Closing out 2009

Well I thought for sure that 2009 would bring us a new baby, but it sure isn't looking that way. I feel like I have been pregnant for the entire year. Lots of other milestones have passed me by it seems in the excitement and anticipation of our son's arrival. My 30th birthday. Our 5th wedding anniversary. Ok well maybe that's it...

Either way, it's been a good year. Eric and I are having quite a different New Year's Eve than we are used to. We slept in this morning and then had a little brunch around 10am of cheesy scrambled eggs and Paula Deen's Ultimate Coffee Cake. We went for a VERY long walk through the not-so-nice neighborhood down the hill from us. Then spent the early afternoon being lazy watching VH1. We've just now gotten showered and dressed and are considering getting out of the house for a bit before we head over to my friend Jen's for chicken katsu don and a low key New Year's celebration, hopefully complete with my favorite year end movie, 200 Cigarettes. I also picked up some Fre Brut yesterday at the store so I can toast in the new year properly :)

Still nothing in the way of meaningful contractions, so it's looking like Seth will be here tomorrow at the earliest. We can't wait!

I'm a watched pot

Went to the baby Dr. this morning. B/P 122/72, wt 187ish, baby's HR 147. My measurements are still increasing, so baby is still growing. Still head down, still 1cm dilated and about 50% effaced. Dr. H said he is normally a proponent of induction, as an obstetrician he said he feels nothing really good happens after 39 weeks. However, at this point the condition of my cervix is still not ideal for induction so if we did induce it would probably take awhile and it would be hard. So he suggested stripping my membranes, which I agreed to. I realized he probably hadn't done it before, since the last time I saw him I wasn't dilated at all. He said he is a big believer in "serial" membrane stripping. So we made another appointment for Monday to come back and do it again (if needed). He did say also that frequently after doing that labor will start with your water breaking earlier, so be prepared for a flood.

At this point my only worry with waiting is that the PUPPs might come back. Dr. H said if it does I could just call in and say I'm 40 weeks and I have PUPPs and I want to be induced and they would do it straight away. He said we could do another Medrol dose pack as well (or instead). Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but it feels good having a plan B. Makes it a little easier to be patient and wait. He did also mention that normally the dose pack will improve the PUPPs, but not make it go away completely so it's possible that it wasn't even PUPPs at all but rather something else.

I did have a lot of contractions late in the day yesterday, and a few this morning. Then ever since our appointment I've been feeling pretty crampy as well. So maybe we won't have long to wait. We are starting to come to terms with not getting that extra deduction on our taxes this year, so if that's the case I'm not that anxious to rush him. So anyway, I'll keep you posted!

T minus 3 days

Here we go, into my 2nd week off work and still no baby :( Frustrating! I did have quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions yesterday I think, brought on by a marathon of cleaning house, grocery shopping, and casserole making. They continued for awhile after I quit and went to bed, but never progressed beyond a vague crampy feeling or tightness. And then when I woke up today, nothing. I don't feel very good today though. Eric and I went on a walk this morning and I had to cut it short I was just not feeling up to it. It was a little colder than normal today so that was part of it, but I also thought I was getting a headache.

So, I'm going to take it easy today and see what happens. If something doesn't happen soon I am starting to think I would agree to being induced if Dr. H suggests it on Wed at our appointment. The thought is a little scary to me, but not as scary as having the PUPPs come back. Today was my last dose of the miracle cure they gave me and I would not be surprised at all if it crept back up in a couple of days. Again, selfish, I know... but... what if I ended up being a WEEK late?? It took less than a week for the PUPPs to go from a few annoying pink bumps to my own personal nightmare. I can't do it again. I can't, I'm sorry. So listen up, Seth: Mommy needs you to come on your own, and quick. I know you want to.

It's a Christmas Miracle!

As of today my rash is almost completely gone. I am still pretty itchy, but it's more of a mild all over kind of itch - as if I had a bad sunburn that was healing. A little annoying but tolerable. The important thing is I had a fan-TAS-tic Christmas. Still no sign of Seth's grand entrance, but it was a wonderful day just the same. Hopefully this outfit isn't too scandalous for you all, but I could not pass up the opportunity to get my 39 week pic dressed up as Mrs. Pregnant Claus ;) Merry Christmas!!



