I got home around 5:30, changed and tried to answer a bazillion emails (Still haven’t gotten through most of them) that have been backing up. Before I new it dinner was ready and then it was 6:30…. Headed to Birthing Class #2!
Our instructor was a few minutes late because her niece was in labor! How exciting! Our instructor started out by answering 2 outta 3 questions that had been brought up the week before… 2 of them were mine…… yeah, I’m a nerd! I told her I did find out about the Red Cross question because the Red Cross Coordinator emailed me saying that due to state regulations and funding for the RC that there were no collection agencies in Ohio, and pretty much the rest of the country. She said “Glad you found that answer out! That was the question I couldn’t find an answer to!” She then said that with regards to the metabolic testing that as of August 1st, 2004 Ohio will be mandating 30 metabolic testings!! That’s 23 more than they offer now! WOO HOO! Our instructor said it was a perfect time for us to have a child because this is sort of a “trial run” of all the tests… and within a year or 2 they probably will back off on the number of tests, but right now they want to see which tests will be the “core Ohio metabolic testing.”
She also answered a question that 2 of the girls brought up last week about back tattoos and epidurals. I had never heard that if you had a tattoo on your back (where the epidural would be inserted) that you couldn’t have the procedure done. I guess it never occurred to me because I don’t have any tats. But the instructor said that it was an old wives tale and myth. “About 10 years ago it might have been a concern, but now it’s not.”
Then we were shown a diagram of the different phases of contractions… and when to know when to get to the hospital and when not to freak out just yet. And it’s always interesting to have her show the baby doll and the skeletal pelvis to explain what a baby looks like when “she’s dropped”, “sunny side up” or in the “most comfortable position on the mom for birth.” How much you wanna guess this lil’ chickadee will be face up instead facing to the back? hahaha
Then we got into the meat of our class……………. In the words of my hubby “No offense, but that video was disgusting.”
Our instructor started with a handout of different phases and how to know true labor from false labor. Scott got all worried cuz I’ve been having Braxton Hicks for some time now… and I now know that I’ve had em since the first trimester. I assumed all was common (as long as you don’t have more than 4 an hour), and come to find out it is….. but my loving hubby ever fearful of my well being was a little alarmed. But I calmed him down. It was kinda weird that I was the only one in class that have em right now…. and the comment of “How far along are you?” “Almost in my 29th week.” “Wow, that’s early for Braxton Hicks, but not that uncommon, you can have them at any time.” What’d my hubby here? “Wow, that’s early for Braxton Hicks!” :lol:
As a side note:
I was chatting with my chiropractor and he said that it was quite interesting that I had mentioned that I was having Braxton Hicks. He agreed that they are quite normal at any time during pregnancy (just like all the doctor’s and nurses and everyone else I’ve either talked to or read online), but what he found most interesting is that all the women that he’s adjusted while pregnant have mentioned that they have had more Braxton Hicks contractions than their other pregnant friends and acquaintances. He said now that it does make sense because alignments keep everything, well…. Aligned… so it could be that women that have Braxton Hicks later or not at all may be out of alignment or something else going on. Hurmmm…. Love stuff like this!
After the handout we watched a video that explained the 3 phases of giving birth. Contractions (Transition Stage, pushing stage, etc), the baby being born (3D animated model of what happens to my cervix, the baby, birth canal and the whole 9) then the last phase….. birth of the placenta. Scott joked with me and asked “Will they put up the blue tarp for the birth of the placenta?” HAHAHA
During the contraction part of the video it was interesting to watch how the different couples coped with the labor pains. One was the “in your face method.” And Scott hit this method on the spot when he leaned over and said “If I did that to you, you’d knock me out.” He couldn’t be more right. hahaha It’s where the birthing coach sits about 3 inches from your face and makes you count/breath with them… it annoyed me just watching it.
I think I’ll probably be the type that wants no one touching me, help me breath but don’t take my breaths type of coping. I say this now, but who know how I’ll be during “Active Labor.”
Now with the baby being born… I’ve watched a Baby’s Story, all the health ed videos in high school and PBS’ Nova specials of “Conception until Birth.” The School and Nova’s specials showed everything… nothing blurred nothing cut out… it was as real as real could get. But when you couple it with animated diagrams, blow by blow changes of the baby, body and everything going on, as well as the women giving birth and one of the women looking down and saying “Oh my goodness, it doesn’t look like a baby!” as she’s trying to catch her breath to push the rest of the kid out it’s just well…. a little breath taking in a panic sort of mode. I 100% now understand the line from my baby update, which reads “You're probably vacillating between feeling as if you've been pregnant forever and being nervous about childbirth.”
After that reality check we took a break. I was almost embarrassed to ask our instructor, but I pulled her aside and asked, “Does this hospital supply ‘ice packs’ after birth?” She said wide eyed, “OH YES. We have 2 types, but have found that just having a stocking and some ice works MUCH better…. It ends up molding to your body better. Good question!” I told her about the excerpt I had read in American Baby (which coincidentally American Baby was this weeks bag freebee!) where some hospitals didn’t supply the packs and were wondering where they could purchase them. For those that want to purchase some online they are called Kwik Kold Perineal Cold Packs. $35 for 12 packs. Check out http://www.careexpress.com item # 11500-010.
