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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Birth story

Here I am, sitting in my rocking chair, nursing my baby at 12:30am. It seems like as good of a time as any to start writing her birth story. :)

On Sunday, August 19th, I had a little bit of what I thought was bloody show in the morning. I had some more in the late afternoon and told Steve I was pretty sure this was the beginning of the beginning. (I also had some mild cramps that evening.) He decided to call in to work the next day, just sure that we would be headed to the hospital at any minute! In reality, I think it was good that he called in and was able to get a good night's rest and take it easy the next day.

Around 4:30am on Monday (the 20th) I was having some cramps. When I got up for the day around 9am and used the bathroom I noticed that I was losing my mucous plug (this was actually kind of a long process over several trips to the bathroom). I was sure enough that that's what it was that I told Steve and texted my mom (who had returned from an out of state trip just the night before) and my best friend. Around noon I had what I thought to be my first contraction. I had a few more over the course of the afternoon but they were incredibly spread out and didn't cause me to really stop what I was doing because they weren't very strong. The whole day I felt like I was just waiting (well, I was!). I just kind of puttered around.

Finally in the evening the contractions started to become a little more "regular" but were still about 30-40 minutes apart. I told Steve, "This is ridiculous, let's go for a walk." So at 9pm we headed down the street to the high school track for some walking! We walked one lap together and I had three contractions that actually made me stop walking until they passed. I told Steve I wanted to walk one more lap and he decided to wait on the bleachers while I walked. ;) I had a few more contractions during my second lap and by the time we headed home they were consistently about 10 minutes apart.

(I forgot to mention that on Sunday I had made a "labor cake" which is basically just a chocolate overload cake. It includes a devil's food cake mix, a chocolate pudding mix, sour cream and an entire bag of chocolate chips. It is delicious and begs to be accompanied by about 4 glasses of milk. I had two slices on Sunday and two more slices on Monday and I have no idea if it did really anything to help but it sure was good. Steve enjoyed it too!)

When we got home from the track I texted my mom to give her an update. She decided to try to get some sleep and told me to let her know when my contractions were about 7 or 8 minutes apart. I told her I was going to finish packing our bags, take a shower and try to get some rest too.

I did mostly finish packing our bags and I did take a shower. But then I had a couple of much more intense contractions that I wasn't able to talk through and I texted my mom back and asked her if she would like to "go to bed" in our spare bedroom, just in case. ;) She agreed. This was around 11:30pm.

I texted a couple of people to let them know that this was it! I sent an e-mail to my cousin Stacy at work so she would see it first thing in the morning. I specifically did not post anything on Facebook, but Steve did. ;) Luckily it was vague enough that it was ok.

Jordan was extremely excited by this point and was being pretty funny. Steve got out of the shower and Jordan followed him into the other bathroom as he got ready to go. Jordan said to him, "Congratulations, you get to meet your daughter today!" I was in our bedroom, sitting on a yoga ball and breathing through contractions. Jordan came in, plopped down on the bed and said, "So!" That was it, just "so." ;) He was too excited to come up with anything else.

My mom arrived around midnight and Jordan let her in. They both joined me in the bedroom while Steve finished throwing things together and talking with Penny (a family friend), who had come to stay with Jordan. My mom tried applying pressure to my back during contractions but it didn't really help. She and Jordan were chatting and Jordan started a sentence with, "My dad said --" and I cut him off with "-- that you shouldn't talk during contractions." Luckily he thought that was funny and not harsh and stayed quiet through the next couple of contractions before going out to check on the rest of the house.

By this time the contractions were an average of 6ish minutes apart and my mom was trying to hurry Steve along so we could get out the door. They put a garbage bag and towel on my seat of the car, just in case. We said our goodbyes and headed out the door. Leaving the house at 1am felt weird but I had always kind of envisioned a middle-of-the-night labor.

There was absolutely no traffic on I-5 as we headed to Salem and we made great time. I did hate having contractions in the car and this was not helped by the fact that my car had quit running the week before and we were stuck in Steve's, which is much smaller. But I did enjoy the conversation on the way to the hospital. Everything felt pretty relaxed.

