Just crossing another milestone off my list. :-)
1. 20 weeks, 5 days-Oct. 29-Gestation at which my water broke with Spencer PASSED!
2. 24 weeks-Nov. 21-Viability PASSED!
3. 30 weeks, 3 days-Jan. 5-Gestation at which Spencer was born PASSED!
4. 37 weeks-Feb. 20-Full term
5. 40 weeks, 1 day-Mar. 15-Overdue
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Happy New Year....I think I'll throw up now.
Well, to ring in the new year, I decided to watch a video of a c-section.
(You can see it here: Don't watch if you don't like blood.)
I just...I mean...what can I say? I had that done to me like it was no big deal. It is presented to women as if its no big deal! An OB tried to schedule me for another one of those at my first prenatal appointment. I just...my head is spinning.
Those doctors weren't gentle or easy with the mom's open anatomy or with that poor baby who was being born. They hoisted the poor thing through the air, upside down, like it was the Thanksgiving turkey.
I'm going to go do something now that will facilitate me having a vaginal birth. Maybe I'll bounce on my birth ball or do yoga moves or something.
(You can see it here: Don't watch if you don't like blood.)
I just...I mean...what can I say? I had that done to me like it was no big deal. It is presented to women as if its no big deal! An OB tried to schedule me for another one of those at my first prenatal appointment. I just...my head is spinning.
Those doctors weren't gentle or easy with the mom's open anatomy or with that poor baby who was being born. They hoisted the poor thing through the air, upside down, like it was the Thanksgiving turkey.
I'm going to go do something now that will facilitate me having a vaginal birth. Maybe I'll bounce on my birth ball or do yoga moves or something.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Midwife Appointment
I saw my midwife this afternoon. I always enjoy visiting with her; she tells the best stories!
Anyway, all is well with Jack. Fundus is measuring 32-33 weeks (I'm technically 29 weeks now) and she said Jack "feels" like he is sitting around 4 pounds at the moment. This completely jives with what my last two ultrasounds have said and has led my midwife to begin questioning my due date. I'm very hesitant to move it (after all, what if he really is just big?), but she wants to shift it from March 14 to February 28. That's a pretty big jump! I don't think it would freak me out nearly as much if it didn't mean A) I'm practically having a baby NEXT MONTH and B) I have much less time to get stuff together.
*panic, panic, panic*
I may or may not have mentioned before that we got rid of everything of Spencer's except his crib (which we aren't planning on using) and highchair. Well, I say we, but I wasn't the one hauling all of those Gymboree and Baby Gap clothes to the curb on trash day. *weeps* It was part of what I call Jake's "post Iraq crazy," so I forgive him and all, but seriously, now we have nothing!
I have been picking up clothes here and there as I'm out and see something adorable or for a good deal. I totally racked up at the Carter's outlet in Branson last week. And of course I'm working on Jack's diaper stash since we're using cloth. (His clothes and diapers are taking over our linen closet, BTW, so if you know someone giving away a dresser or if you know of somewhere to get one of good quality for cheap, let me know!) But as far as baby gadgets? We're SOL at the moment.
Of course, it isn't as if we NEED those. We bought a car seat at Babies 'R Us a few weeks ago and my boobs will be ready to go when the time comes, so really the bare bones necessities are taken care of. If all else fails, we'll wrap him in some of Jake's t-shirts until we get to the store to buy the poor kid some clothes that fit. ;-) At least he'll be fed and able to travel by car.
Anyway, all is well with Jack. Fundus is measuring 32-33 weeks (I'm technically 29 weeks now) and she said Jack "feels" like he is sitting around 4 pounds at the moment. This completely jives with what my last two ultrasounds have said and has led my midwife to begin questioning my due date. I'm very hesitant to move it (after all, what if he really is just big?), but she wants to shift it from March 14 to February 28. That's a pretty big jump! I don't think it would freak me out nearly as much if it didn't mean A) I'm practically having a baby NEXT MONTH and B) I have much less time to get stuff together.
