Due Day-December 21st

Well, today is our official due date.....and no baby yet! We went to our Dr. appointment yesterday and I was dilated to a two. Which is progress because the previous week I was at a one. I have to admit, I was wishing I would be a little further along that that, but I'll take what I can get. We talked about scheduling an induction for 41 weeks. Although it's the farthest thing from what I want, we went ahead a scheduled one for the 29th of December at 7am. The reason I scheduled it is because I don't want to get to 42 weeks and them say I have to have a c-section. They cautioned us that an induction could take as long as 3 days to complete. If he hasn't arrived by the 29th, Raj and I will need to talk about what kind of medication we will let them use to induce us. It's not a conversation I ever wanted to have, but will have to decide on it.

Yesterday, I lost my mucus plug. Or at least what I believe was my mucus plug, I was in the shower, cleaning, and there it was...kind of a yellow whitish glob of mucus. I've been having contractions on and off for days now. Some days more painful than others. Saturday night, I thought for sure I was going into labor. The pains lasted for 4 hours and were about every 10 minutes, but once I went to bed, they stopped completely. The back pain was the worst of it. I do not care for that!

I feel like I am ready for him to be born, physically and emotionally. The only thing I'm struggling with is my ability to get the stuff done around the house that I feel needs to be done before his arrival. Raj and I have a long talk last night about him helping me get stuff done. I know it won't be up to my standard, because I have a pretty high standard, but it will be acceptable and I am grateful for his help, and that he is able to be off with me during this time.

It feels good to be off work. I've been off a week now. I don't really think I could have worked during this week. I've been pretty exhausted and spent most of my days in the recliner. Except for Friday, my sisters and mom went to the mall and had pedicures. That was really fun!I had my toes painted blue for a baby boy and the stylist painted a beautiful snowflake with a gem and all on my big toe. Maybe it will help me during labor to have something to look at down there!

Here's hoping he decides on his own to make his big appearance. I sure hope it's soon!

Maternity Leave

Today is my official last day of work...I am so excited to have some time off. The last few weeks have been pretty hard to go to work, just cause I've been so tired, and uncomfortable. It feels good to be leaving, but very strange. I found out from our HR department and from the State, that I have a lot longer than I originally thought I was going to have off. Through the Federal program FMLA I can have 12 weeks of leave. This leave protects my job as well as my benefits no matter if I'm in paid status or not. Then Washington has a seperate program called FLA which covers you for an additional 12 weeks. This program protects your job and will protect your benefits if you are in paid status. If you aren't in paid status then you will have to pay for your health care premiums. I have not fully made my decision if I will take all of the leave...it depends a lot on weather Raj is working full time or not, but it's nice to know that if I want the extra time, I can have it. So I will either be back at the end of February or at the end of April....or perhaps I won't even come back...that's still an option too depending on how things go.

Back Labor???

I've been experiencing quite a lot of back pain. It started around 37 weeks. One night it was so bad, I thought this must be labor and was thinking we might be making a trip to the hospital. The pain went shooting down as far as my knees. I finally went to bed and did some pelvic rocks and it seemed to help. I don't know if he was perhaps lying on a nerve or if it was back labor, but what ever it was, was very painful!

Cradle.....

Grandma and Papa Crawford finished the cradle for baby! It turned out so awesome! Thank you, Thank you!!!!

We have now finished most of the babies room. We put up shelves in the closet and have everything loaded in. We have not bought the crib, but figure we have time to buy that since he won't be in that for a while. Finally feeling like we are ready for him to come!

Week 36...

I am officially 9 months pregnant. One more week and I will be considered full term. They qualifiy full term anywhere between 37 and 40 weeks. What a long time coming this has been. Right when I feel that the baby is finally okay-meaning if he were to be born now he would survive-I start to wonder if I'm ready for him to be born! Kind of a sureal feeling. I am very anxious to meet our son. But still very nervous about the whole process of giving birth and how I will be affected by it. Our bradley classes have done an awesome job on educating us on what to expect for labor and delivery, but I still wonder how I will be affected by it. I'm wondering if my water will break before I start having contractions...if it will break at work...if I will be able to handle the contractions...how quickly I will give birth....lots and lots of questions. Guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Strep B

