pregnancy series

 I went to my 37 week checkup yesterday. I’m almost there! I’m still not dilated, but because of the doctor’s schedule etc, I’m tentatively scheduled for induction on the 14th of April. That’s exactly two weeks from now. If the baby does not seem to be ready by the next appointment, which is a week away, the doctor might change the date to the 20th of April. The doctor told me to do a lot of squats so that the baby will drop… I am pretty convinced that doing squats, walking or jumping as a natural induction effect is a wives tale. I don’t think the doctor realizes how many squats I do.. but I decided to shut my mouth and ignore her comment.

Oh thankfully, no nipple pinching from the midwife this time. Thank goodness! Thank you again for everyone who gave me the advice on my last post about breast massage and breast feeding. It was so helpful! It seems pretty common to do the breast massage in Japan, and everyone talks about it here, but I’m glad to hear that it is not necessary or makes all that much difference at this point. I’d much rather leave my breasts alone now.

The weather is warming up here in Japan, and I’m glad to be able to use light weight dresses and cardigans without bundling up with heavy coats and scarves. I got this 50’s vintage gown from badcollavintage on etsy last Summer. The shop has a great collection of vintage night gowns, which can be worn as dresses, so I check out her shop often. I bought this one before getting pregnant.  I can still wear this comfortably because the fabric has a stretch to it. Plus, maxi dresses are great for times when you don’t feel like showing your legs or are feeling bloated.

 Last Sunday, Andy and I stopped by a small thrift shop located right close to our church. The place has all kinds of junk – washers, dishes, kimono fabrics, antique pins etc. I love going there from time to time to treasure hunt. You don’t know how excited I was when I found a used stair master and weights! I went to Sports Authority the day before I found these treasures, and the cheapest stair master they had was 5000 yen (about $50). I was so glad I didn’t pick it up on impulse. I actually haggled the price with the guy at the shop, and ended up getting both stair master and 4kg weight set for 1000 yen ($10).

Since my belly had grown so big, I adjusted my workout routine a bit. I used to do a lot of Bass Ruten’s  fighting workout (Thai boxing), but I can no longer kick comfortably, so I stopped doing his CDs. I still do regular boxing workouts, but this stair master and weight combination will be a nice new addition to my routine.

Here is some short video that Andy put together about my week 37 workout routine 🙂 Hope you like it! xo

Hi! I’m 36 weeks this week! I can’t believe this “pregnancy series” is coming to a close. I really enjoyed documenting my pregnancy. I’m thinking, maybe I can continue the Thursday series as something related to the topic of motherhood, baby stuff, and crafts related to being a mom (nursing friendly clothes?) and baby craft stuff. Any suggestions or recommendations?

This polkadot dress was another purchase from the vintage shop, “sanbiki no neko” (three kittens).  if you remember I posted about shopping there during my baby moon a few weeks ago. As soon as I saw this dress, I knew I was going to take it home with me.  I love polkadot prints, and the front button design  works perfectly for nursing. I shortened the length, because the original form was calf length, which I thought was a little too long. But now, looking at these pictures, I think I hemmed it too short. I didn’t take into account that the length would  raise an additional 3 inches because of my huge belly.

With the dress, I’m wearing a white cardigan my mother gave me and a Forever 21 skinny belt. I picked this belt up for 280 yen (about 2.5 USD), and it has turned out to be the second most frequently worn item from my closet.  Second only to my black opaque tights. I like to wrap it around my waist.  This effect gives me some recognizable shape other than shapeless blob!

On Wednesday, I had a doctor’s visit. The baby is healthy, and is estimated to weight 3100 grams.
I had some weird pelvic pressure a couple of nights before the visit, so I thought I might have started to dilate, but the doctor said I’m not dilated yet.

At the Dr. office I had a weird experience, the midwife gave me a nipple massage.  It really hurt! Basically, she took out my breasts, shook them a couple of times and started to pinch my nipples hard. She said if I do this everyday, I won’t have problem producing breast milk for the baby. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? It’s painful and I really hate the idea of pinching my own nipples..:(

Up to this point in my pregnancy, I haven’t had any pain from pregnancy , but this week I’ve been having aches in my pelvic bone area.  Unfortunately, they don’t seem to be going away. The midwife told me it’s a good thing since the pelvic bones are opening up for the baby.  This, however, does not give me any solution to my aches and pains. At this point, I kind of feel like an old person.  I struggle to get up and have pain taking my first step.  I will look forward to this little trial being over with.  Any thoughts on how I can alleviate this?