Okay, so it officially begins today!
At midnight, just as it was turning June 30th (I actually happened to glance at the time at exactly midnight) I had horrible cramps, to the point of groaning and tears. It felt like my old cramps from last year, where I'd be laying on the floor shaking and crying from how severe the pain is. Last night I basically got through them with lots of noise, squeezing Bill's arm, and trying to focus on Sudoku.
I fell asleep for a little while, then around 1 AM I felt lots of warm liquid come out. I didn't feel a pop like I've been expecting, and in my sleep I thought "am I really peeing the bed? I just went!" I was really hoping that it was my water or else I was going to be super embarrassed to have peed all over the place! Once the gush stopped, I hopped out of bed and tried to make it to the door, but that's when the water really went - I started gushing all down my legs, soaking through all my clothes. I woke Bill up, told him my water just broke and to grab me pants and underwear as I slowly waddled to the bathroom, hoping I wouldn't drip all over my carpet.
I was told to go back to sleep for as long as I could and check in with the birthing center in the morning for an appointment to see them. I did my best to sleep, though with all the gushing that continued (I soaked through sheets, towels, multiple pairs of underwear, and pads) and cramping.
At 6 AM I wasn't able to sleep anymore, so I got up very carefully to not mess up more of the bed and started to walk and bounce of the ball.
It's 7:30 now and the crampinngs aren't going anywhere. Hoping to get a shower soon and then call the birthing center.
Seems like Katie is a very punctual baby! Only 5% of women have their babies on their due date, and 10% have their waters break before labor has actually begun. I guess she's taking after me, she just has to be a rare one!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
39w, 6d
Well, it's the day before my due date. Katie's still tucked inside, I'm sure she's feeling just dandy while waiting for my body to get moving. Not sure what my body is waiting for, don't really know why it doesn't think it's time now but later it'll suddenly pick a moment and say "this is it!" I wish it would hurry up, I want my baby out! She seems to have a mutual feeling really, she keeps beating on me like she's trying to figure out how this evacuation plan works.
I've honestly tried everything at this point, been up and down the list of induction methods with no lasting success. Everything sworn by hasn't convinced my body. It's also now past 48 hours since I've had the two bloody shows. My body never seems to go with the flow, or do what normal bodies do. It always has to be different.
Last night as we were trying to go to sleep, Bill and I were talking about the baby as we usually do at bedtime. Bill mentioned something about making sure I pray for Katie to come out as well, and I said I've been doing that every day and night for a week now! So he suggested that we pray together, which isn't something we've ever done. Back when we were dating, I remember how no matter what public place we were at, he would bow his head, put his hands together, close his eyes and pray over every meal. He hasn't done that in a while anymore, though he does the same thing for every night's prayer. I've seen him pray more times than I can count really, but we've never done it together so I went along with it (it was a really sweet idea, if nothing else - he's really trying to help out!). He took my hands and prayed that Katie would come out through the night or today because we're so eager to see her and I'm in pain every day.
Afterwards he told me that he thought my body was too tense and maybe that's holding things back, so he told me to try relaxing everything. I couldn't believe that he retained a part of the birthing class that I thought he wasn't paying attention to, but he remembered it. He held me close and said soothing words, repeating that I should relax, that I was in a safe place and to be calm. Surprisingly, this really did help. My body seemed to let go of the cramping I was experiencing and just slowly relax all the muscles. The only thing I couldn't was my belly area, it seemed really tensed up and still having some pains, so he rubbed my belly and said for it to let go of Katie now, because she's able to come out at any time. Again, to my surprise, it worked. It didn't kick start labor, but I felt great through the night. I didn't get up to pee every five minutes, I didn't toss and turn and groan all night. I just laid there and slept and instead of waking up in pain, I woke up without.
I'm feeling calmer today, not so wound up and stressed about getting her out. Though that might be coupled with the fact that if she comes now, Bill's already given vacation time for the holiday weekend (Friday through Monday, I think) would be included in the paternity leave (therefore, a waste of paternity leave.) Still, I'd love to see her make her appearance soon, but I'm trying to regain a bit of patience. I have a midwife appointment tonight, maybe they'll give me some thoughts on it. I'm fine with waiting a few days for the baby, but I'm really hoping she shows up before the 7th, where tests have to be run and I run the risk of inducing.
I guess it's good she doesn't seem to plan on coming today though, since I'm alone - Bill's at work until 4:30 and my BIL will be at work until at least then, so if anything would happen, I'd be on my own for at least a little while.
Edit: Had another check up today. The two midwives basically gave me sympathetic looks after seeing on my chart about being in early labor since last Sunday. They basically said since I'm a first time mom, I'll have to just sit tight because most induction methods don't work on first timers. It was recommended to go swimming every day for progress - which would be a lot easier if it didn't cost $10 a person! For a moment I thought if I got desperate enough I could go to my MIL's hot tub (without the heater on) and exercise in there, but since she livess 50 minutes away, the gas would probably equal the public pool expenses.
I've been booked to be induced July 14th at 8 AM. I have everything crossed that she comes any time before then - I don't want to be induced!
They also said that Katie seems to be a very long baby. I'll agree with that - she's been dropped from weeks now and I can still feel her feet in my ribs. She definitely feels like she has long legs. DH and I were both pretty long babies and are both tall now, so that's not too surprising.
We also stopped in to get dog food and saw our dog trainer. As soon as I told her I was due tomorrow, she looked like she was in a panic! She told me to please, please please run to the front door if I felt any twinge or pain as she was terrified I would give birth back there! She's a sweet old woman, but she never had kids and seems quite afraid of any pregnant women (which is hilarious, since she works with some very vicious dogs and has no fear at all with them!) She looked terribly relieved when we left. She loves our dog and always says she can't wait to see the baby - she just doesn't want things to happen right there!
I've honestly tried everything at this point, been up and down the list of induction methods with no lasting success. Everything sworn by hasn't convinced my body. It's also now past 48 hours since I've had the two bloody shows. My body never seems to go with the flow, or do what normal bodies do. It always has to be different.
Last night as we were trying to go to sleep, Bill and I were talking about the baby as we usually do at bedtime. Bill mentioned something about making sure I pray for Katie to come out as well, and I said I've been doing that every day and night for a week now! So he suggested that we pray together, which isn't something we've ever done. Back when we were dating, I remember how no matter what public place we were at, he would bow his head, put his hands together, close his eyes and pray over every meal. He hasn't done that in a while anymore, though he does the same thing for every night's prayer. I've seen him pray more times than I can count really, but we've never done it together so I went along with it (it was a really sweet idea, if nothing else - he's really trying to help out!). He took my hands and prayed that Katie would come out through the night or today because we're so eager to see her and I'm in pain every day.
Afterwards he told me that he thought my body was too tense and maybe that's holding things back, so he told me to try relaxing everything. I couldn't believe that he retained a part of the birthing class that I thought he wasn't paying attention to, but he remembered it. He held me close and said soothing words, repeating that I should relax, that I was in a safe place and to be calm. Surprisingly, this really did help. My body seemed to let go of the cramping I was experiencing and just slowly relax all the muscles. The only thing I couldn't was my belly area, it seemed really tensed up and still having some pains, so he rubbed my belly and said for it to let go of Katie now, because she's able to come out at any time. Again, to my surprise, it worked. It didn't kick start labor, but I felt great through the night. I didn't get up to pee every five minutes, I didn't toss and turn and groan all night. I just laid there and slept and instead of waking up in pain, I woke up without.
I'm feeling calmer today, not so wound up and stressed about getting her out. Though that might be coupled with the fact that if she comes now, Bill's already given vacation time for the holiday weekend (Friday through Monday, I think) would be included in the paternity leave (therefore, a waste of paternity leave.) Still, I'd love to see her make her appearance soon, but I'm trying to regain a bit of patience. I have a midwife appointment tonight, maybe they'll give me some thoughts on it. I'm fine with waiting a few days for the baby, but I'm really hoping she shows up before the 7th, where tests have to be run and I run the risk of inducing.
I guess it's good she doesn't seem to plan on coming today though, since I'm alone - Bill's at work until 4:30 and my BIL will be at work until at least then, so if anything would happen, I'd be on my own for at least a little while.
Edit: Had another check up today. The two midwives basically gave me sympathetic looks after seeing on my chart about being in early labor since last Sunday. They basically said since I'm a first time mom, I'll have to just sit tight because most induction methods don't work on first timers. It was recommended to go swimming every day for progress - which would be a lot easier if it didn't cost $10 a person! For a moment I thought if I got desperate enough I could go to my MIL's hot tub (without the heater on) and exercise in there, but since she livess 50 minutes away, the gas would probably equal the public pool expenses.
I've been booked to be induced July 14th at 8 AM. I have everything crossed that she comes any time before then - I don't want to be induced!
They also said that Katie seems to be a very long baby. I'll agree with that - she's been dropped from weeks now and I can still feel her feet in my ribs. She definitely feels like she has long legs. DH and I were both pretty long babies and are both tall now, so that's not too surprising.
We also stopped in to get dog food and saw our dog trainer. As soon as I told her I was due tomorrow, she looked like she was in a panic! She told me to please, please please run to the front door if I felt any twinge or pain as she was terrified I would give birth back there! She's a sweet old woman, but she never had kids and seems quite afraid of any pregnant women (which is hilarious, since she works with some very vicious dogs and has no fear at all with them!) She looked terribly relieved when we left. She loves our dog and always says she can't wait to see the baby - she just doesn't want things to happen right there!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
What's Been Happening:
So on Sunday I had two bloody shows, lots of cramps, contractions and sharp, shooting pains all over. I was super hopeful that this was the start! From 11PM - 1AM, I had mild contractions every 15 minutes.
On Monday morning around 9 AM, I went to the midwife to get checked out. I was 1 cm dilated, with a really soft cervix, the baby's head very low, but the cervix still high up. My water, as I knew it, was still in tact though I was leaking quite a bit of regular fluid. I was deemed in early labor and sent home to progress more. The midwife said it could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days, no way to know still. I was told the baby was posterior, which may be keeping things from progressing faster.
Monday night things seemed really slow, and today has been slow too. Though last night the baby actually felt like she was going to fall out of me, she was shoving against my skin so hard that it literally felt like wouldn't be able to contain her. Afterwards though, my back pain was gone, and it's still gone today. (It was terrible on Sunday and Monday, my lower back and tail bone was in agony!) I'm hoping this means she turned. (And she may have left a few marks on me doing so...)
Today has been quiet. I took a long bath and did some walking, bounced on the ball and relaxed on the bed. I'm having shooting pains and cramps now. I only had what felt like one giant painful contraction early (which was basically only a tease!) I'm about to go out for a long walk, then try going up and down stairs again, which is supposed to help dilating and encourage water to break. My fingers are crossed that labor will start up again and she'll come really soon.
So right now it's still just a waiting game. A really, really slow waiting game that refuses to give me any clues on when it'll be over.
On Monday morning around 9 AM, I went to the midwife to get checked out. I was 1 cm dilated, with a really soft cervix, the baby's head very low, but the cervix still high up. My water, as I knew it, was still in tact though I was leaking quite a bit of regular fluid. I was deemed in early labor and sent home to progress more. The midwife said it could be anywhere from a few hours to a few days, no way to know still. I was told the baby was posterior, which may be keeping things from progressing faster.
Monday night things seemed really slow, and today has been slow too. Though last night the baby actually felt like she was going to fall out of me, she was shoving against my skin so hard that it literally felt like wouldn't be able to contain her. Afterwards though, my back pain was gone, and it's still gone today. (It was terrible on Sunday and Monday, my lower back and tail bone was in agony!) I'm hoping this means she turned. (And she may have left a few marks on me doing so...)
Today has been quiet. I took a long bath and did some walking, bounced on the ball and relaxed on the bed. I'm having shooting pains and cramps now. I only had what felt like one giant painful contraction early (which was basically only a tease!) I'm about to go out for a long walk, then try going up and down stairs again, which is supposed to help dilating and encourage water to break. My fingers are crossed that labor will start up again and she'll come really soon.
So right now it's still just a waiting game. A really, really slow waiting game that refuses to give me any clues on when it'll be over.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
39w, 3d
This may be the start of things!
A little after 2 PM I got my bloody show with crampingness and back ache.
Bloody show usually has labor following it withina few hours to 48 hours. So hopefully by Tuesday she'll be here, if not sooner!
Edit:
It's 8 hours later. I've been having a lot of pressure, contractions and many many cramps all day. Had a bit more of bloody show about two hours ago. Hoping labor picks up through the night. So far we're not sure what to do about Bill going to work tomorrow - he works over a half hour away. If he goes and things start happening after they've been happening all day today, it would probably take over an hour for him to get the message, get cleared to go home, take the mandatory shower there and drive over a half hour home. Which makes me nervous. On the other hand, I don't want to have him home and nothing happening, that would be a waste of a day that we can't really afford.
Katie is still super active, really low and creating a lot of pressure. Hoping either she makes the contractions start coming stronger or she makes my water break. Looking for some stronger signs!
A little after 2 PM I got my bloody show with crampingness and back ache.
Bloody show usually has labor following it withina few hours to 48 hours. So hopefully by Tuesday she'll be here, if not sooner!
Edit:
It's 8 hours later. I've been having a lot of pressure, contractions and many many cramps all day. Had a bit more of bloody show about two hours ago. Hoping labor picks up through the night. So far we're not sure what to do about Bill going to work tomorrow - he works over a half hour away. If he goes and things start happening after they've been happening all day today, it would probably take over an hour for him to get the message, get cleared to go home, take the mandatory shower there and drive over a half hour home. Which makes me nervous. On the other hand, I don't want to have him home and nothing happening, that would be a waste of a day that we can't really afford.
Katie is still super active, really low and creating a lot of pressure. Hoping either she makes the contractions start coming stronger or she makes my water break. Looking for some stronger signs!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
39w, 2d
It's Saturday...still no baby. I guess she changed her mind, or my body refuses to allow her out!
Last night I had sharp pains, if I was in my right mind (awake), I think I would have noted that they seemed pretty regular and got more painful, but since I was asleep I didn't get my hopes up. Which is good, since they petered out at 4:30 am an hour and a half after they started.
I had an extremely vivid dream that I had woken up and went to the bathroom, when I saw my bloody show and then felt a pop that led to my water leaking. I was sorely disappointed to wake up in bed and no longer have contractions, let alone be any further in labor. Oh well, in the dream Sophie had gotten in the way of my water breaking (she always tries to sit close to the toliet!) and I couldn't figure out what to do with her because she was all wet and I was in labor and needing the bathtub!
Today ended up being pretty fun though. Bill and I spent a lot of time together through the early afternoon and we worked on baby mechanical things and set up the swing for the nursery, then took a small nap before heading out to swim. I did quite a few laps and exercises in the pool for a little over an hour and a half, before it got chilly and we needed to beat the rush for dinner. We figured out last night that we had actually done pretty well with the money last week and had a bit left over. Since we had a buy one get one coupon for Logan's, we decided to finally give in and go again (they have a few amazing dishes and every time we go to Walmart, Logan's is right there to pump out their delicious steak scent and we have to resist every time!)
After swimming, we had both worked up an appetite. We got some spicy cheesy nachos that were really good, and I risked terrible heartburn to eat some jalapenos - they were on the sweeter side anyway, but I was hoping the myth about spicy foods inducing might work. I got a lobster and steak entree, since we basically wanted to go there for their delicious lobster tails - no one makes them better! The entrees were plenty big enough, so we filled up and still had half to bring home for lunch tomorrow. One of my favorite features at Logan's is their small bucket desserts - three buckets of different desserts for $5. Last time we got this, we tried to split all 3 of the buckets evenly. This time, I gave Bill the fudge brownie one, and took the peanut butter chocolate and the strawberry cheesecake for myself, since those are my favorites and I'm the pregnant one (he was full anyway and didn't mind!). I took the cheesecake one home, because I've been craving it for months - I'm hoping to savor it for a while!
While swimming, Katie was super active - something I found odd because usually when I'm in the water, she's completely still or asleep. Today she acted up so much that I had a hard time swimming while she shoved her weight from side to side and kicked out her arms and legs like she was trying to help me swim. I encouraged her to swim downwards and see where that took her, but she decided that wouldn't be as fun.
She's still pushing out really hard, and my belly has been rock hard for a while. Before heading to bed, I'm going to go watch Monk (working my way through the series as I never watched any of the later seasons) while bouncing on my ball. My cravings are still on high gear though, my belly is full and my mind is stuck on my leftovers!
In an effort to calm me down, Bill and I talked about the baby not coming, and decided that it probably wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to get induced with Katie and not have her naturally. I'm still really, really, really hoping she comes soon so I can have my natural water birth like I really want, but if I don't get it with this one, then I suppose that'll be okay too. So tomorrow is my last day trying to get her out, as part of my four day inducing marathon, and then I'm going to let her decide when she wants to come and just let things be. Hopefully I get the birth I've been designing for nine months for her and I. But if not, I'll get over it and we'll still have our baby out, which we both couldn't be more excited about. If it's possible, I think Bill is even more excited than I am. Part of me is still a bit afraid of how things will work once she's out - like with breastfeeding, no sleeping, healing after birth, etc. Bill is just set on the baby herself, and can't wait to start taking care of her and having her with us (I woke up today to him already awake before me, which is usually unusual, smiling at the thoughts of having Katie here with us.)
I took some final pictures of the nursery (still forgot to show all of her clothes hanging in the closet!) to post. They're basically the same, just a few things different, but I really like this room. It's peaceful, and I can't wait to bring Katie into it (though she won't be using it for quite a while after birth!)
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Last night I had sharp pains, if I was in my right mind (awake), I think I would have noted that they seemed pretty regular and got more painful, but since I was asleep I didn't get my hopes up. Which is good, since they petered out at 4:30 am an hour and a half after they started.
I had an extremely vivid dream that I had woken up and went to the bathroom, when I saw my bloody show and then felt a pop that led to my water leaking. I was sorely disappointed to wake up in bed and no longer have contractions, let alone be any further in labor. Oh well, in the dream Sophie had gotten in the way of my water breaking (she always tries to sit close to the toliet!) and I couldn't figure out what to do with her because she was all wet and I was in labor and needing the bathtub!
Today ended up being pretty fun though. Bill and I spent a lot of time together through the early afternoon and we worked on baby mechanical things and set up the swing for the nursery, then took a small nap before heading out to swim. I did quite a few laps and exercises in the pool for a little over an hour and a half, before it got chilly and we needed to beat the rush for dinner. We figured out last night that we had actually done pretty well with the money last week and had a bit left over. Since we had a buy one get one coupon for Logan's, we decided to finally give in and go again (they have a few amazing dishes and every time we go to Walmart, Logan's is right there to pump out their delicious steak scent and we have to resist every time!)
After swimming, we had both worked up an appetite. We got some spicy cheesy nachos that were really good, and I risked terrible heartburn to eat some jalapenos - they were on the sweeter side anyway, but I was hoping the myth about spicy foods inducing might work. I got a lobster and steak entree, since we basically wanted to go there for their delicious lobster tails - no one makes them better! The entrees were plenty big enough, so we filled up and still had half to bring home for lunch tomorrow. One of my favorite features at Logan's is their small bucket desserts - three buckets of different desserts for $5. Last time we got this, we tried to split all 3 of the buckets evenly. This time, I gave Bill the fudge brownie one, and took the peanut butter chocolate and the strawberry cheesecake for myself, since those are my favorites and I'm the pregnant one (he was full anyway and didn't mind!). I took the cheesecake one home, because I've been craving it for months - I'm hoping to savor it for a while!
While swimming, Katie was super active - something I found odd because usually when I'm in the water, she's completely still or asleep. Today she acted up so much that I had a hard time swimming while she shoved her weight from side to side and kicked out her arms and legs like she was trying to help me swim. I encouraged her to swim downwards and see where that took her, but she decided that wouldn't be as fun.
She's still pushing out really hard, and my belly has been rock hard for a while. Before heading to bed, I'm going to go watch Monk (working my way through the series as I never watched any of the later seasons) while bouncing on my ball. My cravings are still on high gear though, my belly is full and my mind is stuck on my leftovers!
In an effort to calm me down, Bill and I talked about the baby not coming, and decided that it probably wouldn't be the end of the world if I had to get induced with Katie and not have her naturally. I'm still really, really, really hoping she comes soon so I can have my natural water birth like I really want, but if I don't get it with this one, then I suppose that'll be okay too. So tomorrow is my last day trying to get her out, as part of my four day inducing marathon, and then I'm going to let her decide when she wants to come and just let things be. Hopefully I get the birth I've been designing for nine months for her and I. But if not, I'll get over it and we'll still have our baby out, which we both couldn't be more excited about. If it's possible, I think Bill is even more excited than I am. Part of me is still a bit afraid of how things will work once she's out - like with breastfeeding, no sleeping, healing after birth, etc. Bill is just set on the baby herself, and can't wait to start taking care of her and having her with us (I woke up today to him already awake before me, which is usually unusual, smiling at the thoughts of having Katie here with us.)
