40 Weeks!

Due date has arrived! I actually feel really good considering the crazy heat lately and am trying to enjoy the time we have left as a family of three. Definitely getting antsy but I'm trying to tell myself I'll never get this time back. Kiddo will come out when he wants, I guess.

I'm still super posterior and not sure if I'm dilated. I'm trying to walk a lot, bounce on the yoga ball, and just avoid reclining/sitting if I can. Fingers crossed that helps. Again, it was this way with Elliott and things worked out okay in the end. Baby looks good otherwise. My belly is a little on the small side (again, just like with Elliott), but my doc has zero concerns about my growth. I'm progressing at a consistent and normal-for-me rate. And I truly think my uterus is always so tucked far back posterior that it's decieving. 

I woke up one night with some cramping that resembled my first labor pains with Elliott. I remember getting scared with her, but when I felt them this time, I definitely felt a sense of "let's do this." Maybe that's just because they ended up not being the real thing. It's still best if I don't think about labor, otherwise I feel pretty dreadful about it.

We finally settled 100% on a name! It's been the front runner for a long time, but we both had slight reservations about it. After having a few more name conversations with family and it *wasn't* on anyone else's mind, we knew it was a good choice. We are still deciding which middle name is best but I think we will know when he's born. 

Since I'm still pregnant, I had Taryn take some maternity photos. They usually aren't my thing, but we never take photos of the three of us.  I know I won't regret having some.

Second babies are so bittersweet. Elliott was a tough infant, but is making up for it in spades as a super awesome toddler. She has moments of crabbiness, but overall she is such an easy kid. Our boat will for sure be rocked when this kid comes! Having a girl first was definitely better for me (a cautious child is much better for my anxious heart), and I can only imagine how neurotic I will be with a rough boy. Please be kind to your mother, sweetie pie.

We couldn't be more ready to meet you! 

38 Weeks

It's like a switch flips when I get to 37 weeks. Pregnancy is pretty easy for me and then I all of a sudden can't stand it anymore.

At 37w5d Dr Emm checked me. I have a posterior cervix again so she couldn't tell if I was dilated but commented that I feel soft. His head is really low and he seems to be in good position. I'm trying to tell myself that I will be overdue and to just not get my hopes up for anything earlier. I'm hoping sitting on the balance ball at night will put things into place. Contractions have been constant for weeks so hopefully that's a sign things will be faster this time. Since he was a super active dude most of this pregnancy, things have slowed down since he's running out of room. I'm convinced he's super long. 

I'm still tired. Stretched to the max. Can't bend over. Wake up at 4am often.

All of the baby stuff is good to go. I caved and bought a rock n play but I'm sure we'll get use of it. Elliott has started playing with the gear and will put her baby dolls in them which is adorable. Bag is partially ready. 

I'm starting to worry about labor. Thinking back on Elliott's labor reminds me that I've survived it before but that it is really really hard. I'm planning to play this one by ear again as far as if I get an epi. As long as things go a little faster this time, I'm sure I can do med free again, it's just whether or not I want to hate myself and die for a few hours.

Please God let this kid come out quickly, easily, healthy, and soon. 

36ish Weeks

We're at the 9 month mark. It does feel like forever since I learned I was pregnant, but this one has definitely gone faster!  Nothing super important to note. He's a pretty active kid and I feel his feet kicking my side a lot. His head seems to be nice and low (seriously feels like he's trying to escape already). I feel like he's going to be really long based on his positioning. His heartbeat at my 35.5 week appointment was 127 but he must've been sleeping because that's been the lowest it's been so far for sure. He's usually racing! I'm up probably 28 lb. Getting dressed is a real chore because I'm extra hippy this time I guess. 

I'm starting to get tired. Most of this is because I don't drink enough water, but I just don't have energy to do much. Since these are my last few weeks alone with Elliott, we've been doing activities nearly every morning, but then nap time is so welcomed. We've been going to the library for the summer reading program a lot (which she loves!) otherwise we have tumbling class on fridays and fill in other days with the splash pad or parks, and she goes with me to my OB appointments. Swimming takes too much effort so we haven't done much of that.

I'm also starting to worry about labor since I'm not in nearly as good of shape as I was last time. We go on a decent number of walks but I also sit a lot. I've started doing some Pilates again in hopes that I don't die. The politics of healthcare are so convuluted that we are going to be paying $$$$$ for this kid and doing anything other than a completely natural labor isn't even an option. If my doc would deliver me at home I'd do it! 

Baby Boy's room is also done (ish)! We have enough clothes and all are clean and organized. Bedding and curtains are up. I plan to purchase letters for his name to go on one wall, though. We are 99% sure we've decided on it but I'll still wait until we're certain. Otherwise I don't plan on doing much else since, let's face it, the kid won't use his room for probably months to come, and I'm just less inspired/more lazy this time. We do need to bring up all the baby gear (bassinet, bouncer, car seat) but we'll get there. There are still a few things we'd like to buy but can't justify spending money on (see above paragraph...). I'm pretty confident I will be a few days overdue this time so not getting too antsy just yet, but birth being over will be welcome. I'm trying not to even think about logistics of life with two kids but I'm sure we will figure it out as we go. I am getting so excited to meet him! 

