i had my last prenatal appointment on wednesday. my due date was yesterday (since it is technically friday now). i finally made some progress and was in between 2cm and 3cm. we kept the 26th as our induction date even though the doctor is slightly concerned that emy might be getting a little big. we'll see how it goes. it still feels so surreal that in four days max, i will be holding my own child in my arms. however, i was thrilled to have finally made progress. i know that it is really no indication of when or if i will go into labor on my own but every little bit gives me a better chance at a successful induction if it comes to that.
in less than a week, i will be posting pictures of a precious little baby.
i want to say thank you to all of you. you have been a wonderful support for me.
Showing posts with label The Joy of Expecting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Joy of Expecting. Show all posts
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
appointment number eleven:
i had another doctor appointment yesterday. it went alright. i really haven't made any progress since 35 weeks. the doctor offered to induce me this coming tuesday but i declined since i am not due until next thursday. instead we chose the 26th as our induction date. my doctor won't let me go more than a week past my due date. although, i'm really hoping she comes on her own before then. i really don't want to be induced but i will do whatever is best for me and little emy. my doctor stripped my membranes yesterday which i'm hoping will jump start things but its not the end of the world if it doesn't. i go back next wednesday, which is the day before my due date. if i haven't had emy by then, i will ask her to strip my membranes again. i'm trying lots of old wives tales to coax little emy out but so far she seems comfy. i will try to keep everyone updated.
sorry every post has been pregnancy related lately. i really haven't had much going on except for nearing the end of my pregnancy.
sorry every post has been pregnancy related lately. i really haven't had much going on except for nearing the end of my pregnancy.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
anyone else getting tired of these posts?
i am! we took yet another trip to L&D last night. after twenty-four hours of time-able contractions, they finally got 3-5min apart and my doctor had told me that's when i should head to the hospital. so off to the hospital we go. i get there and they check me and i'm only 10% more effaced than i was at my appointment wednesday and still only 1cm dilated. they monitored me for an hour. it was confirmed that i am definitely contracting regularly but after the hour, my cervix still hadn't made any progress. they do think i am in early labor but my contractions just aren't strong enough to do what they need to do. never though i'd hope for more pain but after two and a half weeks of contractions, i'm ready to meet my little girl. i'm going to try more walking today to see if that will kick things up. i wouldn't mind her cooking for three more weeks but not with constant contractions. lets see if i can help my body decide.
Friday, October 1, 2010
appointment number ten:
so i went to the doctor this past wednesday. i was just barely more dilated and still 70% effaced. its a little frustrating that these contractions don't seem to be doing anything but i'm just now 37 weeks so there is still plenty of time. however, my doctor wants to talk induction at my appointment on the 13th even though my due date isn't until the 21st. guess we'll see how that goes. i don't have GD, my BP has been more than fine this whole pregnancy, and she has not mentioned any concerns of a large baby so i do not see a reason to induce prior to my due date. only time will tell. i may not even make it that far so it may not be an issue at all. i go again next wednesday but i'll be seeing a nurse practitioner instead of my doc because my doc is on vacation from october 2nd through october 8th. hopefully, i will have made some more progress.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
another trip to labor and delivery.
so today i had to go to labor and delivery again. this time i was actually having real contractions but there wasn't a pattern. so after three hours of observation, they let me go home. they won't stop my labor at this point but they don't want to help it either. hopefully, emy will cook a little longer. i'm supposed to keep an eye on my contractions and just wait it out. we're hoping for at least another week or two before my precious little angel makes her appearance. only time will tell. i'll try to keep every one updated.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
appointment number nine:
so from this point out, i will be seeing the doctor weekly until i deliver. i actually saw the nurse practitioner today instead of my doctor but i really like her so i didn't mind. they went ahead and checked me today because of all the cramping i've been having. i haven't made any progress since my L&D trip so they do not think what i am experiencing is true "preterm labor" but it is obvious that my body is practicing. this pain and cramping will more than likely last until i go into labor. it may actually get worse as her arrival gets closer. all in all, it just looks like i am one of the lucky women who cramp and contract for weeks prior to delivery. i am thinning out but i am not actually dilating so for now it looks like my body is holding her in. they don't think i'll deliver before term but they can't promise that i won't. its all a waiting game now to see what my body will do. i'll be thirty-five weeks tomorrow so i'm just two weeks away from term and five weeks away from my due date.
Monday, September 6, 2010
my not so fun labor day.
