Friday, July 27, 2012
No baby, no worries
I'm gonna just pat myself on the back over here for having as good of an attitude as I have. You see, everyone around me keeps trying to hype me up.
The non-stop phone calls from both parents, the text messages, the FB comments of "any day now" " aren't you ready to pop?" "I'm sure you're so anxious to find out what the squish is!!"
My answer is always YES to every single one of those comments. Who wouldn't want to hold their baby at 38 weeks and skip out on those extra 2 weeks of pregnancy? Who wouldn't want to find out what their having after 9 month of anticipation? I mean, c'mon people...
All of this to say, I've remained A-ok with waiting this labor train out. Knowing i'm *only*dilated to a 1 and "soft and squishy" (what the heck does that even mean??) according to my OB. I know I can go into labor any second, and I welcome that with open arms. But until then? I'm soaking up these last few weeks of being a non parent. Of being just husband and wife and enjoying the rest of the Summer. I'm choosing to remain positive and not let my emotions get the best of me ( believe me, I've had my moments)
Monster baby will be here soon. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers the next few days and send us some good labor ju-ju.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
The birth plan
This wasn't something I was absolutely sure I would share. I know everyone has different opinions and I didn't want to get flagged and ripped apart because mine might differ from yours. But this is our journey, and our baby therefore we feel we made the best decisions for our family.
Going into "labor talk" we worked a lot with our doula and our doctor to make sure we were all on the same page. I didn't create this idea in my head that it was all or nothing, I left my options open, but kept the idea that this is how I'd "like" for things to play out, best case scenario.
So without further ado, this is our birth plan based on a vaginal birth. We'll talk C-sections after.
1) We plan to use the services of a doula, and would only like myself, Carlos and our doula in the labor and delivery room until our baby is born. We will have visitors after we are transferred up to post partum.
2)If induction does become necessary, we would prefer to try all natural ways first (breast stimulation, , walking, sexual intercourse) If medical intervention is needed, we would prefer to use the cervical cream before moving to pitocin)
3) We will be laboring at home for as long as possible. We ask that when we come into the hospital to finish labor and start delivery that pain relief drugs not be offered to me unless I have requested them.
4) I would like the option to use natural birthing techniques. Hot showers, walking, birthing balls, massages, etc.
5) I would prefer no episiotomy and to tear naturally.
6) Once baby is delivered, I would like for Carlos to tell me the sex of the baby
7) We would like for the cord to stop pulsating before it is cut. Please offer this cutting job to Carlos.
8) We do not want the baby to have any eye ointment if not necessary
9) All vaccinations are delayed. Please do not vaccinate our baby
10) If the baby is a boy we will not be circumcising
11) We would like all exams to be made in our room; otherwise Carlos would like to be present during all exams in any other room.
12) If the baby is taken to the nursery for any reason, our baby will be exclusively breastfed. Please do not offer formula or a bottle until I have a chance to breastfeed.
13) We would like to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible if there are no complications.
As you can see, all of our "plans" are based on a natural birth. We're are going into this with a completely open mind, as I know birth plans are sometimes unrealistic once you're in the moment. As I said above, I would also discuss a C-section if necessary. I never included a plan for this as I don't think I will need one. My body was made to have babies and I fully believe that if I didn't allow the option of having a c-section I would pay closer attention to what my body was doing. That's not to say I'm naive. I fully understand complication arise, and this could very well be my future, I just pray it's not.
I told our doctor that if there should be a medical reason to have a c-section I fully trust her knowledge, and would go with the flow on things. I can't control the medicine, I can't control where they take my baby, and I can't control how long I stay in the hospital. In the instance of a C-section It's gods plan for me, and I will surrender to whatever that plan is.
I'm really looking forward to birth, like really, really. I know it will be tough, and painful and I know I'll probably eat my words a time or two. But birth fascinates me, and being able to experience the process with a fully progressed baby just blows my mind.
So on that note, I can't wait to have a natural birth, a healthy labor and delivery and the cutest, squishy-monster baby I ever did see.
