Our Body Week 36

So this post is just a little early but I figure who knows what will happen ... I may forget like last week.

Actually week 36 has started on a pretty good note. Chris and I had an awesome weekend going through baby stuff and putting together a few last minute touches. Including putting together the stroller ... YEAH! We also got a mattress for our crib and tested out our baby monitor system. Everything is working great.

Today I had my weekly check up with Alice at the Birthing Cottage and surprise surprise ... I didn't get yelled at. That was refreshing. Since it is getting close to 'go time' I came prepared with a few last minute questions and concerns, all of which were answered and I feel more prepared every moment. The best news of all was that next week after our weekly appointment I will be taken off of bed rest completely. Since I will be in my 37th week and it is safe to deliver she sees no reason to stay in bed and restricted. So no more meds, no more bed, I can finally get up and give in to the pressure of the nesting phase.

But don't worry, I will be sure to post ASAP if anything changes. As of right now, both Ty and myself are fine and relaxing.

Our Body Week 35

Okay, don't call me lazy, but I have been slacking so I figured I would get last week and this week in one shot. It's been just a tad bit crazy around here these past few days. So yeah, two post in one day, happy reading.

Let's see. Week 35 went by pretty slowly for most of the week. As you know already I am on strict bed rest now and can't leave the house, let alone the bedroom. I only got up to use the bathroom and shower. I felt so weak and sore and I am starting to worry that I wont have the strength for labor when it comes.

The highlight of my week, I was granted permission to go out into the world on Thursday to have my achy tooth pulled finally. So no more tooth ache. Only bad part about that experience was that the dentist was afraid to prescribe any real pain meds, not even the one my midwife approved. So once the numbness wore off all I had was extra strength Tylenol and sleep for my comfort. But I thought, you know what, I can handle these few days of pain knowing that the tooth ache I had before will never come back. :)

After that though it was back to bed, which was actually nice this weekend having Chris home and all to myself. We were able to get a lot accomplished around the home and we are almost 100% ready for baby ... almost.

Oh and one accomplishment for the week ... I wrote all my thank you cards and will be sending them tomorrow. How awesome is that. They are so cute, you are going to love them. My friend in Maryland, Linda, handmade all the cards. She is so sweet.

As for Ty, he is growing, kicking, wiggling and hiccuping everyday. Love him so much.

Hospital Tour...

With Phil being on strict bed rest from here on, I'll be soloing some of the upcoming events. The first of which is the hospital tour of Florida Hospital. The hospital tour was really informative and answered many different questions, some of which we didn't think about. So why the tour? Isn't Phil going to be birthing at the Birthing Cottage? Well, yes and no. I think I need to come up with a diagram or flow chart to explain our predicament...yeah that would be a great idea :) But until then, this is how it flows:

If, we went full term, which is considered 37 weeks - 40 weeks, then we will be able to deliver at the Birthing Cottage.

If, we are delivering at the Birthing Cottage and need to be transferred to a hospital, then Florid Hospital it is.

If, we are early, then we have a choice of the 3 hospitals. One of the 3 is close to where we live, but all are reasonable close. Furthest one being 15-20 minutes away.

So that's that. Now back to the tour. It was pretty good. They did some renovating and the place looks great. There is still some construction going on, but over all, it doesn't interfere with the running of the hospital.

What I didn't like. Okay, so maybe it's where I parked. Maybe there is a closer parking, but man the parking is bad! They do have valet, but let's take where I parked, and apparently where the majority of people on the tour parked. The over head walk across to the hospital from the parking garage was located on the 3rd fl. 1st and 2nd fl was valet parking, and 3rd was handicapped and few regular parking and of course the place was packed. Then the walk to get to L & D (labor and delivery) was quite a trek. I made the walk with a lady who was going to be in the same tour and she was 37 weeks pregnant and with twins!!! She was ready any minute now and there were no wheelchairs or anything. We brought up this concern on the tour and they are aware of it and made mention about the valet service and calling ahead they could have a wheelchair waiting. Is that good? Eh, I guess so. Also the recovery rooms were tiny. About half the size of a regular hospital room and more narrow. I guess we could all fit, but a narrow bed, a portable baby's crib, and a cot for dad, it there, comfortably? Doubtful, but I guess during that time, attentions would be on the baby. Oh, and throw in visitors in the room, man it would be tight. They do however, provide a suite at a first come first serve basis. It's the size of a regular room.

Over all, the staff that I saw were pretty friendly and the environment in a whole was very positive. They offer some of the freedoms of birthing that we are looking for and really stress breast feeding and bonding with the baby, if all is good, right off the bat.

So that's my take on the tour at Florida Hospital. Below are some pictures I snapped.

