Belly watch 2010 is NOT over just because the pregnancy is over! Now begins the long and difficult process of getting back in shape.
Because I started this pregnancy 100 lbs overweight, most of the weight I want to lose is NOT 'baby fat'. I did gain 20 lbs during pregnancy, most of it right at the very end.
Here's the breakdown:
height: 5' 6"
pre-pregnancy weight: 252 lbs
pre-pregnancy size: 22-24
end of pregnancy weight: 272.5 lbs
weight TODAY (one week after birth): 249.5 lbs!
size TODAY: 24
Short-term goal:
Size 18, 220 lbs or less, by the time hubby comes home in December
Long-term goal:
Size 12, 145 lbs or less, by the baby's first birthday (September 18, 2011)
My first step is to cut WAY down on my carbs, and any carbs I eat will come from fresh fruits and veggies. NO MORE PROCESSED SUGAR.
Second step (although this is really simultaneous) is to WALK, walk, walk! Starting out with my pre-pregnancy routine of 3 miles a day, and working up to 5.5 or 6 miles per day by the end of the first month.
Third step, light weight training at home (upper body and abs)
Fourth step, AFTER hubby gets home, will be adding the gym back into my routine, 3+ times per week. (hubby can stay home with bobblehead while I work out)
I will post updates as frequently as I can - hopefully weekly weight updates, at least.
Wish me luck!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Birth Story (Bobblehead)
My OB scheduled me for induction late Thursday night (September 16). I was instructed to call the hospital one hour ahead to make sure they had a room ready for me, and when I did this I got the disappointing news that they were packed - they asked me to call back at 4 AM.
With hubby deployed, my sister in law was standing in as my coach, and had already driven almost 2 hours to get to my house, so she took me outside to walk for about an hour, hoping to get labor going on its own. My contractions did get stronger and closer together in that hour (2 to 3 minutes apart) but they spaced apart again as soon as I sat down and put my feet up. By 2 AM I was in bed, trying to get some sleep.
At 4 AM I called the hospital again, and was again told not to come in yet. This time they wanted me to call back at 8 AM. I was so disappointed because I had sincerely hoped and believed that I would be giving birth by 8 AM, but I called my Doula (who lives about half an hour away from the hospital) to let her know NOT to head over just yet, and I tried to get some more sleep. I said TRIED.
At 8 AM I was told to call back at noon, and I finally just lost it. Tears and everything. I couldn't even CALL the doula with this news, as I was so upset - so I sent her a text instead. I continued to monitor my sporadic contractions, and attempted a nap at 10 AM. When I got up a little before noon, I figured this would FOR SURE be it. I called the hospital again at noon, and....you guessed it, I was put off AGAIN.
This time they wanted me to call back at 3 PM, so my SIL & I decided to go have lunch and then walk a few laps around the mall. More great contractions, but not staying regular, of course. At 2:30 the hospital finally called ME and told me they had a room ready for me. By the time I actually got to the hospital and into my room, it was about 3:15 PM. The Doula arrived moments later, and I was READY. So so so READY! In my mind, at least.
After checking my cervix (which was very posterior so it was hard for the nurse to find) and determining that I was dilated to 2 cm, the cranky nurse who was first assigned to me got my i.v. started, and at 5:20 PM the pitocin was FINALLY started.
My OB was supposed to come in and break my water, and while we waited I used several different methods to cope with the increasingly painful contractions. Breathing, counting, sitting on a birth ball, vocalizing/moaning, etc. My favorite position was actually standing so I could sway and rock my hips to get through the pain. The awesome Doula massaged my feet with scented lotion, rubbed my back, and used 'light touch massage' to help me focus on anything OTHER than the pain. To my frustration, the contractions STILL were not staying regular, even after the Pitocin dosage was increased twice.
Shift change at 7 PM brought me an even crankier nurse. I think that one may have had a problem with the fact that I had a Doula, a birth plan, etc. In other words, she doesn't like patients who have thoughts/feelings/ideas of their own.
Around 9:30 PM my OB finally showed up to check my progress. I was at 3 cm (after 4 hours on pitocin I was so disappointed, as my natural labors all progressed MUCH faster than this!) She broke my amniotic sac and instructed the nurses to call her back as soon as there was ANY change, because we all expected the next stage to go very fast - and the OB lives 15 minutes from the hospital.
At this point, I was losing patience with the cranky nurses and my own doctor's outright bitchiness when I told her I did not want an epidural (she likes the epidural thing because it is easier to control the final stage of labor that way - so she wouldn't have to rush to the hospital or possibly not make it in time). The thing that pissed me off about that was that I HAD told her in her office that I wanted an unmedicated delivery! Several times. Anyway, like I said, I started to get cranky by the time she left, and over the next hour my contractions felt a lot stronger and closer together, and I felt that tell-tale pressure in my low back (kind of an "I gotta poop" feeling).
I asked the nurse to come in and check me - which I dreaded because she had to practially "fist" me just to find my cervix - and she told me the pressure I was feeling was just "wishful thinking" as I was barely at 4 cm and baby's head was still at a -2 station (very high up). I suppressed the urge to smack the rude nurse for being so condescending, and instead I tried a few more positions to relieve some of the pain and pressure in my low back. The nurse really wanted me to lie flat on my back, but the pain was so intense that I simply couldn't.
My Doula was so awesome - she helped me find comfortable positions that would also encourage baby to descend into the birth canal. We had already figured out that he must be in the "sunny side up" position(posterior presentation, with baby's forehead and face emerging first, rather than the back of baby's head) so we focused on positions that would open my pelvis and give him room to hopefully rotate around to face in the anterior position.
I was still very much in control at this point, and we all laughed and made jokes, and had some of my favorite 80s music playing on my iPod. When the doctor informed the nurse that part of the difficulty in locating my cervix was due to my unusually long vaginal tract, I asked if that was the female equivalent of being 'well hung'....SIL laughed, and about 30 seconds later the Doula got my joke and laughed too.
Around 1 AM, and then again around 2 AM, I was checked for dilation and was found to be at 5cm - unbelievable to me, because previous experience had led me to expect less than an hour from 4 cm to 10 cm. At 3 AM the exhaustion, pain, and fear finally got to me, and I begged for an epidural. The nurse was bitchy about this, but brought me paperwork to sign consenting to the procedure. She then checked me for dilation again, to make sure it was not already 'too late' for the epidural. I panicked when a contraction hit WHILE her hand was inside me, because the pain & pressure had already been unbearable without that added discomfort.