We all then headed down to the larger conference room to work on breathing exercises and the best parts…. A) Birthing Ball and B) MASSAGE!!!!!!!!!!! I must say, both of these were heavenly. I need to have Scott practice the massage more than just once a week! :awink: I’ve found that there are certain breathing methods that feel a little more comfortable to me than others…. The instructor then introduced the “puff” method. She said that you use this when you aren’t fully dilated and have the “urge to push” and you need to “puff” through a contraction. OR, when the coach and midwife are trying to transition me either into another birthing position or getting the mother’s feet in the stirrups.
It still amazes me and freaks me out just a little (and I think scares Scott) that a first time mom’s average labor time is 17 hours minimum, pushing stage lasts 2 – 4 hours and contractions last 45 – 90 seconds. :shocked: It’s great to have some sort of armory of information to try and relax, even if it is just breathing. I heard Scott chuckle behind me when she asked if we were having trouble falling asleep. That is DEFINITELY NOT a problem of mine.
I’m so glad that we are taking the classes. Though all this stuff is scary as all get out, I’m anxiously excited. Call me a masochist…. But I sorta feel the same way I did before my ACL reconstruction… it was scary, I knew it would hurt like heck, but I knew in the end I’d hopefully be able to run again (with 8 – 12 months of rehab) without having to watch how I stepped cuz THAT was sheer pain (other than which I’m told is “child birth.”). So then the thought of having a child at the end of this is equally scary because of the unknown/exciting because of the unknown. Catch 22 anyone?
3rd Trimester Deal Queen!
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
HAPPY 3RD TRIMESTER TO ME!!!
Hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was great, but too darn short! BLEH!
Friday I came home at noon, because my boss was out of town. WOO HOO! I headed to the mall to check out Motherhood’s outfits to pick out a cute lil’ number for my baby shower on August 7th. hehe Well, it was actually just a good excuse to shop. teehehe On my way to finding Motherhood in the mall, I ran across Gymboree. Ya know how I said I liked to LOOK at things in there cuz I just couldn’t justify spending $40 on a 3 – 6 month old dress….. well they were having their HUGE sidewalk sale. $0.99 - $9.99 on all these cute lil’ things in bins. I figured that since I had such a HELL of a week, I was gonna buy a few things…. and I know that anything that I don’t use that I can sell on eBay!!!
These are the things I purchased:
I figured it up… if I had paid full price for everything listed above it would have been $150.00 + tax. What did I end up paying? $51.08. I know it was more than I wanted to spend… but the stuff was just too cute and like I said, I can sell some of it on eBay and get back my money and then some… most of the socks were originally $4 - $6 a piece and I got them from $0.99 - $1.99. I absolutely love the lil’ leo the lion slippers… and the lil’ black, red and gray hat matches a snow suit that Linda bought a few months ago…. Just HAPPENED to have one that matched.
I eventually made it over to Motherhood and found the cutest outfit that I was going to purchase online, but wanted to se it in person, WOO HOO I LOVE SALES!
After leaving Motherhood I headed home, stopped by Subway on the way. I was starved! When I got home, Linda said “This darn baby! I need to stop buying stuff…” And I said, “Well, I’m guilty of it too!!!!!!!!!” We both laughed. Linda continued, “Phyllis called me (my aunt-in-law) and said that there was a house having a big yard sale up from her house and that there were a lot of good things outside and a ton of people there.” I pulled out all the stuff I bought at Gymboree then she went out to the car and brought in the following:
Leapfrog “Wheels on the bus.” It is so cute! It sings “Wheels on the bus” and then when you press down on the little people they ask to find a particular letter on the side. She purchased it for $2.00!!!
Fisher Price Little 4 wheeler for a 1 year old – 2 year old. It’s so cute!!! It looks brand new! All the little things on it either move or make noises. She also got this for $2.00!
Fisher Price BOUNCER! The bouncer is motion sensitive which activates 2 choices of music and then it also has a little mechanism on the bottom that vibrates the whole thing. I said, “Wow, this is nice! Hopefully it wasn’t that expensive!” She said “Oh yeah, this was the most expensive thing.” I’m thinking “Oh no, she didn’t pay over $20 I hope!” She said, “It was only $12” I died laughing and said that’s a GREAT deal!
I vegged for a couple more hours… but I wanted to head over to Rolling Acres mall to check out their current deals at the JCPenny’s Outlet and see if I couldn’t put my coupon of “Take an additional 25% off your entire purchase.” I really was looking for a dresser for lil’ monkey’s room. I was strolling around the mall and found a pair of Nike Shoes that had been $60 for $25! I was thrilled to find them because Oreo had destroyed a pair of mine that I had foolishly left out when she was going through her teething stage. I also picked up a pair of fuzzy slippers I had been looking at for the past 2 months that had originally been $20 and on sale for $3.99. I then ventured back to the furniture department and didn’t see anything… so I was a little discouraged. I walked around to the Returned Goods section and low and behold there was a LOW 8 drawer dresser!!!! The only thing it was white… but I figured we could paint it or something and for $119.95 with an additional 25% it just seemed too good to be true.
I called Scott to see if he thought I should go ahead and buy it. He said “Put it on hold.” I asked if they would allow me to put it on hold, and they said no, you have to buy it. I knew that they had a 30-day return policy, so I went ahead and bought it and figured when Scott got there if he hated it, I’d just “return it.”