We arrived at the hospital at about 1:30am and Steve dropped my mom and I off at the ER entrance and went to park the car. Ironically the only other two patients we saw were pregnant women. ;)

When I checked in the woman at the desk asked me if I had any allergies. I said yes, Penicillin. She continued checking me in and a couple of minutes later she said, "so no allergies?" I told her Penicillin. Finally at the end of the check-in process she directed us where to go and I asked her (rather irritated) "Do I NEED an allergy band for Penicillin?" She replied, "Oh, I thought you said no allergies." Sheesh, lady.

The lady at the second window (insurance/billing/blah blah blah) was nice but a little clueless about asking a pregnant woman questions during contractions. Luckily by this point I was sitting in a wheelchair and Steve jumped in and answered questions for me.

Finally a man came to get us and take us to the labor and delivery unit. There were so many turns and elevators and hallways that I'm sure I would have been totally lost (and Steve decided not to brave going back to the car for our stuff until the doors of our building unlocked later that morning). I did compliment the man on his nice driving. He was so slow going over bumps and he told me that it only took one woman to tell him before he learned how to operate a wheelchair with a laboring woman in it. ;)

We finally arrived at a room where they were going to check me to determine my progress. The nurse had me put on a gown and give a urine sample and lay down on a table. She explained that she would check me, then monitor me for an hour and then check me again. The nurse was very nice and asked how far apart my contractions were. My mom had been timing them since we got in the car and said that the last few had been 3-4 minutes apart, which I had not realized. The nurse told me that I was at 5cm and seemed surprised to tell me that I was also 95% effaced. I was actually in tears at this point because the exam was so uncomfortable but I remember thinking to myself, "Good job, body!" I was really pleased and encouraged that I was already at 5cm.

The nurse then asked if I had thought about my preferences on pain control. I was sobbing by this point, even though the exam was over. I think it was a combination of the pain (I had to lay flat on my back for the exam, which was excruciating, and caused the contractions to move to my back, and then they stayed there) and some nervousness and fear. I also had the shakes and was just having trouble calming myself down. I felt well prepared but I was still nervous because it was all a big unknown. Steve answered the nurse for me and told her that I had really been wanting to deliver naturally but that I was not 100% opposed to the idea of an epidural. She asked if I thought I would want an epidural and I nodded my head, which I think was a huge relief to Steve. She told me that since I was already so far progressed that they weren't going to bother monitoring me for an hour and had called the doctor to come and see me. Dr. Samawi was the doctor on call and was one of only two doctors we hadn't met during prenatal visits. I LOVED him. I think I may have asked him if he was sure he didn't want to stay on for one more shift. ;) Part of this was because I knew who was on the next shift and it was the ONE doctor I absolutely did NOT want to have. I had mentioned before that there was only one day that Peyton couldn't be born... And of course that day was August 21st! When I asked the nurse and Dr. Samawi who was coming on at shift change (just to be sure) and they told me, I didn't hide my disappointment and frustration. They both cringed and said "sorry". So far everybody's opinion of that doctor has been the same, unfortunately.

Anyway, Dr. Samawi came in and introduced himself and verified my desire for an epidural. They had the anesthesiologist paged and then we headed to a labor room.

The labor rooms at Salem hospital are huge. I immediately asked for a birth ball because I was hoping to relieve some of the awful back labor. I sat on the ball and rocked and swayed while the nurse (a new one, who I also loved) asked me questions and had me sign a couple of consent forms. My mom tried applying pressure to my back again but it was of very little help. The nurse got IVs started in my left arm so that I could start getting the necessary fluids before the epidural.

At about 3am the anesthesiologist came in and asked me some questions and explained the epidural procedure. I hate listening to procedure explanations. Actually, I ended up hating the entire epidural. I was glad for the pain relief but I HATED the way I felt trapped in my own body because I could not move my legs or feel myself do kegels or anything. It took two people and the sheets on the bed to turn me from side to side, with me pulling my upper body using the rails on the bed. Not a fan!

