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Today was my work baby shower, which was such a nice surprise!
Originally we had a visit scheduled for 10:30am. Jo asked Fred to make up a reason to move it later, which he did. My prenatal visit was the last of the day so they could surprise me after. After my appointment, we walked out to the front and they yelled surprise. It was really sweet! They had decorated the office with balloons and flowers. They ordered from Yasaka, which was so great since it’s my favorite. It’s hard not eating the raw fish there, but I love the pumpkin and sweet potato tempura rolls and there were plenty. Chloe even brought Peter Pan donuts which was so amazing. She also made her famous blondies which are so good. It was a sweet surprise and so fun to celebrate with my work family!
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 View from our balcony We decided to go on a babymoon for a long weekend. Earlier in the pregnancy we went on a big trip to Hawaii so we just needed a little local getaway now. The goal was to be within a few hours of home and the hospital (just in case!) and to have access to a pool/water. There were a bunch of contenders, but ultimately we ended up picking Long Branch on the Jersey Shore. It’s no surprise really that we chose the beach! We stayed on a resort right on the beach which was awesome.
Just in case, we did decide to bring a few hospital essentials with us on the trip. This was a big reality check as I packed this stuff. Meeting our baby is definitely getting closer! Midwife note: Be sure to clear any trips in the third trimester with your care provider! Some providers don’t recommend travel after a certain gestational age, even by car. The goal of the trip was just to relax and spend some extra time together before baby comes. We ate good food, walked on the boardwalk, swam in the pool and the ocean, ate ice cream and even went antiquing a little on Sunday since it was raining. I even went for two runs on the boardwalk which was lovely! I love running near the beach. On the last day, we even splurged on massages which was really nice. It’s crazy to think that this was our last little trip together before we become parents. I can’t believe how close it’s getting now! I’m all about photos and documenting important times in our lives. I actually love being photographed (most of the time). Fred and I have some really special photos to document our lives and maternity was no exception! We took our maternity pictures in June on the beach around 32 weeks. Since we love the beach so much, it was fitting that we went to Jacob Riis to do the pictures. I am so happy how they turned out! The photographer is Lauren Colchamiro and she does all kinds of photography. We plan to use her for our family newborn pictures as well. Her link is also on my resource page. I went to the dentist today to finish replacing an old crown I had. Today was the second appointment and much shorter than the first. It is something the dentist has been wanting me to do for a long time, and I’m so glad I did now rather than waiting until after the baby comes. After the baby comes, it will be so much harder to schedule! I generally really hate the dentist, so going more often during pregnancy and getting work done is a big deal for me!
Midwife note: Dental care is really important in pregnancy. There is some correlation with periodontis and pregnancy outcomes (American dental association). Regular dental care may reduce the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight and preeclampsia. This is in addition the benefits that regular dental care provides like helping with pregnancy bleeding gums (gingivitis) and erosion, etc. Many dentists recommend cleanings every 4 months in pregnancy. Dental procedures with local anesthesia are safe in pregnancy. Most women (and dentists) avoid x-rays, but they can be done if the abdomen is double shielded. I have been wanting to run all week, but it’s been really hot. So I decided to swim instead. It does feel really good to be in the pool! Swimming was refreshing and I felt so light. I got several comments from older women swimming. One of them told me I did a really great job swimming which made me laugh. Afterwards, I went to CityMD to get my TDaP vaccine. I have been forgetting to do this for several weeks and I really wanted to get it done. They were very nice and fast, and now it’s done. Midwife note: There is a vaccine called TDaP (tetanus diptheria and pertussis) that is recommended by the CDC and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology for pregnant women during their third trimester (ideally between 27-37 weeks). Pertussis (aka whooping cough) is potentially dangerous to newborns and they can't be vaccinated until they are two months old. By you getting the vaccine during pregnancy or postpartum, you can pass immunity to the baby. Here is the CDC recommendation. I find this a weird question. But yet it’s asked all the time. Do you like being pregnant?