I was heading out the door when Scott called and asked if I was still at the mall, and I said nope, I had to run an errand for Linda to pick up more invitations, but I’d meet him back at the mall when he got done with work. I was so impressed with myself, I found RSVP without getting lost! hehe
I decided to head home and have Scott call me when he was ready because I wanted to clean out the Blazer incase we brought the dresser home. I vegged there until Scott called saying that he was leaving work and heading to the mall.
He looked at it and started laughing. “Sue, do you know I had been looking at this dresser for 2 weeks because I knew how mad you were at me because I didn’t get the first dresser?” I said, “Really?!” “Yes.” “Well, good thing you didn’t get it then, cuz I just got another 25% off and it only cost us $89.00!” WOO HOO! My entire purchase came to $121. Pretty much I got my shoes and slippers free! I LOVE DEALS LIKE THAT! JCPENNY COMES THROUGH YET AGAIN!!!!!! (That’s where I purchased our $300 for $80).
I got home and showed Linda the dresser she was really impressed! I mentioned I wanted to paint it (because the rest of our baby items are dark wood), and she said that her friends would be more than willing to stencil it! WOO HOO! I have fallen in love with the lil’ toy box that’s at Babies R Us (see registry) and I’d like to try and keep with that same style.
Matt: "are you half way through your pregnancy yet?" Me: "Yes, I'm over half way!" Matt: "How much longer?" Me: "About 3 months" Matt: "Wow, that must suck!" Me: "Gee, thanks! " Matt: "No, I mean it must suck to be pregnant that long!" Me: "Hey, elephants can be pregnant up to 24 months!" Matt: "Well, they're huge, they can't tell..."
Just too good not to share!
Friday, July 09, 2004
I was sent 2 postings from two dear friends of mine and I thought I should share:
From Sarah (her first part made me get weepy):
[In reference ot my line of "Unfortunately, Baby K had her face buried in my uterus but you could still see her lil’ head, ear and hands. It was so amazing!"]
May I venture to say "fortunately" not unfortunately?? Want to know my reasoning??... Monkette knew her mommy was upset and was giving you hugs the best way she can right now!! That is the first thing that came to mind when I read her face was burried in your uterus, and I thought I should share with you!!
I am so so glad everything is fine.... my cord was wrapped around my neck too... and I'm fine!! Ok as fine as I can be some people beg to differ!!
From Laurie:
OMG, i am SO SO SO mad at that stupid doctor for even MENTIONING making you have a c-section because of the cord!!! stupid jerk, that's so not cool in my books. my friends' MIL is a midwife, a very prominent one who tours the country and is the only midwife to have delivered twins who were BREACH, vaginally, and at the mom's home. she is so mad at that doctor for you. she says that there is no good reason to worry a mommy to be like that, especially since your midwife is totally correct when she said that 20% of babies are born with the cord wrapped around them. i could go on and on with all the facts that she told me about this, but i'll stop. grrr.... done. OMG, you have a lemon belly!!!! !!!!!! seriously, it looks like you swallowed a big lemon and it's laying vertically in your tummy!!!! bwahahahaah!!! i crack myself up!!!! i, on the other hand, appear to have swallowed the world's biggest watermelon, but whatever.
Everything is AOK. PROMISE. :)
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Well, some of you know, and some don't, and I had purposely NOT posted any of the information onto our website and didn’t email any info until I found out the whole deal.
Tuesday night Scott had to come to an abrupt stop, I had positioned the seatbelt low across my pelvis as directed by everything I had read and my mid-wife. I had a little bit of a pain in my left lower abdomen, right where the seatbelt came across to latch. I thought it would go away that night.... but it was tender and I couldn't get a good night sleep.
I got up and went to work Wednesday morning. My boss is out of town, so when he's not there he lets me take 1/2 days. I figured since I was out for the day and on the way home I'd just give a little call into my mid-wife to see what she suggested I should do about this little bit of pain I was having. I thought it was a pulled muscle, but I wanted to make sure. She said "I suggest you go to the ER just to make sure."
There I am, a little hysterical, but relatively calm (in Sue standards). I called Scott at work, and he told me to go on over to our hospital. Linda, Scott's mom, took me because Scott was too far out and would have done no good to come to the hospital. Linda and I arrived around 12:30 and to my surprise the ER was empty. I filled out some paperwork and was taken back to a room and waited to be wheeled over to the u/s rooms.
I was given a full u/s, just as had been done at 18 weeks. Monkey was kicking and being her lil’ active self. Her heart rate was right around 138 and everything looking good!
Monkey's lil' face to the right, like you are looking up her nose a little.
Top of head on far right and moving left to right - Two eyes, little nose, mouth, chin.... and the bubble in the middle is her little hand. She kept moving it in front of her face.
THE COOLEST THING EVER. YOU COULD SEE HER EYEBALL AND IT MOVE. I MEAN THE ACTUAL LENS. Even the tech said "Let's just watch this for a bit, you usually don't get to see this very often."
She's so got Daddy's lips!!!!!! This is looking directly up her nose. They were checking for a cleft. Look at that perfect lil' nose, pouty lips, cute lil' chin and clinched fists. She kept crossing her arms in a X.
