24 Weeks- Viability, Baby!

Today is a big milestone in our pregnancy journey. At 24 weeks, a fetus reaches what is called "viability," meaning that there is a good chance she could survive if for some reason she came early. We're fully planning on this little lady cooking until November, but it is still reassuring to get to this point! It is right up there - milestone wise - with hearing the heartbeat for the first time, the 12 week marker of the end of the first trimester, & the 20 week Anatomy Scan.

This week I was also hit with the very poignant realization that we are pretty much in the 3 month countdown to baby! Even though our little one is due toward the end of November, she really could come anytime that month, so I figure we have about 3 months to finish getting ready. Here are some of my check-list items to accomplish before November:

*Find a doctor/hospital 
-Check! LOVE our new Nurture OBGYN clinic, and am very happy with the choice to birth at St. Davids' North Hospital.

*Sign up for birth classes
-Check! We'll be in a 5 week Hypnobirthing class from September 30th-November 4th. I also may sign up for cloth diapering & breastfeeding classes.

*Interview doulas 
-We have our first interview tonight, and I hope to interview a total of 3-4 doulas.

*Finish the nursery
-BC and I had a funny discussion about this the other night. He told me a colleague of his had asked if our nursery was ready- and he'd replied "yes." He asked if I agreed- to which I quickly retorted- "um, we don't have a crib mattress, or bedding, or a changing pad, or diaper supplies, or a monitor, or our glider,....." etc. Yes, we have the crib & dresser in the room- but there is still a LONG way to go! My goal is to have everything set by mid-October- and we can obviously see who is going to be in charge of getting that done.

*Take a "Babymoon" vacation
-Check! We leave in one week for New Mexico- I can't wait.

*Secure our finances & budget
-I am working hard to fill up our "Baby Fund"- saving up about 3-4 months worth of my average income to help us transition toward my cutting back on work. We should have that checked off by mid-September. I really hope to be able to stay home full time with our little lady- at LEAST for the first 4-5 months. After that we'll see how I am feeling- and what our family needs are.

We have also started the construction of a studio apartment in the space above our garage, toward the hopes of that bringing in additional income. It will be a cute space with a small kitchen & full bathroom, one that we can rent out on weekends or during Austin festivals. It will also be a great spot for friends & family to stay.

*Take advantage of our couple time here in Austin
-BC and I have been enjoying a self declared "Austin Restaurant Week." It isn't officially restaurant week here in town, but BC and I have taken it upon ourselves to visit 'new to us' restaurants every night. We're having a blast, and discovering some great spots! So far we've visited:

Bangers
El Naranjo
Salty Sow
Zanduga

Our favorite for overall food & experience was Salty Sow, and Bangers and El Naranjo were also excellent (and located in our fav Rainy Street District just a mile from our house). So far Zanduga is the only place we would not return to- so we are 3 for 4 with success! We realize that once baby comes we'll be cutting back on eating out, so now is definitely the time to indulge.

My first official pregnancy shot taken by someone other than myself! 

BC took this last night on day #4 of our Austin Restaurant Week.

I just noticed there is a #4 on the building in the upper right corner- ha!

Here are my 24 week updates:

How far along? 24 weeks today! Viability!

How big is baby? Apparently the size of a cantaloupe this week- give or take about 12 inches and about 1.5 lbs.

Weight gain? It's been another BIG week of growth (hello, restaurant week?)- so as of this morning I am up a total of 11 lbs, which is a 2.5 pound gain from last week!

This week's gain jumped me onto the "ideal weight gain" trajectory

Post yoga 24 week belly shot

Sleep? I am falling asleep really well/soundly, but have been restless and waking a lot in the early morning hours. I am still most comfortable on my back, which I feel increasingly guilty about- as one is not "supposed" to be back sleeping at this point. It's another challenge of trusting my intuition on that one- trusting that my body will tell me if/when that position is no longer a good idea. Our little lady is still kicking away every 2 hours or so, so I know she is healthy & growing!

Symptoms? I am starting to find it harder to bend forward, and to sit properly in a chair for long lengths of time (like at a restaurant, for instance). When I work from home, my legs are almost always propped up on the desk or tucked underneath me, which is much more comfortable.  I've been having to eat a cracker in the early morning hours before getting up due to mild nausea (which usually dissipates after that snack). My skin has also been super clear- an ongoing 'perk' for a few months now.

Most looking forward to? One week until VACATION!

Nurturing Myself

Ever since my Anatomy Scan, when I was less than impressed with my current doctor's bedside manner (I still can't believe she didn't even acknowledge BC!), I've been on the hunt for a new "home" for my pregnancy journey. I've had visions of personal, attentive care... providers who actually remember me and want BC to be involved in this process as well.

I LOVE the midwife/birthing center models, and we did a Meet and Greet at a fabulous downtown birthing center called Birthwise. We loved the group of midwives, loved the facilities, and I especially loved the deep birthing tubs. However, I know myself, and know that I am likely to be MOST relaxed on the big day somewhere where I know medical backup is close at hand.

Our next stop was a tour of St. David's North hospital and a Meet and Greet with a unique group called OB-GYN North that has 3 midwives & 3 OBs working together. You meet with a different practitioner for each pre-natal visit, and every day of the week one of these ladies is on call and her ONLY job is to be present at the hospital with her laboring mamas. They have a very laid back, 'birth is a normal and healthy process' attitude, and also boasted a low c-section rate of 11%. I don't know if it was the lemonade they were serving (I never have lemonade) or her approval of the group itself, but Baby Girl was kicking up a STORM during the event- so much so that BC got to feel her for the first time! I took that as a sign that we were on the right path....

Which brings me to yesterday, my last Meet and Greet at Nurture OBGYN. This is a boutique office in North Austin that has one midwife and one OB working as a team. They were actually previously a part of the OB-GYN North group but branched off on their own to offer even more personalized care to their clients. Their office has cucumber infused water, cookies, apples, & cool art on every wall. They only take on about 12-15 births/month, and schedule a full 30 minutes for every patient appointment. They also boast a very low (10%) c-section rate, and genuinely want to get to know their clients. They even do a postpartum home visit one week after birth! One of these ladies is always at the hospital with the birthing mama- in the past year, there has been only ONE birth where they had to have another doc provide back-up. They also talked about & referred to BC many times during our visit- wondering when they might get to meet him as well!

Needless to say, I've found a new home- and am SO happy to have discovered this small, intimate practice- where I get personalized care with a midwife AND a doctor, and still will labor at a renowned major hospital where drugs resources are close at hand.

I also thought is was pretty fitting that the Nurture groups' symbol- seen here- is amazingly similar to the one and only tattoo I got years back. That is a story unto itself.

In conclusion and for your viewing pleasure, I bring you a few photos from my Great Tattoo Adventure of 2007- where I very vividly remember declaring that I thought the pain of getting a tattoo must be similar to the pain of childbirth. Ha!

 You're going to do what to me?

Hurt like #*%&@%@*%

I found that biting my hands & humming helped the pain.

For some reason "Battle Hymn of the Republic" was my chosen tune, and yes, BC & the tattoo artist were laughing at me the entire time.

Tell me they are almost done...

Voila! My finished sunshine (which is much less bloody these days).

It was only AFTER this was done that BC told me about the term "tramp-stamp." Sweet. I was so proud.

Pain? What pain? Let's do another! 

I think the amnesia following the pain of a tattoo is probably similar to the amnesia after childbirth- allowing one to have subsequent tattoos and children (though for me one tattoo is PLENTY)