34 weeks and 1 day.

sylvia finally dropped and it's way better than i thought it would be. yes, there is now some insane weight in my pelvis, but the pain in my ribs has substantially decreased. it still burns like crazy when i get into bed for the night, but it is much better throughout the day. i'll take it, waddle and all! my parents are coming into town tomorrow for a weekend visit. we're going to do some last minute shopping before sylvie arrives. at the very top of my list is a good breast pump. do the mamas out there have any recommendations? other than that i need a set of comfortable pajamas and a nightgown for the big day. one thing i love about our hospital is that they let you wear your own clothes all throughout labor and birth. i want to hit up target to get a long, super soft nightgown for that. i was so relieved to learn this! the hospital gown they gave me when i went in for my gallbladder was horrible. it tied in the back in big knots and still managed to expose my tuchus to the world. other than shopping we're planning on a nice dinner at travis' restaurant and lots of quality family time. it's been a super fun week with all the visitors coming and going. i can't believe that the next time i see everyone will be after sylvie's birth. i feel like there's still so much to do, but i know it will all get done. travis and i are shifting a few pieces of furniture around tonight to make more open space in the living room. i think eliminating all that clutter and opening up the room will make me feel a lot better. it will also make me feel better to finish up this last illustration commission today so i can focus on more baby-related projects. her crocheted afghan has been awfully neglected the last few weeks. the original purpose of this post was to show off some 34 week bump pictures. travis took these earlier this afternoon. sylvie, i can tell that you're getting cramped in there! just stick it out for 3 more short weeks. then you can come anytime you like! your papa and i can't wait to meet you. it's all we talk about these days, and we're about to bubble over with excitement. stay healthy and strong and keep on growing! we can wait until you're ready. i love you, baby girl. if you don't mind, please take a moment to vote for us.  we would love to be back on the first page again.  thank you!

Comments

[kristen]

I had my little Lucy almost 6 months ago and I went back to work after 10 weeks of full-time breast feeding. I went back to work full time, so I had to pump throughout the day to keep Lucy on breast milk. Everyone I spoke to highly recommended the Medela pumps. I made the (financial) plunge and bought the Pump In Style, Metro Bag. The hospital I delivered at sold it tax free, so I purchased it there. I can tell you after using it nearly every day for the past few months that it is worth spending the money on a good one. Good luck with your little Sylvie!

[sara]

Thanks so much for the recommendation, Kristen! I have been looking at the Medela pumps. My sister-in-law used the same one with both of her children and loved it. I have always LOVED the name Lucy. It's on our short list if we end up with another little girl in the future. Your little girl is so precious. The most recent picture on your tumblr of your guy and daughter melted my heart a little. Congratulations on your beautiful little family!

[Alisha]

Have you seen these gowns?
http://www.mom4life.com/catalog.php?item=1977

My only advice on a pump...I got a big nice pump and never used it. If I was going to take the time to sit down and pump, which takes longer than feeding, I just figured I might as well feed the baby myself. I have a small Medela hand pump for when I need to make myself more comfortable in those early days, or during weaning.

So anyway, my advice is, don't spend a lot of money on a pump unless until you're totally sure you really do want one.

I know most people use them, so hopefully you'll get some good suggestions! :) You always put a lot of thought into your decisions, so my advice may not be helpful, but just thought I'd put it out there.

You can also rent a pump from the hospital if you're not sure you want to buy one, or which one you want.

[Alisha]

Here are some more gown, but they're a little pricey.
http://www.mom4life.com/catalog.php?item=1626

[sara]

I know I need a pump for 2 reasons. 1. My gallbladder surgery will have me in the hospital overnight when she is still very young. 2. Travis wants to be able to feed and bond with her, too.
I've thought of the rental pump route, but it's expensive. Our hospital charges $50 a month. I plan on breastfeeding exclusively for 6 month and then in combination with pureed food for a year, maybe more. It would be more economical to just buy one, especially since this is my first and we plan on having more.
I already have a small Playtex hand pump that I got as a gift, but I would like a double electric too.

