Happy Father's Day!!

To all you Dads out there!

Childbirth Class and Birth Plans

I have less than 6 weeks to go and I'm getting so nervous and excited. 

We had a very busy weekend. First, we had my 34th week doctor's appointment on Friday and she said everything looks good - height of the fundus & my weight gain was all good. We also went to get some pregnancy photos taken of me and my husband... they came out well and I'm so excited to frame them and hang them in the baby's room. 

We took the childbirth class yesterday and it was interesting, scary and exciting at the same time. Watching the videos of woman giving birth was scary but when the baby comes out and the mother holds the baby is a magical moment. I can't wait to experience that moment. We also did a tour of the hospital and I liked the hospital - the rooms were nice and spacious for labor and recovery and they leave the baby in the mother's room - they don't really have a proper nursery. 

I'm trying not to have too many expectations about the birth in case something goes wrong and things don't go the way I want to - then I won't be disappointed. My husband feels that I might end up having a c-section because I'm small. I'm hoping to have a vaginal delivery. Sometime over the next week, I'm hoping to create a basic birth plan which is still flexible. 

My main decision is still about the epidural. On one hand, I'm nervous about if I can take the pain. On the other hand, the epidural forces you to be on your back and you lose sensation in your lower body and that scares me - losing control. I guess to a certain extent, you do lose control as you go through labor but the fact that I can't get on my feet or feel my stomach to push makes me nervous. This is a decision I need to make soon though. What do you guys think?

Latest baby shopping update

We bought the crib mattress as well to go with the crib. We bought a crib mattress on BabiesRUs which was on sale which was "organic" and "green" but it felt like green-washing to me and didn't fit well in the crib. Eventually, after some thinking, I decided to go with my original choice. It had good reviews and was universally recommended as the best organic mattress.

Naturepedic No Compromise Organic Cotton Classic Lightweight Crib Mattress

We also bought the car seat with matching stroller caddy. I decided on the Chicco Keyfit 30 infant car seat after looking at the options on the market and reviews online. I also decided to go with the stroller caddy instead of fullsize stroller since the full size stroller is so heavy and I wouldn't be able to lift it if I needed to take the baby for a walk.

Chicco Keyfit 30 - Cubes

Chicco KeyFit Caddy Stroller Frame

We also bought the Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle 'n' Swing after some research. It can swing in 2 different directions and had a lot of options. It also had a power supply instead of just batteries which will be a huge relief. :)

As we start using these, I will post more reviews on these. 

7 weeks to go!

Suddenly it feels like time's flying by... I've got slightly less than 7 weeks to go and I'm so excited.

The baby's moving around so much more now and it's uncomfortable at times but still wonderful to feel.

We've decided on the baby's name. When we were discussing baby names one day, I suggested a name that my husband had suggested before but I had rejected it. The more I thought about it, I liked the name and mentioned it again. I did some research on the name online and liked it more...

As soon as I mentioned the name, the baby started kicking around a lot and she was moving so much. The husband started talking to her using the name and she was so responsive and moving around.

I don't know if she actually heard the name and responded to it or she was just moving around but we chose to take it as a sign and that's going to be her name barring unforeseen complications. :)

Her last name is going to be my last name - at least, that's what my husband wants. I'm not so sure about that. Traditionally, where I'm from in India, baby takes the father's first name as his/her last name. But in the US, baby's tend to take the father's last name and it's easier that way. But my husband wants my last name to be the baby's last name. While I'm ok with that, it feels a little weird. I'm worried about what my husband's parents and relatives are going to think.

I know I shouldn't care about what other people think but doing something out of the norm is still a little uncomfortable and I'm not sure what to do.

Well - we'll make the final decision when the baby's born, I guess.