*panic, panic, panic*
I may or may not have mentioned before that we got rid of everything of Spencer's except his crib (which we aren't planning on using) and highchair. Well, I say we, but I wasn't the one hauling all of those Gymboree and Baby Gap clothes to the curb on trash day. *weeps* It was part of what I call Jake's "post Iraq crazy," so I forgive him and all, but seriously, now we have nothing!
I have been picking up clothes here and there as I'm out and see something adorable or for a good deal. I totally racked up at the Carter's outlet in Branson last week. And of course I'm working on Jack's diaper stash since we're using cloth. (His clothes and diapers are taking over our linen closet, BTW, so if you know someone giving away a dresser or if you know of somewhere to get one of good quality for cheap, let me know!) But as far as baby gadgets? We're SOL at the moment.
Of course, it isn't as if we NEED those. We bought a car seat at Babies 'R Us a few weeks ago and my boobs will be ready to go when the time comes, so really the bare bones necessities are taken care of. If all else fails, we'll wrap him in some of Jake's t-shirts until we get to the store to buy the poor kid some clothes that fit. ;-) At least he'll be fed and able to travel by car.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Sharing
I've been meaning to share these since the weekend.
Ultrasound highlights:
*He's measuring about 3 weeks ahead, still. This has led me to believe my dates may be off a bit, but I'm not "officially" changing my due date. Shea's last two ultrasounds have put my due date at 2/28 and 2/21, respectively.
*He's got a head that is measuring 32 weeks, which is a full month ahead. Shea said boys have big noggins. :-)
*He really likes his feet. The perfect first toy!
*He has lots of good fluid.
*He was head down at the ultrasound, but that can still change. Although Shea said that if he moved from that position to another one, I'd definately know it as it would take a pretty big effort on his part.
Ultrasound highlights:
*He's measuring about 3 weeks ahead, still. This has led me to believe my dates may be off a bit, but I'm not "officially" changing my due date. Shea's last two ultrasounds have put my due date at 2/28 and 2/21, respectively.
*He's got a head that is measuring 32 weeks, which is a full month ahead. Shea said boys have big noggins. :-)
*He really likes his feet. The perfect first toy!
*He has lots of good fluid.
*He was head down at the ultrasound, but that can still change. Although Shea said that if he moved from that position to another one, I'd definately know it as it would take a pretty big effort on his part.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Neglect
I do really good for a few months at blogging and then I just hit the ceiling.
I can't decide if we've been really busy or if I've been really lazy, so I'm going to go with busy. We've been traveling back and forth between Mountain Home and Little Rock (or Fayetteville, but mainly Little Rock) almost every weekend for the past 4-6 weeks. Last weekend was the first weekend we were able to stay home in what felt like forever. Between taking Spencer to the dentist, Thanksgiving, and Christmas shopping, we've been tearing up the road in a big way. If gas was still $3.50 a gallon we wouldn't have been able to afford to do it.
We are headed to Little Rock yet again tomorrow. My little sister (well, she's 22, so not really so little) is graduating from nursing school tomorrow night. I'm so super proud of her. For quite a while it seemed like her head might have been screwed on a little crooked, but lately she's been making some stellar decisions and I couldn't be happier for her. She's getting her LPN tomorrow night and then will go to UALR for the spring semester to finish out some classes she needs to go on and get her RN. I have a feeling I'll be hitting her up for money in a few years. ;-) She definitely picked a more lucrative career field than I did!
