I think most of you guys are also my friends on Facebook, but I thought I would share here very quickly that Art and I had a baby girl this morning!
Sophia Grace was born at 12:36 am, 6lbs 110z, 19 inches. Art chose the name Sophia because it means Wisdom.
I had 18 hours of labor, but seriously, it only felt like 9, because the first 9 hours were so mild and inconsistent, I wasn't even sure if it was the real thing!
She was born in the water, after 45 minutes of serious pushing. I tore some, but nothing serious that won't heal in a couple of weeks.
I'm very much planning on doing a detailed labor and delivery post in the future. I feel like I could do one today, but I know I'm supposed to rest as much as possible, and I will do what the doctor ordered.
March 15, 2011
March 14, 2011
37 Week Checkup
A friend of mine told me that it wasn't fair to leave ya'll hanging, as far as my last dr. appt is concerned. And she's right. :) So here's how it went.
First, she did the Group B Strep swab. I have read about this test, so I was all prepared for it to be kind of invasive. And it totally wasn't.
For anyone who doesn't know anything about Group B strep, it's a bacteria that a pregnant woman can have "down there", but the mother experiences no symptoms, so she couldn't possibly know on her own. However, she can pass it on to her baby (if she has a vaginal delivery), and her baby could get quite sick.
If I was found to be a carrier, my midwife would give me antibiotics, both now, and during labor. Thankfully, I wouldn't have to go the hospital if I did have Group B Strep, because she can give me an IV at home or at the Birth Center.
Anyway, the way to test for it is with a swab. I'm trying to think of a way to explain this as delicately as possible. Basically, they swab everything down there. However, it's very quick. Just a quick swipe with a q-tip, and it was over. It really wasn't awkward like I thought it would be. She said she gets the results pretty quickly, and that she would call if I tested positive. I haven't heard from her yet, and if I don't get a phone call by the end of tomorrow, I'll know the results were negative!
Then she checked my cervix, and again, this wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. I was all prepared for it to hurt. I mean, yeah, it was a little uncomfortable, but it certainly didn't hurt. We were chatting casually the whole time. Maybe it has to do with the type of person that I am. Like, I don't make a big deal out of doctor's appointments, no matter what they have to look at or touch.
Anyway, I found out the following: I'm effacing some, and not dilated at all. She didn't give me a percentage for how effaced I am, and I'm glad. I feel like I'm less likely to be anxious and impatient if I don't have a number to obsess over. And it's not like knowing the percentage is going to change anything. It won't tell me when labor will start, or what my labor will be like.
She also told me that my baby's head is quite low. I wanted to roll my eyes at this, but then she laughed and said, "Where else would the baby's head be? You're just so small, and the baby is so packed in there!" My sentiments exactly.
Then she measured my stomach (I'm still measuring small, but she's not worried, although there is a small possibility of another ultrasound in my future). She also took a blood sample to test my iron levels, took my blood pressure, weighed me (apparently I lost a tiny bit of weight), and it was all over!
My appointments are every week now, so each one will be pretty much like that (but without the tests).
I feel mostly ready for this baby to come. We still don't have everything that I'd like to have (like a stroller), but we have enough. We'd be fine. However, even though I'm terribly uncomfortable and I don't want to be pregnant anymore, I know it would be better if the baby arrived on or after my due date, mostly because Art is still in school. His final exam is two days before my due date.
I know he could work something out, but it would be better if he was completely done. Then his attention wouldn't have to be divided. But all I can do is leave it in God's hands. He knows what will happen and when, He knows the desires of our hearts, and we know that His plan is the best one, whatever that will look like.
So for the most part, I'm at peace (as long as everybody else around me isn't anxious or impatient).
First, she did the Group B Strep swab. I have read about this test, so I was all prepared for it to be kind of invasive. And it totally wasn't.
For anyone who doesn't know anything about Group B strep, it's a bacteria that a pregnant woman can have "down there", but the mother experiences no symptoms, so she couldn't possibly know on her own. However, she can pass it on to her baby (if she has a vaginal delivery), and her baby could get quite sick.
If I was found to be a carrier, my midwife would give me antibiotics, both now, and during labor. Thankfully, I wouldn't have to go the hospital if I did have Group B Strep, because she can give me an IV at home or at the Birth Center.