28 Weeks

This pregnancy is going fast. I have to think about how far along I am which is funny to me.

I didn't really start showing noticeably until closer to 18-20 weeks, but then I definitely popped. Thankfully I seem to have plateaud since and for that I am grateful. I'm not uncomfortable and I'd like to keep it that way, although none of my pants fit and I'll be in leggings all summer. I haven't paid attention to any weight gain but I think I'm fairly close to what I was last time.

Have I mentioned that it's a boy? I found out without a doubt at my anatomy scan around 22 weeks. I face timed Andy from the car to tell him (we weren't surprised). Then we announced publicly about a week later. It had gotten to a point where a lot of people knew, others suspected, but we hadn't acknowledged it so it was nice to get it out of limbo. 

We still have no idea what his name will be. We've gone through a million lists it seems, but nothing is standing out as a clear favorite. We can't seem to agree so hopefully we have an epiphany soon. I hate not deciding.

We have made a lot of progress on baby boy's room. We cleared it of all the junk that was stored in there, moved the bed, and sold the two dressers. We picked up all of the new furniture from ikea and it's been nice to get that done. Since I have a lot of the clothes prepped, I just need to do the decorative touches and we will be good to go.

I had my glucose tolerance test at 28w4d. Drawing blood is pretty painless for me, thankfully, and I don't think the drink is bad at all. I drew at 8:54, 9:54, and 10:54. I saw Dr Emm in between. Fetal movement chart is back so I'll be documenting that from now on. I've gained about 20 lb so far. Blood pressure looks good, no concerns. I did talk to her about starting back on anxiety meds because this month it has been really debilitating for me. I'm still not ready to pull the trigger but it's nice to know she doesn't have any issue with it. 

Parenthood: Round 2

Yep, we are going to do all this again. I'm pregnant.

I sort of had a hunch and asked Andy to pick up a test for me. He apparently doesn't know the difference between a pregnancy test and an ovulation kit so that delayed that for a day :) Officially tested on Monday, November 21 and I just said "shiiiitttttt" when I saw the result. Taking a pregnancy test at home by myself (except having a toddler two feet away staring at me) was a little different than before :) After sort of deciding we would add another to our brood, it happened immediately. Kids, it really only does take one time! I wouldn't have it any other way, though!

Since I took progesterone with my last pregnancy, I called my doc to order a blood test. It was already the day before Thanksgiving. I normally avoid going to St. James like the plague because I know too many people but I was lazy and my SIL who works the desk was gone that week. I figured why not? I was still registered by a basically-family member but oh well! I hope HIPAA holds up. I went back on Friday and the place was dead. Still a little low on the progesterone so we are going ahead with supplements this time.

Since I'm writing this at 11 weeks 2 days, I can say the second time around is way different. I am lazy and way less obsessed about it. I am terrible about taking my supplements as needed and actually stopped at like 10.5 weeks (rather than 12). Overall things are just more lax.

Otherwise, things are comparable. I didn't ever get ill, but this time around I have gagged way more than before (every morning while emptying Elliott's old milk cups..).  The past few days have been much better. I was pretty equally exhausted both times, but this time is worse because I have a child to keep up with. Elliott has watched more TV in the last 6 weeks than she had her whole life before that. I vow to be a more enriching SAHM! (Who's kidding though, right?)

I was NEVER emotional when pregnant with Elliott, but this time around I am a real basket case. It is so unlike me!! The number of times I've sobbed is truly stupid. Mushy commercials get me (this has never happened). Yesterday, I showed Elliott a bunch of random videos of family trips to WDW and just cried thinking about taking her. I usually go months without crying or even tearing up at all.

I went to the doctor by myself December 14 when I was 7w5d. All was good and heartbeat was 167. Not much else to add. I left Elliott with my mom. She doesn't ask questions but probably wondered where I was going. She's intuitive.

Nobody knows the news yet at this point (except that time I broke down sobbing to my cheer bus driver, who gave me a hug and mumbled "are you pregnant?" I was too shocked to be able to deny it, and rather said "how do you know that? Nobody knows that." Otherwise we will keep it to ourselves AT LEAST until the end of January when I'm 14-15 weeks. We will find out gender at our ultrasound early March. But I'm telling you, it's a boy.

I went back to the doc last week at 9w5d just to go over medical history and get blood drawn. Since I've done it all before, not much is new. I go back in a few weeks toward the end of January.

Just per usual, I am cautious about things and will feel much better once we get past the first 12-14 weeks. I had started taking some anxiety medication not long before getting pregnant, but have slowly weaned myself since finding out. I notice a difference, but it's manageable. We are just plugging along every day! So happy to have this dude to grow.

Due Date is July 28!

