Friday, May 27, 2011

Week 46, I mean 36

Hitting week 36 has not been as fun as it was with Viv. "Fun", meaning the final countdown, anticipation of going into labor at any moment, and getting all those last minute things ready. I was looking forward to 36 hitting on this Memorial Day weekend so that I could do all these things with a day off in between, but, ugh...

I developed a UTI yesterday and have just been miserable. I decided to take off work in the afternoon and I went out to my car and literally could not come back in. It hurt so bad to sit upright that I just e-mailed from my blackberry that I'm taking off, but not driving out of the parking lot. I called Dr. Dorn and they said I wouldn't make it to High Point before they closed for the day, so I got my family physician in Boone to fit me in. They confirmed the UTI and started me on antibiotics. Thank the Lord for that, seriously. I was debating on going in, but I guess the baby laying on my bladder was causing so much pain, and then they said if it turned into a kidney infection, that means hospitilization for any prego. Gah, no thanks. Got to get this knocked out before anything "real" happens.

I finished out the Twilight books this week. :) Ahhh... those books were so good, and YES better than the movies! I thoroughly enjoyed spending my last trimester reading that series. I can't believe I read 4 huge books in that amount of time, though. That gives you an idea to how good they are.

Last night, when I couldn't sleep because of the constant ups and downs to the bathroom, I decided to finish out one of the VBAC books I started before Twilight (I've read several now). It's really good. I went to the index and found a section on "Posterior Babies" and read all about the labors and difficulties attributing to the posterior baby position in labor, and what you can do to try and shift them around beforehand. Their main suggestion was to get on all fours and stay there while the baby is moving. Well, as I was reading that, he was fluttering away so I tried it. I shifted my hips back and forth too, to encourage any kind of big movement. This morning I woke up to his hiccups really prominent from the outside. I wonder if it worked??? Normally, I feel them down deep, meaning his back to my back. It's so hard to tell though. I don't know how docs can feel around and point out exactly where they're at. I feel for the two hard lumps, which are supposed to be the butt and the head, but I'm not finding anything. The only thing really prominent to me is a little leg or arm, but they say it's so hard to tell between the two.

Well, this weekend the plans are to pack the hospital/baby bag, install the infant car seat base, pack Vivienne's overnight bag, and put together the changing dresser we ordered last week. My brother and his wife and kids are coming to visit (yay) - first time hosting them at my home. I am still aggravated about wanting to scrub the fan blades in our house, so I imagine the bladder infection hasn't gotten in the way of my nesting instincts. I've gotta fit that in at some point.

On Tuesday when we come back to work, my temp replacement begins training with me. She'll be here officially until I return to work in September. I need to make it one week and I'll be okay to leave work. I just want to make sure she is oriented really well first. There is so much to be done and gone over.

I'll update again in the next two weeks. My 37 week appointment (next one) will be a week from Wednesday. I don't think anything telling will happen there. This doc doesn't like to check the cervix unless requested by the patient. I'm okay with it. However, I would really like to know his positioning. That is on my mind about every minute of every day! I wish I had a mobile u/s machine!!!

OH, and we have a pool going on at work. Whoever guesses the right due date could receive my exercise ball, since it's apparently very popular around here. You should see people when they sit on it. hehehe. Anyways, they are also guessing weight and no one has predicted under 9lb 2oz so far, and only one thinks I'll go past my due date. My prediction is June 14th (a very special day to me, and also Flag Day, as Vivienne was born on St. Patty's Day). I'm guessing he'll weigh 9lb 8oz no matter when he comes. That weight is stuck in my mind. I can't imagine 9 8 at 2 weeks early though. Sheesh. I really need to have him between June 9th and 15th. June 15th is the next full-moon. June 9th is when my mom is done teaching for the summer and is free to come. Also, my Ashe county parents leave for the beach on the 15th. I really want them to be here - mainly to help with Vivienne should my parents need a day to get down.

Alrighty. Over and out, readers.

Saturday, May 21, 2011

My Spinning Baby

Today was my 35 week appointment with Dr. Dorn. I am SO happy to be at his practice now. I hope this isn't TMI, but they gave me the Group B Strep test in a packet and sent me to the bathroom to do it on my own and give it to the nurse. I know I'm having a baby and all, but there is nothing I dread worse than the "zone" appointments. I have been debating for these past two weeks about asking him to check my cervix while he did this test. Just not sure if I really want to know, knowing it doesn't necessarily indicate anything - but still curious! I hadn't decided until they handed me the test. Woo hoo! No invasiveness today

I had no expectations of an ultrasound this appointment until Dorn came in to go over my records from Wilkes on my 33 week appointment and see what questions I had. I gave him the brief overview of the huge uterus experience and told him I've been having contractions nearly every day for 1-2 hours at times, about 10-12 minutes apart. I told him my back was achy, but they didn't really "hurt". The main reason was to explain that my uterus feels up to my neck, I've hit the point where I can barely breathe, and now I get the fun of feeling like he is being squeezed to death when I go through the contractions. I was hoping for some words of comfort. I explained that I didn't really feel this way this early with Vivienne - maybe the last few weeks, but not 5 weeks before.

He said, "Let's do an ultrasound and see what's going on in there!" Didn't even palpate my uterus size! Nice.

The first thing to note was verification of big baby boy. He is currently measuring 6 pounds 7 ounces. Now I know that these ultrasounds can be completely inaccurate on weight, but considering Viv's size and comparison at this stage, we are well on our way to at least 9 lbs and 8 oz, if they gain 1/2 pound every week and if I deliver at 40. Seriously - 8 pounds is small to me, so I wasn't shocked. I'm more concerned about how it's gonna feel to push out a 10 pound baby *without drugs. I told him that I was a little worried - he said that he has seen really small babies get hung up on hip bones and experience really bad deliveries and had 10 pounders "fall out" at times. He said size is not a factor, to a certain extent.