Left foot
Right foot and the left one trying to make another appearance. She's got boats... I just want to blow raspberries on the bottoms of them!!
They gave me some Tylenol and brought me back to the room for the doctor to get the information from the radiologist and discharge me.
I was oohing and ahhing over the u/s pics with Linda when Dr. Kessler came back in to give me the lowdown on what the radiologist saw. He saw the u/s pics and said I was 100% fine and Tylenol would take care of any further twinges of pain that I would have. Which it did wonders!!!
We were looking at the ultrasound photos before I was to be discharged and then on an unrelated notion….
Me: “I’m also so impressed with you all’s ultrasound machine the photos are always so detailed.” Dr Kessler: “Yes, but sometimes they are a little too detailed unfortunately.” Me: *silent* Dr. Kessler: “The radiologist says that the baby is doing fine, except that he’s a little worried about the cord placement. It seems to be a little to close to the face/neck area. I’m sure it’s nothing serious, our radiologist is just overly cautious.” Me: *getting a little freaked out* Linda: *calming me down, saying it’s probably nothing!* Dr. Kessler: *Reassuring me that everything will be fine* “You’ve been recommended to see a high-risk doctor for a second opinion. I’ll go and set up an appointment with you mid-wife/acting practitioner.”
*10 – 15 minutes later*
Dr. Kessler: “We’ve contacted Dr. Bowden’s office to see you tomorrow.” Nurse: “Here are your discharge papers, and the information to set up the appointment with Dr. Bowden.”
*We leave, Linda is reassuring me that everything is ok.*
I called the doctor’s office immediately and they double booked me for first thing Thursday morning. I called Scott to let him know, and the rest of the night was pretty calm. I took some more Tylenol and slept like a baby.
I woke up early Thursday and drove myself to Dr. Bowden’s office and was seen by 8:30am. I was a little put off by his bedside manner, actually a lot put off by it. He didn’t introduce himself and went right into reading the hard language of the report and going on about how the cord is around the baby’s neck, but he wouldn’t be able to tell at this office and see a parinatologist and pretty much trying to get me out of there as soon as possible, which pissed me of a little bit. He kept going into how my main option would be a c-section and making hand motions about how the baby would be hanging itself as it came out of the birth canal and everything.I was hysterically emotional before I got in there, and when he was talking to me it was even worse. I thought it terribly ironic that a pin on the lapel of his coat in big letters said “Listen to Women.” I almost let out a sarcastic “HA!” when I read it.
The nurse could see that the way he was talking to me and telling me this information was definitely NOT the way to do things. She kept trying to lighten the conversation. I think he finally realized that he was getting a little too harsh and said “well since the ultrasound machine is already in here, I guess I’ll go ahead and take a look.” Gee, sorry to put YOU out. So he looked at her and commented how healthy she looked and that his ultrasound machine was a little too old that he can’t see the umbilical cord like he’d like to, so that’s why he’s sending me to parinatologist for a second opinion.
I went back out to the waiting room and the tears started to poor. They were trying to get me into Dr. Stewart’s office ASAP if not sooner. I asked if I could use the bathroom because I felt that I might be alarming the other pregnant women in the office, and that’s the LAST thing I wanted to do. While in the bathroom there was a scale, so I wanted to see if I had gained or lost any weight from when I saw Barbara…. Sure enough! I WAS DOWN 10 POUNDS! D*#$N water retention. teehehe
When I emerged from the bathroom, I was able to use the phone to talk to Scott and tell him what was going on. I was hysterical and he was calming me down…. He even made me laugh. Just reaffirmed me why I loved him and so glad that he and I are together. The nurse set up an appointment today at 2:00pm for an ultrasound.
I left the hospital and sat in my car where I broke down while talking to Scott and my mom. They both told me to calm down, it’s not serious, and if it is, they will take care of it. My mom summed it up by saying “They do open heart surgery while the baby is still in the womb, if it’s necessary they will fix this too.”
I also called my mid-wife, but left message. She called me back and we had a good long talk. She told me NOT to worry and was also appalled at what Dr. Bowden had said and I quote “In my 20 years of practice I’ve never heard of a doctor recommend a c-section right away for the cord being around the baby’s neck.” She told me not to worry about this too much, it’s very common and not as big of a deal as its being made out to be. She and I both agreed that this is probably all stemming from the ridiculous malpractice insurance hikes and lawsuits that are already here and coming down the pike in Ohio.
I took a long nap then Linda took me to my ultrasound appointment. I wanted someone there other than myself to hear what was going on and keep me calm. “A voice of reason.” I was in the office by 1:45 to fill out paperwork, and taken back by 2:00 and I made sure that Linda came back with me, which wasn’t a problem at all. The ultrasound tech was so wonderful. She said up front “you know why you are here right?” I choked out “Yes.” She said, “let’s look at this lil’ trouble maker in there.” We all chuckled.
The ultrasound was so amazing! They even switched over to 3-D to try and get a better angle of the cord. Unfortunately, Baby K had her face buried in my uterus but you could still see her lil’ head, ear and hands. It was so amazing! They took a ton of photos, I even have 2 of her face again. LOVE THOSE CHUBBY LIL’ CHEEKS!
