm one week shy of being officially halfway through the pregnancy.  Nineteen weeks down, and twenty-one weeks (or so) to go!  I am increasingly more convinced that I've felt Mr. Belvedere (my sister's semi-endearing nickname for the baby that has stuck) swim around.  Last week, I could only feel it when I was super still and not moving.  But, lately, I just have to be sitting down.  I usually ride the bus home from work, and I felt it this afternoon and had a little grin on my face for awhile.  Of course, I constantly doubt that I'm feeling Mr. B...

I've been playing music for the past two nights as I lie in bed.  I put my iPod ear buds on my belly and play what I consider to be good, but sophisticated, baby music.  It listened to a couple of Ratatat songs, and then I switched to Philip Glass and Ravi Shankar.  Last night, it rocked out to Yann Tiersen's soundtrack from Amelie.  I would have played some Beethoven or Mozart, but I don't have any of that right now on my iPod.

Does Baby Like Houska?

Thanksgiving is officially over, but my sister flies into Minneapolis/St. Paul this afternoon, and we'll bring her back to my brother's house to complete the guest list.  Then, we'll have our own feast this evening, complete with our Polish/Lithuanian/Czech embellished holiday.  I am responsible for making houska, a sweet bread that I think used to just get made at Easter, but now has become a staple at all of our holidays.  In fact, I need to get up and get that going!  We also make kugelis, which is a potato, onion, and bacon savory cake (to be simplistic about its description) topped with sour cream.

I'm finding I fill up more quickly than I used to, so I'm going to have to sacrifice with small amounts of everything.  Or just draw out the meal over a couple of hours...

The other night, I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move, but I don't want to make any assumptions.  It felt like a little flip that was different than other rumblings and pressure I've felt thus far.  I need a few more of those to be certain about what I'm feeling.

Wordless Wednesday

Midwife Appointment #1

I have a confession.  I ate a Third Pounder with fries from McDonald's tonight.  Nate and I were in a rush to get to our appointment this evening, and we had to opt for something quick to eat.  I accidentally suggested McDonald's, and we went.  I think I've had food from there about three or four times so far this year, and for me, that's three or four times too many.  I quietly told the baby I was sorry for eating that kind of stuff, but that I was hungry, and I would hope that it would understand.

Anyway, it was such a nice feeling to have spent over an hour with LaNette McQuitty, our Certified Professional Midwife, at our first appointment with her.  We were asked three times if we had any questions, and she took the time to answer every one of them.  We got to hear the baby's heartbeat, at a steady 150.  All my levels are good, according to the lovely-colored stick I peed on.  LaNette easily found the top of my uterus, and told me that in the next couple of weeks, I should feel those little flutters that I'm anxiously awaiting!

Charting the Belly

It's Date Night tonight, and Nate said part of it is that he would take a few belly shots before we head over to Rochambo and play cribbage and (hopefully) eat something sweet.  I keep comparing my belly to other people's pictures that they've posted on the Interweb, and I'm feeling inadequate.  Anyway, here are a couple of pictures:

The architect's idea to have the cutting mat as a way to chart the growth...

Yikes!

It's about 4.5 inches long right now.

Let's Move!

No, I'm not referring to moving out of our cramped apartment.  I am talking about wanting to feel the baby move!  Last Thursday, I was at 16 weeks, and according to everything I read, quickening (feeling the baby's first movements) usually happens between 16 and 20 weeks.  It's about the size of an avocado, and it's going to double its weight in the next few weeks.  However, being a first time pregger, I may have wait patiently for its movements until week 20.  LAME.  I have loved hearing women describe their first experience of baby's movement.  Here are a few descriptions I've heard from moms I know:

• flutters
• popcorn popping
• flips
• gas (Gert?)
• a light touch
• butterflies

The avocado
(taken from babycenter.com)

With all the craziness that happened last month with the loss of my dad, I never scheduled a three-month prenatal appointment.  Oops.  We do have a four-month appointment with our midwife this Tuesday evening.  I love the fact that we can have evening appointments with her, and Nate doesn't have to miss school, and I don't have to take sick time!

Week 15

My mother-in-law and her husband came to visit this weekend, and she really can't wait until Christmas!  I've been an amateur knitter for about eight years, and she got me a book of baby patterns and a few skeins of baby yarn.  It's been awhile since I've knit, so I started a very easy baby blanket with some guidance from my mom.  I'm so good at starting knitting projects and then abandoning them, and I hope that's not true for this one!