P.S. Santa brought me a NEW camera this year. So no more blurry grainy pics! Yay! Just in time for our new arrival!

Not for the faint of heart

The Medrol pack appears to be working already. I feel like a new woman...almost. Still a long, long way to go but I can tell I'm going to be having a Merry Christmas and I'll even be able to wear a BRA!

Just in case my string of whiney posts this week weren't enough to convince you of my misery, I thought I would share a picture. Eric talked me into getting some photographic evidence of my "condition" this morning (so someday when Seth has the chicken pox really bad I can say, ha! I'll take your chicken pox and raise you some PUPPs!). I can't bring myself to post the really nasty ones, even strategically cropped, so here is my leg and I'll leave the rest up to your imagination (click on the image below at your own risk). This horribleness is all over my hips, back, arms, ankles. But don't my nails look nice?



LUCKILY, last week before all this happened I had the foresight to take some *nice* naked-ish preggo pictures in which my skin is smooth and white as snow. I won't be sharing those, sorry :)

Christmas Eve Eve

Just when I thought things were starting to improve... well they were, but more patches keep cropping up as bad and as itchy as ever. We went to the doctor AGAIN today, this time for my regular 39 week appointment. Today we saw the midwife, "S" who has grown on me since the "what's up with this weight gain" incident. She talked me into a Medrol dose pack - basically Prednisone. It's a tapered course of a steroid - 6 pills on day 1, 5 on day 2, and so on. She assured me it's not going to hurt the baby and it is something they give moms all the time for various reasons - asthma, allergies, etc. She explained that in her opinion, with the Medrol I will actually be getting LESS medicine than if I continued to use the Triamcinolon cream - since at this point I would be spreading that cream over such a large portion of my body in order to hit everything. She also said I would probably start feeling better in a day or two - which is a lot faster than I would expect the cream to work. Then by the time I'm done with the course, I should definitely be ready to have the baby anyway. So I am going to be a little selfish on this one and try to get some real relief in time to enjoy Christmas, that will be nice. As a compromise I think I am going to try going without the Vistaril tonight since I don't really think it's making that much of a difference.

She checked me again, still 1cm - so the perky ARNP was right about that. She also stripped my membranes - which in hindsight is probably what Dr. H did (or tried to do) last week. It's interesting to me how both of them undertook the procedure... it wasn't a matter of "would you like us to try and strip your membranes?" Nope, they just went for it. Not that I mind at this point - I am more than ready to get things moving for sure. I still think it's kind of weird that they didn't ask if I was okay with it. But whatever... IMO that type of thing is pretty harmless on the broad spectrum of interventions. Much preferable to Pitocin anyway.

And now I am going to go drink some Raspberry Leaf tea and eat some pineapple ;)

*Some* relief

I did take the Vistaril last night.  I did a lot of research about it online when we got home, and ultimately decided it was going to be ok.  At first it didn’t seem to be helping, I was laying in bed crying and feeling sorry for myself for a long time.  But then I finally did go to sleep and I STAYED asleep for a long time it seemed.  Then when I woke up this morning the baby was moving around like usual, whereas the last couple of mornings he seemed to sleep in until past noon.  So that made me happy.  It also looked like there was possibly some improvement in the PUPPs, but I could be imagining it.  Probably not because of the Vistaril but I assume the steroid cream could be working.  It’s almost completely gone away from my stretch marks, which is where it started and I had been using the Triamcinolon 2x per day for about a week.  Some of what I’ve read online though has indicated that in some cases it just spontaneously clears up on its own for no reason at all.  Wouldn’t that be nice.

Anyhow, I went for a long walk today and had some contractions.  Being out in the cold made me feel normal for that hour, so that was nice.  Now that I’m home and showered though, the itching is back and the contractions are NOT back.  Boo.  I have another appointment tomorrow so we’ll see if I have made any progress. 

By the way, Yes, I am officially on maternity leave – I guess maybe that wasn’t totally clear from my last post.  So I think I’ll go take a nap. 

Maternity Leave - check!

