I've been really thrown off by the whole false labor situation, so this post is a bit late. I'm second-guessing myself about a lot of different things, and it's starting to wear on me a bit. Small twinges that made me wonder seem like something I need to ignore now, and I worry that I won't recognize when the real thing starts or I'll think something else is labor when it's not. The pain of my pelvis opening up (and trying to turn over in bed when I'm that sore) make me wonder whether I'll be able to handle labor without meds. It seems like this will go on forever, but then when I consider what I still need to do at work or at home it feels like I can't possibly get to everything in time.
Luckily, my mom was AMAZING with helping us get ready this week while she was here, so that oh-shit list is a lot shorter than it was before. The nursery is completely set up and just needs the wall decals put up. Our kitchen is half baby-proofed (we'll add door latches later). She was even generous enough to hire cleaners for us, and as sad as it is to admit it, our house hasn't been this clean since we bought the place. We still have to finish taxes and replace the shelves in our bedroom closet, but everything else is as ready as it can be. We would even have a little party to show off our clean house and adorable nursery except half our friends are going out to another party which we can't make it to because (a) too many stairs at their place and (b) I don't like to be more than a half hour from our hospital. I'm weird like that. But anyone who wants to crash our place is welcome to enjoy the cheese and alcohol-free wine we will probably be enjoying with a Burn Notice marathon this Saturday. There might even be yogurt to accompany the Michael Westin eye candy.
Our last appointment was disappointing in a lot of ways. First off was the news that I was shut down like Fort Knox and shouldn't expect labor to start anytime soon. Then there was the news that my Group B Strep test came back positive, so I will have to have an IV of antibiotics when I arrive at the hospital. We were so thrown off by the news that I was no longer dilated or effaced that I didn't even think to ask about the test results, so hopefully we'll get more answers when we go in later today. (Yes, technically I'm 38 weeks already. You try doing regular blog updates when you have to pee every half hour and tell me how it goes while you search for more toilet paper.) On top of that, the OB ordered additional stuff to look at when we did the ultrasound, which made me paranoid that I would be induced early.
Luckily that probably won't happen. She still looks big, but they couldn't get her head measurement because she's so nicely engaged, which is a good sign for me. Her legs are going to be incredibly long though, unlike my stumpy limbs. That part comes from her daddy for sure. The placenta looks like it's still healthy and functioning as intended, so even if she gets bigger, an induction isn't recommended since it hasn't been shown to prevent C-sections. She's still thriving by all accounts and my pelvis should be wide enough to accommodate her, so according the perinatologist I might as well be allowed to start labor on my own. There are a couple of OBs who would be more open to them, so I'll do my best to avoid getting appointments with them over the next few weeks, but you never what will happen.
I've decided to make Friday my last day of working. I've been feeling so tired, and it just doesn't seem worth it anymore to go into labor exhausted so I can save a week or two with Brianna at the end of my maternity leave. Part-time work will let me extend my time home with her while keeping me sane, especially since I can work from home when I'm starting out instead of jumping straight into daycare. And this way I don't have to try to work when my mom comes back from her work week next Tuesday.
So how big was Brianna estimated at? Eight pounds, seven ounces. Thank God for this big bone structure of mine. I've never been so happy to wear a size 10 shoe, though I would be even happier if it didn't also come with extra width. Fred Flintstone's cross-dressing brother called, he wants his heels back. Anywho, enough of that tangent. Her lungs should be just about done maturing, though apparently another week to grow would be ideal. Her movements have slowed down quite a bit. Saturday, she scared the crap out of me by refusing to move until the afternoon when I ate two pieces of candy, drank a glass of cold water and a glass of cold juice, and put on some Queen. I'm pretty sure it's the Queen that did it, because just a couple bars into Under Pressure she started dancing around. Kind of a fitting song considering all the pressure she's putting on my pelvis. Now she just needs to stay put for a few more days until my mom comes back again, and then it will be perfect timing.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
....Or Not
That was what is known as false labor in medical terminology. I call it frustrating and confusing, but at least I have my mom here now. I just wish I didn't feel so down for misjudging it, and for being told that I was nowhere near labor at today's appointment.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
It's Happening....
Contractions have started. We're on our way to the hospital in about an hour or so. Looks like we're going to get that St Patrick's Day baby after all! Wish us luck and check back for updates and pictures.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Week 36 - Almost There
We made it through the week without too many more contractions. In 36 hours, she'll be officially full term and I can take a deep breath and welcome any signs of labor. (Oh hell, who am I kidding? I would welcome any and all signs of labor right now, but it's better for Brianna to get all the cooking time she deserves.) There were definitely some overly emotional moments over the weekend where I let anxiety get the better of me. It wasn't so much the fear of going into labor early that got to me. Rather, it was the emotional roller coaster of constantly looking for signals, reading into everything when I should just take it in stride and keep on living, and the tension between wanting to be done with the difficult side of pregnancy and knowing that it will be healthier for Brianna if I just give it time. A lot of it reminded me of the stress of infertility, the constant struggle of hoping everything works this time and the minor complaints like upset stomach and achy boobs will finally mean something great. It's nice to know that there is no disappointment with this though, just the anticipation of finally meeting our baby girl.
