Bumpdate- 40 Weeks

How far along: 40 weeks 4 days. yes, you read that right- over due by 4 days!

Baby is the size of: a pumpkin. i guess there is something after watermelon after all!

Extra poundage: 27 pounds. eek! 2 pounds in 1 week. Little Wood needs to come OUT.

Bump status: yesterday i started to feel like i grew overnight. does she look like she's dropped yet?
**Dilated: i actually don't know. i saw my delivering doctor last and she doesn't have the habit of telling me- probably to not be discouraging! 
**Effaced: 60%! yes, that's different from last week. is this due to different people measuring me? who knows. but i had my first "membrane sweep" when i was 2 days over due and it was a tad uncomfortable, but not horrible. right away i experienced bleeding and what i think could have been pieces of my mucous plug (sorry, TMI) passing.  i pretty much bled the rest of the day and am not sure if it was my bloody show or just because of the sweep.
**Contractions:  yes, i think so at this point. i had 2 that woke me up a few nights ago, but then nothing. then, since my sweep, i've had increasing menstrual-like cramps since.  last night i had a number of recurring sharp pains in my lower pelvis that were less than pleasant. hoping this is the beginning of the end!

Favorite food of the week: nothing really.

Heartburn worthy foods: not heartburn per se, but i have noticed that i'm feeling a little more queasy after i eat these days.

Favorite piece of clothing this week: i've been avoiding maternity clothes because i'm just sick of them! so i've worn leggings most of the week.

Movement: tons. i don't think LW likes contractions either, because she moves around a LOT when they  happen.

Sleep: still decent.
Pee trips in the night: 3-4.

Guilty pleasure: Breyer's Oreo ice cream.

Baby purchases this week:  no baby purchases, just nipple cream.

Looking forward to: meeting this baby!

the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

i never thought i would be so excited to read a book about breastfeeding, but when i got this book for Christmas off my wishlist, i was elated! it was recommended to me by a friend, and is produced by La Leche League International, an organization whose mission is to support and promote a return to breasfeeding. prior to becoming pregnant, i really had never heard of LLLI, but now i hear of them everywhere!

hands down the best thing i walked away from with this book is the mantra: "breastfeeding is something i WILL do, not something i will TRY to do." i know many people will take offense to this statement, saying they physically couldn't do it because of supply issues or a variety of other reasons. however, i am aware that a nearly miniscule amount of women actually have supply issues. the others simply don't have the support and endurance they need to continue with breastfeeding. of course i'm saying all this with merely a knowledge of breastfeeding at this point, and not any experience. however, i know one thing and that is i'm committed to doing this!

a few months back after i finished my breastfeeding class, i mentioned how excited i was to have this bonding experience with LW. that's probably why i've been so caught up in dealing with my insurance about getting a breast pump. it's been frustrating to say the least, but mostly because i want to be successful in doing this for my child. my goal is to try and breast feed for a year, and to NOT supplement with formula at all. i know a lot of doctor's will push for supplementing, especially to get baby back to their birth weight, but honestly, with the help of this book i think i can avoid it all together. i would already call myself pretty prepared:

i want to assure people that i'm definitely NOT judging those who formula feed. before i got pregnant, i never gave breastfeeding a second thought. i was born in the 80's and my mother didn't breast feed any of us kids because it just wasn't something that you did during that time.  but there are few things in life that only 1 person can do for their child- and this is one of them.  because i will have to work in some capacity, i will need to pump to keep up exclusively breast feeding. i figure this will also come in handy when Dave and i want to leave the house unattended, and so that he can also help with feedings from time to time:)

i haven't completely finished this book because it's quite hefty and there are a lot of chapters that i will read a little later on (such as weaning, etc.). i wanted to be sure that i at least got the basics down before LW comes. i definitely plan on using this as a reference guide and not just as a 1x read. it has a super handy "toolkit" in the back that i can tear out and make copies of to track feedings, etc.

i know this won't be easy and it will probably be painful in more ways than 1, but i'm ready!
P.S., today's my due date! Anytime, Little Wood, anytime!

nesting

every pregnant woman knows the feeling of needing to be prepared RIGHT NOW. while my nesting has been more recently brought on by boredom than anything else, i would say i've used my pregnancy pretty thoroughly to prepare for Little Wood.

here is a sneak peek into the growing wardrobe of the wee babe! i think she probably has more clothes than i do. the problem is, i never feel like she has enough! most of the items hanging are 3 months and older:

there's definitely more pink in there than i thought there would be. but i've tried to balance it out with plenty of Dodger wear splashed in.

this pic is mostly of newborn and 0-3 month onesies and jams. you can't tell, but she already has 3 Star Wars bodysuits, boasting Yoda, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and R2D2, my personal favorite. and no, i didn't buy any of them.

i love this mini drawer (thank you Ikea!) in our dresser where i can put LW's bibs, hats, mittens, and all the other random things she'll need. i.e. her mustache pacifier and emery boards. a girl's got to have manicured nails! and no, i didn't buy that USC bib either.

this is my slightly lacking "pants" drawer for LW. she has a decent amount of leggings but i'd like it to be filled out a little more, especially so i can live vicariously through her spandex. she has MORE than enough newborn socks that i'm hoping she can actually get through before she grows out of them. they are just so darn CUTE. so far, i haven't lost any. i got the drawer organizers from Ikea, and they were about $8 for 6 of them! they fit near perfectly in this bottom drawer.

i picked up these Sugar Booger clothes dividers from Babies R Us (for about $10 which seemed a little steep to me, but oh well) to help separate out sizes in LW's closet. As it stands now, i've only washed 0-3 month clothes because i'm still a little paranoid LW could come out a boy, and also because i don't feel the need to wash clothes she won't wear for another year. you can get the same brand on Amazon. they're great!

i got these Madison Baskets from Cost Plus World Market for $5 a piece (i think the color was being discontinued because normally they're $10) and they are enormous! They have a wooden bottom so they're sturdy, and i have two more for her changing table for diapers, wipes, and other accoutrements. i'm using the ones in her closet for breast feeding supplies (bottles, bags, nipples), baby carriers/wraps, and other miscellaneous items. i plan on using clothes pins to make labels to "pin" to the outside.

i forgot to take a picture, but i also bought two of these Sterilite 3 Drawer Carts (i didn't put the wheels on) to put on the floor. apparently, babies need a TON of blankets, as evidenced by the 3 drawers they are currently taking up on 1 cart alone. i probably have about 12 swaddlers, not to mention a plethora of other receiving blankets, homemade blankets and quilts. the other drawers are being taking up by back up sheets, changing pad covers, and burp cloths.

 

needless to say, this little baby is loved! i can't wait to meet her :)