In the Homestretch - 3rd Trimester Interview with David Freiman

Here are some updated thoughts from the father of my child as we head into the final trimester!

Anna: How has pregnancy affected you the most?
David: Cleaning the litter box

Anna: You've been to a lot of doctor's appointments. What have you learned?
David: Every pregnancy may be different, but every discomfort seems to be normal

Anna: What is your favorite part of preparations for Baby Girl Freiman?
David: Buying the push present (this was unsolicited!)

Anna: What advice would you give to other expecting dads?
David: Learn how to make smoothies

Anna: What's one thing you can't wait to do with your daughter?
David: Watch football!...and then enroll her in karate class to keep the boys away

Anna: What is the most surprising part of pregnancy?
David: It's a marathon, not a sprint. From the outside you don't realize you have to take it one day at a time.

Anna: What's been annoying so far?
David: People always telling me to sleep and eat while I can.

Anna: What is Lana's favorite part of pregnancy?
David: The pregnancy pillow...she thinks its for her

Anna: Here's the million dollar question - when will she be born?
David: November 10th

Baby Freiman at 29 Weeks - Week of August 22

These produce comparisons are starting to crack me up...apparently she's an acorn squash this week.

The biggest changes this week have really been around things I can't do anymore, such as clean bathtubs or shave my legs. Pregnancy continues to be a humbling experience!

Also, my belly is pretty itchy these days and most of my pregnancy pants that are not the full belly coverage, or were an XS and I put in the dryer, no longer fit.

Her movements are pronounced now, and I can feel a head (or a butt?) at several points throughout the day.

Highlights of the week:
*Being with friends in Virginia Beach last weekend - my last trip as a preggo
*I finished knitting my first baby hat and was able to give it to my new friend Brooklyn

What I've learned:
*Dancing "Gangnam Style" at a wedding while 28 weeks pregnant is not a good idea
*Pregnancy yoga has been awesome - it's good mental and physical preparation for labor, while also being good for stress relief. It's definitely one of my favorite parts of the week.

Week 29 bump photo:

Bump at the beach:

Friday night special - the Freiman ladies:

 

Bump and Monuments!

Here are a couple of shots from our visit to the monuments.

Lady Freimans and Washington Monument:

Lady Freimans at FDR Memorial:

Baby Freiman at 28 weeks - week of August 15

Hello Eggplant Week!

It's been a fairly eventful week in the pregnancy department. We had our 28 week checkup on Wednesday, where the doctor found her very loud heartbeat right away - still in the 130s. I found out I'm a tad on the anemic side, so I have started to take an iron supplement. On Tuesday and Wednesday I had to make trips to an infusion center to have blood work done, and then a shot, for RhoGam. This is only applicable for women whose blood Rh factor is negative and the partner is positive (20% of population). I would explain more scientific details about why this is important, but quite frankly all I know is that if we do decide to have future children and I didn't have this done, my body would reject my future fetus because of antibodies exposed during this childbirth.

What I've learned:
*I'm starting to wrap my head around the fact that even though my due date is November 7th, I need to have everything done two weeks before then (at least)...so its back to the weekly to-do lists.
*Apparently there's confusion at my hospital around my social security number and the fact that its under two different names (Rosengarten and Freiman) in the system. The infusion center made this seem very complicated. I need to figure out a way to ensure this is figured out before I go into labor.
*I watched the CNN documentary, Girl Rising, last weekend. It's about the state of female education and social status in various developing countries and it was so interesting and terrifying at the same time. It made me reflect on the reality that having a girl is a privilege and I can't take raising her here in the US for granted.

Highlights of the week:
*Hearing her heartbeat will always make this list :)
*I had family in from Chicago last weekend and was able to spend Saturday afternoon touring DC with them...I think Baby Girl Freiman loved the FDR monument as much as I do.
*We went to the fair! It's definitely one of my favorite events of the year. Just so everyone knows, lawn mower racing doesn't hold a candle to the demolition derby.

Here we are at Week 28:

 

End of 2nd Trimester special - two weeks in one! (weeks 26 & 27)

It was a busy couple of weeks - so here's a double feature! :)

She was a head of lettuce last week, and this week she's grown to the size of a rutabaga (has anyone ever even seen one of these before?). I can't believe I'm already in my third trimester. At work I've officially started planning for when I go out on leave - making it seem really soon!

Highlights of the last two weeks:
*Seeing friends from CA and TN and MD all in one week!
*Baby Girl Freiman's first baby shower and visiting Memphis last weekend (last flight while pregnant!)
*Another ultrasound on 8/6 - she measured 2lbs 2oz and is definitely a girl!
*The nursery has been painted - there is much work to do but it's a good start :)
*As of tonight my good friend Lorna is in labor - thinking about her and baby Brooklyn!

What I've learned:
*I now know what baby hiccups feel like
*Another side of pregnancy is low blood pressure - I learned this the hard way after collapsing at work on Monday
*I do not have gestational diabetes, and the glucose test wasn't as bad as I heard it might be

Week 26 bump photo:

Breakfast with Aneesha!

 

Shower hostesses and my mom's longtime friends, the "Delta girls"



Parents to be!

Week 27 bump photo: