Ben's Birth Story (Part 1)

On Saturday, December 10, I woke up at about 7:00. I had contractions all morning long, but they were anywhere between 8 and 12 minutes apart. I spent my morning cleaning the house. You see, on Thursday night I'd had the same contractions, went to bed, and they went away. I was determined not to let these ones go away! I asked Kevin to download the Contraction Master app on his iPhone so I didn't have to write times down or track them on the Contraction Master website on my laptop. I carried the iPhone around with me as I cleaned.

At 12:00, Colin laid down for his nap and I sat on the couch watching TV with Kevin timing and breathing through the contractions. Colin woke up at 2:00 and after a quick post-nap snuggle, the Contraction Master app's hospital alert sprung up. My contractions had gone from an average of 8 minutes apart and medium-strong to an average of 4 minutes apart and strong in a matter of minutes.

I called the hospital and said that I was in labor and thought it was time for me to come in. The nurse asked me how dilated I was at my last appointment. I told her I was 2 cm the day before, then I told her to call my midwife and start filling the tub with water (Midwife told me to tell them this when I called in). The nurse had the nerve to ask, "She wants me to fill the tub even though you were only a 2 yesterday?" I replied, "Yes. That's what Midwife told me to tell you. I went fast last time."

Next we called our neighbor who had volunteered to watch Colin at the drop of a hat. I had called her that morning to give her a heads up that she might be needed. She hustled over while Kevin and I got ready to leave. We left the house at about 2:30.

We arrived at the hospital at 3:00. The nurse I suspect was the same that answered the phone started talking about getting the penicillin (for GBS) ready. I told her that I thought I should get checked before anyone considered hooking me up to an IV. I didn't think I had enough time to get a dose of the antibiotics. I changed into my hospital gown and got hooked up to the monitors. The nice nurse (Amy) checked me. I was 7-8 cm. I do believe I said, "That's what I'm talking about!" and from then on, the snotty nurse left me alone. She checked with Midwife about skipping the penicillin and Midwife said it was okay.

Midwife arrived at about 3:15. She said she was so glad to see me and I told her the same :) The tub was finishing getting filled, and Midwife asked me if I was ready to get into the tub. I told her I was, so I got in. With Colin's labor, the water was so hot I had to have ice water washcloths put on my forehead. This time the water was much more comfortable. I labored through some contractions, drank some apple juice, and chatted with Midwife. She said if my water hadn't broken by 4:00 we'd get me out of the tub so I could use the bathroom, and talk about breaking my water.

Luckily I never had to tell her I didn't want her to break my water.

To be continued...

Midwife appointment

BP: Good
Baby's HB: ?
Belly measurement: ?
Cervix: 2 cm
Effacement: ?
Station: ?
Cankles: Disappeared at the beginning of the week, but now they're back after being on my feet all day, every day this week (except for Monday when I was home sick on the couch).

Lots of question marks up there. I didn't really ask numbers today. Not sure why. I walked away from my appointment thinking, "Wait, what's going on in there?"

I've had a few contractions, but nothing even close to being birth center call worthy.

It was reassuring to hear Midwife say that I don't need to schedule an appointment for next week though. Let's hope not.

Appointment

Notice: Not a midwife appointment. She was in a delivery. Quite sad, but at least it just reminds me that when it's my turn, she'll be there for me too!

So I saw a doctor. Stats:
Baby's HB: 148 bpm
Belly: 39 weeks
BP: good
Cervix: 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced
Station: still high
Cankles: OMG, the cankles. The doctor asked me if I was sure I didn't twist it. I think I'd know if I did, thankyouverymuch.

She said it's unlikely Snowflake will be born this weekend. Depressing.

Perhaps I can prove her wrong. There's snow coming tomorrow. Crazier things have happened.

And the difference between a doctor and a midwife regarding being GBS+:
Midwife: "Don't worry about it....It's your right to deny the antibiotic...If you don't have time for it, it will be okay...If your labor is fast again, the chances of baby getting sick are very low..."
Doctor: "Be your own advocate. Tell those nurses you're GBS+ so you can get that antibiotic."

::shakes head:: Oh Doctor, how little you know about me. Give me back my Midwife, please.

Midwife appointment

BP: 100/60
Baby's HB: 130s
Belly measurement: 38 cm
Cervix: 1 cm dilated

Midwife asked me when I was having the baby and I said somewhere between next Wednesday and Saturday. Although I would love to fit in my last chiropractor appointment, which is on Thursday.

Midwife appointment

BP: Good
Baby's HR: 144 bpm
Belly measurement: 37 cm
Official (office scale) weight: Same as last week.
Cervix: I decided not to get checked.

