Week 31 Day 4

We took our childbirth class a few weekends ago. I am so glad we took it. It helped calm some of my anxiety, though I'm still worried I'm going to have a panic attack when I go into labor, especially if Jeremy is not home. I'm really thankful that Jeremy took the class with me. I was worried that he would have every intention on doing everything he could to make me happy while I was in labor, but he wouldn't have any idea what was happening or what he could do to make me feel better. Half of the class focused on what the dad could do to help the mom, so now I think he feels much more prepared. They went over a lot of things that I would never think of or that I never knew. We also watched a lot of babies being born, which was the part that kind of freaked me out. I'm half way excited about Jonas coming, but the other half of me is really nervous.

At my 28 week appointment, I had to have my glucose tolerance test. It was really stressful for me, because I was sure that I was going to get sick. But luckily, it didn't and the results came back normal. I did, however, have high blood pressure at my check-up. I think it was because I was stressing over the test the whole night. I'd also gained a bunch of weight, which I think that I was retaining water. My ankles had been swelling lately to the point where they are actually cankles, and I had sausage feet. My feet were so puffy that I couldn't see my tendons anymore on the tops of my feet. So, the doctor was worried about preeclampsia. I had to have more blood drawn and go back to the doctor to check my blood pressure again. My blood work and my follow-up exam turned out OK though, so I'm not on bed rest.

My mom, aunt and Jeremy's mom threw me a baby shower this last Saturday. It was wonderful. It was so great to get to see everyone. I couldn't believe how generous everyone was. We have some much of our baby stuff now, we don't have too much left.

The week before, my sister and friends threw me a different kind of baby shower -- a blessing way. It was really fun. It is a little different because there are a lot of symbolic ceremonial things involved, like making the mother a necklace with beads that each participant gives her. Also, we went around the room and lit different colors of candles to symbolize strengths the baby will have.

I went to my 32 week check-up yesterday. My blood pressure is back down to manageable. The doctor said that the diastolic is still a little high, but we'll just watch it for now as long as I'm not getting any headaches or blurred vision. I'm actually feeling really good lately. I'm sleeping a bit better, even though I still get up 3-4 times each night to use the bathroom. I think that is the part I dislike the least.

Jonas has been moving like crazy lately. He is not so much kicking me anymore, but pushing and stretching and moving my whole stomach. I read online that babies are only about half their birth size at 32 weeks, which Jonas is measuring 32 weeks right now. I can't even imagine him being twice as big as he is right now. I mean it took 7+ months for him to get this big and he is going to double in size in 8 more weeks? That is insane! My belly is really going to be stretched out!

We are in the process of finding a pediatrician. There is one that shares an office with my OB, so we are going to meet with him. I didn't realize that we needed to get a pediatrician before Jonas was even born. I guess it makes sense, though. He has hospital privileges at St. Marks and he takes our insurance, so unless he acts like a jerk, I think we are going to go with him. His name is Dr. Peter Moskowitz and his practice is called ABC Pediatrics.

I ordered some baby books online and started reading them. I am almost done with the first one. I'm so glad I've got some reference materials. The more I read, the more I realize that I think I'm going to have a hard time with all the things you have to do as a parent. It is very scary to think of all the ways that babies can get hurt. I realized that I don't think I've even changed a diaper in over 15 years, let alone been around babies enough to know what to do. I'm a little worried about this whole motherhood thing. I guess it is kind of too late to turn back now.