[sara]

As far as the gowns go I'm going to just buy an inexpensive soft nightgown from Target. It'll do the job without the price tag. I don't want to spend a lot of money on one of those fancy hospital-type gowns since it may get all sorts of unpleasant fluids on it. Plus, if is does survive birth intact I can wear it to sleep in at home. :)

[Alisha]

Too bad I don't still have mine! I'd send it to you! :) Yeah, with the surgery for sure, you'll need one. I knew you'd already thought it all through! :)

Glad you're planning on nursing! It's wonderful! I've nursed all of my kids for the first 13 months and am so glad I did!

[sara]

"I plan on breastfeeding exclusively for 6 month and then in combination with pureed food for a year, maybe more."

That should say "for up to a year old, maybe more."

[Alisha]

Don't blame you! They do get yucky! I get out of that hospital gown as soon as they'll allow!

[... and baby makes five!]

You know... when I was getting ready for my first, I thought that I'd need the biggest and best pump out there (Medela is my opinion on the best electronic pump out there) but I decided to wait a bit. I'm so glad that I did! If you are planning on leaving to work and need to pump at work as well as pumping loads to fill bottles with, I can see where that pump would be heaven!

Hoever, if you are staying home and plan to exclusively nurse like I did (none of my three kiddos took a bottle of pumped milk or formula) then I would highly recommend just a simple electronic single pump like you can find at Babies R Us or Target. I feel that they have worked wonders for pumping in the beginning when you are very engorged to make your breasts easier for her to latch on to. They are simple, easy to use and work WAY better than one that you have to pump my hand. I have used those and really found that they didn't express hte milk as well.

Having a simple single electronic pump also makes the beginning stages of solid feeding great because you can pump a bottle full of milk easily to ad to your cereals and other foods.

I'm sure you are getting bombarded with other's advice as to what is best, but they aren't you -- you're going to find it take a lot of trial and error until you discover what the best things for your family are! :) I would recommend that you start with a simple single pump (unless you are needing to go to work or are planning on feeling breastmilk in a bottle for a lot of the time, then I HIGHLY recommend the big Medela electronic double pump) and see how that works for you first before you drop the money for something that you may not really need (and then you can use all of that dough for cute baby girl clothes! :)

I also highly recommend a comfy sports bra and a top/bottom pj set (like a tank top with comfy pants). The nightgown is going to be a bit cumbersome, especially if you are finding that it's better to be standing during labor (which you probably will!). That way, in the beginning, you can put on the tanktop and bottoms and later on, strip to just your sports bra for the delivery. Or at least look for a nightgown that is SHORT and pair it with some pants, especially for the beginning stages.

[sara]

Thank you so much for the lengthy comment! I'm considering a double pump mainly because we probably will bottle feed fairly often. My husband really wants to help feed her. It's a part of early parenthood that he's really looking forward to. I will consider a good single electric pump, especially if the price is right. :)

Thanks for the advice on birthing attire. I'm going to bring a variety of things with me, including some sort of nightgown, soft top and bottom, a sports bra and a bathing suit bottom for the jacuzzi tub. I figure I'll just wear whatever makes me feel the most comfortable in each stage. I'll have plenty of options! When we took a tour of LD the other day the women laboring in and walking the hallways were all in nightgowns and looked super comfy! I could see how a shorter nightgown would be more practical than a long one. I'll definitely take that into consideration! Thanks!

