PICTURES!
September 05, 2003 - 9:26 a.m.
These are her daddy's lips...
This is her mommy's nose....
Little Big Foot
A Fist
"Hamburger buns" or "Clam shells"
It worked!!!
September 04, 2003 - 8:17 p.m.
THE ASS WAVING WORKED!!!
Marlee did indeed turn head down last night like I thought. I am so relieved! This means the stripping is back on for next Tuesday. And she's definitely still a girl, and she weighs an estimated 6lbs 14oz! Perfect. It was the single best appt we've ever had. Both Tim and I FREAKED out when they called the doctor in - but the doc just wanted to check the weight of the baby and congratulate us! I am on some slight restrictions to make sure she doesn't turn again, no reclining, I have to continuously lay propped on my left side and any relaxing I do must be on my hand and knees or the birth ball. YIPEE!!!
Oh I can't tell you how relieving it was. This was our 8th ultrasound for this pregnancy and it was scary going back to the perinatal clinic!!! We found out that she has my (lack of) chin, my eyes, and my nose, and definitely DH's lips, and BIG FEET. Yeouch. Sooooo cute. I can't believe she's really a baby....things are totally hitting home now!!! I can't wait to have her in my arms!
OK enough gushing.
Tim and I are going for a walk and I am going to spend the rest of the night on the birth ball...my cervix is still pretty high and long, I need to get this baby ready for Tuesday! My prediction: September 10th or 11th. And by god, it better be by the 12th...
Appt Tomorrow
September 03, 2003 - 12:21 p.m.
Tomorrow at 3:30 I go to see if my little one is fully breech or somewhat transverse. Or maybe she will have flipped around by then.
Hey, I can hope, right?
Oh, and it seems all I have to do is say "contraction" and they go away.
Poo.
Well It's A Good Thing The Birth Ball is Here
September 03, 2003 - 7:50 a.m.
That's right, I had a super depressing OB appt, first the doctor was over 45 minutes late because she was counseling a patient with an unwanted pregnancy (that's all she would tell me but I got the feeling the girl was underaged. So my doc was really distraught. Then we started talking, I told her about my 3 week long headache - though my weight and BP looked good so she wasn't concerned (I'm concerned!). I told her about the yeast infection and she thought better than to treat with OTC's just to keep at it with yogurt (Not what I wanted to hear!).
Then I told her about this spot on my belly that I can no longer feel - it's all numb and weird. I was laying back on the table and tried to touch where I thought it was, I said "There, under your hand." because I thought I was touching her hand...I wasn't, I was touching my own belly and I couldn't feel it. Again she wasn't too concerned, she said it was just the constriction of the nerves and they'd watch it after delivery.
Then she started measuring and poking around and asked me where I thought I have been feeling kicks. To be honest I felt them low all day but I wasn't sure and I thought there was no way Marlee could have turned - but I've been having awful heartburn and feeling her limbs all over the place and just generally not the same as even yesterday. She tells me she feels the shoulders and the head up near my ribs. Grrr.
So they are scheduling an ultrasound to see just what position she is in - for now, the membrane stripping is out. They won't start labor unless she's in the right position...and we have to wait for the ultrasound to see what we can do - maybe we're wrong?
At this point, if we're still worried about her size - we might skip the version and go straight for a scheduled C-section. It's all speculation and it's all up in the air.
I'm feeling quite deflated and very untrusting - every turn is such a road block!
I didn't gain any weight and I didn't measure any differently than last week when I only measured 34cm. Most likely because of of her position.
I spent all night leaning over my fitness ball (which finally came in!!!) with my butt up in the air wiggling around to encourage her to come down on her own - and this morning I am blessed with regular and consistant contractions (about 15 minutes apart or so). That would be the sticker - going into labor with a breech baby and automatically having a C-section because of it.
I'm Still Standing
September 02, 2003 - 4:02 p.m.
"Oh! You're here!" Yea - I work here.
"Still pregnant?" No, just really really bloated.
"When are you due again?" Like the last 5 times you asked, September 20th.
"Well you look like you're ready to pop." I am ready to pop... you in the nose!
"Twins, right?" I don't even respond to this one anymore.
I can't concentrate. I have so much to do, probably unlimited time to do it, a hangover-type headache....
So I am down to only three pair of pants that fit. Less than that in the shirts department. I am going to start packing up everyone's maternity clothes that I borrowed - because I don't wear them anyway. One girl gave me all her witer sweaters....(thanks, it's been an abnormally warm August) and another girl (who is my size, even!) gave me all XL maternity clothes. I can't believe it myself but these clothes are just too big for me. Another girl gave me all these acid washed jeans, with tapered, high water ankles. And I appreciate every single thing that these girls have lent me - but I haven't worn a single thing! So I am going to package it all up tonight and give it back by the end of the week with the explanation that it just didn't fit. No lying there.
Man what I wouldn't do to go into labor in the next few days. What I wouldn't do.
