still pregnant.
A few things I've learned this week:
- it is not a medical fact that your second baby will deliver earlier than your first. that is actually categorically false.
- you CAN carry a baby in your shorts for a week without any appendages busting through.
- sulking does not bring on labor.
- ...nor do cookies, brownies or cake (but all are yummy and make me feel better)
- people (read: strangers on the street) can not help themselves from looking at me with deep sympathy at this point.
- blackberries do not like to swim in coffee (while not directly related to pregnancy, thought I'd share).
Doctor's appointment this morning revealed I'm dialated to 3CM.
Induction scheduled for 10/28, though she predicted babes will be here this weekend.
If I've learned anything at all this week, it's that I'm not going to pin my hopes on that guess. I'll see this kid next Thursday and if it arrives sooner, so be it.
Showing posts with label labor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label labor. Show all posts
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
in other news, still pregnant
(potential for TMI)
seriously, how could I have not had this kid yet?
is going into labor one of those things in life where if you think about it too much, it delays the process? would be really great to get an answer on that question stat b/c if yes, we're definitely looking at Thanksgiving.
since Sat afternoon I feel like I've been carrying this thing in my shorts. It couldn't be positioned any lower and still have all of its appendages inside.
I've walked, I've bounced, I've brewed strange teas, I've done nearly everything on this list (from foodmomiac) and yet this baby remains stubbornly inside.
it must be a girl. my girl. this sounds like just the type of cruel behavior I'd subject my own well-intended mother to as a youngster.
i'm averaging about 6 hours of sleep between bathroom breaks, heartburn episodes, repositioning all my body pillows, crazy somersaults from babes, and just generally lying awake wondering WTH???
and while I am certain there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it seems to be shifting further into the distance rather than moving closer.
sigh.
(if not immediately apparent, i'm clearly a delight to be around right now. if I'm not returning your calls, or only responding via text, consider it a blessing)
seriously, how could I have not had this kid yet?
is going into labor one of those things in life where if you think about it too much, it delays the process? would be really great to get an answer on that question stat b/c if yes, we're definitely looking at Thanksgiving.
since Sat afternoon I feel like I've been carrying this thing in my shorts. It couldn't be positioned any lower and still have all of its appendages inside.
I've walked, I've bounced, I've brewed strange teas, I've done nearly everything on this list (from foodmomiac) and yet this baby remains stubbornly inside.
it must be a girl. my girl. this sounds like just the type of cruel behavior I'd subject my own well-intended mother to as a youngster.
i'm averaging about 6 hours of sleep between bathroom breaks, heartburn episodes, repositioning all my body pillows, crazy somersaults from babes, and just generally lying awake wondering WTH???
and while I am certain there is a light at the end of the tunnel, it seems to be shifting further into the distance rather than moving closer.
sigh.
(if not immediately apparent, i'm clearly a delight to be around right now. if I'm not returning your calls, or only responding via text, consider it a blessing)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
LABOR
(Warning- potential for TMI)
The month leading up to my due date, I started tivoing birthing shows on TLC. People say you can't really prepare for your labor experience, need to be flexible b/c things change quickly, but I thought if I watched others go through it I would at least have a sense of what to expect.
The thing is, most everyone featured is doing childbirth naturally, and there are 15 people in the room. Coaches, midwives, doulas, family members - helping support the mother.
So when my nurse and doctor gathered at the end of my bed and told me it was time to start pushing, I really didn't get that it was 'game-on.'
I had been put on a pitocin drip, in partnership with my epidural. I had been very fearful of the pitocin b/c I'd heard it was extremely painful. In my case it was necessary to help speed up the frequency of the contractions, and get the little puppy out. It wasn't really that painful, relatively speaking.
The day went by pretty quickly. The nurse was switching me from side to side periodically b/c the baby's heartrate was fluctuating, and going a bit lower than they liked to see. Turning helps shift the baby, and they thought maybe relieve stress on his cord.
Hubby and I both took a nap. I'd heard women say this and never really understood how it was possible. But the epidural makes you so sleepy and numb (seriously, it is the BEST thing I've EVER experienced, college years included), and it takes awhile for the contractions to speed up to a productive place.
Anywho, I had been 2cm at admission; 4cm by the time I had gotten upstairs. Suddenly, mid-nap, about eight people rushed into the room and there was a flurry of activity. The baby's heartrate had dipped significantly.
They propped me up on my hands and knees, strapped an oxygen mask to my face and started rubbing my belly (meanwhile all I could think about is my naked butt flailing in the air - labor is so not pretty).
The doctor checked me in a 9cm. I had progressed from 4cm to 9cm in about 30 minutes.
Once the baby's heartrate regulated, everyone left. It was just hubby, me, my sis, the nurse and the doctor again, and they said it was time to get started. They turned down the epidural so I could better feel the contractions (not that bad), and we got down to business.
It is hard to explain how it all goes down but really it is pretty simple. You feel the contraction coming, you push (really, really hard) for 10 seconds/three times in a row, and then wait for the next one. You need the contractions coming quickly enough that you don't lose progress or momentum in between each set. You are literally pushing the baby down the birth canal.
It didn't seem like I was making any headway with my efforts (because I couldn't feel anything - again, xo epidural) but then the doctor asked hubby if he could see the head coming. The head?! And soon she said, "we have eyebrows"...and then there was more pushing, and breathing and contracting and pushing.
And then there was a baby.
Hubby shouted "Balls!" -- and thus, we had a boy :)
He didn't cry right away, which also contradicts what you see on TV. But no one seemed concerned. The doctor made some comment about a 'triple necklace' or something, his cord was wrapped around his neck three times. Again no one seemed concerned and I was still processing the enormity of the whole experience. She unwrapped him and I remember being struck by how long the cord was.