[Coty]

I use the Medela In style..it cost 279.99 then I used a Babies R Us 20 percent off coupon to make it a little more affordable. It works well, especially since I use it 3- 4 times a day at work and once on every off day. It comes with a battery pack that actually works pretty well, so I have pumped when I have been at some weird places with work. If you just needed it for your surgery I would recommend what Alisha did which is to rent one and then just use a small manual since you are staying home with Sylvie..you will be able to feed her directly most of the time. But since you want to pump on a more frequent basis then this is the pump I would recommend. I also bought a "pumping bustier"..which enables you to stick the pumps in the holes on the front so you don't have to hold them up to your boobs...makes it easier to spend the time pumping when you can send emails or whatever. I have one made by Simple Wishes at www.simplewishes.com .
I imagine that y'all already learned this in one of the classes y'all went to but as far as Trav feeding her..wait long enough to get Sylvie on a good consistent latch before adding the bottle, some kids don't make the switch well...we introduced the bottle at 5 weeks. In the meantime pump and save into the pump and save bags or the storage tubes, that way you can pump after your surgery to keep up supply but dump since pain meds will be in it . If Trav really wants to contribute..tell him he is more than welcome to wake up every two hours with you and sit while you feed...and bring you water...you will need lots and lots of water. Medela also have some helpful products..like the microwave steam bags...its the fastest way to sterilize your pump parts. Also my hospital gave away a free set of tubes and other parts for the pump, see if you can score some from the lactation consultant, it never hurts to have extras.
I also got my nightgowns at Target. If you wear it in delivery it will probably get ruined..I wore a hospital gown and I was glad I did even though it was difficult to wear, I continued to wear the gown while I was there because there continued to be messes..I went through probably 3 or 4 of their gowns. It was nice to throw them in the bin and not have to worry about cleaning them plus I was out of there in 36 hours, so there wasn't really a chance to wear a nightgown. I did wear them when I got home because you have to do a lot of *ahem* private maintenance and it was easier access..the one that worked best was knee lenth, empire waisted and most importantly had a modified wrap top. It was very easy to breastfeed in that style top.

[sara]

Hey, Coty! Thanks for the detailed comment. Ideally, we would like to wait until breastfeeding is well established before we introduce the bottle. Unfortunately, it may be a matter of only a few weeks post-birth before I need to get the gallbladder removed. This will require us to adapt! I'm hoping it will all work out. The empire waisted wrap top nightgown you're talking about sounds great! I'll keep an eye out for those tomorrow at Target! I may switch to hospital gowns postpartum for the reason you mentioned. I just want to be as comfortable as possible during the actual labor and birth. After that I suspect I'll be too tired to give a crap. I'll look into the pumping bustier as well. Thanks for the link on that!
I hope all is well with you, Patrick and LP. Trav's Mom had nothing but glowing things to say about LP. I can't wait to meet him!

[Elle]

I love the pics! I used a Medela electric pump and after only a few days ordered an Easy Expressions pumping bra. It saved me from major hand cramps while holding the breast shields. I also really liked the Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags. The Medela steam bags are really great to. Just a tip: I got two sets of shields, bottles, and valves b/c I was so exhaused and didn't always have time to clean and sterlize everything right away when I could be getting precious sleep. It was nice to have another set on hand.

[Rachel]

I would recommend renting a breast pump instead of buying one. Your midwife can probably give you the information or you can call the local chapter of La Leche. The pumps you can rent are hospital grade and work MUCH better than anything you can buy. I rented one with both of the kids and was able to pump both sides at once in less than 15 minutes start to finish. It's definitely worth looking into before you shell out a couple hundred bucks! Good luck with the shopping...pick out the bathtub, towels, washcloths,and any other bathing items on me.

[Emily]

Sara- those pics are adorable!!!!
I can't wait to meet Sylvie!!!

[Coty]

Try Targets website too..they had a better selection

[sara]

Hey Sis!
The damage is done. The pump is purchased. It was waaaay too expensive to rent one though the hospital. It would have ended up costing us much more money in the long run.
Thank you for the bathtub and towels. We got a tub that we love and the towels have hoods and super cute whales on them!

[sara]

Thanks, Em! We can't either!

[sara]

Thanks for all of the tips, Elle. We ended up getting the Medela pump. We got the steam bags, too! I'm going to order the extra set of pump parts and a pumping bra online in the next few days. Thanks for the advice!