35 Weeks & Doctor's Appointment

Our baby girl will arrive in six weeks or less...I still find that hard to believe.  I finished washing all of Mila's newborn clothes and blankets this past weekend (it took me two days!) and Robert has put together almost all of her "gadgets" (stroller, swing, etc).  With our anniversary, Robert's dad's retirement, our two baby classes (breastfeeding and baby care basics), my work baby shower and Robert's birthday, I have a feeling that September will fly by and she will be here in no time.  



How far along? 35 weeks
Total weight gain: 26.5 lbs
Maternity clothes? anything comfortable and cool. and the tighter the better (I've found this makes you look less fat)
Stretch marks? still none! woot!
Sleep: no matter how good i sleep i am still exhausted at the end of the day
Best moment this week: i started prenatal yoga on Sunday and it was great. definitely should've started it weeks ago.  also, i did not write last week's post to gather sympathy, i was just having a bad day; but those of you sent me the nicest, sweetest words that made me feel so much better.  thank you SO much. <3
Worst moment this week: i was going to save this for the "truth about pregnancy - 2nd half" post but it's got so bad this week i have to say something. no one tells you how bad your vagina bones will hurt during pregnancy! a couple weeks ago it felt like someone had kicked me in the vag...now it feels like my bones are actually broken. it even hurts to walk! not all the time, mostly only at night right now.  pregnancy casualty!
Miss anything? sitting in the sun, drinking a pear cider.
Movement: unfortunately now that she's bigger, Mila's movements are making me nauseous, especially at night
Food cravings: none
Anything making you queasy or sick? none this week
Labor signs: none yet...
Belly button in or out? back in this week
Wedding rings on or off? I'm wearing 2 out of 3 this week. it's the little triumphs :)
Mood? much better than last week :)
Looking forward to: our anniversary next Wednesday!

Today started the beginning of our weekly doctor's appointments. It started out with my doctor telling me that I hadn't gained any weight in the last two weeks (score! not sure how this happened, but I will take it); she said my blood pressure looked good as well.  She asked if I was having any labor signs and, since I am not, she said that I won't deliver until my due date or later on in the first week of October (good news mom and dad!).  She said to make sure our hospital bag is packed and the car seat is installed, though, just in case.

She said that Robert will need to get the TDAP vaccine (for whooping cough) and that anyone who will be around to help me care for the baby will need it as well; those people just visiting don't need to worry about it, though.  So some of you will probably be getting a "crazy new mom" email from me. you've been warned :)

Upcoming Doctor's Appointments

9/5 at 3:45pm

9/12 at 3:45pm

9/19 at 3:45pm

9/26 at 3:45pm

34 Weeks

Holy smokes we are going to have a baby in seven (7) (siete) weeks or less!



How far along? 34 weeks
Total weight gain: 27 lbs
Maternity clothes? it's too hot to wear anything. i wish bathing suits at work were appropriate.
Stretch marks? still none! woot!
Sleep: sleeping a little better but still getting up at least once every night
Best moment this week: Roscoe must know something is going on. He has been so super snuggly and cuddly all week. Loving it!
Worst moment this week: don't let the picture above fool you; today has been the worst day ever :( i feel like a big giant cow, which has made me really sad, thanks to the following:

• i am retaining water, which made my weight jump up and my (c)ankles are swollen
• i have eaten like 15 cookies since saturday (that's the last time I am making cookies that Robert doesn't like. I had to make myself throw some in the trash and then I ACTUALLY CONSIDERED EATING THEM OUT OF THE TRASH!)
• i'm feeling really nauseous at night still, which means I have been cutting my walks short because I need to lay down or I feel like I will throw up. 
• Not to mention that Mila is sitting really high at night, literally on top of my ribs, right under my boobs, which is super uncomfortable. 

Miss anything? sitting in the backyard, drinking a pear cider.
Movement: she's still moving a lot but not as much as she has been, i think she is running out of room
Food cravings: sweets. which is surprising since i don't normal like
Anything making you queasy or sick? someone keeps making some dish in the community kitchen at work and they're lucky i don't throw up on the floor every time I smell it
Labor signs: none yet...
Belly button in or out? halfway in, halfway out
Wedding rings on or off? 2 out of 3 are off but I'm still wearing one...don't count me out yet!
Mood? a hodge podge of exhaustion, happiness, excitedness and nervousness. today, you can also throw in mild depression :-/
Looking forward to: not feeling like the largest pregnant person in the world (this pregnancy has made me sooooo dramatic)...getting everything washed and put away in the nursery. I am finding myself antsy to organize and clean things. I spent an hour cleaning our bathroom shower last night. Who am i?!

