Great Doctor Appointment Today!

So after my complaining post yesterday I decided that I would post something a little more up beat today.

I had my 38 week appointment today and while I know that I lost my mucus plug last Thursday I knew that didn't mean that anything had changed since last week.  Last week I was 1 cm dilated and still pretty thick.  Well this week....

Drum roll please...........................................................

3 CM and not as thick!!! 

3 cm!  That means that I only have 7 left to go.  It usually took me the longest to get to 3-4 and then I get to 6 or so and stall for a little bit and then BAM I'm at 10 and the baby is here.  This is great news!  Active labor starts at 4 usually.  I've been using Evening Primrose for a few weeks now and I'd say that it is certainly helping me dilate my cervix! 

I also asked Dr. Rohr if she would strip my membranes.  What that means, for those of you less educated folk...lol... is the doctor sweeps her fingers around the inside of my cervix to separate the bag of waters and cervix.  It can help to jump start labor by causing the beginning of a breakdown in the integrity of the bag of water. 

With Kate and Abby I had this done.  With Abby it didn't do too much but with Kate I went into labor on my own a few days later.  I'm hoping that since I'm already to 3 cm that she was really able to get in there and strip them out. 

I know that unless you've been pregnant before you don't really understand how exciting it is to be dilated to a 3 when labor hasn't even started yet.  At the end of pregnancy you are so ready to be done and meet your little one that any news of progression is great news. 

I could have jumped up and down on the exam table is she wasn't still examining me!  3 cm is almost a third of the way done!  Now I called Jason to tell him the great news and he wasn't very excited.  I don't think he understands the importance of this life changing news!  It seriously changes the way we will act once my water does break.

Normal routine:  water breaks, I waddle around with a towel between my legs making phone calls to the important people, then we wait until someone comes to watch our children and we go to the hospital.  This is done with excitement and a little bit of hurried activity since first labor was 4 hours long.  So we figured that we should probably book it to the hospital pretty quickly in case it went even faster. 

This time:  Water Breaks, I waddle around with towel between my legs making phone calls to important people.  Mom rushes to our house with Chuck and her driver and we will be leaving for the hospital while Chuck waits for someone to watch our children.  We will not be sticking around waiting for people this time.  If I'm already to a 3 and my labors only took a few hours when I start at a 1 then this one will hopefully go even faster! 

Yes, people I'm hoping for a VERY fast labor and delivery.  I have yet to push my children out into the world because when they decide to be born then literally shoot out into the world.  No pushing, very little warning, just BAM, here I am!

Here's the deal, labor hurts, it is one of the most painful things a woman will ever go through in her life.  Bringing a human being into this world should be something that makes you stop and notice things.  It shouldn't be easy, it should make you realize how big of a miracle it really is.  Well, that my friend is in the form of pain.  Pushing out a football sized infant from your vagina is going to hurt a little bit.  Guys, imagine pushing out a lime from your penis.  Not a fun picture. 

Why not get the epidural?  Well, I'm not opposed to them at all.  I've tried to get then with both previous deliveries but my babies decide that I shouldn't get to feel the numbing effects until they are already born.  Apparently something happens while I'm getting the epidural that causes the babies to decide to come right then.  Not in 10 minutes when the drugs are working, nope.  Right then.  So I figure, why should I waste everyones time and money to get an epidural when the baby will be here soon anyway.  I've come to realize that when I ask for the epidural it means that the baby will be there soon anyway.  So if I can hold off for a little bit longer I wont need to go through the pain of holding still while the give me the epidural. 

Yeah, when they tell you that you need to hold perfectly still while you are going through the most painful contractions of your life you really want to hurt them.  It's not possible but they want you to do it anyway.  Why they can't pause until the contraction is over I don't know.

So apparently I've decided that I enjoy blogging because every time I think I'm going to post something short and give you all an update it turns into a short story.  I guess I'm just excited today and I want you all to hear about it.  I'll stop typing very soon here and give you all a break until tomorrow when something else happens that I decide you just have to hear about!

Have a good day! 

Labor wishes for me please!!!

Signs of Labor

Increase in BH contractions -------  check

Low back pain -------------- check

Loose stool --------------- check

Nesting ------------- check

Dilating -------------- check

Baby drops ------------- check

Ok, so I'm sitting here thinking that all these 'signs of labor' are literally being shoved in my face and I've decided that this baby isn't coming anytime soon and I'm just going to be miserable for the next 3 weeks!  I kept figuring that this is the 3rd for me so these things should happen right before labor begins (like hours, not weeks).