I was tested last week for Strep B. The results came back yesterday, and I tested positive for it. I was a bit bummed by the diagnosis, but I can't do anything about it, so I'm moving on from it. Basically what it will mean is when I go to deliver I will be given a dose of antibiotics within 4 hours of me delivering and then another one probably after I deliver. If the baby is showing signs of the bacteria, then they will be given a dose of antibitics as well. The antibiotic dose worries me because I didn't want to have to have an IV in during deliver, and I will now have to have one. I need to talk to my Dr. about laboring in the tub to make sure this is still okay. Also I am concerned that if baby is given antibiotics, their gut will be compromised by the loss of good bacteria which could upset their tummy. Because I am allergic to penncillin, and this is typically what they give women for the bacteria, the lab is still working on a sensitivity test to determine what antibiotic will work best for me. Also with this diagnosis, I will have to stay in the hospital longer than we had originally anticipated just so they can watch the baby for signs of the bacteria.

Not so fun stuff....

So the past few weeks, I have been having problems with hemorrhoids. I have never had these before and I never want to have them again! Yuck. What a pain! I had them so bad, I took off 2 days from work so I could rest. My Dr. said I could use an over the counter creme like Preperation H for up to 3 days...but I ended up using it for almost a week. They want you to limit the amount of time you use it because it can thin the skin down there and you don't want it to be thin when delivering. Also she suggested I use pads with which hazel in them, which have really helped. Another remedy I found was to ice the area, or actually rub ice on them....this really helped!

Last Growth Ultrasound....

We had our last growth ultrasound on the 10th of November. From this they guess he is approximately 6.3 lbs. The Dr. says, his weight gain has tapered off a bit, even though he is still considered big. She now thinks he will be anywhere between 8.5-9 lbs. Originally they thought he'd be over 10 lbs. Since it's all an estimate, I'm trying to not concern myself too much with the number...he'll be what he will be!

Here is a profile picture from this ultrasound:

Lots of Aches and Pains

Last Tuesday I began feeling a lot of pains in my lower abdomin. I was concerned that this could be pre-labor. I aske my sisters what they thought. Neither of them knew what it was because it didn't feel like a Braxton Hick contraction. They thought I should call my Dr.'s office...but since I was already scheduled to have a Dr. appt the next morning, I opted to wait and went home and laid down, which helped dramatically. At my Dr.'s appt, she believed the pain I was feeling was my uterus expanding. She said it can be quite painful. But just to make sure she checked to see if I was dialated any. And I am not. She said the cervix is quite soft, which is a good thing, but no dialation yet. She also did a inroom ultrasound on him to check his position. He is still head down! During the ultrasound, she noticed he had already started his practice breathing. This is a very good thing, because if he decided to come early, he is already showing signs that he has lung funciton. Because of this, she said if I go into labor, they will not try and stop it, even though it technically would be pre-term labor.  I was very glad for this.

I have also been experiencing quite a bit of pressure in my groin/pelvis area. Some days it makes it very difficult to take a step. I also am having a hard time bending over to pick up things or put my shoes and socks on.

I have definately been putting on weight the last two weeks, a steady 1-2 lbs each week, which I think is taking a toll on my body. I am up to 18 lbs thus far for the pregnancy. I haven't been eating as well as I had in the beginning, and I should really work on that, and since I have lost most of my energy, and am very tired at night, I have been laying around the house quite a bit more which might have added to the weight gain. My Dr. still insists that I am doing very well with my weight gain, so I am very glad for that.

6 Weeks Left....

Thankfully my hemoroids are doing better. They are still there, but not so painful. Work has been pretty stressful the last few days, today we find out the results of a vote for additional funding. Last night I had a glass of wine to help me relax, it was the first bit of alcohol I've had my entire pregnancy, and although I was reluctant to drink it, it did help me calm down. Hopefully the citizens of Clark County vote yes on Prop 1 tonight and so we can continue providing bus service to those who need it.

Baby is still moving around quite a bit, and I am busy trying to get everything ready for him. Nesting has definately settled in. ;)

Week 34....

As the weeks draw closer to my due date, I have been feeling axious. I am axious to stop working, anxious to go through delivery, and most of all axious to meet our son. Sometimes these feelings tip more towards excitement and sometimes towards fear. I am trying deal with these feelings as they come, but sometimes I feel overwhelmed by them. Other times I am able to handle them without any issues.

