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Maternity & Parenting Center

Still here

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I’m still here – and all I want to do is complain. I’m so sick of the contractions, and I really don’t think I’m making any more progress – I guess I’ll find out in the morning. My belly and back are killing me, and I can’t keep any food in my system. I’m very physically uncomfortable, too. Baby is still moving well – I just really wish I could move on to the next stage already.

Today I’m baking cookies . . . trying to make my Grandma’s chocolate streudels and rollies . . . we’ll see how I do! It is the first time I’m doing this on my own! I just wish I felt better today. I’m trying to decide if I should go meet some friends for a “girl’s night out” dinner – not sure I’m feeling up to it, though.

Day 6 of Contractions

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So today is day #6 of regular contractions . . . I didn’t think this was possible! All of the medical experts have said these kind of regular contractions are rare for prodromal labor – they are all surprised the contractions haven’t dissipated or converted into “real” labor yet. The contractions have been far less intense since yesterday – definitely noticeable, but tolerable. I’m not miserable and uncomfortable today, but I’m really sick of the constant contractions. It makes me feel like I’ve got a constant stomach ache (and don’t even get me started about the fact my body refuses to hold any food because it believes I AM in labor)!

We had another ultrasound this morning – baby is looking great, and he passed his biophysical profile with another perfect score! Apparently, he is having a good ole’ time in there. He spent most of yesterday and today with a big case of the hiccups . . . it makes me laugh every time he hiccups! My amniotic fluid is much lower than it had been . . . not sure if that means anything yet. I keep thinking that I’m leaking some fluid, but I’m not really sure if it is just wishful thinking. We got another 3D picture of him, and I’ll try and post that later.

So, I’m still on track to hang in there until Monday. I’m wondering if I’ll have another round of big contractions in the next few days . . . the past hour or two, the contractions do feel a bit more intense, but I’m not really sure if it is progressing at all yet. I know that every day he stays in is good for him, but I just really wish my body (and the baby) would make up its mind – in or out – and then commit to that plan. If he is staying put another few weeks, fine, but can I get a break from the contractions, please? If he is coming out, well, let’s get to it!

Disappointing Appointment

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Yesterday, my contractions picked up around 2:00 pm. They kept getting closer and more intense, and I really thought I was starting labor. Around midnight, I was seriously thinking of calling and going to the hospital, but I was afraid to jinx things. The contractions and pain continued until 4:00 am . . . and then started to lessen in intensity again. At our appointment today, the contractions were fairly light. Even worse – no significant progress after all of that! I’m still at 2 cm (I was really hoping for 3) but more effaced – definitely at least 80%, and the baby has dropped (almost 0 station). So, for right now, the plan is to wait. I’m not uncomfortable this morning, so I’ll just have to hang in there and see what is next.

In good news, at today’s appointment it looked like he’d repositioned himself in the “correct” position again – no longer sunny side up. I’m supposed to take it easy, try to rest, and we’ll see where things stand on Monday. She would prefer not to try any induction techniques until next week (37 weeks) if I can hang in there. She still thinks there is a good chance the contractions will disappear altogether in the next day or so, and I’ll go to term. Actually, if the contractions stop, I don’t mind waiting it out, but I really can’t handle contracting for the next few weeks like I’ve been doing. Her best guess is that I’ll make it to 38.5 weeks, so still another 1.5 – 2 weeks left. We’ll see what the next few days bring!

It keeps going . . . and going . . .

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Yup, I’m still contracting. 4 minutes apart. I’m quite uncomfortable – tons of back labor/pain. They are stronger, but not strong enough to go to the hospital yet. I have been trying to use the hypnobirthing techniques, but there are 2 problems so far: 1) I’m on day 4 of these contractions – it isn’t like I can sit and “relax” for 4 days straight; 2) I didn’t count on the back labor – it is hard to find a position that is sufficiently comfortable for relaxing. I called the midwives to talk about this, because I don’t think I can keep on doing this without end. We are going in tomorrow at 8:15 to check my progress and see what the next steps are. I think I will be crying hysterically if they don’t tell me I’ve been making progress.