Last night when Eric came upstairs and found me sobbing in the bathroom - again - he called the on call doctor. I think he ended up talking to one of the midwives, who said to try an oatmeal bath, Unisom instead of Benadryl, and call in the morning for an appointment. The oatmeal bath was worthless - it felt sort of good while I was in it, but I wasn't supposed to have the water too hot, and my tub isn't big enough to submerge myself in, so mostly I was just cold and uncomfortable. The Unisom did help me sleep and it didn't make me nearly as sick as the Benadryl had, but it still seemed to knock Seth out pretty good which I hated.

I called in sick this morning and we went to the Dr. and saw this perky little Nurse Practitioner who was very sympathetic but reiterated that nothing's really going to make the PUPPs go away except having the baby :( She did refill my Triamcinolon cream and said I could keep using that. She also prescribed some Vistaril, which is an antihistimine that is supposed to help the itch as well as get me to relax and sleep without making the baby all groggy. I've been researching that online and haven't decided quite how I feel about it but I am leaning towards trying it once just to see.

Anyway, I got checked as well and the baby is low, I'm 1cm dilated, and my cervix is soft and forward, officially FAVORABLE! Yay! So that means I could get induced after 39 weeks if I wanted to, assuming he doesn't come on his own before that. So we'll see...I've been really conflicted about what to do at this point. All this time I've been set on having a natural childbirth - so what's the point of that if I'm just putting all these drugs in my body now and even considering an INDUCTION????? But I did not anticipate having to deal with this PUPPs nonsense at the same time. :( Once again I'm having to learn the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men often go awry.

On the plus side, I did get a note excusing me from work, which takes a lot of stress off. It's difficult to find any clothes I can be comfortable in, and bras are totally out of the question.

So in my ideal world, the rash would completely go away and THEN I would go into labor. I can't imagine dealing with both at the same time although I am sure labor pain will trump anything else that's going on. So here we go! Waiting waiting waiting. Maybe I will go for a walk and see if I can get things going.

Misery

PUPPs. Such a cute little name for something so absolutely horrible. I am now more sure than ever that I will be able to get through labor and delivery without drugs because nothing could possibly be worse than this. I have never had poison ivy before but some people online have said that PUPPs is about 10x worse. Nothing really seems to help and the rash just seems to keep spreading. Here is what I have tried:

Aloe Vera with Lidocaine
Lanacane
Cortisone 10
Gold Bond
Benadryl ointment
Aveeno
Cetaphil
Palmer's

About a week ago I did start putting some Triamcinolon 0.1% steroid cream on the part that had been itching the worst - my stretch marks - 2x per day. That has actually helped a bit, but it took at least 5 days before I noticed a difference. The Gold Bond helps temporarily by making my skin feel cool, and ice packs help too. But now that I have these little bumps everywhere - under my boobs, the inside of my arms, my sides, my back... I can't put ice packs everywhere! Dr. H said I shouldn't put the steroid cream all over my body either because you don't want to absorb a lot of it. So I've rotated that to my next worst itchy spots which are the insides of my arms and wrists.

Last night I got about 2 hours of sleep and then woke up itching like crazy and just started sobbing in despair. Finally Eric and I got up and went on a 2am adventure trying to find a store open where I could get some Benadryl tablets so at least I could get a little sleep. After taking the Benadryl I did finally get to sleep for a few hours, but I hated the way it made me feel and I'm pretty sure it put the baby to sleep too. He didn't move nearly as much during the night and this morning as I am used to. Dr. H did recommend it to help me sleep though, so I guess it can't be that bad. Another thing I am trying is Dandelion Root. A lot of people online have said that it has been the miracle cure for them. It takes about 5 days to work though and I just started taking it on Friday, so we'll see. I'm willing to try anything at this point.

It is so frustrating to be this uncomfortable. I knew I would probably be uncomfortable the last few weeks of pregnancy, but I just thought it would be because I was big and swollen, and tired. This is so much worse. I just want this to be a happy and joyful time in my life and it's so not. My focus has changed from wanting to have this baby so I can hug him and see his little face to wanting to have this baby so I can stop itching (or at least have a distraction from it). Yuck!