She did a bunch of tests… her heart rate is 145bpm and she weighs 2.3 pounds! Her due date is still October 3rd. She was also EXTREMELY active and “looking great!” and “beautiful!” The tech just loved her lil’ face.
She then left to get Dr. Stewart. He came in and did another look at the baby and I could see the ring of the cord… and he said “I do believe that the cord is around her neck. But I do NOT want you to worry. This is extremely common. 2 in every 10 babies I deliver I have to pull a cord.” He gave me a hug and said over and over again that this was NOTHING to worry about and that he usually doesn’t even tell most of his patient’s that the cord is around the baby’s neck because it’s so common there is no need for the extra stress. He cracked a joke that got the room laughing by saying “It’s not like babies say ‘hey it’s time to be born, let’s wrap the cord around now!’ *made the wrapping motion*”
Linda asked about the c-section vs. vaginal birth with this type of condition and he had a resounding “No, it is NOT my practice to do a c-section for this. If I did 40% - 50% of all my births would be c-section when there is no need.”This was the same thing Barbara told me so I think that everyone was calmed down and I loved talking and being around Dr. Stewart, he gave me a hug and told me NOT to worry everything will be just fine. All he wants me “to do differently is to start counting kicks at night to make sure that there are 10 movements and should happen within 15 minutes. If I don’t feel movement within 2 hours I am to contact your doctor immediately. But I don’t want you to start obsessing over kick counts either! hehe”
I called Scott and my mom on the way home. Scott was fine, mom was fine I think. She asked if the specialist was going to be in the delivery room, but I had to explain that “No, the only reason I went to him was because Dr. Bowden just wanted a better ultrasound machine to see everything more clearly.” And that’s all the Dr. Stewart did… an ultrasound.
I got home and called Dr. Davenport’s office and she got on the phone to talk with me. She said that everything is just fine, and this is so much more common that people realize. She said that there is nothing to be so worked up about. When I’m in labor there is a sure heart rate sign of there being a problem (I can’t remember the medical term that she used) and any mid-wife or doctor will wait for this sign to stop vaginal delivery and head into surgery. She mentioned that the cord could possibly even slip off in the next few months because she's still small enough that she's still moving around. I love Barbara to death! I’m so glad that she’s my doctor. She and everyone else have put my mind 100% at ease. I’m not going to stress about this… I’m relieved that the doctor’s are aware, but nothing too serious is going on other than this pesky cord deal.
So please try not to worry about me or the baby too terribly much. I know that it’s hard, but hey, we got 13 weeks left peoples, and I refuse to send myself into hypertension or preaclampsia due to stress. And it’s always comforting, even as I type this LONG post that Monkey is EXTREMELY active and a healthy lil’ 6 month old.And come on LOOK AT THIS FACE!!!
Her lil' chubby face, buried in my uterus, on the RIGHT side vs. the LEFT side where she was yesterday! I love her lil' nose and cheeks.
Another lil' photo of her face, more at an angle. Can't get enough of this lil' angel!
So for my sake, if you see me or email me, don’t be apologetic or sympathetic but supportive and positive in any decision that Scott, our doctor’s and ultimately I make. I swear that WE will not do ANYTHING to put our baby in danger.If you know how anal-retentive I’ve been about what type of food I eat (only 1 hot dog in the past 6 months and I made SURE it was 100% beef before it passed these lips), excise and other things throughout this pregnancy, this will be treated NO different and without any less vigor. I know everyone is worried about us, and I 100% appreciate and need that and love that all my family, friends, lurkers, journal buddies and everyone else involved. {big group hug}
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and your time TO read this LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG post hehe and your thoughts, prayers and encouragement. And I must say, Baby K had better be one darn good baby after putting her mommy through all this even before she’s here! hehehe Mom…. Am I reaping the benefits of possibly having another “Sue?” LMAO!
Hee hee hooooooo... Hee hee hoooooo
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Scott and I had our first birthing class last night!! It was a great first class. We went around the room and introduced ourselves. It was neat to see that 3 or 4 other couples were seeing our Mid-Wife, Dr. Davenport, as well! One of the gals is due October 4th. I joked that there is a good possibility that we are going to have to share Barbara. hehe
The instructor showed a movie of a birth, very "tame", and we did a little game of common discomfort or warning sign off of index cards (i.e. Q: 100 degree temperature or higher. A: Warning sign). We took a short intermission which gave me time to ask the instructor about the metabolic disorder testing and how many tests that they actually perform at the hospital. She said that they thought they performed 7 and up to 16, but she would double check.
The ending segment of class we practiced a few breathing and relaxation exercises that can be used throughout labor. I was shocked at how long the contractions last.... 45 - 90 seconds. WHOA. Eons anyone? teehehe
Hope everyone is having a great Friday Eve!
Happy 4th and End of 2nd Trimester to me!
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
I’m on the preverbal “home stretch.” Amazing to think that I am already 6 months pregnant and have a minimum of 13 weeks left until our lil’ Monkey is here.
WHAT A WEEKEND. I’ll try and keep it to STRICTLY baby related stuff so it’s not too terribly long! You’ll have to check out our faLinday site for the full rundown of “non-baby” related stuff! hehe
Quick Rundown:
Friday: * Surprise date to BlossomMusicCenter to watch the Cleveland Orchestra perform Beethoven
Saturday: * AquaSculpt class * Fed yard sale addiction
Sunday: * Finished Baby Registry!!
