28 weeks, 4 days

Happy third trimester to me! This week marks that scary milestone where I start anticipating getting really huge and uncomfortable. So far, so good though, despite the fact that I started out the week with a miserable GI bug. We thought Dan had food poisoning on Friday, so Mom and Dad still made the drive to Albany as planned, but by Sunday morning, when I woke up unhappily ill, it was clear that this was a nasty 24-hour stomach bug. It was pretty disappointing to send Mom and Dad home on Sunday (but they avoided the bug!), especially since we had planned for Mom to come with me to see my midwife on Monday morning and hear the heartbeat. But such is life.

I went ahead and had my glucose test (standard to test for gestational diabetes) on Monday anyway, even though I still felt pretty awful, and I think I might be the only pregnant woman in history to ever feel better after chugging the glucose drink. I think my blood sugar was so low after the GI bug that it somehow revived me a bit! We also heard the heartbeat with the Doppler, which we do every appointment, but LJ was particularly squirmy this time and the midwife had to pin him to keep him from wriggling away - he hates the Doppler! He's gotten so big now that I can really feel his positioning; he lies mostly transverse across my lower belly, but every once in a while he flip flops and I can feel his hard little butt swish across my belly. It's been so fun feeling him move more and more, and he's started to perform for others too - Mom and Dad both got to feel some pretty impressive kicks and jabs.

Dan and I have also been taking a 6 week course at the hospital where LJ will be born, which is meant to prepare you for birth, infant care, and breastfeeding. It is apparently a Lamaze class, although I didn't know that when I signed us up; we're told it's not "your mother's Lamaze class" in that they no longer teach patterned breathing or anything like that. It's mostly relaxation techniques and slow breathing.

Anyway, I think it's actually been really helpful in certain ways. I feel a lot more comfortable at the birthing center itself, in terms of knowing what to expect on intake, the philosophies of their staff, what their policies are, etc. The hospital we've chosen has a small, dedicated birthing center with big, homey, private rooms and jacuzzi tubs, and has a staff that is very supportive of natural childbirth, especially since it's mostly a midwifery practice that delivers there. I think the class has also been a nice starting point for Dan and I to have conversations about the decisions we would make in different situations during labor, and has strengthened my intention to have an unmedicated birth. We've also learned a bunch of natural pain management techniques, including massage methods and positions, and Dan has had to talk me through some practice contractions, which he has been great at! We've been thinking and focusing a lot lately on this kiddo's arrival in the world, which is now less than 100 days away... we can't wait!