Birthing Class - Informative but too long!

Just like our breastfeeding class, our birthing class - which we took part 1 of 2 this past weekend - was informative but just a day too long. If you know me, you know that I like to be prepared for things, so I am finding these pre-baby classes to be helpful in understanding what is about to happen to my body in the next three weeks! But I also find that these classes could be 1/2 as long as they are scheduled, to really walk away with the key nuggets of information you need. But nonetheless, Tim and I will go to the second half of this class next week and be as prepared as we can be for the day our baby comes!

We took our birthing class at Birth and Beyond in Santa Monica and overall I like the teacher and the class. A few key things I took away from this past weekend were: 1. If you start to go into labor or your water breaks, you may not need to go to the hospital quite yet if your contractions are not close together. They don't really want you hanging in the bed at the hospital all day waiting for movement to happen. 2. It is better to stay active to bring on labor versus laying in bed. 3. The Doctor does not really come in to the room until you are ready to pop that baby out. 4. It is best that the baby is looking at your back with his/her back up to your stomach on the way out, helps decrease back pain and other potential issues. 5. I learned the difference between dialated, effaced, position and station. 6. You really don't want to get the epidural until you are 4 CM dialated if you can help it.

No matter what happens, I will be able to ask questions when it comes down to it!

37 at 37 Weeks, that has a nice ring to it!

I am 37 Weeks this week! Down to 3 weeks left in this crazy journey they call pregnancy! Oh yes, it has been a crazy journey and I am more than happy to get off of it and start the next one with baby in tow!

Baby Duffy is over 6 pounds and close to 19 inches long (in average baby size and the size of a swiss chard). She is also considered Full Term! Wow, that is just crazy! A full term baby in my belly!

I don't know what else to say except, Holy Cow, I cannot believe it is finally here! I mean, it was such a long road and to be this close to meeting Baby Duffy and not being pregnant...I am ecstatic!

Bags are just about packed and nursery is just about done, but my baby daddy is out of town on business for the week, so I am hoping baby stays nice and snug until we get to the final week! In the meantime, I continue to work (which is keeping me so busy), run last minute errands for things I still need, pre-natal massage, continue to finish house projects and put my feet up when I can. She will be here before we know it!

Heat and pregnancy do not mix!

So, I have been riding along free as a bird with the lower than normal temperatures that LA experienced this summer and it has been great! Outside of some hot trips to Chicago, St. Louis and Cabo, I have remained relatively comfortable in LA - where the Beach and temperatures have been unusually cool and somewhat cloudy! And I enjoyed it! Because as I learned after a week in Chicago, being pregnant in the Hot summer weather is not fun!

Well, LA has decided to give me a little taste of that medicine during my final 3 weeks of pregnancy. This week - specifically today- we hit record temperatures across LA land, including 103 in Malibu. That is crazy - if you know anything about the LA area, the beaches are the cooler place to be, staying mild and comfortable around the 70's and 80's when it gets really warm. I heard Marina Del Rey hit over the 100 degree mark, which means it was close to that here at my condo. Where I don't have air conditioning (normally you don't need it by the beach). So today, I got a real dose of what it means to be pregnant and hot....I am tired, mushy brained, have no physical energy and my body just feels overheated! Thankfully we got a breeze in the afternoon, but even now at 6:30 I am warm!!!

I will be retreating to my bedroom where we have a little R2D2 air conditioner to attempt to cool down. And hopefully this weather goes away real quick.

I sympathize with anyone who dealt with this heat all summer long!

Breastfeeding class...bring your husband.

Last night, Tim and I ventured out to our first pre-baby class, this one on Breastfeeding (yes, they do have classes on this and yes they made me bring my husband). I actually had every intension of not bringing him, but the people at the Pump Station in Santa Monica where I signed up for my class scared me into thinking I would be the only person there without a husband, so Tim came with me in full support and with little pushback. I was very proud that he would come so willingly.