Monday: * Baby shopped with Linda
Friday: I got off work a little early and ran to the local grocery store to pick up dinner for the evening. I picked up really awesome fried chicken, potato salad, pasta salad and Scott's favorite of all time.... Soft sugar cookies with tons of icing on top! haha Scott still had NO idea where I was taking him. He got home a little before 7, he was stuck in traffic, but he made sure that he would be home before 7. I dozed off between the time I spoke with him and right before 7! haha I could have slept so much longer too!
We headed to Blossom and pulled into the stadium. Scott took a look around at everyone and said "Sue, are we going to an orchestra performance?" I was wide eyed and said, "YES! How'd you know?!" He said "Look around, these are Joel's type of people" hah Joel is one of our dear friends in New Orleans who is VERY into the arts, music and other "finery." Love hanging out with him and his girlfriend... so I had to chuckle at his comment. I asked the parking lot director guy if there was a spot for expectant mothers... and he said "No, but we have trams for you all." Scott said "Only for people coming to the orchestra would they provide 'trams!'" haha There were TONS of people there... I mean THOUSANDS.
The orchestra was AMAZING. Baby K really enjoyed Beethoven’s 5th. She was kicking away! Scott was blown away and was pleasantly surprised by the whole night! THEN the “second surprise”... FIREWORKS!!! It was funny also though... to the point that both Scott and I were laughing so hard the we were still laughing 15 minutes after the fact and I still had tears of laughter streaming down my face. Scott and I had a mental lapse of judgment when it came to sitting in chairs on a hill trying to see around the trees. BWAHAHA I was toppling over, but Scott was helping me by falling a little faster.... But he jumped out of his chair and don't worry ladies, I caught myself! I only had about 1 foot to fall... Scott was FREAKED OUT that I hurt myself and was more scared that he was almost going to fall on me. I am still chuckling to myself thinking about it!! Everyone around us was howling with laughter, so it was a little embarrassing but more hysterical than anything! After the fireworks we came home around 11:30 - midnight and crashed.
Saturday morning Scott had to get up early to head off to golf and I had to get up about 30 minutes later to head to my AquaSculpt class. AHHHHH soooo relaxing... but I was really tired that I almost skipped it, but hey I knew I needed to go. teehehehe I picked up some lunch and headed back home..... where I found a couple of independent yard sellers! I did well though... I only spent $5.50 on several little Carter's, Pooh, Sesame Street outfits, socks and hats. The lady was also VERY helpful with regards to having little girls and keeping down diaper rash. She said that her birthing class suggested (and it worked) that after every diaper change to put Vaseline on our baby’s private parts to keep down moisture that causes diaper rashes. The nice woman said that her daughter "was born in July and she never had diaper rash once! Buy the economy kind, it works the same and is about 80% cheaper."
Sunday we headed to Babies R Us to FINISH UP OUR REGISTRY!!! WOO HOO!!! My mother-in-law is sending out the invitations this week, I wanted to make sure that the registry was up to date as possible. Scott was THRILLED he was able to use the "Expectant Mother Parking" spot RIGHT at the front. I gave Scott the gun when we got inside so that "this part would be fun." haha He's such a button pusher!
Anyway... it was cute watching him pick out some things that were better at the store vs. what was online. "I've done my research, and I've been keeping up with what you've been adding to the registry." HOW MUCH DO I LOVE THIS MAN?!?!! And the part that warmed my heart the most........ There was a little "My security blanket" that had a bunny’s head and the body of the bunny went into a tiny little blanket that was sooooo incredibly soft it almost seemed like I wasn't touching anything. It has a soft satin lining and border. Scott scanned it in, while I was looking at the bassinette sheets and kept saying "Scott, please scan some of these." And I didn't know what he was doing... he said "Give me the delete barcode." I said "Why?" and he replied, "Because I'm buying this." I felt my eyes well up with tears because it was just incredibly sweet of him. GOD I LOVE THIS MAN WITH MY WHOLE SOUL!!! As we were walking away he said, wait, I want the other one, and I asked if there was something wrong with it so I could help him look for a different one and he said "Because there is a blank string right there." I could BARELY see it, but I thought it was cute the way he was making sure it was "perfect."
We finished talking to the registry consultant, and she ended up giving us the packet when you come into the store, even though I signed up online. teehehe I guess she liked us! Scott did another sweet thing and asked her "which diapers would you recommend? Is there really a difference in brands?" The lady had a resounding "Yes!" She was an older lady, 3 children of her own and her daughter just gave birth to her first grand child a few months ago. She said that her whole faLinday has used Huggies. Scott and she had a good conversation about the different brands and things. It was very sweet of him to be thinking these things. I knew I didn't want Luvs, I'd had just been doing to much reading online about women, as well as men, that had big complaints about leakage. All I could imagine was episodes cleaning pee and poo outta car seats and off of cushions around the house.
Monday we all woke up late.... Well I did anyway. Scott was up at the buttcrack of dawn to go play golf with some of his Dad's golfing buddies and a co-worker from his new company. Scott was cute when he came to tell me about it Sunday. "Sue, I am sorry to do this, but I am playing with some people from Dad's work and my work. I made sure that they got the earliest T-Time possible because I wanted to give you the whole afternoon with just you and me." AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Don’t we make ya wanna puke?