I took some final pictures of the nursery (still forgot to show all of her clothes hanging in the closet!) to post. They're basically the same, just a few things different, but I really like this room. It's peaceful, and I can't wait to bring Katie into it (though she won't be using it for quite a while after birth!)
The swing we put up today, next to her awaiting crib:
Her shelves, my birthing bags, the hamper and the new locking trashcan:
Her window - with ballet shoes and angels
view of the glider:
Full view:
Friday, June 24, 2011
39w, 1d
Well, she's still in there. (I know, not a surprise, but a disappointment to me.)
I was up all night last night, leaving me in a pretty foul mood today. I tried cheering up with exercising, picking tiger lillies out of the backyard and making Happy Birthday Katie Kupcakes (the goal is to have the baby before I eat all of them!) They're dark chocolate - you'd think a child of mine would be convinced to come out to experience the smells of chocolate cupcakes!
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I was up all night last night, leaving me in a pretty foul mood today. I tried cheering up with exercising, picking tiger lillies out of the backyard and making Happy Birthday Katie Kupcakes (the goal is to have the baby before I eat all of them!) They're dark chocolate - you'd think a child of mine would be convinced to come out to experience the smells of chocolate cupcakes!
We went to the last birthing class last night (we were overjoyed, since we thought there was still another one next week!) We watched a video called Happiest Baby On the Block, which showed many crying, colicy babies and how to soothe them. The video itself made me tired and a little worried about what I got myself in to! lol. Funny enough, it had a different affect on Bill. I thought crying babies were supposed to affect a man more in the way of not being able to stand it, but he really watched the video. When we were in the car, he said he was really looking forward to spending time with the baby, getting to hold her and trying some of those techniques. As he fell asleep last night, he mumbled that seeing all the babies in the video got him really excited to soon be a father and taking care of the baby.
Now if only the baby would agree to come out!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
39 Weeks
39 weeks! Wouldn't it be lovely if this is the last time I was able to count another week pregnant? I so want her out now. As in, today. Or tomorrow. Before Monday, really. I've been telling her a lot the last few days that I'm ready for her. I'm so hoping she listens soon.
July 14th is the last day I can be pregnant. I think I'll be totally insane if I go that far. I'm hoping she naturally makes her appearance much much much sooner than that.
Had two doses of the eggplant parm already. It's so filling, it's very difficult to eat a lot at a time. I'm going to eat more before leaving for birthing class tonight (WHY can't I go into labor before birthing class??) and cross my fingers when I go to bed tonight.
I was told that hopefully, my maternity photos should come back by the end of next week as well. Pretty excited to see them!
There's really not much more to add. Except that this site is making me have pregnancy rage - for some reason it won't let me comment on my own blog, but will let me do anything else! Grr. I tried for like an hour yesterday with no success and ended up just feeling very hot afterwards and needed an extra boost from the air conditioner.
On a side note, I was watching another baby show today. It's been a while since I listened to one without earphones. Sophie was laying down about three feet away and gave me an interesting look when the baby started screaming. Usually she runs out of the room, covers her head or barks. Today she gave me this look, which I found funny because it looked so surprised and interested, like to say "Is that her? Is she here now?" The whole time the baby screamed (and it was through two scenes so it wasn't over very quickly!) she kept staring at me like this, with her ears perked and an almost smile:
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July 14th is the last day I can be pregnant. I think I'll be totally insane if I go that far. I'm hoping she naturally makes her appearance much much much sooner than that.
Had two doses of the eggplant parm already. It's so filling, it's very difficult to eat a lot at a time. I'm going to eat more before leaving for birthing class tonight (WHY can't I go into labor before birthing class??) and cross my fingers when I go to bed tonight.
I was told that hopefully, my maternity photos should come back by the end of next week as well. Pretty excited to see them!
There's really not much more to add. Except that this site is making me have pregnancy rage - for some reason it won't let me comment on my own blog, but will let me do anything else! Grr. I tried for like an hour yesterday with no success and ended up just feeling very hot afterwards and needed an extra boost from the air conditioner.
On a side note, I was watching another baby show today. It's been a while since I listened to one without earphones. Sophie was laying down about three feet away and gave me an interesting look when the baby started screaming. Usually she runs out of the room, covers her head or barks. Today she gave me this look, which I found funny because it looked so surprised and interested, like to say "Is that her? Is she here now?" The whole time the baby screamed (and it was through two scenes so it wasn't over very quickly!) she kept staring at me like this, with her ears perked and an almost smile:
Here's some pictures of me at 39 weeks. They were pretty rushed. Here's hoping that I won't reach 40 weeks and these can be the last week of pictures!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
38w, 6d
Here we go...
I'm now in the midst of making the eggplant parm recipe (from HERE) to get Katie out over the next few days. So far I've washed and chopped up three eggplants, salted them and left them under paper towels and weights to dry. In an hour, I'll start putting the whole thing together (even though my back WILL NOT cooroperate today, it hurts so much!!) On my baby board, I have women betting if I'll be the next one to go or not. Fingers crossed that I will be!
Katie seems willing, and seems to be as much done with this pregnancy as I am. All she does lately is wildly thrash about like she's trying to find the escape hatch somewhere along my belly. She's constantly shoving her butt, legs and arms out as hard as she can (she also head butts in a terrible way!) like she's gonna make this happen with or without my body's approval! As long as she keeps that up, I'll work with my body to see if we can both get what we want. Having her out by Sunday is my goal. We'll see!
I'm so very tired. Another reason I'd like her out sooner rather than later is that every day gets a little harder. I haven't slept in so long, and the cramping and contractions get a little worse each day. I never knew the last few weeks could be so painful. I'm envious of so many that say they had zero signs, no pain, and then one day went into labor. I'm constantly having so many cramps and contractions, I guess my body is really trying to prepare itself! Just wish it would prepare in the day light hours so I could enjoy a few more peaceful nights sleep before i never get that again.
Either way, fingers crossed that Katie will be the next eggplant baby!
EDIT: I'm in hour four of making this recipe. Wow, when the mommies on that site said this was time consuming, they weren't kidding! I wish I read the entire recipe out before making it (which is what a lot of moms said, but I didn't understand until now) because now everything is ready, but the sauce needs to simmer for an hour. And without the sauce, I can't put the rest of the dish together to bake. So, I'm waiting and stirring.
My back is in agony though. Thankfully the bad cramping went away at some point, which is nice, but I was literally breading eggplant pieces and flipping them to fry in the pan while on the phone with my chiropractor asking for an appointment (I got one for late night Friday - we'll see if I make it there! I would have loved to do it tonight since they had an appointment at 6:30, but I have a baby appointment at 6:15 and they take forever in there!)
I did taste one of the eggplant cakes and it is super yummy. Didn't taste the sauce yet as it didn't have enough of a chance to come together yet, but all the spices make it smell yummy. I did accidently burn the onions, but I was too exhausted to cut up more and try again, so hopefully they won't hurt the taste too much. With all the other flavors in there, I'm hoping it'll be fine. (There's like 7 spices, plus garlic and a few other things.)
So I still have about two or three hours to go to finish this recipe. Good thing I started it at 11 AM, or else this would run into my appointment time (as it is, looks like I'll be cutting it close!) I'm desperately hoping it tastes good, with all the work and effort I've put in. Though honestly, it could taste terrible and I'll be eating it!
Doesn't look like a lot of eggplant, but trust me, there's a huge amount!![]()
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I'm now in the midst of making the eggplant parm recipe (from HERE) to get Katie out over the next few days. So far I've washed and chopped up three eggplants, salted them and left them under paper towels and weights to dry. In an hour, I'll start putting the whole thing together (even though my back WILL NOT cooroperate today, it hurts so much!!) On my baby board, I have women betting if I'll be the next one to go or not. Fingers crossed that I will be!
Katie seems willing, and seems to be as much done with this pregnancy as I am. All she does lately is wildly thrash about like she's trying to find the escape hatch somewhere along my belly. She's constantly shoving her butt, legs and arms out as hard as she can (she also head butts in a terrible way!) like she's gonna make this happen with or without my body's approval! As long as she keeps that up, I'll work with my body to see if we can both get what we want. Having her out by Sunday is my goal. We'll see!
I'm so very tired. Another reason I'd like her out sooner rather than later is that every day gets a little harder. I haven't slept in so long, and the cramping and contractions get a little worse each day. I never knew the last few weeks could be so painful. I'm envious of so many that say they had zero signs, no pain, and then one day went into labor. I'm constantly having so many cramps and contractions, I guess my body is really trying to prepare itself! Just wish it would prepare in the day light hours so I could enjoy a few more peaceful nights sleep before i never get that again.
Either way, fingers crossed that Katie will be the next eggplant baby!
EDIT: I'm in hour four of making this recipe. Wow, when the mommies on that site said this was time consuming, they weren't kidding! I wish I read the entire recipe out before making it (which is what a lot of moms said, but I didn't understand until now) because now everything is ready, but the sauce needs to simmer for an hour. And without the sauce, I can't put the rest of the dish together to bake. So, I'm waiting and stirring.
My back is in agony though. Thankfully the bad cramping went away at some point, which is nice, but I was literally breading eggplant pieces and flipping them to fry in the pan while on the phone with my chiropractor asking for an appointment (I got one for late night Friday - we'll see if I make it there! I would have loved to do it tonight since they had an appointment at 6:30, but I have a baby appointment at 6:15 and they take forever in there!)
I did taste one of the eggplant cakes and it is super yummy. Didn't taste the sauce yet as it didn't have enough of a chance to come together yet, but all the spices make it smell yummy. I did accidently burn the onions, but I was too exhausted to cut up more and try again, so hopefully they won't hurt the taste too much. With all the other flavors in there, I'm hoping it'll be fine. (There's like 7 spices, plus garlic and a few other things.)
So I still have about two or three hours to go to finish this recipe. Good thing I started it at 11 AM, or else this would run into my appointment time (as it is, looks like I'll be cutting it close!) I'm desperately hoping it tastes good, with all the work and effort I've put in. Though honestly, it could taste terrible and I'll be eating it!
Doesn't look like a lot of eggplant, but trust me, there's a huge amount!
Bright red sauce. This is right when I put everything in, so nothing is stewed yet:
Edit: More pictures. After 6 hours of working on this, it's FINALLY done!! Hopefully I'll get to eat some after my shower, before running of to my midwife appointment. I'm so beat, I can barely walk at this point!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
38w, 5d
Okay, so I may have overpanicked just a little bit yesterday. I don't see those lines anymore, so I guess they weren't stretch marks, just an imprint from something. Phew!
