Week 4
This is technically my 40 week appointment and I'm 2 days overdue. Not surprising, but I realized that even though it's only and estimation, passing the date is still frustrating. Mostly because I had been thinking I would have gone into labor the week prior. Oh well, what's a pregnant girl to do besides wait. The week prior I felt really calm. We finished all of the major things that need to be done before our little girl is born and I think that really has helped me feel less anxious. It's amazing what a burden that lifts. I did have a few emotional breakdowns that started with the funeral and I think any emotions I was holding onto were being let go. I had to face and deal with my fear that still lingers that if anything goes wrong, it's my fault. Why? Because it's my body and I'm "in control" of my body right? Yeah, I'm trying really hard to remind myself that's not the case.
I lost part of my mucus plug the Saturday before. Not sure what the other stuff was before, but this was definitely what it was. Contractions. Oh who knows?! I've felt pressure and tightness in my belly and light twinges of "menstrual-like" cramps, but nothing that I would have regarded as, "Yup, that's a contraction", or "Labor started." Everyone keeps saying, "Oh you'll be able to feel a difference." Yes, thank you. And the difference being?! From what I can gather, I'm waiting for what seems more painful menstrual cramps. When I talked about it with Ginger, she asked if I was interested in a cervical exam and I felt up for it. I'd rather know how/if far I've progressed than leaving it up to my imagination. Ginger found that I'm 3cm dilated and 80-90% effaced (she originally said 90, but then said maybe 80). She asked if I was okay with her doing a cervical massage since she was already there, which I was. What I love about Ginger is that she takes the time to explain what she's doing so that I can understand what's happening. Once again all is well in babyland and hopefully we'll see our little girl this week! But who knows.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Monday, February 13, 2012
Belly Pics 4
I can't believe how fast time has been going. My belly is now HUGE! Wanna see?
The difference between 36 Weeks and 38 Weeks gets me every time. At 40 Weeks, I'm not sure you can tell a difference because I think the picture was take from a higher point. The birthing tub is in the room (as are quite a few things actually) and it's in the spot Ty normally kneels for the picture. At this point, what do ya do? If I look exhausted at 38 Weeks, it's because I am. I'm pretty sure it was then that I really started to feel tired of being pregnant and just wanted to be finished. Most of that might have been due to everything that needed to get done combined with the serious need for a nap. I do that a lot lately. Nap. It's my favorite.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
You Say Goodbye, I Say Hello
Last week we received the unfortunate news that our Grandpa Evans (Ty's mother's stepfather) passed away. We knew that it was coming, though I think we all were hoping that he would last a bit longer. He was such a good man and had a big and loving heart. He and Grandma Evans had a great example of marriage. I hope that Ty and I can emulate that example. If you would like to read his obituary and read more about his amazing life, click on his photo below.
As much as I'm very anxious to meet our daughter, I'm thankful she hasn't decided to come just yet and allow us to go to Grandpa's funeral. We got to the church with just enough to grab a seat before being totally out of luck. This is a BIG family. Before making our way into the funeral services in the chapel of the church, the family that was gathered had a family prayer given by my mother-in-law's youngest brother, Jason. Afterwards, we filed into the chapel where many friends awaited. A eulogy was given by Darla and then the daughters sang "O My Father", which was really lovely. Then, Julie and Jason shared memories of Grandpa Evans growing up. I was doing pretty good, but Jason's talk was really touching as Grandpa was really the only father he knew growing up since Grandpa Amos Dodgen passed away when he was five. Then, Grandma and Grandpa's former bishop shared his memories of Grandpa. It was wonderful to hear about their strong friendship. Finally, their current bishop spoke about Grandpa Evans and what he will miss about him.
When the services were concluded we made our way out of the chapel and eventually to the cemetery where Grandpa Evans was given full military honors. Sadly, I had to miss most of it because I decided I didn't want to walk all the way over to the grave site in the cold with my very large belly. I was able to see and hear the guns being shot off, which I later found out made all the babies cry. Then, the bugle played Taps and things continued, but I was too far to see anything. We then came back to the church to take part in the wonderful feast that was provided to us by two different wards. It was all sooooo delicious and we are very thankful to all those who helped to provide us with a great meal. The happy part of this sad time was that we were able to see so much family once again. I'm always so glad and grateful I married into such a wonderful and LARGE family.
