Not.
I'm having incredibly regular contractions that are strong enough to cause me to catch my breath, but my intuition was telling me these weren't it. When I called to report them, however, the doctor on call told me to go in to labor and delivery to get checked. So I did, scampering out of work for the rest of the afternoon.
The drive seemed to slow things down, but once we were over the mountain they were back to every 4-7 minutes. I wasn't feeling in the least concerned, honestly; just wanted to know if these contractions were doing anything.
They weren't. In fact, the entire time I was in the hospital I had two contractions. I had that many walking back to the car afterward, so I think everyone knew it wasn't time except for the on-call practitioner and my husband, who fretted himself so silly that he nearly fell asleep while I was hooked up to the monitor. I think he needs more practice at this if we're to keep him conscious during the birth, because yes, he falls asleep when he gets stressed. Meanwhile, the baby and uterus only want to do their show for the private audience==it's not time for the big show yet. But if I have to put up with this every 5-10 minutes until the baby is born, he better come quick!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
37 weeks: I'm Full Term!
....which basically translates into incredibly slow moving and in a lot of pain in general, because my belly is so heavy and constantly going in and out of contraction-mode. I've had two episodes of false labor, with painful contractions that had some semblance of regularity but never broke the 7 minute threshold, and since I haven't passed my plug to my knowledge and have no bloody show I wasn't worried. Latent labor tends to last a couple of weeks for me and my girl-kin anyway, but in spite of all that I know he could show up any day now. I'm still hoping for an October baby, and sometimes I think he's going to punch his way out of the amniotic sac himself (right now is one of those times, actually).
My cervix at checkup had progressed slightly from last week, to almost two cm. But I'm looking for that magic 3 number where I'll feel comfortable that it's really happening.
Annoyed at the hospital I'm delivering at for saying no visitors under 18 because of H1N1. This means that my stepdaughter and son won't be able to meet their new sibling until I come home, which probably isn't a big deal for my stepdaughter, but I really don't want to go two days without my son coming to see me, since I'm his primary caregiver and all. And what *really* bothers me is that he's getting vaccinated against H1N1, but it doesn't seem like there is any clause exempting him as vaccinated.
Although with any luck, I'll have this baby tomorrow or Monday before the policy takes effect.
As of Thursday I seem to have finally started retaining water and have the pregnancy edema that so many people complain about. I'm glad it came late, and that my urine is clear and my blood pressure is fine. During my first pregnancy, I was on the verge of pre-eclampsia for much of the last two months.
Today was a rainy day in Northern Virginia, and right now Dean and I both seem to have misplaced our umbrellas. As we ran errands, test drove cars (Dean totalled his back in August and now we're looking to replace it), and whatnot we managed to time most of it so that we weren't caught in the rain too bad, but then we went to the library and WHOOCH! there was no way to avoid the downpour aside from sitting in the car for... too long. So he says, "Shall we make a dash for it?"
I just looked at him. I'm about as capable of running at the moment as the Comcast turtles.
But I did find several first-year baby care books at the library book sale for dirt cheap. So it was worth getting pelted over.
My cervix at checkup had progressed slightly from last week, to almost two cm. But I'm looking for that magic 3 number where I'll feel comfortable that it's really happening.
Annoyed at the hospital I'm delivering at for saying no visitors under 18 because of H1N1. This means that my stepdaughter and son won't be able to meet their new sibling until I come home, which probably isn't a big deal for my stepdaughter, but I really don't want to go two days without my son coming to see me, since I'm his primary caregiver and all. And what *really* bothers me is that he's getting vaccinated against H1N1, but it doesn't seem like there is any clause exempting him as vaccinated.
Although with any luck, I'll have this baby tomorrow or Monday before the policy takes effect.
As of Thursday I seem to have finally started retaining water and have the pregnancy edema that so many people complain about. I'm glad it came late, and that my urine is clear and my blood pressure is fine. During my first pregnancy, I was on the verge of pre-eclampsia for much of the last two months.
