Not in labor.
Goodnight.
Expecting our Little Brother in November!
Showing posts with label Due Date. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Due Date. Show all posts
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Pre-Labor (I hope) Update
So on Tuesday, my due date, I got acupuncture, and I definitely felt like it started something. Since then, I've been having Braxton-Hicks contractions non-stop, and I'm pretty sure I lost my mucus plug or some bits of it over the last day or two. I've also been feeling increasing pressure on my cervix.
Last night I was desperate enough to try taking a long walk--I wanted to harness the power of these Braxton-Hicks! Plus, my Dad has been pushing the walking for a week now. So James and I went to UConn and I waddled around at top speed and raced up and down many sets of stairs. I will say that this had the effect of making the contractions I was having more painful. However, if we would stop for even a minute, they would stop being painful, and once I returned home, that was it. They might have been been painful because I was asking my poor abdominal muscles to hold up a 30 pound uterus while I jostled it all over.
Anyway, I couldn't fall asleep last night, partly because my back was hurting, and partly because I drank caffeinated tea all day yesterday. I eventually fell asleep on the couch watching Harry Potter 4 and with my ribs belted together.
And now it is Thursday the 18th--the last day of my prediction window that I felt was incredibly realistic. ::snort:: Anyway, honestly, if it wasn't for the acupuncture, I would have little hope of giving birth before 41 weeks. But my friend claims his patients are more or less "on time", within a couple of days.
So I have another acupuncture appointment today at 1pm and considering all the pre-laborish stuff I've been having for two days straight, I'm feeling good about the possibility of going into labor tonight. Please send little James all the evacuation vibes you can possibly spare!! ;-)
Last night I was desperate enough to try taking a long walk--I wanted to harness the power of these Braxton-Hicks! Plus, my Dad has been pushing the walking for a week now. So James and I went to UConn and I waddled around at top speed and raced up and down many sets of stairs. I will say that this had the effect of making the contractions I was having more painful. However, if we would stop for even a minute, they would stop being painful, and once I returned home, that was it. They might have been been painful because I was asking my poor abdominal muscles to hold up a 30 pound uterus while I jostled it all over.
Anyway, I couldn't fall asleep last night, partly because my back was hurting, and partly because I drank caffeinated tea all day yesterday. I eventually fell asleep on the couch watching Harry Potter 4 and with my ribs belted together.
And now it is Thursday the 18th--the last day of my prediction window that I felt was incredibly realistic. ::snort:: Anyway, honestly, if it wasn't for the acupuncture, I would have little hope of giving birth before 41 weeks. But my friend claims his patients are more or less "on time", within a couple of days.
So I have another acupuncture appointment today at 1pm and considering all the pre-laborish stuff I've been having for two days straight, I'm feeling good about the possibility of going into labor tonight. Please send little James all the evacuation vibes you can possibly spare!! ;-)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Renewed Patience and Energy
So after being SO DONE and fed up with being pregnant for the last two weeks, starting yesterday I had a renewed level of patience and energy.
For the last two weeks I have been completely exhausted no matter how much I slept, which was generally for at least 11 hours each night, and I was totally unmotivated to do ANYTHING and was spending 95% of my awake time on my couch, watching TV and being online, and for most of the rest of the time I was in the shower or taking a bath to ease my sore freaking body.
But a couple days ago (I guess, after my acupuncture appointment), I suddenly woke up motivated and energetic. I mean, at least with a normal amount of motivation and energy compared to the absolute slug I had been. After neglecting my to-do list for probably the last month, I electronified it, and printed it out and hung it on my fridge and started to check off some basic things like: "Load the dishwasher" and "clean the kitchen".
Honestly, I haven't been THAT productive yet today but compared to two weeks ago I would practically still be in bed. So the day is still early and I hope to get a few more things done.
Along with this new energy, I also have a new sense of patience about when the baby will arrive. I have been out of my mind with feeling so done and like he just needed to be BORN ALREADY. But now that I realistically have another week at the most that I will be pregnant, it's almost like I have a new-found appreciation for the ability to get a few things done around the house and sleep through the night. I guess with it being this close, I just realize that I could have him any day, and is tomorrow that much worse than today? Most days I think, "No tomorrow would be totally fine--or even the next day . . ."
I mean would it really hurt if I had one more day to potentially even clean my bathrooms before that becomes a way more challenging affair? Or even this weekend--if James and I had one more weekend to rake leaves and get things done before he got here, would that be so bad? No! So suddenly I am patient again, and grateful for it because the impatience was driving me insane.
