There will be no picture to accompany this post or probably any further posts as I LOATHE the way I look and feel right now. I'm retaining so much fluid that I just feel like a giant water balloon. It may be vain to feel this way, but I'm okay with that...
How far along? 39 weeks, cannot believe we have a week until my due date!
Total weight gain/loss: I think it's still hovering around 30-35 lbs.
Maternity clothes? most of them won't cover the bottom of my belly anymore and I just don't care...
Stretch marks?just the tiny ones on my hips and my navel piercing. I'm hoping it stays that way...which would be nothing short of a miracle because my other parts were covered with them in puberty and my whole family has them. My doc is shocked every time she sees my stretchmark free belly.
Sleep: I'm used to this lack of sleep thing but am so tired of my aching hips.
Best moment this week: How excited Ben was when we thought that it was "time"
Movement: all the time, still some pretty big movements and lots of hiccups. I'm waiting for one of these punches to break my water already!
Food cravings: nothing in particular.
Gender: boy
Labor Signs: false labor just about every evening for the past week
Belly Button in or out?slightly out
What I miss: being 35 lbs lighter and more comfortable.
What I am looking forward to: giving birth and meeting our sweet boy!
Weekly Wisdom: start exercising early in pregnancy, even if it's just walking. I've been walking at least a mile a day for the past two weeks and it feels great and helps me sleep a bit better.
Milestones: 39 weeks is a pretty big one since we've been told over and over the baby would be early since I'm sitting here at 4cm at least...but he's being stubborn!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Labor & Delivery: False Labor Part II
So my contractions finally became more consistent for a significant period of time. They were 2-5 minutes apart for almost two hours. Before they were often but would bounce back and forth or taper off and were never consistent for more than an hour.
I called my OB's office and the nurse advised that I go to Labor & Delivery at the hospital. I really was hoping to get to go in to the office and get checked there instead. I had a feeling I'd get sent home even though things were different this time.
Ben came and picked me up and we got to L&D around 4:30pm. Contractions had been consistent since about 2pm and were staying that way whether I was sitting or standing and some were more painful than what I had experienced before so I was pretty hopeful that this was finally it...
I got hooked up to the monitors in the triage room and when the nurse checked my cervix I was between 3 and 4cm. Since I was at that point at my last OB appointment on Monday the on-call doctor for my group suggested having me walk and see if I would progress further and was actually in active labor. Ben and I were hungry so I walked briskly in circles around the L&D hallways while he grabbed us bagels from the cafeteria.
We walked for an hour and a half and the contractions got really intense. Back to the monitors and another check, I was at a 4 at that point but the doctor didn't feel like that was significant enough progress to admit me and I was sent home. While it was quite discouraging, he was right.
I came home and rested as much as I could. I finally fell asleep and woke up with no contractions at all.
This is so maddening.
As I write this I'm having my nightly contractions...I'm not even bothering timing them anymore. I told Ben that the only way I'm going back to the hospital is if my water breaks or if the contractions are so strong I need help getting to the car. I'm fairly serious about this, I'm so irritated and we surely don't have the money for all these trips.
This has been the most surprising thing about pregnancy, I thought I would know if/when I'm in labor.
The upside is that once active labor finally happens I don't have far to go to get to 10cm and baby is very low and ready to be born!
Also- my wonderful husband is now home for the month. His job ended but he's paid through the end of the month through sick leave and his severance agreement. I love having him around...and today he organized and cleaned the garage. I feel like Oprah's clean sweep crew just came through!! He's so awesome :)
And tomorrow we're going to go swimming, I'm no longer stuck in the house waiting for labor. There's only so much nesting one can do in a 900 square foot house!
I called my OB's office and the nurse advised that I go to Labor & Delivery at the hospital. I really was hoping to get to go in to the office and get checked there instead. I had a feeling I'd get sent home even though things were different this time.
Ben came and picked me up and we got to L&D around 4:30pm. Contractions had been consistent since about 2pm and were staying that way whether I was sitting or standing and some were more painful than what I had experienced before so I was pretty hopeful that this was finally it...
I got hooked up to the monitors in the triage room and when the nurse checked my cervix I was between 3 and 4cm. Since I was at that point at my last OB appointment on Monday the on-call doctor for my group suggested having me walk and see if I would progress further and was actually in active labor. Ben and I were hungry so I walked briskly in circles around the L&D hallways while he grabbed us bagels from the cafeteria.
We walked for an hour and a half and the contractions got really intense. Back to the monitors and another check, I was at a 4 at that point but the doctor didn't feel like that was significant enough progress to admit me and I was sent home. While it was quite discouraging, he was right.
I came home and rested as much as I could. I finally fell asleep and woke up with no contractions at all.
This is so maddening.
As I write this I'm having my nightly contractions...I'm not even bothering timing them anymore. I told Ben that the only way I'm going back to the hospital is if my water breaks or if the contractions are so strong I need help getting to the car. I'm fairly serious about this, I'm so irritated and we surely don't have the money for all these trips.