I certainly don’t hate being pregnant. I have had an “easy” pregnancy when it comes to symptoms, feeling good and not having to change much about my routine. But do I like it? My answer is that it’s fine. I miss things I shouldn’t have in pregnancy. I’ve been pretty strict about following the guidelines. This list includes but is not limited to: coffee, alcohol (summer beers and Pimms cups), lox, raw feta and goat cheese, sushi and soft ice cream (omg the Mister Softee truck taunts me on our block and on the way home from work). Midwife note: Guidelines for safe eating during pregnancy vary from place to place. For example, women in Japan eat sushi in pregnancy. People in some cultures drink wine and eat soft cheese. Caffeine up to 200mg is considered a safe amount, but it does cross the placenta so some people give it up completely or drink significantly less. Avoiding soft ice cream is not really a standard recommendation in the US. It is in the UK and Australia. The reason is that machines are not always properly cleaned and can grow bacteria such as listeria. A truck (like Mister Softee) is more likely to have improperly cleaned machines than a place like McDonalds. I suggest doing your research and deciding what makes the most sense to you, and of course talking to your healthcare provider. US guidelines, UK guidelines and Australian guidelines. I miss having more than 4 outfits. This is an exaggeration - I have more than 4 outfits. But I don’t have a lot of maternity clothes, nor do I care to buy a bunch, so my options are limited. I have started accessorizing with belts, scarves and jewelry. I very much dislike that no bras fit and I have to keep buying more. Maybe some people like that their breasts change and get bigger, I am not one of those people. It frustrates me and I’m constantly annoyed with bras. I don’t like gaining weight. But we knew this already from my prior post. I have come to terms with this, but it’s still not my favorite thing, obviously. I like getting seats on the subway (sometimes). There are actually times I’d rather stand because sitting is uncomfortable but then someone gets up for you and so you kind of have no choice….this is a love/hate thing. I like the fact that my body is growing a person. This is really, really cool. No one told my body what to do, it is just doing it. There is an organ that was grown specifically for this purpose, the amazing placenta. I like that I am never alone. This is actually my favorite thing and something I’ll definitely miss when I’m no longer pregnant. You are literally NEVER alone. There is always this little fetus with you. A client of mine recently said, “It’s like you always have a friend.” I find this to be so true and something I never, ever thought I’d be so sentimental about. I actually think about the fact that this won’t always be and get sad about it. Of course I’m excited to see my baby on the outside, but I will miss the feeling of this person being inside me. I like feeling the kicks and movements. I like being able to talk and sing to Embers and to be able to push on my belly and have Embers push back. I’m getting teary just writing about it. So do I like being pregnant? It’s fine. I don't hate it. There are good parts, there are annoying parts. But I am so happy that I am pregnant because I’m going to have a baby! Fred and I are adding to our family and we couldn’t be happier about meeting this kid and raising a human. It's truly amazing. Today was our baby shower! We felt so much love for our little one and were so happy to celebrate.
I actually hate the word shower. I feel like it's associated with these "traditional" women only affairs with cheesy games. I tried to call this a party for our baby, but had to resolve to give into the word shower so people knew what it was. But it was definitely not traditional - we had everyone come (partners and kids), not just women and we did not have any games, thank goodness. The traditional showers are great for some people, but just not our thing. The theme was Star Wars. The invitation was amazing and created by my in-laws and it was so great and creative! We were so lucky they hosted a party at their house for us, our friends and family. We had a great time. About 35 people came to our party to celebrate Embers. It was the hottest day of the year so far. It was 95 degrees. It would have been nice to spend some time outside, but there was no way that was happening. Luckily the house was nice and cool and everyone seemed fine with that. We had delicious food from an Italian restaurant. We had fastnachts (special German donuts) and assorted donuts. The dessert was perfect and so fun because we love donuts. There is a pool going for guessing Embers’ sex, weight, birthdate, etc. My sister in law made it and it fit right in with the theme. We loved seeing people's guesses. It's especially fun when no one knows the real estimated due date. We got a lot of really great and generous gifts. We especially loved that everyone gave us a book for the baby, which means a lot. It’s really important to us that our kid likes books and reading so it’s fun to build up our collection. We've been reading to Embers nightly since mid-pregnancy. We had a really nice time and think everyone else did too. We are so happy for those who came to celebrate with us! |
ElaineA pregnant midwife living and working in New York City Archives
April 2019
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