But hey if I get to my due date on Tuesday, we'll talk again and see where I'm at.
For the last two weeks I have been completely exhausted no matter how much I slept, which was generally for at least 11 hours each night, and I was totally unmotivated to do ANYTHING and was spending 95% of my awake time on my couch, watching TV and being online, and for most of the rest of the time I was in the shower or taking a bath to ease my sore freaking body.
But a couple days ago (I guess, after my acupuncture appointment), I suddenly woke up motivated and energetic. I mean, at least with a normal amount of motivation and energy compared to the absolute slug I had been. After neglecting my to-do list for probably the last month, I electronified it, and printed it out and hung it on my fridge and started to check off some basic things like: "Load the dishwasher" and "clean the kitchen".
Honestly, I haven't been THAT productive yet today but compared to two weeks ago I would practically still be in bed. So the day is still early and I hope to get a few more things done.
Along with this new energy, I also have a new sense of patience about when the baby will arrive. I have been out of my mind with feeling so done and like he just needed to be BORN ALREADY. But now that I realistically have another week at the most that I will be pregnant, it's almost like I have a new-found appreciation for the ability to get a few things done around the house and sleep through the night. I guess with it being this close, I just realize that I could have him any day, and is tomorrow that much worse than today? Most days I think, "No tomorrow would be totally fine--or even the next day . . ."
I mean would it really hurt if I had one more day to potentially even clean my bathrooms before that becomes a way more challenging affair? Or even this weekend--if James and I had one more weekend to rake leaves and get things done before he got here, would that be so bad? No! So suddenly I am patient again, and grateful for it because the impatience was driving me insane.
But hey if I get to my due date on Tuesday, we'll talk again and see where I'm at.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Acupuncture!
So I had my first (and hopefully only) acupuncture appointment today for stimulating me to go into labor. God I think I was in the best mood ever when my friend Craig came in to needle me. He was like:
"So if you are still a week away from your due date, you might end up going a few days early if we do it today. Is that okay?"
"GOD, YES, IT IS AWESOME. DO IT. DO IT NOW." I said. And the look of eye-rolling joy that those caps conveys is a perfect vision of what I looked like in that moment. Picture those horses who look insane and their eyes are rolled back in their head and their mouth is hanging open. That was me.
"It should work pretty well since you are young and healthy and everything," he went on.
(YES AWESOME THANK YOU.) I was as freaking jovial as a kid on Christmas morning, and that is after only like 5 hours of sleep--easily half what I need to feel rested.
So now I'm guessing any time between tonight and Sunday. So probably the 10th-14th. That window is like half as big as my original 9th-18th one!
Anyway, if I'm still pregnant on my due date, I have another appointment then.
"So if you are still a week away from your due date, you might end up going a few days early if we do it today. Is that okay?"
"GOD, YES, IT IS AWESOME. DO IT. DO IT NOW." I said. And the look of eye-rolling joy that those caps conveys is a perfect vision of what I looked like in that moment. Picture those horses who look insane and their eyes are rolled back in their head and their mouth is hanging open. That was me.
"It should work pretty well since you are young and healthy and everything," he went on.
(YES AWESOME THANK YOU.) I was as freaking jovial as a kid on Christmas morning, and that is after only like 5 hours of sleep--easily half what I need to feel rested.
So now I'm guessing any time between tonight and Sunday. So probably the 10th-14th. That window is like half as big as my original 9th-18th one!
Anyway, if I'm still pregnant on my due date, I have another appointment then.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Countdown
Time to crunch the numbers, no?
0 is the number of days until I can go into labor and still have my home-birth (36 weeks)
0 is the number of days until I am full term (37 weeks)
11 is the number of days until my meaningless due date (40 weeks)
19 is the number of days until the actual average due date (41 weeks and 1 day)
25 is the absolute maximum number of days that I could be pregnant (42 weeks)
I added a new one, did you notice? I don't know if I ever blogged about this, sorry if I did, but the 40 week due date was determined somewhat randomly in the 1700's.
Since then, repeated research has demonstrated that if women are left to go into labor on their own, the average due date is actually NOT 40 weeks, but 41 weeks and 1 day.
Of course I am hoping beyond anything, at this point, that I am not average and James David decides to show up earlier than that. But it's a good thing to keep in mind.
My Mom said she started feeling "so done" with like 5 weeks to go. OMG I'm so glad I only started feeling this way at 37.5 weeks!