PUPPS - the beginning of the end

UGH - as if my itchy stretch marks were not enough.  I now have little itchy pink bumps on my arms and legs and back and the rest of my belly that isn't already basically one big stretch mark.  Dr. H said it is PUPPS and there's nothing we can do to help or make it go away except have the baby.  He said I can try over the counter itch creams, etc, but nothing is really working.  Basically no one seems to know what causes it - one theory is that male baby DNA acts as a skin irritant.  Sweet.  I am allergic to my son.  Actually some women get it with girl babies too, so who knows.  Anyway, it is horrible.  I think (so far) I have a really mild case, but it is still driving me absolutely bonkers.  I am really thankful that up until now this has been a really easy pregnancy and I have enjoyed almost every minute.  But this.  Has.  Got.  To.  Stop.  :(  I just pray that it doesn't get much worse, or I really will be going on maternity leave early just so I can sit all day in a bathtub full of cold water.

38 weeks - Baby Doctor Visits

Last night we met with Dr. C, our new pediatrician.  He was really nice and down to earth.  Most importantly, he answered all of our questions without making us feel stupid.  He's the only doc we have met with, but it's getting down to the wire and I really wanted to just pick someone.  I guess we can always switch later if we change our minds.  The office is really convenient too, in the same building as Dr. H, right across from the hospital.  So we're all set there.

This morning we saw Dr. H as well.  Only two more appointments on my schedule.  My B/P was 120/70, I weighed 186 I think, and the baby's heart rate was 146.  Dr. H checked me and said my cervix was still essentially closed and long.  He said he would try to encourage it to dilate but he didn't think it would work.  I'm not sure exactly what that meant but it was not super pleasant, whatever he was doing in there.  I told him I was ready to have this baby now and he said this is around the time we might start talking about induction if my cervix was "favorable" - but it's not.  He said if they induced me now it would just make me miserable.  So we just have to wait and see.  The good news is, Seth's head is still pointed at the business end, ready to go.  And my cervix could change overnight, really, if he decided he wanted to come out.

I'm still thinking the 19th sounds like a good day for a birthday.  Dr. H and Dr. C are BOTH on call this weekend, so that would be ideal (and a sure sign that he probably won't come this weekend).  I'll be crossing my fingers though!

Restless

OMG now that this baby is ready for launch the suspense is KILLING ME.  Last night after I went to bed I am pretty sure I had about 4 contractions 4 minutes apart.  Then I rolled over to my other side and they stopped.  DANG!  I was in and out of sleep the whole night, trying to find a position where my itchy stretch marks wouldn't bother me.  Plus the added pressure from baby's head made me have to get up to pee way more times than I have been.  Not that I am complaining.  I am very happy having that pressure to alert me that he hasn't flipped himself back over.  Dr. H said that only happens about 5% of the time, so I'm not too terribly worried about it.

Work is kind of a nice distraction from the waiting game.  Although I do think I'd rather be home watching movies to pass the time.  I suppose that might get old after awhile.  I actually got a little bored yesterday lounging around on the couch for so long.  The way I'm feeling is really reminiscent of the "two week wait" - you know, those LONG days after trying to conceive before you can reasonably expect to see those magical pink lines on a home pregnancy test.  HOW LONG AGO THAT WAS!!!!

Dear Seth,
About 37 weeks ago you were just a gleam in your father's eye.  Now you are a squirmy little monkey inside my belly almost ready to join the world.  Everyone is rooting for you to get here soon so they can pinch your little cheeks!  I can't wait to meet you.  Hurry hurry little boy!

Love, Mom

The big flip

Ahhh okay, we're home now, I've had a nap and I'm ready to tell the story. I had to get up at 5am today to get showered and to the hospital on time, so I was a little sleepy. Anyway, we did check in at 6:15am, maybe a little earlier. I had to sign off on a couple of pieces of paper that looked identical at first, so on the second one where it said relationship to patient I wrote "self." Then I realized that one was for the BABY, so I had to cross that out and write "mother" -- boy did that feel weird!