This was where I snapped, literally wanted to give up - typically I do this when I hit the stage known as transition, which is a SHORT stage for me, moments before giving birth. But instead of being ready to push, I was told that I was at 8 cm. Still, 8 cm was better than being stuck at 5!
PROGRESS! Finally.
The nurse asked if I still wanted the epidural, and I wavered - I knew I couldn't take much more of this painful back labor, but at the same time....if I could go from 8cm to 10cm super fast, maybe I could do it without the pain killer.....MAYBE.
I asked instead to try something intravenously that would take the edge off the contractions. They gave me a half dose of nubain, which took the edge off the next three contractions. Every contraction after that brought more panic, and I found myself fighting against the contractions. Straight-up FEAR. Thank God my Doula was there to calm me down, help me re-focus, and remind me to breathe! Part of a song ran through my head, "this joke isn't funny anymore" (The Smiths) and I actually LAUGHED, mid-contraction. It was a weak laugh, but for a moment I felt human again.
My OB came in and checked me again. I was so relieved to see her there, knowing her presence must mean it was really almost OVER, but then she told the nurse that her estimate of 8 cm had been a little hasty - Dr. instead called it at "6 or 7 cm" but noted that there was a 'lip' of cervix that just was not going to retract because of the posterior position of baby's head. She had me lie on my left side with my right leg elevated, and after a few seriously painful contractions, had me turn to my right side for more of the same. This position was incredibly painful, to the extent that I literally thrashed my head around in pain with each contraction, but at the same time I could FEEL baby's head finally slipping under my flat pelvic bone. My Doula had given me a little foam stress-bal to squeeze, but it was shaped like a pig.....I squeezed that thing so hard with each contraction, I thought it was going to turn into sausage. :)
Adding to the immense pressure in my low back, and that constant "I gotta poop" feeling, I had the sudden urge to urinate. The doctor informed me that I would have to use a bedpan (which pissed me off, if you'll pardon the pun) but I was resigned to being forced to stay in the bed. I tried to pee in the bedpan, found I couldn't, and then almost as soon as the bedpan was taken away, I suddenly peed all over myself. Well, all over the chucks pad that was already soaked with amniotic fluid, of course.
Apparently my full bladder was the last thing keeping baby's head from descending, because as soon as I emptied it, the persistent pressure was replaced with an overwhelming need to push. I told the nurse this, (probably screamed it) and my doctor magically appeared to check me again. She told me NOT to push and I yelled that I HAD to push - like NOW.
I tried to focus on the Doula who was modeling a quick breathing technique designed to help me hold back (little huffs of air like blowing out a birthday candle). I was vaguely aware of the staff rushing around to prepare for the delivery - my bed was taken apart to convert to a delivery table, a tech wheeled in a cart with instruments on it, and another contraction gripped me - I had to PUSH. Needed to pee, to poop, but mostly needed to just push the baby out.
And suddenly it was over.
I had pushed once, baby's head popped out, and before I knew it he was in my arms. Hubby was on the phone with his sister, who stood next to me, and he got to hear little Bobblehead's first cries. It was 5:50 AM my time, exactly 12 1/2 hours after the pitocin was first started through my i.v.....and where hubby is, it was 5:20 PM.
Baby's apgar scores were 9 and 10 (and the tech said she NEVER gives tens!). He was literally absolutely PERFECT. The back of his head - the part that would have presented first if he had been in a traditional position - was red and looked kind of scraped where it was forced under my pelvic bone, but he was 100% healthy (and still is, five days later)
With hubby deployed, my sister in law was standing in as my coach, and had already driven almost 2 hours to get to my house, so she took me outside to walk for about an hour, hoping to get labor going on its own. My contractions did get stronger and closer together in that hour (2 to 3 minutes apart) but they spaced apart again as soon as I sat down and put my feet up. By 2 AM I was in bed, trying to get some sleep.
At 4 AM I called the hospital again, and was again told not to come in yet. This time they wanted me to call back at 8 AM. I was so disappointed because I had sincerely hoped and believed that I would be giving birth by 8 AM, but I called my Doula (who lives about half an hour away from the hospital) to let her know NOT to head over just yet, and I tried to get some more sleep. I said TRIED.
At 8 AM I was told to call back at noon, and I finally just lost it. Tears and everything. I couldn't even CALL the doula with this news, as I was so upset - so I sent her a text instead. I continued to monitor my sporadic contractions, and attempted a nap at 10 AM. When I got up a little before noon, I figured this would FOR SURE be it. I called the hospital again at noon, and....you guessed it, I was put off AGAIN.
This time they wanted me to call back at 3 PM, so my SIL & I decided to go have lunch and then walk a few laps around the mall. More great contractions, but not staying regular, of course. At 2:30 the hospital finally called ME and told me they had a room ready for me. By the time I actually got to the hospital and into my room, it was about 3:15 PM. The Doula arrived moments later, and I was READY. So so so READY! In my mind, at least.
SIL and me - still smiling, so this must have been
in the first 8 hours somewhere :)
After checking my cervix (which was very posterior so it was hard for the nurse to find) and determining that I was dilated to 2 cm, the cranky nurse who was first assigned to me got my i.v. started, and at 5:20 PM the pitocin was FINALLY started.
Sitting on the birth ball
My OB was supposed to come in and break my water, and while we waited I used several different methods to cope with the increasingly painful contractions. Breathing, counting, sitting on a birth ball, vocalizing/moaning, etc. My favorite position was actually standing so I could sway and rock my hips to get through the pain. The awesome Doula massaged my feet with scented lotion, rubbed my back, and used 'light touch massage' to help me focus on anything OTHER than the pain. To my frustration, the contractions STILL were not staying regular, even after the Pitocin dosage was increased twice.
Squatting beside te bed for comfort
in the middle of a contraction
Shift change at 7 PM brought me an even crankier nurse. I think that one may have had a problem with the fact that I had a Doula, a birth plan, etc. In other words, she doesn't like patients who have thoughts/feelings/ideas of their own.
Around 9:30 PM my OB finally showed up to check my progress. I was at 3 cm (after 4 hours on pitocin I was so disappointed, as my natural labors all progressed MUCH faster than this!) She broke my amniotic sac and instructed the nurses to call her back as soon as there was ANY change, because we all expected the next stage to go very fast - and the OB lives 15 minutes from the hospital.
multi-tasking...texting, timing contractions
on the iPad, OH AND BREATHING! :)
laughing when the stupid annoying
automated blood pressure cuff
overinflated itself and popped off - AGAIN.