Some Kind of Labor

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Well, I’m in some kind of labor . . . but I think this is somewhere between prodromal labor and stalled labor. I’m contracting regularly (and prodromal labor is usually irregular contractions) but the intensity of the contractions has been inconsistent (perhaps a sign of stalled labor). I also seem to go through phases – I have hours when the contractions are 4 minutes apart and fairly intense, 4 minutes apart but not so intense, and other blocks of time when they may stretch out to hours of contractions every 7 minutes or every 10 minutes. What this means is I’m starting labor but I do not seem to be getting there particularly fast. Apparently, this could go on for quite some time. I have no idea if all the contractions I’ve had in the last 24 hours are causing any progress yet. All I know is I do not think I can do this part for weeks. I’m willing to be patient this week, but this part is no fun. I’m just uncomfortable enough that it keeps me from keeping my “normal” routine, but it isn’t intense enough most of the time (or moving fast enough) that it makes sense for me to drop everything and focus exclusively on birthing. So, I’m trying to relax but keep busy, increase my physical activity in the hopes of speeding things up, and try any other ideas I can think up! The most frustrating part is that I think my body believes it is in labor – it isn’t letting me keep any food in my system. Anything I eat comes right out, and trust me, with contractions that part is just miserable. So, I have yet to figure out how to fuel my body without making myself feel awful. I’m going to try some juice and clear liquids today to see if that helps.

36 weeks . . . at last!

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Well, I did it! I made it to 36 weeks. And now I’m ready to have this baby.

I spent all day yesterday contracting despite continuing the Terbutaline. They were not intense, but they were 4 minutes apart. After realizing the pills were becoming futile, I finally stopped the terbutaline around 6 pm. Naturally, my contractions seemed to disappear. I was SOOOO disappointed. I had some, but they were fairly spread out, and not gaining in intensity. Elliot & I went to bed around 2:00 or so, and I was so sad that labor was not imminent for me.

At 4:00 am, I woke up with contractions. Not the mild ones, but fairly intense, radiating around to my back kind of contractions that were 4 minutes apart. I was SOOO excited (and did I mention uncomfortable?). I went downstairs and got my ipod so I could listen to my hypnobirthing recordings and relax. The back pain was intense, and I really couldn’t seem to get comfortable. I woke Elliot up to tell him . . . and of course, he started puking again! His timing with the puking is just horrible. I don’t think he still has the stomach flu, but I do think the stomach flu has aggravated his very sensitive stomach. Throw in a little stress and worry . . . and well, I think that explains his current state! Now, if I could just convince him to take his stomach meds . . . . then he might be helpful to me through these contractions!

Anyway, I tried relaxing in bed for about 1 hour, and then the pain in my back was making me quite uncomfortable. So, I decided to fill up the tub and climb in the Jacuzzi. I was SOOOO excited. I got in the water, I put on my ipod, and I hit the button . . . . and nothing. Yup, the Jacuzzi wasn’t working AGAIN! I was so upset! Elliot came in and tried to help get things started (in between trips to the other bathroom to throw up). We eventually gave up, and instead I took a nice warm bath. I listened to my recordings, and was feeling much better. After the bath, I took a shower – it was about 6:30 or so by the time I was done. I crawled back into bed hoping to get some sleep. No such luck, but I did manage to relax until 8 when we needed to go to our appointment.

Elliot & I drove separately to the appointment. It was rather uneventful – we just talked about what happened this weekend, when I should come in next, etc. My belly was measuring perfectly at 35 cm, and she said I am 70-80% effaced, over 2 cm dilated, and the baby is at -1 station, so all is well! She said this could be today, or it could be weeks. I’m hoping the baby decides to make an appearance this week. Did I mention I’m ready to get this labor thing going? Someone remind me of that when this process intensifies and I’m having second thoughts!

After the appointment, I went to get our car seats and have one installed in my car. That should have been so simple, but the people at the car dealership were being SOOO difficult. I had to drive to 3 different locations before they would help me. And I was cranky because I was having contractions every 4 minutes. I then went over to the baby store and picked up a preemie outfit (just in case) and then went to my parents’ house to drop off the 2nd car seat and trade them for their base to put in Elliot’s car. While at my parents’ house, I ran into their cleaning lady – who has been working with my family for at least 25 years. She was so excited to see me, and we had a nice little chat before I left.

I came home to relax a bit . . . and, of course, I’m now frustrated because the contractions seemed to have slowed a bit. I want this guy to come OUT, not play games!! Let’s hope they pick back up again.

Reunion

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I had an amazing weekend . . . I had an old friend from college, Tammy (whom I haven’t seen since graduation), come down and visit! She was my first guest in our new home, and I was so excited to see her after so much time. She was quite a trooper – she had to endure the mess of newly sanded/refinished floors (so new, they were still in process on Friday and Saturday!), and all my furniture strewn all over the house and draped plastic walls (that looked like a scene from Dexter).

