Maybe my last post while pregnant...

Well, I'm still not in labor! I haven't even begun what they call "Early Labor," which is the not-too-bad stage of contractions that start the cervix dilating. This is WAY before the "WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?!?!" stage many people describe jokingly to Dan. Although some of them, I suspect, are not actually joking.

I am scheduled to check into Mercy Hospital Monday morning at 7:30 am. They'll start with a mild "intervention" (any time labor is helped along medically, it's called an intervention), namely a prostaglandin insert. I won't go into detail here...I think it's pretty self-explanatory. I will say that the purpose is to start early labor and get my cervix a bit dilated!

The next step will be (if the prostaglandin does its job, and Baby & I are doing well) to strip my membranes. Again, not going into detail; it sort of sicks some of you out to hear these medical procedures explained. One could always Google it, if curious.

Final step to "get things moving" is Pitocin. That's a synthetic version of oxytocin, the labor-inducing hormone the body naturally produces around 40 weeks. Who knows? My body might need a little jump-start, then will take over with no problem. Or, I might need the Pitocin to keep labor progressing. It's like a choose-your-own adventure book, but many of the pages will be turned on my behalf by my body.

(Okay, that was a bit hokey.)

So, I had really thought that I would have gone into labor last week, or that I would be induced last week. Changing gears has been a bit emotional!

Because I didn't understand the "schedule" correctly, Dan and I engaged a wonderful Doula, Kate, who was only available until July 27th. We were thinking, "Oh, that's fine, they're inducing me the week of the 23rd, it will work out perfectly!" So, here we are on the 28th, and our Doula is off on a family vacation, available by phone, but...well, I'm not exactly going to rub my cell phone on my sacrum to ease the pain of contractions, now, am I?

Being the sweet, genuine, accomodating person she is (truly - she has been the perfect person to help Dan & me prepare for birth, and we are so sad she won't be there with us), Kate worked her butt off to find us a substitue doula to attend our birth. She presented us with two options - a doula in training (translation - still being certified, but will not require any payment. This can be a great option if it's the right person), or Leah.

Leah? Really? Leah's available?!

Leah was the instructor of our childbirth preparation class, Birthing from Within. Not only do we already know her, and she knows us, but she is THE doula here in Portland. She runs the non-profit childbirth education and resource center. She trains new doulas--in fact, she trained Kate, and recommended her to us based on our personalities and budget. She is making a documentary on childbirth. Her mom wrote the book on Connection Parenting - literally, look it up, Pam Leo's "Connection Parenting." She attended our good, good friends' birth just last week. In short, she's fabulous, knowledgable, experienced, and would have been our first choice in the first place, if her fees were in our little budget. Since she's filling in, and we have a prior engagement with Kate, we would be paying only the balance we owe Kate to engage Leah.

Who doesn't believe in fate, blessings, luck?!?

(We did meet with the doula-in-training, because, of course, free is better than on sale, SOMETIMES. Not so much in this case. The second she stepped into our house, Dan and I knew she was the wrong person for us. I'm sure she'll be a great doula for other women, and I'll just leave it at that.)

So, we have Leah engaged to attend our birth. While we will miss Kate, we are thrilled that our first choice has become available. Seriously - there's a greater hand at work here. Not that I claim to understand that, or have figured out what my belief is about it, but, really? A blessing. This is probably how it was meant to be.

The other stress that has come up this week is a call from my Short-term Disability insurer, just to let me know that since I signed onto the policy after receiving care for my pregnancy, I am not eligible to receive any of my benefits. My claim is being denied. My maternity leave will not be paid, even partially. I will have no income for the next six weeks. Stress anyone?!

I had a conversation with our account manager at the insurance company several months before signing onto the policy, specifically asking if I could enroll while pregnant and still receive the benefits. She said yes. I'm hoping the conversation was recorded, although, since it's in MY favor, not theirs, I somehow suspect it wasn't! I have hope that I will win this little battle. Still, it's a stressful battle at a time when I should not be worried about such things.

So, Mama is a bit stressed out. I'm trying to stay calm, stare at candles, listen to relaxing music, be massaged as frequently as possible, and not worry so much.

Some reasons why Baby should be born on Monday:

#1 It's my due date. They say that a woman's cycle has something to do with when she delivers in relation to her due date, and I am the most punctual woman in this area, EVER.

#2 It's full moon. Some of you may not believe this, but maternity wards are actually flooded with women in labor on full moon.

#3 Two of my family members that I want to be in the wings (in the waiting room in case I want them) are able to be in town that day.

#4 My doctors say so. And, thank God I live in a time when we have access to these "interventions" (yes, the ones that I don't actually want), so that Baby and I can both be healthy and safe and alive. And that is the most important thing to remember here. Whether or not I WANT pitocin, it's a good thing it exists, so that in the end? In the end we get a baby.