We went and sat in the waiting room for a few minutes until someone came and told us they didn't have any nurses available to get me prepped until the day shift came on at 7am. Ugh. So we took a little walk around the hospital and I showed Eric the pictures in the hallway of my mom and grandma from when they graduated from Sacred Heart School of Nursing! We went back to the waiting room again and watched Sports Center until about 7:15am when the nurse "J" came to get us.

The whole procedure took place in the labor and delivery triage area. I changed into a gown and hopped into bed. J strapped on two monitors - one for the baby's heart rate and one to monitor for contractions. She took my blood pressure which was about 112/72 I think, and started an IV. Boy did she make a mess with that IV, there was blood everywhere, even on her shoes! Then she asked me a whole bunch of health history type questions and we kept an eye on the baby's stats. He did great! His heart rate hovered around 130-135 or so most of the time, except when he was moving around it "accelerated" up to 155 or more. That is exactly what you want to see. I was also having a few contractions apparently, but not anything I could feel. The nurse got a call saying that Dr. H would be running a little late because he had to deliver a baby really quick.

Dr. H showed up just after 8am and got started right away after I signed the consent form. He tilted the table down so I was flat and then actually tipped it backwards (into "maximum heartburn position" he said) so I was on a slight incline with my head down. They took the straps off and the nurse just held the monitor in place while he checked via ultrasound to make sure the baby was still in fact breech, which he was. Then goop went all over my belly and he went to work, trying to make baby do a front flip. Baby's bottom was not too far in my pelvis which made it much easier he said. I have to say, it was uncomfortable but really not all that painful overall. It didn't feel good or anything but it was nowhere near the worst pain I have ever felt. And Dr. H was pushing really hard - so hard that his arms were shaking with the effort. I just laid back and tried to relax, staring at the ceiling. Out of the corner of my eye I could see both Dr. H and Eric glancing at me every once in awhile to see how I was doing. At first it didn't feel to me like it was working, it just felt like a lot of pushing and nothing happening. But the nurse and Dr. H were saying things like "there he goes" and "looks like it's working" - although at one point they stopped and Dr. H said "that's not a good place to get stuck." But he just repositioned his hands and kept going. Then it was over and done, it literally took about 5 minutes total. They checked on ultrasound again to make sure his head was down and then strapped on the monitors again. Yahoo! Success!

Dr. H said a few times that I did a great job! He said "give yourself a pat on the back" because I guess your ability to relax really helps your chances of the procedure working, so YAY! He said some women have said that after an ECV, labor pain was nothing. Now I can't possibly imagine how that could be true, but I'll take the compliment I guess. And they didn't even have to give me any drugs! Score!



After that we got to hang out for awhile monitoring the baby some more to make sure his heart rate didn't drop, which it didn't. I went to the bathroom and walked around for a bit, which felt totally weird! Now that the baby has his head down there is clearly more pressure on my bladder and my cervix and it is way less comfortable than before. However, it's a nice indicator to me that he hasn't flipped BACK over, which of course now is my ultimate fear. Anyway, then I ate some food and they monitored me and the baby for a little while longer. I was still having a few little contractions, but the baby's heart rate stayed steady and jumped up after I drank some really cold juice, just like it was supposed to. He seemed to be happy and healthy and content upside down, so I got dressed and they let us go.

Now we anxiously await the day when we get to go to Labor & Delivery for real! Let's hope it's soon because I can't stand the suspense! Not to mention the constant wondering if Seth is going to decide he doesn't like being upside down and flips right back over while I'm sleeping. I do take some comfort in the fact that up until today he stayed right side up for about 5 weeks at least, so it doesn't seem like he is prone to a bunch of flipping back and forth. Plus, with the effort it took to push him over it's hard to imagine he could get back on his own.

Well I'm off to enjoy the rest of my day off. Eric took the day off, too so we're going to be lazy and watch movies, and then later maybe try some old wives tales to try and induce labor, hee hee. And by that I mean we're going to eat some spicy food ;)

It worked!

Our baby is head down and just getting monitored. Pray he stays put now. More later!

Thanks,
Amanda

Leavin' on a jet plane... don't know when I'll be back again...

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..... it's hard to believe how much stuff we are taking with us tomorrow, just in case! Actually, Eric is packing and I'm sitting here watching and blogging about it, thinking about how much more exciting it would be if I was really in labor right now. I think I actually have had a couple of contractions today, but totally random and unpredictable - not to mention painless. But that's good. I don't want real contractions until next week, after Seth gets his little head pointed in the right direction.