Anyway, the way to test for it is with a swab. I'm trying to think of a way to explain this as delicately as possible. Basically, they swab everything down there. However, it's very quick. Just a quick swipe with a q-tip, and it was over. It really wasn't awkward like I thought it would be. She said she gets the results pretty quickly, and that she would call if I tested positive. I haven't heard from her yet, and if I don't get a phone call by the end of tomorrow, I'll know the results were negative!
Then she checked my cervix, and again, this wasn't as big a deal as I thought it would be. I was all prepared for it to hurt. I mean, yeah, it was a little uncomfortable, but it certainly didn't hurt. We were chatting casually the whole time. Maybe it has to do with the type of person that I am. Like, I don't make a big deal out of doctor's appointments, no matter what they have to look at or touch.
Anyway, I found out the following: I'm effacing some, and not dilated at all. She didn't give me a percentage for how effaced I am, and I'm glad. I feel like I'm less likely to be anxious and impatient if I don't have a number to obsess over. And it's not like knowing the percentage is going to change anything. It won't tell me when labor will start, or what my labor will be like.
She also told me that my baby's head is quite low. I wanted to roll my eyes at this, but then she laughed and said, "Where else would the baby's head be? You're just so small, and the baby is so packed in there!" My sentiments exactly.
Then she measured my stomach (I'm still measuring small, but she's not worried, although there is a small possibility of another ultrasound in my future). She also took a blood sample to test my iron levels, took my blood pressure, weighed me (apparently I lost a tiny bit of weight), and it was all over!
My appointments are every week now, so each one will be pretty much like that (but without the tests).
I feel mostly ready for this baby to come. We still don't have everything that I'd like to have (like a stroller), but we have enough. We'd be fine. However, even though I'm terribly uncomfortable and I don't want to be pregnant anymore, I know it would be better if the baby arrived on or after my due date, mostly because Art is still in school. His final exam is two days before my due date.
I know he could work something out, but it would be better if he was completely done. Then his attention wouldn't have to be divided. But all I can do is leave it in God's hands. He knows what will happen and when, He knows the desires of our hearts, and we know that His plan is the best one, whatever that will look like.
So for the most part, I'm at peace (as long as everybody else around me isn't anxious or impatient).
March 8, 2011
37 Week Update
I decided to blog on a whim, so forgive me if my thoughts seem disjointed. I haven't had time to put it together in my head.
We're officially at term. Not to be confused with "full term", which is at 40 weeks. I'm at just "term", or 37 weeks. If the baby were to be born today, he or she would not be considered premature. Baby is at a good weight, and all systems are mature enough to do just fine outside my tummy.
However, I know that every day that I stay pregnant is beneficial for Baby, because the eyes, brain, lungs, digestive system, and immune system continue to mature and develop. Thankfully, weight gain slows down significantly at this point. The baby is not going to grow a whole lot more.
I realized that somewhere, deep down, I considered the 37 mark to be some sort of threshold. Now that I'm in the "safe zone", it's like I suddenly expect this baby to show up any minute. I feel silly that I'm suddenly looking for signs of labor every other 10 minutes. It's ridiculous. The chances of my going into labor at 37 weeks are pretty small.
In fact, since it's my first pregnancy, I should fully expect to go to 41 weeks. And even though I've known this and been okay with this the whole time, I can't seem to stop expecting labor to be right around the corner. And now I'm beginning to understand the impatience that women experience as their due date gets closer and closer. I'm trying not to be impatient, but I can see how that's going to become more and more difficult.
Especially with people asking me if I'm in labor.
I get up a lot at work. I go to the bathroom, walk around, stretch, stand in one spot and rotate my hips a little... Staying in any one position doesn't feel good, so I try to move, frequently. And then my coworkers ask me if I'm in labor. And so I have to keep telling them that I'm just really uncomfortable, all the time, and it feels good to switch it up. I wish more people understood this.
Even women who have had babies before seem to forget the aches and pains that accompany the last few weeks, and when I'm waddling around, they look at me as though the baby is going to fall out on the floor right then and there. I just want to wear a big sign around my neck that says, "I'm not in labor! Calm down!" Perhaps I should take my own advice..... :)
What's new with me, besides being increasingly sore and uncomfortable and cranky?
My feet are swollen pretty much all the time. My ankles have been swollen for months, but now my feet are too. And my hands are starting to join in. I decided to start wearing my wedding ring on around my neck, because I don't want to wake up one day and not be able to get my ring off. Better to be safe than sorry.