On Saturday, we went to Boerner Botanical Gardens and took a bunch of pictures, some of which were my first belly shots.

Grandma Becca rubs my belly for good luck

I'm still convinced that it's all just chub that's been pushed up and out of my abdomen.  That, plus bloating.  I can sometimes feel the top of my uterus, but it hasn't pushed itself out of my abdominal cavity quite yet.  However, I'm definitely rocking maternity pants and the BellaBand.

We also had some conversations about names this weekend...I am fairly certain we've decided on a last name.  Nate's is hyphenated, and we're going to take his C.-G. and combine it into one name: CG.  But, what do I do when Nate and I disagree about first names??  I know, we've got time to figure it out.

Physically, I'm alright, but I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing round ligament pain.  It's a pretty weird sensation, like a dull ache in my right groin.  It's been more frequent lately.  In weeks four and five, I had a super sharp pain in the same area when I would sneeze, but it would only last 5-10 seconds.  I thought I was going to sneeze the little zygote right out back in August.  Anyway, that's since gone away, but replaced by this intermittent pain I now feel.

Oh, and the other symptom I'm experiencing required me to go out and by some Citrucel at Walgreens.  It's got SmartFiber, which is apparently supposed to "give me the fiber I need, without the fiber effects I don't want."  Awesome.

The Emotional Spectrum

A good friend of mine emailed me the other day after having read about the passing of my dad.  He writes: "My mom lost her mom while she was pregnant with me, and she has told me that I saved her from a lot sadness. I always thought that there was something so poetic about her simultaneous loss/gain of life."


Perhaps at some point in the future I'll be able to reflect on this experience in such a way.  However, right now, it's all so...raw.  I have been a whirlwind of emotions this past week--up and down, laughing and crying, bubbling over with sadness and then later, joy.  I think Monday's ultrasound was the most difficult.  I was exhausted from the drive back from Minnesota, nervous at the what sort of discoveries might be made at the ultrasound, and completely spent from the weekend.  I sobbed for a while while Nate held me before heading to the doctor's office.  During the procedure, my emotional state flipped to all smiles and full of amazement and joy.  After that wore off, I was with some good friends later that evening and began sobbing again as I remembered my dad.


I do find that in my times of sadness, I think about the little baby hopping around in my belly, and I ask my dad to watch over it.  I have faith that I'll make it through this loss and gain of life, but the timing of the healing is just not on my terms.  And I'm okay with that.

Oral hygiene

I had a dentist appointment this morning that I was rather dreading.  I normally love the dentist.  I love taking care of my teeth.  I love flossing every night.  I love brushing for 2 minutes with my Sonic Care toothbrush.  I love my hygienist.

However, this morning was awful.  In the past week or so, my mouth has turned into a wreck.  My gums are swollen, my teeth feel like they're going to be squeezed out of their sockets, and when she flossed my teeth after brushing them, it felt as if I had never, ever flossed before in my life.  And, on top of that, they found a cavity.

Thank you, hormones!

I did go swimming yesterday, and that felt great.  For some reason I can button my favorite pair of jeans today, so that's delightful.  Another teacher at my school is due a week before I am, and she happens to be the physical education teacher with keys to the pool, so we went swimming for a half hour.  It was a safe way to cut loose:

OMG...There's really a baby in there!

Watching the ultrasound screen with images of a baby on it, and knowing that those images are coming from my abdomen is pretty weird!  I couldn't believe that there is a full-fledged baby growing inside of me.  I was laughing the first minute that she had the sensor on me because I was so shocked!  It's got two arms with fingers, two legs with toes, a giant head complete with a nose, two eyes and a mouth; a beating little heart, a teeny stomach, and an umbilical cord attached to a healthy placenta.

3D image: baby's covering up its face with its arm

Profile: A Polish nose?

Heart rate was 164, but despite the popular theory, that doesn't predict the gender.  Its crown-to-rump measurement is 80mm, which could have bumped up my due date to the 24th of April, but since that's not five days earlier than the 28th, I'm still working with the original due date.

It was flopping around like a fish out of water, twisting this way and that.  After commenting that it's bizarre how it's moving around all over the place but I can't feel it yet, Nate told me to go light some incense, lie down, close my eyes and really, really concentrate on feeling it move.  I wish I could feel it, but it's way too early.  Today was just 13 weeks, 4 days.