Going into "labor talk" we worked a lot with our doula and our doctor to make sure we were all on the same page. I didn't create this idea in my head that it was all or nothing, I left my options open, but kept the idea that this is how I'd "like" for things to play out, best case scenario.
So without further ado, this is our birth plan based on a vaginal birth. We'll talk C-sections after.
1) We plan to use the services of a doula, and would only like myself, Carlos and our doula in the labor and delivery room until our baby is born. We will have visitors after we are transferred up to post partum.
2)If induction does become necessary, we would prefer to try all natural ways first (breast stimulation, , walking, sexual intercourse) If medical intervention is needed, we would prefer to use the cervical cream before moving to pitocin)
3) We will be laboring at home for as long as possible. We ask that when we come into the hospital to finish labor and start delivery that pain relief drugs not be offered to me unless I have requested them.
4) I would like the option to use natural birthing techniques. Hot showers, walking, birthing balls, massages, etc.
5) I would prefer no episiotomy and to tear naturally.
6) Once baby is delivered, I would like for Carlos to tell me the sex of the baby
7) We would like for the cord to stop pulsating before it is cut. Please offer this cutting job to Carlos.
8) We do not want the baby to have any eye ointment if not necessary
9) All vaccinations are delayed. Please do not vaccinate our baby
10) If the baby is a boy we will not be circumcising
11) We would like all exams to be made in our room; otherwise Carlos would like to be present during all exams in any other room.
12) If the baby is taken to the nursery for any reason, our baby will be exclusively breastfed. Please do not offer formula or a bottle until I have a chance to breastfeed.
13) We would like to be discharged from the hospital as soon as possible if there are no complications.
As you can see, all of our "plans" are based on a natural birth. We're are going into this with a completely open mind, as I know birth plans are sometimes unrealistic once you're in the moment. As I said above, I would also discuss a C-section if necessary. I never included a plan for this as I don't think I will need one. My body was made to have babies and I fully believe that if I didn't allow the option of having a c-section I would pay closer attention to what my body was doing. That's not to say I'm naive. I fully understand complication arise, and this could very well be my future, I just pray it's not.
I told our doctor that if there should be a medical reason to have a c-section I fully trust her knowledge, and would go with the flow on things. I can't control the medicine, I can't control where they take my baby, and I can't control how long I stay in the hospital. In the instance of a C-section It's gods plan for me, and I will surrender to whatever that plan is.
I'm really looking forward to birth, like really, really. I know it will be tough, and painful and I know I'll probably eat my words a time or two. But birth fascinates me, and being able to experience the process with a fully progressed baby just blows my mind.
So on that note, I can't wait to have a natural birth, a healthy labor and delivery and the cutest, squishy-monster baby I ever did see.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Preparing the hospital bags...
I've read lots and lots of peoples ideas for what any expecting mom should put in her hospital bag. Truth be told, I still kept staring at the darn thing thinking do I really need a nightgown? Am I really going to use slippers?...I know everyone is different and we all have different needs but I just thought I'd throw out what I'm putting in MY bag for MY needs...Maybe you'll get a few ideas from mine...
I should probably have prefaced this to say that In my birth plan I asked my Dr to let us discharge ASAP. As in, I want out of the hospital within 24 hours. I'd much rather be at home in my own space, in my own clothes with my healthy squishy baby. She agreed to let me out as she see's fit as long as I have no medication in my system and both myself and the baby get the all clear from the nurses and doctors.
Inside Mama's bag:
4 pairs of maternity underwear..I bought these
2 pairs of slip resistance socks ( I already had a few pair but you can get some like these)
4 nursing cami's/tank tops ( Mine all came from Target and I live in tank tops in the summer, so this is the only "top" I will have
1 Nursing bra ( I'm only bringing this to go home in, as my nursing cami's have built in bras and those are just fine for the hospital)
2 pairs of yoga pants ( I'm mostly bringing these for when we have guest visiting otherwise, I cannot fathom wearing pants with all the nurses checking on me and having to rinse down from all the labor festivities.