0 is the number of days until I can go into labor and still have my home-birth (36 weeks)
0 is the number of days until I am full term (37 weeks)
11 is the number of days until my meaningless due date (40 weeks)
19 is the number of days until the actual average due date (41 weeks and 1 day)
25 is the absolute maximum number of days that I could be pregnant (42 weeks)
I added a new one, did you notice? I don't know if I ever blogged about this, sorry if I did, but the 40 week due date was determined somewhat randomly in the 1700's.
Since then, repeated research has demonstrated that if women are left to go into labor on their own, the average due date is actually NOT 40 weeks, but 41 weeks and 1 day.
Of course I am hoping beyond anything, at this point, that I am not average and James David decides to show up earlier than that. But it's a good thing to keep in mind.
My Mom said she started feeling "so done" with like 5 weeks to go. OMG I'm so glad I only started feeling this way at 37.5 weeks!
Evacuation Strategies
So there are the old wives tales about getting the baby to come out. Like eat spicy food, have sex, and take long walks.
I'm not yet desperate enough to try any of these strategies.
However, at the recommendation of my acupuncturist (and midwife), I have been starting to try some other things over the last week.
First, I've been taking Evening Primrose Oil. This is supposed to soften the cervix, preparing it for birth. I was taking 500 mgs for a few days, and now I've been taking 1000 mgs for a few days, and today I'll probably bump it up to 1500 mgs. Craig (acupuncturist) says in the week before my due date I can take up to 5000 mgs! Since that is 10 pills a day, we'll see how I do, but I've been trying to increase the dosage steadily at this point.
Second, I've been drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. This is supposed to tone and condition the uterus (ie, induce contractions). I've been drinking it pretty much non-stop for the past 5 days or so--maybe like 6-10 cups a day. And I've been making it strong, too, letting the tea bags sit in our little tea crock pot for hours before I take them out.
Third, I've been bouncing on the exercise ball (or birth ball). This helps to open the pelvis and allow the baby to drop down farther. Yesterday I got a good 15 or 20 minute stretch in and I definitely felt like it was helping increase the pressure on my satch. (LOL)
And that's about where I'm at.
On Monday I'll be one day short of 39 weeks and I'll kick things up a little bit. I have an acupuncture appointment that day. Craig has had a lot of success helping ladies go into labor--if not right away after the acupuncture, at least within a day or two of their due dates.
If I am still pregnant the next Monday (the day before my due date), I have an additional appointment with him then as well.
Unfortunately, none of these things REALLY work until the baby is ready to come out on his own. :-/ Honestly I don't feel like anything is going to happen in the next few days. I have slightly more hope for next week after the acupuncture appointment.
Despite my complaining it really is okay that he is still in there. I don't know if I shared this article on here, but I saw a really good article a few weeks ago about how even full-term babies that are early (37 or 38 weeks) have more issues with breathing, feeding, etc than babies born after 39 weeks. The bottom line is that babies really are supposed to cook for just about 40 weeks (give or take a week).
So despite all my complaining, aches, and pains, I'm actually glad that he is still in there. But I'll be 39 weeks on Tuesday. (Hint hint baby).
P.S. I just realized I covered a lot of these things in slightly less detail in my D.O.N.E. post like two days ago. Clearly more evidence that my brain is going and James needs to be born soon!
I'm not yet desperate enough to try any of these strategies.
However, at the recommendation of my acupuncturist (and midwife), I have been starting to try some other things over the last week.
First, I've been taking Evening Primrose Oil. This is supposed to soften the cervix, preparing it for birth. I was taking 500 mgs for a few days, and now I've been taking 1000 mgs for a few days, and today I'll probably bump it up to 1500 mgs. Craig (acupuncturist) says in the week before my due date I can take up to 5000 mgs! Since that is 10 pills a day, we'll see how I do, but I've been trying to increase the dosage steadily at this point.
Second, I've been drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. This is supposed to tone and condition the uterus (ie, induce contractions). I've been drinking it pretty much non-stop for the past 5 days or so--maybe like 6-10 cups a day. And I've been making it strong, too, letting the tea bags sit in our little tea crock pot for hours before I take them out.
Third, I've been bouncing on the exercise ball (or birth ball). This helps to open the pelvis and allow the baby to drop down farther. Yesterday I got a good 15 or 20 minute stretch in and I definitely felt like it was helping increase the pressure on my satch. (LOL)
And that's about where I'm at.