I finally feel ready for all of this to happen. Our bags are packed for the hospital and patiently waiting in the trunk. The bassinet is set up and waiting for her arrival. Tiny outfits are folded and stacked on the changing table while we wait to get the dresser built (and waiting with good reason, since the box weighs over 100 pounds and will probably get upstairs by being opened up and carried piece by piece). If we make it to Friday, we'll have the car seat inspected by the Sheriff's office for some extra piece of mind to be sure it's installed correctly. Plus, I have a nice work-from-home set-up that's letting me stay comfy while not burning any leave waiting for this to happen.
I have been informed by my family that some of my Monty Python references on here haven't come across all that well. Which just confirms my belief that I should entertain myself before going to the hospital by watching Eddie Izzard and other British comedy so Brianna will be quite familiar from an early age with all the material I will use to be an embarrassing mom when she's a teenager. Anyone want to join me for a marathon of Dressed to Kill, Holy Grail, and Coupling? We can even watch the Circus of the Epidural just to keep it labor related.
Brianna is probably seven and a half pounds now. She had hiccups earlier, and it took FOREVER for them to go away. Kind of unnerving to feel that rhythmic little bounce over and over so many times. She still hates extremely warm water, since every time I tried to get a hot shower to relieve hip pain, she got squirmy and unhappy and I got contractions. So, we'll probably avoid that one since it's just generally uncomfortable for everyone.
My belly button is flat now. It probably won't ever pop since I carry some extra "cushion" around my waist, but there's definitely nothing to it anymore. I guess this means I'm done, even without the turkey timer popping. The earliest signs of spring have arrived in DC, like buds appearing that will become cherry blossoms in a couple weeks and tiny leaves of green on the weeping willows along the Parkway. It's one of the prettiest times of year around here (impending tourist invasion aside), and now I just want a baby to complete it.
I finally feel ready for all of this to happen. Our bags are packed for the hospital and patiently waiting in the trunk. The bassinet is set up and waiting for her arrival. Tiny outfits are folded and stacked on the changing table while we wait to get the dresser built (and waiting with good reason, since the box weighs over 100 pounds and will probably get upstairs by being opened up and carried piece by piece). If we make it to Friday, we'll have the car seat inspected by the Sheriff's office for some extra piece of mind to be sure it's installed correctly. Plus, I have a nice work-from-home set-up that's letting me stay comfy while not burning any leave waiting for this to happen.
I have been informed by my family that some of my Monty Python references on here haven't come across all that well. Which just confirms my belief that I should entertain myself before going to the hospital by watching Eddie Izzard and other British comedy so Brianna will be quite familiar from an early age with all the material I will use to be an embarrassing mom when she's a teenager. Anyone want to join me for a marathon of Dressed to Kill, Holy Grail, and Coupling? We can even watch the Circus of the Epidural just to keep it labor related.
Brianna is probably seven and a half pounds now. She had hiccups earlier, and it took FOREVER for them to go away. Kind of unnerving to feel that rhythmic little bounce over and over so many times. She still hates extremely warm water, since every time I tried to get a hot shower to relieve hip pain, she got squirmy and unhappy and I got contractions. So, we'll probably avoid that one since it's just generally uncomfortable for everyone.
My belly button is flat now. It probably won't ever pop since I carry some extra "cushion" around my waist, but there's definitely nothing to it anymore. I guess this means I'm done, even without the turkey timer popping. The earliest signs of spring have arrived in DC, like buds appearing that will become cherry blossoms in a couple weeks and tiny leaves of green on the weeping willows along the Parkway. It's one of the prettiest times of year around here (impending tourist invasion aside), and now I just want a baby to complete it.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Week 35 - Shoot Me Now
As of today, I have four weeks and a day until my estimated due date. Which is absolutely crazy and more than a little scary. And right on cue to herald the end of my eighth month? Some serious Braxton-Hicks, which seem to be happen more often in the car and are more intense there. It seems to be a combination of being stressed (like when we're driving home at the end of the day) and having poor posture in general when we're in the car. By Friday they had gotten so bad that I went to bed and spent all afternoon and evening switching back and forth between my left and right side. (They got better eventually, but several times that night I was convinced that I would in fact go into labor in the next two weeks. More on that in a bit.)
By Saturday morning I wanted nothing to do with the bed, so I continued to take it easy by supervising in a comfy chair (lovingly provided by the Spanish Inquisition) while Andy did most of the work of cleaning our room. I think he would have mutinied if I hadn't also been set up at a table so I could sort through some of the crap that had accumulated all over the place. So now we have a clear floor and a clear desk, and even better? None of it was shoved in the closet. That would be the classic packrat coping technique, but we managed to find a home for everything or agreed to get rid of it. Goodwill is going to start recognizing our car and refuse to take our stuff.