Also, I can't make up my mind. I still want pregnancy to be over with now, and I want my baby here. I'm ready for that. But my courage for labor keeps faultering and I find, especially at night time, that I'm pretty terrified. Not sure why it hits me the worst at night, it's when I have everyone around me to jump into action - Bill is right in bed, I have my brother-in-law in the attic, and my mom a phone call away. But nighttime is the scariest, all the harsh pains make me panic and think that I don't want to do this anymore. I'm not even sure if it's the pain of labor that scares me as much as still feeling out of control about everything. I've planned everything I could, took every measure to keep my L&D in my own hands, but I still feel like anything can happen unexpectedly and that scares me. I'm finding it hard to mentally calm down and just 'go with the flow'. Not because I'm so set on my birth plan, but because I hate feeling so out of control on such a huge level. I'm dealing with me, my body and my baby's body and hoping they all work in sync with each other. I keep reading, trying to calm down because I know negative thoughts can actually regress labor and stop from dialation, and I feel like if I'm going through this much anxiety now, I know it'll be through the roof when I need it not to be. I keep trying to think, it has to happen sometime, might as well go with it and get it done now. But nighttime changes everything, and I'm pretty sure when things do start happening, it'll be in the middle of the night. It's when both baby and my body are the most active in readying for labor.
Bill seems to have caught the nesting bug. He asked me for lists of things to do, and to guide him in getting the house in the shape I want it to be in. Which is wonderful, except I wish he would have felt like this last week when I went crazy in most of the rooms to get them ready for baby. Now there's very little to be done, so I'm having him do things like set up pack n' plays, check everything's batteries, and help out with the laundry. So he and I together are getting the house ready for the baby to come.
Meanwhile, I am nesting in a very small area - inside of my hospital bags! Today, armed with a box of ziplock bags and a sharpie marker, I went into the nursery and took everything out of my three hospital bags. The small things already in ziplock bags got labeled, then sorted. I put the outfits I need (labor gowns, after birth outfit, going home outfit) together in their own bags and listed what was inside. I even put everything in order once everything had a label and was in at least one bag - all of the things I need for labor are right on the top. The things I need for afterwards are in the middle, and my going home things are on the bottom. I can't think of any way it could be more organized in there. I had everything organized before, but without being in bags I could just see Bill reaching in for something I asked and getting everything out of order and thrown apart and he wouldn't know what anything was or what went with what. So I made it simple and it at least gives me a little peace of mind to know that at least my bags are perfectly taken care of.
It's two days away from when I'm supposed to start trying to active labor. I'm excited and nervous, part of me wants it over with and part of me never wants it to come. I think all of me agrees though that it would be easier to prepare if I had sleep sometime in the last two weeks. I don't mind not getting sleep after labor, at least I won't be gearing up for a huge physical and mental event. But right now it would be really nice to feel rested when I wake up, and confident that I can tackle the day should something start at some point. Right now, I keep thinking "Well, hopefully not today, I'm too tired." That needs to stop!
also, NINE MORE DAYS UNTIL MY DUE DATE! I'm in the single digits now, whether I go early or not!
Also, I can't make up my mind. I still want pregnancy to be over with now, and I want my baby here. I'm ready for that. But my courage for labor keeps faultering and I find, especially at night time, that I'm pretty terrified. Not sure why it hits me the worst at night, it's when I have everyone around me to jump into action - Bill is right in bed, I have my brother-in-law in the attic, and my mom a phone call away. But nighttime is the scariest, all the harsh pains make me panic and think that I don't want to do this anymore. I'm not even sure if it's the pain of labor that scares me as much as still feeling out of control about everything. I've planned everything I could, took every measure to keep my L&D in my own hands, but I still feel like anything can happen unexpectedly and that scares me. I'm finding it hard to mentally calm down and just 'go with the flow'. Not because I'm so set on my birth plan, but because I hate feeling so out of control on such a huge level. I'm dealing with me, my body and my baby's body and hoping they all work in sync with each other. I keep reading, trying to calm down because I know negative thoughts can actually regress labor and stop from dialation, and I feel like if I'm going through this much anxiety now, I know it'll be through the roof when I need it not to be. I keep trying to think, it has to happen sometime, might as well go with it and get it done now. But nighttime changes everything, and I'm pretty sure when things do start happening, it'll be in the middle of the night. It's when both baby and my body are the most active in readying for labor.
Bill seems to have caught the nesting bug. He asked me for lists of things to do, and to guide him in getting the house in the shape I want it to be in. Which is wonderful, except I wish he would have felt like this last week when I went crazy in most of the rooms to get them ready for baby. Now there's very little to be done, so I'm having him do things like set up pack n' plays, check everything's batteries, and help out with the laundry. So he and I together are getting the house ready for the baby to come.
Meanwhile, I am nesting in a very small area - inside of my hospital bags! Today, armed with a box of ziplock bags and a sharpie marker, I went into the nursery and took everything out of my three hospital bags. The small things already in ziplock bags got labeled, then sorted. I put the outfits I need (labor gowns, after birth outfit, going home outfit) together in their own bags and listed what was inside. I even put everything in order once everything had a label and was in at least one bag - all of the things I need for labor are right on the top. The things I need for afterwards are in the middle, and my going home things are on the bottom. I can't think of any way it could be more organized in there. I had everything organized before, but without being in bags I could just see Bill reaching in for something I asked and getting everything out of order and thrown apart and he wouldn't know what anything was or what went with what. So I made it simple and it at least gives me a little peace of mind to know that at least my bags are perfectly taken care of.
It's two days away from when I'm supposed to start trying to active labor. I'm excited and nervous, part of me wants it over with and part of me never wants it to come. I think all of me agrees though that it would be easier to prepare if I had sleep sometime in the last two weeks. I don't mind not getting sleep after labor, at least I won't be gearing up for a huge physical and mental event. But right now it would be really nice to feel rested when I wake up, and confident that I can tackle the day should something start at some point. Right now, I keep thinking "Well, hopefully not today, I'm too tired." That needs to stop!
also, NINE MORE DAYS UNTIL MY DUE DATE! I'm in the single digits now, whether I go early or not!
Monday, June 20, 2011
38w, 4d
Wow, I seem to be able to do just about nothing right now.
The last two days have been filled with doing nothing much more than laying down, reading and drinking lots of water (with plenty of bathroom breaks inbetween.) I have zero energy to do anything. Thankfully the house is pretty clean so I am able to just relax right now. I just need to get the bedroom in shape, which requires all of folding some laundry, putting it away and changing the bedsheets.
Last night I couldn't breathe at all. Makes me a little worried at how long this baby is! She's dropped, laying low, but still can be blocking up my lungs. I went to bed with a hard time breathing, had a mountain of pillows behind me, then woke up all night still struggling to breathe. I went to the bathroom five times through the night. No sleep happened at all! I'd love to sleep now, but naps always seem impossible lately. I find that unless the room is absolutely freezing cold, I can not sleep either. Bill keeps waking up shivering under the blankets. I'm usually either comfortable or still hot!
Two days left until I start actively trying to get Katie out of me. I couldn't control myself and decided to eat my leftover eggplant parm from Saturday. So now I'll have to pick up more eggplants and make more on my own. Hopefully something that I do this weekend will work!
In the meanwhile, I'm exhausted.
EDIT: I am DONE with pregnancy now! Officially. I don't care anymore about star signs or having her on a certain date, I want her out now! Tonight! Get it over with! I'm currently a very unhappy, very pregnant woman and I want it over. I'm pretty sure I'm not overreacting, it may be from laying down but it hasn't gone away in the last ten minutes, so I'm pretty sure it's really there. On my side, there's two faint lines. LINES! Actually, they're not quite like lines, they're more like an irregular dotted line. But they're loooong. Like three or four inches. Two long beginnings of stretch marks! NO! I will not have this - 9 months with no stretch marks, she's due any day now, I'm not going to develop them now! Not when I'm so very close to being done! I need to be able to still wear bikinis, without a belly full of stretches! I'm so afraid of them getting darker. Can't believe just a few days shy of her exit, Katie wants to leave her mark behind. As if I needed more scars on my belly!
I'd post a picture of my sadness, but it won't show up on pictures.
The last two days have been filled with doing nothing much more than laying down, reading and drinking lots of water (with plenty of bathroom breaks inbetween.) I have zero energy to do anything. Thankfully the house is pretty clean so I am able to just relax right now. I just need to get the bedroom in shape, which requires all of folding some laundry, putting it away and changing the bedsheets.
Last night I couldn't breathe at all. Makes me a little worried at how long this baby is! She's dropped, laying low, but still can be blocking up my lungs. I went to bed with a hard time breathing, had a mountain of pillows behind me, then woke up all night still struggling to breathe. I went to the bathroom five times through the night. No sleep happened at all! I'd love to sleep now, but naps always seem impossible lately. I find that unless the room is absolutely freezing cold, I can not sleep either. Bill keeps waking up shivering under the blankets. I'm usually either comfortable or still hot!
Two days left until I start actively trying to get Katie out of me. I couldn't control myself and decided to eat my leftover eggplant parm from Saturday. So now I'll have to pick up more eggplants and make more on my own. Hopefully something that I do this weekend will work!
In the meanwhile, I'm exhausted.
EDIT: I am DONE with pregnancy now! Officially. I don't care anymore about star signs or having her on a certain date, I want her out now! Tonight! Get it over with! I'm currently a very unhappy, very pregnant woman and I want it over. I'm pretty sure I'm not overreacting, it may be from laying down but it hasn't gone away in the last ten minutes, so I'm pretty sure it's really there. On my side, there's two faint lines. LINES! Actually, they're not quite like lines, they're more like an irregular dotted line. But they're loooong. Like three or four inches. Two long beginnings of stretch marks! NO! I will not have this - 9 months with no stretch marks, she's due any day now, I'm not going to develop them now! Not when I'm so very close to being done! I need to be able to still wear bikinis, without a belly full of stretches! I'm so afraid of them getting darker. Can't believe just a few days shy of her exit, Katie wants to leave her mark behind. As if I needed more scars on my belly!
I'd post a picture of my sadness, but it won't show up on pictures.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
38w, 3d
Tickers say 11 days left to go...I think I might go before then.
The cramps and BH just keep getting stronger and more often. I'm losing things I'm supposed to lose, and I'm just feeling "done." My goal is to get her out between Thursday and Sunday, by means of many popular sworn by induction methods - like eggplant! (I ate some eggplant yesterday. All last night I had severe cramping and lost more MP by morning. They were bad enough that I was jealous Bill could just sleep peacefully through with no pain so I kept kicking him through the hardest ones! Just toughening him up for labor, really....lol)
So hopefully by the end of the week, Katie will be here. Meanwhile I'm so uncomfortable and in pain. It's making me impatient, grumpy and courageous (though whenever I get bad pains, I immediately get scared!)