The class was three hours - yes 3 hours - which in my mind could have been dwindled down to about 90 minutes, but I am in PR and I believe in the quick pitch versus a 3 hour class where I am getting about an hours worth of information. Not to mention that you are asking pregnant women who are within a month or two of giving birth to sit in uncomfortable chairs, in the evening which for some of us is following a long day of work, for three hours to talk about how to breast feed. So, I had an issue with the length of the class, but overall I am glad we went. I think there were some general helpful nuggets that we were able to take away from the class that will help us with this potentially difficult process. I will tell you, the class kind of scared me a bit, I mean breastfeeding sounds like a lot of work...but then again, having a baby is a lot of work so I need to start mentally preparing myself for this! I have been so focused on having her get here that I have not been thinking through the actual day in and day out work that I will be doing (I should say what Tim and I will be doing as he plans to be as involved as possible). I know it will all be worth it, but the class did leave me feeling a bit nervous and adding several more items to my list of more baby accessories to buy.

A few key things we took away from the class - we bought the right pump, the Medela Freestyle that offers a handsfree attachment, we should not start introducing the bottle until about 2 weeks after baby is born (Tim has 2 weeks off basically), you need some accessories to take care of any potential "issues" you might encounter during the process and we got to see a video on how the baby basically feeds off of you. Interesting and informative for sure.

I can say that I do like the Pump Station in Santa Monica for their overall commitment to helping moms before and after baby arrives, the great merchandise they sell and the teacher was in general informative. Just cut the class in half next time, and I would recommend it to anyone.

Next up, a birthing class.

Toys are fun for a pregnant lady

For my first anniversary present, my husband surprised me with an iPad. I had been contemplating getting one for a while, it would be easier to travel with, the reader/email/web browser/tv capability would be great for the hospital time coming up and I had heard it was an awesome time killer while breast feading.....but I was skeptical. Thankfully, my hubby thought outside the box, got it for me and now, I am typing up this blog from my new favorite gadget....my iPad. I am in love! I have not stopped playing with it since I got it....it is light, sleek, easy to use, has a great big, colorful screen and I can slip it in my purse wherever I go. I am even getting used to typing on the keypad. Now I just got to get me one of the hot new iPad cases coming from case-mate (who also happens to be a client of mine). I am in love with their new line coming out for Nordstrom including a gold and pink number I have my eye on....so, I will keep u updated on how well this thing works for my upcoming mommy duties, but for now I can say pregnant Monica loves it.

Blonde moment from Tim?

I am often accused of having my share of blonde moments - which is fine, i admit I have them occasionally. But rarely do I hear one come from my dark blonde husband. Last night a question came out of his mouth that had me almost choking on my bread, it was so funny! After a stressful week at work and weekend of nursery work, I needed this hearty laugh...one that had my crying at the table

We were talking about breast feeding and he asked, "Where does the milk come from? Do you have to drink a lot of milk to produce milk?"

Well, I don't know the answer to that question and it may be a viable question, but I thought it was pretty damn funny. I am pretty sure drinking milk does not make milk.

I am taking my breast feeding class Wednesday, so I will make sure to find out for you Timmy!

36 Weeks - It's The Final Countdown...

Ah, I am hearing The Final Countdown going on in my head right now!

Yes, here we are, down to the final month - just 4 more weeks and Baby Duffy will be entering this World and our lives in full force.

As you can imagine, we are just so excited! I asked Tim last night during our anniversary dinner at Mozza (where I ate way too much but it was so good) if he was nervous to become a dad, and he said no. He is so relaxed and excited about this, so much more than I had imagined. My husband likes to joke and be sarcastic, but underneath it all, he is a real softy. It is really fun to see his reaction to all of this!

Yesterday, we spent the whole day working on the nursery, moving things around our 1200 sq foot condo to fit everything. It was exhausting but we are very happy with the results. Almost there....nursery pix will be up in early October.

Baby is one week away from being full term, and on average is weighing close to 6 pounds and is 18.5 inches long (the size of the Crenshaw Melon). That is big and I can feel her in there all over my belly!!!

Oh yeah, it's the Final Countdown, da da da dada....