Elliott Eileen - Labor and Delivery

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

2:30 am - wake with pretty strong cramps 

3:00 am - go to pee

3-4:00 am - time contractions in bed, 6-7 minutes apart

4:00 am - contractions reach the <6 minute mark, get up to shower, contractions much less strong

4:30 am - back in bed, contractions mild enough to sleep through now

4:30-7 am - sporadic contractions, fairly strong but further apart

8:00 am - Andy leaves for work, I do random things and lie in bed. Contractions mild but close together.

9:00 am - Andy comes home and we leave for hospital. Still not convinced this is it.

9:45 am - arrive at hospital, get gown, urine sample, check in questions, dilated to 2, 90% effaced

10:30-1 - walk halls, get on birthing ball, contractions very tolerable 3-4 minutes apart

1:00 pm - back in bed. Checked and only at 3. We are given the option to leave, stay, or stay and start Pitocin because things aren't quite progressing as needed. We decide on the Pit because we just want to get it going.

2:00 pm - Nurse Leti starts IV fluids and gets the Pit. Before she puts the bag up, I get a wave of intense contractions back to back, so she doesn't need to start it:) 

2:45 pm - dilated 3-4, head low, contractions still manageable but not fun

3:15 pm - mom asks about an Epi. Dad talks her out of it.

3:45 pm - move from bed to birthing ball, contractions on the up

4:05 pm - Dr Emm stops by, dilated to 5. Feeling some motivation.

4:20 pm - back on birthing ball

5:00 pm - back in bed, try to nap 

5:40 pm - Leti does rounds, she's confident we will deliver before midnight. 

6:35 pm - checked and measuring 7-8, head still low. Things are getting real intense now. It's a mental game to push through. Everyone says 7-10 is the fastest so I tell myself there is no point in an Epi at this point. Everyone comments at how calm I'm being.

7:20 pm - introduced to new nurse Sam and student Molly

7:30 pm - back on ball, biggest contractions yet. Really feeling discouraged and asking for the Epi.

8:00 pm - get up to pee and this time feel lots of pressure

8:15 pm - Sam checks me and I'm about 9.5 cm. the only thing in the way is my water. She tries to 'accidentally' break it with no luck. I'm feeling really helpless, like it will never be over. 

8:40 pm - Practically begging for the Epi, but Sam suggests calling Dr Emm to break my water, since that will be faster. I say heck yes.

8:44 pm - Dr Emm here and water is broken. Almost completely dilated, head very low.

8:55 pm - on birthing ball, losing buckets of water slowly.

9:00 pm - back in bed, on all fours. Contractions very strong. Sam instructs me to push slightly with each contraction. Not feeling super natural to push just yet.  

9:15 pm - get on back, start actively pushing. Things don't feel instinctive until a few pushes in. I am openly criticizing my insanity. Dr Emm and staff in the room. Everyone is telling me I'm doing great, but I feel like I am not. Dr Emm asks for the mirror so I can see and be motivated. More grossed out but motivated to get it over with. Push for what feels like forever. Suddenly I guess I get a good shove and baby girl comes before they even have a table and supplies at the ready.

9:39 pm - Elliott Eileen Bauman is born

7 lb 8 oz, 20 inches long, with a head of dark hair

Apgar scores are both a 9 (good job, kid!) The next 45 minutes I do skin to skin during third stage (short but uncomfortable) and stitch me. Baby girl has an excellent first feed and we are officially parents! 

Side notes: Andy surpassed any expectations I had of him as a birth coach. He was pretty firm in getting me to stick to my original 'plan.' He was encouraging yet pretty much avoided touching me, which was what I wanted.

And as far as the no epidural debate. Obviously now I am really glad I stuck to it. It was really not the worst until the last 3 hours or so. At the time I was certain that I would never do it again and for all I cared they could cut the rest of my kids out of me (honestly I was really telling myself to never have another child again). I was never interested in no meds so that I could have a 'badge of honor' of sorts because I think that's stupid. I just wanted to take the smoothest route, if that makes sense. All of the benefits to no epidural come after delivery whereas the pros of the Epi are obviously during labor. Elliott was born so alert, she had an amazing nursing session right away, and her digestive system was moving right along just hours after birth. She even tested positive for Coombs but still dodged the jaundice bullet probably because of her awesome feeding. Now I can't say all of this was because of no meds, but it obviously didn't hurt. It was also nice that I could get up and moving pretty shortly after all was over. I'm just glad the whole thing is over and done with and we have a healthy baby:)

36-40 Weeks

We are here. And we're still waiting.

I have reached the uncomfortable phase. For pretty much my whole pregnancy, I have felt mostly normal. The past few weeks I've been feeling more restricted. Moving around in bed is proving interesting. I think I wake Andy up groaning and grunting when I switch positions. I'm sure my ab muscles are still pretty great considering, but it certainly makes things more difficult. I've become an expert at undressing and putting on shoes with minimal bending over because it hurts. My belly feels like it is stretched to the max. I feel like a balloon that could pop any minute. It is truly a miracle that I do not have stretch marks still.

