Intrepid Murmurings

39 weeks......and counting.....
So, I didn't update last week as I had planned so here's the old news: Went to see the fancy pediatric allergist about preventing the (somewhat) miserable allergy issues of the babe's father. We mostly wanted to hear what she had to say about current research on inheriting severe food allergies (dairy) and what extent to go to in preventing them. Some things we've read say to avoid family-sensitive foods both during pregnancy and breastfeeding (eeks!) which is not what I done so far or wanted to do in the future (but would have, if the research was there), and thankfully, she said it was not and that I can still eat my cheese and drink my milk. Woohoo! Allergies can, in fact, be inherited, so we are going to breastfeed exclusively for as long as possible (at least 6 months, ideally) and if we ever need to supplement with formula she recommended using one of two special kinds that are less allergenic (hoping not to need that, however). We are also to be careful about solid food introductions, and to definitely avoid feeding the babe any dairy foods until after one year. There are other recommendations about other common allergens, such as no egg until after 2 years, no shellfish/nuts until after 3, etc, but she said if the kid doesn't seem sensitive to things after one year we can be more lax about those. If the babe does seem colicky and/or shows signs of skin/environmental sensitivities at any point we would reassess and possibly restrict my diet and do some other things, too. Also had an OB appointment last week, and things seemed to be progressing! I was a lot more effaced and 1 cm dilated! Yay! But, since then the Braxton Hicks contractions have cut down considerably (they were happening a LOT for a few days there) as did the general feeling of being horribly pregnant and uncomfortable. Hmmmm. No more "bowling ball in the pelvis" feeling, at least most of the time. Also way more energy (despite having to wake up every 2-3 hours at night to pee). I am actually feeling really good (my sciatica is gone---weird!), and I can walk and do things again. Yesterday I went to the mall! So, as I suspected, at yesterdays OB appointment things were pretty much the same, a bit more effaced, but still just one cm dilated. Urg. Wishing for progress....but now that I am not in pain, I can handle the thought of a few more weeks. Though bring it on, babe, as soon as you're ready...