Life Goes On

It's been a sad weekend.  I was pulled out of my 7th hour class on Thursday, October 21 because my mom came to school to break the news that my dad had passed away in the night.  He died peacefully in his sleep at the young age of 68 at the assisted living facility that he'd been a resident of for the past 5 years.  The cause was another brain bleed.  I was horrified and unprepared for this, mostly because I had envisioned his passing to be something long and drawn out that would happen sometime in the next few years (he was headed down that kind of a road).  But to have my dad taken away so suddenly is still incomprehensible.

At my wedding in 2009

Of course, I'm saddened by the fact that he won't be able to hold his 5th grandchild and be a part of its life.  Nate and I are on our way to becoming parents ourselves, and it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that my own dad is just not here anymore.

Feeling...Not pregnant?

I'm not nauseous.  My boobs don't hurt much anymore.  I've got lots of energy.  I'm not running to the bathroom nearly as much as I have been, and I'm sleeping through the night without having to get up to pee.  Nor, can I remember the last time I cried.

I don't feel very pregnant.  Or, maybe this is the beginning of the "glorious" second trimester.  My ultrasound is this Wednesday, so I'm pretty excited to see some evidence of what's is going on down there.  I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful principal who is allowing me to go and have it done during my 2 hour (!) prep in the morning.  As much as I'd like to have some time off, preparing sub plans no easy feat.  Besides, I've got to save those sick days for spring!

The Business of Being Born

Nate and I watched the documentary, The Business of Being Born last night.  It's about the billion dollar industry that's made up of women having babies in hospitals.  After taking a very serious look our values and at my experiences with the OB/GYN these past few weeks, we've decided to go with a Certified Professional Midwife and have a natural birth in a birthing center.  Now, before you think I'm totally nuts, allow me to explain the decision.

First of all, there are options available besides having a baby in a hospital.  I've taken a lot of time researching these options.  We don't have a TV, so all that extra time goes into scouring the Internet, reading books, and talking with others.  I like being able to evaluate my choices, and I'm sure that not all babies need to be born in hospitals.  Of course, there are times when medical intervention is absolutely necessary.

In addition, I have not appreciated the way I've been treated with the various medical offices that I've been dealing with.  My first prenatal appointment was aggravating.  I felt like I was an inconvenience to them; like I was another cow having a calf.  I didn't like that so much.  I also have had nothing but scheduling problems with them--canceling two appointments on me and having to be on hold for ridiculous amounts of time rather frequently when calling them back.  The cherry on top was how long that first appointment lasted--they said it would be the longest, and it turned out to be only 20 minutes.  "All your other appointments will be much shorter."  Shorter??!?!  What, like 5 minutes??!?  Perhaps I'm wrong, but that seems incredibly unsafe to me.

I'm also married to a man who was born at home in Vermont with the assistance of several midwives.  He turned out just fine and so did his mother...

So, we interviewed a midwife last weekend, LaNette McQuitty.  The plan is to have the baby at the Well Rounded Maternity Center in Menomonee Falls.  Of course, the whole set up is not remotely understood by the insurance company, so we've got some work to do in that department.  What's baffling to me is that a hospital birth can cost on average, $11,000.  Using a midwife for all my prenatal care and during labor costs about $4,000.  The use of the birth center is about $2,500.  That's quite a savings, isn't it?  But the insurance company doesn't recognize it.

Anyway, we'll see how this all turns out.  If you have 90 minutes free sometime, check out  The Business of Being Born, even if you don't agree with me.

I (heart) food

Here is my recent favorite:
Last Friday night, as we were lying in bed catching up on Mad Men episodes, I really, really wanted strawberry crepes.  Then I got to thinking about Breyers strawberry ice cream, and I swear, I was ready to leave in the middle of a tense episode and head over to the Pick'n Save and haul off some all natural creamy goodness with frozen strawberry chunks.  Nate even said he'd go and get it, but then laughed because he was joking.

D.Lish.Us

I didn't think that was funny.  Remember that scene from Lady and the Tramp where Darling sends Jim Dear out into a blizzard for some watermelon and chop suey?

"Darling, are you sure you want watermelon?"

"Mm-hmm. Oh, and some chop suey, too."

"Chop suey?  Oh, all right, darling."

Classic!

First Appointments

In rather anticlimactic fashion, my first prenatal visit at Physicians of OBGYN last Tuesday was a let down.  The medical assistant was terribly rude, mostly because I think that my appointment was at 3:30 and they go home at 4.  I just saw the nurse practitioner, and wasn't told much other than "you have a very pregnant feeling uterus."  Good news, since I had occasional weird doubts that I actually was pregnant.