I guess all I have left to do is finish up the disability paperwork and give it to my doctor at my next (last??) appointment. I am looking forward to today's appointment if only to unleash how extremely FINISHED I am with this whole process. I know I can get an internal out of it...hopefully there is good news from that? Oh how I don't want to hear "tightly closed, long and hard!" That could very well make me go postal. I will for sure buy a bag of Rolos. And some castor oil, and some EPR oil and a box of highlights. Nothing makes me feel better like dying my hair - and considering I haven't done it since December....well it's about time. I was going to wait until this December and do it in the same shade of red I did then... but seeing as how I have nothing ELSE going on....
*groan* If my husband weren't an understanding and patient man, I swaer he would have left me by now. Not only am I angry and hormonal but I am CLINGY and hate to be away from him. It's the weirdest thing!!! At this picnic we went to this weekend, I found out a lot of the women there did the whole birth thing with no drugs. And they are still alive, and they can walk and they love their kids....so it must be ok!
I just printed out updated copies of my birthplan, directions to the hospital (for family), call list, birth announcement instructions. I am so ready, I am ready for the next one!!! As I am sitting here, one of the girls on my board (again due after me or around the same time) delivered her baby, another is getting induced and just now another fell and broke her water. I'll be the last one standing.
Ag! This is the latest one: "So what are you having?" "A Girl." "OH! So THAT'S why you are wearing pink."
WHAT???????
This Weekend and Pictures and A GIFT!!!
September 02, 2003 - 11:02 a.m.
37 weeks....baby is finally fully cooked. Now that she is, all labor signs have completely disapeared! My BH's are few and far between, heck I can't even remember the last time I had one. While I was at the doctor's on Friday, the nurse told me that a woman who was due the day after me was delivering at a nearby hospital. That was like torture!! And all the girls on my boards that are due at the same time or after me are having contractions and effacing and dialating! I feel like this one is never going to come.
So anyway, I managed to get in some pictures from last week before I hit 37 weeks, so this is me at 36 weeks (and let me remind you I was SICK):
36 weeks
36 weeks
So Friday I went to the doctor again, because when I called to tell them that my sinus infection seemed to have broken and moved into my chest, they wanted to see if I had pneumonia. So I went in and saw Dr. Ryan. He listened to my lungs and said the bottoms of them were clear, diagnosed it as an upper respiratory infection and prescribed a heavier duty antibiotic. So I go home, eat my soup and try to get better. I'm taking the antibiotic (you know what that means) and it doesn't seem to be making anything better....I go back to the doctor today so I hope that she can give me some insight - It seems a little odd to me that they are having me take antibiotics for a severe cold virus...especially since it's not doing anything and I still have this awful, terrible headache. I've lost track of how long I have had it now.
Saturday Tim and I are walking up to the front door and I see a package sitting there. Thinking it's just my fitness ball (which I would have used the heck out of this weekend) I dump the box inside the house and go about whatever it was that I was doing - oh yea...chasing the naughty kitty who ran out when I opened the door. When I got inside I noticed the box was from Target. Odd, I didn't buy anything from Target lately, at least not to be shipped to my house. Tim and I dig into the package, a little weirded out...Could this be because I emailed them so many times to complain about items on my registry disapearing without any notice? NO....it was a gift from Candace!!!!!! What a sweet, sweet thing. And completely unexpected, it totally had us guessing! Of course Tim has only heard of her, but at least he has otherwise it would have been a jumble to explain....but anyway, THANKS, it's awesome to get stuff when you aren't even expecting it!
Sunday we went to a family picnic and to see my grandma - who made chicken soup for me to take home and get better with.
Monday was our 2nd wedding anniversary (and our 9th dating anniversary) and we busted tail getting the house clean. The couch in the family room has now been completely shampoo'd (twice even) and it looks great. The carpets in the hallway and the family room are done - I just have our bedroom and a small patch in the living room left to do. It's awesome to be getting all this "spring" cleaning done - well now I guess we could say fall cleaning. Sometimes when we were working on it, I thought, this is the last time I am really going to clean like this- I mean, I am sure once the baby gets here I will be a little less concerned with the fabric softener stains in the corner of the hallway closet, right?
Anyway we went out to dinner to celebrate and I was bad - I had manicotti, fresh baked bread and cheesecake. I ate so much I thought I was going to burst - and I spent the entire night crying over this terrible heartburn that I STILL have! I went through so many Tums I thought I would have to buy stock.
Here's a couple of pictures that Tim took just before we left for dinner:
37 weeks
37 weeks
See how much bigger I have gotten in just the last few days? It's amazing. Considering I was ALMOST 37 weeks in the last pictures, and I am just over 37 weeks in these....well it seems like I got HUGE.
Baby is facing out today - not the prefered position of course, but I have at least a week to get her to turn towards my back. I do wish she would just decided now was ok for her to make an appearance.....