Christmas was my best one yet thanks to my wonderful husband! Craig went above and beyond to make every gift perfect and there were a lot of them! He said he wanted to make it really special for me since it was the last Christmas with just us and he definitely succeeded! So many things I asked for or needed and forgot about that he didn't. I'm so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband! :)
Right after the holidays Craig and I started our childbirth classes. The first birthing class we went over L&D and what I liked most about it was the nurse knew a lot about everyone in the classes doctors regarding when and why they might do a c-section, at what point you can receive an epidural, when you should come to the hospital (contractions 5 minutes apart, water breaks or bleeding), and visually what terms like dilated and effaced meant. Knowing all this I do feel better prepared and think the whole process will go smoother.
The second class was the tour and the third class was all about postpartum. The tour was nice to show you where everything was and made it easier to visualize what the day was going to be like. It made me more comfortable to know that Trumbull (our hospital) really gives you a lot of stuff so we're not going to have to bring too much. I really liked that it is hospital practice to give the husband or coach and mother alone time with the baby for the first hour after birth, called Kangaroo care. It is posted in the family waiting area and being a common practice it somehow put me at ease a little more because this is what I really wanted but didn't know how to break it to my family. It is time for the baby to relax from everything that has just happened and bond with the mother and father or coach. Then they talked about breastfeeding and the lactation consultant’s role. Something my doctor didn't give me much information on when I asked but the nurse knew all about. Circumcision was also discussed, how each doctor does it differently and what to expect after from each method.
I guess those were my big takeaways. A big portion of the classes went over things I already knew about from going on thebump.com or reading in books but it was helpful to ask questions and get answers right away when going over the different topics. The best parts were definitely the hospital or doctor specific information.
On January 16th my mom and little sisters drove to Cleveland with me to get a 3D ultrasound. Well I booked it but it was my moms treat! We got a video of the entire session that was about a half an hour long and a ton of pictures. This is one of my favorites showing his profile.
Unfortunately a few days after my shower my Mom's father passed away. I was not very close to him until the end but it was really said because he would have been Jack's only remaining Grandfather.
On a lighter note, the nursery is 95% finished! We have been working hard on it and all that is left is putting up the decals , figuring out what we want to do for lighting, and getting a small table for next to the glider my mom got us. Pictures soon to come but until then here are some pictures of my ever growing bump!
24 weeks and 25 weeks