I wake up pretty much at 4 am every day to go to the bathroom. If I can't fall back asleep quickly, then I get out of bed between 5 and 6 for a bowl of cereal. I can usually fall back asleep at some point until about 9 or 10 depending on how long I stay awake in the early hours. At this point, I have run out of things to do. This past week I've been spending a good portion of my mornings in bed. I typically get up a shower and lunch and spend the afternoon doing things (laundry, dishes, errands, etc.).  We had probably a thousand pine cones in our yard, so each day I pick up a bag full. The squatting down is good for me. By 4 pm-ish I am ready to rest again. Andy has been working later so we have been eating dinner between 7 and 8. We have been going to bed by 10 almost every night. I try to do a few rounds of squats and stretching beforehand.

I figured all along that I would go past my due date. I think it's just a part of being a first time mom to be over due. But I will be honest that at about week 37, I was fantasizing about going a little early. At that point the waiting was still exciting as I knew I could go into labor at any minute. And now I wake up every day telling myself that today is not the day. I will be pregnant for a while longer. I'm pretty accepting of being out of control, but I have certainly had my moments of insanity.

I am typically a very rational person. I run on logic, rather than emotion. I know that my pregnancy is going pretty much how I expected it to. But I kind of lost it at my doctor's appointment on Monday (39w2d). I am not a cryer, so this is very unlike me. I can count on one hand the number of times I have cried during this pregnancy. Just in the past week, I have known of FIVE babies that have been born and I think that has exacerbated my frustrations. I can't even be mad at the baby, because I know if the roles were reversed I would probably really enjoy making everyone wait for me until May. The most annoying thing at this point is the constant text messages and phone calls from people asking me if I'm labor, when I think I will give birth, if I'm dilated, etc. Everyone means well, but add them together and it gets overwhelming. This is not like a dentist appointment I can just schedule. (And even if I did know when I was going to deliver, I would still probably not tell anyone.)

I go in spurts of being nervous about delivery. It's starting to get really real that I'm going to have to do this. I know that everyone survives just fine and that it won't be a big deal when all is said and done. I try to just not think about it and go with the flow as much as possible.

I know that we will meet her very soon! (Too lazy to upload photos so I'll come back and do it later)

Remaining Appointments

38 Weeks - Monday, April 6 at 2:45 pm

Weight up 27 lb total. BP around the norm 100/60. Baby's heartbeat 140 BPM. That's about it.


39 Weeks - Monday, April 13 at 2:45 pm

Weight up 28 lb total. BP a little higher than usual at 110/70. Baby's heartbeat 140 BPM. Dr. Emm said my belly is growing well. I let her check me this week. Cervix is soft and she thought I may be dilated to a 1, but she couldn't really tell as the kid's head is still in the way so we're going with 0. She has no concerns. She asks if I can wait another week to discuss any plan. As ready as I am to no longer be pregnant, I know it's for the best to keep waiting. She still thinks I'll be fine delivering naturally without a section and confirmed that there should be no reason that she isn't the one to deliver me. Whew. I still leave feeling a bit defeated as I feel like I have been pregnant for so long and am frustrated by no progress.

40 Weeks - Monday, April 20 at 2:30 pm

Weight up 29 lb total. BP still a bit higher than my usual at 114/68 (probably just from anxiety). Dr. Emm reviewed the usual questions. Contractions seem to be picking up a bit. Baby's heartbeat is 142 BPM, so holding steady there. I'm dilated to 1 and 80-90% effaced (thank you, Jesus!!). This lifts my spirits because a little progress is better than no progress. She is really on board with letting me go on my own, but asks if we want to go ahead schedule an induction for next week. Hopefully we won't need it, but it will be so nice to have an end date in sight. She says we can even do this week if we are really antsy, since next Monday I will already be 41w2d. We opt to schedule for midnight on Sunday/Monday and are crossing our fingers that I go on my own beforehand. Either way this is my last prenatal appointment! And I'm super thankful that it rained and Andy could come with me, so I didn't have to repeat the whole appointment to him. Overall, I'm just feeling much more positive.

37 Week Appointment

I know these are repetitive.. sorry.

I arrived a few minutes early and left my sample. Jessica called me back quickly. Weight up 25 lb. I don't believe she told me my blood pressure because we were making small talk. She asked the usual symptom questions. The only things to note were that I'm still having Braxton Hicks, but have added some mild cramping. No swelling, headaches, bleeding, etc.

She took me to an exam room and said Dr. Emm would check my cervix for dilation today - bummer! I was hoping to just skip that part a while longer. Dr. Emm came in about one minute later and asked the usual questions, but there isn't much new to report. She did not tell me my belly measurement, but baby's heartbeat was 140. She then tried to check my cervix, but it's so tilted and baby's head is already in the way that she couldn't quite reach it. Ouch. Ignorance is bliss for now, I guess! I would be very surprised if I was dilated at all at this point anyway. She's told me before that a tilted cervix shouldn't affect delivery at all and there is nothing I can really do to push it forward. She's so laid back that I'm trying to feed off her vibe.