I'm sad that Grandpa Evans is gone, but I'm so glad that I was able to get know him during his time in this life. One day we'll be able to see him again and I'm happy for that reunion. :)
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Midwife Weeklys
Warning: Long post ahead. Proceed with caution and at your own risk of sleepiness. :)
Week 1
This was another short visit because I had just seen her only 5 days before. I can't believe that I'm already this far into my pregnancy that I'm doing weekly visits!!! We talked mostly about how I'm doing. She thinks that baby girl has got a bit bigger since last time, and considering I gained 2 pounds since then I would hope so. I'm not sure where else it's going. Well, I could guess, but that's an unpleasant thought I choose not to believe in. :) Honestly, I'm having a hard time seeing my belly get bigger. My guess is that this is due to her consistently moving up instead of out. I'm getting stomach aches in the mornings now that will dissipate when she moves down a bit.
Before going to this appointment, I actually had a bit of a break down and shared with Ty what I was feeling. The last couple of days, I was feeling very overwhelmed with being uncomfortable, stressed of her being okay, and the pressure to get everything done and prepared before her arrival. I tend to expect perfection out of myself and it's difficult when I realize that I haven't been living up to that self-inflicted expectation. Now that my hormones are greatly affecting my emotions (I call it hormotional thanks to Willamina from the TV show Ugly Betty :) ), I've been even more so distraught over small, what I feel, are "failures". They aren't of course and everything will get done in time, I just have to be more patient with myself.
I digress, I told Ginger that I had officially hit "Panic Mode" and she thought that maybe I was worried about labor. Fortunately, that hasn't fully registered yet. We talked about my uncomfortableness. She suggested ways to help me sleep better. My hips are killin' me and my tummy is more awkward to move from side to side. Even sitting down for long periods of time is rough. I ended up having to leave church early the day before because (1) I was wicked tired and couldn't keep my eyes open, (2) she was kicking me all over the place and I couldn't focus, and (3) my bum was getting numb from sitting too long. Ginger also, suggested putting up positive statements where I can see them now so that I can calm myself before going into labor.
Again, she's on the right side. She moves to the left a little sometimes, but she just likes to cuddle with mommy on the right side. Ginger told me that she's in the front and as long as she's there she's good. Baby girl was measuring right on time, once again, though she hasn't dropped just yet. I'm anxious for her to get out of my upper innards. We also did my Group B test this visit. All I can say is (with much sarcasm), "lovely". :( The things we women endure. Before sitting up, I looked down at my stomach and actually saw muscles! Hooray! They're still there, just a little more difficult to see at the present. I'm glad to know I still have them. Big highlight of the visit.
Week 2
Group B test results came back and I tested negative. Yay! However, I do have an infection which she said can be taken care of with a salt water bath every other day until the baby is born. She also said to "enjoy" my probiotics. The infection itself is nothing serious, but it's always good to get things like that taken care of.
This week I came in with a list of things to talk with her about that have been going on. Firstly, I've had some green mucus a couple of times when wiping in the bathroom (sorry, TMI). I've read some things that could have explained it and the most likely explanation is that it's that is the mucus plug that's slowly coming out. The next thing was some swelling in my hands and feet the day before, which was explained by having had pizza the night before. I, also, had some concerns about her movement. Ginger confirmed what I had thought, but wanted to make sure of, was that she's kind of running out of room. I'm not very tall so there's not much room for her to move around in. Later on in the appointment, and the remainder of the day, Baby Girl proved that she is in fact alive by moving quite a bit. I'll never doubt her again. :) The last thing is that the adapter piece she gave us to connect the faucet and the hose doesn't fit our faucet. So we'll see if it will connect with the shower head or find an adapter that will fit the sink. Oh dear.
She quickly went over the Emergency Childbirth page she has for Ty in our folder. It basically outlines what needs to happen if things happen quickly or if something goes wrong. Next we talked about breast infections and what to do about. She emphasized that I can call her no matter how long it's been since I've seen her and she can take care of the situation. We also talked about ways to prevent. The great news this week is that I only gained 1 pound! Yes. Other than that one day of swelling, I've been doing pretty good. My blood pressure is still good. Baby, or as we called her this visit, "Juniorette", made it to the left side during the week after a chiropractor adjustment. Though, she seemed on the right and center for the most part during the visit. She sitting lower, but not quite "in position" yet. When Ginger measured her she said, "Cooked." I wondered what that meant and asked what she was measuring at. Ummm, yeah, so 40! NO WAY! Holy Big Baby Batman! At this point I'm 38 weeks. While hearing her heartbeat, we played a little game with her. I poked at her feet and she poked back. Her heartbeat went from 135 to 160. She was definitely awake. :)
Week 3
I feel like I'm in a daze, but at the same time I feel good about everything. At this visit we were able to meet Marcille (sp?), the woman who will be assisting Ginger during the birth. It kind of made everything more real as we are drawing very near my due date. I really like Marcille and I'm looking forward to her being there during the birth. They asked if I had any questions for her and I confess I didn't. I trust Ginger and that she wouldn't bring someone around us that we wouldn't get along with. And really for the most part I get along with everybody. :) We did spend some time getting to know her and her getting to know us.