I am glad to say we still get along and had plenty to talk about. We had an amazing time touring around DC. She arrived Friday evening, and we had a relaxing night on our new couch in the Rec Room – we decided to walk a few blocks and pick up Indian takeout for dinner. We just stayed up and talked and enjoyed – and Nugget even behaved herself! The next morning, I was stuck waiting for the floor guy to show up – naturally, he was several hours late, and inconveniently delayed us. Eventually, we went for brunch at the Original Pancake House (I just love crepes!) and we just spent time talking and catching up. We decided to head to the Spy Museum that afternoon, and it was definitely fun (although I wish I’d thought of checking out the Newseum instead). We came back to meet Elliot for dinner, then popped over to a post-Iron Man celebration for my friend Jeff at a local bar. Our next stop was back downtown for a nighttime tour of the monuments! We managed to see the FDR, Lincoln, Korean and Vietnam Memorials, and we drove by the World War II and Jefferson Memorials. It really was a beautiful night – not too cold, and the rain had ceased so it was clear outside.

Sunday morning, we decided to go back downtown again. We went to the Jefferson Memorial, and drove around the Mall, then we walked by the White House. On our way home, we drove through Georgetown, and I showed Tammy a few of the wonderful parks in the area. I decided to give my “hard sell” in the hopes that she considers this area for her next job! We returned home in the early afternoon, and then she packed up her car and headed back to Philadelphia.

So, all-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend! Even better, Frank decided to be cooperative and let me do all the walking I needed to do without acting up too badly. I actually had a really pleasant few days, contractions and all! This is the most physical activity I have been able to do since 28 weeks without ending up in severe pain. I think I am starting to feel human again!

As of today, I’ve officially made it to my first end-of-pregnancy goal – 34 weeks! I could safely have this baby at any time now, so it is quite a relief. I have another midwife appointment and an ultrasound appointment this week, and from here on out, they will be doing weekly scans of the baby (a biophysical profile) to make sure he is still doing well. Regardless, I have only 2 weeks left until I stop the medication. While I realize that there is a good possibility I could stop the medication and the contractions could stop, I am already feeling some changes, so I have a feeling this baby will come fairly quickly after I stop taking the Terbutaline. Even if he doesn’t, the fact that Frank is no longer causing me much pain is a huge relief, so I am certain I can stick it out until the baby decides to arrive.

We moved

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It’s official . . . we actually moved. There are a ton of issues with the house, the move was a mess, and I’m so completely exhausted I can barely see straight, and I can’t get Elliot to stop bringing crap in and mucking around with stuff. We have SOOO much unpacking to do, not to mention all the stuff we left behind at my place – I have no idea where all this stuff is going to fit! I can’t even think about all the crap still at my house . . . and in the storage unit. I wish we could just throw it all away and not miss any of it.

I’m exhausted and going to go to sleep.

OB Appt & Moving!

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On Wednesday, Elliot and I met with one of the OBs connected to the midwifery practice we are using. I have been quite upset about this whole c-section possibility, so I thought going to meet with the OB would somehow put me at ease. I think it was a great decision! The OB we met with was so nice, and relatively young (late 30s/early 40s). He came into the room with a laptop, so Elliot liked him immediately. We explained our situation, and he reviewed my test results. He agreed that all the medicines we have been using are exactly right, and he talked about my options. Immediately, he seemed to agree that he thought I could (and should) continue to 36 weeks. He said that unless the baby was in actual danger, he would not encourage doing a c-section at 34 weeks. That was a HUGE relief to me. We also talked about the different pain medications, and he said that there has been no proven harm to babies if you limit the heavier pain meds to either no more than 1 week of continued use, or you can do 2-3 weeks of occasional/sporadic use. So, if the pain worsens after 33/34 weeks, there are several pain management options I can use.

He is fairly certain that when I stop the Terbutaline at 36 weeks, the contractions will come back. At a minimum, Terbutaline can cause a “rebound” effect with the contractions after keeping them suppressed for so long. He felt that if the contractions continued more than 2-3 days without me progressing into full labor (or if they became quite painful), he would not let me continue on that way any longer. They would start bringing me in regularly once the contractions begin to monitor me – check the fetal stress levels, see if the contractions are productive, etc. If after 2-3 days the contractions do not turn into full labor or do not subside and disappear, he would hope to induce at that point (assuming that my cervix appears to be “receptive” to induction). There are several different ways they could induce, and they will not make that decision until after they see what my body is doing. If they cannot induce labor and the contractions continue, a c-section would be necessary. We talked about anesthesia options, and he agreed that he could work with the anesthesiologist to identify a short-acting inhaled anesthesia that would knock me out sufficiently to get the spinal/epidural in, and then allow me to be lucid for the birth of the baby. That was a huge relief to me! So, hopefully a c-section will be unnecessary, but I feel better knowing that 1) I will not have to walk around contracting and in pain for weeks and 2) If I have to have a c-section, we can find a way to do it so I can see the birth of my son!