Oh well, I guess we are on her time table and so I just get to wait!

Well, the waiting part sucks a big fatty!

I have 21 days, 504 hours, left and I have a feeling that filling those days and hours are going to be rather hard.  This week we are kind of busy though so hopefully that will help. 

Sunday Fun Day:  Church and dinner in Turtle Lake, like usual
Monday:  Abby has Pre-school Playgroup
Tuesday: Daycare and OB appointment
Wednesday: Kate has pre-school assessment to see if she is progressing as she should.
Thursday: We have a meeting for Pre-school for Abby.  We will find out all the details about sending our oldest child to school. 
Friday:  NOTHING
Saturday: NOTHING

So hopefully that means that this week will go by a little faster than usual.  I keep saying that this little one is going to come at the most inopportune time.  I really want to go to the meeting for pre-school on Thursday so I will probably still be in the hospital.  i figure that we are supposed to have a snow storm Sunday night into Monday so that will be a good time to go into labor.  No one will be able to come and watch the girls and it will be a big panic attack. 

I keep saying that if I prepare too much for this child to come then she will just stay put in there and never come out.  So there isn't any extra protection on the bed in case my water breaks there (it did the last 2 times).  The car seat is not installed.  Kate still needs to be put into the 'big girl' bed.  Clothes aren't washed.  I don't have any socks for this child.  I don't have any fluffy blankets for her either.  Just flannel receiving blankets. 

I figure that whatever needs to be done can be done while we are still in the hospital.  It's slightly mean to leave these details for Jason to take care of while I recover but I don't think I care!  He will just be more appreciative when I get home from the hospital.

I told him that today would be the day that I go into labor because he was going snowmobiling and it would take him a few hours to get home from when I called him.  Well, nothing happen today other than I got loose stools.  TMI, yep but when you are pregnant you get to talk about gross things like mucus plugs, loose stool, leaking boobs, runny discharge, just to name a few.  But I'll stop talking about those. 

I'm just hoping that this little girl decides that she'd like to try things out here in the real world.  Kate was almost 2 weeks early, Abby was a week early so if you do the math this one should be 3 weeks early!  I think that is logical and should make perfect sense. 

Oh, well.  She'll be here eventually right?  Every morning when I wake up still pregnant I've decided she will be in there for-ever!

Foooooorrrrrrrrr ------- eeeeeevvvvvveeeeeerrrrrrrr.............

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! 

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?

Push Present?

Yesterday I had my glucose test for this pregnancy and I PASSED!!!  For those of you that don't know around 26 weeks through your pregnancy you have to get tested for gestational diabetes.  You have to drink about 12 ounces of this super sugary drink.  My hospital has the orange flavor.  Basically it tastes like syrupy flat orange soda.  You have to drink it fast and then in 1 hour they take your blood to see how well you are processing the sugar.  The part that really sucks is that you have to be fasting in order to take the test.  Well, schedule it in the morning, wake up, skip breakfast, drink glucose drink, wait an hour, get poked by a needle, then go home and pray that you passed.  If you fail there is a 3 hour version of the test that basically is the same thing except you drink more while fasting and then they draw your blood every hour for 3 hours.  If you fail this one too then you have gestational diabetes and you need to follow a very specific diet.  It's dangerous for the baby and yourself.  So anyway I've never been diagnosed with GD but you always get to take the test and wait.  My nurse called me at 8:00am today to tell me that I passed and that I'm not anemic.  YAY!!  So now I can still eat the sugar and carbs that I crave so much with this pregnancy.

When I was in for my appointment yesterday she also changed my due date from 2/23 to 2/19.  4 days sooner!!!  Oh, yeah!  This is how my brain works... be prepared it's twisted... 

OK, 26 weeks of 40 done.
Abby and Kate were both born prior to their due date.  Abby 7 days and Kate 9 days
40 minus 26 equals 14 weeks left.
HOWEVER, since I don't make it to my due date my brain is telling me that I really only have 12-13 weeks left.
There is NO guarantee that this baby will come before her due date but if we follow my history then it will be here before 2/19.