Went swimming again today. It felt sooo good to be weightless again, but after just an hour I got really cold and felt super tired, so I had to get out. I had planned to swim around for the full three hours offered, but I just didn't have the energy. If the baby isn't here by the weekend, we'll be going again and using it as exercise, since today I used it moreso just to relax my body a bit.
I can't believe pregnancy is almost over and every day I wonder if something will happen. It's such a very strange time, it's hard to explain. Nothing feels very predictable anymore!
Some pics from today:
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(Notice here how much my bump now slopes - she's definitely laying much lower now, before my bump was really high up!)
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The cramps and BH just keep getting stronger and more often. I'm losing things I'm supposed to lose, and I'm just feeling "done." My goal is to get her out between Thursday and Sunday, by means of many popular sworn by induction methods - like eggplant! (I ate some eggplant yesterday. All last night I had severe cramping and lost more MP by morning. They were bad enough that I was jealous Bill could just sleep peacefully through with no pain so I kept kicking him through the hardest ones! Just toughening him up for labor, really....lol)
So hopefully by the end of the week, Katie will be here. Meanwhile I'm so uncomfortable and in pain. It's making me impatient, grumpy and courageous (though whenever I get bad pains, I immediately get scared!)
Went swimming again today. It felt sooo good to be weightless again, but after just an hour I got really cold and felt super tired, so I had to get out. I had planned to swim around for the full three hours offered, but I just didn't have the energy. If the baby isn't here by the weekend, we'll be going again and using it as exercise, since today I used it moreso just to relax my body a bit.
I can't believe pregnancy is almost over and every day I wonder if something will happen. It's such a very strange time, it's hard to explain. Nothing feels very predictable anymore!
Some pics from today:
Some crazy belly pics from a few days ago:
Thursday, June 16, 2011
38 Weeks
Bear with me here, I'm working on two hours of sleep. If something doesn't make sense, just skip it - I'm pretty out of it.
I'm 38 weeks today, I think last week was the slowest week in pregnancy of all. Time has finally really slowed down, each day is super long now. The entire nine months sped by so fast, just to get tired and crawl the rest of the way from here. I'm not complaining, I'd rather they go slowly now so I can have each day in full instead of wondering where it went.
But today is going to be SO slow, just because I'm so very, very tired. Last night I went to bed between 12-12:30 AM. I woke up around 1-2 with nasty back aches and BH. They kept me tossing and turning and waking me up every few minutes from sleep. Until 4:30, when Bill's alarm went off for work. Then I was awake, and in serious pain. No idea what caused it, maybe it's just BH getting stronger, but they were really bad. (It was around this time that I discovered that "going to my relaxing place" doesn't happen when I'm in pain, and I also can't just focus on breathing to take the pain away. And these were just BH. I don't know why I even go to these birthing classes!) Around 5:30 -6 I couldn't stay in bed anymore with them, so I got up and walked around for a while with Sophie at my heels. Did this for about a half hour until they calmed down a little and hurt a bit less, then went back to bed. Except by this time I was VERY awake, but felt way too crappy to start my day. So I laid in bed with the BH for two more hours until it was around 8-8:30. Finally fell asleep (though Sophie got restless and kept going in and out of her cage, making it rattle and waking me up every time, so it was very broken sleep) for about two hours. And that's what I'm going on now.
Somehow, I need to make it through the birthing class tonight. I honestly don't know how I will, I'm so out of it but when I try to nap I can't. Bill also has been having sleeping issues, between the way I am all night (constantly turning or hurting or going to the bathroom) and problems with his sleeping machine he's not getting much more sleep than I am. Last week at the Early Home Care class, about half way through it I noticed that he kept leaning over, like he was focused on something on the floor. He was over half way to his knees before I realized that he was asleep and I had to give him a shove to startle him out of it! That was two days after he started first shift, but I'm pretty sure his body will never get used to getting up so early in the morning. Hopefully it goes better tonight though.
Something we weren't expecting to have to deal with, Sophie has a doggy cold. Which is ironic, because it occurred to me last week that maybe we should limit her going to her doggy socials just in case she'd get sick or something right now. And then bam, before we could even take her to another one or not, she gets a cold which is focused around her eyes. She has the sneezes and leaky eyes. The pharmasist we talked to said it wasn't a big deal and gave us a few different things we can do for her to avoid taking her to the vet. Bill's been taking care of her and treating her, so I'm able to stay away. It's a dog thing and shouldn't be able to transfer over, but just in case I'm not touching her right now. We're hoping to clears up sooner rather than later because we definitely don't want to deal with this if the baby decides to come a week or so early. We got her eye treatment stuff yesterday that's supposed to clear it up within a few days, hopefully it does.
38 week pics:
I'm 38 weeks today, I think last week was the slowest week in pregnancy of all. Time has finally really slowed down, each day is super long now. The entire nine months sped by so fast, just to get tired and crawl the rest of the way from here. I'm not complaining, I'd rather they go slowly now so I can have each day in full instead of wondering where it went.
But today is going to be SO slow, just because I'm so very, very tired. Last night I went to bed between 12-12:30 AM. I woke up around 1-2 with nasty back aches and BH. They kept me tossing and turning and waking me up every few minutes from sleep. Until 4:30, when Bill's alarm went off for work. Then I was awake, and in serious pain. No idea what caused it, maybe it's just BH getting stronger, but they were really bad. (It was around this time that I discovered that "going to my relaxing place" doesn't happen when I'm in pain, and I also can't just focus on breathing to take the pain away. And these were just BH. I don't know why I even go to these birthing classes!) Around 5:30 -6 I couldn't stay in bed anymore with them, so I got up and walked around for a while with Sophie at my heels. Did this for about a half hour until they calmed down a little and hurt a bit less, then went back to bed. Except by this time I was VERY awake, but felt way too crappy to start my day. So I laid in bed with the BH for two more hours until it was around 8-8:30. Finally fell asleep (though Sophie got restless and kept going in and out of her cage, making it rattle and waking me up every time, so it was very broken sleep) for about two hours. And that's what I'm going on now.
Somehow, I need to make it through the birthing class tonight. I honestly don't know how I will, I'm so out of it but when I try to nap I can't. Bill also has been having sleeping issues, between the way I am all night (constantly turning or hurting or going to the bathroom) and problems with his sleeping machine he's not getting much more sleep than I am. Last week at the Early Home Care class, about half way through it I noticed that he kept leaning over, like he was focused on something on the floor. He was over half way to his knees before I realized that he was asleep and I had to give him a shove to startle him out of it! That was two days after he started first shift, but I'm pretty sure his body will never get used to getting up so early in the morning. Hopefully it goes better tonight though.
Something we weren't expecting to have to deal with, Sophie has a doggy cold. Which is ironic, because it occurred to me last week that maybe we should limit her going to her doggy socials just in case she'd get sick or something right now. And then bam, before we could even take her to another one or not, she gets a cold which is focused around her eyes. She has the sneezes and leaky eyes. The pharmasist we talked to said it wasn't a big deal and gave us a few different things we can do for her to avoid taking her to the vet. Bill's been taking care of her and treating her, so I'm able to stay away. It's a dog thing and shouldn't be able to transfer over, but just in case I'm not touching her right now. We're hoping to clears up sooner rather than later because we definitely don't want to deal with this if the baby decides to come a week or so early. We got her eye treatment stuff yesterday that's supposed to clear it up within a few days, hopefully it does.
38 week pics:
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
37w, 6d
38 weeks tonight! There's a full moon tonight as well, it's a shame it couldn't wait a week or two so that it might actually work for me.
Went to the midwife's today. I met the last one, who I actually liked quite a bit. She's the oldest out of the midwives and was very matter-of-fact, but she didn't beat around the bush and she seemed to know what she was talking about. I asked her about the water birth and how to go about doing all of that. She said that buying my own pool was just fine, she didn't care at all (I wanted to make sure of this before buying it tonight) and told me that when I call to come in, to tell them that I want the water birth and I'm bringing my own pool so they'll set up the large room (which is the one I really wanted, the small one is just way too small!) and they'll have all the tools ready (they'll blow my pool up using their air compressor, and they'll also fill it up and empty it out for us as well.) In the orientation, the nurse said that they take women out to deliver the baby, which worried me because the whole reason I wanted to do a water birth was for the actual birth - the water helps to soften and stretch the skin, to ease contractions, and I really liked the idea of lifting the baby out of the water and into her first breath of air. The midwife told me that as long as everything stays normal, I can deliver her in the water. The reason I might have to get out is for a long labor that needs assistance, or if there's meconium. She also gave me a waiver to sign that says I want a water birth, so I'm all set.
I also asked her about how I have such huge pressure down in my lower belly/pelvis area. She checked it out and said that the baby's head is descending down further and is causing that pressure, and that it's a good sign. She said it's good I'm having a lot of BHs as well. Baby's heart rate was 144, and my fundal height dropped from being 36'' two weeks ago to being 33'' now. She said that's from the baby working her way down and causing me to drop. She said my weight gain was perfectly on schedule, though laughed when I pouted at her because I disliked the number.
Bill asked her if there was any way she could tell if I was going to go soon or still showed signs of hanging in for a few weeks, but she said there wasn't any way to tell. It's good her head is in position and my body is doing all the right things, but it didn't mean much - I could go any day, or I could go weeks overdue at this point, there's no way to really tell. I do feel better that she's making her way down though. This midwife, just like the doctor, could immediately feel around her head and say where it was (unsure of why the other midwife couldn't, this one even showed me where the head was, and taught me where to push down to feel the round hard spot, so I got to feel her head too!)
I think that's everything, it was a pretty short appointment but I was glad to have gotten the answers to some of my questions (even though when she asked me if I had any questions, I said no. It took me about fifteen seconds to say "Wait, yes I do! I have quite a few questions!")
Anyway, two weeks left to go until due date!
Went to the midwife's today. I met the last one, who I actually liked quite a bit. She's the oldest out of the midwives and was very matter-of-fact, but she didn't beat around the bush and she seemed to know what she was talking about. I asked her about the water birth and how to go about doing all of that. She said that buying my own pool was just fine, she didn't care at all (I wanted to make sure of this before buying it tonight) and told me that when I call to come in, to tell them that I want the water birth and I'm bringing my own pool so they'll set up the large room (which is the one I really wanted, the small one is just way too small!) and they'll have all the tools ready (they'll blow my pool up using their air compressor, and they'll also fill it up and empty it out for us as well.) In the orientation, the nurse said that they take women out to deliver the baby, which worried me because the whole reason I wanted to do a water birth was for the actual birth - the water helps to soften and stretch the skin, to ease contractions, and I really liked the idea of lifting the baby out of the water and into her first breath of air. The midwife told me that as long as everything stays normal, I can deliver her in the water. The reason I might have to get out is for a long labor that needs assistance, or if there's meconium. She also gave me a waiver to sign that says I want a water birth, so I'm all set.