On Monday I'll be one day short of 39 weeks and I'll kick things up a little bit. I have an acupuncture appointment that day. Craig has had a lot of success helping ladies go into labor--if not right away after the acupuncture, at least within a day or two of their due dates.
If I am still pregnant the next Monday (the day before my due date), I have an additional appointment with him then as well.
Unfortunately, none of these things REALLY work until the baby is ready to come out on his own. :-/ Honestly I don't feel like anything is going to happen in the next few days. I have slightly more hope for next week after the acupuncture appointment.
Despite my complaining it really is okay that he is still in there. I don't know if I shared this article on here, but I saw a really good article a few weeks ago about how even full-term babies that are early (37 or 38 weeks) have more issues with breathing, feeding, etc than babies born after 39 weeks. The bottom line is that babies really are supposed to cook for just about 40 weeks (give or take a week).
So despite all my complaining, aches, and pains, I'm actually glad that he is still in there. But I'll be 39 weeks on Tuesday. (Hint hint baby).
P.S. I just realized I covered a lot of these things in slightly less detail in my D.O.N.E. post like two days ago. Clearly more evidence that my brain is going and James needs to be born soon!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
D.O.N.E.
Yep, totally done with this whole pregnancy thing.
It's SO weird how I watched other people go through this "end of pregnancy-so done" phase and thought that I would have so much more patience when I got to "that" point, and it's only two more weeks, they should just buck up and stick it out, yadda yadda.
Well, now all my well meaning advice is coming back to bite me in the ass because NOW I know how they actually felt. Yes, logically I have 2, 3, or even 4 weeks left. But you can bet your butt that if I make it to my due date, two weeks from today, I will be JUST as desperate, miserable, and impatient as (almost) every other pregnant woman who makes it to her due date.
To recap--I'm sleeping just about 12 hours a day every day. This has been the case for awhile. Just TRY to wake me at hour ten and you will pay. However, until about five days ago, this half of my life I spent sleeping was mirrored by awake hours where I was, as my midwives describe, quite perky. I had a good amount of energy, could get plenty of stuff done during the day, etc.
However, for the past 5 days or so, the 12 hours don't seem to be enough. I'm tired again an hour or two after I wake up--I can't focus on anything, my brain feels like it is in a fog . . .
Then there is the physical discomfort. I need to sleep on ice packs so that I can fall asleep without my back hurting. There is no position I can lay, sit, stand, walk in that I am not completely uncomfortable. This makes falling asleep or getting into any kind of "relaxed" position very difficult. Right now I'm perched at the edge of my couch with my stomach hanging off the front and my laptop on the coffee table.
And, I have no energy to do anything. The laundry and dishes pile up. I only make dinner because I'm hungry and really want to eat it. I really hope that I have some nesting energy hit me before I go into labor so that Lil James isn't born into a filthy hovel. My days are spent sleeping and whining and trying not to be too miserable--watching TV and attempting to distract myself from my physical discomfort and irritability.
So the strategies to evacuate baby Irwin begin. I'm not nearly desperate enough yet to try sex or spicy food, especially given the discomfort and heartburn I felt after my last spicy food experience. But I'm chugging red raspberry leaf tea like it is my job, and I'm taking Evening Primrose Oil daily. Craig (acupuncture friend) said I could take up to 5000 mgs a day (or of Borage Oil), but not to get that high with the dosage until I get to 39 weeks. I've been taking 500 mgs a day for the last week, I'll probably bump it up to 1000 mgs today though and increase little by little until I'm taking as much as I can.
I have an appointment with Craig on Monday (one day shy of 39 weeks) to start baby evacuation acupuncture. It's not really supposed to work until the baby is ready anyway, but he claims to have never had more than one or two women go more than a day or two past their due dates. SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. At this point being pregnant until 42 weeks--a serious possibility for the average (non-intervened) person--sounds akin to Chinese water torture.
I AM READY TO MEET YOU, LITTLE JAMES! It seems like you have plenty of energy but Mommy has none. Please come out now as soon as you possibly feel ready.
It's SO weird how I watched other people go through this "end of pregnancy-so done" phase and thought that I would have so much more patience when I got to "that" point, and it's only two more weeks, they should just buck up and stick it out, yadda yadda.
Well, now all my well meaning advice is coming back to bite me in the ass because NOW I know how they actually felt. Yes, logically I have 2, 3, or even 4 weeks left. But you can bet your butt that if I make it to my due date, two weeks from today, I will be JUST as desperate, miserable, and impatient as (almost) every other pregnant woman who makes it to her due date.