I feel the pressure and weight of my belly not just in my abdomen and hips, but also all the way down my legs, as if I have weights wrapped around my thighs and my shins and my ankles. Doing anything is a chore now. And I clearly haven't reached the nesting phase yet, because I have a bunch of crystal bowls and trays on my counter that need to be washed and put away, and I couldn't care less.
I had another baby shower on Sunday, and I just had no idea how blessed I was, and how many wonderful women I have in my life. Art's mom is throwing me a baby shower next Saturday, which will bring the shower total up to five! Blessed indeed....
I definitely feel a lot more ready for the baby, but still not completely ready. Art has a final exam right before my due date, so I think once that's done, THEN I'll feel completely ready. So even though I am soooooooooooo ready to not be pregnant anymore, I keep reminding myself that the best time for Baby to come is after Art is finished with this quarter.
We'll see if my mind games actually work, and if I can actually trick myself into not being impatient. Of course, I do have my first cervical check tomorrow, and if my midwife tells me that I'm already dilating and/or effacing, all my level-headedness will likely go right out the window.
Stay tuned!
We're officially at term. Not to be confused with "full term", which is at 40 weeks. I'm at just "term", or 37 weeks. If the baby were to be born today, he or she would not be considered premature. Baby is at a good weight, and all systems are mature enough to do just fine outside my tummy.
However, I know that every day that I stay pregnant is beneficial for Baby, because the eyes, brain, lungs, digestive system, and immune system continue to mature and develop. Thankfully, weight gain slows down significantly at this point. The baby is not going to grow a whole lot more.
I realized that somewhere, deep down, I considered the 37 mark to be some sort of threshold. Now that I'm in the "safe zone", it's like I suddenly expect this baby to show up any minute. I feel silly that I'm suddenly looking for signs of labor every other 10 minutes. It's ridiculous. The chances of my going into labor at 37 weeks are pretty small.
In fact, since it's my first pregnancy, I should fully expect to go to 41 weeks. And even though I've known this and been okay with this the whole time, I can't seem to stop expecting labor to be right around the corner. And now I'm beginning to understand the impatience that women experience as their due date gets closer and closer. I'm trying not to be impatient, but I can see how that's going to become more and more difficult.
Especially with people asking me if I'm in labor.
I get up a lot at work. I go to the bathroom, walk around, stretch, stand in one spot and rotate my hips a little... Staying in any one position doesn't feel good, so I try to move, frequently. And then my coworkers ask me if I'm in labor. And so I have to keep telling them that I'm just really uncomfortable, all the time, and it feels good to switch it up. I wish more people understood this.
Even women who have had babies before seem to forget the aches and pains that accompany the last few weeks, and when I'm waddling around, they look at me as though the baby is going to fall out on the floor right then and there. I just want to wear a big sign around my neck that says, "I'm not in labor! Calm down!" Perhaps I should take my own advice..... :)
What's new with me, besides being increasingly sore and uncomfortable and cranky?
My feet are swollen pretty much all the time. My ankles have been swollen for months, but now my feet are too. And my hands are starting to join in. I decided to start wearing my wedding ring on around my neck, because I don't want to wake up one day and not be able to get my ring off. Better to be safe than sorry.
I feel the pressure and weight of my belly not just in my abdomen and hips, but also all the way down my legs, as if I have weights wrapped around my thighs and my shins and my ankles. Doing anything is a chore now. And I clearly haven't reached the nesting phase yet, because I have a bunch of crystal bowls and trays on my counter that need to be washed and put away, and I couldn't care less.
I had another baby shower on Sunday, and I just had no idea how blessed I was, and how many wonderful women I have in my life. Art's mom is throwing me a baby shower next Saturday, which will bring the shower total up to five! Blessed indeed....
I definitely feel a lot more ready for the baby, but still not completely ready. Art has a final exam right before my due date, so I think once that's done, THEN I'll feel completely ready. So even though I am soooooooooooo ready to not be pregnant anymore, I keep reminding myself that the best time for Baby to come is after Art is finished with this quarter.
We'll see if my mind games actually work, and if I can actually trick myself into not being impatient. Of course, I do have my first cervical check tomorrow, and if my midwife tells me that I'm already dilating and/or effacing, all my level-headedness will likely go right out the window.
Stay tuned!
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