I finally had my baby girl! Last Sunday at 4 am, I woke up feeling contractions. DH and I spent the day timing contractions. At 9 pm, my MIL came over to support us. At 4 am on Monday, we made the trip to the hospital. I spent the whole day in the hospital with contractions that never progressed much. When the midwife checked me, she said I was only 1 cm. I could have cried because I felt I was halfway there! They tried to break my waters to get things moving, but not much happened. That night they gave me morphine so that I could sleep since I hadn’t slept in a day or so!
I slept, and then in the morning (Tuesday) I labored most of the day and only made it to 2 cm.! They gave me gel to ripen my cervix, but by then I was so exhausted and lost my confidence. I asked for an epidural. I labored for the rest of the day feeling much better, but not feeling much below! I eventually made it to 10 cm! I pushed for 3 hours, and then the decision was made that a c-section was the safe way to go. Off to the OR, and my baby girl was born weighing 9 lbs. and 14 ozs. She was 20.25 ins. long! She was not going to come out vaginally. I spent a few days in the hospital getting to know my little girl and healing. DH has been the most amazing. We are having so much fun being a family and taking care of each other!
It may not have been the birth I envisioned, but I have a beautiful and healthy little girl. HypnoBabies helped when I was forced to lay down for fetal monitoring. It helped in the whirlpool tub. It also helped in the OR to keep me calm while the surgery was going on. Lamaze helped when I was upright and walking around through contractions. I’m glad that I went through labor and pushing. DH thinks it’s great that I got to try a little bit of everything! The epidural worked perfectly, and the c-section was as fast as possible. All in all, it got the job done. I thought she was never going to be born!
Filed under: Labor, Pregnancy Symptoms, Third Trimester | Tags: Pregnant
I made it to my due date. No baby in sight. My visit went well. I had the same OB as last time. Everything seems to be good, and I will probably give birth this week. If not, they set up an appointment for me to be induced next Tuesday. I don’t want to be induced, so I’m hoping this LO makes an appearance this week. I was really uncomfortable this past weekend, but I’ve been feeling better the past few days. The baby is doing well. Moving and has a good heartbeat. I’m swelling and uncomfortable. I’ve been having cramping the past few days, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. We timed a few of the last night, but then they stopped. Such a tease! I’ve been having trouble peeing myself!!! The OB said it’s from the baby’s head being so low. He did a litmus test to make sure it wasn’t amniotic fluid- Ouch! That test hurt! It made the internal exam feel like nothing! HypnoBabies has a script for “Baby Come Out.” I’ve been listening to it, and I’m hoping this LO get her eviction notice!
Filed under: Baby Worries, Labor, Pregnancy Symptoms, Third Trimester | Tags: Pregnant
Ouch! First internal exam. It was not the most comfortable exam I’ve ever had, but at least it was quick. I’m softening, so that’s good. Otherwise, there isn’t much to report. The fetal non-stress test is fine. The baby was about 7 lbs. at my last ultrasound! I’m hoping they were a few oz. off. I still have a week to go until my due date. Not much is going on. I have a few contractions here or there. I’ve gain 60 lbs., and I’m trying to not let that get me down. I had every intention of only gaining 30 lbs, but here I am at twice that! Yikes! The OB’s seem fine with it, so I’m trying to just keep moving… I’m swelling and retaining water like it’s my job. I live in my compression stocking and carpal tunnel braces. I don’t have much feeling in my finger. I’m tired, but ready to meet my LO. Everything is checked off my “To Do” List with the wonderful help of DH. Just waiting…
DH and I had fun this weekend doing a belly cast. It was messy, but lots of fun. DH thought it was cool, so that made it a really great memory. I just did the belly, and my plan is to take a picture of my LO in the belly. I’m hoping it’ll be as neat as it looks in my mind!
Filed under: Baby, Labor, Pregnancy Symptoms, Third Trimester | Tags: Pregnant
Off to the doctor again this morning. They did the non-stress test to track her movement, heart rate, and contractions. The nurse found the heartbeat right away, so that was nice. I hate waiting while the nurse fumbles around trying to find her heartbeat. All is well with the baby. The doctor took forever to get to me, so it felt like I was testing forever! I got there at 8am, and I didn’t leave until 9:15 am. I saw the doctor for maybe 15 minutes. Everything seems to be going well. She didn’t have the report from the ultrasound, so I’m assuming we’ll discuss that next week. I asked if it was ok to get a flu shot, and she said yes. My employer is starting to give them starting today. I got one this afternoon. I guess I’ll get the swine flu shot later in October if necessary. The OB said they would do an internal exam next week. Fun!
I keep checking for the mucus plug to fall out. No luck yet. I have contractions sometimes, but nothing serious. Otherwise, I don’t think this LO is going to make an appearance any time soon. She might end up being an October baby! That’s ok- I feel like I have so much to do. I’m just getting frustrated with all this water retention. I have no feeling in my fingers!!!! Carpal tunnel syndrome is no fun! I’m also running out of maternity clothes that actually cover my belly. Thankfully the weather is getting cooler. It’s so hard to wait for something when you have no idea when it’s going to happen!
Filed under: Labor, Pregnancy Symptoms, Third Trimester | Tags: Pregnant
I had the most wonderful baby shower yesterday. My MIL threw me a shower at a tea house. She threw me a bridal shower there when I was getting married. It was great, so I was happy to have another opportunity to have a party there again. I hadn’t seen many of my friends a long time, so it made me so happy to see them again. Showers are usually overwhelming for me. The pressure of everyone watching me open gifts is stressful for me. We had tea and a light lunch. We played a few baby shower games. I received many outfits for my LO. She is going to be quite the fashionista! I’m pretty sure she will be better dressed than her Mommy!! I really enjoyed my shower. It was nice and small- about 9 of us total. What I really enjoyed was seeing my friends. I’m glad I had that chance before the baby makes her appearance!