Anyway, it's getting late and we have to be at the hospital to check in at 6:15am. The procedure's not until 8am so I think it'll be a lot of waiting around in the beginning. Descriptions I've read online from other women have said the procedure itself takes anywhere from a couple of minutes to over an hour. Plus some time to monitor the baby before and after. I will try to keep my blog updated or post something on Facebook as soon as we have an idea of how things went.

Thanks again for all your support and encouragement. Pray for me to trust in the Lord with all my heart AND remember that He has a plan.

Still breech - long post warning

We spent a long morning at the Dr's office and hospital.  Our ultrasound went fine, baby is still breech as I expected, but everything else looks pretty normal.  Aside from the strange position of his legs…  he has one leg bent down by his bottom and the other one straight up in front of his face.  Dr. H said he's never seen a breech baby like that.  Imagine that!  He has been an OB for 30 years and never seen a baby in this position.  Lucky us :)  Now that I know for sure where his limbs are, all the movement I feel makes a lot more sense.  It even makes sense to me that he hasn't turned over, based on that straight leg.  Seems to me like that would make it a little hard to maneuver.

Here are some stats…

My weight: 184 I think
My B/P: 126/62
Baby's heart rate: 155
Baby's estimated wt: 6 lbs 12 oz

We had a nice discussion about what's next and ultimately decided to go ahead and try the version on Monday.  My fears were somewhat assuaged regarding having to have an emergency C section.  Dr. H said he talked to Labor & Delivery and they said only one time in the last 10 years have they had a ECV go so horribly wrong that they had to knock the patient out and get the baby out STAT.  The more likely (but still fairly unlikely overall) situation is that the baby just wouldn't be doing too well and they would either just flip him back over or it wouldn't be so terribly urgent that they wouldn't have time to do a spinal (which is the standard anesthesia for a C section).  IF, and that's a big IF, I had to have a TRUE emergency C section then he said he most likely would do a midline (vertical) incision because it's faster, but only in a life or death situation.  So I guess I am okay with that.  Note that a vertical incision pretty much eliminates any possibility of having a VBAC.

So… if the version doesn't work or the baby flips back over, there's still some hope.  He said the baby might still just flip over by the time I go into labor.  If I do go into labor and the baby is still breech, they will sometimes try another version at that point -- but it gets harder and harder the bigger the baby gets, and they wouldn’t be able to if my water was broken.  Also, once you go into labor, usually the baby has dropped down in the pelvis so far that it's hard to dig them out to flip them over.  So in any of those cases I would have to have a C section.  If I haven't gone into labor, they can also try another version and then immediately induce me, but they wouldn't do that until about 39 weeks, and again at that point the baby is probably going to be too big to turn.  So then I'd have a C section.

If I do have a C section, which it sounds like there is a pretty good chance, he said he would probably allow me to try and have a VBAC next time assuming everything else was normal.  He said the risk of my uterus rupturing is about 1 in 200, but if it does, it's a really catastrophic event and gives them about 6 or 7 minutes to get the baby out before it would have severe brain damage.  So it's a small risk, albeit a scary one… but it sounded like the choice was up to us.

I asked him what his perception was in terms of my specific situation and whether or not the ECV was going to work.  He said the baby's not huge (yet), so that's good.  I also have a reasonable amount of amniotic fluid - not a ton, but enough.  So the chances are pretty good.  As good as they can be I guess.  So we're going for it.  For a long explanation of the procedure you can read the article I posted yesterday.  But the abbreviated version is: We'll go in on Monday, they'll monitor the baby for a bit to make sure he's doing okay.  Then they'll try to flip him over without any drugs.  If I start contracting they'll give me a shot of something that makes my heart race but somehow makes my uterus relax (which sounds so weird to me).  Then they'll try again.  After the flip, they'll monitor the baby again for awhile to make sure he's still doing okay and then I'll go home.  And wait.  I hate waiting.