I started cramping Thursday evening. It was mild so I ignored it. I'm thirty-three weeks pregnant so I expect to be uncomfortable. Well around midnight of both Thursday and Friday night, I had three very intense cramps within an hour and then back to just mild constant cramping. Saturday and Sunday passed without any more of the intense cramps so I had decided to just call my doctor Tuesday morning and ask to come in. Well today the constant mild cramping was becoming more intense so I called the answering service that my doctor's office has. The doctor on call recommended that I go into labor and delivery because it had been going on for so long. Well after three hours of being monitored, a bag of fluids, and a shot of terbutaline I was allowed to go home. They diagnosed me with an irritable uterus. Since none of the cramps or pains lasted longer than thirty seconds I was not considered to be in labor. They have no idea what caused my uterus to get irritated but they got the pain to stop. So far, I am not dilated and they did not seem concerned about possible preterm labor. All in all, not the day I was expecting but I'm just thankful that my body is holding her in.
Friday, August 27, 2010
appointment number eight:
today i had another doctor appointment. emy is still kind of little for the doc to tell what position she is in but doc says she's measuring good. i did gain a little more weight since the last appointment than we would like but i've actually been eating less because my stomach has been upset lately so my doc thinks it might be water weight. we're going to watch it and see. everything seems to be going good. i'm getting much closer to my weekly appointments. i'm only five weeks away from full term (which is 37 weeks) and eight weeks away from my due date. its amazing to me how fast this pregnancy has gone by.
update about the maternity photos. i know i haven't posted any yet and i'm sorry. i haven't gotten the disc yet. i have no idea when i will get the pictures but i'll post them as soon as i have them.
update about the maternity photos. i know i haven't posted any yet and i'm sorry. i haven't gotten the disc yet. i have no idea when i will get the pictures but i'll post them as soon as i have them.
Monday, August 23, 2010
A Story About Motherhood
I found this online and fell in love! Warning: It is long.
"We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"
It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations." But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle; or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child-care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that rest-room. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a Cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.
I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.
This blessed gift from God... that of being a Mother."
(By Brittney Maricle)
"We are sitting at lunch one day when my daughter casually mentions that she and her husband are thinking of starting a family. "We're taking a survey," she says half-joking. "Do you think I should have a baby?"
It will change your life," I say, carefully keeping my tone neutral. "I know," she says, "no more sleeping in on weekends, no more spontaneous vacations." But that is not what I meant at all. I look at my daughter, trying to decide what to tell her. I want her to know what she will never learn in childbirth classes. I want to tell her that the physical wounds of child bearing will heal, but becoming a mother will leave her with an emotional wound so raw that she will forever be vulnerable.
I consider warning her that she will never again read a newspaper without asking, "What if that had been MY child?" That every plane crash, every house fire will haunt her. That when she sees pictures of starving children, she will wonder if anything could be worse than watching your child die.
I look at her carefully manicured nails and stylish suit and think that no matter how sophisticated she is, becoming a mother will reduce her to the primitive level of a bear protecting her cub. That an urgent call of "Mom!" will cause her to drop a souffle; or her best crystal without a moment's hesitation. I feel that I should warn her that no matter how many years she has invested in her career, she will be professionally derailed by motherhood. She might arrange for child-care, but one day she will be going into an important business meeting and she will think of her baby's sweet smell. She will have to use every ounce of discipline to keep from running home, just to make sure her baby is all right.
I want my daughter to know that every day decisions will no longer be routine. That a five year old boy's desire to go to the men's room rather than the women's at McDonald's will become a major dilemma. That right there, in the midst of clattering trays and screaming children, issues of independence and gender identity will be weighed against the prospect that a child molester may be lurking in that rest-room. However decisive she may be at the office, she will second-guess herself constantly as a mother.
Looking at my attractive daughter, I want to assure her that eventually she will shed the pounds of pregnancy, but she will never feel the same about herself. That her life, now so important, will be of less value to her once she has a child. That she would give it up in a moment to save her offspring, but will also begin to hope for more years, not to accomplish her own dreams, but to watch her child accomplish theirs.
I want her to know that a Cesarean scar or shiny stretch marks will become badges of honor. My daughter's relationship with her husband will change, but not in the way she thinks. I wish she could understand how much more you can love a man who is careful to powder the baby or who never hesitates to play with his child. I think she should know that she will fall in love with him again for reasons she would now find very unromantic.
I wish my daughter could sense the bond she will feel with women throughout history who have tried to stop war, prejudice and drunk driving. I hope she will understand why I can think rationally about most issues, but become temporarily insane when I discuss the threat of nuclear war to my children's future.
I want to describe to my daughter the exhilaration of seeing your child learn to ride a bike. I want to capture for her the belly laugh of a baby who is touching the soft fur of a dog or cat for the first time.
I want her to taste the joy that is so real it actually hurts.
My daughter's quizzical look makes me realize that tears have formed in my eyes. "You'll never regret it," I finally say. Then I reached across the table, squeezed my daughter's hand and offered a silent prayer for her, and for me, and for all the mere mortal women who stumble their way into this most wonderful of callings.
This blessed gift from God... that of being a Mother."