I am starting to feel like a walking time bomb. Braxton Hicks contractions are in full swing, and happen daily/nightly. I am also dealing with hemorrhoids. Last week they were very painful, and I took 2 days off of work, just to relax and put my feet up. It helped a lot, and although I do not like calling in sick, I know it was best to do it. I believe I will deliver earlyier than my scheduled due date...it's horrible not knowing when it will happen....it's the ultimate patience test! LOL

Bradley Class #5

Last night's class was very beneficial. Both Raj and I really enjoyed it. We learned about 2nd stage labor and then we practiced labor positions for almost an hour. Amber set up stations around the room where we could try out various positions during a contraction. We really liked the positions in the bathroom and the positions with a ball the most. I found out I like to "move" or "sway" when I'm in pain and they said that's good to realize the types of things you do to relax. We are also considering hiring a doula for the labor. Amber's friend and midwife, Pita, has been coming to our class, and Raj and I think we'd like to hire her as our Doula. She is a certified Mid-wife, a doula, and has previously been an EMT. So she's very knowledgable and we feel we can trust her, plus she seems really caring. We haven't decided quite yet, but that's what are thinking.

Baby dropping....

I realized on Sunday that my belly looked alot lower than it had. I asked Raj if he could noticed, and sure enough he said, yep. Monday, I started to feel pain in my anus and after some investigating, turns out I have hemorrhoids. Oh joy! Ironically I have never had them before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. So far they aren't too bad. Since I haven't been constipated and I've been drinking alot of water and eating fiber foods, plus a fiber pill, I believe I got them from him dropping further down and pressure is being applied lower than it had been. I emailed my Dr, to find out what she recommends for them. Basically, use Witch hazel, dont' stand/sit too long at a time, drink lots of water, and eat fiber, only use medication cremes for three days or less. I also researched them, and discovered that icing the area helps, so I've been doing that in the morning and at night. I'm hoping they clear up before I have him....

Baby Shower....

Last weekend, my sisters, Angela and Mandy threw me the best baby shower! I was really nervious to have a shower, because I didn't know if anyone would come, and I don't like being the center of attention...but because of tradition, I went along with it anyways. And I'm so glad I did, because we had such a good time, and Raj and I received some great gifts from our friends and family. I'll post some pictures of the day once I get them from Angela.

Bradley Class 3 & 4

Class 3 we learned about how we tense up and what our partners need to do to help us relax that part of our body. I tend to tense up in my face and shoulders first, but also realized I carry tension in my lower back. We also discussed circumcision. I had always been leaning towards having it done, while Raj was leaning towards not having it done. Our instructor is not a fan of it, and while she tried to give us both sides, she was pretty biased, but she did acknowledge that she is biased in this subject and encouraged us to do our own research on the subject. This has really been the only part in our pregnancy where I had wished we were having a girl for the meer fact that I wouldn't have to make this decision. So in our investigation, we looked online for research into the pro's and cons of this surgery. We also watched some youtube videos of the procedures, and I asked around both my family and friends on what they had done for their sons. Overwhelmingly, everyone I asked had had the procedure done. We finally asked our Dr, her thoughts on it, and she explained that it was elective surgery, and that there really was no medical necessity for it except in rare occations. For me, the tipping of the scale came when I actually saw a surgery being performed on an infant. I was almost in tears watching it being performed. I cannot believe they do not give the child anything for pain. We still have not made our final decision, but both of us are now leaning towards not having the surgery done.

Class number 4, Raj was not able to attend with me, he had to work late, I was kind of bummed by it cause we went over first and second stage of labor, but our instructor said we would go over it more at the next class, so that made me feel better. We learned alot, but even so, I still feel pretty unprepared of the various stages. I'm hoping next class will help it all come together for me. I have made up my mind that I will not have an epidural during the labor. This was a huge decision for me, one that took weeks to decide, but now that I have made my decision, I feel confident in it and feel like I am gaining the confidence to have a natural birth.

Surprise Baby Shower-Work

On Wednesday my co-workers through me a surprise baby shower. We had a lot of fun, had some great food, and got a lot of nice presents. Here are a few pictures from the party. One of the best parts of the shower was Julyla came for it and brought her daughter Allison, or Princess Alice as she's being called. She is so adorable and I loved getting to hold her!

