October 31, 2017 (Updated April 24, 2023)

Happy Halloween!

by Anne Mauney, MPH, RD

49 comments

Hi guys – Happy Halloween! Matt got me this fun jack ‘o’ lantern maternity shirt for the occasion – might as well have a little fun with the bump while I have it, right? 🙂 (It looks more intense from the side – the bump isn’t that impressive from the front, apparently!)

baby bump jack o lantern shirt

Today is my last day working downtown at my co-working space – I’m really going to miss it, but it didn’t make sense to pay for all of November when I have no idea what is going to happen in terms of our baby’s grand debut!

In related news – I finally got around to packing up my hospital bag yesterday! I picked out two of my favorite swaddles and then two of my fave newborn outfit options for the baby to go home in (or take pictures in, if they have a newborn photographer at the hospital, which I assume they will). Aren’t the rubber ducky footies the cutest?! And I LOVE that white onesie with the sparkly letters – it says “Hello World, I’m _____!” <- her name! My cousin Spencer and his wife Michelle sent it to us – so sweet. <3

babys first outfit

Anyway! Since I was going to work downtown today anyway, the girls and I coordinated with a DC early morning workout – easy to just shower and head straight to the office that way. Workouts are still feeling good – I just modify things to be way more low key and it works out well. 🙂

pregnancy fitness 37 weeks

I’m not sure how many more boot camps we’ll get to do together at this point, so it was good to get in a solid workout with them this morning – I’m going to miss seeing them every week while I recover/wait to get cleared for exercise again!

One of the moves I modified was instead of doing a “superman” pose (where you lie on your stomach and raise your arms and feet off the ground), I did some inversions where I walked my feet up the wall and held for about 30 seconds. Doctor’s orders – it’s time for this baby to flip over!

breech baby inversion

I had my appointment with the turning specialist doctor yesterday who does the ECV (external cephalic version) procedure – they did an extensive, long ultrasound to see how things are looking in there. She’s still in Frank breech presentation, but she hasn’t dropped down/locked in too low yet and my fluid levels look good, so they said I am a candidate for the procedure if we want to give it a shot. It’s about a 55-60% chance of successful turning, and they would want to do the procedure later this week if we go for it. Matt and I are both really on the fence about it… we’re nervous about the risk factor (risk isn’t high, but it’s not nonexistent, and occasionally things go south and the baby will need to come out right then and there, so they do the procedure in labor & delivery just in case). Part of me just wants to wait and see if she turns naturally on her own with some of the other methods (inversions, prenatal chiro appts, moxibustion, etc.) because I wonder if she hasn’t turned because she’s not ready to, or because for some reason she shouldn’t/can’t, but part of me wants to give ECV a shot just to make sure we have tried everything, you know? Such a tough call. We basically decided last night to go for it, but now I’m having second thoughts! I was reading some of the related research/data on this site and apparently even in the 55% of people who had successful versions, 25% still went on to have a C section later. If I knew that were going to happen, I’d rather just do the scheduled one… arg, so many unknowns!

So… yeah. That’s the latest. We’ll see! I need to call them later today if we want to schedule the ECV, so it’s time to make a decision either way!

I will leave you guys with a photo of part 1 of my post-workout breakfast – I grabbed a whole milk latte (half decaf) and a sausage biscuit from Baked and Wired – delicious! Part 2 was some grapes and a couple hard boiled eggs packed from home for more protein. 🙂

baked and wired breakfast and coffee

Any fun plans to celebrate Halloween? Nothing crazy over here – normally we go to a haunted forest every year, but getting chased on rocky/dark trails by scary creatures with chainsaws while 9 months pregnant didn’t seem to be the brightest idea. 😉