At this point, I was losing patience with the cranky nurses and my own doctor's outright bitchiness when I told her I did not want an epidural (she likes the epidural thing because it is easier to control the final stage of labor that way - so she wouldn't have to rush to the hospital or possibly not make it in time). The thing that pissed me off about that was that I HAD told her in her office that I wanted an unmedicated delivery! Several times. Anyway, like I said, I started to get cranky by the time she left, and over the next hour my contractions felt a lot stronger and closer together, and I felt that tell-tale pressure in my low back (kind of an "I gotta poop" feeling).
I asked the nurse to come in and check me - which I dreaded because she had to practially "fist" me just to find my cervix - and she told me the pressure I was feeling was just "wishful thinking" as I was barely at 4 cm and baby's head was still at a -2 station (very high up). I suppressed the urge to smack the rude nurse for being so condescending, and instead I tried a few more positions to relieve some of the pain and pressure in my low back. The nurse really wanted me to lie flat on my back, but the pain was so intense that I simply couldn't.
My Doula was so awesome - she helped me find comfortable positions that would also encourage baby to descend into the birth canal. We had already figured out that he must be in the "sunny side up" position(posterior presentation, with baby's forehead and face emerging first, rather than the back of baby's head) so we focused on positions that would open my pelvis and give him room to hopefully rotate around to face in the anterior position.
talking to hubby through a contraction
I was still very much in control at this point, and we all laughed and made jokes, and had some of my favorite 80s music playing on my iPod. When the doctor informed the nurse that part of the difficulty in locating my cervix was due to my unusually long vaginal tract, I asked if that was the female equivalent of being 'well hung'....SIL laughed, and about 30 seconds later the Doula got my joke and laughed too.
sitting on birth ball, resting my head,
and getting a fantastic backrub from the Doula
Around 1 AM, and then again around 2 AM, I was checked for dilation and was found to be at 5cm - unbelievable to me, because previous experience had led me to expect less than an hour from 4 cm to 10 cm. At 3 AM the exhaustion, pain, and fear finally got to me, and I begged for an epidural. The nurse was bitchy about this, but brought me paperwork to sign consenting to the procedure. She then checked me for dilation again, to make sure it was not already 'too late' for the epidural. I panicked when a contraction hit WHILE her hand was inside me, because the pain & pressure had already been unbearable without that added discomfort.
This was where I snapped, literally wanted to give up - typically I do this when I hit the stage known as transition, which is a SHORT stage for me, moments before giving birth. But instead of being ready to push, I was told that I was at 8 cm. Still, 8 cm was better than being stuck at 5!
PROGRESS! Finally.
The nurse asked if I still wanted the epidural, and I wavered - I knew I couldn't take much more of this painful back labor, but at the same time....if I could go from 8cm to 10cm super fast, maybe I could do it without the pain killer.....MAYBE.
I asked instead to try something intravenously that would take the edge off the contractions. They gave me a half dose of nubain, which took the edge off the next three contractions. Every contraction after that brought more panic, and I found myself fighting against the contractions. Straight-up FEAR. Thank God my Doula was there to calm me down, help me re-focus, and remind me to breathe! Part of a song ran through my head, "this joke isn't funny anymore" (The Smiths) and I actually LAUGHED, mid-contraction. It was a weak laugh, but for a moment I felt human again.
My OB came in and checked me again. I was so relieved to see her there, knowing her presence must mean it was really almost OVER, but then she told the nurse that her estimate of 8 cm had been a little hasty - Dr. instead called it at "6 or 7 cm" but noted that there was a 'lip' of cervix that just was not going to retract because of the posterior position of baby's head. She had me lie on my left side with my right leg elevated, and after a few seriously painful contractions, had me turn to my right side for more of the same. This position was incredibly painful, to the extent that I literally thrashed my head around in pain with each contraction, but at the same time I could FEEL baby's head finally slipping under my flat pelvic bone. My Doula had given me a little foam stress-bal to squeeze, but it was shaped like a pig.....I squeezed that thing so hard with each contraction, I thought it was going to turn into sausage. :)
Adding to the immense pressure in my low back, and that constant "I gotta poop" feeling, I had the sudden urge to urinate. The doctor informed me that I would have to use a bedpan (which pissed me off, if you'll pardon the pun) but I was resigned to being forced to stay in the bed. I tried to pee in the bedpan, found I couldn't, and then almost as soon as the bedpan was taken away, I suddenly peed all over myself. Well, all over the chucks pad that was already soaked with amniotic fluid, of course.
Apparently my full bladder was the last thing keeping baby's head from descending, because as soon as I emptied it, the persistent pressure was replaced with an overwhelming need to push. I told the nurse this, (probably screamed it) and my doctor magically appeared to check me again. She told me NOT to push and I yelled that I HAD to push - like NOW.
I tried to focus on the Doula who was modeling a quick breathing technique designed to help me hold back (little huffs of air like blowing out a birthday candle). I was vaguely aware of the staff rushing around to prepare for the delivery - my bed was taken apart to convert to a delivery table, a tech wheeled in a cart with instruments on it, and another contraction gripped me - I had to PUSH. Needed to pee, to poop, but mostly needed to just push the baby out.
And suddenly it was over.
I had pushed once, baby's head popped out, and before I knew it he was in my arms. Hubby was on the phone with his sister, who stood next to me, and he got to hear little Bobblehead's first cries. It was 5:50 AM my time, exactly 12 1/2 hours after the pitocin was first started through my i.v.....and where hubby is, it was 5:20 PM.
Daddy saying hello to Bobblehead
from the other side of the world
Baby's apgar scores were 9 and 10 (and the tech said she NEVER gives tens!). He was literally absolutely PERFECT. The back of his head - the part that would have presented first if he had been in a traditional position - was red and looked kind of scraped where it was forced under my pelvic bone, but he was 100% healthy (and still is, five days later)
SIL, Doula, me, and Baby Bobblehead,
about 15 min. after the birth
(Look how tired we all were!)
Always grinning in his sleep
I wonder what he dreams about?
Sunday, September 19, 2010
HE'S HERE!