Today was a rainy day in Northern Virginia, and right now Dean and I both seem to have misplaced our umbrellas. As we ran errands, test drove cars (Dean totalled his back in August and now we're looking to replace it), and whatnot we managed to time most of it so that we weren't caught in the rain too bad, but then we went to the library and WHOOCH! there was no way to avoid the downpour aside from sitting in the car for... too long. So he says, "Shall we make a dash for it?"
I just looked at him. I'm about as capable of running at the moment as the Comcast turtles.
But I did find several first-year baby care books at the library book sale for dirt cheap. So it was worth getting pelted over.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Jesus, people
Let me make myself clear regarding my last post: I am asking what to expect with my son, what I will need to do, to know, whether I will need to defend the decision. Getting all sanctimonious about your own perspective on circumcision is not helpful. We've already made the decision not to, so graphic information about the state of my own genitalia to try and shock me into some kind of reaction is not helpful. The dream I had last night is indicative of some latent anxiety I have over the matter, and what I'm looking for is reassurance, not proselytizing, which is something I _never_ take well.
Boys will be boys
I don't have strong feelings about circumcision. I don't know why, I feel like I _should_ have strong feelings about it, considering how noninterventionist I am about health care in the first place. But I guess it has something to do with the amount of intimate experience I have with uncut men--and that's practically none.
My husband, on the other hand, does feel quite strongly about not circumcising the baby. So begins my anxiety, it would seem, because I had a dream last night that one of my children had been circumcised without anesthetic at about the age of 10. Elder son is, already, but had enough left over that as a youth, during physicals, doctors would remind me that it wasn't too late to take care of that if we wanted to. Will that happen as the baby gets older? And what will I do when I can't retort "he already is circumcised, you nitwit?"
Meanwhile, a friend of mine with a newborn son was recently appalled when her pediatrician apparently retracted her son's foreskin at his first checkup. She (and I) were appalled; isn't that not supposed to be possible before the baby is about two?
What can I expect from this decision? We live in a rural area, and already the attention our decision seems to be getting makes me think we're making an unusual choice for this region. How can we explain to younger son why his dad and elder brother look different? How can I bring this topic up to Elder Son to get his opinions on it? (I'm considering asking my husband to talk to him about it, but that's still kind of a strange stepfather dynamic to ask for.)
I know there are people who see circumcision as mutilation. I, to be honest, am ambivalent; I see their point of view but also understand the point of view of those who see it as normal. But I find it odd that most people clamoring about this are women, and would honestly prefer to hear from men about it. Because that's the one perspective I don't have.
In the meantime, I'm going to follow my husband's wishes, but I just wish I could feel better about it, and wonder how much time I'll have to spend defending his decision and protecting the baby from those who would try and persuade me otherwise, if that makes any sense.
My husband, on the other hand, does feel quite strongly about not circumcising the baby. So begins my anxiety, it would seem, because I had a dream last night that one of my children had been circumcised without anesthetic at about the age of 10. Elder son is, already, but had enough left over that as a youth, during physicals, doctors would remind me that it wasn't too late to take care of that if we wanted to. Will that happen as the baby gets older? And what will I do when I can't retort "he already is circumcised, you nitwit?"
Meanwhile, a friend of mine with a newborn son was recently appalled when her pediatrician apparently retracted her son's foreskin at his first checkup. She (and I) were appalled; isn't that not supposed to be possible before the baby is about two?
What can I expect from this decision? We live in a rural area, and already the attention our decision seems to be getting makes me think we're making an unusual choice for this region. How can we explain to younger son why his dad and elder brother look different? How can I bring this topic up to Elder Son to get his opinions on it? (I'm considering asking my husband to talk to him about it, but that's still kind of a strange stepfather dynamic to ask for.)
I know there are people who see circumcision as mutilation. I, to be honest, am ambivalent; I see their point of view but also understand the point of view of those who see it as normal. But I find it odd that most people clamoring about this are women, and would honestly prefer to hear from men about it. Because that's the one perspective I don't have.
In the meantime, I'm going to follow my husband's wishes, but I just wish I could feel better about it, and wonder how much time I'll have to spend defending his decision and protecting the baby from those who would try and persuade me otherwise, if that makes any sense.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Week 36: Nerves!
