The stuff that comes out of people's mouths!

Since I am done with my clinicals at L&D, I am actually working and making some money. I have not worked for 4 months due to hectic school schedule and some sweet vacationing over Christmas break. It actually feels very nice to be back at work and know that I will get a pay check in few weeks. Of course, i have already spent all of that money (at least in my mind) but that's beside the point. Today I was even lucky enough to just work 7 hours instead of 12 hours, which works out way better for me. So instead of checking four o'clock blood pressures, I get to blog and enjoy the kicking match my son is having. Of course, I had to call Troy and tell him that his son has never been so active as he is right now. He must really like the Finnish candy that I am eating right now.

I just wanted to share few comments that a lovely nurse gave me today. 

"Oh you are pregnant! Are you sure you aren't just fat?" and "I remember gaining weight in my face just like you have"

Let me tell you that this person has always said inappropriate and STUPID things and it's a good thing I love my pregnant body because otherwise I probably would have had a nervous breakdown. I am not sharing this so everyone will tell me that I look great; however, I thought that you might enjoy the comments and find some humor in them. Of course, I  have also had about 15 of my patients ask me if I'm pregnant(my scrubs can getting pretty tight). It is amazing how random people comment on your belly status (again I am not complaining rather just observing). The other day I went to buy a water bottle and the cashier said "is the water for the baby?".  Yes, I was planning on pouring it into my belly button to hydrate the baby. 

here is  also an updated picture of my belly at 23 weeks. At first, it didn't look like it was much bigger than I was at 20 weeks; however, there has definitely been some growth happening:)

After my little sister saw this picture, she said "are you gonna get much bigger than this?" The answer is most likely that I will have a huge belly in the end. However, my attitude is that I dont care how big my belly gets as long as I dont gain the weight in my butt and tights. So far I'm doing Ok with this so let's hope that I won't suddenly expand in every possible direction. 

"Actually it's a girl"

In order to get ready for the second love of my life, Troy and I headed to the mall to do some shopping! We decided to check out what Gymboree had. I love their clothes, but usually they would be out of my price range. While in the store, I ended up making a mom very mad. I made a comment to Troy how the store has mostly girls' clothes and the "baby boy's stuff is pushed to the corner". I was too busy looking for clothes for my little man that I didn't notice that there was a baby literally in the corner. According to Troy, after I made the comment the mom of the baby in the corner gave me a NASTY look and said "actually it's a girl". She thought that I had referred to her baby as a boy. The best part is that I was completely oblivious that she was talking to me and therefore ignore her comment. So I don't think I will be doing a play date with her in the future. I almost went up to her and said that I was not talking about her baby, but I decided to let it go. Though there are more girls' clothes in every store, I have to say that I love the boy clothes. Don't get me wrong, I hope that in few years I will be buying some pink ribbons and silky dresses, but right now I just love the little boy sweaters and pants.  Since I am a first time mom-to-be and the first big shopping trip is obviously life changing, I thought I would share what I was able to get for 25 dollars!! That is a steal from Gymboree or really any store since baby clothes are kind of overpriced. 

How could I resist buying this when he will most likely to be a little "pumpkin head" just like his daddy

What are some other good places to shop for babies? I like a more preppy, classic look rather than all the onesies that say "mommy loves me". Dont get me wrong, I am not a high maintenance in any way and I think babies are cutest butt-naked:) However, since I'll be raising this kid in U.S instead of in Europe, I better keep him clothed.

It's a "POIKA"

The day of the ultrasound finally came and we were sure ready for it. Of course, my doctor had to go and deliver a baby just when I was about to get in, so we had to wait another hour and a half. Then we finally found out that we are having a BOY!!  We are so excited and I finally get to go and do some shopping. I also find out that my placenta is located in front of my uterus and it kind of cushions the kicks from the little BOY, so that is why I haven't felt him move around too much. Of course, he was being little difficult and was folded like a sandwich and kept kicking himself in the head:) That kind of behavior must come from Troy's genes. 

So my house will be filled with cars and balls for the next few years. I cant wait!!! We didn't get a good picture of his boy parts so I have nothing to really share regarding that. However, I will share a cute picture of his foot in the next few days. 

Finally!!

I finally felt the baby kick tonight. I was sitting on the couch with Troy and doing something random on the computer when I felt like something moved. Of course, I got really excited and had Troy put his hand on my belly and he could feel it too. I know it was normal that I hadn't felt the little one move until now but it sure is a relief:) I also got lucky last week at my clinical and listened to the baby's heart rate in the triage when we didn't have to be with our patient.

I also had a fabulous day at the hospital today; however, I am tired and Jack Bauer is demanding my attention as he saves the day again for the next hour, so I will blog about my day in few days. 

Also 4 more days and we will know whether will be playing with ponies or cars in few years:)

"Are you baby sitting"?

I was shadowing the charge nurse (the nurse who doesn't have a patient assignment but manages the unit for the day) for 6 hours. Right after we received a report for the day, we were called into a patient's room who was in A LOT OF PAIN. She had received an epidural about half an hour before; however, her right side was in excruciating pain due to extremely intense contractions. By the way, in my opinion this the worst scenario for a laboring mom because you are expecting to be pain free due to the wonders of epidurals and most likely not prepared for the intensive of pain. The nurse had checked her "status" about 5 minutes ago and she was 4 cm. When the doctor decided to check her again since she was in so much pain, she was 8 cm. She had changed 4 cm in about 5-10 minutes. The rule of thumb is about 1 cm an hour for a first time mom and faster for an experienced mom. She was obviously ready to deliver in just few minutes and her husband was waiting in the hallway with their 22-month old son. Since it wasn't my patient and I was just observing, I offered to watch the little boy so the dad could be in there with his wife. So I ended up sitting in the hallway with this sleepy 22-month old while I could hear his mom in agonizing pain and then about 10 minutes later, I could hear the cry of the newborn. This birth was so different from the other births that I had seen in the past 2 weeks that I was little disappointed to not be in the middle of the action. However, I feel that part of nursing is showing compassion and meeting the patient's needs and by watching their little boy so the dad could hold the mother's hand as she delivered this baby was more important than seeing all the details of the birth. All the other nurses and staff who passed me in the hallway kind of chuckled as they saw me baby sitting the little boy. However, I am glad that I was able to help the family in some way.

So the reason why this woman was in so much pain was the fact that her uterus did not relax between contractions which increased the intensity of them. I have seen plenty of videos of natural child births and see few "live" ones and this poor patient seemed to be in a whole another level of pain. 

Another twist to the story is the fact that the baby most likely had Down's Syndrome, which came as a complete surprise to the parents. I called Troy after the my shift and told him of the events and he said "so that could happen to us, right?" He meant the fact that we haven't done any kind of genetic testing and obviously there is a chance that our baby could have some kind of a health problem.  I obviously want a healthy baby more than anything; however, it is comforting to know that each child has their own special purpose here and we won't be given more than we can handle. Though, I do have to say that if our child will be a clone of Troy when he was a little kid, he or she could be pushing the limits:) He was a terror!!

The baby is upgrading the living quarters

Here is a picture of the baby bump in all of its glory at 20 weeks. I have added about 6 inches to my waist and 6 pounds so far. I know these numbers will start multiplying much more rapidly in the upcoming months and honestly I am excited about my growing belly. I know some women feel envy towards those who don't show much during their pregnancy but I welcome the roundness of my belly with open arms. I do hope to avoid puffy legs and ankles, but we shall see. I also do understand that I feel very uncomfortable in the end and that this part of pregnancy is the enjoyable time when you aren't tired or sick or just plain huge:)