Sunday was spent writing thank you notes for my first shower and getting taxes done. Woohoo, another refund. Not sure what we'll do with it this year, but last year it helped replace our roof. Maybe part of it will go towards some of the inevitable last minute "Oh crap, babies can't shop for themselves..." runs to Babies R Us for swings and diaper pails and the other things that we don't have yet but will be desperate for about 12 hours after bringing Brianna home.
In the midst of my impending doom of labor freakout over the weekend, I realized that while we do need some stuff still, a lot of them are gifts that just haven't arrived yet, and that by next weekend, we could theoretically be ready to bring home a baby. You know, as long as you look past the fact that we don't have diapers or a car seat. Or packed bags for going to the hospital.
Moodiness seems to be happening a lot lately. Last night I had round ligament pain from hell (quite literally - the devil showed up and made my uterus hurt, not such a nice guy that one) but didn't recognize it at first and called the midwives. I'm sure they think I'm a moron, and I went to today's appointment being that idiot who called over round ligament pain. Anywho, I was so overwhelmed and uncomfortable that I had a bit of a breakdown. Again. Poor Andy. All this on top of him having dental work and a headache yesterday. He's a real trooper, but we have finally decided that adventurous cooking (ie, let's make this up as we go along!) is out for the next several weeks. In fact, it might be out for a few months, because I don't think we feel like experimenting with a newborn on hand, unless we're feeling particularly crazy and so sleep deprived that it also sounds like a good idea to run around with our underwear on our heads. So, not likely.
Complaint #54,763 about pregnancy? I have to pee. All. The. Time. Middle of the night waddling to the bathroom is especially painful when your bladder is full and the hormones that loosen your pelvis are making it hard to stand up straight. It's gotten so bad that I'm starting to run out of toilet paper. Which means a trip to Costco needs to happen. However, that probably won't be happening for a couple days. Do you want to know why? Of course you do, this wouldn't be the TMI happy hour if I didn't tell you anything and everything about what's going on.
So at said appointment today, I got to hear the heartbeat as usual and measured rather large (39 weeks, but Brianna was sticking her butt out again so it's probably not that bad). Our midwife was a wee bit out of sorts because she had just had the pleasure of telling her previous (rather clueless) patient that she had a bulging abdomen because she was 20 weeks pregnant, not constipated. How anyone gets that far thinking they just need a good laxative, I don't know, but the midwife felt she had had her fair share of surprises today. She offered to check my cervix after doing the swab for Group B Strep, and after all the action my uterus has been getting, it sounded like a good idea to me. Good instincts on that one, because the surprises were not done for the day.
Y'all, I'm 4cm dilated already. 4 freaking centimeters! And 70% effaced to boot. I'm halfway through the easy-ish part of labor, and apparently those "fake" contractions were probably the real deal. If I get any regular contractions, I have to call the hospital even if they're several minutes apart. So I'm going to treat the next week like I'm on bedrest whenever possible. No Frisky fun-time. No standing over the stove cooking dinner. Still working, but not going back and forth between the adjacent buildings several times and staying off my feet. With my luck, the fire alarm will go off and I'll have to stand outside for awhile. And it will be raining.
Brianna is probably 7 pounds now, maybe 21 inches. We'll get a more definite answer when we go in for a yet another ultrasound, just to check her growth again since I measured so big. Right now it's just a waiting game as her lungs mature. Hopefully she'll stay tight for another week and continue to grow and be even healthier when she's born. It would be awesome to have a St. Patty's Day baby, or if she were born on the 21st (my grandma's birthday), that would be pretty cool too. With a full moon on the 19th, who knows what will happen. I'll try to update a little more often as things change through the week, so check here first if you're curious about our baby status.
By Saturday morning I wanted nothing to do with the bed, so I continued to take it easy by supervising in a comfy chair (lovingly provided by the Spanish Inquisition) while Andy did most of the work of cleaning our room. I think he would have mutinied if I hadn't also been set up at a table so I could sort through some of the crap that had accumulated all over the place. So now we have a clear floor and a clear desk, and even better? None of it was shoved in the closet. That would be the classic packrat coping technique, but we managed to find a home for everything or agreed to get rid of it. Goodwill is going to start recognizing our car and refuse to take our stuff.
Sunday was spent writing thank you notes for my first shower and getting taxes done. Woohoo, another refund. Not sure what we'll do with it this year, but last year it helped replace our roof. Maybe part of it will go towards some of the inevitable last minute "Oh crap, babies can't shop for themselves..." runs to Babies R Us for swings and diaper pails and the other things that we don't have yet but will be desperate for about 12 hours after bringing Brianna home.