So it's been a few weeks, and rather than try to write a blog post for each week I'll try to summarize real quick and then revisit those weeks later. But it's been a busy four weeks during which the baby has grown considerably, I've had three more showers thrown for me, and amazingly I've only gained 28 pounds. (27 as of this morning, actually, because I seem to be now at the final dropping-weight stage.)
Yesterday we had an ultrasound because my fundal measurements had been kinda on the crazy large side, and here we are at 36 weeks with a baby larger than many newborns already. (And yes, I know ultrasound measurements of weight are approximations, but basically what it boils down to is that he's big.) He's also dropped a bit, because the rib pain that I've been experiencing (what with that tall fundus) finally subsided last week, to be replaced by the bladder pressure that comes from Baby using said bladder as a pillow. Some crazy Braxton-Hicks contractions over the weekend have me convinced I'm already effacing just a tad, and fully expect to start dilating within the next two weeks. Part of me hopes that the baby comes just early enough to be an October baby like me.
But I'm also nervous. Ordinarily right now I'd be heading up to Winchester to see my midwife, and the office just called to say that she's in baby-catching mode so they needed to reschedule me. But they also said that they wanted to see me later today specifically because they wanted to get a plan in place simply because the baby is.. already... about....
Eight pounds.
So I call my husband, and he answers with, "Is this the call?" It's as if I were already full term--still a week away--or my due date, which is still four weeks away. Now, Elder Son arrived at 9 1/2 pounds, and given the math that babies at this point in pregnancy gain about a half-pound per week, he's aiming to be a 10-pounder if he shows up when he's due; that doesn't surprise me in the least given that both Dean and I were bigger than 9 lbs. too.
But we'll see what Karen has to say about it before we'll start sounding panic bells. I don't feel ready yet, but then, is anyone?
Funny aside related to being ready: Yesterday after briefing everyone at work about job responsibilities that are being covered while I'm on leave, one of my coworkers asked me why I was starting my leave 10 days before my due date. This was within an hour or two of my husband telling me he wasn't comfortable with my making the hour-long, 50 mile drive to my office alone anymore. I'm glad I work from home half the week, but it will be nice to have a week or so to get ready. but all this chatter today makes me think I'm not going to get that week at all!
Yesterday we had an ultrasound because my fundal measurements had been kinda on the crazy large side, and here we are at 36 weeks with a baby larger than many newborns already. (And yes, I know ultrasound measurements of weight are approximations, but basically what it boils down to is that he's big.) He's also dropped a bit, because the rib pain that I've been experiencing (what with that tall fundus) finally subsided last week, to be replaced by the bladder pressure that comes from Baby using said bladder as a pillow. Some crazy Braxton-Hicks contractions over the weekend have me convinced I'm already effacing just a tad, and fully expect to start dilating within the next two weeks. Part of me hopes that the baby comes just early enough to be an October baby like me.
But I'm also nervous. Ordinarily right now I'd be heading up to Winchester to see my midwife, and the office just called to say that she's in baby-catching mode so they needed to reschedule me. But they also said that they wanted to see me later today specifically because they wanted to get a plan in place simply because the baby is.. already... about....
Eight pounds.
So I call my husband, and he answers with, "Is this the call?" It's as if I were already full term--still a week away--or my due date, which is still four weeks away. Now, Elder Son arrived at 9 1/2 pounds, and given the math that babies at this point in pregnancy gain about a half-pound per week, he's aiming to be a 10-pounder if he shows up when he's due; that doesn't surprise me in the least given that both Dean and I were bigger than 9 lbs. too.
But we'll see what Karen has to say about it before we'll start sounding panic bells. I don't feel ready yet, but then, is anyone?
Funny aside related to being ready: Yesterday after briefing everyone at work about job responsibilities that are being covered while I'm on leave, one of my coworkers asked me why I was starting my leave 10 days before my due date. This was within an hour or two of my husband telling me he wasn't comfortable with my making the hour-long, 50 mile drive to my office alone anymore. I'm glad I work from home half the week, but it will be nice to have a week or so to get ready. but all this chatter today makes me think I'm not going to get that week at all!
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