To recap--I'm sleeping just about 12 hours a day every day. This has been the case for awhile. Just TRY to wake me at hour ten and you will pay. However, until about five days ago, this half of my life I spent sleeping was mirrored by awake hours where I was, as my midwives describe, quite perky. I had a good amount of energy, could get plenty of stuff done during the day, etc.
However, for the past 5 days or so, the 12 hours don't seem to be enough. I'm tired again an hour or two after I wake up--I can't focus on anything, my brain feels like it is in a fog . . .
Then there is the physical discomfort. I need to sleep on ice packs so that I can fall asleep without my back hurting. There is no position I can lay, sit, stand, walk in that I am not completely uncomfortable. This makes falling asleep or getting into any kind of "relaxed" position very difficult. Right now I'm perched at the edge of my couch with my stomach hanging off the front and my laptop on the coffee table.
And, I have no energy to do anything. The laundry and dishes pile up. I only make dinner because I'm hungry and really want to eat it. I really hope that I have some nesting energy hit me before I go into labor so that Lil James isn't born into a filthy hovel. My days are spent sleeping and whining and trying not to be too miserable--watching TV and attempting to distract myself from my physical discomfort and irritability.
So the strategies to evacuate baby Irwin begin. I'm not nearly desperate enough yet to try sex or spicy food, especially given the discomfort and heartburn I felt after my last spicy food experience. But I'm chugging red raspberry leaf tea like it is my job, and I'm taking Evening Primrose Oil daily. Craig (acupuncture friend) said I could take up to 5000 mgs a day (or of Borage Oil), but not to get that high with the dosage until I get to 39 weeks. I've been taking 500 mgs a day for the last week, I'll probably bump it up to 1000 mgs today though and increase little by little until I'm taking as much as I can.
I have an appointment with Craig on Monday (one day shy of 39 weeks) to start baby evacuation acupuncture. It's not really supposed to work until the baby is ready anyway, but he claims to have never had more than one or two women go more than a day or two past their due dates. SOUNDS GOOD TO ME. At this point being pregnant until 42 weeks--a serious possibility for the average (non-intervened) person--sounds akin to Chinese water torture.
I AM READY TO MEET YOU, LITTLE JAMES! It seems like you have plenty of energy but Mommy has none. Please come out now as soon as you possibly feel ready.
Monday, November 1, 2010
38 Weeks!
I'll be 38 weeks tomorrow and I'm honestly getting ready to be done now. It's like someone flipped a switch inside me like three days ago and suddenly I am exhausted no matter how much I sleep, and there is literally no way for me to be comfortable in any position.
But I probably only have about two weeks left so it is OKAY.
Anyway, here's my 38 week belly pictures!
But I probably only have about two weeks left so it is OKAY.
Anyway, here's my 38 week belly pictures!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Perky
So I had my midwife appointment today and their conclusion?
Apparently I'm far too perky to be going into labor any time soon.
They said I need to be far more miserable before I can expect to go into labor. I need to stop being able to sleep and feel tired and cranky all the time, and my stomach needs to get a lot, lot, bigger. In fact, since Lil James settled into my pelvis, I went from measuring 2 cms ahead to measuring 2 behind. So today I was only measuring 34 cms. :-/
I'm not sure what to think about this. After my false labor scare of last week, I definitely had a few days where I thought for sure this baby was coming early. But then, that feeling faded and I was left thinking to myself that I had at least a month left. Honestly I know it is better for him to cook for a few more weeks, and right now I'm content with that.
Perhaps this content-ness is the perkiness they refer to? The midwives are betting on a Thanksgiving baby--they are hoping for double desserts. ;-)
Apparently I'm far too perky to be going into labor any time soon.
They said I need to be far more miserable before I can expect to go into labor. I need to stop being able to sleep and feel tired and cranky all the time, and my stomach needs to get a lot, lot, bigger. In fact, since Lil James settled into my pelvis, I went from measuring 2 cms ahead to measuring 2 behind. So today I was only measuring 34 cms. :-/
I'm not sure what to think about this. After my false labor scare of last week, I definitely had a few days where I thought for sure this baby was coming early. But then, that feeling faded and I was left thinking to myself that I had at least a month left. Honestly I know it is better for him to cook for a few more weeks, and right now I'm content with that.
Perhaps this content-ness is the perkiness they refer to? The midwives are betting on a Thanksgiving baby--they are hoping for double desserts. ;-)
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