Midwife said not to worry about the GBS being positive. Hopefully my labor will be quick again, and the less time the baby spends down there, the less chance s/he will contract it. They can always test the baby for it after birth and treat it then. She seemed not to be worried about it at all, so I won't be either.

She asked me if I've packed my bags yet. I said no. She said to tell her when I have so she can be ready.

Midwife appointment

36 week check up! From here on out, I have weekly appointments. Holy furballs.

BP: Good
Belly measurement: Right on track
Baby's heartrate: 128-130 bpm
Baby's position: head down, legs wrapped around my stomach.
Cervix: Closed and getting soft

Midwife says she's in denial about how close I am to the end. Me too. I can't believe in just a few weeks we'll have a baby to snuggle and love on (even if it is in the wee hours). Plus also? This is going to sound kinda...weird...but only those who are patients of Midwife know this. I'm going to miss seeing her so often. ::sniff::

Midwife also asked me how I was feeling about being almost done. I told her I was just going through a list of all the stuff I have to do before the baby comes. She said that usually for second time moms, after all of the "to dos" are done that's when it all happens. I told her I had a lot to do so it won't be happenin' for awhile!

Next weekend I'll start packing up the hospital bag and all that good stuff. Until then, I have to focus on getting my classroom and my sub ready! I feel so disorganized, but slowly I'm making some progress.

And the countdown begins...

Midwife appointment = Reassurance about the past

At my midwife appointment today, everything went swimmingly. BP, heart rate, belly measurement were all good. I lost a few pounds from last time, but baby is measuring beautifully. Midwife thinks the baby is head down with his/her legs splayed on either side of my belly. I'm not sure what's going on in there, but this kid is so active. I think there may be some Tai Chi sessions going on in my belly. Next appointment I get my cervix checked and that darn GBS test done.

I handed Midwife my water birth consent form and my "birth plan" (which wasn't very detailed at all!). She asked me if I had any questions, and I asked her the question I have been dying to ask her for the past 2.5 years: Why didn't Kevin get to cut Colin's umbilical cord? It was in our plan and it didn't happen. Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether he did or not, but because he didn't, it made me think something was wrong with Colin when he was born and nobody told me about it. All I remember is Colin coming out and a flurry of hands, and me seeing him, guessing he was a boy just by what he looked like because I couldn't see between his legs. I remember not hearing him cry, him being gray, and him being taken away. I was lifted out of the tub by Midwife and Kevin and got on the bed to deliver the placenta. First time mom thoughts running through my head, I thought something was wrong with him. I didn't get to hold him for more than 10 seconds after he was born.

Her answer? She seems to truly remember his birth. Which, in my book, adds to her amazingness. She said the nurse that was there that night (and she knew specifically what nurse it was) had never assisted at a water birth before. So when he was born, she kind of panicked because it was unfamiliar to her. So the nurse (?) cut the cord and whisked him away. When the umbilical cord is still attached, babies are still receiving oxygen from their mothers, so they look up at the world and don't necessarily cry.

Midwife told me that in the past 2.5 years, she has changed how she does water births. In speaking with a nurse about how she felt about water births, the nurse shared that water birth moms don't get to hold their babies for very long after they are born. Realizing she was right, Midwife now lets moms hold their baby as they get out of the tub and onto the bed. The cord isn't cut until after mom is on the bed. This sounds so much more comforting and "serene," as Midwife called it, than the whisk-away and the "wait, what just happened?" that I experienced with Colin. I am so excited to be able to hug and smooch on the baby right away for an extended period.

And hopefully this time Kevin will be able to cut the cord. Although he doesn't express any desire either way to cut it or not, I know he'll feel important doing it. And if he doesn't want to, that's okay too. But at least it sounds like he'll be able to do it now.

I seriously can't express how much knowing that absolutely nothing went wrong when Colin was born makes me feel. And the fact that, barring special circumstances, this time will be different. Huge sigh of relief.

Midwife appointment

Short n' sweet appointment.

Baby's heartbeat was 136 bpm.
BP was good
Weight gain was outrageous (must remember...growing. baby.)
Belly measured at 31 weeks

Got my water birth consent and birth plan paperwork.

Midwife commented on how fast this pregnancy is going. I couldn't agree more. In less than 2 months we'll have a newborn. Eep!

Hello Again! Post 2: Midwife appointment

"Wha? Post 2? Confused." You say? To make up for lost time, I'm posting more than once today :) So go back to the previous post, and there you will find the usual weekly update.

So...I had a midwife appointment today. I took a half day off (morning) of work for it, because it was the glucose test appointment. The glucola drink was larger, grosser (which I realize isn't a word), and flatter than I remember it being. The lab tech assured me it was the same as before. She was definitely wrong.

