The Hospital Bag

so I always saw these posts while pregnant "What do you need for the hospital" and I did a TON of research to make sure I had everything I needed. Most of the posts put what they packed and then what they actually used. I generated my pack-list based on what they used and still had WAY too much.

Disclaimer: I am a minimalist, who likes to pack as little as possible and refuses to carry a purse most of the time ;)

What do you need at the hospital?
1) flip flops/ easy on off shoes. flip flops are great since you can wear them in the shower too.
2) shampoo/conditioner/soap. my hospital room only had "body/face" soap.
3) robe. I brought a light weight robe for walking around for some modesty.
4) cell phone/ charger
5) granola bars
6) tooth brush/tooth paste/deodorant
7) hair brush
8) something to wear home and something for baby to wear home
9) carseat on take-home day

What did my hospital provide? (that I remember using)
1) water bottle
2) mesh undies- yeah they get mocked, but they are comfy, hold up the giant pads and you throw them away
3) GIANT pads, ice pads, absorbent packs etc
4) pillows out the wazoo (you can double stuff the cases if you want)
5) hair dryer
6) all things for baby (diapers, wipes, Vaseline, gauze, clothes, pacifier, blankets)
7) all things for breast pumping
8) night mask
9) ear plugs
10) towels
11) meals and snacks
12) any medications
(13- they also provided toothbrush and toothpaste but I am particular to my own)

The Birth!!

Charlie-man arrived at 12:30am on May 22nd.  We went to the ER after I had an uncontrolled heart episode and after they stabilized me, we went to Labor & Delivery.  We started pitocin around 3pm and nothing happened until about 8pm.  From 8pm - 11:30pm we went from 5cm dilated to 8cm dilated.  I suddenly felt big pressure and we went to 10cm in 5 minutes! It was go time.. after only 45 minutes or so of pushing, out popped little man! He is so perfect. I am so happy everything went well and he's good.

We spent Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday in the hospital and finally got the clearance to go home.  Charlie man is super easy going for the most part and a really sound sleeper.  We had a little trouble feeding at first but he's getting the hang of it.  We'll do a 1 week post tomorrow for postpartum and Charlie recap :)

the end :)

So 38 weeks.. :) we didn't actually make it to 38 weeks but we'll call in 38 weeks. this will be pregnancy summary.

How far along? technically we stopped at 37 weeks + 6 days so "38 weeks"

Total weight gain: final weight gain 22 pounds.

Maternity clothes?! finished in sweatpants and large t-shirts

Stretch marks? no stretch marks! woohooo

Sleep:  rough at the end, my heart was going bonkers

Miss anything? blue moon beer. BEEEEER. [same] 

Movement/Symptoms: charlie still super active & hiccuping. my feet sweel huge too

Food cravings: ice cream.

Anything making you queasy or sick: proteins. the whole friggin' pregnancy

Gender: we are like 99% it's a boy.. we will find out soon enough!

Symptoms: heartburn is the devil! [ooh yeah]

Belly button in or out? even flatter belly button? I didn't know that was possible. (it never flipped)

Wedding rings on or off? just the wedding bands. no engagement ring. [same]

Happy or moody most of the time: still crying and moody all the time

Looking forward to: Charlie! I was so nervous until the end that something was wrong or he would be damaged or something. 

6 days.

so our last doctor visit did not go swimmingly.. let's just say I am in cardiac failure. AWESOME. so we are now on a medication to try and calm my heart for the next week and then we will induce next Friday, May 22nd. that is so freaking soon, I have no clue what to do with myself.

How far along? 37 weeks. ( I think last week I put 36 days.. I need to go fix that. haha)

Total weight gain: 22 lovely pounds. put since we are full term, 22 pounds total weight gain is really reasonable. I think you're supposed to gain 25-30 pounds?

Maternity clothes?! gym shorts and tank tops. it's stinking hot here now! I couldn't imagine being mega pregnant in the summer in the south. holy cow am I hot all the time.