My nurse was joking with me that we'll have a Valentine's Day baby.  I told her that would suck!!!  Even if she comes within a few days she will always be screwed by her Significant Other for Valentine's Day presents.  She will always get flowers, jewelry or candy.  It will always be wrapped in fake red velvet and be surrounded by cupids.  How sucky for her!  Jason thinks he will get out of giving me a present as we'll be either preparing or bring home the new baby.  I told him it was the opposite.  He has to get me a combination present:  Part of it is for Valentine's Day and the major part is for pushing out his baby. 

Speaking of which.  I think that men should buy their women Push Presents.  This is my theory, warning another look into my twisted brain...

*So man + woman have sex.
*Man deposits seed.
*Woman gets pregnant.
*Woman then carries baby for 40 weeks to full term.  (if you've been pregnant before then you understand how big of a deal this really is.  For most women it sucks at least a little bit.  Worth the price to bring the baby into the world but really why is it only the woman's responsibility?)
*Woman goes through pushing a baby out of her vagina.  Not a pleasant event.  Very painful trying to push a football size baby out of your vagina.  Imagine a Lime coming out of you penis and the only way it gets out is by pushing it with your own muscles.
*Woman now gets to learn how to breastfeed
*Woman now gets to recover from the birth of the precious bundle of joy
*Baby doesn't sleep through the night for at least 3 months and because Woman is breastfeeding, Man gets to sleep through the night while woman does not.

When you lay it out like this do you not agree that women should be getting a present for doing all this work?  Men say that the baby should be present enough.  Well, in theory it is but us women who have gone through it (even more than once) should get some sort of gift from the man that says "Honey, I really appreciate all the work that you did after I deposited my seed, so that we could have this amazing little person."  Here is a diamond necklace, or ruby ring, or trip to the spa.  You get the idea. 

I'm sure I will get nothing.  I got flowers with the first and nothing with the second.  I would like something but I'm not going to hold my breath. It makes the contractions more painful.  LOL

Halloween

I'm sure that there are 100 million posts out there about Halloween and how cute everyones kids were.  I'll just say that my kids are cute all the time, not just on Halloween, LOL.  Abby was a princess fairy and Kate was a lady bug.  Both were adorable but nothing crazy unique with their costumes.  We trick or treated for a while and then I had to come home as my belly hurt so bad I literally couldn't stand up straight.  Jason and Abby did one more street then came home.  It was fun and I''m sure that next year will be even better.

What really annoyed me is that there are so many people (parents really) who don't understand the rules of trick or treating.  #1 rule, if there aren't any lights on the porch lit up then that home isn't giving out candy.  So this means that even though someone is watching TV in their lazy boy if the porch light is out then they don't have any candy to hand out.  Move on to the next house please. 

#2 rule:  Kids, don't stick your hands in the candy bowl unless the homeowner tells you that you can pick out what you would like. 

#3 rule: if the homeowner tells you that you can pick out what you like then you can only take a max of 2 pieces of candy, not a handful.

and lastly #4 rule:  SAY THANK YOU AT EVERY HOUSE!!!  These homeowners have gone out and spent their hard earned money so that you can come up, knock on their door, say "Trick or Treat" and get candy for FREE!  The least you can do is have good manners and say thank you. 

These are the four main rules for trick or treating.  This is something that people do to be nice to your kids.  Take the time to at least not bother those that choose not to participate and say thank you to those that do. 

One last thing for the parents, don't take your kids out trick or treating when you are drunk.  It is inappropriate and you stink when we walk by you.  Everyone knows you are drunk, wait until the kids get to bed, then get your drink on.

That's enough on that subject.  Thank goodness this is my last pregnancy.  I'm very opinionated with this one.  I can't seem to get off my 'soap box' as it were.  Stupid people drive me crazy and my poor husband has to listen to me rant and rave about each and every one of the topics that set me off.  Just in the last week I know that I have gone off about breast feeding, elective c-sections, Halloween, getting your kids immunized and a few others that I can't even remember.  I wont go into my opinions about these topics.  At least not in this posting!

I think I'll leave you with these thoughts.  What are your opinions that set you off?  Do you think that too many mom's give up to early on breast feeding?  Do you think mom's should be able to schedule the birthday of their baby just to get out of going through labor?  Did you get all the recommended immunizations for your kids?  I don't pretend to be an expert but I have my opinions just like you do!