In the midst of my impending doom of labor freakout over the weekend, I realized that while we do need some stuff still, a lot of them are gifts that just haven't arrived yet, and that by next weekend, we could theoretically be ready to bring home a baby. You know, as long as you look past the fact that we don't have diapers or a car seat. Or packed bags for going to the hospital.
Moodiness seems to be happening a lot lately. Last night I had round ligament pain from hell (quite literally - the devil showed up and made my uterus hurt, not such a nice guy that one) but didn't recognize it at first and called the midwives. I'm sure they think I'm a moron, and I went to today's appointment being that idiot who called over round ligament pain. Anywho, I was so overwhelmed and uncomfortable that I had a bit of a breakdown. Again. Poor Andy. All this on top of him having dental work and a headache yesterday. He's a real trooper, but we have finally decided that adventurous cooking (ie, let's make this up as we go along!) is out for the next several weeks. In fact, it might be out for a few months, because I don't think we feel like experimenting with a newborn on hand, unless we're feeling particularly crazy and so sleep deprived that it also sounds like a good idea to run around with our underwear on our heads. So, not likely.
Complaint #54,763 about pregnancy? I have to pee. All. The. Time. Middle of the night waddling to the bathroom is especially painful when your bladder is full and the hormones that loosen your pelvis are making it hard to stand up straight. It's gotten so bad that I'm starting to run out of toilet paper. Which means a trip to Costco needs to happen. However, that probably won't be happening for a couple days. Do you want to know why? Of course you do, this wouldn't be the TMI happy hour if I didn't tell you anything and everything about what's going on.
So at said appointment today, I got to hear the heartbeat as usual and measured rather large (39 weeks, but Brianna was sticking her butt out again so it's probably not that bad). Our midwife was a wee bit out of sorts because she had just had the pleasure of telling her previous (rather clueless) patient that she had a bulging abdomen because she was 20 weeks pregnant, not constipated. How anyone gets that far thinking they just need a good laxative, I don't know, but the midwife felt she had had her fair share of surprises today. She offered to check my cervix after doing the swab for Group B Strep, and after all the action my uterus has been getting, it sounded like a good idea to me. Good instincts on that one, because the surprises were not done for the day.
Y'all, I'm 4cm dilated already. 4 freaking centimeters! And 70% effaced to boot. I'm halfway through the easy-ish part of labor, and apparently those "fake" contractions were probably the real deal. If I get any regular contractions, I have to call the hospital even if they're several minutes apart. So I'm going to treat the next week like I'm on bedrest whenever possible. No Frisky fun-time. No standing over the stove cooking dinner. Still working, but not going back and forth between the adjacent buildings several times and staying off my feet. With my luck, the fire alarm will go off and I'll have to stand outside for awhile. And it will be raining.
Brianna is probably 7 pounds now, maybe 21 inches. We'll get a more definite answer when we go in for a yet another ultrasound, just to check her growth again since I measured so big. Right now it's just a waiting game as her lungs mature. Hopefully she'll stay tight for another week and continue to grow and be even healthier when she's born. It would be awesome to have a St. Patty's Day baby, or if she were born on the 21st (my grandma's birthday), that would be pretty cool too. With a full moon on the 19th, who knows what will happen. I'll try to update a little more often as things change through the week, so check here first if you're curious about our baby status.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Week 34 - Relieved and Thankful
This past week has been a complete 180 from where I was last time I posted, and it's a really nice feeling. So many worries have been lifted off my shoulders, and I've been amazed at how generous and helpful people can be. A lot has happened, so here's the not-so-short story.
Last Thursday, we went to get the ultrasound done with the perinatologist. The verdict? Brianna's big, but not too big by just a hair. That day she was estimated at 5 pounds 8 ounces, which put her in the 87th percentile for size, and anything under 90th percentile is considered okay. This is great, because it means I won't necessarily be induced early and I have a better chance of starting labor naturally. The tech estimated that she'll be around 9 pounds at birth, but as I've been told, that's nothing my body can't handle thanks to my superbly over-sized bone structure (as evidenced by my huge feet). Everything looks healthy, all her organs seem to be doing well, and while she will have a bit of a belly according to the tech, she will also have long legs. So if there's a pool at the office for her size at birth, I'll go with 8 pounds 14 ounces and 22 inches.
Later that day we had our childbirth prep class, which focused on breastfeeding (and bottle feeding, for those who are choosing to go that direction). I am lucky enough to have a friend lending me a pump, so I can make this work even after I'm back in the office. My mom had a fairly easy time breastfeeding my little brother, and managed to do it until he was over a year old, but I have heard so many horror stories about latch problems, supply problems, pain and infections despite knowing several people who are really successful with it. It was nice to hear what causes those problems, so I can look out for them and have the best possible experience.