I asked her if I needed to call anyone before going to the hospital during labor and she said nope. She said to wait till I have contractions 5 minutes apart lasting 1 minute for a few hours before coming to the hospital, unless my water has broken. I asked if we had to do weekly cervical checks from now on and she said not unless I wanted to, since they won't really affect anything anyway.

Another week down, I guess. Shit's getting real.

32-36 Weeks

Almost. There.

I've decided it's for the best that I don't know when this girl is going to come. I still am thinking labor is weeks and weeks away, so I'm not too stressed about it. Even if I go into labor now, stressing will get me nowhere, so I'm just trying to keep that at bay. I'm sure that feeling will dissipate the closer that I get to my due date.

The insomnia is hit or miss. I wake up every night super hot, which is unusual since I'm typically cold. I have been trying to take a lot of naps because I know this freedom will be short lived. My back still hurts, mostly from lying or sitting down. I really, really need to be better about the yoga. Though I'm doing lots of squats and leg work by picking up and putting down Landry and sitting indian style on the floor, I can feel the weakness. When I stretch, I really feel the strain, that has never happened before. I'm hoping that's just part of late pregnancy and not a bad sign :S I really want to yoga this kid out. I need to be better about staying hydrated too. I have had a stuffy nose this entire pregnancy and am really looking forward to breathing normally again, too. No stretch marks, but the belly button made a definite pop-out appearance at week 34.

Kiddo is pretty active but seems to be slowing down as expected. You can really see her swerve since I don't have a lot of extra padding in the way. She has the hiccups a lot. Braxton hicks contractions are becoming more frequent - I have a handful every day.

With each day I feel more and more prepared. I now have my bag completely packed, the car seat is installed, and baby's bag is pretty much packed too. I'm now realizing that we are probably ahead of most other parents on the planning front. We've got the rest of our registry stuff purchased. I've done a lot of cleaning around the house and truthfully just want to wash every baby item we have. I've been holding off with only washing the newborn and 0-3 month clothes and not get ahead of myself. Current stash of this size clothing is: 5 sleepers, 9 onesies, 1 light jacket, 3 pairs of pants/leggings, 2 casual dresses, 2 formal dresses. She won't be able to wear any of the other clothes for another 4 months anyway so it would be dumb for me to wash it all. (I've since ordered more newborn clothes..)

One thing to note about clothing is that it is not as irresistible as I imagined. Maybe I am used to buying for boys, but most of the girl stuff isn't really my style, particularly the baby stuff. I keep wanting to go into the 2T and up sections, so we may have problems once she hits that age. Things seem to get better once you hit 6 months. Another issue is just that stores don't have a ton of newborn stuff on the racks. I have more 3-6 month stuff!  I have vowed to stay off Etsy because bow purchases are my vice. Right now she will have 6 bows for newborn/0-3 months, 5 for 3-6 months, 1 for 6-12 months, and 4 head wraps for when she's older too. (For the record, I had to get a few more after going clothes shopping, because the outfits and bows didn't match up - lesson learned). Luckily, they're a (fairly) cheap addiction.

This might be a bit overboard, but I have already started her digital baby book online. I have a lot of the pages templated so I can fill in photos as the year goes on. I know I won't feel like doing it once she's here and I'm motivated to do it now, so why not? It will probably be 100 pages by her first birthday.

I've reached the point in my pregnancy where people can clearly tell that I'm pregnant. This month has been the most annoying by far, because I would rather people (particularly people I'm not close with) just not talk to me about it. I don't care what you think about my belly size or your guesses when I will go into labor. I've had multiple people say "you must not have gained any weight." Not true! Just because I don't look like a whale doesn't mean anything. Even if you think you're giving someone a compliment, you're not. Unless you're my doctor, go away. I've learned that the best conversation to have with a pregnant person is just to say "you look great." And absolutely nothing else. The worse thing is that I know the mommy judginess will only get worse once she's here. (Clearly you can tell from the below photos that I have grown).

                              32 Weeks                                                                        37 Weeks

It's still crazy to think we will probably have a baby girl at this time next month. I can't wait to see what she looks like!

36 Week Appointment

My appointment was Monday, March 23 at 1:15. I got there a minute or two before, left my sample, and Jessica grabbed me as I was finishing. Weight up 24 lb so far. Everything else the same old jazz.

I went in one of the bigger exam rooms because of the group B test. I was seeing Dr. Dudley because Dr. Emm is on vacation - I'm okay with that because it should mean she'll be around for when I deliver. I waited a while, a good ten minutes. She came in and measured my belly, up 2cm to 34. Baby's heart rate in the 140s. She quickly did the group B swab and I was on my way. Another week down.

35 Week Appointment

I had an ultrasound scheduled for 2:15 on Monday, March 16. I got in pretty quickly and the tech started measuring things right away. Not much to really say about this point other than it felt like it took a long time. The tech didn't say too much, but commented that the placenta looked nice and healthy and baby's head was pretty low. She tried (for the third time!) to get a facial or profile photo, but she had a pretty rough time. We did get a modified photo, which is much better than nothing. I left my sample and then came back in, because she thought emptying my bladder may help. It actually made things worse, but oh well.

