An Update on the Mom to be....

OK ok ok. I can take a hint. After 4 emails this morning complaining I don't talk about how I'm doing in the blog, I'm going to kill all the birds with one stone and answer it in the blog. So far to date, I've gained 13 pounds with this pregnancy. Mostly fluid. Besides being swollen, I feel pretty good. I have energetic days and then I have days where all I want to do is lie down. More good days than bad and even with the back pain and swollen extremities, I like being pregnant. I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings since before Christmas so I do feel a little apprehensive at times that people look at me like I'm an unwed mother. Oh well. I do have pregnancy induced carpal tunnel which means my fingers are numb and is why I don't return emails all the time. Then again, I can basically only wear flip flops and tennis shoes. I can wear my Uggs if someone is home to help me pull them up as my ankles have given me Fred Flintstone feet. I am in good health and my body is reacting well to this pregnancy overall. The doctor was apprehensive in the early stages with my blood pressure being so high but amazingly, that went away when I left my job. I do have frequent Braxton-Hicks contractions, which don't bother me unless I'm driving. They seem to really intensify in that position and are quite uncomfortable. The dr suggested that I not get behind the wheel for more than 10 minutes at a time. Yeah, that will happen.

The birthing classes are really good and I'm finding are more designed to the dad's because they are the ones who usually didn't read the baby books. The teacher is nice but she has typical Nazi doula moments at the same time. I had to fill out a survey on my position on the use of drugs in the delivery room and my answer was "yes please". She was not remotely amused by this. As I mentioned in the previous blog, Shannen went with me to the first class. Apparently everything she learned here gave her nightmares. Ha! Tony has been great with everything and he's really taking everything in and learning alot. He may get sent out on a training exercise in February again for a week or so. We won't know until they call him and tell him to get on the plane. At least its early enough in the month that we aren't getting down to the wire.