Third trimester!!

I'll post a bump update later, but I just wanted to jump on to share my excitement... THIRD TRIMESTER!! Woo hoo.

Nerd nation!

I know, I know, I'm late, but I finally got my Stanford Nerd Nation shirt in! And it still fits (for a little while at least)...

Baby hiccups!!

Are a mix of awesomely cool feeling and really creepy! 

I felt baby with a case of the hiccups for the first time today. My first thought was "why is he kicking me so rhythmically??" And then I was like, ah, these are those in utero hiccups they talk about. 

So cool! (And weird feeling!) 

89 days to go! Checking things off the to-do list!

The weeks are flying by.  I love weeks when I feel like we got some stuff accomplished.  This week we: 

• Booked our Childbirth Prep class at Alta Bates, the hospital where we will deliver;  
• Booked our Hospital Tour;
• Booked a breastfeeding class 
• Interviewed and settled on a doula (big step!); and
• finally have baby gear set up in our house!

Whew.  It's all starting to feel really real now.  

I had been on the fence about getting a doula.  I know that my mom, sister and AJ will be an amazing support team, so I thought maybe it wasn't worth the money (and they are pretty expensive here in Berkeley!).  I couldn't see us paying $1500 for something that just seemed "extra."  But on the other hand, I have read and heard how beneficial a doula can be to your birth experience, whatever that may be.  

When we had to make the hard decision between a hospital and the local birth center, I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to make the hospital a more comfortable environment.  I think that's where a doula comes in for me.  I've also been reading The Birth Partner (a great book even for mom's to be, btw -- I highly recommend it) and I see all those little situations when having a doula would just make me more calm and things go more smoothly, regardless of what happens at the birth.  

I heard from a friend that you could get a doula who is currently in training for a discounted rate through a local doula school in San Francisco.  I contacted them and found a number of potential doulas.  AJ and I interviewed one this weekend and really clicked with her.  She seemed to really get us and our outlook on birth, was very open to our own idea of what we want without pushing her own agenda and (I know this may not be high on the list), but I lover her voice!  I was like, okay, this is a voice I can listen to telling me what to do for 24+ hours when I may want to rip everyone's head off.  

Oh, and I realize that this post may be boring because it has no pictures (and I know how we all LOVE pictures), so here's a random picture of my polka dotted belly today :)  

Bump Update -- Week 27...The one where it's the last week of the second trimester

How far along: 27 weeks (January 18, 2014)

Baby is the size of a(n): rutabaga

What is baby up to?: 

• weighing in at about 1.5 to 2.2. lbs.
• measuring 13-15 inches long.
• still practicing inhaling and exhaling with his rapidly developing lungs.

Weight gain: 17 lbs total (+2 from last week)

Maternity clothes: Yep.    

Stretch marks: nope 

Belly button in or out: in

Sleep: Aren't you tired of hearing me complaining about sleep?  I woke up again on my back with half of my body numb, including my ear!  Definitely on my list to ask my DR about that this week.  

Best moment this week: AJ and I went on an awesome hike and also got a ton of hand me down baby stuff from a co-worker (including the swing I even registered for)-- Score!  I'm feeling a lot more prepared now that there are baby things in my house other than clothes.     

Worst moment this week: See sleep issues above.

Miss anything: sleeping on my back and sushi 

Movement: Yes, so much movement.  Now I can actually feel him rolling around rather than just kicks and punches.  And I can see him move from the outside.  It's very alien-like.  

Cravings: none 

Symptoms: Rib pain.  Such bad rib pain.  Also on the list for the Dr. this week.  

Looking forward to: check in on baby at my apt on Friday (but not looking forward to the gestational diabetes test).

Here are some more pictures from our hike to Mt. Tam on Saturday:

Bump update-- week 26... The one where we hit the 100 day countdown!

 

How far along: 26 weeks (January 12, 2014)

Baby is the size of a(n): lettuce

What is baby up to?: (NOTE, I replaced the "gender" section here b/c baby is a boy and I'm pretty sure will stay a boy until the end.  If anything changes I'll let you know.  Plus, I thought you'd be way more interested in what baby is up to in there rather than my telling you that he is a boy every week)...SO, baby is...

• His eyes are forming, and his eyes will soon start to open.
• And his eyelashes are now grown, too.
• getting his immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies.
•  taking breaths, too. They're of amniotic fluid, not air, but it's still good practice.

 

Weight gain: 15 lbs total (+1 from last week)

Maternity clothes: Yep.  Still fitting into non, though.  Above is my awesome Saints T-Shirt (Go Saints!) -- sadly, they lost, though :(  

Stretch marks: nope 

Belly button in or out: in

Sleep: My biggest issue still is that I cannot stand sleeping on my side, so even if I fall asleep on my side, I wake up on my back.  Since baby is getting bigger, this is causing me some problems.  You're not supposed to sleep in your back later in pregnancy because sleeping on your back can compress a major blood vessel, called the vena cava, disrupting blood flow to your baby and leaving you nauseated, dizzy, and short of breath. 
I woke up on my back this week feeling like I was about to have a panic attack because my chest was hurting so badly and I couldn't breath.  It went away as soon as I turned over.  Now how do I get my body to stay on my side?  