So the next part was the positioning. The good news is that he is definitely head down and fluid levels good. He said the one thing is that Baby Slabbert is in a partial Occiput Posterior position (OP), meaning he is not sunny-side up, but face is facing out to my side instead of towards my back.

This is not uncommon at this point because they usually don't get face down until labor, but OP and partial OP positioning can mean very long labor, back labor pain, and that your pelvis has to open up maybe twice as much as what it would for OA (Occiput Anterior Positioning). He told me he wants me to do some research on spinningbabies.com and showed me the webpage and what to look for. I had heard of this before - one of my friends' babies presented breech at 34 weeks and she tried methods on this page and it worked for a breech baby! Check out this website - sooo much information for anyone close to delivery!

As far as the positioning goes, it mentions sitting on a birthing ball as much as possible, which is great because I've been doing this the past week at work. :) Whoopie. I love it. There are other things such as doing lunges and other movements, but from what I've researched online, I read that the reason for so many labor issues is because of this positioning and one website even goes as far to say that it relates to why Americans have so many c-sections - we are a people of comfort. Most women back in the day were still scrubbing floors on their hands and knees, bending over the sink to wash dishes, giving their babies baths, etc (things causing them to lean forward and the gravity moving the baby into the right position). This certain website believes that we have gotten so used to all these big pillows propping us up to sleep (still on our back, but reclined), our bucket seat cars, and office jobs leading to most women having these long torturous labors ending in c-section. A lot of these docs will claim it has to do with the size of the baby, when in fact it's the size the pelvis has to extend to in order to deliver the largest part of the head, which can get "hung up" while the baby is lying in this position.

Speaking of facts while I'm on my soapbox... I MUST recommend a documentary for EVERY couple/woman. A friend at work asked if I had ever heard of The Business of Being Born, a documentary about hospital vs homebirths. I wasn't too excited to watch this as I am not interested in birthing at home. This documentary is unbelievable. The facts... statistics... history... etc. I promise this will open your eyes to so many things you have probably never thought of. Please everyone, watch it. You can rent it from netflix or have to pre-order at Blockbuster. It was worth every minute of my time. I would love to give you all the facts/stats, but you just need to see for yourself. Viewer beware - there are some graphic parts.

So the plan -I guess I can succumb to my nesting insticts and get down on my hands and knees and scrub these floors, as uncomfortable as this is going to be at this stage. Again, not a huge concern since I'm not in labor, but any excuse I have to get my mind off things.

In addition, the ultrasound indicated I'm not in labor. :) He has not dropped, which I figured so much. I've also gained no weight. He asked about my diet and I said I did really good at first and have been slacking off this past week. He encouraged me to eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetable and lean meats, not just for watching weight gain, but to prepare for the delivery. If you are a fan of his on Facebook, you'll see he is really into diet and whole foods.

I see him again in two weeks. At that time, I'm gonna go check out the hospital, located right across the street, and turn in my registration forms. I also signed a VBAC consent today, which was interesting. I couldn't help but notice him roll his eyes as he handed it over. He made sure to tell me it came from the hospital. Something interesting to note is that they have raised the successful VBAC statistic to 70%. That's interesting considering the c-section rate in America is one in every 3 births. If only more people knew....

Maybe I'll be a doula one day. Maybe a VBAC educator. One thing at a time. Let's get a VBAC first. One more month!

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Biggie

Hmph.

Lord, I need some patience, peace, trust, endurance!

Yesterday was my 33/34 week appointment. No weight gain in 4 weeks now - which is great since I cannot stop thinking about those Almond Joy bite sized candies and cheesecake(thank you BFF who is supposed to inhibit, not encourage). BP was 102/60.

My uterus however... oh uterus. I'm measuring 36/37 weeks. This is not the same post like last time - that post was all about baby measurements. This is my UTERUS! Well, a 10 pound baby sounds more feasible with every appointment.

The doctor in Wilkes (they are still seeing me for convenience) has started the weekly appointments. They are going to do the Group B Strep test next week and also check my cervix since I have been having a lot of contractions this past week. At one point, I was timing every 10 minute for 2 hours. I didn't feel it was labor, so I didn't call. I really don't want bed rest right now!!

I honestly believe there will be no changes - no signs of imminency. It just means that I have to pay more money to go to more appointments or figure out a way around it, which is aggravating.

Plan A: Call the doc office and delay the appointment due to being "out of town". I am technically out of town every day since I travel to Boone for work.
Plan B: Go ahead and start the High Point appointments. At least he doesn't see us for every 3 weeks. I'm already scheduled to see him at 37. I guess I could schedule 35 with him and get things going.
Plan C: Stick with convenience and go to the next 2 appointments down in Wilkes.

I don't think they'll fall for Plan A. They were adamant about it yesterday.

Dr. Polidoro said I needed to go ahead and pack my hospital bag and install the car seat. I think it's a little premature, but it did make me grimace. I'm not worried about having this baby early as much as I worry about being ready to go, then waiting waiting waiting and nothing happening. It was the longest trimester with Vivienne. I have purposely avoided giving out my due date and I took off the baby tracker from Facebook. :( Just for my own sanity. Ha. I also stopped going up to the cafeteria for lunch (that's where I receive the most comments/questions and looks of shock when I tell them I'm not due until the end of next month) and I stay in the back of devotions each morning. Am I a fuddy-dud??? I'm starting to wonder.

I do love being pregnant and I'm so thankful. I'm just ready to get the show on the road!