I am 38 weeks today! I’ve only 2 wks until my due date- so the baby could be here at any time. I basically done, but the urge to nest is unreal! I’ve been washing baby clothes all week! My list of things to do is short- clean the house. I know this isn’t going to happen because I am huge, retaining water, and exhausted. I bought a roomba, so at least the dog hair is taken care of! I feel ready, but I’ve never done this… so I won’t know if I’m ready until later! I’m looking forward to meeting my daughter. Sometimes I am a little scared, but basically, I feel optimistic about the change that is going to happen soon. I am looking forward to losing some of this water! My hands are useless at times because of carpal tunnel syndrome.
Filed under: Baby Worries, Labor, Pregnancy Symptoms, Third Trimester | Tags: Pregnant
My prenatal visit suddenly felt very technical and medical. I came in a did the pee and weight check. I gained 8 lbs. in two weeks. I couldn’t believe it. I have no idea how that happened since I haven’t changed anything with my diet or exercise. I’m hoping it was just because they used a different scale or something. I’ve gained about 44 lbs., and I still have a month to go. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it since now isn’t the time to diet! I’ve been slacking a bit on walking since the weather has been in the 90’s. I’ve been walking in the stores getting my last minute baby items. Anyway, we talked a bit about the amniotic fluid, but the OB didn’t think that was a big deal. Then they strapped on a monitor. I had to click this button when I felt the baby move. The monitor looked at the baby’s heartbeat and if I was having contractions. Apparently, I am having contractions. I didn’t think anything of the feeling. It just felt like a cramp from my period. I didn’t know THAT was also a contraction. The baby is doing great. Her heartbeat goes up when she moves, and that’s what they are looking for. I have to go in every week now for this test. It’s interesting, but a little scary. It just turned everything technical. I can see why people don’t want to have continuous fetal monitoring during birth. It’s uncomfortable, and then everything becomes a big deal. For example, the OB left me for a bit while the monitor was on. The heartbeat was going great, and then it just disappeared! I couldn’t help, but stress out that something had happened! The OB said that she had probably moved away from the monitor. I kind of thought that at the time, but it was still unnerving to have it disappear! We’ll see how the next visit goes…
I’m 17 weeks along, and my third prenatal visit went well. I didn’t cry, so that alone is an improvement. Morning sickness has left me for the most part, and I’m feeling more energetic and upbeat. I’m actually able to focus on the pregnancy and baby instead of focusing on feeling sick all the time. Everything seems to be going well. I’ve gained more weight than I anticipated, but thankfully, the midwife didn’t mention anything about it. I started doing a prenatal yoga DVD, so I’m hoping the extra exercise will help keep the weight gain under control. I’m starting to need maternity clothes a little more often. Not everything is fitting right anymore.
They drew some blood for the Second Trimester Screening. I have the ultrasound for that in a few weeks. I’m nervous for the outcomes, but I’m very excited to find out the gender. I’m also excited to feel the baby sometime soon. I think I feel things that could be the baby, but I don’t really know for sure…
I also started my HypnoBabies cd’s. I really like the relaxation/hypnosis scripts. I love the pregnancy affirmations. It’s really neat, and I’m hoping to have a positive experience with the method.
DH and I went to a large kids’ consignment sale at a church last night, and we got some things knocked off our registry for such a great price. I was so excited! I got a Boppy pillow, a bumbo chair, a bouncer, some onesies for all under $10 each. I almost got a cradle, but I really like this pack’n'play I’m registered for at Target. It was like going to 10 different garage sales at one time!!
I’ve been looking into different birthing methods. I want to have a natural birth. I know that there are medical options for pain management, but I would like to avoid them if I can since my baby is already exposed to medication. I really don’t want a C-section, and I know that it could be a slippery slope to a C-section if I use an epidural. There are times when epidurals don’t work, so I don’t want that to be Plan A- I won’t have anywhere else to go! I know a little bit about each of the main methods. I think I’m going to end up using a little bit of each. I did invest in the self-study of HypnoBabies, and a family friend will teach us a modified child-birth class which is a combination of both Lamaze and Bradley Method. I’m hoping I’ll have enough tools to use when it’s time to actually give birth!
From what I have gathered, Lamaze teaches relaxed slow, relaxed breathing. When contractions starts, take a deep and cleansing breath. Throughout the contraction, breath slowing in and out. When the contraction ends, take another deep and cleansing breath. If you need more support, you can vary your breath with two or three “hee’s” and a puff. For example: breath in, hee, hee, puff. They also talk about finding a focal point to focus on, finding helpful positions, and other natural relaxation techniques.
I don’t know as much about the Bradley Method. It seems to have more of a focus on teaching strategies to the birthing coach. The course is about 12 weeks long, and it covers all aspects of pregnancy such as nutrition, exercise, and the different stages of labor. This seems like a great option if you don’t know anything about pregnancy, the stages of birth, or what to expect in the hospital.
This method uses a form of hypnosis to help manage pain during labor. It provides a self-study course if you can’t find an instructor in the area. I ordered the different CD’s for the self-study program, and I am looking forward to getting it in the mail! What I liked about this is that you are able to move around with your eyes open.
This method focuses on deep relaxation, visualizing, and self-hypnosis. You aren’t out of it, just deeply relaxing. It talks about how the pain is from fighting against the contractions and not relaxing and working with each contraction. From what I understand, it focuses more on laying down and having your eyes closed.