Stretch marks? nope! I might actually escape pregnancy without getting any! woohoo genetics

Sleep:  I mostly sleep like the dead. I get up to pee 5x haha

Miss anything? blue moon beer. BEEEEER. [same] I cannot wait!! 

Movement/Symptoms: my belly hurts? I pee alot? lol Charlie bounces around a ton

Food cravings: I am mostly on a icecream and salty kick haha.

Anything making you queasy or sick: proteins? I am finally not repulsed by shrimp!

Gender: we are like 99% it's a boy.. we will find out soon enough!

Symptoms: heartburn is the devil!

Belly button in or out? even flatter belly button? I didn't know that was possible.

Wedding rings on or off? just the wedding bands. no engagement ring.

Happy or moody most of the time: I cry all the time. lol it's horrible

Looking forward to: Charlie!! ahh there is so much to do!

4 weeks if we go to term!

How far along? 36 days!! weeks. obviously I am not 36 days pregnant & we have less than 36 days left. my brain is a mess :)

Total weight gain: 20 pounds.. ouch. I am going to trump that up to constipation?

Maternity clothes?! so I am officially full time WFH (working from home), so I now wear t-shirts and sweatpants 24/7. I am a hot mess. [same]

Stretch marks? nothing new

Sleep:  mixed bag- some nights I sleep like the dead. other nights terrible insomnia

Miss anything? blue moon beer. BEEEEER. [same]

Movement/Symptoms: little man is mostly very very active. the doctor thanked him at our last NST lol

Food cravings: sssssssssswwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeettttttttttttsssssssssss

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken still. and barbque sauce

Gender: either way we're naming it Charlie, but let's hope the doctor is right :) [same]

Symptoms: heartburn and arrhythmia. major chest pain

Belly button in or out? super super super flat? I must have the deepest belly button ever. [same]

Wedding rings on or off? off but only since I am home all the time. :) [same]

Happy or moody most of the time: moody with tears all the time.

Looking forward to: Charlie!!

so since I posted only a few days ago, not much has really changed. We had my third and final shower (this child is so blessed and spoiled it's ridiculous). It was precious! My coworkers made us onesies!! I will have to take some photos. We did have both a NST and ultrasound last week. He aced the NST and did well at the ultrasound. Unfortunately, little man is head down and facing my spine (getting ready for eviction) so she didn't take any photos :( I was a little bummed. We will have another growth scan this week though so hopefully we can get a good snap shot.

OOPS! Less than 1 month!!

So I think we established that I suck.. oops. We are officially to the last month! super excited. and I missed both the 34 & 35 week update.. but I sorta made up for it by posting a pic of Charlie last time.. right? right? I will post another this weekend too ;)

How far along? 35 + 5 days!!

Total weight gain: weight has been a little crazy.. I think total gain is 18.5 pounds now? I feel SO fat.

Maternity clothes?! so I am officially full time WFH (working from home), so I now wear t-shirts and sweatpants 24/7. I am a hot mess.

Stretch marks? so, I noticed some on my hips, but I think those are old stretchmarks from puberty.. at least that's my story and I am sticking to it ;)

Sleep:  mostly good minus a few anxiety attacks. I dream about running. oh how I want to run so bad.

Miss anything? blue moon beer. BEEEEER.

Movement/Symptoms: little man is moving and grooving. we had more NSTs and are scheduled for another ultrasound on Friday!!

Food cravings: pizza. cheese. queso. sushi!

Anything making you queasy or sick: chicken. some shrimp. barbque sauce. eew.

Gender: either way we're naming it Charlie, but let's hope the doctor is right :) [same]

Symptoms: heartburn and arrhythmia. boo. oh and fatness.

Belly button in or out? super super super flat? I must have the deepest belly button ever.

Wedding rings on or off? off but only since I am home all the time. :)

Happy or moody most of the time: moody, headaches and lately tears. I cry constantly lol

Looking forward to: we have one more shower this Friday at work. We are incredibly blessed to have so many people around us that love us so much and want to help us get ready for little man. It's amazing.

so I promise to post the pics of little man this weekend from our Friday doctor appointment and do a mini 36 week update.  Hoping little man comes soon.. but at the same time I am so anxious. I think it finally hit me that life is seriously about to change.