Disclaimer: This post is being written roughly 38 hours after giving birth, so my exhaustion trumps my overwhelming desire to share this amazing story with you all. The full birth story WITH PICTURES is coming soon, I promise! But for now, here's the short version:
Baby Bobblehead was born on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 5:50 AM. He weighed 7 lbs, 7oz, and was 19 inches long at birth.
Baby is in excellent health (as am I) and we are enjoying getting to know one another.
Baby Bobblehead was born on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 5:50 AM. He weighed 7 lbs, 7oz, and was 19 inches long at birth.
Baby is in excellent health (as am I) and we are enjoying getting to know one another.
Friday, September 17, 2010
no news is NOT good news.
Whoever coined the phrase, "No news is good news" was a complete IDIOT.
I am going stark raving MAD here - just waiting. Not my strong suit on a good day, but with all these contractions, and virtually no sleep, I am about as patient as a hungry baby right now.
I was supposed to go to the hospital last night at midnight for a scheduled induction. I had been instructed to call the hospital an hour ahead to confirm that they had room for me. I called, and they told me they were SWAMPED and I needed to wait and call back at 4 AM.
When I called back at 4, the Charge Nurse could not even come to the phone, so I was told to wait (again) and I would get a call back in a few minutes. Nearly half an hour later, that call came in with instructions to wait some more, and call back at 8 AM. (have I mentioned before how bad I am at the whole 'waiting' thing?)
I called back at 8 AM, and was again told that the Charge Nurse was busy and would call me back. By this time there had been a shift change, so it was a new charge nurse - and she didn't call me back. I waited an hour, then called again, and this time got the new Charge Nurse, who told me to wait some more, and call back at noon. She wanted me to just "go about my day, have lunch, whatever". Seriously?
I know the hospital is busy, and that can't be helped, but this is driving me CRAZY! If I had any idea that this kind of delay was even possible with a "scheduled induction" I might have done a few things differently - like maybe I would not have even told my mother-in-law that I was scheduled for induction.....then she would not be here messing with my kitchen, smoking like a freaking chimney, and snoring so loud the damn house shakes. (And maybe, if she was not already here, I would not have this incredibly strong urge to hold a pillow over her face to stop said snoring?)
If I had known this delay was possible, my sister-in-law would not be missing work today FOR NO REASON....she drove out here last night from 2 hours away to be my labor coach/chauffer, and all just to sleep on the couch in the playroom. And to wait.
My father-in-law changed his travel plans based on my 'scheduled induction' and is currently on a plane somewhere over CA, trying to get here to meet his new grandson...he doesn't even know that I am not even AT the hospital yet. So, what is he supposed to do when he gets here? Cool his heels with his ex-wife (my MIL) at my house? YIKES.
This was supposed to be an exciting day - I thought I would be HOLDING Baby Bobblehead by now! Instead today seriously SUCKS. Makes the whole false labor thing feel like a walk in the park.
I am going stark raving MAD here - just waiting. Not my strong suit on a good day, but with all these contractions, and virtually no sleep, I am about as patient as a hungry baby right now.
I was supposed to go to the hospital last night at midnight for a scheduled induction. I had been instructed to call the hospital an hour ahead to confirm that they had room for me. I called, and they told me they were SWAMPED and I needed to wait and call back at 4 AM.
When I called back at 4, the Charge Nurse could not even come to the phone, so I was told to wait (again) and I would get a call back in a few minutes. Nearly half an hour later, that call came in with instructions to wait some more, and call back at 8 AM. (have I mentioned before how bad I am at the whole 'waiting' thing?)
I called back at 8 AM, and was again told that the Charge Nurse was busy and would call me back. By this time there had been a shift change, so it was a new charge nurse - and she didn't call me back. I waited an hour, then called again, and this time got the new Charge Nurse, who told me to wait some more, and call back at noon. She wanted me to just "go about my day, have lunch, whatever". Seriously?
I know the hospital is busy, and that can't be helped, but this is driving me CRAZY! If I had any idea that this kind of delay was even possible with a "scheduled induction" I might have done a few things differently - like maybe I would not have even told my mother-in-law that I was scheduled for induction.....then she would not be here messing with my kitchen, smoking like a freaking chimney, and snoring so loud the damn house shakes. (And maybe, if she was not already here, I would not have this incredibly strong urge to hold a pillow over her face to stop said snoring?)
If I had known this delay was possible, my sister-in-law would not be missing work today FOR NO REASON....she drove out here last night from 2 hours away to be my labor coach/chauffer, and all just to sleep on the couch in the playroom. And to wait.
My father-in-law changed his travel plans based on my 'scheduled induction' and is currently on a plane somewhere over CA, trying to get here to meet his new grandson...he doesn't even know that I am not even AT the hospital yet. So, what is he supposed to do when he gets here? Cool his heels with his ex-wife (my MIL) at my house? YIKES.
This was supposed to be an exciting day - I thought I would be HOLDING Baby Bobblehead by now! Instead today seriously SUCKS. Makes the whole false labor thing feel like a walk in the park.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The final countdown....
In about 14 hours I will be at the hospital, being hooked up to an i.v. (which is the worst part of childbirth as far as I am concerned) and getting ready for INDUCTION!
If all goes well, then in LESS THAN 24 HOURS I will finally get to hold my little Baby Bobblehead! Bonehead and Knucklehead are excited, though they are both dealing with it differently.
Hubby is excited too, and I can tell he is worried, even though he won't tell me that. It's so hard for him to get to a phone and call me, but he has called 3 times in the last 24 hours! I really hope he will be able to call at the end of labor, and hear Bobblehead's first cries.
I'm nesting BIG TIME here. Not just cleaning, but cooking up a storm, too. In the last two days I made chili, enchilada bake, 'glop' (pasta dish kind of like a hamburger helper but better) and Baked Potato Casserole. My mother-in-law won't have to cook ANYTHING for the boys while I am in the hospital! I even had so much food that I couldn't fit it all in my fridge, so I took a baked potato casserole and an enchilada bake across the street to my neighbors, who just brought their baby home from the hospital a few days ago. Tonight for my 'last meal' I am making tacos - Knucklehead's request.
I keep looking around the house to figure out what is missing - what DIDN'T I do to prepare? What did I forget?
hmmmmm....
NOTHING.
I am so READY to have this baby!
If all goes well, then in LESS THAN 24 HOURS I will finally get to hold my little Baby Bobblehead! Bonehead and Knucklehead are excited, though they are both dealing with it differently.