Having a Baby? Move to California

I realized recently I haven't posted anything about my maternity leave. I know you are all barely functioning with all of the suspense.  Let's start out by saying that if you are planning on having a baby you might as well just move to California because the maternity leave here is ah-mazing compared to other states, but sadly not really that impressive in the overall scheme of things.

In addition to the national Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) that protects your job (unpaid) for 12 weeks, California also has something called Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL), which covers up to four months for complication or disabilities related to pregnancy or childbirth.  In California you can ultimately take up to seven months off for maternity leave (assuming complications) and still get partial pay and be guaranteed to return to your job (or a similar job). The biggest bonus: FMLA/PDL leave in California is not unpaid; in most cases you are paid at least 55%-65% of your salary the entire time you are off.

In California maternity leave is split into three sections: before baby, recovery time and baby bonding time.  Luckily for us, this entire time off for these three sections is paid (assuming that you are working and paying into the state short term disability fund, which almost everyone does), not at 100%, but at least you're still getting something.

Before Baby
In California, State Disability allows you to leave work (paid) for up to four weeks before your scheduled due date.  If you don't use it you lose it.  Your money during this time comes directly from the state and it's not 100%, usually only 55%; you will find out the exact figure you will receive one to two weeks after sending in your disability form.

Recovery Time
You are entitled to six weeks of recovery time after having your baby.  The money for this section comes from a combination from the state (short term disability) and your employer.  After you have the baby you will receive a call from the State Disability Dept. to confirm details on the birth (whether it was a vaginal or a c-section delivery); disability pay will continue for six to eight weeks.  At the end of this time you will receive a form in the mail and if you are still in pain or having complications you can have your doctor sign on requesting that you remain on disability longer.

Bonding Time
When your disability runs out (six weeks for vaginal delivery, eight weeks for a c-section) you will get a letter from the Paid Family Leave (PFL) program, which allows you to continue getting the money you were getting on disability for up to six weeks to bond with your baby.  The great thing about this PFL section is that all six weeks don't need to be taken consecutively, the time just needs to be used within a year of giving birth.

So, now that the maternity leave lesson is over, on to the details of my maternity leave.  I plan on working right up until I have the baby, assuming I still feel good enough to do this.  I'm feeling great now so hopefully this will continue to be the case.  

After the birth I am going to take the six (or eight) weeks off for the recovery time, which will put me back to work around Thanksgiving (if I have her close to the due date).  

After that, for the next six weeks of bonding time, I will be splitting my time.  I will work Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays while Robert is at home with the baby and then I will be off on Thursdays and Fridays when he is at work.  This will put us allll the way to the end of March 2013 to when I will be going back to work the full five days a week. 

That's best case scenario for us because at this time Mila will enter childcare at six months, rather than at three.  I am lucky that Wells Fargo Advisors lets me split the maternity leave; not all companies allow it.

Robert will also be taking off four to six weeks as well, which is covered by his work (FMLA covers both spouses!) so it will be nice to have him around to help.

While California's maternity leave is better than all the other 49 states, it's still not as good as other countries in Europe.  Sweden, for example, provides working parents with 16 months paid leave per child, the cost being shared between the state and the employer.  16 months sounds a little excessive but I am still hoping the United States gets this in place by the time Baby #2 comes around :)

33 Weeks & Doctor's Appointment

How far along? 33 weeks
Total weight gain: I forgot to weight myself today so let's just pretend that I didn't gain any weight
Maternity clothes? still rockin mostly dresses...but I am getting sick of all my options and now it's too late to buy any new ones
Stretch marks? still none! woot!
Sleep: sleeping better the past couple of days but i am so exhausted at the end of the day I feel like I am not sleeping at all
Best moment this week: my California baby shower was great (pics to come soon!)! AND my parents have been here since Friday, staying in their new condo. AND I got to see Shawna for a quick lunch on Sunday.  best week ever!