Robe; I have a very light weight robe that I can be in for quick nursing throughout the night once the baby is here. I can see myself getting LOTS of use out of this thing!
Essentials bag ( shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash, lotion, chapstick, tooth brush/tooth paste, earth mama bottom spray, brush, hair ties, light make up bag ( duh, there WILL be pictures!)extra pads, prenatals)
iphone/ipad chargers
Rice bag
Birthing ball
Water bottle
C's bag ( which include a change of clothes, swim trunks ( for when I'm in the shower he can help)extra pillow and his chargers for phone, etc.)
We'll also have all of our documents: Birth plan, insurance cards, etc)
I linked back all of the items to amazon so you can just simply click on the link to see a picture! These all fit in a small carry on suitcase with the exception of C's bag.
Baby bag:
We didnt feel the need to bring much as our hospital provides a great deal of supplies. We have access to as many newborn pampers/wipes as we need so we wont be bringing any of those.
Boppy
Breastfeeding pump and a few storage bottles in case I get lucky and get milk in super fast ( doubtful)
Pacifiers(i'm not planning to use these unless we absolutely have to)
Take home outfit ( 1 for a girl, 1 for a boy)
2 Onesies
Mustela facial cleaning wipes
We'll also have a diaper bag with some bare essentials just to get us from the hospital to the house. It's only a 15 minute drive, so I doubt we'll even get into anything but you just never know...
That about sums up what we plan to bring! I'm not sure if we'll use everything, if my husband will have to run home and grab me something else..I have no idea. I think we'll do just fine though!
I should probably have prefaced this to say that In my birth plan I asked my Dr to let us discharge ASAP. As in, I want out of the hospital within 24 hours. I'd much rather be at home in my own space, in my own clothes with my healthy squishy baby. She agreed to let me out as she see's fit as long as I have no medication in my system and both myself and the baby get the all clear from the nurses and doctors.
Inside Mama's bag:
4 pairs of maternity underwear..I bought these
2 pairs of slip resistance socks ( I already had a few pair but you can get some like these)
4 nursing cami's/tank tops ( Mine all came from Target and I live in tank tops in the summer, so this is the only "top" I will have
1 Nursing bra ( I'm only bringing this to go home in, as my nursing cami's have built in bras and those are just fine for the hospital)
2 pairs of yoga pants ( I'm mostly bringing these for when we have guest visiting otherwise, I cannot fathom wearing pants with all the nurses checking on me and having to rinse down from all the labor festivities.
Robe; I have a very light weight robe that I can be in for quick nursing throughout the night once the baby is here. I can see myself getting LOTS of use out of this thing!
Essentials bag ( shampoo, conditioner, soap, face wash, lotion, chapstick, tooth brush/tooth paste, earth mama bottom spray, brush, hair ties, light make up bag ( duh, there WILL be pictures!)extra pads, prenatals)
iphone/ipad chargers
Rice bag
Birthing ball
Water bottle
C's bag ( which include a change of clothes, swim trunks ( for when I'm in the shower he can help)extra pillow and his chargers for phone, etc.)
We'll also have all of our documents: Birth plan, insurance cards, etc)
I linked back all of the items to amazon so you can just simply click on the link to see a picture! These all fit in a small carry on suitcase with the exception of C's bag.
Baby bag:
We didnt feel the need to bring much as our hospital provides a great deal of supplies. We have access to as many newborn pampers/wipes as we need so we wont be bringing any of those.
Boppy
Breastfeeding pump and a few storage bottles in case I get lucky and get milk in super fast ( doubtful)
Pacifiers(i'm not planning to use these unless we absolutely have to)
Take home outfit ( 1 for a girl, 1 for a boy)
2 Onesies
Mustela facial cleaning wipes
We'll also have a diaper bag with some bare essentials just to get us from the hospital to the house. It's only a 15 minute drive, so I doubt we'll even get into anything but you just never know...