I also asked her about how I have such huge pressure down in my lower belly/pelvis area. She checked it out and said that the baby's head is descending down further and is causing that pressure, and that it's a good sign. She said it's good I'm having a lot of BHs as well. Baby's heart rate was 144, and my fundal height dropped from being 36'' two weeks ago to being 33'' now. She said that's from the baby working her way down and causing me to drop. She said my weight gain was perfectly on schedule, though laughed when I pouted at her because I disliked the number.
Bill asked her if there was any way she could tell if I was going to go soon or still showed signs of hanging in for a few weeks, but she said there wasn't any way to tell. It's good her head is in position and my body is doing all the right things, but it didn't mean much - I could go any day, or I could go weeks overdue at this point, there's no way to really tell. I do feel better that she's making her way down though. This midwife, just like the doctor, could immediately feel around her head and say where it was (unsure of why the other midwife couldn't, this one even showed me where the head was, and taught me where to push down to feel the round hard spot, so I got to feel her head too!)
I think that's everything, it was a pretty short appointment but I was glad to have gotten the answers to some of my questions (even though when she asked me if I had any questions, I said no. It took me about fifteen seconds to say "Wait, yes I do! I have quite a few questions!")
Anyway, two weeks left to go until due date!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
37w, 3d
The weekend went by so quickly! I can't believe Monday is already here. If everyday slips by this fast, I'll have a baby in my arms in no time!
We went swimming yesterday, something I've been really wanting to do for weeks now. I can't even describe how amazing it felt! We went, even though it wasn't very hot and it was a gloomy day, but the water was a great temperature - usually I have the hardest time getting in to a pool, but not yesterday. The weightlessness felt so good, I kept telling Bill I wasn't going to go home and that I wanted to stay in until the baby came! lol. For the first time in so long, I felt like I was back to my pre-pregnancy self - no huge amount of pressure, baby weight, or waddling. I could move in all kinds of amazing ways and it felt effortless to move about instead of my usual groan and slow waddle walk. We stayed in until they cleared the pool out due to thunderstorm warnings, which was about an hour and a half. I loved every minute of it, and hope to go back. It felt like great exercise - my muscles feel pleasantly stretched and worked.
Today however, was not so good. I had a good night's sleep without contractions for once, I even slept in through the morning. Yet somehow all day I felt completely out of it, tired and groggy. I drank a lot of water to make sure it wasn't dehydration and took a few hour nap but it still isn't feeling too much better. We went to a baby shower for Bill's cousin, who's due just five days before I am. We left early because I started to fall asleep while sitting there, and my head felt really light and groggy.
My pelvis is currently in severe pain and I have no clue as to why. It just started hurting around 9:30 PM, and it's almost an hour later and still getting worse. She's moving around like crazy, really low in my belly so maybe it's just her laying on a nerve or pushing into something. I had to slowly crawl up the stairs to get up them. Hoping it eases soon, not sure what I can do about it - it's too close to the baby to use heat or cold as her head is laying right against it.
Hopefully laying down will help out. Before then though, I found out that I could fit in my pre-pregnancy bikini. Of course I had to take pictures of that - I was 99% sure I wouldn't be able to fit at all, when it really fit quite well!
We went swimming yesterday, something I've been really wanting to do for weeks now. I can't even describe how amazing it felt! We went, even though it wasn't very hot and it was a gloomy day, but the water was a great temperature - usually I have the hardest time getting in to a pool, but not yesterday. The weightlessness felt so good, I kept telling Bill I wasn't going to go home and that I wanted to stay in until the baby came! lol. For the first time in so long, I felt like I was back to my pre-pregnancy self - no huge amount of pressure, baby weight, or waddling. I could move in all kinds of amazing ways and it felt effortless to move about instead of my usual groan and slow waddle walk. We stayed in until they cleared the pool out due to thunderstorm warnings, which was about an hour and a half. I loved every minute of it, and hope to go back. It felt like great exercise - my muscles feel pleasantly stretched and worked.
Today however, was not so good. I had a good night's sleep without contractions for once, I even slept in through the morning. Yet somehow all day I felt completely out of it, tired and groggy. I drank a lot of water to make sure it wasn't dehydration and took a few hour nap but it still isn't feeling too much better. We went to a baby shower for Bill's cousin, who's due just five days before I am. We left early because I started to fall asleep while sitting there, and my head felt really light and groggy.
My pelvis is currently in severe pain and I have no clue as to why. It just started hurting around 9:30 PM, and it's almost an hour later and still getting worse. She's moving around like crazy, really low in my belly so maybe it's just her laying on a nerve or pushing into something. I had to slowly crawl up the stairs to get up them. Hoping it eases soon, not sure what I can do about it - it's too close to the baby to use heat or cold as her head is laying right against it.
Hopefully laying down will help out. Before then though, I found out that I could fit in my pre-pregnancy bikini. Of course I had to take pictures of that - I was 99% sure I wouldn't be able to fit at all, when it really fit quite well!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
FULL TERM - 37 Weeks!!!
37 Weeks! Finally, I'm full term!!!!
I feel really good today. I think mentally, because physically I'm still a little out of it from only getting maybe two hours of broken sleep and back, as always, is killing me. But I also feel full of energy and life and excitement, which happened even before I realized what day it was.
It feels like more than just a Thursday, and another week past. It feels like I'm in a whole different game now, playing "what does this mean" and "when will she be here?" Suddenly all of not just mine but Bill's chats are about "what if she comes next week", "what means this" "I can't wait for her to get here" "There's a full moon next week - maybe it'll help out". It's not just me that's really excited about this pregnancy being completed and having our baby here, Bill seems to really have caught the baby fever as well.
How weird it feels, to say things like "if she came next week..." - I can't really wrap my head around having a baby next week (or the week after, or any of these close weeks!) It just seems so surreal and so close. It's like I've been waiting so long for this and now that it's about to be here, I just can't believe I'm finally going to act upon the moment that i've been readying myself for and researching and spending so many long hours figuring out the best ways to do it.
We found out another way that his work is going to screw us over though. They really seem evil when it comes to giving paternity weeks. If she comes any later than next week, we won't get any of his vacation days. Before it was bad enough that he'd only get 5 days of them, but now they're saying if he's on paternity week during mandatory shut down, which is July 4th to the 8th (and most likely she'll either be here or be coming that week) then he just loses those days because they overlap in paternity. So now what are we to do when we have a baby, or me that needs to go to the doctors during work hours, or when we have a really bad night with the baby that leads him to getting no sleep at all? He won't be able to take the day off, not once until the end of the year.
The good thing we discovered though is if I think I'm going into labor and call him home, but then it turns out to be false, it doesn't count as paternity. As long as he gets a doctor's excuse saying that I had a false alarm, it just counts as a sick day. Paternity won't start until the baby is actually born. So that's good - I'm hoping if he takes off the day before for when I'm in labor, it'll also count for a sick day.
I'm planning on drinking Red Raspberry tea every day from here on out - but I don't know if it's effects are the same if it's cold? I'd love to make a big pitcher of it and just keep it in the fridge instead of having to turn the stove on every time I want some and then having to deal with being internally hot in this heat.
I have bunches of pictures today, not sure how many I'll bother uploading but I felt very happy and energetic so I took quite a few (even though I had a dog tangling between my legs - she seems to want to be in the exact spot I am all the time - right on top of my feet if possible.)
I feel really good today. I think mentally, because physically I'm still a little out of it from only getting maybe two hours of broken sleep and back, as always, is killing me. But I also feel full of energy and life and excitement, which happened even before I realized what day it was.
It feels like more than just a Thursday, and another week past. It feels like I'm in a whole different game now, playing "what does this mean" and "when will she be here?" Suddenly all of not just mine but Bill's chats are about "what if she comes next week", "what means this" "I can't wait for her to get here" "There's a full moon next week - maybe it'll help out". It's not just me that's really excited about this pregnancy being completed and having our baby here, Bill seems to really have caught the baby fever as well.
How weird it feels, to say things like "if she came next week..." - I can't really wrap my head around having a baby next week (or the week after, or any of these close weeks!) It just seems so surreal and so close. It's like I've been waiting so long for this and now that it's about to be here, I just can't believe I'm finally going to act upon the moment that i've been readying myself for and researching and spending so many long hours figuring out the best ways to do it.
We found out another way that his work is going to screw us over though. They really seem evil when it comes to giving paternity weeks. If she comes any later than next week, we won't get any of his vacation days. Before it was bad enough that he'd only get 5 days of them, but now they're saying if he's on paternity week during mandatory shut down, which is July 4th to the 8th (and most likely she'll either be here or be coming that week) then he just loses those days because they overlap in paternity. So now what are we to do when we have a baby, or me that needs to go to the doctors during work hours, or when we have a really bad night with the baby that leads him to getting no sleep at all? He won't be able to take the day off, not once until the end of the year.
The good thing we discovered though is if I think I'm going into labor and call him home, but then it turns out to be false, it doesn't count as paternity. As long as he gets a doctor's excuse saying that I had a false alarm, it just counts as a sick day. Paternity won't start until the baby is actually born. So that's good - I'm hoping if he takes off the day before for when I'm in labor, it'll also count for a sick day.
I'm planning on drinking Red Raspberry tea every day from here on out - but I don't know if it's effects are the same if it's cold? I'd love to make a big pitcher of it and just keep it in the fridge instead of having to turn the stove on every time I want some and then having to deal with being internally hot in this heat.
I have bunches of pictures today, not sure how many I'll bother uploading but I felt very happy and energetic so I took quite a few (even though I had a dog tangling between my legs - she seems to want to be in the exact spot I am all the time - right on top of my feet if possible.)
And a few cute ones with Sophie, since she wouldn't leave me alone until I included her in something:
Sophie loves cuddle time, but hates cameras, so this is how I knew she was done:
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
A Pregnant Pause @ 36w, 5d
I feel like I'm on the front of a roller coaster, at the very top of that first giant hill. The coaster is making that gritty, strained noise, holding it in place until it's ready to drop. I can see where I'm about to go, plunging straight down but can't quite see how the entire coaster goes from here.