I guess no matter what happens, I will probably have a baby in my arms within about 3 weeks.  I just have to trust that no matter how he comes out, that was the way it was meant to be, and we'll get on with our lives.  Just the same, I appreciate everyone's prayers and positive thoughts, because I really hope this works!

Ready or not...36 weeks, 6 days, 12 hours, 57 minutes

OK, this baby can officially come tomorrow if he wants, I would be okay with that (as long as he comes out head first, from you know where… the "business end"). We have got all our ducks in a row at the hospital, paperwork is filled out, car seat is installed, classes are done, maternity leave is as final as it can be, and mommy is just about ready to be NOT pregnant anymore. A break from work will be nice as well.

The last couple of days my stretch marks have been itching like CRAZY. I don't know what the deal is but it is very very annoying. The stretch marks themselves are completely baffling to me in the first place. They are still congregated just right underneath my belly button, in a place where the skin does not even seem to be stretched. Although now that I think about it, maybe it's just not tight because of all the stretch marks… haha, duh. Anyway, they itch. Bad.

I'm also tired of being damp. ALL. THE. TIME. Enough said. But I guess some of that is probably going to continue post partum, so I hear. Or it will be worse. Yay for Lochia!

More than anything I am ready to be done stressing about how this birth is going to go down. I kind of feel like Seth is trying to turn over but he can't quite get there. Today on my right side it seems like he is trying to climb or claw or kick his way over (picture a hamster trying to climb the side of a bathtub), but I haven't felt any significant shifts in where he's positioned or where his little hands and feet are scrambling. Too bad I can't give him something to grab on to ("throw me the rope"). I suppose I'll just have to wait and see tomorrow morning. But if he really is trying to flip himself over and can't, then maybe he just needs a little help, and the ECV will be successful, and he'll be happy and content afterwards (and NOT flip back over like a stubborn little boy). I'm going with that.

ECV Research

For those who are interested and have plenty of free time, here is a long but very interesting and informative article on External Cephalic Version (our Monday appt).

http://www.aafp.org/afp/980901ap/coco.html

Incidentally, Eric says last night when he got home from work, he put his hand on my belly while I was sleeping and it felt to him like Seth was turning over.  Hehe, we'll see I guess.

Turn baby turn!

Holy cow… 36 weeks and 4 days.  36 and a half weeks.  This is seriously getting close…ahhhhh!!!!  Tomorrow morning we have our pre-admit visit at the hospital to get all our paperwork filled out.  I'm also meeting with HR at work after that to finalize my maternity leave.  Then Thursday bright and early at 7:30am we have an ultrasound to determine for certain where Seth's little head is (not to mention the placenta, and the cord, etc... those all factor in as well), and an appt following that at 8:45am with Dr. H.  After that Eric is going to AAA to get the car seat checked out.

Questions for Dr. H that I cannot forget to ask -- if the ECV puts the baby in distress and results in an emergency C section, what kind of anesthesia can I expect?  They're not going to just knock me out are they???  But it seems to me like if there was a true emergency there might not be time for a spinal or epidural.  Eeek!  I hate hate HATE the idea that I'd just be put to sleep and then wake up to a new baby staring me in the face.  That scares me more than anything.

Also I want to ask him what his personal VBAC policy is.  I'm hopeful based on the information I found about Sacred Heart, it seems like maybe you're not destined for repeat C sections until you've had TWO, but I want to find out for sure.  I've been reading A LOT about C sections trying to prepare myself for the worst, but maybe… just maybe… Seth will do a little flippy on his own or the ECV will work and I can avoid getting cut open.

Just in case, we are getting our bags packed this weekend.  Last night I pulled out Seth's little stack of hats to see which one would be the cutest in his 1st baby pictures.  Breathe in, breathe out...

Sick day

In a moment of weakness this morning I called in pregnant and stayed home from work. I'm just really having an off day. This was not a decision I made lightly. Every sick day I use now is another 8 hours of paid time that won't be available after Seth is born. I even got up, got all ready and then finally made the call. My throat is a little sore, plus I was having cramps off and on since I woke up. Nothing regular or worrisome, but enough to make me feel icky and more like lying down than sitting at my desk all day. I hope tomorrow is better.