Anyway, the epidural was placed, a catheter was placed, I was checked and was about 7.5cm. Again, I was really happy with that number. (I think that horrible doctor was the one who checked me and I was just mad at her from the get-go. She has lousy bedside manner and would just breeze in and breeze out of the room, barking directions sometimes and other times not saying anything.)

Steve and my mom were exhausted by this point and both tried to lay down to rest. Steve managed a mini nap on the "couch" and my mom laid her head on my bed and closed her eyes. I have no idea if she got any sleep. ;) The epidural was strong enough that I had a period of time where I didn't feel any contractions and I remember asking if they had slowed down. The nurse told me that I just wasn't feeling them and that was strange to me.

I had been sipping water and apple juice throughout the night but (just as I feared) I started to get really hungry as time went on and I asked for some chicken broth. Two cups of that was enough to take the edge off, thankfully.

At 7am I was checked again and I was at 9cm! I called my grandma, whose birthday was that day, and told her happy birthday and that I thought we would give her a great granddaughter as a gift. :) She was BESIDE HERSELF and squealed and cried. I promised her that we would call her as soon as we had news.

 

Our nurse told me there was an EMT student on the floor that day and asked if I minded if he observed the birth. I'm pretty open to students because hey, they have to learn on somebody! And since this guy was just observing, I didn't mind at all. He came in and introduced himself as Eric and was very nice. My mom asked if he had been to any other births and he said he'd been in a c-section earlier that morning but this was otherwise his first.

At this point (maybe around 7:15am) I decided to try to get a little rest before the big event. I was successful for a little while and had juuuust started to actually fall asleep when Dr. Annoying burst in, checked me and announced that I was complete and it was time to start pushing. Literally, I was jolted awake and within a few minutes the doctor had broken my water (nothing happened, no gush) and I was pushing. This was at 8:10am.

At some point early in the morning there had been a shift change and a nurse named Katie came on. If I ever deliver at Salem Hospital again, I want her. She was INCREDIBLE.

The idea of pushing was a little foreign to me, and at this point I was mostly unable to tell when a contraction was beginning or ending. Since I had a monitor on, others were able to tell by looking at the screen and they had to coach me along, telling me when a contraction started so I would know when to push. Somebody (the doctor, I think) explained that as the contraction built in intensity, I should take a deep breath, sit forward a little (I was almost laying all the way down), tuck my chin to my chest and push for the count of 10. Then sit back, take another deep breath and immediately do it again for a total of three or four pushes during each contraction. They asked if I wanted someone to count to 10 and I said yes. Steve made that his job and he was darn good at it. The doctor stayed in the room for a short time to make sure I was pushing "correctly" and that everything was fine, and then she breezed out the door again.

Early on in the pushing I was having trouble because I had terrible acid reflux. I had had it for the last few months of my pregnancy too and it sure is a pain. I was frustrated because as I was holding my breath to push the reflux would cause me to loose that breath because of burning in my throat. I finally told the nurse that I needed something for it and the doctor ordered this NASTY grape flavored syrup that was probably just as bad as the reflux. Katie told me to take it like a shot... Unfortunately, I can't take shots. Lol. I chugged it as fast as I could and then downed a bunch of apple juice, which only sort of helped. But the reflux went away!

After every set of pushes I asked for a drink of either water or apple juice because my mouth felt super dry. This helped me stay hydrated through the delivery.

The EMT student was supposed to be there to "observe" but the poor guy ended up being right in the midst of everything, giving me drinks after contractions and even holding one of my legs (which had to be done because I could not even wiggle my toes, much less pick up my legs and hold them). He was awesome.

After about two hours of pushing the doctor breezed in, checked me, basically scolded my progress and told the nurses that they needed to "flip flop" me. This meant that they turned me on my side and I pushed through two or three contractions and then they turned me on my other side and I did the same. We did this twice for each side. Pushing on my side was very strange for me. I found it hard to focus my pushes anywhere, it felt so different. But I did feel that there was improvement in bringing the baby down. I was seriously wishing that I didn't have the epidural so I could have used lots of different positions.