Peace Out Folks

Chris C

STRICT Bed Rest

So here we are, a little over 2 weeks before the 'safe' delivery time (37 weeks) and I am have been placed on STRICT bed rest. This order comes from my midwife during yesterdays appointment where I got hammered for apparently not behaving while on partial bed rest. I told her what all I had been doing and what I haven't been doing but my cervix doesn't lie. We are now about 3.5 cm dilated and 90% effaced which according to her is what most people are at when they are in labor. So now I am at the point where I can't do anything except use the rest room and shower. I can't make my own meals, no church, no nothing. So I am here online all day and reading books. I guess I can't complain because i will need the energy for the delivery, but I feel I am actually losing more energy and strength by staying here. Believe you me though, I am not moving from this bed for nothing ... well at least for the next 2 weeks and 1 day ... :)

Our Body Week 34

I ... can't .... move .... anymore.

I can barely breathe or walk, let along, get out of the bed, a chair, the car, roll over in bed, stretch to reach the remote (2 feet away). I am only good for laying in bed and allowing Ty to stretch and wiggle as much as he likes. Oh and he finally found my ribs ... no that is not a good thing. Did I ever mention how strong he is already ... I have internal bruises. Well it hasn't been confirmed but I am sure I do.

So far week 34 has been very eventful. I went out Monday afternoon to pic up the free car seat Chris had won last week, awesome downtown adventure with my mom. Then on Tuesday had some more WIC checks to collect ... feeling blessed to have that little help. And then on Thursday had an awesome time with my dad at the dentist waiting 3 hours to be seen by the doc that only took about 10 minutes. Good thing is though I will be able to have the much needed tooth extraction need week.

As for baby and my body we are progressing very well. He's still hanging in there, I'm holding him in and he is getting bigger by the day. I can tell he growing not only from my ever expanding belly (I didn't know it could possibly get bigger) but also from how extremely tired I have been getting lately. He is sapping all my energy again forcing me to sit still and take naps as much as possible. Great for him ... tiring and boring for me.

Daddy Boot Camp

So I’m back and I survived boot camp. Army, no, Navy, nope, Marines, don’t think so. The boot camp I went to and survived was the Daddy Boot Camp. First off the bat, the experience was great and if you are a dad to be, new dad, or experienced dad, I would highly recommend it.


The Daddy Boot Camp is just for dads and what it does is it helps to prepare the dads to be with valuable information about being a dad. They help show what the roles and expectations of a dad is. A point that hit home was the demonstrations of what happens when you shake a baby.


Basically, the facilitator placed an egg in a Tupperware contained and then asked for volunteers to give it one good shake. Even though we knew what would happen, some of the guys wouldn’t shake it hard enough to break the egg. I think it was a psychological thing. But after being urged on and really brining to life the scenario, they did it. After that, we had a discussion about it, and what we found out is that, most times when a baby is shaken it’s because the person is frustrated. And they are frustrated because they weren’t prepared and didn’t know what to expect. It was eye opening.


In the Boot Camp, we watched videos, had discussions and went through different interactive activities. This camp was just really starting up here in Orlando, but at other camps, experienced dads would bring their baby(s) into the class, so that the new dads would get hands on experience holding a baby correctly, learning how to properly change a diaper, and swaddling a baby. Side note, I got an F the first time I tried to swaddle a baby *lol* Guys can be real tough.

Since the Boot Camp was guys only, it was a comfortable environment for everyone. Once everyone got thru the introductions, it was clear that all the guys had pretty much the same fears and sharing then became so easy. At first, the seats were all in a straight line, by the end, it was a tight circle.

We all already said that we will be coming back after our sons and daughters were born to share our experiences with the new dads to be. We will be carrying the kids.

Daddy Boot Camp, it’s one of those experiences in life that you really don’t want to miss out on.

Peace Out Folks
Chris C

Our Body Week 33

One more down ... 4-7 more to go. Time is getting shorter and there are still some more things that I would like to do before the big day. Good thing is that according to some of the pregnancy checklists out there, we are right on track and should be prepared for the delivery. Well I still need to start packing and preparing the bags for me, Ty and Chris for the delivery. If all goes well, and we are still at the Birthing Cottage, we won't need too much stuff. I know, after this entry I am going to make my packing lists ... that is a good place to start.

Well week 33 brings loads of excitement for us. All the different websites and books that Chris and I read regularly now put Ty weighting in at almost 4.5 pounds. That is huge, and is going to gain anywhere around .5 pounds for the next few weeks. Also, more importantly his lungs are developing now. Not fully yet, if born now we would still need to have him stay in the hospital but they are getting stronger each day.

As for me: I am in the most pain I have really ever experienced before. My ligaments and back and sides hurt so much, especially first thing in the morning and in the middle of the night. I am so glad he is growing, it's just that my body isn't. I now understand why there are so many different articles and journals written regarding uncomfortable sleep for pregnant women. Oh and my appetite is going crazy. One minute I am craving something sweet, the next something salty. But I am trying to stay away from the junk food ... been snacking a lot lately on not so healthy foods (Doritos and Hershey kisses).