It’s not 9 months but 10!

Here I am at 36 weeks which is the equivalent of being pregnant for 9 months. And I still have some time to go. Now I know full term is actually 40 weeks which is the 10th month of pregnancy. Sheesh. I can barely sleep straight at night, I’ve got a lot of body ache and pain but still a few more weeks to go.

I am happy that Baby J will not be born prematurely so no complications will arise from that area. But this home stretch period is making me very impatient especially since the little guy loves to stretch and his elbows/knees end up as bumps on my belly that move. He’s taking up a lot of space and my bladder can hold even less than before which explains the constant feeling of needing to go to the bathroom.

Ever since we had that 4D ultrasound I’ve been really curious to see whom he will resemble. Hubby suggested that if I was that impatient then we can have another one but I find that it is too expensive and a few more weeks will give us that answer. We keep telling each other he might look like our respective spouse. But I remember I had a dream when I was in my first trimester that my baby was a boy and that he looked like my sister. So who knows? Maybe that dream will come true.

My next OB appointment is on Oct 4 where if I haven’t given birth yet my doctor will check if I am dilated. If so, then I can’t go to work anymore.

On other news, I’ve just realized that we don’t have a pediatrician yet for Baby J. I was referred to a doctor in Cardinal but unfortunately he wasn’t around when we were there. Another referral led me to a doctor based in Medical Plaza and we’ll be visiting him this Sat to see if he’s ok. I’ve talked with him over the phone and he’s one of those really dedicated doctors because he really cares for his patients and he’s always on call.  So I’m excited to meet him.

Feeling meaty :(

Carne

I’m 32 weeks pregnant or more or less 8 months! It’s been getting so much harder to sleep since I feel like something is pressing against my chest and making my breathing more difficult. My feet and ankles are swollen like anything and my toes look like awful little sausages.My feet can’t fit into closed toe shoes without feeling super sore at the end of the day. I live in my sandals.

I was supposed to have an OB appointment on Friday but when we got there the clinic was closed. Being dutiful people we waited till the receptionist arrived but she gave us bad news that the doctor wasn’t feeling so well and we had to reschedule our appointment. However she did allow me to check my weight and of course that heavy feeling was justified since I’m now 140 pounds! I know I’m supposed to start gaining a pound a week but I still have around 8 weeks to go! That means I’ll end up close to 150 pounds near term! Wah!

I have so many questions pa naman to ask my OB. I want to get recommendations na on a pediatrician. I need to find someone who is supportive of  breastfeeding. I also wanted a recommendation between Medical City and Cardinal Santos hospital. L and I both have relatives who work in Cardinal so we think that gives us a plus if we stay there. We’ve already seen a sample bill of someone giving (natural) birth there and are prepared.

However we recently toured the birthing suite of Medical City and I must admit I am impressed. Getting to Medical City is difficult but once we got there the place is very nice looking. People used to tell me na sobrang maasikaso ang mga tao sa Medical City and when I got there I really felt it. They are so customer oriented there and so accomodating. It did not take us that long to get permission to tour the birthing suite and someone even accompanied us the whole time from admissions desk to DR area back to the ground floor. There’s also a place called the Strip where a bunch of restaurants and Mercury Drug are. The hospital complex itself has its own Starbucks and people tell me there is free wi-fi. Sigh, guess I’ll have to wait until Monday to get the info I need.

Future Soccer player?

Baby J has also been super active lately. He’s swimming around lazily and gives me a kick every once in a while for good measure. Sometimes I’m having meetings and I wince. The people I’m meeting with end up with a puzzled look on their face because I look like I reacted to what they were saying. I had to clarify and say that Baby J was kicking me in a sensitive spot. They just ended up laughing.

Last Childbirth class

Last but not the least is the fact that we had our last childbirth class today. It was so cute first thing in the morning to see guys trying to change diapers on plastic baby dolls. We also saw how to swaddle babies and Rome played a short film on breastfeeding. The sad thing is that breasts have become so associated with sex when in reality they are there to provide nutrition for our babies. Now I know what some people mean when they said that parang sobrang weird to see the baby’s mouth mimicking a sucking motion whenever he’s hungry. Imagine, you have to breastfeed every 1 1/2 to 3 hours for the first 6 weeks. That’s practically 8 times a day including the night. Sigh, I however swore to myself that I will do what I must to provide the best nutrition I can for my baby.