(By Brittney Maricle)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
finally!
we took the maternity pictures last night. i'm so excited. i should get them back sunday and i'll post them as soon as i can. i'm just so thrilled that plans finally worked out and that hubby got to be in them too. now its a countdown to the photos we'll be taking at 37 weeks. those are just to capture how big my belly gets since i know i have some more growing to do. i can't wait to see the pics!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
appointment number seven:
i'm going every two weeks now. i have three more appointments before i start going every week. things are going well. nothing special about this appointment. i have been having problems with dry skin but the doc looked at it to make sure it wasn't a rash. things are looking good. my due date is ten weeks away but emy could come in as little seven weeks since when you reach 37 weeks they no longer consider the baby premature. it all still feels so surreal. we are getting more and more baby stuff and as i set it up around the house (since we won't be setting up a nursery until we find a new place) it feels so weird. i can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by. although i hear the last few weeks can drag by. i guess we will see. people are already telling me i look like i could pop. i hope she cooks a little longer. but all in all, so far pregnancy has been enjoyable. of course there are unpleasant parts but i'm not afraid to do it again in a few years.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
change of plans.
so pictures ended up not happening today. they are back to being scheduled for thursday. i am pretty sure i have my outfits picked out by they may change before then. hopefully this plan sticks.
Monday, August 2, 2010
so excited.
this week i will be taking more maternity pictures with my good friend meag. we will be taking them this thursday and hopefully she will get them all edited so i can have them by friday because my sister wants to frame and display one at my baby shower this saturday. i am so excited about my baby shower. i will get to see people that i don't see very often and i am looking forward to it very much! i will post pictures as soon as i can.
edit: because of a change of plans, i'll actually be taking the maternity pictures this evening (tuesday, august 3rd). i'm super excited!
edit: because of a change of plans, i'll actually be taking the maternity pictures this evening (tuesday, august 3rd). i'm super excited!
Monday, July 26, 2010
appointment number six:
this was my first appointment in my third trimester and from this point until i'm 36 weeks i will be going every two weeks. the appointment went well. i had to have an internal because of some cramping i had earlier last week. so far little one seems un-phased by things. she's getting more active (or maybe she's just getting bigger and i'm feeling more). all in all, things are well. i have a lot of pain but its all normal. just another joy of pregnancy. my body is coping with so much. every once in awhile i have pains that i don't feel are normal but i talk them out with my doctor and so far she's hanging in there. i'm just under three months away from my due date. but i'll be full term on september 30th so emy could come any time after that. its really weird knowing how close everything is. but i serve an amazing God who will carry me through.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
appointment number five:
so today was my last appointment in my second trimester. my next appointment will start my third trimester. i will also do my GT test at my next appointment so i'll be there at least an hour. hopefully that goes well. emy seems to be growing and doing well. i'm having a lot of muscle pain but the doc says there's really not much i can do for it. all in all, things are going well. i'm up about twelve pounds and today i am twenty-three weeks. i plan to pre-register at the hospital soon. we're not sure about the hospital tour because the hospital is moving locations about three weeks before my due date. my doc recommended that i call the phone number for the child birthing classes to ask for financial assistance because right now i cannot afford them. i've considered not taking them my doc seems to want me too. i'm still not sure. any advice is welcome. i am hoping for a vaginal, medicine free delivery. my doctor told me that i will be getting an IV but i really don't want anything else. i know that in the moment, things can change but that is what i am trying to prepare myself for (along with remembering that things could end up completely different and i can't control that). only time will tell. we have a date set for my "non-church" baby shower but the church baby shower hasn't really been talked about that much. things have really gone faster than expected. its all so amazing, even through the not so great symptoms.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
a new pregnancy symptom.
so on thursday i hit 22 weeks and its like i hit a magic number. my newest pregnancy symptom, which started thursday night, is night sweats. i now wake up at least once a night sweating. it is so uncomfortable. i've talked to other women who are or have been pregnant and it seems to be pretty normal. i'm really hoping it doesn't last long but i have a feeling that it will. oh well. worse things could happen. pregnancy is a wonderful, magical, mysterious life experience. sadly it causes some not so pleasant symptoms but i am already over my half way point. soon (only about four months) my body can start to get its functions a little closer to the normal i am used to. some things may never be the same and i will adjust to that. i am really trying to not get set on anything. i have never been a parent before. i've never given birth before. i don't want to get caught up on "oh i'll never" and then have it blow up in my face. plus things can differ from child to child so what works for our first may not go as well a second or third time around (god willing in a few years). i do know that i'm in for one of the hardest, most fulfilling experiences of my life. i am definitely nervous but looking forward to it.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
feeling left out.