Worst moment this week: THE HEAT. we've hit summer in Southern California, ladies and gentlemen.  There are usually 2-3 days out of the year that are unbearably hot (especially without air conditioning) and that was this week. hopefully that's it for the year!
Miss anything? sitting at the beach, drinking a pear cider.
Movement: still lots of movement.  i can't really tell what her little moving parts are but i can guess what's what (I think I noticed a foot the other day?!)
Food cravings: pretty much everything. I'm so hungry lately!
Anything making you queasy or sick? I've been feeling a tad nauseous lately, sometimes in the middle of the day and sometimes at night; not sure where it's coming from because it's never consistent
Have you started to show yet: obvi. i would start to worry if this wasn't the case.
Gender prediction: it's a girl!
Labor signs: none yet...
Belly button in or out? halfway out. especially after a drink a ton of water or eat a lot
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy
Looking forward to: getting everything all in line and taken care of before the baby comes. I've got a lot on my "to do" list and I am anxious to make sure it's all complete before Mila makes her debut.

We had another quick doctor's appointment today; she did all of her usual things (urine check, blood pressure, stomach measurement) and I asked her about her feelings on inductions.  I'm not one of those people that has any positive or negative feelings on induction so I plan on going along with whatever the doctor thinks. She said that if I haven't delivered Mila by 41 weeks (October 9) she will go ahead and induce labor because there's really no benefit to going more than one week past the due date.  So we have an expiration date on this pregnancy, that's good to know!

She said that my next appointment will be pretty quick too and then the 36 week appointment will be where she does my vaginal exam to make sure the baby is positioned correctly and to see if I am dilating at all (!).  I've heard the vaginal exam is a liiiiiitle uncomfortable, even painful, so I figure this will be a good preparation for childbirth.

Upcoming Doctor's Appointments

8/29 at 3:45pm

9/5 at 3:45pm

9/12 at 3:45pm

9/19 at 3:45pm

9/26 at 3:45pm

32 Weeks

How far along? 32 weeks
Total weight gain: 23 lbs
Maternity clothes? still rockin mostly dresses...but I am getting sick of all my options and now it's too late to buy any new ones
Stretch marks? still none! woot!
Sleep: sleeping a little better but still getting up at least once every night
Best moment this week: my super productive weekend (it was a slow week on best moments)
Worst moment this week: Just a little thing called a near INFANT ABDUCTION.  I seriously just wrote about how this thing probably never happens anymore and then it DOES. Oh, and yesterday I ran over a lizard pulling into the garage and only squished it's tail and it's legs so I felt super bad about that. I am sure he was somebody's lizard-husband and son.
Miss anything? sitting at the pool, drinking a pear cider.
Movement: still lots of movement.
Food cravings: pretty much everything. i'm so hungry lately!
Anything making you queasy or sick? nope.
Have you started to show yet: obvi. i would start to worry if this wasn't the case.
Gender prediction: it's a girl!
Labor signs: none yet...that I know of. I can't tell if I am having Braxton Hicks contractions so I guess it's safe to assume I am not (?)
Belly button in or out? still in :)
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy
Looking forward to: my parents arriving for a week on Friday and my California baby shower on Saturday!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, a special treat for you...a harmonious melody by the Rodriguez Duet.

Busy Weekend!

This weekend was a busy one! Robert worked all weekend so I took the chance to cross some things off my To Do List.

Thursday I took out the crying baby doll to introduce to Roscoe, who was not a fan.  I can't tell, however, if he doesn't like it because it's a baby and he wants to eat it or if he thinks it's a toy that I won't let him have.  Or maybe he just doesn't like seeing baby upset :)

Saturday I did a little shopping and bought Mila's diaper bag (and returned the two others I had already bought!).  Everyone kept raving about Petunia Pickle Bottom bags but I just couldn't get past the $150-$400 price tag; but WAIT! My neighbor told me that Nordstrom Rack had them for 50-70% off so I had to check it out.  (Side note: how have I never been to "the rack" before?? I'm definitely going to be in trouble when the one they just built down the street from me opens!).  There are so many pockets in these bags, they come with a fold out changing pad and have a wipes case built in; plus I like the idea that it wasn't a dorky backpack but that's a messenger-type so you can wear and still have full use of your hands

I also, may or may not have bought this purse too. I mean, Mila wanted it, not me!