On Friday we are scheduled for a 4D ultrasound with my aunt. In the beginning of this pregnancy, I only wanted to have one ultrasound done: the 20 week. That way we'd know if there was some underlying condition (heart, lung, intestinal, etc.) that would necessitate us being in the hospital instead of having a homebirth. I had some slight complications in the beginning that led me to having two early ultrasounds, the ones I REALLY wanted to avoid, within about a week and a half of each other. Then I went ahead and had the standard 20 week. I was planning on being done with them at that point, but I mentioned a 4D to Jake and he expressed that he'd really like to go in and have one done. I have a lot of guilt b/c he missed almost all of my pregnancy with Spencer (including the 14 billion ultrasounds I had done during that pregnancy), so I wanted to oblige and indulge him. He is really amazed when Shea does them and always asks tons of questions.
Speaking of Jake, can I just take a minute to brag on him big time? He's been so great about coming to my appointments with me and asking questions or even taking notes! I don't really need him when my midwife comes to the house b/c she doesn't do anything pushy or invasive, but my OB certainly does. I really need him there for moral support so I can tell the doctor exactly what I think about things, and Jake has totally been there for me. He's expressed some nervousness over the entire birthing process since he is so queasy around blood and other bodily fluids, but I know he's going to be amazing.
I'll leave you with a picture of me at 27 weeks. I've been taking pics every 3 weeks, and this is just the latest in the line. :-) And please pardon the blurriness; Jake took the pic and he's usually not our family photographer. LOL
I can't decide if we've been really busy or if I've been really lazy, so I'm going to go with busy. We've been traveling back and forth between Mountain Home and Little Rock (or Fayetteville, but mainly Little Rock) almost every weekend for the past 4-6 weeks. Last weekend was the first weekend we were able to stay home in what felt like forever. Between taking Spencer to the dentist, Thanksgiving, and Christmas shopping, we've been tearing up the road in a big way. If gas was still $3.50 a gallon we wouldn't have been able to afford to do it.
We are headed to Little Rock yet again tomorrow. My little sister (well, she's 22, so not really so little) is graduating from nursing school tomorrow night. I'm so super proud of her. For quite a while it seemed like her head might have been screwed on a little crooked, but lately she's been making some stellar decisions and I couldn't be happier for her. She's getting her LPN tomorrow night and then will go to UALR for the spring semester to finish out some classes she needs to go on and get her RN. I have a feeling I'll be hitting her up for money in a few years. ;-) She definitely picked a more lucrative career field than I did!
On Friday we are scheduled for a 4D ultrasound with my aunt. In the beginning of this pregnancy, I only wanted to have one ultrasound done: the 20 week. That way we'd know if there was some underlying condition (heart, lung, intestinal, etc.) that would necessitate us being in the hospital instead of having a homebirth. I had some slight complications in the beginning that led me to having two early ultrasounds, the ones I REALLY wanted to avoid, within about a week and a half of each other. Then I went ahead and had the standard 20 week. I was planning on being done with them at that point, but I mentioned a 4D to Jake and he expressed that he'd really like to go in and have one done. I have a lot of guilt b/c he missed almost all of my pregnancy with Spencer (including the 14 billion ultrasounds I had done during that pregnancy), so I wanted to oblige and indulge him. He is really amazed when Shea does them and always asks tons of questions.
Speaking of Jake, can I just take a minute to brag on him big time? He's been so great about coming to my appointments with me and asking questions or even taking notes! I don't really need him when my midwife comes to the house b/c she doesn't do anything pushy or invasive, but my OB certainly does. I really need him there for moral support so I can tell the doctor exactly what I think about things, and Jake has totally been there for me. He's expressed some nervousness over the entire birthing process since he is so queasy around blood and other bodily fluids, but I know he's going to be amazing.
I'll leave you with a picture of me at 27 weeks. I've been taking pics every 3 weeks, and this is just the latest in the line. :-) And please pardon the blurriness; Jake took the pic and he's usually not our family photographer. LOL
Friday, November 21, 2008
Three cheers for viability!
1. 20 weeks, 5 days-Oct. 29-Gestation at which my water broke with Spencer PASSED!
2. 24 weeks-Nov. 21-Viability PASSED!