I feel like I'm holding onto the handlebars with a death grip, my teeth gritted together and my heart pounding. The first hill is the scary part of the ride, it's when all the fears creep out. Up so high, you're about to go so fast, and this scary metal thing is about to whip you away and it's out of your control - you just have to go with it. It's the time when I always start wondering "Was this such a good idea?" "What was I thinking?" It's when I remember all the horror stories of rides gone bad, of fatalities and unexpected horrors happening. It's always then when I see the set of stairs at my side and want to lift up the shoulder bars, slip out of the coaster and just walk back down to safety. Except of course, I can't do that. I'm strapped in and it's too late to go back. It's too late to do anything but wait here, counting the seconds until the roller coaster decides to fall and push me through.
I feel like I'm holding my breath, knowing that at any time, I'll be sent through crazy loops, unexpected turns and more ups and downs than I feel like I can handle. It's not the speed I hate, the wind blowing my eyes dry, the gut jerking pushs left to right that cause whiplash, but the unexpectedness of it all. When will the roller coaster release? When will I be sent through that first loop, bash against that first turn, lose the ground beneath me on those hills and bumps? Why can't there be a little speaker by my head, saying "Okay, in 2.5 seconds you'll be sent at 120 mph down the hill and followed immediately by a turn that's going to make your head slam against your headrest, then sent through loop number one in 7 seconds." But I guess that would take away the point of doing anything at all, wouldn't it?
I feel like I'm on the scariest, biggest, record breaking roller coaster in the world and there's nothing I can do put go through with it. I feel tense, my breath catching with each strained groan that comes from the coaster, inching forward, getting ready. I feel like I should be able to calm my heartbeat, sit back and raise my hands in the air - if it's going to definitely happen, it'll happen whether I'm fearful or ready to experience this. Except, I never could ride a roller coaster with both hands in the air. I've always had to have one holding on, just in case.
I feel like this roller coaster can drop at any second, and I can't figure out if I'm excited or afraid or nervous. Every day I get a little closer, making me a little more tense and cautious and whenever I feel it, I'm reminded of how I feel on a roller coaster, at the top of that hill, just waiting to be released downwards. Because the waiting is definitely the hardest part - it's when there's plenty of time to think, to work myself up, to get nervous or anxious or anything else. Every time I feel eager to get this going and over with so I can feel that rush of good feeling at the end, I turn and make sure there's no other means of escape, and that I'm definitely latched in and forced to go through with this last part, because it's so very nerve wracking and full of what if's that don't seem like they'll ever go away until it's all over.
(I wrote this at like 2 AM on my little phone, still a bit annoyed that the best analogy I can come up with that fits so well is the cliched roller coaster, but oh well. Also, I found a tick on my sock today - since when do they invade so early? Oh wait, it's not May anymore...it's June now. Ahhhh!)
Side note: I may be doing nothing but gaining weight, but I'm happy to still say it's not touching my legs or arms! (however it does show quite a lot in my belly area - my bump is getting so huge!)
I feel like I'm holding onto the handlebars with a death grip, my teeth gritted together and my heart pounding. The first hill is the scary part of the ride, it's when all the fears creep out. Up so high, you're about to go so fast, and this scary metal thing is about to whip you away and it's out of your control - you just have to go with it. It's the time when I always start wondering "Was this such a good idea?" "What was I thinking?" It's when I remember all the horror stories of rides gone bad, of fatalities and unexpected horrors happening. It's always then when I see the set of stairs at my side and want to lift up the shoulder bars, slip out of the coaster and just walk back down to safety. Except of course, I can't do that. I'm strapped in and it's too late to go back. It's too late to do anything but wait here, counting the seconds until the roller coaster decides to fall and push me through.
I feel like I'm holding my breath, knowing that at any time, I'll be sent through crazy loops, unexpected turns and more ups and downs than I feel like I can handle. It's not the speed I hate, the wind blowing my eyes dry, the gut jerking pushs left to right that cause whiplash, but the unexpectedness of it all. When will the roller coaster release? When will I be sent through that first loop, bash against that first turn, lose the ground beneath me on those hills and bumps? Why can't there be a little speaker by my head, saying "Okay, in 2.5 seconds you'll be sent at 120 mph down the hill and followed immediately by a turn that's going to make your head slam against your headrest, then sent through loop number one in 7 seconds." But I guess that would take away the point of doing anything at all, wouldn't it?
I feel like I'm on the scariest, biggest, record breaking roller coaster in the world and there's nothing I can do put go through with it. I feel tense, my breath catching with each strained groan that comes from the coaster, inching forward, getting ready. I feel like I should be able to calm my heartbeat, sit back and raise my hands in the air - if it's going to definitely happen, it'll happen whether I'm fearful or ready to experience this. Except, I never could ride a roller coaster with both hands in the air. I've always had to have one holding on, just in case.
I feel like this roller coaster can drop at any second, and I can't figure out if I'm excited or afraid or nervous. Every day I get a little closer, making me a little more tense and cautious and whenever I feel it, I'm reminded of how I feel on a roller coaster, at the top of that hill, just waiting to be released downwards. Because the waiting is definitely the hardest part - it's when there's plenty of time to think, to work myself up, to get nervous or anxious or anything else. Every time I feel eager to get this going and over with so I can feel that rush of good feeling at the end, I turn and make sure there's no other means of escape, and that I'm definitely latched in and forced to go through with this last part, because it's so very nerve wracking and full of what if's that don't seem like they'll ever go away until it's all over.
(I wrote this at like 2 AM on my little phone, still a bit annoyed that the best analogy I can come up with that fits so well is the cliched roller coaster, but oh well. Also, I found a tick on my sock today - since when do they invade so early? Oh wait, it's not May anymore...it's June now. Ahhhh!)
Side note: I may be doing nothing but gaining weight, but I'm happy to still say it's not touching my legs or arms! (however it does show quite a lot in my belly area - my bump is getting so huge!)
On another side note, I think my body is trying to kill me. For the last two days or so, I've been craving exercising (something that's VERY foreign to me!) I've been making Bill and Sophie go on long walks with me daily, but that's not enough. I feel like finally breaking out pregnancy exercising tapes and going at it!)
Monday, June 6, 2011
36w,4d
Get ready for rambling, I'm only half awake:
Tried an experiment last night/this morning...don't think it went too well.
Today is Bill's first day training as supervisor on first shift, so we went to bed around 9:30 - 10. I purposely skipped my daily nap so that I'd be tired enough to sleep. Except as soon as I laid down, I was wide awake. It probably took well over an hour for me to fall asleep, and even then I couldn't stay asleep. My back hurt a lot so I was constantly tossing and turning to find a position to relieve it, which kept Bill up for a while as well. I made about five trips to the bathroom through the night, each one making me wide awake by the time I tried to fall back to sleep again. Finally, 4 AM came and our alarm clocks went off over and over. Of course now was the time in the night that my body didn't feel like getting up. By 4:30 we had made it out of bed, and Bill looked completely out of it.
My idea was that I should practice being only half awake and having to do tasks efficiently so when I'm barely awake and can't keep my eyes open when baby comes, maybe my body will take over a bit and help me out to do whatever it is I need to do. So I went downstairs and put Bill's lunch together in a plastic bag and then got him and I some breakfast (somehow I was starving. Any other time I could never eat at such an hour.) By 5:15 Bill had left and I was able to return to bed. Well, I was more awake at that moment than I have been through most of my pregnancy. Still, the thought of being awake in the house at 5 AM with nothing to really do and the house still dark made me lay down again. Except ten minutes after I laid down, it was light out. I slept extremely fitfully through most of the morning, trying to catch some sleep just so I wouldn't feel like death all day. I only half accomplished that, so I'm still pretty out of it.
I expanded on my cooking skills last night and decided to make flounder. Never made flounder before, but I had all these frozen, raw fillets waiting to be cooked for like three months now. I found a simple recipe online for baked fish (the last time I made fish, which was my first time making any raw fish, was in a skillet) with a parmasian cheese, lemon juice, mayo, salt, onion topping. After I mixed all those ingredients together, my confidence in the dish dropped - it looked pretty gross. But I was already half way through the recipe at that time so I grabbed out the fish that had been baking for a while and smeared it over them then broiled the fish for a little while longer. I wish I had defrosted the fish more, because they still had enough frost in them to make the pan wet and the fish soggy - I kept trying to pick up the liquid with a paper towel but it wasn't working. They did turn a really nice color though, and I served them up with buttered noodles and green beans, which were freezer burnt but not badly. The fish ended up being a bit salty (I forgot about how salty parmasian cheese is, so I added a little too much salt) but it actually tasted good. Bill raved about it a few times, but that might have been so he didn't have to see me all upset, especially after I made cake the night before and cried over it when the lower layer crumbled apart.
Katie seems to have found her fists today. She keeps rubbing them along my uterus, so this little bump can be seen going all over the left side of my belly. It's cute. I keep putting my hand on my left side, and she usually takes her fist and bops it where my hand is. Her fist sure feels better than this butt that she keeps sticking out of me, which both feels uncomfortable and makes me look very lopsided.
It's only three days until I hit 37 weeks. It's all getting so close!
It's 12:30 and all I want to do is go back to sleep. Again. But I know the pattern well enough already.
Tried an experiment last night/this morning...don't think it went too well.
Today is Bill's first day training as supervisor on first shift, so we went to bed around 9:30 - 10. I purposely skipped my daily nap so that I'd be tired enough to sleep. Except as soon as I laid down, I was wide awake. It probably took well over an hour for me to fall asleep, and even then I couldn't stay asleep. My back hurt a lot so I was constantly tossing and turning to find a position to relieve it, which kept Bill up for a while as well. I made about five trips to the bathroom through the night, each one making me wide awake by the time I tried to fall back to sleep again. Finally, 4 AM came and our alarm clocks went off over and over. Of course now was the time in the night that my body didn't feel like getting up. By 4:30 we had made it out of bed, and Bill looked completely out of it.
My idea was that I should practice being only half awake and having to do tasks efficiently so when I'm barely awake and can't keep my eyes open when baby comes, maybe my body will take over a bit and help me out to do whatever it is I need to do. So I went downstairs and put Bill's lunch together in a plastic bag and then got him and I some breakfast (somehow I was starving. Any other time I could never eat at such an hour.) By 5:15 Bill had left and I was able to return to bed. Well, I was more awake at that moment than I have been through most of my pregnancy. Still, the thought of being awake in the house at 5 AM with nothing to really do and the house still dark made me lay down again. Except ten minutes after I laid down, it was light out. I slept extremely fitfully through most of the morning, trying to catch some sleep just so I wouldn't feel like death all day. I only half accomplished that, so I'm still pretty out of it.