I worked on Mila's closet a little bit and completed an arts and crafts project I saw on some blog.  First, I had some Skubb boxes from Ikea left over from when I first moved in with Robert and needed to whip his apartment into shape.  Then, I searched etsy for the same fabric family that our crib bedding was made of; finally, I pulled out my glue gun and voila! Beautiful new boxes for the closet.

I hit up Costco and stocked up on virtually everything that we could need for the next couple of months so that we don't have to worry about getting out and buying it once Mila is here and we have bigger things to worry about (like sleep).

I also finished acquiring all of my notes about finding Mila's pediatrician, which, let me tell you is quite the process.  Feel free to skip the next couple paragraphs or bear with me as I am writing this because I am sure I will forget it if I don't document it; insurance is pretty complicated stuff!

Mila is covered under my insurance for the first 30 days.  This means that I needed to find a pediatrician in Alamitos IPA for her first appointment.  At the time of birth Orange Coast will find a pediatrician within Alamitos IPA to check the baby at the hospital; if there's no Alamitos IPA physician available the hospital will just use a pediatrician on call; this should be covered by my insurance because it's attached to the labor.  I have decided to use Dr. Samsamy as Mila's pediatrician for the first check up appointment.  After she's born I need to call Dr. Samsamy's office to schedule Mila's two-week check up appointment. (If you're wondering why I don't just stay with Dr. Samsamy, it's because he's 75 years old!)

Within the first month I can call my insurance and switch Mila's doctor to someone in the Edinger Medical Group for her two-month appointment.  My number one choice was Dr. Valery Brouwer but she doesn't do new patient consultations; the receptionist didn't know if this was because she doesn't have time to do them or if it's because she's not accepting new patients (some receptionist!).  My second and third choices were Dr. Nguyen and Dr. Tran but they are both going out on maternity leave in the next month.

I did confirm that Edinger Medical Group DOES have a sick baby and a well baby area and they place newborns in rooms upon arrival to keep them away from the germs. So I have ultimately decided on a group of doctors, which was the first step, now I just need to nail down an actual pediatrician. Fingers crossed for Dr. Brouwer!

Finally, I started looking into childcare on Friday and then spent the rest of the weekend being so stressed out about how much it costs. Seriously, it's ridiculous.  Because of Robert's work schedule we will likely only need childcare twice a week, but it would still cost us around $800 a month. $800!  How do people afford this??  So say a little prayer that I can find affordable care with a non-child molester/serial killer and/or I don't give myself an ulcer worrying about how we're going to figure it all out.

As you can see, I use my full weekends to myself to get stuff done.  SO crazy that there's only one more weekend (in September) where Robert works all weekend; Mila will be here so soon. Last night Robert said that he didn't really think that I had hit my nesting phase yet, I said, what do you call everything I have been doing around the house?! He said, "that's just normal you."  Haha, the man has a point.

31 Weeks & So Much More!

How far along? 31 weeks
Total weight gain: 22.5 lbs
Maternity clothes? still rockin mostly dresses
Stretch marks? still none! woot!
Sleep: not so good...once I am asleep I am fine but if I wake up in the middle of the night I have the hardest time getting back to sleep
Best moment this week: finishing the nursery!!!!!!!!!!
Worst moment this week: omg the worst thing EVER in the pregnancy started happening Sunday afternoon. I. Have. Baby Brain. I thought, like numerous other pregnancy side effects, this would just bypass me but it hit me and it has hit me hard.   Sunday night I spilled a pan of eggs all of the stove, burned my knuckle on a pan and grabbed the handle of another hot pan and burned all my fingers; Monday I sent every. single. email. forgetting to attach the attachment. And that's only the beginning. I will start talking and then stop mid-sentence because I can't remember where I was going with the topic. I think I would have preferred morning sickness.
Miss anything? sitting in the sun, drinking a pear cider. yep.
Movement: still lots of movement. sometimes it feels like she's doing the Freddy (Camp Beverly Hills anyone??) with her arms and legs all over the place
Food cravings: none
Anything making you queasy or sick? nope.
Have you started to show yet: obvi. i would start to worry if this wasn't the case.
Gender prediction: it's a girl!
Labor signs: none yet...that I know of. I can't tell if I am having Braxton Hicks contractions so I guess it's safe to assume I am not (?)
Belly button in or out? still in :)
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time? happy
Looking forward to: breaking out the crying baby doll I just bought to see how Roscoe reacts (see below for more details on this subject).