I have actually been feeling really good most of this week. I’ve been vigilant about taking my medicines on time and not letting it stretch beyond 6 hours. Unfortunately, right after I commented about what a great week I was having and started to hope that Frank was shrinking or disappearing, or that I could hold him at bay with just a bit of Tylenol, today I am definitely starting to hurt more (although I am able to do another course of Indocin any time I want). We have another midwife appointment next week, and another ultrasound, and we will see where we go from there! Four more weeks left until we stop the medications.

In other news, we attended our first hypnobirthing class last night! I really hope this helps me, and I am excited to explore ways to relax and try to embrace this whole process in a confident and stress-free manner. We are in the class with our friends Ken and Erica, so it should be a wonderful experience. We were taught 2 breathing techniques, and we have to listen to this deep relaxation CD everyday to practice the self-relaxation techniques. Now, if I could just keep Elliot from snoring loudly during the relaxation exercises . . . .

And best of all . . . it looks like we are finally moving! We started packing up the house, and we are going to start making our first runs with boxes this weekend. I think I will probably schedule the “big” move either next weekend or that following week. The carpet was installed last night, and the floors are being finalized today along with the touch-up painting. They still have to replace the one kitchen cabinet (it should be in Monday) and fix up the tile backsplash, install a light and accessories in the powder room, install the baby’s vanity (which should be in today) and install the shower panel (which should be in Tuesday) and finish tiling the master bathroom by the shower panel. That means by this weekend all the big stuff will be finished, and by Wednesday of next week, all the “little things” should be done. Also, our living room couch arrived, so that is being delivered on November 11! It is finally coming together. I am supposed to have a friend from out of town coming to stay with us the weekend of November 14, so it looks like we will be sleeping at the house by then!

Checklists

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I’m a person who likes to make checklists . . . I don’t always do the things on my checklists, but I am constantly making them. I make a checklist when I pack, when I go shopping, when I am running errands. I keep checklists for work activities, and calls I need to make and appointments I need to schedule. I keep checklists of gifts I want to buy for people, and cake ideas I have. I make checklists for working through problems, or dealing with our contractor, and pretty much for anything that I can track or analyze with a list.

So . . . ever since our ultrasound appointment last week, I’ve been making lists of all the things we need to do before this baby comes, such as:

  • Buy a glider
  • Finish registering (and pick a bedding set!)
  • Arrange for a pediatrician
  • Meet with the OB to discuss birth options in case a midwife delivery is not an option
  • Schedule day care tour
  • Get contractor to finish renovations
  • Finish packing and prepare to move
  • Pack bag for hospital
  • Get information for pain management doctors, just in case
  • Buy a “coming home” outfit for the baby
  • Get car seats and get them installed
  • Pick up bassinet (or pack ‘n play) to have something for the baby to sleep in
  • Buy gift for my niece Stephanie’s bat mitzvah

As you can imagine, many of these items have sublists . . . I have started a list of items I need to pack in the hospital bag, and a list of things that still need to be done on our home renovations, and a list for packing to move, etc.

Well, I am happy to report that today I accomplished several things on my lists! We called and arranged for a pediatrician for the baby (we selected Bethesda Pediatrics). We are planning to call and schedule a tour of the office, but we did speak to Dr. Korengold on the phone, and at a minimum, we are all set there. We have an appointment scheduled this week to meet with the OB (and I hope that is the only time I have to see the OB!). We are going to go over the “what if” scenarios . . . what if I have to have a c-section, how can we deal with my needle phobia and anesthesia? What if I start contracting at 36 weeks, but do not progress into labor – what are my options there if the midwives won’t induce that early? (Can you tell I have a list of questions for the OB, too?)

On Friday, we did finish registering (main registry is at Great Beginnings, but we also opened smaller registries at Buy Buy Baby and Babies R Us) and we ordered the glider for the baby’s bedroom. We have to arrange a time to pick up the bassinet and the car seats from Stephanie & Greg, but hopefully as of this weekend, we will have a house to put the things in! Now – if only we could actually agree on a bedding set . . . . but I digress.

I just really hope that whenever this baby comes, I can have a vaginal birth. I know lots of people think c-sections are no big deal, and if I have to do that, I will. I’m just so awful with needles that I’m fairly certain they will have to completely knock me out if I have a c-section, and I’ll completely miss his birth, and I just don’t want that. . . . it isn’t on my list.