I gave Oreo a bath, then I took a shower and Linda and I headed off to Priceless Kids in Canton! There was one that was 15 minutes closer than the one in Cleveland! I also signed up for their mailing list online and received a $5.00 of any $25.00 purchase coupon!!!! Linda was BLOWN away by the store, the amount of clothing, toys, accessories and of course… the PRICES. It reminds me of a TJMaxx for kids. She was only coming to "look" but ended up getting a few things that were 3 for $10 and the cutest Eric Carle outfit of all time WITH MATCHING BIB. After the shower I'll make sure to post it! I was instructed to “act surprised when I open it.” hehehe
On our way through the store we stumbled across a bin full of $0.99 items! I purchased 2 teethers, travel wipes holder, travel silverware container/silverware, extra packet of silverware and an additional little stroller bag that attaches to handle and down to the base as extra storage for $5.00. Linda and I must have dug through that bin for about 20 minutes. It was funny! Thank goodness I had that $5 off of any $25 purchase! While she was paying I noticed that there were LEVI STRAUSS jeans for only $7.99 and these were school age kid jeans... I'm set on buying clothes for our little one! She'll have name brand clothes for pennies! And shoes... don't get me started on the savings on SHOES... Stride Rites for $12. INCREDIBLE. Everything came to $21 and some change.
By this time I was FAMISHED... I mean even lil' Monkette was telling me it was TIME TO EAT. We headed over to the mall to get some Chick-fil-a. MMMMM MMMM When we were heading over to the food court and I saw the Stride Rite store to the left. LOW AND BEHOLD there was the cute little ladybug raincoat with matching purse that we JUST saw at Priceless Kids, but Linda opted to hold off.... UNTIL I said "Linda, can I see how much that same raincoat with the matching little book bag is in here?" Are you ready for this......
Stride Rite - FOR THE RAINCOAT ITSELF: $29.99 Stride Rite - FOR THE MATCHING BOOKBAG: $19.99 Stride Rite - TOTAL: $49.99 + TAX
PRICELESS KIDS SAME SET: $10.99
Could you believe it?! Needless to say, Linda went back and purchased the lil' 4T raincoat. IT IS SO CUTE. I will say that Stride Rite's little matching umbrella and galoshes were totally cute as well... but not for another $30! haha When we went back to PK, I found the CUTEST little collapsible bug toy or laundry bin... just depends on what you want to use it for ($10.00) AND they had this AWESOME little beach set.... I think it said 15 piece set COMPLETE WITH MAT that folds up into a carrying case for $10.00!!!!!! I need to snap photos of these items. They are too cute and couldn't beat it for $20!
That pretty much sums up the 4th of July baby details, hope everyone had a wonderful 4th!. I’ve also uploaded 27 week belly pics!
Let the influx of pink, purple & yellow continue!
Thursday, July 01, 2004
I’m doing great as well as is MONKETTE and the best part…. She’s DEFINITELY A MONKETTE!
I’m measuring 26 inches from my pelvis to the top of my uterus which in my mid-wife’s words was “perfect.” No ketones, blood pressure EXCELLENT, Baby K’s heart rate was right around 135 (Monkey was sleeping)!!! Nice and healthy! Monkey does sleep until I eat for lunch, then she lets me know she’s up and awake! The only thing I was down about, but Barbara wasn’t, is that I’ve gained 13 pounds since seeing her 5 ½ weeks ago. Barbara ASSURED me it wasn’t “fat gain, but water.” She did a push test on my legs and she said “Sweetie, you have a good 10 pounds of water retention in each leg, let me see your hands.” I turned my hands over and I was wondering why I was having these little spots on my palms and she said, “See the white spot, that’s water. I bet you the next time I see you and it’s not a hot and humid day you will weigh less. Try and stay away from any excess salt…. Tomato based products, prepackaged soups, pizza…” I looked at her and said…. “Yikes… that’s been my downfall… and steak.” She died laughing and said the steak thing was good! “At least you are getting your protein!” I also asked if the weird feeling as if I had been standing on my feet all day when I woke up in the morning would be due to the water retention and she said “Most definitely.” She reaffirmed that the pool is a great way to relieve the retention, and she joked, “Good thing you are going to the water aerobics classes, no telling how much water retention you’d have by now!” And reiterated for me “Not to worry, you are right on track, you are doing everything right.” Barbara joked that “you’ll look like a tone prune when you are all done because the water leaves you immediately!” That made me feel MUCH better.
My Question: Do any of you have any safe remedies to cut down on the water retention while pregnant? Besides the “not eating excess salt?”
I then asked her questions about the lower abdomen pains I was feeling and I thought the pains were just from my uterus stretching, but I wanted to make sure. She said that’s exactly what it was, and explained when to worry and when not to. That put my mind at ease, and Scott’s as well. He’s a good lil’ hubby and worries about me. She did also ask me if I was feeling pressure with my uterus getting tight all over and I said “YES! What is that?!” She said “Braxton hicks” OH, THAT’S WHAT THOSE ARE! And to think before that was something I only read about….. hahahaha
I also asked her about donating my umbilical cord to the Red Cross only AFTER its finished pulsing to get as much of the stem cells to Baby K and the rest to a good cause. She agreed with me that I would probably just have to talk to the Red Cross about sending over the kit. I also stressed I wanted to do everything in my power NOT to have an episiotomies or a C-Section. She was 100% in agreement with me as well said that she’d give me some exercises to do to prepare me for birth to cut down on tearing.