Then Saturday I woke up well before the butt-crack of dawn to fly out to California for a fantastic shower with my family and friends from the West Coast. It's amazing how helpful complete strangers are when you are obviously pregnant. I had so many offers of help, and only one or two people were brazen enough to touch my belly in the airports. I will say this though. Do not fly through Dallas if you are pregnant. The bathrooms are incredibly far apart and spaced exactly between the stops for the shuttle that goes around the airport. And then I thought I would be smart and use one of the disability carts that goes around knocking over the bags of unsuspecting travelers while it blazes past carrying the elderly and people unfortunate enough to have sprained an ankle two days before flying. Except I happened to choose the one cart that wanted to pick up everyone and their brother and then change direction several times. I could have walked all the way around all the terminals in the time it took the driver to finally get around to my gate. So, I didn't eat on my layover and my legs weren't fully stretched by the time I had to get back on board. All in all, it wasn't such a bad thing, since I actually had enough appetite after landing to thoroughly enjoy devouring an animal-style cheeseburger and chocolate shake from In-N-Out, and still eat well at the shower.
The shower was a bit of an explosion of pink, but beautifully so. My mom loves entertaining, and she pulled out all the stops for a high tea. Delicious food, pink and white tulips everywhere (I miss how early spring comes to California!), lovely tea, and not a bit of cucumber. I think she didn't believe me at first when I told her I wouldn't come if there any cucumber sandwiches, but threats of puking seemed to do the trick. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many friends and family, and I'm almost overwhelmed by how generous everyone was. This baby is going to be the most adorably dressed little girl EVER. In fact, I got the same cute little cherry outfit in three different sizes, so she can be extra cute no matter how big she is. There were also some beautiful handmade clothes, like a tiny red bonnet my college roommate knit for her. So precious I almost can't stand it.
Since I was there for the whole weekend, I also got to spend a lot of time with my cousins and friends who had come in exotic locations like Seattle. There were plenty of Yo Mama jokes, and more than a few moments which will not be described to protect the less-than-innocent. Then there was the bath incident. My mom has one of those fancy whirlpool tubs that is also wide enough to accommodate my expanding belly, and I love being in water, so I decided to enjoy it while I could. And while it certainly was nice for me, I discovered that Brianna does. not. like. heat. I didn't notice it with the jets running, but as soon as the water was still I could see her twisting and turning, trying everything to get herself above the water level. I turned on my side to see what she would do, and I basically looked like an alien was trying to escape through my spleen because of the enormous bulge she made trying to get away from the heat.
Once she was calmed down, my family was entertained trying to put cold stuff on my belly to make her move. She must be just like me with the preference for cold over heat, since she didn't do anything. No movement. Nada. Either that, or she was on strike, which is possible given the stubborn streak that Andy and I both have. The fun ended when my mom thought a frozen steak would make her move, which was...not a good idea. Ever seen a pregnant woman surprised and surrounded by too many people? It wasn't pretty. The evening was redeemed by some excellent shrimp with pasta, which I haven't had much of because Andy hasn't been a fan. Plus ice cream for dessert, what's not to love?
The following morning was another far too early experience to fly home. Brianna doesn't seem to like landings or turbulence (though she's fine with takeoff), so I was practicing my breathing exercises to relax despite her punches and twisting around. The flight attendant who was facing me in a jumpseat thought I was having Braxton-Hicks and kept offering me ice. Eventually I got home, with a lovely knot in my back and sore collarbones from hunching my shoulders thanks to the guy next to me with no sense of personal space.
Another thing I got from the flight was a stomach virus. Oh goody! I hated to use another sick day instead of saving them for my maternity leave, but I needed it. I'm not sure that I'm totally over it, but I'm not feeling unwell enough to justify staying home, so work it is. The past two weeks it's been a back and forth dance of each of Andy or I being sick in turns, or on especially unlucky days, both being sick. I could really use a maid service right about now. Instead, we had contractors paint Brianna's room yesterday (light green for the walls and a yellow accent), and then we can really get into setting up her room. I was going to do before and after pictures, but...painting is already finished, so you'll just get after pictures.
Wednesday we went in for the sonogram on my boob, and that came back...okay, I guess? They couldn't see anything despite feeling the nodule, so it's not like I was imagining it, it just turns out that everything looks like healthy tissue. For now, it's a "keep an eye on it" situation, and if my OB/GYN gets worried about it, I can do a mammogram. Which I would really prefer to not do. Supposedly I could safely shield Brianna right now, but I'm just not worried enough by the lump to risk exposing her to radiation. Breastfeeding would also delay getting one done, since milk pretty much obscures everything. All in all, it's reassuring, but I would feel better at least knowing what the hell it is.
So, given that babies gain on average half a pound a week, Brianna is probably about 6 pounds now. Her fingernails are about to the edge of her fingertips, so she'll have those lovely newborn claws that require a manicure immediately. She seems to be in position for birth, with her butt prominently pushing out at the top of my belly. Who knows whether that's true or not, we'll find out at our OB appointment later today. Sleep is becoming problematic, since I wake up at least twice a night to pee and when I get back into bed my hips hurt and she's awake and moving. Fun. Nature's way of preparing me for feedings at midnight and 3am and 4am. She is quite fond of Queen, and loves to move around (in perfect rhythm, no less) whenever one of their songs comes on. I think the Rockabye Baby CDs are in our future, so Andy can get her back to sleep after all those feedings.