Hubby is excited too, and I can tell he is worried, even though he won't tell me that. It's so hard for him to get to a phone and call me, but he has called 3 times in the last 24 hours! I really hope he will be able to call at the end of labor, and hear Bobblehead's first cries.
I'm nesting BIG TIME here. Not just cleaning, but cooking up a storm, too. In the last two days I made chili, enchilada bake, 'glop' (pasta dish kind of like a hamburger helper but better) and Baked Potato Casserole. My mother-in-law won't have to cook ANYTHING for the boys while I am in the hospital! I even had so much food that I couldn't fit it all in my fridge, so I took a baked potato casserole and an enchilada bake across the street to my neighbors, who just brought their baby home from the hospital a few days ago. Tonight for my 'last meal' I am making tacos - Knucklehead's request.
I keep looking around the house to figure out what is missing - what DIDN'T I do to prepare? What did I forget?
hmmmmm....
NOTHING.
I am so READY to have this baby!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
DOULA? yes please!
Months ago I gave up on my hopes of having a doula for this birth, because the only 'affordable' doula I could find was just not really a 'match' for me.
Through a series of funny 'coincidences' I found a doula the other day who is PERFECT for me - and is available on very short notice, since the only mommy/client that she had due this week already had her baby last week. Her next birth isn't due for a few weeks, so I just got very lucky here.
Even better, she is offering me a SIGNIFICANT discount in light of hubby's current deployment, so that I can actually afford to hire her.
I am so RELIEVED to have her coming with me to the hospital, I can't even express it.
I had no idea just how SCARED I was to go into this birth alone, until I suddenly didn't HAVE to do it alone. And now I'm just not scared.
Anxious, yes. Nervous, sure! But scared? HECK NO!
My biggest fear is c-section, mostly because the long recovery would really effect me. I don't do 'holding still' very well, so any amount of confinement to a bed really bothers me. Of course, c-section is highly unlikely in my case, with three healthy and uncomplicated vaginal births already behind me. BUT....I am having labor induced, and I already know from experience that Pitocin contractions hurt WAY more than my natural labor contractions do. What if I can't manage that pain? If I give up and beg for an epidural (which I've never had before) I know that my risk of prolonged labor goes WAY UP at that point. Prolonged labor, of course, is the main thing that could lead to a c-section for me.
Oh, and did I mention that my labor coach can't come with me the night I am being induced? She was my 2nd choice for labor coach, my close friend and neighbor, and I am SO SAD that she can't come. Of course my first choice, my sister, had her baby a week and a half ago (I blogged about this over on the deployment blog, you can check that out here if you missed it) so she is obviously not available. Now my 3rd choice, my husband's younger sister, has been 'promoted' from photographer to COACH. She was already going to be IN the room for the birth, partly because I think she will make a great translator to my hubby, who will hopefully be on the phone with us during the birth. She can talk to him when I am physically unable to, and will give him the play-by-play so he doesn't miss anything. Now, my sister-in-law is AWESOME, and is Godmother to one of my sons already, but has literally never been anywhere NEAR a birth before. She is single, no kids of her own yet, and I don't really know if she will be able to stay calm, much less keep ME calm.
So, yeah, I was pretty scared.
But now I am NOT.
My doula will bring a birth ball for me to sit on so I can move around a little, for comfort AND to keep things moving along (lying flat on your back is one of the most painful and SLOWEST ways to labor!) and I can still stay on the monitors and i.v. and all that junk. She will rub my back if I need it, or will provide 'atmosphere' (lighting, scented spray, etc) to make the hospital setting more comfortable for me. She even helped me write out a birth plan that I can give to the nurses so they know ahead of time what I WANT. Not that I will get everything I want, but Melissa made it that much easier for me to ASK for what I want.
Bring it on, childbirth! Seriously, like ANY TIME NOW. I'm ready!
Through a series of funny 'coincidences' I found a doula the other day who is PERFECT for me - and is available on very short notice, since the only mommy/client that she had due this week already had her baby last week. Her next birth isn't due for a few weeks, so I just got very lucky here.
Even better, she is offering me a SIGNIFICANT discount in light of hubby's current deployment, so that I can actually afford to hire her.
I am so RELIEVED to have her coming with me to the hospital, I can't even express it.
I had no idea just how SCARED I was to go into this birth alone, until I suddenly didn't HAVE to do it alone. And now I'm just not scared.
Anxious, yes. Nervous, sure! But scared? HECK NO!
My biggest fear is c-section, mostly because the long recovery would really effect me. I don't do 'holding still' very well, so any amount of confinement to a bed really bothers me. Of course, c-section is highly unlikely in my case, with three healthy and uncomplicated vaginal births already behind me. BUT....I am having labor induced, and I already know from experience that Pitocin contractions hurt WAY more than my natural labor contractions do. What if I can't manage that pain? If I give up and beg for an epidural (which I've never had before) I know that my risk of prolonged labor goes WAY UP at that point. Prolonged labor, of course, is the main thing that could lead to a c-section for me.
Oh, and did I mention that my labor coach can't come with me the night I am being induced? She was my 2nd choice for labor coach, my close friend and neighbor, and I am SO SAD that she can't come. Of course my first choice, my sister, had her baby a week and a half ago (I blogged about this over on the deployment blog, you can check that out here if you missed it) so she is obviously not available. Now my 3rd choice, my husband's younger sister, has been 'promoted' from photographer to COACH. She was already going to be IN the room for the birth, partly because I think she will make a great translator to my hubby, who will hopefully be on the phone with us during the birth. She can talk to him when I am physically unable to, and will give him the play-by-play so he doesn't miss anything. Now, my sister-in-law is AWESOME, and is Godmother to one of my sons already, but has literally never been anywhere NEAR a birth before. She is single, no kids of her own yet, and I don't really know if she will be able to stay calm, much less keep ME calm.
So, yeah, I was pretty scared.
But now I am NOT.
My doula will bring a birth ball for me to sit on so I can move around a little, for comfort AND to keep things moving along (lying flat on your back is one of the most painful and SLOWEST ways to labor!) and I can still stay on the monitors and i.v. and all that junk. She will rub my back if I need it, or will provide 'atmosphere' (lighting, scented spray, etc) to make the hospital setting more comfortable for me. She even helped me write out a birth plan that I can give to the nurses so they know ahead of time what I WANT. Not that I will get everything I want, but Melissa made it that much easier for me to ASK for what I want.