NST and 4D from last week :)

Sorry this is super super super late. Last week we went to see the ob on Thursday. Charlie hasn't been moving too much lately so they did an NST (he's great) and an ultrasound since we haven't had one since January.
I was actually pleased that the doctor was shocked that we hadn't had one in a long time since I'm high risk. It only reinforces that I was receiving substandard care with the midwives.

so now to the part you actually care about..

Little man!! His face looks pretty similar to last pic we got

Awesomely, we finally got another profile shot. He has been hiding his profile since week 12 so I was super excited to see it.. and then I saw.. he got the family nose :) lol

And because I am getting really huge and haven't really done a single belly shot.. for your viewing pleasure at 33.5 weeks...

less than 7 weeks!

How far along? 33 weeks!!

Total weight gain: lost 2ish pounds, so up 15 total. the doctor wasn't concerned, so neither am I

Maternity clothes?! I am over it. I want to wear my normal cute clothes. bahhh still doing the mix and match though. fortunately while the bump is big, as a whole I am not :)

Stretch marks? still none! fx it stays like this!! [same]

Sleep:  insomnia seems to be a lot better. but the heartburn. oooooh the heartburn. AHH

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: so we had a cause for concern this week- little man stopped moving. he's suddenly better now, but scared the crap out of me. We had an NST and AN ULTRASOUND!!!! BABY PICS!.

Food cravings: depends on the day, time of day and what I ate last lol.

Anything making you queasy or sick: still buffalo sauce? I don't get it. ooh! shrimp. I suddenly find it disgusting. [same]

Gender: either way we're naming it Charlie, but let's hope the doctor is right :)

Symptoms: heartburn. my heart itself is going buckwild lol. I actually think I had a full on contraction last night too. I have been having cramping pain this was a whole belly pain. very weird.

Belly button in or out? super flat. I don't think it will pop but it's not over yet. [same]

Wedding rings on or off? wore my engagement ring all week :) I think I found my weight limit for my ring lol. 

Happy or moody most of the time: moody.still. and still having headaches.

Looking forward to: second shower this weekend! kinda excited, kinda nervous. I am not an attention needy person so I just feel awkward.  It feels like time is FLYING by.

So as above, I do have Charlie pictures from this week but I need to scan them in... tune in later for an update with his HUGE nose lol :)

Can't believe how close we're getting!!

How far along? 32 weeks + a few days. sorry this is late

Total weight gain: lost a pound, so 17 pounds up.

Maternity clothes?! maternity bottoms, regular shirt tops. I love sweat pants :) 

Stretch marks? still none! fx it stays like this!! [same]

Sleep:  still not sleeping great. I pee 2-3x, I get serious reflux/heartburn and general insomnia

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: little man hiccups like crazy. I am getting super fat too :( and braxton hicks. serious cramping pain.

Food cravings: sushi? umm icecream. mmmm icecream.

Anything making you queasy or sick: still buffalo sauce? I don't get it. ooh! shrimp. I suddenly find it disgusting.

Gender: once again, I was reminded that you don't know until the baby is out. but I think it's a boy

Symptoms: insomnia, bloating and cramping. hopefully that means body is prepping to get him out!!

Belly button in or out? super flat. I don't think it will pop but it's not over yet.

Wedding rings on or off? engagement off, wedding and 5 year on.

Happy or moody most of the time: moody. definitely moody. with the headaches and the exhaustion I just have no patience.

Looking forward to: first shower down :) my college roommates are throwing a little get together this weekend- super excited to see them and other faces I haven't seen in a while!

I badly want to nest. I want to get the nursery finished, I want to have everything done and tucked away. I think after the showers I will have permission to go shopping :) I just can't wait for little man to get here. I put together our baby swing and so desperately want to try it out. lol

9 week countdown- single digits people!!

