At my Bradley childbirth class earlier this week, our instructor talked about the first stage of labor.

There are distinct things that happen during the first stage, second stage, transition, and pushing stage.

During one of the stages, a preggo mama might lose her sense of modesty. She’s so focused on other things that she just doesn’t care. Or, being covered might be extremely uncomfortable — maybe she feels too hot, too itchy or weighed down.

Our instructor related one story to us:

A mom-to-be was in labor and jumped in the shower at home so the warm water would soothe her. Her husband helped her for awhile, but recognized that her labor was progressing and that they needed to head over to the hospital.

He fetched her robe, but she didn’t want to put it on.

He tried a towel. Nope, that felt terrible around her.

How ’bout a bedsheet? No thanks!

The mama walked out of her house, fresh from the shower, and got into her car. Naked.

Her husband drove her to the hospital, as she sat there in labor — naked.

She got out, and walked her hugely pregnant, naked body straight into the hospital.

The triage nurse took one look at her and said, “Oh honey, you’re gunna have that baby now!”

And she had her baby within 20 minutes of arrival.

OH MY GOSH!!!!!

OK — so we can learn a few things.

First, if the pregnant lady just wants to be buck naked, she might be in a later stage of labor than you thought. I don’t think all of ‘em want to be without clothes, but who knows?

Second, if you walk into triage without wearing any clothes, you’re going to get immediate attention. No “wait here while we prepare your room” or any of that nonsense. No ma’am — you’re going to get plenty of people over to your side right away.

And third, you just can’t know how labor will treat ya. I’m sure this woman had absolutely no intention of being naked in front of so many people. But, when you’re in that state, who knows what could happen?

I made Shane promise me he wouldn’t let me walk outside or into a hospital without being at least somewhat decently covered. I think it helps that it’ll be WINTER and for pete’s sake, I don’t think my crazy laboring self would want me to get frostbite, no matter how out of it I might be.

It’s Tuesday, and that means I’m another week pregnant. This is week # 31 and the start of the eighth month.

You know what comes after eight months? NINE months! And then, a baby! Oh man.

This weekend, we bought some things to help us keep the baby’s room organized. I got some baskets to put under the crib to store bedding. We also picked out a cubby-like storage unit with some cloth drawers. I think it looks really nice in there (pictures will come soon). Shane did a fabulous job of putting it together.

It’s about three feet high, and I think if we wanted to use the top of it as a changing table, we’d just need to lay a few towels there.

Here’s what Baby Center says is going on:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

See what your baby looks like this week.

Did I move my baby? I might have! I need to ask my midwife at my next appointment if it was actually possible, or if I’m just imagining things.

I was reclining in a chair, poking at my tummy and I thought I could feel different baby parts. I sort of grasped something through my belly and moved it around a little. It was long and lean and I’m guessing it was a limb — maybe a leg?

Right after I stopped harassing my baby, I felt a really big jolt. He was probably like, “What the heck was that!? I’m being invaded!” or something.

Based on the movements I’ve been feeling and our most recent ultrasound, I’m guessing he’s still in the transverse (sideways) position. He still has some time to move. I need him to flip head-down and facing my back. Right now, I think he’s facing my stomach and mostly sideways. So, if he ever gets around to moving like that, I’m pretty sure I’m going to notice such drastic movement.

I hope that gravity will help things, as well as my stretches/sitting positions that I’ve learned from our childbirth class.

We had such a fun weekend! Shane’s parents drove over for a little visit and we kept busy exploring Pittsburgh and doing all sorts of things. We went to the Strip District to check out the shops and vendors, took in the view from Mt. Washington, made our way to Ikea to see it, went to a festival called Christmas in the Woods, ate yummy things, played board games, watched movies, and just visited in general. What a busy weekend!

I’m not sure how to best share some of the photos with y’all. Maybe this’ll work, but if you have suggestions on a fast uploader for WordPress or an easy slideshow, lemme know.

You can meet and greet other bloggers over here.

In the Strip District of Pittsburgh on a Saturday morning. Steelers apparel everywhere!

Bob the banjo player. I dunno his name. He seemed happy.

Shane being ‘pregnant’ on top of Mt. Washington. Lolz

My vest still fits over my tummy! Yay! It also hides any sort of roundness I have going on. Wait, I’ll unzip.

Tada! Mah belleh. Shane’s parents are over yonder taking in the view.

Other side. See Heinz Field in the background?

Me and Carol. Say “cheese!”