Bring it on, childbirth! Seriously, like ANY TIME NOW. I'm ready!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Patience is a virtue (that I do not possess)
Waiting really is NOT fun. In fact, it SUCKS. Especially for someone like me.
I know it's technically early for me to be THIS impatient for Baby Bobblehead's arrival, but the nearly constant contractions really don't help. And the doctor's estimate on Bobblehead's size didn't do much to bolster my patience yesterday - so yeah, at 38 weeks, I am SO READY to have this baby! Like, NOW!
Last Saturday I finally went out and bought a nursing bra - the one thing that was technically missing from my labor bag. I will admit that a part of me secretly HOPED that this one last thing was what Bobblehead was 'waiting' for, and he would decide to make his arrival at that point. When my contractions became very regular and far more painful Sunday night, I was more excited than worried - at 37 weeks, the chances of something going wrong with the baby were so slim.
But alas, my cervix was not responding at all to the contractions, so I was sent home from the hospital to WAIT some more. (have I mentioned that I am not very good at waiting?)
The false alarm last Sunday did get hubby and I to finally make some decisions that we had been putting off; among other things, we rushed to enroll in a Cord Blood Banking program. The company we chose rushed the 'collection kit' to me, and it arrived here on Wednesday. If I had gone into labor and did not have the kit with me, we would have lost the option to store the baby's cord blood.
So naturally, in my impatient head, I started thinking, 'maybe THIS is what Bobblehead was waiting for'.....and I began to silently WILL him to come out. That night was my monthly Bunco night, so I went to my girlfriend's house to play Bunco and socialize. I had a lot of good contractions, visited with friends, won some money (WOO HOO!) and came home actively timing the increasingly painful contractions - only to notice that they were becoming more sporadic and less intense as the night wore on.
Yes, I was sad. Even though I won money, I didn't feel very lucky when I went to bed STILL PREGNANT.
I woke up Thursday morning excited to go to my 38 week checkup, knowing that I would at least get to SEE Bobblehead on a sonogram. I even looked forward to the pelvic exam, hoping for good news about my cervix progressing throughout the week, since the contractions this week have been so much more painful than the previous ones. I also hoped, at least a little bit, that the pelvic exam at the checkup might 'stir things up' and get real labor going. I knew the doc was not going to specifically strip the membranes, but I still hoped......maybe....
But no. No progress, and no new patterns or intensity in the contractions.
I left the doctor's office feeling incredibly discouraged, but went to the mall, determined to walk and at least get some exercise, and maybe move things along a little. While there, I finally found a diaper bag that I liked AND could afford - after searching for weeks. I have found several bags that I LOVE, but they were all way out of my budget. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to finally buy a diaper bag, and proudly brought it home.
Yes, in the back of my mind, I was thinking the usual, 'maybe THIS is what the baby was waiting for'.....
And hours later, as I worked my afternoon crossing guard shift, I had several PAINFUL contractions, only 5 minutes apart. I knew better than to get my hopes up, but still....I obviously DID, or I would not have felt so darned disappointed when the contractions stopped, almost as soon as I sat down and put my feet up. Bummer.
Last night I barely slept, because the random contractions kept waking me up. Yes, I said they were random. *sigh* I had also developed a nasty headache, which was so strong it actually made me forget about some of the contractions. Tylenol didn't help, so I was basically miserable all night.
I woke up this morning, reported for my crossing guard duty, and did not even bother timing my contractions while there. I then went to meet my sister at the mall, so I could help watch her boys while she tried on nursing bras (this is the sister who was originally going to be my labor coach, until she turned up pregnant with her 3rd baby, and was found to be due a week and a half ahead of me - she had her baby last week, which honestly is probably contributing at least a little bit to my impatience). I walked the length of the mall a few times, and felt some good contractions, and enjoyed my adorable nephews for awhile. I decided a nap was in order before returning to the school for my FINAL crossing guard shift (now I am officially on maternity leave) but again could not sleep because of the contractions.
This is SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING!
In case you still don't understand my impatience, let me give you the short version:
This whole pregnancy I have basically felt GREAT! Minimal morningsickness, minimal back pain, and I even got some sleep in the first two trimesters. But in the past two weeks, the baby has dropped ONTO A NERVE, limiting my sitting positions to the semi-reclined and fully-reclined options. Reclining all the time has increased the frequency and severity of my heartburn, making it nearly unbearable. At the same time, my nearly constant contractions have become painful (rather than just uncomfortable). As a result of all of this, I am just not sleeping. Also new in these final weeks: swelling feet. Yay.
Contractions.
Fatigue.
Heartburn.
More contractions.
Pelvic Pain/numb feet.
More heartburn.
Fat feet and 'Kankles'
Increased fatigue....
Are you seeing how the cycle works?
So, yeah, I am so DONE being pregnant! I'm OVER this, really.
Oh, and on top of all that, seeing my sweet newborn nephew makes me really really REALLY long to hold my Bobblehead. Just look at this face:
I'm now scheduled for induction late next Thursday night/early Friday morning, so I have a week (at most) to wait.
But considering the ups and downs of this past week, I don't know how I can make it through another WHOLE week.
I know it's technically early for me to be THIS impatient for Baby Bobblehead's arrival, but the nearly constant contractions really don't help. And the doctor's estimate on Bobblehead's size didn't do much to bolster my patience yesterday - so yeah, at 38 weeks, I am SO READY to have this baby! Like, NOW!
Last Saturday I finally went out and bought a nursing bra - the one thing that was technically missing from my labor bag. I will admit that a part of me secretly HOPED that this one last thing was what Bobblehead was 'waiting' for, and he would decide to make his arrival at that point. When my contractions became very regular and far more painful Sunday night, I was more excited than worried - at 37 weeks, the chances of something going wrong with the baby were so slim.
But alas, my cervix was not responding at all to the contractions, so I was sent home from the hospital to WAIT some more. (have I mentioned that I am not very good at waiting?)
The false alarm last Sunday did get hubby and I to finally make some decisions that we had been putting off; among other things, we rushed to enroll in a Cord Blood Banking program. The company we chose rushed the 'collection kit' to me, and it arrived here on Wednesday. If I had gone into labor and did not have the kit with me, we would have lost the option to store the baby's cord blood.