- anne

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49 comments
  • Man, a sausage biscuit sounds fantastic right now and that looks like a good one! I really appreciate you sharing all of your pregnancy updates. Pregnancy isn't always full of beautiful joy, and I think it's great that you're sharing your real story. You're kicking ass!
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    • Thanks Molly :)
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  • If it makes you feel any better, I tried version as well when my daughter was frank breech. When the Dr started doing the version (and you're monitored the whole time) he could pretty much tell right away after a few tries or manuevers that it wasn't going to be successful so he stopped (and it really didn't hurt all that much, just like a deep tissue massage on your belly. Maybe it would have hurt more if it was successful?) I guess all I'm trying to say is trust your Dr, they will probably know right away if it's going to be successful or not and would not put you or your baby at risk just to turn her. And yes it was kind of weird to schedule her birthday, but I just figured this was her birth story and how she wanted to come out :)
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    • That's good to know - I'm sure you are right that they will know quickly if it's going to be possible or not. We are definitely leaning towards doing it... we will see!
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  • Can they check everything out ahead of time, with an ultrasounds, like where her umbilical cord is, etc.? It is a tough call if it is worth is.
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    • They do the best they can to check that, but it's not 100% - the doctor said she couldn't see a cord around her neck, but it's possible her head is tilted and hiding it...
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  • My daughter was also in the breech position, even at the point when I was going to the dr. every week right at the end of my pregnancy. My doc felt it was best to schedule a C section, which we did. Lo and behold at the next appointment 2 days before the C section, we saw that she had corrected her position. They asked why I hadn't called to tell them, and I told them I didn't know. They couldn't believe that I didn't feel a full-term baby completely changing position and figured I must be the world's soundest sleeper and she did it at night! There's still always a chance she might move on her own.
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    • There is definitely still a chance, you're right! That's funny you didn't feel it - I was wondering if I would notice if she moved or not, especially if it was a slow move vs. all at once!
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  • Cute shirt! I sure hope your little girl turns on her own. That's such a tough decision to have to make! Good luck with everything!
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  • Love the shirt! I had to laugh at your bump from the front versus the side comment. Just this morning at my appointment, I was laying down on the exam table with my husband sitting next to me and he told me "your bump looks massive from this view". Sometimes even I don't realize how big it is until I catch a glimpse of myself sideways in the mirror. Good luck making your decision. That's a tough one to make but I'm sure whatever you decide will be best for you and your baby and she'll get here safely either way :)
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    • Haha yep! I walk by mirrors and I'm like... WHOA. But then head on pictures don't really do it justice! :)
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  • Such a tough decision! We ended up with a c-section after an easy pregnancy and baby in the right position. Ya just never know how it's going to go! We were supposed to give birth at the birth center but checked in at the hospital at 42 weeks for an induction. The quick story is, I was induced for 3 days, they finally broke my water and still nothing was really happening (fake contractions that weren't labor for 3 days). During the c-section the doc found out my sacrum bone is turned up and Lennon couldn't descend at all. If you end up having to go the c-section route (planned or not), please don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions or for support before or after. I'm sure you have a great support team, but I'm here for you, too! :) Wishing you guys all the best!!
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    • Thank you Ashley! <3 You really do never know, huh?!
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      • I literally had the exact same scenario as Ashley (hi, Ashley!) and ended up with the c-section a year ago this coming Sunday. :) Ditto to please reach out if you have any questions or need support! And I know everyone is different, but I'll just say, too, that for me the c-section itself and the recovery weren't nearly as awful as some horror stories I've heard. Also (again I know everyone is different, but this was something that made me nervous about a potential c-section), the c-section didn't personally affect my ability to breastfeed or my milk coming in at all - still nursing today, actually!
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        • Thank you Lindsey! That's really good to hear about the breastfeeding - that's definitely a concern of mine if we end up needing the C section!
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  • My first baby boy was frank breech as well. My doctor was out of town and one of her associates said she might try the inversion. The next week when my doctor saw me she said, you're going to have a big baby and there is no room in your uterus to do an inversion so I suggest scheduling a C section. I remember thinking, oh no! This isn't what I wanted. My baby never flipped and he the scheduled C section went very smoothly. My son was 9lbs and 10oz! When my doctor delivered she said oh my gosh, you have a toddler! I was so glad I didn't have to try and go through labor only to have an emergency C section. Just remember to be so so easy on yourself during your recovery (if you have a C section or not) and accept any and all help your family and friends give you the first few weeks home with your new baby.
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  • Love the pumpkin shirt! You're amazing to be able to do inversions like that!!
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  • I would be really careful with the version - I have a few friends with really awful horror stories from them - they definitely aren't without very substantial risks! Good luck!
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    • Yikes... that's good to know!
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  • Personally I am always in favor of minimizing risk to the baby. You are still a few weeks from your due date and not too late for her to turn. While a C-section is not ideal (I for one am eternally grateful for the procedure because in olden days I would not have survived childbirth without it nor have my 3 beautiful daughters ) it is easy on the baby. I wish you all the best and the shirt is the cutest!!
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  • Almost baby time! I bet it feels amazing to still be able to be so active - good for you!! I must ask - where do you get all of your workout pants/capris and tops?! I'm 22 weeks and have still been squeezing into too tight pre-preggo workout pants because I just can't find anything of decent quality that fit the growing belly! Any help is much appreciated - I have ordered and returned an embarrassing number of things at this point :)
