Skin: an amazing organ

I have a new appreciation for my skin. It is amazing how it can accommodate my growing belly, my swollen fingers and ankles, and just my increased blood and weight in general. So far, I'm lucky to report no real problems with stretch marks...maybe I can see a faint white line here or there, but nothing major.

I am exhausted this morning as I write this (see picture above). I have not been sleeping well and we had thunderstorms last night. Ringo and Puck were unsettled and whiny. I am becoming more tired in general, and I haven't been able to sneak in a nap (or even a decent night's rest) in a few days. Maybe tonight...

On the naming front, the dogs suggested the name Pingo Ruck for the baby. I've vetoed, but they are insistent.

I went to my third pre-birth class. This was the one on breastfeeding. It was informative, packed with pregnant women and a few token husbands, and made me decide that I need more than just a hand pump. The lactation consultant was very knowledgeable and reassuring. It was good to know what would happen regarding seeing her (or one of the other lactation consultants) post birth -- she will check in on me and the baby each day we are in the hospital and write a plan for breastfeeding. Then, the baby and I go back two days after being released from the hospital for a weigh-in for the baby, checking for jaundice, and making sure we aren't having problems breastfeeding. This occurs again a few days later. I like that there is already a plan to make sure we are doing well. The class had prop babies that we practiced holding in the various breastfeeding positions. We also watched a DVD about the various positions, potential problems, etc. It was more informative than I expected given that I had already read "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding."