NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE!!!

Baby's Name: Alexandra Marie

Date of Birth: February 9, 2011

Original Due Date: February 19, 2011

Weeks Pregnant: 38 weeks 4 days

Weight: 8 lbs 2 oz

Length: 22.5 inches

Birth Story:

On Tuesday the 8th at my 38w3d OB appt my doc stripped my membranes.  It was uncomfortable and she told me that she really got in there and worked it up.  So I went home and made a grocery list and relaxed for awhile.  I noticed that my vagina felt very sore, like it was bruised.  I figured that it was from getting stripped and hoped that it would ease up in a day or two.  While walking around Wal-mart getting my groceries it was so painful to just walk.  I was having a ton more pressure and I was finally 'waddling'.  After I got home and made dinner I just laid on the couch and relaxed to try to help the pain. 

Throughout the evening my BH's were more painful but again I thought my cervix was bruised from the exam.  Went to bed and at 1:00 woke up and went to the bathroom.  Had 3 contractions between 1:00 and 2:00.  At 2:00am the contractions decided to come every 4 minutes.  I'd been having BH for weeks and they were annoying to I decided to ignore them.  Well, by 2:40 they were still there so I thought, 'Fine I'll time you for an hour and see what happens.'

At 3:30 I was sitting in my rocker and turned the fan off and accidentally woke my DH up.  He asked how far apart they were and told him they were now 3 min 30 sec apart.  He decided that we were going in and told me to call my mom. So we got dressed and went downstairs.  Called my mom at 4:00am and her and her boyfriend were at my house and we were at the hospital by 4:30am. 

The nurse checked me at 5:00am and I was at 4cm but still pretty far back.  They decided to watch me for an hour and see what happens.  Contractions were still pretty manageable at this point.  Well at 6:00am I asked to be checked again because my contractions were much more painful and I wanted to know where I was.  Well I was only at 5cm but was all the way to the front and 100% effaced.  The nurses decided that I would be delivering soon and I decided to get the epidural.  I was trying to go natural but the contractions were just so flipping bad!

Well they have to give you a full bag of fluid and we had to wait for the anesthesiologist (sp?) to get there.  I made it through my bag of fluid and Brad (my new most favorite person in the world) got there.  He asked me if I wanted the epidural or an intrathecal (sp?).  He told me that the intrathecal would be instant relief and epidural could take up to 20 minutes.

I decided on the intrathecal.  He numbed the spot between one contraction, waited until the next was passed, gave the intrathecal and I never felt the next one!  Heaven in a needle!  Best decision of my life!  You have to lay on your back for the full effect and I started to itch.  I thought I was having a reaction but apparently it's totally normal because of the phentonal (sp?) in it. 

So now I'm out of pain but itchy.  Totally worth it!!! This was at 7:00am.  I had 2 nurses, one charge and a training nurse.  They decided to check me again and so the charge nurse checked me and then had the training nurse check me (for educational purposes)  I was complete and my bag of water was bulging!  YAY!!!
My Ob was there with another doc who was also in training and my doc asked me if the new doc could deliver my baby.  Sure, why not! 

So they set up and she broke my water, yuck, very gross!  Then everyone literally stood around me waiting for me to feel a contraction and push.  It was surreal, we were all joking around and having fun.  My first two deliveries were very quick and there wasn't any fun!  Because of the intrathecal I was in heaven. 
Nobody was paying any attention to me and I felt pressure so I pushed.  

Well, on the 4th push there was a ring of fire and I pushed her head out.  The cord was wrapped around her neck and they couldn't get it undone until she was all the way out so I pushed her out with the rest of that push and she was here!  4 pushed total and she was laying on my chest.  I felt everything without any of the pain.

My 3rd little girl was here at 7:52am, less than 6 hours after the first contraction, weighing in at 8 lbs 2 oz and was 22 1/2" long. 

It was a blast this time and if you are debating the drugs I suggest you get it and enjoy the birth of your baby!  It was a ton of fun for me anyway!

This is my current fav photo but for some reason it's upside down online.  Sorry for that!

 

Only 9 more centimeters!

Yesterday I had my 36 week OB appointment.  Since Dr. Rohr is on vacation in Hawaii I had to see Dr. Smith.  She is another of the OB docs in Osceola and is great.  It was a successful appointment.  I found out that my Group B Strep test was negative.  Group B Strep is something that mom's can carry without being aware of it but it can be deadly to that baby during delivery.  If you test positive for it then you need to have antibiotics while in labor.  Not a big deal but annoy for mom. 

Secondly I got my Tubal paperwork signed so if I end up with a c-section they can perform the tubal at the same time.  So that is taken care of. 

Thirdly, Jason wants to go snowmobiling on Saturday and since he is going to be so far away I wanted Dr. Smith to check my cervix and see if there has been any change since last week.  When Dr. Rohr checked it was still closed up tight.  Well I've progressed to 1 cm!  Jason still gets to go snowmobiling but the good news is that my body has started the process...

According to my mom that means there are only 9 more centimeters left to go before baby is here!  It's not a matter of time anymore, just dilation!  I like the way she thinks!

Last week the exam hurt, it was really uncomfortable to say the least.  Well, after that I didn't have any cramps or contractions, which is very common after a cervical check.  This week the exam was painless and I haven't stopped contracting since.  It has been 24 hours and nothing I do will get them to stop.  They aren't super painful, just mildly painful.  They are different than my normal contractions though.  They make be think of pre-labor contractions.  The difference between these and my normal ones is that these wrap around from my back.  That usually means that they are real contractions and are actually doing something.  They aren't like transition contractions which are the most painful thing in the world but they are still painful. 

So with that news I've just been waiting for my water to break.  I'm hoping that it happens soon and that I get to meet this little one!  I'm only 36 weeks 4 days but if she were to come now they wouldn't stop labor.  But just in case I'm waiting until I know FOR SURE that this is labor before I go in. 

When I was in labor with Kate I had pre-labor contractions the day before that were just like this.  Then I went to bed and my water broke and she was born a few hours later! 

So here's hoping that this is it!  I'm keeping my fingers crossed but not going to cry if it all peters out either!

So wish me luck! 

Holy Heart Batman!

So we all know that I'm pregnant... and now you get to listen to my latest worry/complaint.  Well I'm 35 weeks tomorrow.  I've suffered from Hyperemesis and Tachycardia in addition to the normal pregnancy complaints.  So I feel like a whale, my back hurts, but vagina is being ripped from my body, heartburn, mild water retention, just to name a few. 

For the last few weeks my heart hasn't been cooperating with me.  I've been on medication to keep it under control since about 10-12 weeks and it has worked with all three of my pregnancies so far until delivery.  Once baby is out everything goes away.  I stop hurting, my heart stops racing, I stop wanting to throw up every second...

For the last month the medication for my heart hasn't been working that well.  So I talk to my doc and she says lets increase your meds and see if that helps.  Well for a few days nothing, no improvement.  Then for a few days the episodes are a little better...  I think YAY!!!  It's going to work!  Then yesterday hits.  I have the WORST episode that I've ever had since going on medication with my first pregnancy.  So I finally get home and call my doc and leave her a message.  She calls me back later that night and says that if it happens again or doesn't get better then she wants me to go in and get checked out.  She's talking about hooking me up to a Halter (sp?) monitor again to see what my heart is doing. 

So I wake up today and my heart is still working too hard.  I talk to Jason and he says just call and make an appointment.  So I get an appointment with another doctor who is familiar with my 'issues' for later this afternoon.  All the while I'm sitting here feeling like I'm running a marathon without leaving my couch.

Here's my issue.  This heart thing FREAKS me out!!!  How do I know that it isn't creating damage that I will deal with for the rest of my life?  Is it safe for the baby at this point?  How do we know?  I'm 35 weeks, 36 is considered full term.  Why can't we just deliver the baby so that everybody is safe?  I'm willing to wait until she decides to come on her own if it's safe for everyone.  I'm freaking out that I'm going to have a heart attack or something.  I have a friend who had some heart problems while she was pregnant and they found out that her heart was only working at 25%!!! 

Why do we have to go through all these tests when we are so close to the end?  I know I want to meet my little girl and I want her to be healthy and safe but jeez, this is crazy!  This is my last pregnancy, I plan to get my tubes tied after this is all over with too.  I can't deal with this again and so I will be giving up on my dream of having a son.  My pregnancy is THAT bad.  I will refuse to have anymore children because my body and mind can't handle being pregnant, so why can't we just be done with it already!

So I know this is basically a bitch blog post but I don't know who else will listen to me.  Jason understands because he deals with it everyday.  My Mom understands because she worries about me.  Things that are messing with your heart just aren't to be taken lightly.  So what do you think that the doc is going to say this afternoon?  More than likely there will be little done, I might be put on the monitor for a few days but I will be told to wait until I go into labor and then everything will be alright.  How do I impress on her the stress and worry that this is causing?  It's so frustrating.  I know there is something wrong but I don't know how to express my concern. 

Well, keep your fingers crossed that the appointment goes well and that I get some answers that are satisfactory!!!

Thanks for listening to me complain and vent my worries.  Cyber-space is the perfect place for this type of stuff!

Breastfeeding....

Ok, here's my soap box for the day...  Thanks Candice for getting me started and then thanks to Babycenters February 2011 group...

In regards to breastfeeding hurting for a few weeks in the beginning...

It will hurt for a couple weeks until your nipples become accustom to nursing but it shouldn't be the 'make you cry' type of pain. 
It isn't usually easy for most BF moms at first.  I think that it is something that needs to be practiced and after a few weeks it will get better. 

Think of it this way...  you are pregnant for 40 weeks, in the beginning most of us are puking our guts out for weeks, if not months.  Then the second tri hits and we level out and start to show and are all a glow, ok maybe your constipated or uncomfortable.  Then the third tri hits and we are nothing but complaining about sore backs, hoo ha's, feeling fat, bloated, hungry, crabby.  All in all most of us complain for the last 12 weeks like it's never going to end.

Then we go into labor and if we are lucky it only lasts a few hours, there's a very short amount of pushing and the baby is there without any tearing or major medical intervention. 

What about this entire process says that breastfeeding should all of a sudden be easy???  Nothing else has come easy so why should this?  I feel like every one should be trying their hardest to give their baby the breast milk that is superior to formula.  Do we realize that as little as 100 years ago if you didn't figure it out your baby died?  You had to find a wet nurse to feed your baby if you couldn't figure it out.  Formula is a fairly new thing and we should be trying our hardest to give our babies the very best!!!  Obviously you can tell I'm all for the boob but for real, give it your all!  You didn't give up on being pregnant when you could only eat saltines and ginger ale for 6 weeks.  Why should this be any different?