Best moment this week: My amazing prenatal massage that AJ got me for Christmas.  It was the best hour ever.  I didn't want to get off that table.     

Worst moment this week: See sleep issues above.

Miss anything: sleeping on my back 

Movement: a lot!  Now even tickling me on my hip.  

Cravings: none 

Symptoms: Rib pain.  And another one, but I'll spare you all the details. Let's just say I'm drinking lots of prune juice.  

Looking forward to: traveling to Phoenix next week for the the Tribal Federal Recognition Conference. 

Bump Update-- Week 25... The one where it's now 2014!

How far along: 25 weeks (January 5, 2014)

Baby is the size of a(n): head of cauliflower 

Gender: Boy (still, despite what my dreams may say)

Weight gain: 14 lbs total (+1 from last week)

Maternity clothes: yep, the one above is a super comfy Gap Essential V-Neck knit dress.  It's the softest thing ever!  

Stretch marks: nope 

Belly button in or out: in

Sleep: I learned this week that you can sleep on your back if you prop yourself up a ton.  I'm going to have to try that.  I literally cannot sleep on my side... 

Best moment this week: New Year's eve!  We got to hang out with friends, made some fondue, AJ indulged in a cigar and I even had a glass of bubbly at midnight.  This also came with the realization that Baby would be coming THIS YEAR!!     

Worst moment this week: realizing that I would be going on my last run this pregnancy (see previous post) 

Miss anything: sleeping on my back 

Movement: yep and they've moved up to right under my ribs now instead of on my sides where they had been.  I think he's flipped head down.   

Cravings: none 

Symptoms: None!  Woo hoo!  

Looking forward to: my prenatal massage next weekend.... It was a christmas gift from AJ and I cannot wait! 

I think I went on my last pregnancy run...

Well, it was pretty good while it lasted and I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to run up until my 25th week, but I think I went on my last run yesterday. 

    (Last run belly) 

I only ran about 3/4 of a mile when I started feeling some tightening.  The doctor said to listen to my body and I did. I stopped running and walked the rest of the 2 miles, then drank a ton of water and felt much better. But I could tell during the run that it would probably be my last.  It just didn't feel right.  

This is bittersweet for me. Running outside has been a part of my life for the past 10 years when I started running the dish at Stanford. 

   (Views from just a few nice runs this year)

 

Running is my stress-relief, it makes me happy, it's my church. I've run 6 half marathons and countless smaller races.  It's something that AJ and I love to do together.  It will likely be 6 months before my feet hit the pavement again.   Since I started, i haven't ever taken that amount of time off from running, even with foot surgery and a stress fracture. 

But of course, it's best for baby to start taking it easy.  And baby has already covered a lot of miles so far and I look forward to introducing him to the bob jogging stroller we bought. My goal will be to complete a half marathon next November (about 6 months post-baby)! Until then, adios running shoes, hello prenatal yoga! 

Anatomy scan!

In the rush of trying to post all my backed-up weekly bump updates, I completely forgot about this little gem.

Presenting Baby Alexander at 20 weeks at his anatomy scan!

The dark spot in the middle of his torso is his heart and we got to hear it beating away.  This is by far the most intense of all the ultrasounds.  They take the time to measure every little thing and ensure that all the organs look good -- four chamber heart, length of femur, size of kidneys -- everything.   The great news is that everything looks good!  He weighed 13 oz and was measuring right on track.  

I did find out that I have an anterior placenta (that's the grey blob thing the baby is facing in the picture), but it is fairly common and just means that the placenta is in the front of my stomach instead of in the back toward my back.  

My mom and dad were in town and got to come to the ultrasound with me.  My dad was amazed at the technology.  They can get such a clear shot and such accurate measurements of every little thing.   

My mom was in tears just seeing him in the ultrasound -- I can't imagine what she will be like when he actually arrives :) 

Happy New Year from the Duggans!!

Also...from the disco ball belly! 

I can't believe we're having a baby THIS year! Things are starting to feel real now. We registered for the hospital tour and a 'meet the doula' night at our local birth center.  We still haven't decided if we're going to get a doula or not, but I'm really leaning toward one since my goal is to have an unmedicated birth.

2014 will be one to remember! AJ looks pretty stoked for 2014. 

In other news, there is now an organ in my body the size of a soccer ball! A soccer ball! That's huge.  

Also, baby Alexander has done some crazy flip in there and is now kicking me on the complete opposite side of my stomach (on the right side now). I felt the exact moment he made a big change in position- it felt like a massive shift in my whole stomach. It made me realize how aware I am of where he's positioned at and also that he's just growing so much and taking up much more room. And we still have 15 more weeks to go!! 

Hope your new year was also fantastic! Best wishes in 2014!