i am a member on a pregnancy website called "the bump". there are many different discussion boards but i tend to follow whichever trimester i am in. the second trimester board is full of women who are preparing the nursery for their little one. right now with us in this two bedroom apartment, there is just no room for that. our second bedroom is set up as an office with two bookcases, a dresser, a desk, and three different wire shelving systems. plus hubby has dropped a lot of stuff off in the middle of the floor. there is no where else in the apartment that all of that furniture can go. we are going to try to find a three bedroom house to rent but our lease isn't up until december. emy should be about two months old by then. i just feel so sad and so unprepared to know that little one will not have a nursery when she gets here. we plan to try to save up to buy the furniture we will need for a nursery but until we move in december, what are we going to do? where are we going to store emy's things? i know i don't have to worry about it just yet, my baby shower will be at the beginning of august and i'm going to have to bring that stuff home and make a place for it. any ideas are welcome. obviously we have no idea what we will get at our shower and we also have to figure out how to afford everything we don't get. there is just so much to do and right now i feel so stuck and unable to do any of it. vent over for now.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
lists.
i am such a list maker! and having a baby on the way has only amplified this quality of mine. before we registered, i had done research online and had a list of what i wanted to register for. hubby was surprised at how smooth it went.
here are the lists i currently have (all in the same spiral notebook):
- things i will need for baby (its open to change)
- things i will need for the nursery (like furniture and storage and such)
- things that will need to go in the diaper bag
- a packing list for the hospital bag (since its way too early to pack i think)
- who to call/text when i go into labor
- who to call/text when the baby arrives
- a goal budget (hubby just got a job so we're trying to calculate how much he needs to make since i'll be quitting work before little one comes)
- hubby's fall school schedule (in chart form so i can try to remember when he'll be in school)
and soon i'll be adding a schedule for myself for when i because a stay at home mom. sometimes i think i worry i am going overboard with the planning. i'm only half way through my pregnancy (almost 22 weeks). but at the same time i fear how overwhelmed i would feel without all of these lists. we have so much that will be changing in such a short amount of time. i will be quitting my job by the end of august (maybe sooner), jesse will be starting back to school in august after four semesters out, we will becoming parents in october and we plan to move in december when our lease is up (which we still need to find a place to move to).
well i hope i haven't bored you. i just needed to get all of that out there. so am i crazy?
here are the lists i currently have (all in the same spiral notebook):
- things i will need for baby (its open to change)
- things i will need for the nursery (like furniture and storage and such)
- things that will need to go in the diaper bag
- a packing list for the hospital bag (since its way too early to pack i think)
- who to call/text when i go into labor
- who to call/text when the baby arrives
- a goal budget (hubby just got a job so we're trying to calculate how much he needs to make since i'll be quitting work before little one comes)
- hubby's fall school schedule (in chart form so i can try to remember when he'll be in school)
and soon i'll be adding a schedule for myself for when i because a stay at home mom. sometimes i think i worry i am going overboard with the planning. i'm only half way through my pregnancy (almost 22 weeks). but at the same time i fear how overwhelmed i would feel without all of these lists. we have so much that will be changing in such a short amount of time. i will be quitting my job by the end of august (maybe sooner), jesse will be starting back to school in august after four semesters out, we will becoming parents in october and we plan to move in december when our lease is up (which we still need to find a place to move to).
well i hope i haven't bored you. i just needed to get all of that out there. so am i crazy?
pregnancy pictures.
here are some of the pictures from my 20week photo shoot with a dear friend. we'll be doing them again at 29 and 37 weeks. enjoy :)
i would have to say that my personal favorite is the one where hubby's hat and dog tags are on my belly. emy will be an army brat after all.
Friday, June 11, 2010
my week.
so tuesday evening i started to have some abdominal pain. i brought cramping up to my doc at my last appointment and she said that as long as it goes away when i sit and i don't have more than four episodes in an hour than i shouldn't worry. well this pain didn't feel like cramping but it was a pretty constant pain. i figured i would go to sleep and wake up okay. well i woke up wednesday morning still in pain so i called my doc and called out of work. well my doc wasn't in the office but they made me an appointment with the nurse practitioner and i went in. they checked my cervix to be safe and all was well there. they tested my urine and said that it was clean. they listened to emy's heartbeat and she sounded great. but because i had been having some other symptoms that i had been ignoring, they decided it was either a urinary tract infection or a strained muscle. they prescribed me antibiotics in hopes that it is an infection but if they don't work then it is probably a muscle which they can't do anything for. i'll just get to add it to one of the joys of pregnancy. i guess we'll see. i do know that the muscle will get worse before it gets better, if that is the case, because i expect to get quite a bit bigger since i'm only half way. my boss gave me today off also and i'll go back to work as normal tomorrow. i am feeling slightly better but am still in pain from time to time. i just started the antibiotics so i know those haven't kicked in yet. i'll try to keep you updated.
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