36 weeks & huge

Something about this shirt makes me look really gigantic this week. So far as I can tell, Seth hasn't changed his position significantly yet. I am getting really discouraged and freaked out about having a C section. I know it's not that big of a deal - more than 30% of babies born in the U.S. come out that way... but it is NOT what I saw happening for myself. I guess what freaks me out the most is the fear that after having one I would be automatically doomed to have another for baby #2 (assuming there will be baby #2). That is something I suppose I will have to discuss with Dr. H on Thursday. If he's not supportive of me trying to have a VBAC then I'll just have to find a new doctor, and I really hate that thought as well. Ugh. Better quit counting my chickens before they hatch, it's totally stressing me out. It is going to be a LONG week.

Update: I found this website/link about VBAC in Spokane, that makes me feel a little better! ICAN.ORG

Baby's confused

As I suspected due to the distinct head-shaped lump right between my ribs, baby's still right side up (or wrong side up in this case). Dr. H confirmed that he is not in the ideal vertex position to come out. The 3 options he gave me were 1) wait and see, maybe he'll still turn over on his own 2) "manually" turning him via external cephalic version or 3) just schedule a C section. Both 1 & 2 also could result in a C section obviously if they don't work. So we opted for sort of a combo of #1 and #2. He's got one more week to flip on his own, and we'll do an ultrasound next Thursday morning before my regular appointment to check on that. Then if not, we also have the ECV scheduled for 8am on the 14th. The ECV has minor risks - I could go into labor if my water breaks, or the cord could get twisted or pinched and put the baby in distress. Apparently those situations are rare though. There's also about a 35% chance that it just won't work -- if the baby doesn't want to turn, maybe he's just happy the way he is. Or he could turn just fine and then flip right back over on his own. So no guarantees no matter how you look at it. *sigh* Actually I take that back… we are pretty much guaranteed to have a baby, no matter which way he comes out. And if I do have to have a C section, at least I can probably guarantee it will be in December, which means TAX CREDIT, and deductibles already met, etc, etc. So that's the silver lining I guess.

Again, other than that, everything seems fine. And I did finally have the Group B Strep today, which wasn't that bad.

B/P: 128/70
Wt: 183
Baby's heart rate: 146

I guess I'll be doing a lot of yoga and swimming for the next 10 days!

Place yer bets!!

I finally got all my birth stats from my mom and I want to have a little fun before my appointment on Thursday. I'm anticipating a whirlwind of activity and changes in plans if Dr. H finds Seth's head still under my rib cage, so we better get this over with.

So comment your guesses on when baby Haynes will make his grand entrance (hopefully not covered in blue fur). My official due date is Dec 31st by ultrasound and Jan 1st by LMP. LOTS of people at my Spokane baby shower guessed December 19th, so I'm anxious to see if everyone is right!

Eric
2 weeks early
8 lbs 12 oz
22.5" long

Manda
2 days early
8 lbs 4 oz
20.5" long

My Prediction
Dec 19th
8 lbs 6 oz
21" long

Interesting note -- my mom said when I was born she woke up at 8am with contractions and I was born at 12:54pm. Quick like a ninja!

Baby dream

I should have written this one down at 4am when I woke up because now I don’t remember it so well. I do remember that Amanda T and I were at Benson Hill elementary school in Renton having our babies. I think Amanda had already had hers. I needed to have mine right away though so I could go see her. We were all outside with our strollers. So I had my baby, which was weird, I had about 1 contraction and it was over, sweet! I remember feeling kind of disappointed though, like "that's it??" My baby was all blue and furry. Not blue as in lack of oxygen blue -- blue like Grover from Sesame Street. He had a messy diaper and it was leaking out everywhere. It was pretty gross. That's all I remember.

I went swimming again last night. I am going to have to keep my gym membership now until the baby is born just so I can go use the pool, it is SO nice. I can also stand in the super hot shower afterwards for as long as I want and not worry about running up my own water bill. Tonight Eric and I have our last class, which is Baby Care. Then Thursday AM is my appointment with Dr. H and we'll find out if all the swimming and stuff has helped little Seth flip over. For the record, I don't think it has. But I am still going to keep trying, right up until I check into the hospital for an ECV.