This was a very busy week!

This past Friday our best friends, Bryan and Shawna came down for a visit. Shawna is also pregnant and only five weeks behind me so it was nice to hang out, compare notes and just catch up.  It's still so hard to believe that we are both having babies.

Yesterday Robert and his friend, CJ, went to the US Open surf competition down in downtown HB.  CJ has a 2 year old daughter, Hartley, that he brought over to the house; this is the first time Roscoe has ever been around a baby/toddler/child. Luckily Hartley has a dog at home too so she was very comfortable around him.  I was half expecting a mauling but I was SO impressed with how he reacted!  He did a lot of licking but was otherwise very gentle and only got a little out of control when Hartley would start running around because he would start to chase her and ultimately knock her down.  This was a very positive and reassuring sign for me because I have been worried about how he would react to the baby; plus it will be much easier once Mila is around all the time and it's not something new for him to "play" with.



We also had a very quick doctor's appointment today.  We went over my glucose test results; it turns out I did better on the three hours test drinking more sugar than I did on the one hour test drinking half the sugar, who would've thought.  I also got some pediatrician recommendations so I will continue that search.  We have one more appointment two weeks from now and then our appointments go to once a week.

Upcoming Doctor's Appointments

8/15 at 3:30pm

8/22 at 3:45pm

8/29 at 3:45pm

9/5 at 3:45pm

9/12 at 3:45pm

9/19 at 3:45pm

9/26 at 3:45pm

Finally, we had our hospital tour tonight as well.  This was a chance for Robert and I to get a layout of the hospital, get a look at the rooms and ask questions.  The Childbirth Center at Orange Coast Hospital, where we are delivering, is a locked facility but not an electronic banded facility.  That means that you do have to be buzzed in and out but you and your baby are not electronically matched up.  Instead, mother and baby each have a color coded, barcoded band on that identifies them as together. I never really thought about this before hearing there was the option of electronic bands so I am trying to forget they ever exist.  I haven't heard many stories about babies being stolen switched at birth so I will just keep my fingers crossed that this doesn't happen. It is nice, though, that they allow you or your partner (or another adult) to accompany the baby when he/she is out of the room so you can keep an eye on your goods.

They gave us a phone number strictly for the mother's to call if they have any questions and/or if they feel they are going into labor. They also gave a number (714-378-7510) for us to hand out to our family and friends for after we deliver; they didn't say it on the tour but I read in a brochure that cell phones are not allowed in the hospital.  Robert is allowed to stay with me at all times, vaginal or c-section delivery, both in the labor and delivery room and if we have a private room.  In addition, we are allowed three visitors (two in addition to Robert) at a time, during the day from 11am-2pm and 4pm-8pm.  2pm-4pm is called Cuddle Time and no visitors are allowed; it is strictly a time for bonding between the family. 

The hospital provides mother-baby couplet care, meaning the baby and mother stay together at all times unless requested by the mother (if she needs time to take a shower, nap,etc.).  One unfortunate thing about this hospital is that you deliver in a LDR (labor/delivery/recovery) room and then, after about an hour and a half, you are moved to another room for Mother Baby Care; other hospitals over labor, delivery and full recovery in the same room, which I would prefer.  Another downside to this hospital is that they only have six private rooms and 16 semi-private (two person rooms).  You can request a private room when you check in but those rooms are mostly used for women with complicated circumsstances (multiple births, c-sections, etc.). They do though, fill all 16 rooms with one person first and then start putting people together only if necessary.  If we end up with a semi-private room not only will I have to share with someone else, Robert won't be able to spend the night; it's only for two days for a vaginal delivery so I guess it could be worse.  She said that, being the year of the Dragon, they have been extremely busy with births, so fingers crossed we luck out and get a private room for our stay.

So there's all of our updates for this week!