That about sums up what we plan to bring! I'm not sure if we'll use everything, if my husband will have to run home and grab me something else..I have no idea. I think we'll do just fine though!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Labor & Delivery
I had my first trip to labor and delivery today. I was a little apprehensive and may have even called my DR back to try and cancel going, but alas her and the doula thought it was best for me to get seen.
I've been having a multitude of contractions over the last 4days. They haven't been time worthy in my opinion and have really ranged from the top of my belly to the bottom and over to my lower back. I just figured my body is doing it's thang and getting ready for birth ( duh!)
Last night I realized I hadn't felt the baby much during the day and then decided to get a bit of exercise and try and get things moving. We went swimming for 40 minutes then sat in the hot tub for 10 minutes to help alleviate my back pain. Once we got out, I still craved a bit more, so we took Spencer on our once daily ( read: before I was a million months pregnant) 2 mile walk. I did well, enjoyed it even and when I got home I felt like a little old lady who couldn't stand up straight. I got right into bed, and thought I would have an excellent night of sleep. Psh, boy was I wrong.
I tossed and turned all night, lots of contractions, some strong, some just cramping, but one thing was apparent. My back hurt like hell and the baby wasn't budging.
Fast forward to morning, and I needed to be at work at 10:30am. I was up at 9:45 rushing to eat my breakfast and make us lunch when I got a very sharp pain ( which is now determined as a "real" contraction as opposed to those wimpy braxton hicks!) I had to breathe my way over to the couch, lay down and let it pass. It was then I mentioned to C what I had been going through all night and that the baby still! hadn't! moved!. We decided to call the DR and see if we could move up my Wednesday appointment to today and get checked out just in case. Of course she was fully booked and the nurse told me to head to L & D to be monitored.
I kind of freaked at the thought of going to the labor dept as I know I wanted to labor at home as long as possible and I wasn't entirely convinced this was the real deal. We texted our doula who is on vacation this week to ask her opinion. She said, she didn't think the contractions were close enough together for it to be active labor, but that we should go get the baby checked out, just to be on the sure side. She informed me that unless necessary, to decline any vaginal checks and once they could confirm baby was healthy and moving to ask to be discharged so we could continue laboring at home. She also mentioned that I could be dehydrated, and to start downing water as much as my body could handle.
I talked to C and mentioned I didnt have any caffeine the last few days so maybe I should try a coke before heading in. I laid down for 20 minutes, drank a coke and my contractions died down. I still had no baby movement but I figured the coke hadn't kicked in yet. I called back down to my DR and told them I'd like to wait a bit and see if I could get baby moving and told them my contraction died down and she said they still wanted me to go in.
Once we got into L & D we just figured it would be a good practice run for the real deal. We got hooked up, and were left to relax and let the monitors do their job. Baby started kicking ( of course!) and the heart rate was perfect at a 145 average. My contractions were not consistent as I thought, but we had a couple big ones in there that were kind of nice to see on the monitor instead of me just telling C " I think I'm having another contraction".
All in all, I probably had my first time mom worry, but I'm glad I went in for a peace of mind. We're home now and baby is moving away while mama is having more contractions and annoying lower back pain. Here's hoping we're making some progress and baby is on his/her way out!
I've been having a multitude of contractions over the last 4days. They haven't been time worthy in my opinion and have really ranged from the top of my belly to the bottom and over to my lower back. I just figured my body is doing it's thang and getting ready for birth ( duh!)
Last night I realized I hadn't felt the baby much during the day and then decided to get a bit of exercise and try and get things moving. We went swimming for 40 minutes then sat in the hot tub for 10 minutes to help alleviate my back pain. Once we got out, I still craved a bit more, so we took Spencer on our once daily ( read: before I was a million months pregnant) 2 mile walk. I did well, enjoyed it even and when I got home I felt like a little old lady who couldn't stand up straight. I got right into bed, and thought I would have an excellent night of sleep. Psh, boy was I wrong.
I tossed and turned all night, lots of contractions, some strong, some just cramping, but one thing was apparent. My back hurt like hell and the baby wasn't budging.