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    • I just shared my favorite pregnancy-friendly tights + tank in my recent 36 week pregnancy update! Totally agree it's hard to find good ones for fitness when pregnant, but I have some faves now! You DEF don't want to be smushed into regular tights anymore - so uncomfortable!
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  • My daughter had to be turned and it worked fine. The worst part was the IV! Best of luck to you and your husband.
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  • My daughter was also breech. We opted for the version, which wasn't as bad as everyone said it would be. They tried really hard to turn her but she wouldn't budge. Turned out the cord was wrapped around her neck twice. I think if there's an anatomical reason that they are in the position they're in, they just won't move. My c-section went really well even though I wanted to deliver naturally. I say, trust your gut and then embrace the unknowns, this is pretty much motherhood anyway. Best of luck!
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  • With my first child (a 3yo girl) we were in the same situation (frank breech, locked and loaded). Based on the odds of working, the odds of immediately going into labor, and the odds of needing a c-section anyway, we decided to wait and see if she turned herself. When I went into labor they did an ultrasound so check positioning. She was still breech and labor progressed so much we had an emergency c-section. All ended well. With baby no 2, I was given the option of a V-back, but they said it was likely to end in a c-section, so we scheduled a c-section. Although I'm a planner, I much preferred going into labor (even though it ended in a c-section) verses scheduling a c-section because I felt like the baby was ready vs being evicted, haha. Just remember there is no right answer, do what's best for you (two)!
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  • You are seriously the cutest pregnant woman!! I've been saying some prayers (If you're Catholic, St.Gerard is the patron saint of childbirth:) that you two make the best decision and it all works out!
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    • Thank you Cara! <3
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  • Maybe you can wield a fake chainsaw at home to greet the trick or treaters! (What fun when you can take the then-child to a haunted house!) Fully appreciate the difficult decisions, but maybe the no risk approach... ?
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    • I hope our little one likes haunted houses/forests as much as I do!!
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  • Gosh, you two have really been up to your ears in tough choices lately, haven’t you? Wishing you peace with whatever you decide - and a smooth ride from here on out!
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    • Haha yeah... my decision making abilities are a little burned out right now. :) Thank you! <3
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  • My best friend just deleivered a healthy baby girl who was Frank breech via scheduled c-section. Know that whatever route you end up going, as long as you end up with a healthy baby, it's all good :). Good luck!
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    • P.S..my name is Andie, NOT A die. Darn autocorrect!
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  • My first daughter was also frank breech, from around 27 weeks, and while we considered trying the version, my doctor noted that often it’s harder for first babies to move cos your abs are tighter, which is why it might not work/they might not move on their own. So we scheduled a C section, and were glad we did, she was definitely lodged in there and my doctor said she would never have started labour on her own. The recovery was ok, I agree with previous posts, take the meds, rest when you can, ie lie down when you’re not holding the baby for the first year couple of weeks, and take it easy! There is something calming about having it planned and known, and while it is a major surgery, there is a major reward at the end! I wish you all the best with deciding and the birth no matter how it happens my dear ?
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    • Thank you Laura! <3 I was reading that as well re: versions not working as often with first babies since abs are a lot tighter/stronger... and given all the workouts I'm still doing I wouldn't be surprised if that were the case for me. Who knows, though!
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  • I miss Baked and Wired so much! We lived in Georgetown earlier this year while I was pregnant with our twins and I lived off their biscuits and chocolate croissants...they were born healthy and thriving so it must be good for babies! Enjoy these last few weeks as much as possible, even though it can get really uncomfortable.
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    • Their baked goods are soooo delicious. :) And thank you!
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  • Both of my kids were in the correct position from the start and I had vaginal deliveries. But when I was in my mommy's belly I was breech until late MAY where I flipped on my own when my mom was just sitting outside relaxing. My birthday is in early July so it can happen on its own!
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    • Fingers crossed! I was sunny side up apparently and refused to be turned - had to be hauled out by forceps!
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  • I love that jacket! Where did you get it? I'm sure you have probably mentioned it along the line somewhere in the past, but I'm just noticing it now :) Happy Halloween.
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    • It's an old fave - from South Moon Under but unfortunately about 3 or 4 years ago! It was a bday gift from Matt - I was impressed. :)
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  • Hi, I don't have any advice on the breech situation, but I will offer my two cents on the hospital bag...you might want to bring more baby clothes! I also brought two outfits and I was only the hospital 24 hours but that wasn't enough as my baby spit up on both outfits promptly. So maybe consider bringing some backups! Good luck!
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    • I figured we are mostly going to have the baby in a diaper and a hospital blanket or swaddle and just needed stuff to bring her home in - is that not the case? Clearly I have no idea what I'm doing so def open to suggestions - thank you!
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      • I thought that too, and maybe it varies at different hospitals so check with yours, or with a friend who has given birth there! But at ours (in the UK), after we had lots of skin to skin and everything, the midwife told us to get our baby dressed in pyjamas for the night, and then swaddled her and wrapped in a blanket over the pyjamas. It would have been fine if she didn't spit up on both outfits and we felt like terrible parents then for not having enough backups. But I still have no idea what goes on in other hospitals.
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        • Interesting - I'll have to look into it more! Thanks!
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