And then baby Ben was on my chest. Slippery and bloody and even more confused than I was.
There is really no way to explain the emotions other than to state the obvious - it is a miracle.
The month leading up to my due date, I started tivoing birthing shows on TLC. People say you can't really prepare for your labor experience, need to be flexible b/c things change quickly, but I thought if I watched others go through it I would at least have a sense of what to expect.
The thing is, most everyone featured is doing childbirth naturally, and there are 15 people in the room. Coaches, midwives, doulas, family members - helping support the mother.
So when my nurse and doctor gathered at the end of my bed and told me it was time to start pushing, I really didn't get that it was 'game-on.'
I had been put on a pitocin drip, in partnership with my epidural. I had been very fearful of the pitocin b/c I'd heard it was extremely painful. In my case it was necessary to help speed up the frequency of the contractions, and get the little puppy out. It wasn't really that painful, relatively speaking.
The day went by pretty quickly. The nurse was switching me from side to side periodically b/c the baby's heartrate was fluctuating, and going a bit lower than they liked to see. Turning helps shift the baby, and they thought maybe relieve stress on his cord.
Hubby and I both took a nap. I'd heard women say this and never really understood how it was possible. But the epidural makes you so sleepy and numb (seriously, it is the BEST thing I've EVER experienced, college years included), and it takes awhile for the contractions to speed up to a productive place.
Anywho, I had been 2cm at admission; 4cm by the time I had gotten upstairs. Suddenly, mid-nap, about eight people rushed into the room and there was a flurry of activity. The baby's heartrate had dipped significantly.
They propped me up on my hands and knees, strapped an oxygen mask to my face and started rubbing my belly (meanwhile all I could think about is my naked butt flailing in the air - labor is so not pretty).
The doctor checked me in a 9cm. I had progressed from 4cm to 9cm in about 30 minutes.
Once the baby's heartrate regulated, everyone left. It was just hubby, me, my sis, the nurse and the doctor again, and they said it was time to get started. They turned down the epidural so I could better feel the contractions (not that bad), and we got down to business.
It is hard to explain how it all goes down but really it is pretty simple. You feel the contraction coming, you push (really, really hard) for 10 seconds/three times in a row, and then wait for the next one. You need the contractions coming quickly enough that you don't lose progress or momentum in between each set. You are literally pushing the baby down the birth canal.
It didn't seem like I was making any headway with my efforts (because I couldn't feel anything - again, xo epidural) but then the doctor asked hubby if he could see the head coming. The head?! And soon she said, "we have eyebrows"...and then there was more pushing, and breathing and contracting and pushing.
And then there was a baby.
Hubby shouted "Balls!" -- and thus, we had a boy :)
He didn't cry right away, which also contradicts what you see on TV. But no one seemed concerned. The doctor made some comment about a 'triple necklace' or something, his cord was wrapped around his neck three times. Again no one seemed concerned and I was still processing the enormity of the whole experience. She unwrapped him and I remember being struck by how long the cord was.
And then baby Ben was on my chest. Slippery and bloody and even more confused than I was.
There is really no way to explain the emotions other than to state the obvious - it is a miracle.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday morning, 3/9
As promised, the first update of the actual labor and delivery...
My water broke at home at 5:30am on Monday. It was much less dramatic than I had imaged it would be, thankfully. I worried, as I'm sure every expecting woman has, that I would just burst onto the scene at a less than opportune time. In reality, I went to the bathroom and came back to bed to notice it seemed like I was still going. I returned to the bathroom, and noted it was a pretty steady stream. I woke up hubby and let him know I was going to call the doctor. She ordered us in to triage.
I hadn't had any contractions yet so we both showered, got our things together, even made coffee, before getting out the door. By the time we got into the car, the contractions had started but were still pretty far apart.
As recommended by every woman I have spoken with over the last 10 months, I requested the epidural right away. It seemed a little silly b/c the contractions didn't hurt yet but the fear of going without won over.
In the end this was the right decision - because I was being monitored for pre-eclampsia, they wanted to run blood work before administering the epidural. This took about a half hour. In the meantime they took us upstairs to Labor and Delivery. By the time the person came to do the injection, there was a line of 10 people behind me so the timing was perfect.
Next up, Labor and Delivery...
Not to mention the contractions had gotten more serious and I was getting a sense of why only 3% of Prentice patients deliver naturally...
My water broke at home at 5:30am on Monday. It was much less dramatic than I had imaged it would be, thankfully. I worried, as I'm sure every expecting woman has, that I would just burst onto the scene at a less than opportune time. In reality, I went to the bathroom and came back to bed to notice it seemed like I was still going. I returned to the bathroom, and noted it was a pretty steady stream. I woke up hubby and let him know I was going to call the doctor. She ordered us in to triage.
I hadn't had any contractions yet so we both showered, got our things together, even made coffee, before getting out the door. By the time we got into the car, the contractions had started but were still pretty far apart.
As recommended by every woman I have spoken with over the last 10 months, I requested the epidural right away. It seemed a little silly b/c the contractions didn't hurt yet but the fear of going without won over.
In the end this was the right decision - because I was being monitored for pre-eclampsia, they wanted to run blood work before administering the epidural. This took about a half hour. In the meantime they took us upstairs to Labor and Delivery. By the time the person came to do the injection, there was a line of 10 people behind me so the timing was perfect.
Next up, Labor and Delivery...
Not to mention the contractions had gotten more serious and I was getting a sense of why only 3% of Prentice patients deliver naturally...
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