3. 30 weeks, 3 days-Jan. 5-Gestation at which Spencer was born
4. 37 weeks-Feb. 20-Full term
5. 40 weeks, 1 day-Mar. 15-Overdue
Another milestone met! You are not going to meet a happier pregnant lady than I am today. With Spencer, this was a big, big goal that no one thought I'd end up hitting. My water had already been broken for close to 3 weeks and I was able to get my first round of steroids once I got to this point. Not to mention the hospital staff was very frank with me in saying that they would make no effort to save Spencer before 24 weeks. Not even at 23 weeks, 6 days.
I really feel like I can take a deep breath. But not too deep, because I still have 2 more mandatory milestones to meet!
2. 24 weeks-Nov. 21-Viability PASSED!
3. 30 weeks, 3 days-Jan. 5-Gestation at which Spencer was born
4. 37 weeks-Feb. 20-Full term
5. 40 weeks, 1 day-Mar. 15-Overdue
Another milestone met! You are not going to meet a happier pregnant lady than I am today. With Spencer, this was a big, big goal that no one thought I'd end up hitting. My water had already been broken for close to 3 weeks and I was able to get my first round of steroids once I got to this point. Not to mention the hospital staff was very frank with me in saying that they would make no effort to save Spencer before 24 weeks. Not even at 23 weeks, 6 days.
I really feel like I can take a deep breath. But not too deep, because I still have 2 more mandatory milestones to meet!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
My good report of the day
I had a prenatal with my midwife today and everything is just peachy!
My fundus is measuring 27 weeks, about 3 weeks ahead of where I actually am. She said I had plenty of good fluid and Jack had a wonderfully reactive heartbeat. I asked her to check his position, just out of curiosity, and he is in a funky breech position with his butt by my right hip and his head underneath my left ribs. She did say his head is tucked under, which is very good. I told her that occasionally I feel like he's in my ribs on the right side and she bets that he's flipping transverse to breech with his head there.
Words cannot express how much I love having a midwife. She comes to my house for every prenatal and we chat for about 30 minutes before even getting into the pregnancy stuff. Today, when she checked Jack's position, Freckles was sitting on her lap the whole time. You just don't get that service with a doctor. :-)
I mentioned to her that I was having trouble staying asleep once I fell asleep, either because my hips hurt or because I simply can't fall back to sleep after getting up to potty. She gave me some yoga moves to help loosen my hips and said that should help the first half of the night at least. She also encouraged me to go out and be busy in the hours before dinner. This will help me be more physically tired at bedtime so that I can sleep harder and fall back to sleep more easily. I told her I'd been toying with the idea of joining a gym and she said that sounded like a good idea. So that is definitely on my agenda for next week: call some gyms. I need to get some exercise anyway.
My fundus is measuring 27 weeks, about 3 weeks ahead of where I actually am. She said I had plenty of good fluid and Jack had a wonderfully reactive heartbeat. I asked her to check his position, just out of curiosity, and he is in a funky breech position with his butt by my right hip and his head underneath my left ribs. She did say his head is tucked under, which is very good. I told her that occasionally I feel like he's in my ribs on the right side and she bets that he's flipping transverse to breech with his head there.
Words cannot express how much I love having a midwife. She comes to my house for every prenatal and we chat for about 30 minutes before even getting into the pregnancy stuff. Today, when she checked Jack's position, Freckles was sitting on her lap the whole time. You just don't get that service with a doctor. :-)
I mentioned to her that I was having trouble staying asleep once I fell asleep, either because my hips hurt or because I simply can't fall back to sleep after getting up to potty. She gave me some yoga moves to help loosen my hips and said that should help the first half of the night at least. She also encouraged me to go out and be busy in the hours before dinner. This will help me be more physically tired at bedtime so that I can sleep harder and fall back to sleep more easily. I told her I'd been toying with the idea of joining a gym and she said that sounded like a good idea. So that is definitely on my agenda for next week: call some gyms. I need to get some exercise anyway.
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