After the flip flopping I was turned on my back again. I kept asking Steve and my mom if they could see the baby's head and they said yes, when I pushed they could see her head. I was getting a little frustrated that progress wasn't being made faster. When I first started pushing my sister had gone and picked up Jordan and they came to the hospital. I knew they were just sitting in the waiting room. I also knew that other people were waiting very anxiously to hear news and I just wanted her to be born! I spent almost the entire delivery process with my eyes closed but I felt fairly aware of everything going on around me.

  
Jordan had been up half the night with excitement and fell asleep in the waiting room. He told Kendra later that he had a dream that he was falling. I wonder why...

At about 10:30 (after 2 1/2 hours of pushing) the doctor said that if we didn't make some quick progress, we would need to talk about a c-section. I believe my response to her was, "Yeah, we are not doing that!" Steve quickly agreed with me. I knew that the baby was not in danger (other than the stress of being in the birth canal for so long - her heart rate was fine) and that the only reason for a c-section was because of how long I had been pushing.

At this point the doctor really got to business and was talking very sternly, telling me that I was not to make any noise during pushes, to focus ALL of my strength on pushing. She was really ticking me off with her tone and bossiness and Steve told me later that he thinks she finally made me so mad that I pushed the baby out! Maybe he's right. He was SO incredible through my entire labor and delivery. He kept encouraging me, giving me drinks, holding my legs and encouraging me some more. He made a wonderful birth partner. (I remember saying at one point, "This baby is going to be born knowing how to count to ten!")

My mom texted a couple of people (Stacy and my dad, I'm not sure who else) and said that there had been mention of a c-section and to pray for a prompt delivery.

The doctor told me that she needed my permission to do an episiotomy if needed. I think I shook my head or something because she got really stern and made me open my eyes and look at her and told me that she HAD to have my consent to do an episiotomy if necessary. She did add that she would try not to do one and I said ok.

I continued pushing and finally felt like something was happening, that we were getting somewhere. I didn't experience the "ring of fire" but I could feel when she crowned and her head was born. I immediately pushed again to deliver the rest of her.

At 11:35am Peyton Rhea Hanold was born!

 

She was placed directly on my stomach, only because the cord was too short to reach my chest. She was wide-eyed right away and it felt like it took a long time for her to cry but I'm sure it was only about 10 seconds. Once they rubbed her a bit she started to cry right away.

Steve told me later that it did not seem like I pushed for 3 1/2 hours, it seemed much shorter. I agree. I asked if she was born with a gush (since nothing happened when they broke my water) and he couldn't remember. Her Apgars were 9 and 9!


I think everyone was crying when she was finally born. The delivery room was a busy place with everybody doing their part. The doctor told me that she hadn't done an episiotomy but that I tore pretty badly (3rd degree) and she needed to stitch me up. She started on that and Katie (or someone) took Peyton to be dried off and checked out. We didn't have them give her eye ointment so I'm not totally sure what all they did but I remember saying, "I wasn't done with her" and really wanting her back. :)


When they finally brought her back to me I asked Katie to help me unsnap my gown so we could have some skin to skin time.

Looking back, the rest of the afternoon was sort of a blur and I can't remember the order in which things happened but I do know that the doctor stitched me up before she delivered the placenta. When it was time to deliver the placenta she had her whole hand inside me and was pulling and tugging and I had no idea what was going on and yelled, "What are you doing?!?" She said, "We have to get your placenta out." That process was SO painful, even with the epidural and I cried and squeezed the crap out of Steve's hands. He actually had to remind me of all of this later... The only thing I remembered was yelling at the doctor.

Finally when that torture was over I asked to have the epidural removed. Two nurses tried but were concerned about something not being as easy as usual so they called for an anesthesiologist. He removed it with no problem. After the epidural wore off I was SO THANKFUL to be able to feel my legs again! The other stuff wasn't so great to feel. I was soooo swollen and sore. Around this time I also threw up the entire contents of my stomach, which was all liquid. Unfortunately I had JUST taken a pain pill and because the nurse didn't see it come back up, she couldn't give me a second dose for 4 hours. Misery!

