I am 2 months away from my due date! If I delivered today, he'd have a decent chance at survival (although I'd prefer if he waited another month).
We went to the doctor on Tuesday for a regular checkup, which went well. The baby was head down (although he can still move around a lot) and his heart rate is good. We talked about Braxton-Hicks contractions, which apparently I have had, I just didn't know that that's what they were. They aren't painful, just a little uncomfortable sometimes.
I've noticed in the past few weeks that he's been kicking less and rolling a lot more. At first I liked this, because sometimes his kicks were pretty hard. But, the rolling lasts a lot longer, and is a weirder sensation (plus it can be quite distracting). My belly has some funky movements sometimes, much to Gary's amusement, I think!
Gary and I started a "Preparing for Birth" class last night. We met a lot of interesting couples, most of whom are due at the end of July or August, all of them first time parents. This class covered general labor stuff, like the different stages of labor, how to know if you're in labor (and when to go to the hospital), and a brief overview of what to expect while in the hospital. We will be covering breathing and relaxation technigues, drugs, and C-sections in later classes. There was also a lot of discussion about how we felt about delivery (either as the mother or support person), if we were looking forward to it, what we had heard it was like, and what we hoped for.
Personally, I am a bit anxious about the delivery itself, but a lot less so than I was a few months ago. I expect it to be painful, but at the same time it's still a unique life experience. I guess I could say the same about having my wisdom teeth removed, but there's more build-up to having a baby. Plus the end results are more fun and rewarding. The women I talked to seemed to feel the same way I do, sort of anxious but also excited. The men (aka support people) in the group seemed like they were looking forward to the delivery much less. Several of them voiced concerns over their own performance (would they be supportive enough) and having to see their partners be in a lot of pain. It was reassuring to me that other couples had some of the same concerns and questions we do.
My friends had a baby shower for me (well, technically for the baby) a few weeks ago, so we are well on our way to being prepared for the baby's arrival. My office is now slightly more nursery like; we moved the dresser so it's against the wall (and therefore useable), and the crib is in a position we like. This weekend I sorted through all the baby clothes we've received and put them away (but I still need to wash them). Most of the clothing we have is sized 3-6 months, so I hope our kid is small enough to use them for awhile, but not so small that we need to go and get more newborn clothing. Popular themes this year are ducks, frogs, and crabs.
Posted by Jen at June 2, 2005 07:15 AMI heard that frogs and crabs are "in" this year while I was shopping for baby clothes. I think its funny that for baby clothes, certain animals become trendy. I guess that kangaroos are "so last season". I wonder when hamsters will come back in style...
Posted by: Melinda and Pebbles at June 2, 2005 08:03 AMAs mentioned a few months ago, the last night of Sonya's pregnancy we saw a Charles Laughton movie, one of the worst ever. We knew it would be that bad but had no choice. I was being supportive. I believe we left early, going straight to the hospital because Sonya thought her time had come. Actually it hadn't, but she went into the hospital anyhow, since they had plenty of room (it was a new wing, special for the purpose). So after that I was supportive for a day or so, but then went home and to sleep. I was supportive at home when the baby was born, during a night of good sleep for me.
They phoned me when the baby was born, but it was only a brief interruption. The next day we had a conference about the name. Curious, that we hadn't thought about that at all before. Of course the name had to be from Shakespeare somewhere. Jessica was the daughter of the Jew (in The Merchant of Venice), so it was an easy winner. It was not a common name in the USA in 1952, though for some reason it is now. Let the kid keep kicking; he won't break through. I take it young Gary will not have the middle name "Anne". Let him choose his own middle name when he is 13 years old, as I did.
Posted by: R.A. Raimi at June 2, 2005 10:11 AMIt all sounds very exciting. It is very strange to walk around with someone's elbow or knee sticking out of your waste. You would think there would be more ponies and less crabs. As for the middle name---I was given that choose when you grow up option and I am still walking around with an A. with no name attached to it. It gets complicated when your last name is a common noun.
Posted by: Niki at June 2, 2005 10:53 AMAnimals on the clothes seem to trend in fashion cycles and so do baby names. Supposedly the hot names right now are "place" names like Dakota, Madison, and Brooklyn. I think you guys should mix it up by naming the kid after the animals on the clothes. He could be named Frog or Duck (I would vote against Crab). It might be a little awkward at first just because he'll be so far ahead of his time. But when he's 30 and suddenly the baby-clothes-animal names are all the rage, he will seem like such a young, hip 30-year-old dude. p.s. where is the picture of your stomach with a footprint sticking out or something?
Posted by: Alana Nguyen at June 2, 2005 12:45 PMI like Jersey Ic Snethen ............. Jersey is of course for Jen's mom and dad I for Iowa and and hard c for California.
Posted by: Maggie at June 2, 2005 01:16 PMHi Jen and Gary,
Can't believe that your new baby is almost on his way. You could call him 'Garjen' after the both of you. That is rather unique wouldn't you say. My nextdoor neighbor is a school teacher in a grammer school and she has a boy in her sixth grade class call 'Glofrank' after his mother Gloria and father Frank. One of the more exciting things in having a baby is finding just the right name which I am sure the both of you will have sorted out before he arrives. Stay healthy and happy Jenny and please keep us posted.
Love,
Aunt Mari (Liz too)
Hmmmm-what's in a name? There is a "sorting hat" handpuppet available (see first Harry Potter book)that might be of help. It's big enough to fit over a baby!!As for place names--please don't name my grandson "Fremont"!--although Cal is kind of cute.
Well, Jen--in another few weeks, you'll be counting days--hang in there! Practice your breathing--it will definitely help.
Love, Mom
P.S. I'm sooooooooo excited!!
So many people spend hours and hours pondering what to name their "little one" - "little guy" - to come up with the perfect one. Then for the next 20 or so years of his/her life that perfect little baby ends up with a nickname like Tony Boy, Bubba, Buddy, Little Jenny (vs. Big Jenny, her momma), Dee Dee, etc. Maybe you two should just come up with a great nickname and there will be no question ever on his real name. Just don't do the "W" thing like in George Bush - in my opinion that "W" could stand for lots of things such as warmonger, wrong, wimp, wasteful, wannabee, wee-wee, etc. Can't wait until he arrives (a Leo) and the perfect name will be bestowed upon him. Love to all three Aunt Kathy
Posted by: Aunt Kathy at June 3, 2005 08:28 AMHang in there, Jen. If Yogi Berra were to comment on the process of child birth he might say that eventually you do have closure. Just think that any future work project will probably seem a snap compared to all this. My advice: skip the middle name. "nmn" always looks so cool.
Posted by: Pete at June 4, 2005 09:09 AMWell Gary - Unless you all plan on having another the first name should be Gary that would make 4 generations of Gary Snethen's or would it be 5? I promise we will not call him Barty and I'll slap Grandma if she does. Love Ya Both -
Posted by: Aunt Dee at June 7, 2005 06:14 PM