The Potluck:

 Some of the gifts:

 Me holding Allison:

Week 30 Ultrasound

We had another ultrasound this week to measure how large baby is. They estimate his weight at 4.7 lbs. Still about a l lb over what they'd like him to be.  A few days later we had our pre-natal appt with our new Dr, Dr. Wright. I really like her, but am sad that Dr. Hicks won't be with us anymore. Dr. Wright talked with us about his weight and wanted us to prepare ourselves for a possible c-section if he's still measureing large when we deliver. I expressed to her that I do not want a c-section and would make a determination on that at the last moment if we were to run into problems during birth. I explained that we want to have a natural child birth with no medications and would like to labor in water. She was very receptive to our wants and signed our form for a water labor. Even though we are going to deliver at SW Washington, and they allow their patients to birth in the water, because we have Kaiser insurance, Kaiser will only let us labor in the tub, we have to get out and birth the baby on the bed. I'm okay with this, but don't like that there are so many restrictions on birthing in general.

Other than that, the Dr. appointment went well. We go again in 4 weeks, and then after that start our 2 week appointments.

Here is a picture from our ultrasound. It's he so adorable!

We are registered...

Last week, we registered for our baby shower. My sister's Mandy and Angela are planning one for me on October 22nd. We registered at Amazon.com, Baby's R Us, and Target. Raj went with me to Baby's R Us...it took us a long time to register, and I was compeltely exhausted after it. But it was alot of fun and I felt good at the decisions we made on the things we need for the baby. I am expecially excited about the stroller we picked out! Also a pretty cool policy they have is anything left on your register that hasn't been purchased, you can buy at a discount of 10% off! Pretty cool!

Bradley Method Classes 1 & 2

We started our Bradley Method classes series last week. I was really anxious to go to the first meeting...just curious what it would be like and wondered if I'd like the instructor and what not. After the class, I felt really good about it. I was surprized at how many couples are in the class...typically there are 5 or so couples, but we have double that! But it's been really cool to get to meet everyone so far, I hope at least with some of the couples we can stay connected after the class.

The first week we learned about relaxation techniques as well as exercises we should be doing and read an article on epidurals that was very informative. The second week, we focused on nutrition. While I was studying our homework on nutrition, I found myself concerned about how much weight I have gained, and wondering if I've increased my blood volume enough. In these classes, they concentrate more on the types of food you are eating, rather than the amount of weight you are gaining. I am totally fine with that, but I haven't gained that much weight, so it concerns me that my blood volume hasn't doubled like it should. The blood volume is important for many reasons, but mainly because it is providing nutrients to your uterus, a muscle that needs to grow considerably during your pregnancy (from 2 oz to 2 lbs). If this doesn't increase you can have problems during delivery with it contracting properly, which could hinder your progress in labor. Also we learned the importance of protein in our diet. I should strive to eat about 100 grams of protein a day. After tracking my food intake, it appears I do a pretty good job of this, but will try and concentrate more on eating protein from now on and less carbs.

I have all but decided I will not be betting a epidural for my labor. I am basing this on a couple of things. I want to experience the natural progression of labor and don't want to hinder it by putting drugs in my body. Also, I don't want to deliver a baby that is drugged up. A small percentage of me is worried about the side effects of the medication on me both temporary and long term. I am not completely confident yet to say I am doing it without an epidural. I am hoping that these classes will help me gain the confidence to say for sure that I will do it naturally, but as of right now, it is my wish to do it naturally.

Shopping...

Last weekend I headed out second hand shopping for some baby things. Raj had to work, and it was raining and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my day! I was going to try and go to some garage sales, but most had been canceled because of the rain, so I decided to hit second hand stores. It's always a fun adventure and you never know what you might find!

First I hit the Good Will in Fisher's Landing. I can always find good stuff there. And this trip didn't disappoint. I found a brand new bouncer seat that vibrates for $20! I was so excited. I also got a couple outfits and a pair of shoes and some baby towels. I then went to Spankies. I found a jack-pot of name-brand clothes there! I probably got 10 to 12 outfits plus a bunch of onsies (Calvin Klein baby)! Next I headed to my old stomping grounds, Once Upon a Child. At this point, I was feeling a bit tired, and when I walked in there and saw all the stuff they had, I felt completely overwhelmed. I looked around a bit...they have a TON of stuff there, and finally decided on a set of baby bibs. After there, I took a quick look at the Value Village on 4th Plain and the Good Will on 4th Plain, but didn't come up with much, just a crib sheet.

I had a great time looking for things for baby. Once I got home, I decided I needed to do an inventory of everything I've received so far for the baby. So I got everything out, and washed and the organized into size/category. Then I made an inventory of everything I had in word. Call me anal...but it felt really good to get it all done!