[Pregnancy Diary] Week 32-33 Nursery, Postpartum Doula, Freezer Meals, and Growth Scan

On the first day of Week 32, we went to Target after an NST appointment. The main purpose of the trip was to check out the formula shelves, again, because the nationwide formula shortage situation was still dire, and because we were approaching the end of the pregnancy. While I plan on giving breastfeeding a try, there's no way to guarantee it'll work (e.g., supply issues, possibly need to be on medicine after delivery and this could do more harm than good on breastfeeding). The shelves were, indeed, mostly empty. There were a few boxes of formula left. I took pictures of the only 4 options left on those sad shelves. Enfamil Ready-to-Use (yellow box), Enfamil Gentlease Ready-to-Use (purple box), Enfamil Nutramigen (the only hypoallergenic can left), and Up & Up Soy-based Powder (the only non-Enfamil can left). Seeing how few options of formula there are firsthand, W and I feel bad for the parents who are struggling to feed their babies during this formula shortage crisis. We didn't get any formula during this trip since we didn't need it. 

Another reason for making this Target trip was to take a look at all of the baby stuff that we planned on buying using the completion discount 😎 W saw this set of sleepers (a set of 3) and he said he really liked them, especially the one with the rainbow prints. So I added this set to the registry that day. A few days later, we went back to Target and bought a cart of stuff (including this set of sleepers, curtains, a storage cube, and newborn & size 1 disposable diapers) using our in-store completion discount code. Something worth noting - W was at a barbershop getting a haircut while I was at Target by myself during that second trip at Target. He was about done and we were just about to meet up inside the store. I began grabbing stuff and filling up the cart while waiting for him to meet up with me at the store. While I was by myself, a kind lady helped me get the storage cube off a shelf and loaded it into my cart. She initially offered to hold my cart while I attempted to move the storage cube, then she saw my belly as I struggled to move it and quickly offered to move it for me, all the while apologizing that she hadn't noticed sooner. I was very grateful for her kindness. That was also the very first time a stranger has offered help because they noticed my belly.

As I mentioned earlier, we made a huge order with Amazon using one of the two completion discount coupons back in Week 31. I still remember, on the Saturday wherein all of the boxes in the picture below got delivered, we saw the delivery guy using a dolly to haul these boxes from his van to our door 😄 

Among the items delivered, I was a bit disappointed that the baby cameras came in a damaged box. It looked like someone had opened it and then it was taped back together. Thankfully, everything seems to be in working order so we're keeping it. The "drawer baskets" was something we definitely didn't "need," though I really wanted to get something to help with organizing the IKEA drawers so I got two sets of these. One set came with everything just fine. Another set came with a missing basket.....

 

Week 32 also took my appetite to a whole new level. I began having A LOT more appetite and it was like my stomach was just this bottomless pit!! Of course, the gestational diabetes diet doesn't allow me to just piggy out anytime I want. I wanted to have "bagel sandwiches" every morning so I ended up making my own bagels. It was my first time making bagels! I made them using coconut flour and almond flour. They were keto-bagels! W raved about them, however, I still craved for the chewiness of the normal bagels....

We also tried a dim sum restaurant this week. It was glorious. I just love dim sum!

Hawaiian food and Asian food - especially ones like braised pork, fruity tea, fried tofu, Taiwanese popcorn chicken - were some of the most craved snacks during this period. W got more takeouts this month because of me 😂 Of course, I couldn't eat them all. Even without the GD diet, my heartburn and acid reflux alone made sure I could only eat a few bites of these delicious yum yums.

Week 33 was when I felt my "heavy nesting" mode got turned on. I was motivated and eager to wash all fabrics and anything that's baby related. I washed all cloth diapers and the inserts three times and line dried them all under the sun. I washed almost all of the baby clothes we had received either as gifts or the ones we bought, from premie size to 12 months. I intentionally left out a few and kept the tags on those just in case we would like to exchange them for different sized later.

 

While working on the nursery, the trio has been clingier as ever and always followed me around. They definitely noticed our ever-increasing interests & frequent "activities" in the nursery. Before this pregnancy, we barely opened the door to the nursery over the past years. Within the last couple of months, we've been going in and out, working on the walls, moving stuff around, and just spending time in this room which they've not seen us done so for a long time. They definitely know this room is "special" and have started taking an interest in the nursery too. I can't wait for the day they all nap together in this room haha. 

 

Week 33 was also when we began making freezer meals. To do that, we stopped by Costco to stock on some ingredients. While at Costco, we checked out the infant formula aisle and saw that there was literally nothing left except these Similac Ready-to-Use bottles. There were no other options. No powdered formula. No cans. Not even Kirkland cans. This time, we grabbed one box of these Ready-to-Use bottles as our backup in case we'll need supplement for the initial period post-delivery and hope we won't have to rely on formula. 

For the freezer meals, we dedicated 3 weekends to make 12 bags of Instant Pot-ready meals. W said he was surprised that it didn't take long to prepare these freezer meals. I think it took us about 1.5 to 2 hours each weekend (either Saturday or Sunday). We made 4 bags each time. 

I wrote instructions on each of the 12 bags. Also indicated whether the meal's good with rice or noodles or either. Here's a rundown of what we have for our stash!

• Pepper Steak
• Beef Stroganoff
• Sausage Gumbo
• Shrimp & Sausage Jambalaya
• Sweet & Tangy Meatballs
• Taiwanese Beef Stew
• Hearty Beef Stew
• Korean BBQ Beef
• Chicken Chili
• Cheesy Potato Soup
• Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat)
• Teriyaki Chicken

On the Sunday of Week 33, we also met with our postpartum doula - Lisa at our home. She's actually the only doula we've spoken with multiple times on the phone. We checked out other doulas before speaking with Lisa and decided she was the best fit. Then it took around a week to get her references checked out (delayed by having the wrong phone number & reference didn't get back). The final step before deciding on hiring her was to meet with her in person at our home. She seemed professional and friendly and answered all of our questions respectively. Every response she made sounded like it was geared toward supporting our decisions and our preferences on how to help us and how to care for the baby. She also interacted well with Beibei and Duke (Lulu was sleeping so they didn't meet). We went over her scheduling and pricing and asked her to leave a copy of her contract form with us before she left. We filled out the form the next day and officially hired her two days later.

At the end of Week 33, we had a growth scan to check on baby's development and saw she's still in her favorite position - breech. She absolutely enjoys staying in that head-up bottom-down position. Due to this being a high-risk pregnancy, I receive one ultrasound scan every week, and baby's been breech every time we had a scan. So by that point I just wasn't even surprised anymore. On Week 33+6, her estimated weight was 5lbs 6oz. We also got a picture of her face this time. Well, sorta!

💗 CM