Last Thursday, we went to get the ultrasound done with the perinatologist. The verdict? Brianna's big, but not too big by just a hair. That day she was estimated at 5 pounds 8 ounces, which put her in the 87th percentile for size, and anything under 90th percentile is considered okay. This is great, because it means I won't necessarily be induced early and I have a better chance of starting labor naturally. The tech estimated that she'll be around 9 pounds at birth, but as I've been told, that's nothing my body can't handle thanks to my superbly over-sized bone structure (as evidenced by my huge feet). Everything looks healthy, all her organs seem to be doing well, and while she will have a bit of a belly according to the tech, she will also have long legs. So if there's a pool at the office for her size at birth, I'll go with 8 pounds 14 ounces and 22 inches.
Later that day we had our childbirth prep class, which focused on breastfeeding (and bottle feeding, for those who are choosing to go that direction). I am lucky enough to have a friend lending me a pump, so I can make this work even after I'm back in the office. My mom had a fairly easy time breastfeeding my little brother, and managed to do it until he was over a year old, but I have heard so many horror stories about latch problems, supply problems, pain and infections despite knowing several people who are really successful with it. It was nice to hear what causes those problems, so I can look out for them and have the best possible experience.
Then Saturday I woke up well before the butt-crack of dawn to fly out to California for a fantastic shower with my family and friends from the West Coast. It's amazing how helpful complete strangers are when you are obviously pregnant. I had so many offers of help, and only one or two people were brazen enough to touch my belly in the airports. I will say this though. Do not fly through Dallas if you are pregnant. The bathrooms are incredibly far apart and spaced exactly between the stops for the shuttle that goes around the airport. And then I thought I would be smart and use one of the disability carts that goes around knocking over the bags of unsuspecting travelers while it blazes past carrying the elderly and people unfortunate enough to have sprained an ankle two days before flying. Except I happened to choose the one cart that wanted to pick up everyone and their brother and then change direction several times. I could have walked all the way around all the terminals in the time it took the driver to finally get around to my gate. So, I didn't eat on my layover and my legs weren't fully stretched by the time I had to get back on board. All in all, it wasn't such a bad thing, since I actually had enough appetite after landing to thoroughly enjoy devouring an animal-style cheeseburger and chocolate shake from In-N-Out, and still eat well at the shower.
The shower was a bit of an explosion of pink, but beautifully so. My mom loves entertaining, and she pulled out all the stops for a high tea. Delicious food, pink and white tulips everywhere (I miss how early spring comes to California!), lovely tea, and not a bit of cucumber. I think she didn't believe me at first when I told her I wouldn't come if there any cucumber sandwiches, but threats of puking seemed to do the trick. It was wonderful to be surrounded by so many friends and family, and I'm almost overwhelmed by how generous everyone was. This baby is going to be the most adorably dressed little girl EVER. In fact, I got the same cute little cherry outfit in three different sizes, so she can be extra cute no matter how big she is. There were also some beautiful handmade clothes, like a tiny red bonnet my college roommate knit for her. So precious I almost can't stand it.
Since I was there for the whole weekend, I also got to spend a lot of time with my cousins and friends who had come in exotic locations like Seattle. There were plenty of Yo Mama jokes, and more than a few moments which will not be described to protect the less-than-innocent. Then there was the bath incident. My mom has one of those fancy whirlpool tubs that is also wide enough to accommodate my expanding belly, and I love being in water, so I decided to enjoy it while I could. And while it certainly was nice for me, I discovered that Brianna does. not. like. heat. I didn't notice it with the jets running, but as soon as the water was still I could see her twisting and turning, trying everything to get herself above the water level. I turned on my side to see what she would do, and I basically looked like an alien was trying to escape through my spleen because of the enormous bulge she made trying to get away from the heat.
Once she was calmed down, my family was entertained trying to put cold stuff on my belly to make her move. She must be just like me with the preference for cold over heat, since she didn't do anything. No movement. Nada. Either that, or she was on strike, which is possible given the stubborn streak that Andy and I both have. The fun ended when my mom thought a frozen steak would make her move, which was...not a good idea. Ever seen a pregnant woman surprised and surrounded by too many people? It wasn't pretty. The evening was redeemed by some excellent shrimp with pasta, which I haven't had much of because Andy hasn't been a fan. Plus ice cream for dessert, what's not to love?
The following morning was another far too early experience to fly home. Brianna doesn't seem to like landings or turbulence (though she's fine with takeoff), so I was practicing my breathing exercises to relax despite her punches and twisting around. The flight attendant who was facing me in a jumpseat thought I was having Braxton-Hicks and kept offering me ice. Eventually I got home, with a lovely knot in my back and sore collarbones from hunching my shoulders thanks to the guy next to me with no sense of personal space.