Then I went out in the waiting room to wait for my appointment with Dr. Emm. For some reason they were really backed up and the exam rooms were all full. I waited for a while, which I've never had to do. It wasn't a big deal as I didn't have anywhere else I needed to be. Jessica did call me in to get weighed (up 22 lb), take my BP (104/60), and ask about symptoms (only BH, back pain), but I did have to go back to the waiting room to wait again.

I got called back and Dr. Emm came in a few minutes later. She got my ultrasound results and said that baby weighed just shy of 5 lb, which is 17%. She said all limbs were proportional, so she thought all looked good. Since I'm a small person, I'm going to have a baby on the small side - it's only logical. She stressed that she had no concerns.

Then she measured baby's heartbeat with the Doppler (150 bpm) and my belly. She said I'd grown 2 cm that week, which is good. Next week I will meet with Dr. Dudley because Dr. Emm will be out of town (which means I cannot go into labor, not that I think that will happen). I will be swabbed for Strep B so hopefully that cooperates.

Prepared Childbirth Class: Session 4

It was our last class! The topic of this session was basically post-delivery care for both mom and baby.

We started by talking about how much moms leak after delivery, and all of the products that go along with that. I can't even remember the details about much else of this part.

The second half was basic baby care. Shellie discussed the protocol for circumcisions, and the parents who were having boys had a few questions. She also reviewed a few things about breastfeeding, bottle feeding, etc. The other couples had several feeding questions. The know-it-all dietitian in me had a very rough time staying quiet during this part, but I refrained from making any comments.

She also demonstrated how to give a sponge bath, change a diaper, and swaddle. Then we all got dolls to practice on. I've swaddled and changed diapers about a thousand times, but this was nice for Andy to practice. We followed up with basic Q&A. Andy and I didn't have any questions, but the other parents had several. I know they say there is no such thing as a stupid question, but I disagree. (Not saying stupid questions shouldn't be asked, but if you need to ask them that still makes you dumb).

Overall the class was okay. I think the other couples' took away a lot more than we did just because we are more experienced? I'm still glad we did it, as it was reaffirmed that we have this parenting thing under control.

34 Week Appointment

Sick of these yet? Me too.

My appointment was made for Monday, March 9 at 11:15 am. I got there a minute or two early and left my sample. Jessica called me back shortly after. My weight is up 21 lb total. Blood pressure is the same at 100/64. Then she took me to an exam room.

I waited a bit before Dr. Emm came. She asked how things were going (well) and asked the usual questions: Braxton-Hicks? Yes. Heartburn? No.. and so on. The only thing to note really is that the middle of my back hurts. Then she got out the Doppler and baby's heartbeat measured 145 bpm - still slowly creeping down. She measured my belly next. I'm measuring a little small, so she wants me back in a week for a growth ultrasound to make sure I'm not restricting the baby.

Dr. asked if I had other questions and I asked when we needed to go over birth plans. She said she typically gets into the details around 36 weeks, but reviewed her personal philosophy. She stated she is more of a "naturalist" and does as little intervention as possible (hallelujah!). She does skin-to-skin on everyone immediately, delays cord clamping, and doesn't do episiotomies. Proof positive that I chose the best doctor match. I didn't even go into any of my own wishes, because they all matched her typical protocol.

I go back on Monday for the ultrasound and follow up appointment. I'll admit I don't like the concern for growth, but it will be nice to get another view of her before delivery since we haven't gotten any really good looks so far. I hope she cooperates. We are starting weekly appointments now, so I guess we're nearing the end.

32 Week Appointment

Andy and I were spending the afternoon in Bloomington to finish up baby purchases and go to our last baby class. My appointment was at 3:15 and we arrived right on time. I left my sample and got called back by Dr. Dudley's assistant right away. We went to the back room which I thought was odd, but she did the usual stuff. Weight up 19 lb total (4 in the last 2 weeks - yikes)! I'll be limiting the cookies from now on. BP 102/60 as usual. No symptoms to note. Then she realized I was Dr. Emm's patient so she took me over to one of her rooms. Dr. came in just a few minutes later.

Again, nothing unusual to discuss as I'm feeling fine. She mentioned how easy I am. She measured my belly and said growth is on track. She suspects I'll have a nice, average, 7 pounder - I like average! Baby's heart rate was 147, slowly creeping down. Dr. Emm checked my movement chart and said all looked well. She asked about Braxton hicks and I said I wasn't quite sure if that's what it was, but that I was feeling tightening. Nothing else to note really.

I asked for my pump prescription and we were on our way. My next appointment is in two weeks on March 9. 

28-32 Weeks

We are nearing the home stretch here. And I can say now that if she were to come tomorrow, we would be pretty much prepared (although she really needs to cook for longer). We have a bassinet for her to sleep in, and the nursery is pretty much done (even though she won't use it much for the next 6 months). We have a stash of diapers (combo of disposables and cloth). Andy and I have scheduled a date this week to shop for some clothes and pick up the rest of the essentials.