I expanded on my cooking skills last night and decided to make flounder. Never made flounder before, but I had all these frozen, raw fillets waiting to be cooked for like three months now. I found a simple recipe online for baked fish (the last time I made fish, which was my first time making any raw fish, was in a skillet) with a parmasian cheese, lemon juice, mayo, salt, onion topping. After I mixed all those ingredients together, my confidence in the dish dropped - it looked pretty gross. But I was already half way through the recipe at that time so I grabbed out the fish that had been baking for a while and smeared it over them then broiled the fish for a little while longer. I wish I had defrosted the fish more, because they still had enough frost in them to make the pan wet and the fish soggy - I kept trying to pick up the liquid with a paper towel but it wasn't working. They did turn a really nice color though, and I served them up with buttered noodles and green beans, which were freezer burnt but not badly. The fish ended up being a bit salty (I forgot about how salty parmasian cheese is, so I added a little too much salt) but it actually tasted good. Bill raved about it a few times, but that might have been so he didn't have to see me all upset, especially after I made cake the night before and cried over it when the lower layer crumbled apart.
Katie seems to have found her fists today. She keeps rubbing them along my uterus, so this little bump can be seen going all over the left side of my belly. It's cute. I keep putting my hand on my left side, and she usually takes her fist and bops it where my hand is. Her fist sure feels better than this butt that she keeps sticking out of me, which both feels uncomfortable and makes me look very lopsided.
It's only three days until I hit 37 weeks. It's all getting so close!
It's 12:30 and all I want to do is go back to sleep. Again. But I know the pattern well enough already.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
36w, 3d
It's been a productive day so far! (Though by now my back is killing me, so I'm not sure how much more productive I'll be.)
I woke up with the need to get the messiest room in the house in order - the kitchen. Bill was already awake so I just went downstairs, fed Sophie and took her outside, then started on the dishes. Once the dishes were done two hours later (I always let them stack up way too much, though now I'm on everyone to wash their dishes right after eating off them) I scrubbed out the sinks, counters, stove, and table and swept the floor. It now looks so much nicer!
After that Bill fixed the sink while I cleaned up the bathroom a bit and then we went to give Sophie a bath (which she hated, as always, and that's what makes it a two person job!) and I cut up the chocolate cake I made last night to eat for breakfast. I keep getting so hungry so suddenly that I have to eat right then, right now or I feel like my stomach will shrivel up. Horrible feeling, so I've been sure to keep food around that can just be grabbed and eaten instead of needing to cook. Currently I'm taking a break from meal planning for the next two weeks since we won't have much money at all to buy new groceries during that period so we're trying to use up everything we have now.
We bought lots of fish months ago that's just been sitting in the freezer. I know fun things to do with most meats, but I'm most lacking in fish. So today we decided to use up some of the flounder we have, and I found a bunch of recipes I'm eager to try. Best of all, I only need one ingredient from the store to make all of them - lemon juice. Since we have to go there to get bottled water for Bill's breathing machine anyway, it looks like I'll get to hopefully make a nice dinner tonight, and maybe make another to freeze for Baby Week.
Katie has been so very active. I have no idea how she's managing to still be posterior when she keeps sticking her butt out of my belly. I know it's her butt because I asked the doctor about it during the last ultrasound. I suppose since she's laying on my side, she's able to stick her butt out and rest her feet on my right ribcage, creating a very round, far out side bump that I often get kicks from. She sure feels heavy now, I keep feeling like i need to walk around while holding my bump up because it's just so heavy and hard to work with.
I'm not sure what changed, maybe because she's full term now and things can happen any time in the next few weeks, or just because he's been reading a lot, but Bill is getting really excited about the baby. He keeps saying about how we're going to have her soon and grinning, and how he can't wait to see her. He also seems much more confident in my laboring skills than I am, he assures me I'll do fine and at least sounds like he believes it. My faith in it wavers. I believe I can get through it, I just worry about all the things that can easily take away the birth I desire, and how I'll act once I'm taken out of the enviroment that I had designed in my head. If I can avoid a transfer, I'll feel better. Active labor contractions still scare the daylights out of me though.
I woke up with the need to get the messiest room in the house in order - the kitchen. Bill was already awake so I just went downstairs, fed Sophie and took her outside, then started on the dishes. Once the dishes were done two hours later (I always let them stack up way too much, though now I'm on everyone to wash their dishes right after eating off them) I scrubbed out the sinks, counters, stove, and table and swept the floor. It now looks so much nicer!
After that Bill fixed the sink while I cleaned up the bathroom a bit and then we went to give Sophie a bath (which she hated, as always, and that's what makes it a two person job!) and I cut up the chocolate cake I made last night to eat for breakfast. I keep getting so hungry so suddenly that I have to eat right then, right now or I feel like my stomach will shrivel up. Horrible feeling, so I've been sure to keep food around that can just be grabbed and eaten instead of needing to cook. Currently I'm taking a break from meal planning for the next two weeks since we won't have much money at all to buy new groceries during that period so we're trying to use up everything we have now.
We bought lots of fish months ago that's just been sitting in the freezer. I know fun things to do with most meats, but I'm most lacking in fish. So today we decided to use up some of the flounder we have, and I found a bunch of recipes I'm eager to try. Best of all, I only need one ingredient from the store to make all of them - lemon juice. Since we have to go there to get bottled water for Bill's breathing machine anyway, it looks like I'll get to hopefully make a nice dinner tonight, and maybe make another to freeze for Baby Week.
Katie has been so very active. I have no idea how she's managing to still be posterior when she keeps sticking her butt out of my belly. I know it's her butt because I asked the doctor about it during the last ultrasound. I suppose since she's laying on my side, she's able to stick her butt out and rest her feet on my right ribcage, creating a very round, far out side bump that I often get kicks from. She sure feels heavy now, I keep feeling like i need to walk around while holding my bump up because it's just so heavy and hard to work with.
I'm not sure what changed, maybe because she's full term now and things can happen any time in the next few weeks, or just because he's been reading a lot, but Bill is getting really excited about the baby. He keeps saying about how we're going to have her soon and grinning, and how he can't wait to see her. He also seems much more confident in my laboring skills than I am, he assures me I'll do fine and at least sounds like he believes it. My faith in it wavers. I believe I can get through it, I just worry about all the things that can easily take away the birth I desire, and how I'll act once I'm taken out of the enviroment that I had designed in my head. If I can avoid a transfer, I'll feel better. Active labor contractions still scare the daylights out of me though.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
36w, 2d
Finally got to play with the baby's car seat today. I've been wanting to check it out every day for the last two weeks but never had the time (or memory) to do it. It's super adorable, I put on the fluffy teddy bear shoulder straps and the fluffy pink flowered body holder, and then put an old baby doll in it to test it out - and he sure looked snug!
After reading through the instructions a few times, we took it out to the car and made sure it wasn't too big and that we understood how to latch it in. Then we put it in our trunk, since we still need to keep Sophie back there when we take her for training sessions, and I definitely don't want her near the car seat.
Getting very tired of all these nosebleeds lately, where suddenly my nose will start spewing forth blood for quite a few minutes and refuses to quit. It makes things very difficult when I'm in public and it decides to start up.
I had a small burst of energy this morning. I woke up wanting to clean everything (and assign chores to Bill as well.) I made it through about the first four things on my list before the energy was gone. Now I'm just nursing a back ache for a while and trying not to fall asleep.
I made signs yesterday to go on the front door to ward off unexpected visitors waking me and the baby during nap times. I thought they looked pretty cute. For some reason, during this pregnancy I've really liked Dumbo (never in my life was I a fan of Dumbo, but I started loving the beginning with him and his mommy) so I got an excuse to put a picture of them on one. I think I started liking them when I randomly started humming the tune to the song in the beginning - I haven't watched that movie in like 15 years (and even as a child, it wasn't watched much) but somehow the song Baby of Mine came back to me. (Baby mine don’t you cry, Baby mine dry your eyes, Rest your head close to my heart, Never to part, Baby of mine - etc)
Anyway...
After reading through the instructions a few times, we took it out to the car and made sure it wasn't too big and that we understood how to latch it in. Then we put it in our trunk, since we still need to keep Sophie back there when we take her for training sessions, and I definitely don't want her near the car seat.
Figuring out what things were what:
Sophie wanted to watch us put it in the car (but mainly freaked out when she thought we were leaving her there to go away.)
Getting very tired of all these nosebleeds lately, where suddenly my nose will start spewing forth blood for quite a few minutes and refuses to quit. It makes things very difficult when I'm in public and it decides to start up.
I had a small burst of energy this morning. I woke up wanting to clean everything (and assign chores to Bill as well.) I made it through about the first four things on my list before the energy was gone. Now I'm just nursing a back ache for a while and trying not to fall asleep.
I made signs yesterday to go on the front door to ward off unexpected visitors waking me and the baby during nap times. I thought they looked pretty cute. For some reason, during this pregnancy I've really liked Dumbo (never in my life was I a fan of Dumbo, but I started loving the beginning with him and his mommy) so I got an excuse to put a picture of them on one. I think I started liking them when I randomly started humming the tune to the song in the beginning - I haven't watched that movie in like 15 years (and even as a child, it wasn't watched much) but somehow the song Baby of Mine came back to me. (Baby mine don’t you cry, Baby mine dry your eyes, Rest your head close to my heart, Never to part, Baby of mine - etc)
Anyway...
Friday, June 3, 2011
36w, 1d
One day late, but I was really busy yesterday with birthing classes, baking, cooking and a little cleaning (and quite a bit of napping) to get around to this.
I don't think there's really any updates. I have 27 days to go until my due date currently, and I'm finding it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'll be a full 37 weeks next week - full term and ready to start trying natural inducement methods that will hopefully start helping out around 38 - 39 weeks. My goal is to see if she'll come around 39 weeks, since my birthing center won't let me go more than a week before inducement, and I want to stay far away from medical interventions if at all possible. Now that I know she's head down, I'm determined to keep going with my birth plan and try to make her listen to me! Speaking of which, I should probably order that pool soon....
I think that's it, so here's the 36 week bump pictures. She seems to be laying in a funny position, so my belly in some of the pictures looks pretty odd and wavy (I didn't realize it until I was going over them.)
I don't think there's really any updates. I have 27 days to go until my due date currently, and I'm finding it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I'll be a full 37 weeks next week - full term and ready to start trying natural inducement methods that will hopefully start helping out around 38 - 39 weeks. My goal is to see if she'll come around 39 weeks, since my birthing center won't let me go more than a week before inducement, and I want to stay far away from medical interventions if at all possible. Now that I know she's head down, I'm determined to keep going with my birth plan and try to make her listen to me! Speaking of which, I should probably order that pool soon....
I think that's it, so here's the 36 week bump pictures. She seems to be laying in a funny position, so my belly in some of the pictures looks pretty odd and wavy (I didn't realize it until I was going over them.)
Ones I played with:
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