This has been the most surprising thing about pregnancy, I thought I would know if/when I'm in labor.
The upside is that once active labor finally happens I don't have far to go to get to 10cm and baby is very low and ready to be born!
Also- my wonderful husband is now home for the month. His job ended but he's paid through the end of the month through sick leave and his severance agreement. I love having him around...and today he organized and cleaned the garage. I feel like Oprah's clean sweep crew just came through!! He's so awesome :)
And tomorrow we're going to go swimming, I'm no longer stuck in the house waiting for labor. There's only so much nesting one can do in a 900 square foot house!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
appointment update and then some
Went into the doc again today. I'm about 4cm dilated but down to 50% effaced. Apparently effacement can go back and forth...I had no idea about this!
We have one more appointment scheduled for July 15th and our due date is July 18th. After that my doc is on vacation. Today she offered the option of inducing labor next week if I don't go into labor naturally since she won't be here after that. She said she doesn't just offer this to everyone but that my cervix is very favorable and an induction would most likely go very well. However, there is a higher instance of emergency c-section with induction and we've been against any medications and interventions from the beginning. So- while it's tempting to set a date and avoid going overdue or seeing a different doc, we are sticking to our plan. I'm most in favor as I don't like the idea of being tied to a pitocin drip or any other needles & tubes during labor. We'll wait for nature to take it's course as long as baby is healthy. My doctor completely understood and I love that about her...I'm really hoping she will be able to deliver this baby.
Took a nap after the appointment since I woke up at 4am again this morning. Walked about a mile this afternoon and have been having some contractions but they are still inconsistent in their timing and intensity. I'm working on patience.
We have a breast-feeding class tonight that we missed last month because we were at L&D for fear of pre-term labor (oh the irony) but we're skipping it. I feel like a bad "student" but I'm so not in the mood to sit around a room at the hospital with a bunch of strangers and learn about breasts. I have books and friends and think that should be the support we'll need. Plus Ben's best friend's bday get-together is tonight and I'd much rather hang out with friends before that becomes a distant memory.
Speaking of...we are the first of just about all of our close friends to have a baby and we're already noticing that lack of invitation to things. But we're making friends with people that have kids and making an effort to initiate contact with those that don't and that don't seem to understand that we're still us and quite capable of hanging out just like before...
We have one more appointment scheduled for July 15th and our due date is July 18th. After that my doc is on vacation. Today she offered the option of inducing labor next week if I don't go into labor naturally since she won't be here after that. She said she doesn't just offer this to everyone but that my cervix is very favorable and an induction would most likely go very well. However, there is a higher instance of emergency c-section with induction and we've been against any medications and interventions from the beginning. So- while it's tempting to set a date and avoid going overdue or seeing a different doc, we are sticking to our plan. I'm most in favor as I don't like the idea of being tied to a pitocin drip or any other needles & tubes during labor. We'll wait for nature to take it's course as long as baby is healthy. My doctor completely understood and I love that about her...I'm really hoping she will be able to deliver this baby.
Took a nap after the appointment since I woke up at 4am again this morning. Walked about a mile this afternoon and have been having some contractions but they are still inconsistent in their timing and intensity. I'm working on patience.
We have a breast-feeding class tonight that we missed last month because we were at L&D for fear of pre-term labor (oh the irony) but we're skipping it. I feel like a bad "student" but I'm so not in the mood to sit around a room at the hospital with a bunch of strangers and learn about breasts. I have books and friends and think that should be the support we'll need. Plus Ben's best friend's bday get-together is tonight and I'd much rather hang out with friends before that becomes a distant memory.
Speaking of...we are the first of just about all of our close friends to have a baby and we're already noticing that lack of invitation to things. But we're making friends with people that have kids and making an effort to initiate contact with those that don't and that don't seem to understand that we're still us and quite capable of hanging out just like before...
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Disappointment, Dr. appointment, and the holiday weekend
Disappointment:
So I've started to blog about this a couple times now, but didn't really have the energy or the desire to put it in any creative words.
Ben was informed on Tuesday that he is being laid off from his job. Just six days since I left my job at the same place. A small university that we both attended and love. My dad works there, my sister will be attending in the fall, and they just sent me off on my journey as a stay at home with a lovely outdoor goodbye party after 4 years of hard work in a high burnout job.
My feelings are quite mixed. We both are at peace and know that God has a plan to bless us...not only that but to do such awesome things in our lives that we'll look back and be glad for the opportunity. We still love the University and the people...and are disappointed along with the rest of the institution in the decision making of the "higher ups".
Ben wasn't the only casualty. A few others lost their jobs (all in the name of balancing the budget). Even more were cut down to part time and stripped of their benefits. My dad went from 40 hours to 30 and will lose his health insurance. My siblings are still at home 16 and 18 years old. Luckily, they were smart enough to let him keep the tuition benefit that they were already planning on for my sister's schooling next year.