I'm starting to feel some aches and pains now and then from my growing belly. I need to up my activity level to hopefully kick this. I've gotten a few cramps even in my legs and feet too. I can't quite tell if I've had any Braxton Hicks yet, or if it's just pressure of her moving and pushing things around in there. If so, it's only been a handful of times. Otherwise I love feeling and watching her move. It lets me know things are all good in there. No stretch marks at this point and my belly button is just sort of flattened. 

Still struggling with insomnia, even though I've hit a wall with energy. For a while I was a busy bee nesting. The night of our shower I woke up at 3am and spent 2.5 hours putting things away. But now I tire more easily. All the energy I do have is used efficiently to nest, at least, and I still can be really motivated, it just seems to be less so than before. There were a few times this past week when I was too tired to move or talk. It's like someone sent a message to my body saying 'hey, they're almost done preparing! You can steal her energy now!' Some of that is low blood sugar, but it almost feels like it did in the first trimester on the exhaustion front.

Speaking of blood sugar, I feel like I am eating a lot. I get hungry quickly so snacks are a must. And it seems lots of sweets have entered my home lately, so there has been no shortage of sugar available. Otherwise I'm pretty much bingeing on fruit. For instance this week I went through 2 cartons of strawberries, 2 cartons of blackberries, a pint of blueberries, 4 plums, and probably 4 navel oranges. The sweet craving gender myth holds true for this one.

                               28 Weeks                                                                32 Weeks

I'm starting to feel like I've been pregnant forever! Come. On. April.

Prepared Childbirth Class: Session 3

This week's topic was mostly labor interventions and C-sections. We went over different types of interventions (ie. forceps, vacuums, C-sections) and reasons each would need to be done. This covered all ways baby can be poorly positioned/breech, prolapsed cord, or simply baby is just too big. I have to say that covering all of the ways that labor can go wrong does not make me want to do this very much. Obviously, I see the benefits of being informed but holy cow can crazy things happen during labor. I swear I only get anxiety about delivery when I'm sitting in this class.

I was thankful that Shellie said some statistic that over 700 babies were born vaginally at St. Joe's last year and only 25 had medical interventions with either forceps or vacuums. I really expected that to be much higher. She couldn't give a guess about episiotomies, though. 

Then we watched a video about C-sections. The couple in the video had wanted a natural, unmedicated labor but the baby was just too big and wasn't coming out after something like 30 hours of labor (seriously, did they just copy Allyson's labor or something?). It was a pretty good view of C-sections I thought, reviewing the whole process of prep, the actual surgery, and post-surgery protocol. I did think that it may have shown a bit more positive light on C-sections than is really real. The woman ended up having no trouble with any recoveries, but I know that post C-section pain is legit! 

Shellie also shared her history laboring her 3 kids. She labored for a very long time with her first, but she ended up being 9.5 lb and wouldn't fit, so they did a section. Her other 2 were also sections because she figured she'd probably have all big babies and would keep having the same problem. She stressed that C-sections are no joke and did not recommend doing an elective surgery for fun. Or for convenience. (Anyone who would do that is just nutty).

Then we toured the labor and delivery unit. Thankfully we did not have to go outside, but took the underground tunnel over to the unit. I've been here several times so I knew the basics. And at this point I had hit a wall of extreme fatigue and had a hard time paying attention. We saw the water birth room, the nursery, a standard labor/delivery room, the OR, and the recovery room. One thing I learned was that they do have a blow up pool that can be taken to your room if you want, and you don't have to go to the water birth room. Otherwise, I've seen the nursery and a standard room before. The OR and recovery rooms were obviously knew to me though - not a whole lot to note about those. 

Then we walked back over to the classroom and were all set. Next week is mostly post-delivery care/baby prep and Q&A. 

Appointment: 30 Weeks

My appointment is set for Monday, February 9 at 9:45 am. I arrive a few minutes early, but the bathroom is taken so I can't leave my sample. I head back in a few minutes, but they are out of cups. I let one of the office workers know and they go on a wild goose chase for cups. Finally I can pee!

Jessica calls me back pretty much immediately after. I'm up 15 lb total and blood pressure still holding steady at 100/60. No other symptoms to note for her. She goes over the movement chart with me. Every day from now on I have to document how long it takes to feel 10 distinct movements. No problem. She takes me to an exam room.

I wait for about 1 minute before Dr. Emm comes in. She says results from the glucose test were all good and that I was even a bit on the low side. I figured. Like I said before, no interesting symptoms to review with her. She measures my belly and gets out the Doppler. Heartbeat is 153. Just before she feels me for position, I tell her I think baby is still transverse. It takes her about .5 seconds to tell me that baby's head is down and in good position. I swear the kid had to have changed overnight, because I had been feeling movement on either side of my belly for weeks (and since the appointment it has been much more vertical and closer to the middle). That was really my only concern so I'm all set to come back in 2 weeks. We are nearing the end now that we're up to more frequent appointments!