Fast forward to morning, and I needed to be at work at 10:30am. I was up at 9:45 rushing to eat my breakfast and make us lunch when I got a very sharp pain ( which is now determined as a "real" contraction as opposed to those wimpy braxton hicks!) I had to breathe my way over to the couch, lay down and let it pass. It was then I mentioned to C what I had been going through all night and that the baby still! hadn't! moved!. We decided to call the DR and see if we could move up my Wednesday appointment to today and get checked out just in case. Of course she was fully booked and the nurse told me to head to L & D to be monitored.
I kind of freaked at the thought of going to the labor dept as I know I wanted to labor at home as long as possible and I wasn't entirely convinced this was the real deal. We texted our doula who is on vacation this week to ask her opinion. She said, she didn't think the contractions were close enough together for it to be active labor, but that we should go get the baby checked out, just to be on the sure side. She informed me that unless necessary, to decline any vaginal checks and once they could confirm baby was healthy and moving to ask to be discharged so we could continue laboring at home. She also mentioned that I could be dehydrated, and to start downing water as much as my body could handle.
I talked to C and mentioned I didnt have any caffeine the last few days so maybe I should try a coke before heading in. I laid down for 20 minutes, drank a coke and my contractions died down. I still had no baby movement but I figured the coke hadn't kicked in yet. I called back down to my DR and told them I'd like to wait a bit and see if I could get baby moving and told them my contraction died down and she said they still wanted me to go in.
Once we got into L & D we just figured it would be a good practice run for the real deal. We got hooked up, and were left to relax and let the monitors do their job. Baby started kicking ( of course!) and the heart rate was perfect at a 145 average. My contractions were not consistent as I thought, but we had a couple big ones in there that were kind of nice to see on the monitor instead of me just telling C " I think I'm having another contraction".
All in all, I probably had my first time mom worry, but I'm glad I went in for a peace of mind. We're home now and baby is moving away while mama is having more contractions and annoying lower back pain. Here's hoping we're making some progress and baby is on his/her way out!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
36 weeks
This is probably my last pregnancy post unless I can miraculously find an extra 10 minutes that I'm not sleeping or working to write a "final" post. We have so much going on, if you couldn't tell from my last blog post. We're gearing up for our Halloween season with all the parades, fairs, corn planting, etc.. going on it's been a whirlwind since May. We've had our share of travel to Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oregon and Washington and with a full work load there haven't been many times I could just sit and write out any thoughts, let alone take any pregnancy pictures.
Let's get to the belly talk. I had a major growth spurt right around 30 weeks resulting in lots of backaches, leg cramps, and busting out of all my pregnancy clothing. I literally had to scramble and get more tank tops from target ( my faav are the long and lean in XL!)and lots of maxi skirts and dresses to get me by.
A comparison shot..
I'm in no way fit in any of the above photos but you can see where I started and where I'm at now. I feel like with the growth spurt I got more wide versus moving outward which could mean girl according to lots of old wives tales, but we shall see....
How far along:
36 weeks to the day. I'm in the home stretch people! The doctor says baby is head down and ready to go, it's just a waiting game from here. She wont check dilation until 37 weeks which leaves me SO curious to see just where we're at.
How are you feeling:
I'd say for 36 weeks I'm doing fantastic. I'm no longer suffering from headaches but have replaced those with quite a few backaches and acid reflux. I still feel very blessed in the fact that I can control all of the above with a hot bath and icy hot and a little tums or Pep ac. I haven't had to run to the doctor to get any prescriptions or complain which I consider a win.
Cravings:
ice cold Gatorade and Capri drinks. I'm sure the 100 degree heat has something to do with that.
Weight gain/loss:
At my doctor apt this morning I was up 36.5 lbs. I'm not entirely proud of that number as I had a goal to not go over 30, but I am proud of a healthy baby and I would take 80lbs for the little love bug. Weight Watchers is calling my name soon though...
Movement:
I've got a rib kicking, bladder punching machine. I can tell baby is getting much stronger because now the kicks and punches make me jump out of my seat. I've also been feeling a lot of pressure in my nether regions when I stand up or roll over in bed. Baby is gearing up to come down!