How far along? 31 weeks

Total weight gain: hahah this week has not been a good weight week. I gained back the few I lost and then some.. again my weight is crazy. I think I have officially gained 18 pounds now? haha ouch

Maternity clothes?! ehh a 60/40 maternity to regular. I just don't like clothes in general. 

Stretch marks? still none! fx it stays like this!! [same]

Sleep:  I have finally reached the really bad sleep point. between the inability to get comfortable and the heartburn, I am in full baby training mode. 

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: still hiccups, constant kicks. little man sleeps throughout the night though, so at least one of us is sleeping.

Food cravings: coffee, french fries.

Anything making you queasy or sick: sometimes buffalo sauce. I have random aversions that vary hour to hour. 

Gender: it's a boy! (although my neighbor let me know that you never really know until the baby comes out lol)

Symptoms: super insomnia, bloat, EXHAUSTION. I am so tired.

Belly button in or out? In, I still wonder if it's going to pop or just stay super flat.

Wedding rings on or off? I wear the engagement ring occasionally, but for the most part I keep it off.

Happy or moody most of the time: moody. definitely moody. I want to be nice but my patience is negligible.

Looking forward to: my first shower is this weekend! excited but mildly nervous. we will see how it goes, I have a ton of stuff I need to do around the house. so much preparations. 

Still need to finish the nursery. bahh so much to do, so little energy.

7 months down!!! Less than 10 weeks left!

30 week update!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How far along? 30 weeks- this is the home stretch omg.

Total weight gain: so I've lost 2-3 pounds. yeah my weight is crazy. grand total is 11ish pounds.

Maternity clothes?! still a 50/50 mix of maternity or non-maternity, maybe 60/40. everyone keeps telling me how small I am for 7 months.

Stretch marks? still none! fx it stays like this!! [same]

Sleep:  3 nights of insomnia this weeks

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: charlie gets the hiccups 2-3x daily! little man loves spicy foods & sweets

Food cravings: dunkin donuts coffee. ICECREAM!! [same]

Anything making you queasy or sick: I am officially over food aversions!! woohooo

Gender: it's a boy! 

Symptoms: insomnia? fatness? water retention oh boy. exhaustion & back pain too

Belly button in or out? In- but flat flat flat. it's almost gone

Wedding rings on or off? off!! ish- no more engagement but I still wear my wedding & 5 year band!

Happy or moody most of the time: moody, angry, impatient [same]

Looking forward to: finishing the nursery. it's my biggest stress. next weekend is hubster's birthday then my baby showers the weekend after!! time is going to fly by!

Can't wait to meet little man!!!

6.5 months? almost 7 months

29 week update

How far along? 29 weeks!! 11 to go! woohoo
Total weight gain: so crazy week in weight. I gained 5 pounds over night, then freaked out and now I've stably gained 2 pounds since last week. so total weight gain is around 13 pounds or so.

Maternity clothes?! as the weather warms up, it's easier for me to dress. I find my spring and summer clothes are more "blousy" than my winter clothes so it's a 50/50 mix of maternity or non-maternity

Stretch marks? still none! fx it stays like this!!

Sleep:  sleeping like a rock but weird dreams.

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: Little boy is active. we had our first case of hiccups this week. it was precious!

Food cravings: dunkin donuts coffee. ICECREAM!! [same]

Anything making you queasy or sick: nausea almost all gone. I still can't cook my own meat but we're getting somewhere!!

Gender: it's a boy! 

Symptoms: I am turning into a whale - HA!! funny that I thought this last week as this week I had about 40 people come up to me at work tell me that I look huge. thanks people. thanks.

Belly button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? still on!! but the Ob told me to watch my swelling and not let them get stuck!

Happy or moody most of the time: moody, angry, impatient [same]

Looking forward to: still working on the darn nursery. we had a faux bed rest scare this week after my Ob appointment which has sent me into anxiety over drive. (my heart has been acting up lately and she didn't want to exacerbate it until I could see my cardiologist- who by the way said this was normalish but we need a new echo)

28 weeks.. almost in the 10 week count down!!!

so let's be honest. I suck.. haha I totally missed the 28 week mark, but better late than never?