First Shower

Wow.  Nate's mom and her husband showed up on Friday on their way from Iowa to the UP, and she basically had her own shower for us.  Baby socks, baby blankets, a diaper bag, maternity tops, and so much more!!  Rebecca found a hilarious card that perfectly captures how I feel about my bosom...

Front of card

Ridiculous inside

That same day, my dear sister sent me an original from SeasonsKDesigns in Portland!  It's so...Portland...  It's hard to believe that the little creature is only going to be that big.

My first OB appointment is tomorrow afternoon, and I'm super excited!  It all feels a little bit more real, but honestly, I'm bummed that all my pants don't fit as well as they used to.

Good News Travels Fast

I couldn't wait any longer.  First it was going to be three months.  Then, I negotiated until the date of my first prenatal visit, which is next week, the 29th.  Last weekend, I whined to Nate that even that was too long of a wait, so we spilled the beans to everyone yesterday.  I think the best part of it is knowing how many people are genuinely excited for us, and how blessed we are that so many people care.


I called one of my aunts, and she said, "I knew it!!  You were so tired Labor Day weekend, I just knew it!!"  I then gave her free reign to spread the news, and I'm not kidding you, within three minutes, I had a phone call from my uncle (her husband) and her son-in-law (my cousin's husband).


Nine weeks today, and I'm feeling pretty good.  I just ate a bizarre dinner--cauliflower with cheese, a side of sauerkraut, and some pasta dish I whipped up with cannellini beans, butter and garlic.  I bought the sauerkraut last week at the store because it looked super yummy.  And it was.  I've never bought that before in my life.


I'm still riding my bike to work just about every day, making it 3.5 miles each way, for a total of about 30 minutes of exercise everyday.  I'm pretty convinced that exercise helps with the exhaustion, although I would love to have nap time with my 8th grade Spanish class at about 1 PM.

Crying Over Master Chef

My goodness. We were watching the finale of Master Chef last night while we ate dinner, and the producers flew one of the contestant's mom all the way from Israel so she could be there.  My eyes welled up, and a few tears leaked out.  Nate just laughed and said, "Oh honey, you're so cute."

This was tear-worthy.  Master Chef is not.

I can get emotional watching TV--like the 1996 Summer Olympics when Kerri Strug vaulted, hurt her ankle and then vaulted again and stuck the landing.  Or watching the opening sequence of the movie Up.  But Master Chef??  Come on.

What's in a Name?

I can tell you where the title of the blog came from...  Nate and Jeff are starting a design firm in Cincinnati in 2011 when Nate's done with school.  They've toyed with several names, but one in particular has won out: Cincinnati Design Project.  In trying to come up with a name for this blog, I liberally borrowed from them.  Nate smiled when he read it, so I think it's okay.

Speaking of names, when I was in Greece back in 2001, I spent some time with a family that had a 6-month old son.  When I asked what his name was, they said something like, "We think it's going to be X."  Confused, I inquired why he didn't have a name yet.  They explained to me that in their culture, the parents don't pick out a name for the baby before it's born; rather they wait to see what name he grows into.  I thought that sounded like a relaxing way to name a baby, so I brought it up to Nate.  He liked the idea of procrastinating.

Ick

Early excitement thwarted by nausea, super sore breasts, and cramping!  I'm five weeks today, and I am not feeling like the rock star I was when we finished our bike trip three weeks ago.  If I had to get on the Fargo right now and bike 40 miles, I would laugh, probably cry, and then lay down for nap.

We had to report back to school today... I wonder what this year will be like.  Hey, at least I'll be done teaching in late April this year!  Oh yeah, the due date is April 28, 2011, the day after Nate's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

I'm pregnant!

So it begins...a 40-week journey.  I took the test at 4AM because I had to get up to pee.  I was super excited, especially considering that I had taken three in the past week, and they were all negative.  Nate was up, and I came back into the bedroom with a ridiculous smile on my face.  He looked at it rather dazed, smiled and kissed me and told me to get some sleep.  Yeah right!

I wanted so badly to call my mom because she knew we were trying, but she ended up calling me at 7AM while I had at least seven tabs open on Chrome, scouring the Internet for baby information.

"So??"

"So... what???"  I was smiling.

"What did it say?"

I think I said something like, "Well, you're going to be a grandma again!  And happy birthday!"  I don't think she heard the happy birthday part because she was wildly celebrating.