Sunday, March 10, 2013

38 weeks pregnant




Am I ready for the big stretch? I would have said no a week or two ago. But my living room is done. My kitchen is also redone (thanks to some help from my little brother, who was here over the long weekend while Eric was away). My birth space is set up and the birth pool is inflated. I feel mentally open to the idea of laboring. I don't know if you can ever be totally prepared for birth, because you don't know what labor is going to throw at you. But I'm about as ready as I can be.

So want to hear some of the worries I have late in pregnancy? Of course there's the worry whether or not the baby will make it. Will the baby be born healthy? Will it have a major health problem or malformation? What if I have a persistent posterior presentation and need to transfer/have an epidural/a cesarean/whatever? (I only think about this last one because this baby loves to hang out posterior. Of course, so did Dio and Inga and I had zero problems with positioning or pushing during their labors.) 

Eric just got back from his conference this evening, so I can have the baby any time now. Eric said, "tonight would be great; I'd really love to cancel class tomorrow!"

My belly just started showing from side to side over the past 2 weeks. It's still really cute and compact, sticking straight out. Total weight gain is around 22 lbs. I'm measuring exactly on target at 38 cms. Blood pressure is still low (last reading was around 95/65). I wonder if that's why I get dizzy so easily, especially when I'm painting on a stepladder with my arms above my head. Once my brother got here, my mom made me promise to have him go on the ladder. I complied (mostly).

We still haven't found a car. The nice thing about living in the middle of town is that we really don't need a new car right away. It's pretty rare that we all drive somewhere together, except to go to church. We're still looking for a manual Mazda5, but they are almost impossible to find. We also discovered that the 2011 and newer Kia Sorentos were redesigned and get even better gas mileage (21/30 mpg) than the Mazda5. They come with optional 3rd row seats. What we're trying to find out--and none of the dealerships can give us a clear answer--is whether you can install 3rd row seats on the manual Sorentos. The manuals were never sold with the option of 3rd row seats. Is there a structural difference between the automatic and manual models? So far, no one can give us a good answer.

Still, I'm super frustrated at the lack of real choices for 6-7 passenger vehicles. Did you know that VW was going to sell their Touran here, but decided not to? It's a minivan that gets up to 61 mpg combined? And this is just one of many other 6-7 passenger vehicles that get between 45-55 mpg. The Chevy Orlando--sold in Canada but not in the US--comes in a diesel version overseas that gets up to 47 mpg on the highway. (How? diesel technology + manual transmission.) Count yourself lucky if you live in Europe or the UK--or anywhere outside North America, for that matter.
.

5 comments:

  1. You should make a list of all the 6-7 seat vehicles you found available overseas so we can start a letter writing campaign. I going to need a new van sometime in the next five years and I'm loathe to buy another one that gets such horrible mileage.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have you tried the Rebozo technique (from spinningbabies) for turning the baby? My second baby (born a few days ago) was ROA and posterior for weeks until we started using the Rebozo technique twice a day, as well as in early labour. It worked like a charm. Actually, it worked too well, rocketing my 11lb baby out in just 30 minutes of active labour (very different from my son's posterior 30+ hour labour!).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yeah, there really is a dearth of 3rd row vehicles in this country if you don't want to drive a large SUV or a big minvan. There are a few small SUVs with the 3rd row, but there is hardly any leg room in the back. I saw one of those VW vans recently (shipped here, the Euro plates were still on it) and it was so cute.

    I looked at the Mazda5 a few months ago. Even though we only have two kids, it's nice to have the third row for when we have visitors or go on long trips. I decided against it because the 3rd row has very little leg room and when it is up there is no cargo space. I ended up with a Mazda MPV and I really like it. It's about 6 inches shorter than other minivans on the market, but still has plenty of leg room and cargo space when the 3rd row is up. However, they stopped being sold in the U.S. in 2006 so only used are available and I don't think they come with a standard transmission.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Rixa....

    Here we have the resolution for makin tracks!!! Quite a lifestyle indeed!!

    http://bikeportland.org/2012/06/28/ with-six-kids-and-no-car-this-mom-does-it-all-by-bike-73731

    As for your birth concerns..firstly, thank u for sharing. Secondly, I find you to be empowering and thru reading your posts you are helping me process my birth.

    Sounds,as if you know yourself, your body and your goals. I BELIEVE IN YOU...your raw intuition, your strength, and perseverance!!

    I am setting aside time tues 3/12 to hand pick a Blessingway Item for "Veebe" (Vernal Equinox Eartthside Babe Extraordinaire) I am quite excited tovbe involved with your birth

    Often, I try to remember just how importantvit is,to ..inhale/exhale...life, ahaaaa!!



    ReplyDelete
  5. Hearing your fears is a relief to my ears! A week behind you in dates so keenly following your newsfeed.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...