Countdown to Baby - 4 More Days!

The past couple of weeks since Thanksgiving have been pretty busy.  We've been going to our ultrasound and prenatal appointments, and our doctor determined she'd like to deliver our baby at 37 weeks by C-Section on 12/13.  Seems my little guy is looking good in there, enough fluid, decent size (surprisingly doesn't seem overly-big so far!) and dropped low into my pelvis head down.  Problem is, he's at an odd angle - kinda sideways - which has been pretty painful for me.  He could end up moving into a more straight down pose, but on top of that, my blood sugar levels have just been too hard to control.  I'll eat something one day and I'm fine; the same thing the next day will send my sugars soaring.  But then I'll take a nap and wake up shaking and nearly comatose from extreme lows, so I can't risk increasing my insulin dose either.  Throughout all this, I've been so impressed with my OB and the diabetic nurses/counselors with Sharp-Rees Stealey.  They are so on top of it all, calling to check in on me and advise & encourage me multiple times a week to help me stay on track.  But hey, the body can be such a mystery.  You can do everything seemingly right, but so much can be going on with your body behind the scenes with the baby, all the extra hormones, extra blood circulation, stress, or any other number of factors.  The level of detail is really miraculous when you think about it.   But yeah... this kind of thing can put your baby at risk for Intrauterine Fetal Death and other complications, so my OB, again being proactive, scheduled my surgery for soon after we hit our 37th gestational week.  But looking at our fetal monitoring session, the kick counts and heart rate levels, even my OB had to laugh and agree we have a very happy and active little boy on the way!

After Thanksgiving, I really hit all the sales and ordered all the baby supplies we will need.  Every day has felt like Christmas to me, as all the packages keep arriving, but poor Stephen.... The look of panic on his face as the boxes kept piling up!

At least Kona shares my enthusiasm for all the boxes!

Sale or not, babies are expensive and the little things add up.  Even with all the gifts we've received, all the last minute essentials you never even realize are necessary - not just for baby, but for mom's postpartum care  too - can be overwhelming.  I had done a lot of research on Pinterest for blog posts and lists to get an idea of these things; you can see my Parental Guidance board for some of my favorites.  Based on those lists, I was able to get a system going in my bedroom all close by since I won't be too mobile after the surgery.  Pack-n-play set up as bassinet next to my bed with an insert-able changing table nearby, and a little folding tray next to that where I can keep basics close by as needed.  And then I have another bin in a corner with various bins/baskets of items I'll need too.  Here are a few of my baby-ready bins stocked with essentials:

Changing
1) Diapers
2) Changing pad
3) Powder
4) Lotion
5) Bum Brush
6) Ointment

Nursing
1) Nipple Balm
2) Breast Pads
3) Burp Cloths
4) Breast Pump
5) Hands-free breast pumping band

Bathing
1) Towels
2) Washcloths
3) Baby shampoo
4) Powder
5) Lotion

Cozies
1) Newborn/0-3 Month sized clothes, pajamas and socks
2) Receiving blankets
3) Swaddlers

Postpartum for Bathroom
1) Overnight heavy flow pads
2) Tucks Medicated Wipes
3) Wet wipes
4) Belly-butter/scar cream
5) Belly binder girdle
6) Change of nursing bra & maternity underwear

So yeah - I've been in high-gear nesting mode since our surgery was scheduled earlier this week.  My patience level has been at 0 and yes, there has been some yelling and crying involved, but through some kind of miracle, Stephen is still with me and our house now resembles a home for the first time since he moved in over a year ago.  It felt so good to purge so much needless junk from our closets!  The baby's room still needs some work on it, but it is cleared out and ready to go.  His crib is partially put together (the manufacturer needs to replace a piece that was defective) and his larger clothes and extra items are all put away; we can always have fun decorating and completing everything a couple months from now when he's ready to move out of the bassinet.

All that's left to do is complete packing our hospital bag & diaper bag.  I totally overstuffed them already and need to go back and rethink what's really necessary for 3-4 days.  Stephen will have a gig the day after the baby is born, but fortunately he will be free and clear on the day of birth.  I already have a few visitors lined up to stay with me when Stephen is working too, so things are all working out just fine and the initial panic has finally calmed!  My main goal over all this weekend?  SLEEP!