Another thing I got from the flight was a stomach virus. Oh goody! I hated to use another sick day instead of saving them for my maternity leave, but I needed it. I'm not sure that I'm totally over it, but I'm not feeling unwell enough to justify staying home, so work it is. The past two weeks it's been a back and forth dance of each of Andy or I being sick in turns, or on especially unlucky days, both being sick. I could really use a maid service right about now. Instead, we had contractors paint Brianna's room yesterday (light green for the walls and a yellow accent), and then we can really get into setting up her room. I was going to do before and after pictures, but...painting is already finished, so you'll just get after pictures.
Wednesday we went in for the sonogram on my boob, and that came back...okay, I guess? They couldn't see anything despite feeling the nodule, so it's not like I was imagining it, it just turns out that everything looks like healthy tissue. For now, it's a "keep an eye on it" situation, and if my OB/GYN gets worried about it, I can do a mammogram. Which I would really prefer to not do. Supposedly I could safely shield Brianna right now, but I'm just not worried enough by the lump to risk exposing her to radiation. Breastfeeding would also delay getting one done, since milk pretty much obscures everything. All in all, it's reassuring, but I would feel better at least knowing what the hell it is.
So, given that babies gain on average half a pound a week, Brianna is probably about 6 pounds now. Her fingernails are about to the edge of her fingertips, so she'll have those lovely newborn claws that require a manicure immediately. She seems to be in position for birth, with her butt prominently pushing out at the top of my belly. Who knows whether that's true or not, we'll find out at our OB appointment later today. Sleep is becoming problematic, since I wake up at least twice a night to pee and when I get back into bed my hips hurt and she's awake and moving. Fun. Nature's way of preparing me for feedings at midnight and 3am and 4am. She is quite fond of Queen, and loves to move around (in perfect rhythm, no less) whenever one of their songs comes on. I think the Rockabye Baby CDs are in our future, so Andy can get her back to sleep after all those feedings.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Week 32 - When You Give Birth, You'll End Up Living In A Van Down By The River
At this week's childbirth class, we got to learn about all kinds of interventions, what's considered routine at the hospital, and when each one might happen. I probably should have realized this beforehand, but it would have been useful to have some kind of warning about how intense the class would be. And how if you're prone to anxiety and worry, you shouldn't come to class unless you've had a xanax and a couple glasses of wine, because otherwise you'll convince yourself that EVERY intervention is inevitable and you're going to look like a power strip with all the cords and tubing coming off of you, and then you get to be crucified when you get a C-section because of a funny reading on the monitors. The pain meds were also discussed, which was probably meant to be reassuring to most of the women present, but any discussion, pictures, or descriptions of needles going into the spinal area gives me the heebie-jeebies, so it certainly didn't make me feel any better. Besides, I consider pain meds an intervention that I want to avoid unless I'm no longer able to function during active labor and won't have the strength to push when it comes time for that.
The whole thing probably wasn't helped by the appointment we had that same day, in which I learned that I get to have another ultrasound, but this time with a perinatologist in a high-risk diagnostic center. Uh, say what? Apparently this is just to get a specialized growth estimate to see if she's growing too fast, but use the words high-risk and alarm bells tend to go off with me. Andy and I were discussing whether this was going to be worth doing from a financial standpoint, and I explained to him that if Brianna was growing faster than she should, that it would be better for me to be induced a week or two early than to risk a C-section after 40 weeks if she became too large for my pelvis. Which also meant my head was wrapped around those two possibilities for my labor experience going into class, which really didn't help things. To top it all off, she was breech lay, so she definitely hasn't dropped. If she stays like that or goes back to that at every appointment, we'll get to go back to the high-risk center so the perinatologist can attempt an external version, also known as poking and prodding to get Brianna pissed off enough that she turns on her own. [Spell-check thinks I want to call the specialist a paleontologist, but if she goes so overdue that I need one of those, then I think I'll take a C-section after all, thank you very much.]
Adding to the general unease of the day, I asked the doctor about a little lump I had found in my breast, and after feeling it and asking a couple questions about my bra, tells me to stop wearing underwire bras and gives me a referral to get a sonogram of my boob. I was hoping I would get a nice reassuring response like "Oh, that's just [insert innocuous explanation that makes me feel silly for bringing it up in the first place]. You'll be fine." Instead, I have been given the death sentence of having to wear a grandma bra (good-bye sex life and supported breasts, hello sagginess and over-obvious nipples) while being told that an underwire-free bra is actually more supportive anyway. She lied. I got some this weekend, and my poor boobs are definitely an inch or two lower now. It's like a bad sports bra with less mesh, so I have a bit of a uniboob too. I ordered a nursing bra while I was shopping, so we'll see what that turns out to be like.
