journey of life

And, I’m still pregnant.  I know that there will be a day where I will completely forget the emotions, the experience of being pregnant, which in some ways will be wonderful, but I’m trying to savor the last little bit of pre-mommyhood that I have.  Unfortunately, fatigue, sleepless nights, rapid body temperature changes, backaches, annoying practice contractions, heartburn, irritability, swollen/numb hands and general uncomfortableness is hard to overlook right now.

Every morning this week when I wake up, I assess the situation.  Yep, I am still pregnant.  Will today be THE day?  Will I wake up tomorrow morning and have a newborn.  Yes, indeedy it is exciting, but I have reached a point where I am anxious to get the show on the road.  Although there are a ton of simple tasks I could tackle, I don’t want to.  I know I will wear myself out, which can just compound one, two or ALL of my symptoms.  So, instead I am just trying to muck through these last days.  But, honestly, what am I complaining about.  People do this ALL the time, some with multiple kids, absent husbands, high powered full-time jobs…the list goes on and on.  I’ve just come to the conclusion that I’ve been a complete weenie these last two weeks.  I held up really well until now.

So, I’m going to do some dusting, maybe clean the bathroom and take a shower.  I’ve actually had somewhat of an appetite these past few days…craving big breakfasts (anybody up for a breakfast buffet?) and Macaroni Grill’s Shrimp Portofino.

Meanwhile, a big congrats to all of my friends who have recently become bonafide first-time moms.  Welcome to the world Eliana!  I can’t wait to meet you!  Tell your mama she needs to do some labor dancing for me!

I have gone back and made sure that I published all of my status updates.  With less than a week to go before my due date, I thought it would be wise to play catch up.

I do apologize that the updates weren’t more consistent.  Typing with swollen, numb and tingly fingers is quite a challenge, not to mention painful, and writing letters, signing checks, cooking, cleaning, handling knives, along with most other simple tasks, can be next to impossible when your digits don’t work properly.  Unfortunately, the only remedy is to have this baby and I’m just waiting on that day to come.

Over the weekend, we managed to go through piles of receipts and miscellaenous paperwork that was screaming to be filed.  Fortunately, we didn’t suffer through any papercuts (mainly me, since I wouldn’t be able to feel if I got cut) and I believe we can now fit our important documents in two filing bins.  Call it nesting, but it desperately needed to get done, that is for sure.

Hurricane Hanna passed through with rain, some wind, and taking our cable/internet services for the afternoon/evening.  I had hoped that the change in barometric pressure might start labor, but we didn’t get that lucky.  Instead, we watched several movies while organizing and shredding, then topped off the evening with chicken and dumplings.  I am so looking forward to one-pot fall meals that require less time in the kitchen…

We will definitely let you know if and when anything happens.  Check back here for details!

One week to go.  Or somewhere around there.  Let’s just hope this baby comes sooner, rather than later!

The weekend came and went.  Three-day weekends don’t count when work is involved.  As in, all day work, everyday.  Matt’s parents came by for a brief visit with us on Monday and we celebrated Labor day with leftover clams, chicken, corn, potatoes, yams and yummy desserts catered by the Clambake Master and his associates.

This week I seriously thought I was going into labor on Wednesday.  My back hurt, my stomach was tight and I was feeling about as grumpy as I could be without going postal.  After drinking lots of water, eating a banana and taking a shower, I got out our suitcase and made sure that our hospital bags were packed and ready.  It must have been practice, because nothing happened.  However, I slept horribly, waking up every hour, but in the end I know we have stocked bags.  I also was inspired to go get a pedicure on Thursday, so my poor swollen feet have some specks of red on the toenails now.

I didn’t have the midwife check my cervix this week.  I figured that whatever she saw wouldn’t change anything.  Either I had progressed or not and either way I was going to go back home.  Urine, blood pressure, baby’s heartbeat and everything looks good.  My fundal height is still 40 cm., which is reassuring that I am not growing King Kong inside.

This week the advice started coming.  It’s been coming since I was pregnant, but only recently have I started getting really frustrated with it all.  I know my friends, family and even people at the post office mean well, but still.  Excerpts from my daily life are as follows:

Dude at the post office : Want that baby to come?  Go home, order pizza, drink beer and have sex. (Note : I asked if he knew this from experience.  I wanted to ask him who I needed to be having sex with, but declined.  I should keep the conversation PG-rated, plus, I didn’t want him to follow me home in the case he was propositioning me.)
Various people : Now, you know most first babies come late, don’t you?
Postlady : When you get to cleaning house, that baby is going to come.  I had all this energy, started cleaning baseboards and I delivered two hours later.
Various people (regarding my swelling) : Can’t you take water pills?  Make sure you drink lots of water.  Don’t eat so much dairy foods.  Are you sure that’s normal?

Sharing experiences is one thing, and that doesn’t bother me.  However, it does infuriates me when people…

…think that because it happened to them, it will happen to you
…give ignorant advice.  It’s an insult to my intelligence.
…don’t understand that things have changed.  Hello, you were pregnant twenty years ago, when things were really different than they are now.