One nurse had saved the placenta before wrapping it up because I had expressed interest in seeing it. She took a minute to bring it over and show Steve and I both sides and the bag of waters, which I found fascinating.

The nurses had told me there was no big hurry in weighing and measuring the baby so it was probably a good hour after she was born that they finally did. She was 7lb 14oz and 19 1/4 inches long. I can't remember her head circumference, darnit.

Getting to know Daddy

I think around this time was when I tried nursing for the first time. Peyton knew what to do and spent just a couple of minutes sucking off and on.

Finally Jordan was able to come see his baby sister! He had been in the waiting room with my sister forever and he was so patient. I could see the excitement on his face when he finally got to come in and hold her. :) He cooed to her, "I'm your big brother!" When my sister told him, "Well, you're stuck with her now" he replied, "Til death do us part!"

  
 

Peyton had "brought" Jordan a gift and he opened a new movie and a Lego set, which he happily assembled on the floor when he was done holding the baby. Steve and my sister and parents took turns holding the baby and I ordered something to EAT!

 

A while later my nurse told me that I needed to get up and try to use the bathroom because that was a "prerequisite" for being transferred upstairs. I felt like it took me 10 minutes just to get out of bed and shuffle the 4 feet to the bathroom because I had to do everything so slowly and gingerly. I sat in that bathroom and tried and tried and tried to pee... but couldn't. I was getting so frustrated because Katie told me if I couldn't go they would have to catheterize me and I reeeeally didn't want that. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't even figure out which muscles to use to pee. (Epidurals suck.)

So, back to bed I went and sent Jordan and my dad off to explore while Katie tried to straight cath me.

Tried.

I was SCREAMING in pain because first of all, catheters are inhumane. Nothing should go there. And second, topical numbing gel does nothing in that situation. I was sobbing, trying to stay still and gripping Steve's and my mom's hands so hard that they probably lost feeling. My sister held Peyton and I texted her later to apologize for the trauma. It was awful. Steve and my mom were both in tears and Katie was almost in tears too. She finally called another nurse who said they would insert a Foley and leave it in until the next morning so I wouldn't have to go through this again. After several more excruciating minutes and a complete repeat of the first round of tears and screaming, they emptied over a liter from my bladder.

By this point I was totally exhausted, but they needed to get me moved upstairs (a nurse had even come to do Peyton's assessment in the L&D room because we weren't going to make it upstairs in time for their rounds). Getting out of bed and into that wheelchair was awful. I basically couldn't sit down completely and hated every second of that ride upstairs.

Once we were in our recovery room Katie said goodbye and I was in tears again, trying to thank her for being so incredibly wonderful to us. She told me that she felt so bad for me and that I did amazing but we assured her that she had also been amazing. I could have hugged that girl. She was an angel.

Our recovery nurse was sweet but for some reason I was glad she was only on shift for a few more hours. She kind of bugged me. Though she did tell me that the hospital's best kept secret was their banana bread and she was right. (Actually, all of the food I ordered was delicious, thankfully!)

I asked to see a lactation consultant and was told that someone could see me the next day. I was frustrated by that because I felt like Peyton was having some trouble latching. She would latch, suck a few times, then pull away and cry. (When I did see someone the next day she gave me a nipple shield which did help and we ended up using it for 4 weeks. She also had me start pumping and I was able to start getting colostrum which we gave Peyton in a syringe after each nursing attempt.)

 
Milk coma
 
I don't know where to end this story, but I guess my recovery was pretty uneventful. I spent two nights in the hospital and Steve stayed with me the first night and my mom the second. I didn't care for the pediatrician who saw Peyton both days (Altchel, sp?) but the doctors who saw me (Pugmire and Stalfire) were my two favorites. The nurses I had at night were AWESOME. I loved my nurse the first night (Ashley) and asked her if she was on shift again the next night. She said no but her sister would be working so I made sure to request her (her name was also Katie). The week after Peyton was born we actually got a card in the mail signed by 3 or 4 of our nurses. It was so sweet that I cried.

