have baby, will travel

One of the things I wanted to do before the baby arrives (rather, before I was much more pregnant) was spend a weekend in New York to catch this year's Whitney Biennial, among other things. This was the first weekend when the handful of shows I wanted to see were all open...And let me tell you, I can't imagine having gone a day later! Even taking the subway everywhere, we seemed to walk at least 5 or 6 blocks to and from each destination. And the subway system seems to include more stairs than I recall. And ramps. I think those inclined walkways are actually worse than the stairs.

Saturday was probably, to most people, a perfect spring day. Sunny and clear, with the temperature right around 70. I left my jacket where we were staying for the weekend, but even so, it felt like the height of summer to me, especially in the subway. Nobody offered me their seat on the subway, but it wasn't a big deal, most of the time. When I had to stand, it was usually only for a stop or two. Finding bathrooms every 30 minutes to an hour wasn't quite as challenging as I'd feared. As my companion pointed out, finding and using public restrooms is a talent that comes in handy not only during pregnancy, but is also probably very useful once the baby's out of the womb and in need of multiple and frequent diaper changes. Not that I'll be schlepping said baby around New York anytime soon, but his point was well taken.

Anyway, I think I'm physically still recovering. I used some muscles that have probably atrophied slightly since about the four-months-pregnant mark. I experienced some swelling to the point that my socks, not usually terribly constricting, left visible indentations around my ankles, and I had a tough time taking off my ring Saturday night. My lower back still aches. But on the flip side, being 7+ months pregnant, I didn't feel as self-conscious as usual ordering four donuts at the always delicious Doughnut Plant (that I shared with my travel companion, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds).

7 months

Where'd that month go?! At 31 weeks and a day, I'm embarking on month eight of this journey, and the closer I get to my estimated due date, the faster the time seems to pass. The non-pregnancy things keeping me from finishing up some lingering projects and getting the nursery together, however, are coming to an end next week, so I'm trying to calm myself with that knowledge when I can't sleep at night because I'm thinking about everything I'd like to do by about the end of May.

And taking the hospital tour yesterday definitely helped. Touring the maternity areas of the hospital where we'll deliver was a little like checking out your hotel room on Expedia. I worried I'd feel overwhelmed by the experience, but, on the contrary, I felt downright excited to have this baby by the time we were walking back to our car. The half-hour tour went over admitting and the waiting area for visitors before heading up to a labor & delivery room. I was surprised by how big the private rooms are, complete with a TV, reclining chair, and a private bathroom easily three times the size of our amenities at home. From there, we headed up a few more floors to a recovery room - a bit smaller than labor & delivery, but another private room with all the same amenities, as well as a small fridge. There's even room service for new moms and a 24-hour Au Bon Pain in the lobby of the hospital.

Full "rooming in" is the option we'll be aiming for, but there are nurseries on each of the three delivery floors. We got to take a peek at three newborns. One was under the jaundice lights, another I assumed must have been a preemie - tiny and bundled up - and the third, getting a bath, was displayed to us as if we were all the proud parents of this obviously new and a little annoyed baby. I almost cried.

Sticking with tradition, I'll end by noting that the top I'm wearing in this month's update is a new one from Gap Maternity. For some reason I didn't think I would, but I love the gathered sides of some of their tops. When I first wore this top earlier in the week, three people I see pretty regularly commented on how pregnant I looked. Especially from the front, I think the gathered sides make the belly look nice and round in a very flattering, I'm-pregnant-not-fat kind of way. Anyway, it's amazing how much better I've felt this week with a few new clothing items, including a pair of capri pants that I could have worn yesterday, had I anticipated just how warm the upper 60s would feel after six months of cold weather!

much better

What to Expect When You're Expecting is finally sporting a new, updated cover. Welcome to the 90s, WTE!

almost 7 months!

With just a week to go in the 7th month, I've been feeling understandably freaked out about getting ready for the arrival of this baby! It seemed like we were getting ahead of ourselves for a couple of months there, but with the doctor switch and March already a blur, I now feel like we're playing catch-up.

Since the 6-month update, we've seen both our new doctor and the nurse practitioner in the practice, and I'm happy to report our appointment today confirmed our decision to make the switch, as crazy as that seemed at roughly 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy. This private practice seems much less rushed and much less focused on my weight than the resident clinic at the hospital where we'll still go for the delivery. What I thought was going to be a quick appointment turned out to be the usual, plus a solid half-hour of talking, including asking us a couple of questions we didn't have answers to just yet (instead of it always being the other way around before, if we even got much of a chance to ask questions). As an added bonus, we got to listen to Baby G's heartbeat for what felt like an eternity compared to the split second or two we'd hear it with our previous doctor. She even told us the heart rate - 140 beats per minute. My abdomen was palpated for the first time and she guessed by what she felt and where she was picking up the heartbeat that he's head-down, although that won't necessarily remain consistent between now and about 36 weeks, when it would seem to begin to matter a bit more.

I even managed to sign us up for some prenatal classes, including a tour of the maternity areas at the hospital and a "natural childbirth" class in early May. Our previous doctor made it seem like we were well ahead of schedule when, in the 5th month we asked about her recommendations for preparing for childbirth and beyond, encouraging us to hold off until later in the pregnancy when our fetus would be more "viable." I remember feeling a little shocked when she said this, confusing her use of the term to describe our baby with what I'd associated with passing that first trimester mark in the pregnancy. A "viable" pregnancy, it turns out, is different from a "viable" fetus, or one who has a good chance of surviving outside the womb. Even so, way to dampen the excitement of expectant parents, who thought they were way beyond the "viable" stage.

The maternity center, on the other hand, encourages expectant parents to sign up for classes in the 3rd or 4th month in order to take them by the 5th or 6th month. Granted, I realize this place is a business and they want expectant parents to hand over the cash, but imagine my shock when I read that, thinking we were right on track. I'll be well into the 8th month by the time we take our classes. Oh well. We'll still have a solid month after (give or take a couple of weeks) to practice all that we learn.