Weight was okay, blood pressure was great, heartbeat was 137 bpm (Colin's was 136 bpm at this point). Baby is still head down with feet to my right. I asked my midwife if there was any way to avoid getting Group B Strep this time around, and she said no. It took 2 nurses about an hour to get an IV in my arm last time, and that was uber annoying so I'd like to avoid that if I can. But I guess it's out of my control.

Since my midwife's cool like that, she said she was going to skip the cervical check since I didn't have any pre-term labor problems with Colin :) YES!

I have an appointment a month from now, and then I start the every-other-week appointments. Seriously, this pregnancy has flown by. Before I know it, I'll be all snuggled up with a baby in a warm house during the cold winter :)

After my appointment, I had some time to kill so I went to Caribou for a Hot Apple Blast and Bruegger's for a sundried tomato bagel with a slice of muenster cheese. Then I was off to Kohl's to use my $10 free card to buy some fleece jammies for Colin to wear since it has been so cold at night. After I browsed at TJMaxx and Target, I headed back to work. I was not feeling well at all the rest of the afternoon, but I made it through the day.

Midwife Appointment

I had my 24 week check up today. All was good. As always, she said how beautiful I am and how well I'm doing (she says this to everyone, but I don't care).

Snowflake's heart beat was 140 bpm, and s/he was head down. Not that s/he will stay that way, but it's always interesting to know where all the body parts are.

I'm measuring right on target at 24 inches. I've been feeling like I look bigger than last time. My midwife explained that for second pregnancies, the round ligaments lack stretch and they don't support your belly as well as they did the first time around. That made me feel a whole lot better.

Nothing else to report! At my next appointment, I take the glucose test. Midwife told me to eat eggs and drink water and that's it for my breakfast.

Exciting stuff!

Introducing Snowflake!

We (okay, mostly I) are calling this baby Snowflake. Colin was called Rain, and at the time it was just because it was funny coupled with our last name. But since then, I've realized that Rain was an appropriate name because he was an April baby. With this baby due the first week of December, Snowflake is only fitting.

I have so much to catch you up on, but we'll start with some belly pictures taken this evening.
And then we'll move on to a variety of questions taken from fellow pregnant friends Laura and Leah's blogs. You'll see these weekly.

How far along? 14 weeks 6 days

Total weight gain/loss: +7 pounds (Good LORD!)

Size: Lemon or 3 1/2 inches and weighs 1 1/2 ounces

Baby Development: "His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active." (From babycenter.com)

Best moment this week: Seeing my beloved midwife and hearing the heart beat at my appointment yesterday; 148 bpm.

Movement: I think I'm feeling a little bit of movement, but it's more like somersaults and not kicks.

Food cravings: Meat--Hot dogs, cheeseburgers; and fruit

Food aversions: Sweets like cupcakes and brownies

What I miss: Sub sandwiches, comfortable jeans/shorts
Stretch marks?: None yet. I'm going to try my best to avoid them again by using Jafra's Royal Almond Body Oil. It worked at keeping the stretch marks away with Colin, so hopefully it will work magically again!
Maternity clothes?: I bought some stretchy tank tops and t-shirts when I went shopping with my girls a few weekends ago. I'm hoping they will get me through the summer. My mom scored me a great deal on some denim maternity shorts at Kohls yesterday. I may have to buy one more pair of shorts, but I plan on spending quite a bit of time wearing some old school Champion mesh shorts this summer as well.
Sleep?: I'm sleeping great, aside from the occasional middle of the night wake up call we get when Colin has to go to the bathroom. And if that happens any time after 4 am, it's hard to get back to sleep.
Gender?: We won't be finding out. We didn't find out with Colin, so all of the gear we have is gender neutral. At this point, my hunch is this little one's a girl. I've had a few dreams starring a newly born baby girl.
Belly button?: It's very circular and not very deep.
What are you looking forward to this week?: Being done with my first week of summer school (1 down, 4 to go!), getting family pictures taken in Stillwater with Leah on Saturday morning, Fathers Day/my brother's birthday on Sunday.

More posts to come about telling our family and friends and other fun facts.

I missed my midwife

And no, just because I said that does not in any way, shape, or form mean that I have a secret to share!

My midwife-with-a-crunchy-name also does regular ol' GYN stuff. Like you wanted to know what I did yesterday afternoon, right? I'll spare you the details.

My coworker/friend also goes to the same midwife for regular ol' GYN stuff and for baby-birthing purposes. We were talking last week, and I mentioned I get (note: not have with a grumble inserted) to see Midwife, and she was jealous! THAT'S how much we love this woman. I mean, seriously, who gets excited knowing a speculum is in her near future? We do.

