Sorry it has been a few weeks since our last blog. Here are the updates on life, liberty, and the pursuit of (pregnant) happiness in the Boyd-Martin household:
1) I got sick. Yucky, nasty, phlegmy sick. I was so lucky that I received my flu shot about a month ago, b/c the sickness could have been tons worse, according to the doc. I caught a cold, accompanied by severe tinnitus (ringing in ears) and pharyngitis (raw, sore throat/pharynx). What makes a common cold so awful when you are pregnant, you ask? You can't take the "typical" OTC and prescribed meds to get rid of the symptoms! Ahhhh!!!! Thankfully, the cold itself lasted about a week (I still am coughing up goo, though), but it was sooo not fun. Lozenges, Tylenol, fluids, rest (which is ridiculously hard to get when one is 8 months pregnant), being around as few people as possible, and force-feeding myself small, children's doses of Robitussin were all I was allowed. My fever never got above 100 degrees, which was all my doctor really worried about since a high fever (usually accompanied with the dreaded flu) is bad for both baby and mother. I feel better now, but not quite 100% yet. I wasn't even allowed to go to my Birthing Class last Wednesday, which was regretful. Michael and I will be making-up what we missed next class (sick pregnant women are not supposed to be around anyone else, let alone OTHER pregnant women, I learned). In fact, when I went to see the doctor, the office gave me a surgical mask I had to wear while in the office (hence, the title of this blog journal). Those suckers are really hard to breathe out of when one's nose is stuffed-up and congested, btw!
2) I am in my 8th month! Exciting and new. And painfully sharp. By that I mean: sharp, incessant pains in my lower calves and lower back. *ouch* Once a lady hits the 8th month (after 32 weeks gestation), she is asked not to travel further away than a 1 hour drive, and in fact to only get in a car for short drives to/from places if needed (the docs really frown upon a pregnant woman like myself finding herself too far from her hospital as full-term status approaches). For those of ya'll who aren't in the know, full-term is considered 37 weeks, but Michael and I learned that pre-term labor (labor before 37 weeks) is pretty common in our country. The scientists don't really know why.
3) We had a sick kitty for about a week, too, but our youngest cat is now better and seems to be feeling more like himself.
4) We received a Target gift card as a baby present from Denise! Thanks Denise!!! We can't wait to go pick out little baby things with your generous gift! Our little man is on his way to being the best dressed baby on the block.
5) There are new pics in the Family Photos section (thank you, Michael, for putting all the photos up on our website. I can tell you are a proud father already). Click on the Photos tab in the upper, left- hand corner, then click on Family Photos and scroll the pages until you find the newest ones.
6) Our last OBGYN appointment went well. I talked with the doctor about my highly irregular sleep patterns and my growing anxiety and irritability. She said that women often go through all this in the third trimester due to increasing hormones, increasing discomfort due to size and position of baby, and a lower immune system. Oh joy. Our mini-man seems to be good though. The baby's heart rate is 139. He is measuring 30.5 (again, back to being a little small, but he has growth spurts here and there which usually make up for it). I have gained 3 pounds in the last 2 weeks (the baby is gaining an average of 1/2 pound a week now until his birth, which is contributing to my current weight gain significantly). In fact, the baby weighs about 4+ pounds right now, and measures about 18 inches in length! Radical little man, isn't he? he astonishes us everyday.