Next update is set for Tuesday, February 24th.

Prepared Childbirth Class: Session 2

Tonight we are covering more labor specific stuff. First Shellie goes over the stages of labor. I won't go into detail here, but she basically tells us the differences between early, active, and transition and follows up with the pushing stage and delivering the placenta. She covers various options we have for laboring in the hospital (ie. the tub, shower, positions for pushing, etc.). I'm happy that she goes into detail with this and does give a pretty good range of options. We watch a birth video documenting one couple's entire natural labor and delivery in a nutshell. They tell us that most first time moms only labor for 10-12 hours and I think that's a load of crap. Overall, everything is helpful though.

Next we discuss options for induction and pain management (IV and epidurals). I know my options but hope I don't have to use these. We watch a video about epidurals which is also helpful, despite my not really being interested in one. Shellie asks if any of us are planning to not have an epidural. I answer with "we're winging it," because that's my exact plan. Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. I do not want to set myself up for failure by saying that I won't have an epidural, because if I'm in the hospital for over a day and feel like my body is splitting in half, I'm sure I'll want some relief. But I'm also not planning on signing the epidural waiver when I walk in the door either. We're really just gonna see how this goes. And I'm just biased from my sisters' experiences with induction (LONG) and hoping to dodge that bullet while we're at it, too. I'm sure I'll be much more easily persuaded come April 18, though.

I guess they interpret my not immediately signing up for the epidural as a sign that I have a fear of needles. Nope. Drawing blood ain't no thang and what do I care about a needle I can't even see? I really just want to be able to walk the kid out and avoid being confined to the bed. I don't feel the need to justify myself because I know it's a lost cause so I just leave it with my short response.

(Side note: literally two days after this class I was chatting with 2 of my cheer moms. One just had a baby 2 weeks ago while the other has had 7 kids. The woman with 7 kids has had all of them naturally with fairly short labors and reassured me that I could do it naturally even though everyone will tell me I'm crazy. The other delivered naturally this time after having terrible experiences with epidurals in the past - now I'm not sure I believe the 1% spinal headache statistic.)

We end the night with a few breathing exercises. Honestly, I've already forgotten these which is terrible because it's pretty much the one thing I wanted to take away from the classes. I'll need to do some refreshers. Overall the class is helpful in giving a snapshot view of labor from start to finish. It would certainly be helpful in coming up with a game plan if we didn't already have one.

Next week we tour the L + D unit.

Prepared Childbirth Class: Session 1

I'm not sure if this is interesting to anyone, but figured what the heck on documenting about it. We decided to take a childbirth class mostly because it's one of those things you just have to do, like a rite of passage of sorts. I never expected to get much out of it, but figured it certainly wouldn't hurt. Plus, I know that it will be helpful for Andy. Since I'm delivering at St. Joe's it made the most sense to take a class there. When I looked to sign up back in November, the only class that was open was the 4-part Tuesday night class in February. So, Tuesday it is!

We pulled up to the Business and Conference Center maybe 10 minutes early. At 6:00 there were only four couples, including us. The instructor said we were supposed to have a full 10 couples, so this meant that 6 couples legit just didn't show up! The weather wasn't even bad. Our instructor is Shellie, a RN probably in her low to mid-30s. She worked on the L+D floor, but for the last several years has been working in an OB office. She said she's been teaching this class for something like 8 years. I like her. She is friendly and laid back. We started off with brief introductions and then a break-out for an icebreaker type thing.

I could tell right away that I was in the minority of the group. There was maybe one other mom who seemed more on the natural path and knew some stuff, but the other two definitely gave off the vibe of "I don't know much, just do the usual western medicine stuff" kind of people. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but that is just not how I want this whole labor thing to go for myself. There was one mom-to-be in particular who seemed clueless. When we got in the car even Andy said "that one girl was dumb." That's saying something coming from him.

I digress with the judgment..

After getting the background info together, Shellie started with basic pregnancy anatomy. The uterus, placenta, blah blah stuff. Obviously this has to be covered, but I would hope everyone knew most of that part. She explained dilation vs. effacement. Then she showed us the various monitors used. This is also where I started to see even more of a disconnect. Shellie said that everyone gets monitored externally throughout their entire labor. The. Whole. Time. I don't want that. I want to be able to move around and not be confined to bed, at least if I can handle it for some of the time. Then I asked about moving around and she said most doctors are okay with monitoring for 20 minutes every hour. I know that in the past 5 years, L+D has become more flexible. I'm sure all of the nurses prefer easy patients who just do what they say, so I assume that's why they teach the class this way. Shellie said that when she worked on the unit nearly everyone was monitored internally! No thanks.

She also reviewed symptoms of pre-term labor, false labor, and real labor. We watched a short video that appeared to be made in 1992. It was about fears of labor and parenthood, signs of labor, and how to time contractions. Then we finished with what to expect when arriving on the unit, some quick general relaxation, and were out of there by 7:45! Next week we cover labor specifics.