Sorta blurry, but some of the foliage not far from our apartment.

Posing with a neato carving at Christmas in the Woods in Ohio. It was about an hour away.

So fun! Sampling tons of sauces and dips. I think we tried at least 50. Seriously. At other booths, we sampled jellies, soup, and more dip.

Even though I see Frosty, the festival didn’t quite get me in the wintery mood. Maybe it’s because it’s OCTOBER and it’s early fall.

A small church thing at the grounds. It has services on Sunday mornings! The grounds (Shaker Woods? Maybe? I forget) has a bunch of permanent little structures.

It’s a Linda.

Steeler Claus. You can get anything with Steelers on it.

Pretty trees.

And more pretty trees.

P.S., if you want to get a closer look at any of these photos, you can view larger versions of them here.

Whoa, Nelly, I’m 30 weeks pregnant today. I think 30 sounds like a lot of weeks. I’m around 3/4 of the way done being pregnant, more or less!

This whole being pregnant thing has gone really well so far. Sure, we’ve had a few scares and stumbles, but really things are fine. I haven’t had a rough time with it and I feel quite fortunate.

Still, I think I’m starting to get close to the point where I’m wanting to be done with this whole thing. I don’t want to gripe about it though, for two main reasons.

1. Complaining won’t do me any good. I won’t have any relief from my minor ailments anyway, and it’ll just make me frustrated.
2. I’m fortunate and blessed to be having a baby to begin with. I don’t want my complaints to sound like a smack across the face to those who are dealing with infertility or other related issues.

So ah, how about some of the good things?

For the most part, I really do enjoy being pregnant. I like feeling my baby move about. I like that he’s growing and that he’ll be here soon. And I love that Shane and I are going to be parents.

I’m not such a fan of maternity jeans, but maternity shirts are nice and long. I don’t have to worry about accidentally having plumber’s rear.

I like being able to prop my feet up or take a nap if I need to.

Oooh, I like the pregnancy hormones that have cleared up my skin, made my fingernails grow faster and stronger, and my hair shinier and thicker than ever! Definitely a fan of that.

I like that I’m not so darn cold. My feet are usually like icicles. But now, my circulation is better and I have a higher blood volume so I’m just a little furnace. I’m not so hot that I feel uncomfortable or overheated. I feel like I’m just normally at the right temperature.

Being preggo means I’m trying to take better care of myself nutritionally. Always a good thing. And in trying to get our apartment more organized, I’ve done a lot of decluttering — things I might not have done if I didn’t have a baby on board.

So yah, things are good. And I’m pretty sure I passed my 3-hour glucose tolerance test since I took it one week ago, and I would have heard back otherwise by now.

We have our childbirth class tomorrow, and in a few weeks we’ll go on a hospital tour, take an infant CPR and first aid class, and keep on making preparations around here.

Our crib mattress arrived earlier today and I’m impressed with the quality. We chose the Colgate Classica 1, which is supposed to be a top-quality mattress. I already appreciate the fact that it’s made out of foam. It is SO much lighter than a spring mattress! Much easier to maneuver in the crib, and I know changing the sheets will be easier because of it. It’s just a little bit softer than a rock. Firm crib mattress = good.
My cousin passed along a super adorable crib bedding set (pics to come!). Our grandma made it for my cousin’s daughter, who is now 2 and a half and no longer needs it. Yay!
My mother-in-law very kindly bought us a pack-and-play, and we haven’t set that up yet but I think it’ll be pretty handy for us.

We officially have all of our major baby purchases now! We just need a few little odds and ends that we can pick up in the coming weeks, or wait until later. Hooray!

I’m full-term in seven weeks. Seven weeks from now is Dec. 9. Don’t expect me to be in labor that day. I highly doubt it. Let’s just keep on thinking that he’ll be born around New Year’s. I’m really hoping he’ll be born in December, though. Shane has some extremely busy work-related stuff going on during the first week of January. He can miss out on it if he absolutely has to, but he really hopes it won’t come to that.

From BabyCenter.com:

Your baby’s about 15.7 inches long now, and he weighs almost 3 pounds (like a head of cabbage). A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him, but that volume will decrease as he gets bigger and takes up more room in your uterus. His eyesight continues to develop, though it’s not very keen; even after he’s born, he’ll keep his eyes closed for a good part of the day. When he does open them, she’ll respond to changes in light but will have 20/400 vision — which means he can only make out objects a few inches from her face. (Normal adult vision is 20/20.)

See what your baby looks like this week.