28 week update

How far along? 28  weeks (+/- 4 days) sorrry!!!
Total weight gain: no weight gain. weird.  

Maternity clothes?! I am starting to not like my under-the-belly jeans. too tight! [same] I bought some maternity capris!!! I may do another stitchfix too.

Stretch marks? still none!

Sleep:  sleeping like a rock.

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: charlie is still crazy busy.

Food cravings: dunkin donuts coffee. ICECREAM!! [same]

Anything making you queasy or sick: nausea almost all gone.

Gender: it's a boy! 

Symptoms: I am turning into a whale.

Belly button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? still on!! clock is ticking. [same]

Happy or moody most of the time: moody, angry, impatient

Looking forward to: finishing the nursery this weekend. that will be a huge relief.

So not much has changed. my stomach looks HUGE. everyone keeps commenting at work lol. DH talks to charlie.

Third Trimester! woohoooo

27 week update

How far along? 27  weeks (+/- 1 days)
Total weight gain: I think I gained like 2 pounds this week lol. +11 or +8 total, however you wanna look at it. 

Maternity clothes?! I am starting to not like my under-the-belly jeans. too tight!

Stretch marks? still none!

Sleep:  serious insomnia boo. running sometimes helps, sometimes makes worse

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: counting kicks! time to 10 kicks is on average ~10 minutes. lol busy man

Food cravings: dunkin donuts coffee. ICECREAM!! [same]

Anything making you queasy or sick: still proteins. gross yep. getting better though

Gender: it's a boy! 

Symptoms: still lightly anemic lol

Belly button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? still on!! clock is ticking.

Happy or moody most of the time: moody, angry, impatient

Looking forward to: baby shower!!! charlie being here, the nursery being done ;)

less than 100 days!!

26 week update

How far along? 26 days weeks 
Total weight gain: I am thinking like 10 lbs pre-IVF, and 7 lbs pre-preg. So yeah, it's been a fatty week lol. I feel as big as a house already. :(

Maternity clothes?! I mix & match but am loving maternity leggings lol [same]

Stretch marks? still none!

Sleep:  serious insomnia & light sleep. I think my days of sleeping well are over

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol [same]

Movement/Symptoms: counting kicks! time to 10 kicks is on average ~15 minutes. lol busy man

Food cravings: dunkin donuts coffee. ICECREAM!!

Anything making you queasy or sick: still proteins. gross yep.

Gender: it's a boy! 

Symptoms: lately, fatigue insominia nausea and dizziness. but I am apparently anemic lol

Belly button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? my fingers are still constantly swelling & shrinking but all week I've worn all 3 bands but it's starting to get tight! [same]

Happy or moody most of the time: angry. always angry. hair-trigger lately too, poor hubster.

Looking forward to: being in the 3rd trimester (one more week!!!!) and baby showers! woohoo!!

Viability!!

We officially hit a major viability milestone!!! Now if anything scary happens, Charlie has decent odds of surviving on the outside.  We're almost out of the 2nd trimester too! The 2nd one seemed to take forever.

25 week update

How far along? 25 +/- 2 days weeks 
Total weight gain: up 5 on the books at the doctor.. so we'll see. lol

Maternity clothes?! I mix & match but am loving maternity leggings lol

Stretch marks? still none!

Sleep: insomnia has kicked in. it stinks

Miss anything? blue moon beer. mmm and recently, wine lol

Movement/Symptoms: he's super busy. I need to start counting kicks.

Food cravings: dunkin donuts coffee. and crunchy salty things.

Anything making you queasy or sick: still proteins. gross

Gender: it's a boy! 

Symptoms: still RLP. and pseudo sciatica. belly's growing!! [same]

Belly button in or out? In 

Wedding rings on or off? my fingers are still constantly swelling & shrinking but all week I've worn all 3 bands but it's starting to get tight!

Happy or moody most of the time: angry. and I stay angry. not good lol. I am mostly just exhausted.

Looking forward to: being in the 3rd trimester, less than 100 days to go, baby showers!