Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Ultrasound, car seat class, & other updates....

So yesterday morning I went for what will most likely be my final ultrasound. They said all is well, baby is 3 lbs 14 oz (almost 4 lbs now!). They gave me a couple of pics from it, but so far I can't make anything out, so I may just not post them (I have a whole bunch like that already, I was really hoping for a good one yesterday). The baby is indeed still in breech position. I knew it felt like it--there's an area on my upper right abdomen where I feel something big, rounded, & hard moving around & I have become convinced that that is it's head & the US tech said yes, I'm right. And also way down low by the pubic bone I feel these little wiggly movements (those were the first movements I was feeling regularly) & it occurred to me that a head won't feel like that, but little feet & toes would & I am indeed correct on that as well. So then the stuff I feel on the sides (not very often though) must be the arms. I was pretty proud of myself for figuring that out. Originally when I first felt the head I told hubby I wasn't sure if it was a head or butt, but that it was rounded & hard. As time went on I realized it was too big & too hard to be a butt--babies always have the big head & little body, their butts are actually pretty small & they aren't hard, LOL!!

Then last night I went to the car seat safety class. It was a good class, I'm really glad I went, very informative, although they rushed through a lot of stuff that I have no clue no about. But that was all stuff for later on--I do at least have the info down for the first 4 years of years of the baby's life. I learned a lot & yes, hubby is right, A LOT has changed since he had his kids.

I discovered I was right about them being in the back seat facing the rear, BUT it doesn't necessarily have to be the middle seat, as I had heard. That is really up to each vehicle & how they did in crash tests, so you are supposed to consult your owner's manual for that specific info. I have noticed in the back seat of my Hummer that on 2 of the seats back there (not the middle spot) there are these metals bars slightly sticking out & I had assumed they have something to do with folding the seats forward..........but I learned last night that they are anchors for car seats!! And my big question about how long they have to remain rear facing--they must be at least one year old & weigh at least 20 lbs before they can face forward. Any fines for children not properly restrained in a vehicle will go to the DRIVER, not the parent even if the parent is a passenger in the car (so think twice before a friend brings their kids in your car while your driving--the law states car seats are supposed to go up to age 6!!) & it's a BIG fine--minimum $324 per child. And not only do you have to pay the fine, you also have to pay to take a carseat class & you also must spend time attending the class.

So during the class the lady was using this really ugly beigeish/yellow car seat & I was thinking to myself "yeah, they give you a free car seat, but it's a really ugly one" At the end of class she was ready to hand out the free carseats & she offered that one first (& of course no one went for it). I had actually assumed they would all look the same, but I was hoping for one in a box, cuz I can see we're not gonna use it right away & I don't want it sitting in the garage getting all dusty. So then we went out to her van & she asked "any color is good?" Someone requested blue & she had it. I saw more of the ugly ones & more blue & some pink/rose colored. Then I saw one that looked grey (it was really dark outside, hard to tell). I asked if she had grey & she said no, but she did have black & so I grabbed a black one & took off. At least it's neutral & the interior on my hummer is grey & black, so it'll match.

I do have to say it's a REALLY nice car seat. And it's designed to hold a child up to 4 years old & 40 lbs. So I feel really blessed to have gotten this, especially for free. There were a couple of people there getting the free one & then paying $30 for another one, but I never saw what type they were paying for, so I don't know what that deal was about....

However, it's big & doesn't have a carry handle on it. So I don't think it'll be good for in the beginning, when you carry them around in their car seat alot & put them into shopping carts & strollers in their car seats cuz they can't really sit up yet. In the class they recommended moving them into this seat around age 9 months, which sounds about right to me. So we still need to get a smaller one for early on. I also really like the ones where you leave the base hooked in the car & just snap the car seat in & out of the base. That's the way the one we registered for is. So hopefully we can still get that one.

As for other news: my headcold & slight cough appear to be completely gone. But my UTI is tremendous. I called my OB yesterday & stopped by to give them a urine sample. I'm waiting to hear back from them. In the meantime I had to start taking pyridium for the pain of it, it's soooooo bad. I looked it up myself in my nursing drug guide & it said it was safe in 2nd & 3rd trimester, but I also asked them just to double check (since that's their specialty) before I actually took it & they also said it was safe. I am soooo irritated that I get such frequent UTIs, my last one was in August--I always say it's roughly every 6 months & I get one, so I guess I'm right on schedule. I've had several docs tell me that there's an anatomical reason for me getting them, but it's still really irritating & I do EVERYTHING on that list of stuff you're supposed to do to not get them & yet I still get them.............ho hum.................I'll stop before I share something that is TMI & grosses someone out.

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