I could go on and on, but I need to get off my soap box to eat some pizza, drink some beer and have some sex before I start cleaning baseboards.

Not much of an update this week.  Our weekly visit to the midwife showed that there has been no progress, but that was honestly to be expected.  This weekend, for the first weekend ever, we are going to be spending Labor Day weekend at home.  Matt has some work he needs to complete, so I imagine we will be watching college football, prepping for baby and playing the waiting game.  The nurses basket is packed, our clothes and hospital gear is together, but needs to be better organized and mentally, I believe we are “there”.

This is the week that being pregnant hit me like a brick.  Over the weekend Matt’s parents came and helped us with a ton of chores around the house in preparation for baby.  We ran errands, did household chores, and assembled nursery furniture (which required MAJOR organization efforts to make room for such furniture).  It took me several days to recuperate, and I don’t know if I am ever going to get used to having such strict limitations on what I can and can’t do.

My swelling has progressively gotten worse, but my blood pressure still looks good, and no protein in the urine, so at the time there’s no worries about preeclamsia.  At the doctor’s visit this week, I measured 40 cm (FOUR centimeters bigger than last week), baby’s heartbeat is in the 150s, 1 cm. dialated, 50% effaced and squishy, so we are making headway!

This past week I’ve been glued to the Olympics and in complete awe of the athletes (especialy Dara Torres and her post-pregnancy abs - there is hope!).  However, I have been competing in my own Pregnancy Olympic events including:

Mounting and dismounting the bed
180 degree rotational flip in bed
The stand-to-squat position (as well as the squat-to-stand position)
The sitting-to-stand position
The lying down-to-sitting position
Balancing while washing my feet in the stand up shower

Being pregnant creates limitations on your body and watching these fine human athletes push their bodies to the limit makes me feel like a complete weenie whenever I grunt to pick something off the floor.  Simple activities have become difficult and it truly surprises you when you get winded doing something that you take for granted.

Olympics aside, we met the last midwife with the practice.  While she isn’t our favorite, she’s still on the same page as us.  She’s a little Type A for us, but you never know…that might actually work to our advantage in the delivery room.  Bottom line is she gets us and will listen to our needs and wants, which is really what we want.

“How a woman approaches birth is intimately connected to how she approaches life.”
- The Birth Book

How true.  How true.

I have spent the majority of this week recouping from the events of last weekend.  With a baby shower, anniversary party and family visiting all at once, needless to say things were a little hectic.  However, a lot of preparation and planning made things flow fairly smoothly.

Another pregnancy symptom has hit in full force.  I’m having slight swelling in my hands and have started having numbness and some pain associated with it all.  Sleeping was rather difficult, but I believe that chiropractic care is helping relieve some of the pain and I’ve been able to sleep a little more comfortably since my adjustment.  Like a school kid, I’ve begun counting down the days until my due date.

I’m also getting in nesting mode and need to get on the ball on ordering some registry items that didn’t arrive, including cloth diapers and baby wraps/carriers.  I believe most people are intimidated by cloth diapering, don’t understand the new fangdangled ones, and since you can’t buy the in a store, they skip purchasing them.  I imagine that the cloth diapers will be the bulk of our baby expense in the next few months to come.  I think the same applies to wraps and carriers.  They are new and different, and need to be purchased online or in a specialty store.

Sleepless nights have crept into my schedule and I am beginning to come to the realization that this is going to be my life for a while.  Sad, but true.  Although the air conditioning unit in our bedroom is helping tremendously, I’m having a hard time getting comfortable and my hands (and sometimes arms) are experiencing some numbness.  Sunday night I discovered that edema (swelling) can contribute to pregnancy induced carpal tunnel, so I started making an effort to sleep with my hands and arms extended, and I believe that has helped.  Fortunately, I am able to squeeze in the occasional nap to get me through the day.

I’m also stepping it up a notch with my pelvic rocking in the hopes to help minimize heartburn.  I’ve begun to get a handle on food…smaller portions and snacks intermingled throughout the day are helping.  I find it surprising that no matter what I eat, heartburn can strike in the afternoon.  Because new research is showing that Tums can “age” the placenta, and Papaya Enzyme/Extract is still somewhat controversial, I want to avoid medication if at all possible.

Yesterday we met with the third midwife at the new practice and we continue to be extremely grateful to have made the switch.  My mom came with us to the appointment and was able to hear the heartbeat for the first time, which she recorded on her cell phone to play back to friends and family.  My weight actually stayed steady from the last visit, my blood pressure continues to look good and the fundal height is on target at 34 cm.  Unfortunately, with a positive Group B Strep urine test, I will automatically be treated with IV antibiotics, preferably two doses four hours before delivery.  The midwife helped teach Matt how to feel my belly to figure out the positioning of the baby, something that was extremely neat.  Jostling the baby around caused the baby’s heartbeat to rise (a good thing) and we listened to the heartbeat as it returned to a normal resting pace.  We would have never been able to have such an opportunity at our previous practice.  I truly feel like this is the standard of care we were looking for.