Last week at work my colleagues threw me a surprise baby shower which was really sweet and I was actually really surprised. There are a couple ladies at work that always decorate cubicles for birthdays and they had my cubical decorated when I came into work which was really sweet. They did a great job! On top of that, they organized a group gift and got cupcakes from my favourite bakery that specializes in dairy and gluten free. They were able to surprise me because I had a performance review scheduled so while I was discussing that with my manager, everyone on the floor gathered and then a co-worker knocked on the door during the meeting with my manager with an excuse of why my manager was needed. At first I thought it was a bit rude but then when I realized that it was for the surprise baby shower, I thought it was fine HAHA! The two teams that work on my floor got me a gift card for Babies R'US which was super generous. I plan to save it since I already got everything I think I will need for the first few months at least. I will probably either use it for a snowsuit or size 2 cloth diapers which he will probably need when he is around 5-6 months. A lady that I used to work with (who has since retired) also stopped in the same day to meet a bunch of us for lunch and she gave baby Spiegelman an adorable navy polo hat which will come in really handy especially since it is getting cooler...Here are a couple pictures of my surprise work baby shower:
So as of my 38 week midwife appointment, our little man is still breech. This past week I tried several home remedies. I have been doing inversions on the stairs, I tried playing classical music near my pelvis, Mitch tried talking to the baby near my pelvis, and I went swimming and did more handstands in the pool. I really wanted to just stick with the home and natural remedies before trying any more risky procedures such as an ECV. As I think I mentioned last week I really didn't want an ECV and there was a bit of a mix-up with my midwife scheduling an ECV. Anyway, at my 38 week midwife appointment I discussed it further with my secondary midwife who I feel is very experienced. She seemed to really favor this procedure and felt that the risks associated with an ECV is far less than those with a C-section and it was worth a try. I still wasn't convinced when I left her office but I was scheduled for a consultation with an OB later that morning to discuss having a vaginal breech birth versus a C-section and he would also discuss the ECV procedure in further detail. After discussing it with him and then discussing it further with my husband, I decided to proceed with the ECV. Part of the reason I decided to proceed with the ECV was because it sounded less risky than some of the literature I read and I felt really comfortable with the doctor who would be preforming it. He was the head doctor at the hospital I was at, very experienced, explained that it would be a bit painful but he would stop if I asked, and the baby would be monitored by ultrasound for the entire procedure. He also seemed very honest about the odds of it being successful. He stated he thought that in my situation, there was about a 40% chance of it working. In the end, it was not successful but at least there was no harm to me or the baby and I do feel comfortable with my decision. I think that if I had opted out of the ECV and I do require a C-section, part of me might wish I had tried the ECV. They also preformed a non-stress test after the procedure to monitor the baby's heart rate and any contractions. The non-stress test was about 20 minutes and I am really glad they preformed it. It definitely gave me reassurance that he was doing well afterwards.
At this point, my midwife is going to set up a meeting with an OB from the hospital that I am delivering at to discuss the option of a vaginal breech delivery versus a C-section and then I will decide what I want to do. Even though it was briefly discussed with the OB who preformed the ECV, he stated that he is not experienced in vaginal breech deliveries so he would opt for a C-section but he thought it was best that I make an informed decision after speaking to a doctor that specializes in vaginal breech deliveries. Hopefully I can get this appointment in the next couple of days.
As far as my baby-prep check-list goes, I am getting a lot of things done. The glider was finished this past weekend. We adjusted the base and I like how it rocks a lot better now. The nursery is just about done aside from hanging up a couple pictures, a bit of clothes and organizing the cloth diapers. I hope to get these things done the next couple nights after work. We also put the car seat in the car and reassemble the stroller. Both of these things were harder than I thought. The base to the car seat was hard to get secure so we ended up going to an inspection service and got help installing it. There was a nominal fee for this service but I feel better knowing that it is secure. After all this, I don't really plan to take out the base. We also had trouble re-assembling the stroller after I took it apart to wash it so we brought it into a store that sells the model and she helped us a bit. We already had it assembled correctly aside from one minor thing. Again, I feel better knowing that it is assembled correctly.
I also met with my family doctor this week to get more information about a paediatrician. She explained that she usually refers babies to paediatricians and it just so happens that the paediatrician she recommends is in the plaza 2 minutes away from our house so it is very handy to have him close by. I need to go back to her after the baby is born to get a referral from her.
As far as my check-list goes for this week coming up, I really have to get most things done. I still need to make sure everything for my maternity benefits are in place, finish washing baby stuff and the nursery, pack the hospital bags and hopefully catch up on some reading.
Friday is my last day of work and it is crazy to think that in a few days, I will be off work for a year. I have been working so long and had two jobs at some points so being off work is going to be a big change but it is definitely a change I am looking forward to. I also feel so blessed that I am able to have a whole year off with my baby because in a lot of other countries, people do not have this opportunity!
New purchases this week:
Belly bandit - I got this not only to help firm my stomach afterwards but mainly mainly because I heard it really helps relieve nursing contractions post-partum.
Car seat poncho - I bought a new car seat poncho for the winter. It keeps baby warm by covering the car seat but it is safer than the style I bought previously. This style fits with elastic around the perimeter of the car seat but doesn't fit behind the baby so the car seat straps fit snugger and therefore it is safer. I am going to try and return the other car seat cover.
Baby bump measurement: 39 inches
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