At this point in my pregnancy, we're so close and we see her so often that we don't have much updating to do. We did ask her about going to Ty's grandpa's funeral on Friday and she said that it would be fine for us to go, but to take the birth kit just in case, though we should be able to be back in time. During the belly/baby exam we discovered she's down into position, ready for action. Of course, it's always possible for her to rise a little bit if she's feeling rebellious. Overall, all is well in the world of baby. :)
Monday, February 6, 2012
You know you're nesting when....
You start labeling your cupboards and cabinets so people who come to help out will know where everything is.
My husband has mandated that I relax and rest a little bit since I've been going at everything on the crazy setting. It just seems like there is so much to do and I'm running out of time to get it all finished before she gets here. For the most part, I think, things are pretty much done. Her closet is sitting outside to help get rid of the awful smell that the metal was expelling. I'm hoping that it's finally gone and we can put all of her clothes away. They are such cute clothes and they need a good place to be. :) As well as labeling and putting away clothes, I've also written up laundry and cleaning instructions and trying to keep the house clean so that when I do go into labor I don't have a disastrous house stressing me out. It's silly, but I also really don't want people coming to my house when it's in a disarray. I don't want to think about what they possibly think of me and my ability to keep a clean house, whether they are or not. Am I crazy? Why yes. Yes I am. It's nice to meet you. :)
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Birth Plans
Yup. You read that right. I have birth planS. Three in fact. I'm still surprised at how many women don't know about putting together a birth plan. I think most people just assume that the doctors and nurses know what they're doing and there's no reason to assume that you would do things differently. While I understand that mindset, I also believe that doctors and nurses are doing things for their benefit and time. I also think that they can get so used to doing things a certain way that they don't give much thought to other ways of thinking. Please don't think I'm trying to put any of these professionals down, I just like being able to do things the way I believe is necessary. At any rate, I have three birth plans to accommodate the different scenarios in which I may end up delivering my baby girl. You can read each of them by clicking on the link attached to each.
Something that's important to remember is that I'm not expecting things to exactly according to plan. That should be obvious considering how many plans I have. Haha. Mostly, I want to atmosphere to comfortable and relaxing. Considering how uncomfortable I will be, shouldn't I try to make the environment one that puts me at ease?
I'm curious, has anyone else made a birth plan for any of their deliveries? I was talking to a friend of mine who hadn't heard of them before her pregnancy and she said something about it made sense that doctors and nurses not liking them because they get in the way of their job. I don't think I can say that that's a good reason to keep from making one. Again, I know that things don't always go according to plan, but should I have to give up my opinions and beliefs because it's inconvenient? I don't think so Tim. You probably have, indeed, made a birth plan, but just didn't put it in writing. As long as you are getting the birth experience you are striving for, I'd say you're doing pretty dang good.
I'm curious, has anyone else made a birth plan for any of their deliveries? I was talking to a friend of mine who hadn't heard of them before her pregnancy and she said something about it made sense that doctors and nurses not liking them because they get in the way of their job. I don't think I can say that that's a good reason to keep from making one. Again, I know that things don't always go according to plan, but should I have to give up my opinions and beliefs because it's inconvenient? I don't think so Tim. You probably have, indeed, made a birth plan, but just didn't put it in writing. As long as you are getting the birth experience you are striving for, I'd say you're doing pretty dang good.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Guess our Baby's Stats
With our little girl due soon and really able to come any time between now and the end of the month, I thought now would be a good time for everyone to guess just how big and tall she'll be. I'm hoping not too big, but I keep thinking about Ty being a 10lbs. and 5oz. baby and it doesn't give me much hope. I was 7lbs. and 11oz. so I'm rooting for something closer to my end. I really don't remember how long either of us were or our head circumferences, so I won't be able to help you there, but know that the Robbins boys have large skulls and it's been known to be inherited by their children. Yeah, yikes.
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