The weirdest part is that Ben still has a job for two more weeks. FMLA was what saved us. He put in for leave with the dates of July 20th-31st, the two weeks after my due date. Since they had already approved the leave, it would be against the law for them to let him go before then. So he is working for the next two weeks and then get paid for the two after that. We'll have health insurance through the end of the month. I feel bad for Ben having to endure work knowing that he's been let go- but he's received a lot of support from those who were spared.
Dr. Appointment
Had our 38 week appointment this morning...before which I walked a mile to meet Ben at work. It's beautiful weather outside and I couldn't resist the opportunity to get some exercise and encourage labor :)
I'm at a "good" 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. My doc asked me if I wanted her to stretch my cervix when she checked-I wasn't exactly sure what that meant but when she said it could encourage labor to begin I opted for yes. It actually didn't really hurt- it was uncomfortable and felt kind of like cramps or a contraction but was over quickly. She said I could go into labor or just experience the same intermittent contractions I'm already going through. We'll just have to wait and see. She predicted I'd go into labor next week, but it really could be any time now.
Baby is so low that she could feel his head when she checked for dilation. The great thing about that is that during labor he won't have very far to go. We were already expecting a quick labor due to family history, but it was nice to have confirmation that things will probably go fairly fast once they get started.
the holiday weekend...
With the Independence Day weekend Ben has tomorrow off of work. My parents, siblings, and a bunch of our extended family are all going camping up the coast. I obviously can't go (it's 3 hours away) nor do I really want to sleep on the ground at 9 months pregnant!
Ben and I are going to house/dog-sit at my parents' place which is in a rural area just outside of the city we live in. They have better a/c in their house and an awesome pool. It will be like a belated baby-moon (we had to cancel ours that was planned for when I was 14 weeks because of unexpected bleeding). It'll also be an alternative to going away for our 2 year anniversary which is on Tuesday July 7th. Although, I think Ben has something small planned for that evening :)
Have a great weekend everyone and if you think of us- pray that Ben gets a job before his time at this one ends!
So I've started to blog about this a couple times now, but didn't really have the energy or the desire to put it in any creative words.
Ben was informed on Tuesday that he is being laid off from his job. Just six days since I left my job at the same place. A small university that we both attended and love. My dad works there, my sister will be attending in the fall, and they just sent me off on my journey as a stay at home with a lovely outdoor goodbye party after 4 years of hard work in a high burnout job.
My feelings are quite mixed. We both are at peace and know that God has a plan to bless us...not only that but to do such awesome things in our lives that we'll look back and be glad for the opportunity. We still love the University and the people...and are disappointed along with the rest of the institution in the decision making of the "higher ups".
Ben wasn't the only casualty. A few others lost their jobs (all in the name of balancing the budget). Even more were cut down to part time and stripped of their benefits. My dad went from 40 hours to 30 and will lose his health insurance. My siblings are still at home 16 and 18 years old. Luckily, they were smart enough to let him keep the tuition benefit that they were already planning on for my sister's schooling next year.
The weirdest part is that Ben still has a job for two more weeks. FMLA was what saved us. He put in for leave with the dates of July 20th-31st, the two weeks after my due date. Since they had already approved the leave, it would be against the law for them to let him go before then. So he is working for the next two weeks and then get paid for the two after that. We'll have health insurance through the end of the month. I feel bad for Ben having to endure work knowing that he's been let go- but he's received a lot of support from those who were spared.
Dr. Appointment
Had our 38 week appointment this morning...before which I walked a mile to meet Ben at work. It's beautiful weather outside and I couldn't resist the opportunity to get some exercise and encourage labor :)
I'm at a "good" 3 cm dilated and 70% effaced. My doc asked me if I wanted her to stretch my cervix when she checked-I wasn't exactly sure what that meant but when she said it could encourage labor to begin I opted for yes. It actually didn't really hurt- it was uncomfortable and felt kind of like cramps or a contraction but was over quickly. She said I could go into labor or just experience the same intermittent contractions I'm already going through. We'll just have to wait and see. She predicted I'd go into labor next week, but it really could be any time now.
Baby is so low that she could feel his head when she checked for dilation. The great thing about that is that during labor he won't have very far to go. We were already expecting a quick labor due to family history, but it was nice to have confirmation that things will probably go fairly fast once they get started.
the holiday weekend...
With the Independence Day weekend Ben has tomorrow off of work. My parents, siblings, and a bunch of our extended family are all going camping up the coast. I obviously can't go (it's 3 hours away) nor do I really want to sleep on the ground at 9 months pregnant!
Ben and I are going to house/dog-sit at my parents' place which is in a rural area just outside of the city we live in. They have better a/c in their house and an awesome pool. It will be like a belated baby-moon (we had to cancel ours that was planned for when I was 14 weeks because of unexpected bleeding). It'll also be an alternative to going away for our 2 year anniversary which is on Tuesday July 7th. Although, I think Ben has something small planned for that evening :)
Have a great weekend everyone and if you think of us- pray that Ben gets a job before his time at this one ends!
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