So naturally, in my impatient head, I started thinking, 'maybe THIS is what Bobblehead was waiting for'.....and I began to silently WILL him to come out. That night was my monthly Bunco night, so I went to my girlfriend's house to play Bunco and socialize. I had a lot of good contractions, visited with friends, won some money (WOO HOO!) and came home actively timing the increasingly painful contractions - only to notice that they were becoming more sporadic and less intense as the night wore on.
Yes, I was sad. Even though I won money, I didn't feel very lucky when I went to bed STILL PREGNANT.
I woke up Thursday morning excited to go to my 38 week checkup, knowing that I would at least get to SEE Bobblehead on a sonogram. I even looked forward to the pelvic exam, hoping for good news about my cervix progressing throughout the week, since the contractions this week have been so much more painful than the previous ones. I also hoped, at least a little bit, that the pelvic exam at the checkup might 'stir things up' and get real labor going. I knew the doc was not going to specifically strip the membranes, but I still hoped......maybe....
But no. No progress, and no new patterns or intensity in the contractions.
I left the doctor's office feeling incredibly discouraged, but went to the mall, determined to walk and at least get some exercise, and maybe move things along a little. While there, I finally found a diaper bag that I liked AND could afford - after searching for weeks. I have found several bags that I LOVE, but they were all way out of my budget. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to finally buy a diaper bag, and proudly brought it home.
Yes, in the back of my mind, I was thinking the usual, 'maybe THIS is what the baby was waiting for'.....
And hours later, as I worked my afternoon crossing guard shift, I had several PAINFUL contractions, only 5 minutes apart. I knew better than to get my hopes up, but still....I obviously DID, or I would not have felt so darned disappointed when the contractions stopped, almost as soon as I sat down and put my feet up. Bummer.
Last night I barely slept, because the random contractions kept waking me up. Yes, I said they were random. *sigh* I had also developed a nasty headache, which was so strong it actually made me forget about some of the contractions. Tylenol didn't help, so I was basically miserable all night.
I woke up this morning, reported for my crossing guard duty, and did not even bother timing my contractions while there. I then went to meet my sister at the mall, so I could help watch her boys while she tried on nursing bras (this is the sister who was originally going to be my labor coach, until she turned up pregnant with her 3rd baby, and was found to be due a week and a half ahead of me - she had her baby last week, which honestly is probably contributing at least a little bit to my impatience). I walked the length of the mall a few times, and felt some good contractions, and enjoyed my adorable nephews for awhile. I decided a nap was in order before returning to the school for my FINAL crossing guard shift (now I am officially on maternity leave) but again could not sleep because of the contractions.
This is SO INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING!
In case you still don't understand my impatience, let me give you the short version:
This whole pregnancy I have basically felt GREAT! Minimal morningsickness, minimal back pain, and I even got some sleep in the first two trimesters. But in the past two weeks, the baby has dropped ONTO A NERVE, limiting my sitting positions to the semi-reclined and fully-reclined options. Reclining all the time has increased the frequency and severity of my heartburn, making it nearly unbearable. At the same time, my nearly constant contractions have become painful (rather than just uncomfortable). As a result of all of this, I am just not sleeping. Also new in these final weeks: swelling feet. Yay.
Contractions.
Fatigue.
Heartburn.
More contractions.
Pelvic Pain/numb feet.
More heartburn.
Fat feet and 'Kankles'
Increased fatigue....
Are you seeing how the cycle works?
So, yeah, I am so DONE being pregnant! I'm OVER this, really.
Oh, and on top of all that, seeing my sweet newborn nephew makes me really really REALLY long to hold my Bobblehead. Just look at this face:
I'm now scheduled for induction late next Thursday night/early Friday morning, so I have a week (at most) to wait.
But considering the ups and downs of this past week, I don't know how I can make it through another WHOLE week.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
38 week checkup!
Today's checkup went well, all things considered.
I have suddenly started gaining weight - 6 whopping pounds in only a week! My doctor thinks this is mostly water weight, as my feet and ankles have been swelling a little in the past 48 hours.
My blood pressure was normal, and baby's heart rate was great. We did an ultrasound today to get his measurements and check the amniotic fluid levels - everything looks GREAT!
Baby Bobblehead might very well be a BIG baby though. His estimated weight today (at 2 days shy of 38 weeks) is 7 lbs, 10 oz!!! That's like normal full-term 40 week birth weight! Crazy. That means if I have him in a week, he will likely be over 8 pounds, or if I somehow make it to 40 weeks he could even be pushhing 8 1/2 or 9 pounds. Ouch.
My cervix hasn't changed really - still about 75% effaced, and about 1.5 or 'almost' 2 cm.
In other words, these annoying and now painful contractions aren't doing a darned thing - so frustrating.
So, my OB says that "IF" I don't go into natural labor in the next week, she will induce me very early Friday morning (Sept 17). I will actually go to the hospital by midnight Thursday night so they can start my i.v. and get everything 'ready'. This does not necessarily mean I will have him ON Sept 17, since inductions are not ALWAYS successful.
**If you posted a comment on my 'guess the stats' contest and would like to change your guess based on today's info, just post a new comment and let me know your updated guess - you get ONE chance to change your guess **
If you haven't yet posted a guess, WHY NOT?!?! Winner gets a $20 gift card! Go! Click here, read the rules and post your guess, like NOW. As in, before it's too late. Just tell me when you think he will be born and how much he will weigh. You've got all the inside info now, so
I have suddenly started gaining weight - 6 whopping pounds in only a week! My doctor thinks this is mostly water weight, as my feet and ankles have been swelling a little in the past 48 hours.
My blood pressure was normal, and baby's heart rate was great. We did an ultrasound today to get his measurements and check the amniotic fluid levels - everything looks GREAT!
Baby Bobblehead might very well be a BIG baby though. His estimated weight today (at 2 days shy of 38 weeks) is 7 lbs, 10 oz!!! That's like normal full-term 40 week birth weight! Crazy. That means if I have him in a week, he will likely be over 8 pounds, or if I somehow make it to 40 weeks he could even be pushhing 8 1/2 or 9 pounds. Ouch.
My cervix hasn't changed really - still about 75% effaced, and about 1.5 or 'almost' 2 cm.
In other words, these annoying and now painful contractions aren't doing a darned thing - so frustrating.
So, my OB says that "IF" I don't go into natural labor in the next week, she will induce me very early Friday morning (Sept 17). I will actually go to the hospital by midnight Thursday night so they can start my i.v. and get everything 'ready'. This does not necessarily mean I will have him ON Sept 17, since inductions are not ALWAYS successful.