 
Napping with Daddy
 
The end. :)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

36 weeks


9 months along!

I have been so thankful for a mostly mild summer this year. Our summer months got off to a very pathetic start and we even had quite a bit of rain in June and July and I LOVED it. I felt a little bad for all my friends who were missing out on water play and the heat they had been expecting but I was a huge fan of the overcast days and cool nights (where I still slept with a fan in the window and no covers).

I got to meet my friend Aslan's baby this week! I didn't hold him cuz he was a little fussy but it just blew me away how tiny he was and left me with a feeling of, "I can't believe we're going to have one that small in just a few weeks..."

At my appointment this week the doctor told us that I am 1 cm dilated and 25% effaced. I feel like this is great "progress" for 36 weeks and was even a little surprised at the effacement!

I still have this numb/hollow spot below my right breast and just above my rib. My mother tells me it doesn't go away. Yay. Icing it sometimes helps but it can be pretty painful and annoying when I'm trying to sleep.

Peyton's kicks are becoming painful! She is head-down and right where she's supposed to be but she really likes to poke me on my right side with her foot (sometimes it's quite pronounced when I touch it) and she likes to wedge it there too. Another of her favorite tricks is sticking her butt out reeeeally far, creating this weird, hard lump on my belly. :)

Monday, July 30, 2012

Birth Plan


Birth Plan
Mikaila and Stephen Hanold
August 2012

Mikaila’s doctor: Dr. Jonathan Pugmire                         Baby’s doctor: Dr. Michael Marlowe

Assuming a normal labor and delivery and a healthy baby, we would like to deliver our child with minimum intervention which is consistent with safety.

Mikaila is allergic to Penicillin. Mikaila’s blood type is AB negative.

Labor
·        I would like to labor at home as long as I am comfortable, while still allowing a safe amount of time to drive to Salem Hospital.
·        I want my husband (Steve) with me at all times and if he cannot be, I want my mom (Angela) to be with me.
·        I would like to allow my water to break naturally.
·        Please do not offer pain medication. I know medication is available, but I am striving for an unmedicated labor and delivery. If I decide that I need an epidural or other pain management, I will ask for it. I understand that options may change as labor progresses.
·        I would like to utilize many different positions during labor, possibly including a squat bar, a birth ball, the bathtub, etc. I welcome suggestions for positions that may work for me.
·        I may choose to use music, focal points and/or active imagery during labor. I welcome suggestions for other relaxation techniques.
·        Since I would like to maximize mobility during labor, please keep monitoring to a minimum, using internal monitoring only in an emergency.
·        If for some reason I need an IV, please use a saline lock so I can be as mobile as possible.

Birth
·        My husband, my mom and possibly my sister will be attending the birth.
·        Please allow me to choose my own delivery position based on what has been working for me during labor.
·        I do not want an episiotomy.
·        I would appreciate some coaching on pushing in the beginning.

After Delivery
·        Please place the baby directly on my chest for immediate skin-to-skin contact and nursing.
·        I do not want Pitocin before, during or after the delivery of the placenta.
·        Please allow Steve the option of cutting the cord (he may or may not want to).
·        My blood type is AB- and I would like the baby’s cord blood tested before I receive the Rhogam shot. If baby’s blood type is also negative, I will decline the Rhogam shot.

Caring for Baby
·        We do not want our baby to receive eye ointment. We will sign a form declining this if necessary.
·        Our baby will not receive the Hepatitis B vaccine in the hospital but will receive it at a later office visit.
·        We want our baby to room in with us.
·        Please do not offer our baby water, formula or a pacifier. Our baby will be breastfed.
·        I would like to be present for all procedures concerning our baby and if I am not able to, I would like Steve to be present.
·        I am interested in meeting with a lactation specialist.
·        If myself and the baby are healthy we would like to go home as soon as possible (possibly after 1 night).