Bitching aside, there are a few things that are reassuring. When I'm on the external monitor, I can keep using a birthing ball or sit in a chair instead of being forced to lay down. Continuous fetal monitoring isn't standard, and neither is an IV. Internal exams are done every few hours or when the toleration of contractions seems to change, since that tends to signal a changing phase of labor. I can take Primrose Oil to avoid going overdue, and I can try acupuncture (which is covered by my insurance) to jump-start labor as well. No matter what, I won't have to go through having my membranes stripped, because they just don't do it since it's rarely effective. There is always a doctor and a midwife on shift, so I won't have anyone rushing me because they want to make it home in time for dinner. Just hand me off to the next attendant and we'll all be fine.
Brianna is now almost 4 pounds and 19 inches long, though I guess I'll have a more official estimate on Thursday. She still has room to move around, but it's definitely more cramped. A couple days ago, she was kicking me so hard that you could see the outline of her foot on my abdomen, and let's just say I'm pretty sure she'll have my feet. Sorry Little One, I guess we should have gone with Bigfoot as your nickname after all. She's putting on more fat and her skin is becoming less translucent (the pregnancy books aren't doing a good job of convincing me that I'm not just incubating an alien). Last night Andy had his hand on my belly to feel what she was up to, and he gave a little squeeze to get a better idea of what part he was feeling. Well, she kicked back. Not a sharp kick, just a little playful movement in return. So he did it again, and she moved against his hand again. It was so sweet seeing him get so excited to feel her move in response to something he did, especially on Valentine's Day. Just a few more weeks to go!
The whole thing probably wasn't helped by the appointment we had that same day, in which I learned that I get to have another ultrasound, but this time with a perinatologist in a high-risk diagnostic center. Uh, say what? Apparently this is just to get a specialized growth estimate to see if she's growing too fast, but use the words high-risk and alarm bells tend to go off with me. Andy and I were discussing whether this was going to be worth doing from a financial standpoint, and I explained to him that if Brianna was growing faster than she should, that it would be better for me to be induced a week or two early than to risk a C-section after 40 weeks if she became too large for my pelvis. Which also meant my head was wrapped around those two possibilities for my labor experience going into class, which really didn't help things. To top it all off, she was breech lay, so she definitely hasn't dropped. If she stays like that or goes back to that at every appointment, we'll get to go back to the high-risk center so the perinatologist can attempt an external version, also known as poking and prodding to get Brianna pissed off enough that she turns on her own. [Spell-check thinks I want to call the specialist a paleontologist, but if she goes so overdue that I need one of those, then I think I'll take a C-section after all, thank you very much.]
Adding to the general unease of the day, I asked the doctor about a little lump I had found in my breast, and after feeling it and asking a couple questions about my bra, tells me to stop wearing underwire bras and gives me a referral to get a sonogram of my boob. I was hoping I would get a nice reassuring response like "Oh, that's just [insert innocuous explanation that makes me feel silly for bringing it up in the first place]. You'll be fine." Instead, I have been given the death sentence of having to wear a grandma bra (good-bye sex life and supported breasts, hello sagginess and over-obvious nipples) while being told that an underwire-free bra is actually more supportive anyway. She lied. I got some this weekend, and my poor boobs are definitely an inch or two lower now. It's like a bad sports bra with less mesh, so I have a bit of a uniboob too. I ordered a nursing bra while I was shopping, so we'll see what that turns out to be like.
Bitching aside, there are a few things that are reassuring. When I'm on the external monitor, I can keep using a birthing ball or sit in a chair instead of being forced to lay down. Continuous fetal monitoring isn't standard, and neither is an IV. Internal exams are done every few hours or when the toleration of contractions seems to change, since that tends to signal a changing phase of labor. I can take Primrose Oil to avoid going overdue, and I can try acupuncture (which is covered by my insurance) to jump-start labor as well. No matter what, I won't have to go through having my membranes stripped, because they just don't do it since it's rarely effective. There is always a doctor and a midwife on shift, so I won't have anyone rushing me because they want to make it home in time for dinner. Just hand me off to the next attendant and we'll all be fine.
Brianna is now almost 4 pounds and 19 inches long, though I guess I'll have a more official estimate on Thursday. She still has room to move around, but it's definitely more cramped. A couple days ago, she was kicking me so hard that you could see the outline of her foot on my abdomen, and let's just say I'm pretty sure she'll have my feet. Sorry Little One, I guess we should have gone with Bigfoot as your nickname after all. She's putting on more fat and her skin is becoming less translucent (the pregnancy books aren't doing a good job of convincing me that I'm not just incubating an alien). Last night Andy had his hand on my belly to feel what she was up to, and he gave a little squeeze to get a better idea of what part he was feeling. Well, she kicked back. Not a sharp kick, just a little playful movement in return. So he did it again, and she moved against his hand again. It was so sweet seeing him get so excited to feel her move in response to something he did, especially on Valentine's Day. Just a few more weeks to go!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