Gender:
We'll see in August!
What I'm loving:
We have all of our must have baby items at the house and 50% of it, is set up. I washed all the clothes and blankets and set up the bath supplies. Sometimes I pull a blanket out of the dresser and just smell it, and it literally makes me tear up to think this will be wrapped around my very own baby soon. I'm trying to soak up the last few weeks of being pregnant and hoping to start really convincing myself that birth IS coming, and soon. I just feel so blessed, so happy and so loved to be on this journey.
Let's get to the belly talk. I had a major growth spurt right around 30 weeks resulting in lots of backaches, leg cramps, and busting out of all my pregnancy clothing. I literally had to scramble and get more tank tops from target ( my faav are the long and lean in XL!)and lots of maxi skirts and dresses to get me by.
A comparison shot..
I'm in no way fit in any of the above photos but you can see where I started and where I'm at now. I feel like with the growth spurt I got more wide versus moving outward which could mean girl according to lots of old wives tales, but we shall see....
How far along:
36 weeks to the day. I'm in the home stretch people! The doctor says baby is head down and ready to go, it's just a waiting game from here. She wont check dilation until 37 weeks which leaves me SO curious to see just where we're at.
How are you feeling:
I'd say for 36 weeks I'm doing fantastic. I'm no longer suffering from headaches but have replaced those with quite a few backaches and acid reflux. I still feel very blessed in the fact that I can control all of the above with a hot bath and icy hot and a little tums or Pep ac. I haven't had to run to the doctor to get any prescriptions or complain which I consider a win.
Cravings:
ice cold Gatorade and Capri drinks. I'm sure the 100 degree heat has something to do with that.
Weight gain/loss:
At my doctor apt this morning I was up 36.5 lbs. I'm not entirely proud of that number as I had a goal to not go over 30, but I am proud of a healthy baby and I would take 80lbs for the little love bug. Weight Watchers is calling my name soon though...
Movement:
I've got a rib kicking, bladder punching machine. I can tell baby is getting much stronger because now the kicks and punches make me jump out of my seat. I've also been feeling a lot of pressure in my nether regions when I stand up or roll over in bed. Baby is gearing up to come down!
Gender:
We'll see in August!
What I'm loving:
We have all of our must have baby items at the house and 50% of it, is set up. I washed all the clothes and blankets and set up the bath supplies. Sometimes I pull a blanket out of the dresser and just smell it, and it literally makes me tear up to think this will be wrapped around my very own baby soon. I'm trying to soak up the last few weeks of being pregnant and hoping to start really convincing myself that birth IS coming, and soon. I just feel so blessed, so happy and so loved to be on this journey.
Monday, July 9, 2012
The Truth
I admit, I'm nothing in the blog, Twitter & Facebook category during the Summer. I just can't seem to ever catch up. I develop relationships with people both online and in real life, and once May/June hit? I'm no where to be found. I can barely make time to clean my home, or to take my dog on his 2 mile walk that he oh, so desperately needs. We work during the Summer and Fall and we're "off" work during the Winter and Spring. The truth is, people don't understand our life, they don't understand how we have made inconsistency our norm, because this is what we've known for the last 10 years.
What gets me more emotional then anything is not keeping up with my pregnancy updates.I wanted so badly to have these updates for 20 years down the road. To remember each and every moment and all I have are the memories that are stored in my brain. I know I'll lose thought on those small things and that just eats me alive.
I am so blessed to be able to have 5 solid months off during the year. We get to travel, relax and have down time, whereas other people we know get 2 days off a week and 2 weeks per year. That was never a life for me. Although I'm sure my 60 hour work weeks for 3 months with zero days off might not appeal to others.
All in all, this post is just a reminder that I am blessed with the life I have. I'm busy, and sometimes overwhelmed, but this is what I chose and I'm so glad I did. 4 weeks until my sweet baby comes, and that 4 weeks of maternity leave couldn't come soon enough.
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