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

35 weeks


The baby is still pushing very hard from the inside! I sometimes try to push back because it can get sort of uncomfortable, but mostly I enjoy her moving around. She still gets the hiccups pretty often.

Aslan had her baby this week! She delivered him at home and all went well until a few hours after his birth when she was still bleeding way too much. They had tried everything and she ended up being taken to the hospital for surgery to remove clots (and do whatever else they do). She was able to go home the next day and seems to be recovering well. Her little man, Sam, is doing fantastic and is oh, so cute! I am now the next of my friends to deliver. :)

My feet continue to be very sore and I think I bruised the ball of one foot this week. My fingers are still a little puffy during the day but VERY puffy at night. Pushing myself out of bed can actually be more painful in my hands than anywhere else. ;)

I am very ready to be done with work. The days feel long and tiring and it is extremely hard for me to maneuver through the office the bigger I get. Some days when people ask me how I am I just want to say "cranky!" Two more weeks!

Here's a fun little picture of my feet after work one day. ;) Keep in mind that I had been wearing supportive shoes all day and that my socks are not tight at all on a normal day. It will be interesting to see if this gets worse before I deliver.


(I did a baby shower post! I posted it in chronological order though, so it's a few posts back. Click here to see it.)

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

34 weeks


I still have a lot of pelvic pressure, especially when I move certain ways (and especially during the night). I imagine this is a symptom that will not go away before delivery. ;)

Acid reflux is still killing me. I take an OTC heartburn med for it and that does help a lot, but I do not enjoy that burning feeling. :(

My joints are very sore and achy all the time now, especially in my hands.

I can't sleep in anymore! On the weekends I am usually awake by about 8 or 8:30 and have trouble going back to sleep because I'm uncomfortable.

I'm still wearing non-maternity pants (elastic waist with a drawstring!) which I'm a huge fan of. I don't find maternity pants to be all that comfortable. Part of that may be due to being pregnant during the summer. I find them restricting and hot. (Pants with a wide band that sits below my belly are much more tolerable for me.)

The baby is kicking less and shoving more. As she runs out of room I have noticed less "jumpy" and sharp movements and more pushing movements. She will shove her butt outward really hard, or jab an elbow out to the side, creating a hard spot on my belly. :) Jordan thinks this is funny.

(A TMI symptom that I am recording just for myself... my nipples leak a lot now. I sometimes wear breast pads to deal with it.)

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

33 weeks


Week 33 was a big one because we went to our childbirth/parenting class. I had originally tried to sign us up for the 4-week course (one evening a week for a month) but it filled up while I was waiting to hear back from a local midwife about a more private class, so instead we took a Friday/Saturday class. The class (in Salem) was 6-9pm on Friday evening and then 9-5 on Saturday. I didn't mind having all the information crammed into two class sessions but I did mind the chairs! They were typical hospital classroom chairs with straight backs and no way to adjust them. Luckily we had to bring two pillows to class, so I utilized the heck out of ours. ;) They also had birth balls on one side of the room and I sat on one of those at our table for awhile instead of in a chair.

They had everyone in the class line up in order of due date. There was one couple (the token "weird" couple in the class) due August 25th, another couple due August 27th and we are due August 29th. We may end up seeing them at the hospital! (Two couples were due after us, both in early October.) We learned that the couple we shared a table with lives just around the corner from us and they are also delivering in Salem because of their insurance. :)

I had been extremely un-excited about delivering our baby in Salem, but after our class I felt MUCH better about it. I enjoyed the tour they took us on and was left feeling like the nurses and staff on the L&D and maternity floors are really interested in giving you the best experience they can (more so than Corvallis). I was happy to learn that they regularly use (and encourage the use of) birth balls and squat bars and the jetted tub (as well as lots of different labor positions). In Corvallis I get the impression you really have to ask hard for these things and they have ONE tub for the whole floor. In Salem each room has its own tub.