When you're pregnant, you have appointments at approximately 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, and 40 weeks. You develop a bump and a relationship with your midwife because you ONLY see the midwife at your appointments. No other doctors step in her spot. You go through this incredible birthing experience with her (again...no substitutes. She was there at 3 a.m., in her glasses, looking like she had been awoken from a fabulous night of restful sleep). Then, all of a sudden, she's gone. Sure you see her 6 weeks later for a quick appointment but let's face it. That's only a tease. Then, barring pregnancy or some other need, you don't see her for another year. It's like quitting a love of ice cream or pop or chocolate (heaven forbid).

Needless to say, I was amped to see her. She's still as wonderful as ever. She still thinks I'm wonderful ;) She, again, said my water birth was so perfect. She complemented me on being able to breastfeed a whole year, and how I'm going to feel so good about that forever. She asked about Colin--his hair color specifically--and loved that he's a blondie. I forgot to bring a picture of him as I had left my phone in my car. I told her I was crazy for telling her, at my 6 week postpartum appointment, that he's laid back. Because we all know that he's really quite stubborn.

I left feeling like I could've chatted with her for at least an hour more. I wish I were her friend. I wish we could have coffee (well--either a steamer or smoothie for me). She makes you feel so darned good about yourself, even when you think you're already doing alright.

::sigh:: Someday I'll go back to seeing her frequently again. For now, I'll bask in the memories of that appointment yesterday.

Checkity check

Midwife appointment stats:

Weight: up 4 lbs from last appointment 2 weeks ago. Lay off the sweets, girl!! Total: 20 lbs. All along, I had been calculating with my starting weight as 2 lbs lighter than what my midwife was using. So...now we're on track :)

BP: good

Baby measuring: perfectly

Heartbeat: 140ish

Baby's position: head down (I assume. She asked me where I felt kicks, I showed her, she didn't say anything about those not being kicks)

I told my midwife that everyone says I'm so tiny. She said that I'm right where I need to be. America is a fat nation who expects her pregnant women to be huge. The baby's growing just fine, and everything is wonderful. She said labor is easier without the baby having to maneuver through all the "fluff" (yes, that was her word) of extra weight. Thank you, marvelous woman, for telling me this.

She asked me if the kicks I was feeling were boy kicks or girl kicks. I told her my dreams said boy, but I say girl. I asked her what they were telling her. She said she goes by the dad's personality, and what she thinks he will be cute with (this makes me chuckle). So...she predicts boy. We didn't elaborate any more than that, but I'm very curious about her methods. Calm & patient dad = boy? High-strung & worried dad = girl? Hmmm...

Now...how'd my checklist go for the day?

#1. Transcripts: Done by 8:15 a.m. and in the mail

#2: Closet: I tried to get into it, but I got overwhelmed. I decided I didn't just want to pile things around the room. I'd rather have them stay in the closet. I may still work on getting non-baby things out of there this weekend, though. Instead, I folded up gift bags and tissue paper from the work shower I had on Monday that I hadn't put away yet. I also put together the bouncer seat I received at the shower, and hung itty bitty baby clothes without hangers on the side of the crib.

#3: Cake: ordered. I hope they get it right, or it'll end up on cakewrecks for sure (see blog list to the right).

#4: Midwife appointment. Obviously done.

Extra Credit: none. Maybe later this weekend.

Total score: 3 out of 4.

I did also go to Target today to exchange a fabric organizer box thing that I got at one of my showers. The stitching was loose on it. No receipt = I had to do the 3-exchanges-in-1-year-with-my-drivers-license hooha. Target, I love you, but you stink. It's an EXCHANGE! While there, I expanded my maternity wardrobe with a much-needed long-sleeved grey t-shirt to wear under shirts that are just too dang short.

Midwife appointment

I re-scheduled my appointment to be today instead of tomorrow. So...here's the stats:

My weight: up 1.5 lbs since 2 weeks ago. This is "perfect" and puts me at a total weight gain of 18-19ish lbs
BP: good
Glucose results: 114 (140 is where we worry, so no worries there!)
Hemoglobin: good
Baby's HB: 140 bpm
Belly measurement: On track
Baby's position at time of appointment: Head down. Feet are on my right side, where all the big movements are. I still feel fluttering in the upper middle and lower left though. My midwife said that if the baby is head down at 30 weeks, he/she will usually stay that way. Let's hope so, shall we?

I also turned in my pre-admission form and officially signed up for childbirth education classes, which will be held the evening of March 13 & all day March 14.

I was given my next piece of homework: Birth plan. It's not due until after we finish up class. I think I know at least half of my preferences on the sheet right now though. However, I will hold off until I learn more.

Glucose Test

Apparently I passed since I didn't receive a phone call on Tuesday morning. My next appointment is next Friday, so we'll see if I was close to the cut-off, or if I passed with flying colors.