I also STRESSED that I really wanted to make sure I spoke with a lactation consultant and informed her that Scott and I were starting birthing classes next week. She was thrilled to hear that, and all the other decisions that I’d brought up with regards to the breast feeding and such. I love my mid-wife. SHE’S THE BEST!
Linda, has been watching the Today show all this week. This week was dedicated to newborns and how to detect birth defects care of the March of Dimes. Linda had been intently gathering information and other helpful info about what tests were run and in which state. I had printed out some flyers from the March of Dime’s website articles with regards to the testing and that I really wanted to have the 9 specific blood/genetic tests run and a hearing test. The tests look for: Plenyketonuria, Congenital Hypothyroidism, Glactosemia, Maple Syrup Urine Disease, Homocystinuria, Bitinidase, Sickle Cell Disease, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, MCAD and Hearing. My mid-wife said I probably didn’t need to have the sickle cell disease run, but I said that I really have no reference because both Scott’s and my family are extremely small and she then agreed it was probably a good idea to have it run. According to the MOD site, Ohio runs 8 of the 9 tests and only 33% of the newborns have their hearing tested! However, you can always request to have any additional tests run at a nominal fee compared to being able to detect a life threatening disease. Dr. Davenport did say that this question of which tests were run would be a good one to bring up when we go for the birthing class.
THEN THE FUN PART… “Double check that she’s still a SHE, because I’ve got tons of clothes wrapped up into her already!” hahaha I waddled over to the u/s room (but had to make a pit stop at the bathroom… I was smart this time, I knew exactly when and how much to drink before the appointment! But I still needed to relieve a little so I could sit comfortably) Barbara had me pull myself up on her comfy table, slathered on the gook and there our baby was… SHE IS BEAUTIFUL!!! I’m in love with the lil’ being growing inside of me. I think she was a little cranky cuz I think we woke her up. You could see her lil’ fist moving REALLY fast up and down and could just imagine what she was thinking “STOP POKING ME AND LET ME SLEEP ALREADY!!!” Her head was down, “in the perfect position, but she will spin a few more times before she settles in.” Her head is about the size of a good sized orange. It was unbelievably cool to have Barbara put it in perspective by holding up her hand to give me a rough idea. She snapped the first picture as fast as she could because the lil’ feet, excuse me, GIGANTIC FEET, were moving like crazy… like little fans! Barbara moved the wand further down Monkey’s body and we got the second shot, I think we have a shy kid! But still a cute lil’ profile shot looking down, with one of her hands also making an appearance. The heart was so beautiful to watch pumping.
Her little head is on the far right, the large round area. Her little hand is at the top middle and both her feet are at the bottom. She was moving them side to side, it was so amazing to see them all on the screen! Dr. Davenport tried to snap a photo quick, so this is a semi-action shot!
This is Monkette's head looking down. Her eyes are the little dark spots on the left and her little fist is making an appearance in the far left corner.
Then the best part… “YUP, look there is the labia!” And in my own words, “WOO HOO! Do you mind snapping a photo of that pose just so I can reshow everyone that it’s definitely a girl?” She laughed and snapped away! Barbara tried to get the machine to give a due date, but it was still new and she was still learning, but was more than happy to be a guinea pig! She said that she’s going with October 11th…. And I said, I think I’ll stick with October 3rd so that people won’t automatically assume that there’s a problem if I said to expect her on the 11th and she showed up on the 3rd or a little before. She laughed and said good idea, but don’t get too stuck on the 3rd. I promised her I wouldn’t. :)
And to reaffirm that she's DEFINITELY a SHE.... her butt cheeks and her little girl parts.
It was amazing to see Baby K again. She’s wonderfully forming and extremely active. It’s hard to believe that she’ll be here in 3 months! My next appointment is on the 29th where I’ll have the diabetes test run, and then I’ll start coming in to the office every 2 weeks until I give birth….. WHOA. It’s crazy to think how fast this time if flying by! I’m relishing in every moment!
"
May I venture to say "fortunately" not unfortunately?? Want to know my reasoning??... Monkette knew her mommy was upset and was giving you hugs the best way she can right now!! 
That is the first thing that came to mind when I read her face was burried in your uterus, and I thought I should share with you!! 
I am so so glad everything is fine.... my cord was wrapped around my neck too... and I'm fine!! 
Ok as fine as I can be 
OMG, i am SO SO SO mad at that stupid doctor for even MENTIONING making you have a c-section because of the cord!!! stupid jerk, that's so not cool in my books. my friends' MIL is a midwife, a very prominent one who tours the country and is the only midwife to have delivered twins who were BREACH, vaginally, and at the mom's home. she is so mad at that doctor for you. she says that there is no good reason to worry a mommy to be like that, especially since your midwife is totally correct when she said that 20% of babies are born with the cord wrapped around them. i could go on and on with all the facts that she told me about this, but i'll stop. grrr.... 
done.