**If you posted a comment on my 'guess the stats' contest and would like to change your guess based on today's info, just post a new comment and let me know your updated guess - you get ONE chance to change your guess **
If you haven't yet posted a guess, WHY NOT?!?! Winner gets a $20 gift card! Go! Click here, read the rules and post your guess, like NOW. As in, before it's too late. Just tell me when you think he will be born and how much he will weigh. You've got all the inside info now, so
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
belly pic update
Sorry for the lack of real blog posts lately - these final weeks are making it SO hard to sit for any length of time.
I keep wanting to post new belly pics and can't get good ones with the timer, and my kids take AWFUL pictures...so today I got a friend to snap a couple photos.
I'm seriously hoping to have this baby SOONER rather than later - but for now, you still have time to get your guesses in for the $20 gift card giveaway!
Click HERE for the contest.
I keep wanting to post new belly pics and can't get good ones with the timer, and my kids take AWFUL pictures...so today I got a friend to snap a couple photos.
My profile certainly does not stop traffic,
but I do have fewer idiots asking me if I am pregnant
(It's pretty obvious, right?)
And for those who can't recognize a baby bump
as big as a beach ball,
the shirt should clue them in - or so you'd think!
I'm seriously hoping to have this baby SOONER rather than later - but for now, you still have time to get your guesses in for the $20 gift card giveaway!
Click HERE for the contest.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Guess the stats (contest)
OK I am trying to distract myself from some VERY annoying false-labor right now, so I decided to hold a contest.
The prize will be a $20 gift card, either to Target or Babies R Us (winner will choose which store, and card will be delivered via email)
I technically have 20 days until my due date, (SEPT 26) so the contest is sort of a 'betting pool' to see who can come the closest in guessing these categories:
Birth Date
Time of day (morning = 5:01 AM to noon, afternoon = 12:01 PM to 6 PM, or night, 6:01 PM to 5 AM)
Baby's WEIGHT at birth
First place guess in each category gets 10 points, and 2nd place guess gets 7 points, and 3rd place guess gets 5 points. This means max score is 30 points, if you happen to have the closest guess in ALL THREE categories.
You have to be following THIS BLOG to be eligible for the prize.
Contest is open UNTIL I HAVE THE BABY....any guesses submitted after the birth will be disqualified, even if you didn't know (but I know some of you also follow me on FB, and the news of the birth will be posted via text message almost immediately after the birth)
I recently posted birth stories about my first three deliveries, so if you think those stats will help you make an educated guess, check out the archives.
Here is my most recent check-up info:
As of Thursday, Sept 2, my cervix was 75% effaced and dilated 1-2 cm. My OB says she will induce me at 39 weeks if nothing happens naturally by then, BUT, if you read my birth stories, you know that inductions don't always work. Since then I have been having some strong but SPORADIC contractions, and today have had some regular but WEAK contractions. To my knowledge, I have not yet passed my mucous plug. Oh, and in case this effects your guess at all, Baby Bobblehead is a BOY.
*THIS CONTEST WILL BE 'duplicated' on my FaceBook, with a separate $10 gift card as the prize...so you can enter both contests and be eligible to win either or both, if you happen to be on my FB as well*
So get guessing! Post your comment below with your guess - be sure to include all three categories, DATE, Time of day (morning - afternoon - night), and BIRTH WEIGHT. Also, if your profile is 'private' you'll need to either include some contact info or WATCH this blog to see if you've won.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
37 week checkup!
My OB was out of town last week, so I missed my 36 week checkup. I was (mostly) OK with this, but was really worried all week that I would go into pre-term labor while she was out of town, and then would have some stranger deliver the baby......
Anyway, since the doctor returned from her vacation Monday night, I have been WISHING and HOPING for labor to start, since I am unbelievably uncomfortable now.
Baby dropped into my pelvis last week, and the pressure has made it impossible to even SIT UP. If I sit 'normal' (like for driving) then my feet go numb within about 15 minutes - so I have to sit at least semi-reclined all the time now. Doc says baby is just lying on a nerve, no big deal. Of course, a side-effect of being semi-reclined or reclined all the time, I am having WICKED heartburn. Tums & Prevacid are my very best friends right now.
So, today's checkup revealed that my weight is HOLDING (YAY!) and my blood pressure is normal, as is baby's heart rate. Baby is measuring exactly the right size, according to external measurements - we didn't do an ultrasound today, but will do one NEXT Thursday for sure.
The contractions I have been having (they've finally crossed that line between discomfort and pain) are actually doing something - my cervix is now 75% effaced and 'almost' 2 cm dilated.
Best news of all today:
If I don't go into natural labor on my own by next week, then the OB will SCHEDULE me for induction sometime the following week - so September 16 at the latest! YAY!
I keep meaning to post the nursery before/after pics on here, and honestly am waiting until I get the final pieces of the bedding set in place. They are not essential, but will make the room LOOK nicer, so before I show it off I want it really done, you know? Since they are only available online, I have to wait for the nice postman to bring them....any day now.
ANY DAY NOW....
Anyway, since the doctor returned from her vacation Monday night, I have been WISHING and HOPING for labor to start, since I am unbelievably uncomfortable now.
Baby dropped into my pelvis last week, and the pressure has made it impossible to even SIT UP. If I sit 'normal' (like for driving) then my feet go numb within about 15 minutes - so I have to sit at least semi-reclined all the time now. Doc says baby is just lying on a nerve, no big deal. Of course, a side-effect of being semi-reclined or reclined all the time, I am having WICKED heartburn. Tums & Prevacid are my very best friends right now.
So, today's checkup revealed that my weight is HOLDING (YAY!) and my blood pressure is normal, as is baby's heart rate. Baby is measuring exactly the right size, according to external measurements - we didn't do an ultrasound today, but will do one NEXT Thursday for sure.
The contractions I have been having (they've finally crossed that line between discomfort and pain) are actually doing something - my cervix is now 75% effaced and 'almost' 2 cm dilated.
Best news of all today:
If I don't go into natural labor on my own by next week, then the OB will SCHEDULE me for induction sometime the following week - so September 16 at the latest! YAY!
I keep meaning to post the nursery before/after pics on here, and honestly am waiting until I get the final pieces of the bedding set in place. They are not essential, but will make the room LOOK nicer, so before I show it off I want it really done, you know? Since they are only available online, I have to wait for the nice postman to bring them....any day now.
ANY DAY NOW....
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