One interesting thing we learned in class had to do with pets. They said this is a good idea for cats or dogs. When you get home from the hospital, give your pets the baby's hat and receiving blanket that they used for the first day or two. Let them do whatever they want with it (lay on it, chew it, bury it). This is their way of getting used to the baby's scent. I never would have thought of that. :)

I left the class feeling much more prepared and excited than I had been feeling before.

Other symptoms this week:

Sore back. The middle of my back gets really achy and uncomfortable if I'm sitting in an uncomfortable chair for a long time or just by the end of the day.

My fingers and toes are swollen by the end of the day, too. During the night my fingers get REALLY swollen and when I get up to use the bathroom it actually hurts to bend them.

I can't walk around the house for long periods (especially on the linoleum) without shoes anymore. My feet ACHE after a short period of time. I have to remember to put my Tevas on before I make dinner or do the dishes or I will regret it later. (Steve is getting much better at food rubs and I have to beg a little less now to get one.)

I take cold showers in the evenings sometimes now. And my morning showers are warm at best, NOT hot (I usually rinse with cool water before I get out because I get overheated easily after my shower). Forget blowing my hair dry with hot air - I hold that cold button down the whole time. ;) And I have to let laundry cool down after drying before I fold it (I used to fold it straight out of the dryer) or my fingers just puff right up again. I wash dishes in hot water and then rinse them in cold. And I rarely sleep with covers at night anymore. My drinking water pretty much has to have ice in it. ;) (But I don't like to crunch the ice, I just like the water to be cold.)

I crave fruit all the time, and it's usually fruit with high water content (cantaloupe, strawberries, grapes, cherries, peaches, berries. I also crave ice cream all the time.

I experience a lot of pelvic pressure with bending and squatting.

My clothes don't fit! I really hadn't counted on outgrowing my maternity shirts! I have actually started setting aside a couple of shirts for the "after baby" phase because my belly is too big for them now.

I take a nap almost every day. Usually it's in the early evening (after work) and I often don't wake up until after 7pm. Some days this makes it hard to go to bed at night but other days I fall right to sleep around 10:30 or 11 at night (normal for me).

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

32 weeks


When people ask me when my due date is, I have stopped saying "the end of August" and have started saying "in 8 weeks." It makes it seem much shorter. ;)

I have developed a numb spot at the top of my belly, just under my breasts and mostly on the right side. Apparently this comes from nerves being squished (or moved around) and I find it incredibly annoying. :) (Sometimes it's also tingly, like when your hand or foot falls asleep.)

I am not liking the summer heat AT ALL! I know Oregon has seriously wussy summers and that it's not really that hot, though we did have a few days in the low 90's this week. I have a hard time staying cool and sleep with fans pointed at me. You know, when I sleep. ;) I take naps most afternoons but don't sleep very well at night, tossing and turning a lot (and still getting up to pee every morning at 3am).

I have begun eating smaller portions more often because my stomach is running out of room! Still having acid reflux and still taking OTC meds for it (and they're still helping).

I eat Starbucks caramel mochiato ice cream pretty much every single night. I limit myself to 1/3 of a pint. ;)

I started getting Braxton-Hicks contractions this week, though I didn't realize that's what they were until I had been having them for a few days. I would describe them as uncomfortable but not painful. Some days I don't have any and other days I have a dozen or so. The baby is active after one finishes.

Steve is SURE the baby will be here early and when I say we have 8 weeks left, he "corrects" me and says we have 6. In some ways this is funny but in others it's not because if I get my mind set on having 6 weeks left and then she's not early (or is late!), I will be upset. ;) I'm trying hard to ignore his sure-ness in her being early. ;)

My fingers and toes are still swollen at the end of the day, though not visibly noticeable most of the time. They feel puffy and fat and hard to bend. I try to soak them in cold water and I find that I ALWAYS wash my hands in cold water now. I do the dishes in hot water but rinse them in cold. I take warm showers but not hot ones (I never run out of hot water when I shower after Steve now!). I drink ICE water most of the time (which I didn't used to like because it hurt my teeth). I prefer cold meals to hot ones. :)