A baby. *sigh*

Next post will be picture, date, weight, length...all sorts of stuff about Baby, and not Me.

-Lindsay

P.S. Who knows about Blogger? I need help archiving/saving/printing this blog for a keepsake.

39 Week update

I'm through with work, and there's not much to do at home, so I'm in a hurry-up and wait mode. Here's the update email:

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely she already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Any day now...

No news yet! Please feel free to call to check in. If/when I get sick of answering questions, I'll change the message on the answering machine!

I'm still feeling really good - loads of energy! Hopefully things will start moving in the next day or two...

38 Weeks update!

No real changes to report...baby hasn't dropped yet, no dilation. I'm feeling ready, though. Tomorrow's my last day of work, thank goodness! My next checkup is this coming Wednesday the 25th, so hopefully I'll have made some progress by then!

I had an ultrasound on Monday, and they estimated her weight at 7 1/2 pounds, give or take a pound. (Give or take A POUND?!? That's a pretty big difference.) I figure she'll be about 8 1/2 pounds at the most, but I'm still betting on 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Any other guesses?

Here is the update from BabyCenter:

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs between 6 and 7 1/2 pounds (boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls), and she's nearly 20 inches long. She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb. Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old.

Here's what BabyCenter.com has to say this week:

Congratulations! Your baby is full-term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away. She weighs a little over 6 pounds and measures between 19 and 20 inches. Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long.

Positive? Really?!?

I received the results from the Group B Strep test, and much to my surprise, it was positive!

Here's a little bit about the ick:

Group B streptococcus (group B strep) is a type of bacteria that causes illness in newborn babies, pregnant women, the elderly, and adults with other illnesses, such as diabetes or liver disease. Group B strep is the most common cause of life-threatening infections in newborns.
Group B strep is the most common cause of sepsis (blood infection) and meningitis (infection of the fluid and lining around the brain) in newborns. Group B strep is a frequent cause of newborn pneumonia and is more common than other, more well-known, newborn problems such as rubella, congenital syphilis, and spina bifida. In the year 2001, there were about 1,700 babies in the U.S. less than one week old who got early-onset group B strep disease.

So, I'll have to take some antibiotics when my water breaks, or when labor begins, so I don't pass the bacteria on to Baby. If you're dying of curiosity, if you have questions - frequently asked questions - you can go to the CDC site at: http://www.cdc.gov/groupBstrep/general/gen_public_faq.htm

It's no big deal - about 25% of women carry the bacteria, but that doesn't mean that they have the "disease."

So, yeah.

Ick.

36 Weeks - Less than a month to go!

I started seeing my acupuncturist last week, to get "things" moving. I saw her again today, and next week we'll intensify the treatment. She does some points along my sacrum, mostly, and stimulates the needles just by twirling them. "Intensifying the treatment" means adding the electricity...ZAP! I'll have some buzz-buzzing feelings where the needles are inserted, but it won't hurt (me or the baby).

I have a 36-week check-up on Thursday, and the doctor will do my first cervical exam. This will most likely not be very pleasant, as a woman's cervix is very sensitive. They'll also do a Group B Strep test, to see if I'm a carrier of that bacterial strain. (I'm probably not). If I am, I'll have to take anti-biotics right before labor to make sure I don't pass it on to the little baby.

We had an ultrasound on Monday. Once again, Baby was movin' and shakin' up until they started looking at her! I think she's getting camera shy. They were able to get all of her measurements, listen to the cord and the heart, witness some "practice breathing," and check the placenta with no problem. Before they will let me go, Baby has to show her stuff - she has to demonstrate that she is able to move around (and kick her Mama). She was sound asleep for most of the exam, so I switched positions, we jiggled the belly, Dan talked to Baby...and they had to bust out the noise-maker in the end. This is a little hand-held device that makes a buzzing noise like an alarm clock. The technician holds it up against the belly to wake up Baby. Within a half-second of doing this yesterday, Baby woke up and tried to leap out of me through my belly button. That was definitely a big enough movement to pass the test!

Her size is normal - about 6 pounds, 10 ounces. She's in the 60th percentile. (The 50th percentile is the weight of most babies.) They say you can give or take a pound off that estimate, at this stage. Dan and I agree that there is NO way Baby is 7 pounds 10 ounces right now - I'm simply not THAT big!

So - how much do YOU think Baby will weigh at birth? I'm putting my official guess out there at 7 pounds, 13 ounces. Go ahead - guess. Put it in the "comments" section below. If you're right, you get the satisfacation of knowing you once guessed the weight of a person before you ever laid eyes on her.

By the way - Baby Walsh IS in the head-down position!

Here is the email update for the week:

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is a little under 19 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy hair that covered her body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely she's in a head-down position, but if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an external cephalic version, where she'll try to turn your baby by manipulating her from the outside of your belly.


By the way - Baby Walsh IS in the head-down position!