Birth details...The beginning

So, our little one is sleeping currently and I'm going to try to update the blog for my own record at least of what last week was like...

Even though we all had hoped for an early natural birth, our little guy was stubborn and wouldn't arrive on Halloween, or the full moon, or on the Friday, or on the weekend..

.but waited until the induction.  Mom, Dale, and Shelly all arrive on Monday to prepare with us for heading to the hospital.  We headed down to the hospital for our appointment at 7:30pm.  Our Dr. had hope to start the induction late so we could get a decent amount of sleep that night.  When we got there, we parked and then walked to the emergency room for admittance...which was a gazillion miles through the maze of a hospital.  Once at the emergency room, the attendant told as to HEAD BACK to the baby floor.  Well, the upside is that all that walking was good for me and kept my mind off things to come.  I had a good idea of what was to go on, but didn't really know about the pain or where it would hurt the most.  I thought I had been having some contractions that weekend, but they were sporadic, low, and across my back.

Anyway, we get to the right floor and they have a room all ready for me.  Here all the birth rooms are singles with their own bathrooms and pull out sleeper couches.  I'm not looking forward to being hooked to an IV for the rest of the duration, but I liked the idea that we could watch tv.  The bed itself was a bit uncomfortable, but what did I expect?  The fun thing was that they had a white board in the corner so that you could write the nurse's name, dr's name, and family names in case you forgot.  Also on the board was a place for goals...Of course, we had to write "have a baby"! At first it seemed a bit awkward in the room with me, Brian, Shelly, mom and Dale but it was also great to know that they were all there for support in this adventure.  

My first nurse (they changed every 12 hours) was sweet, but had a bugger of a time putting the IV in.  It didn't go in until the third try (ouch).  First drug into the body was oxytocin to help dilate my cervix...I started at about 2-3cm.  They also hooked me up to the fetal heart rate monitor and contraction monitor.  It was very similar to the NST we had at the dr's.  Then...we waited.  Mom and Shelly were anxious for things to start rolling, but I was pretty sure I was in for a long slow night before active labor kicked in.  At the beginning, it was hard not to just watch the baby's heart beat increase and decrease as he moved around and then also to watch to see if I was feeling any contractions (I wasn't).  I did get to watch "Over the Hedge" and "Chicken Little" while lying there.  Eventually, Mom and Shelly went home to sleep and Dale zonked in the waiting room and Brian on the pull-out sleeper.  I got a second drug dose around midnight...but still very few contractions actually felt.  I did start to feel crampy...which the nurses took as a good sign. I did sleep pretty well, however. The biggest problem was turning to the side and having the fetal monitor loose the baby's heartbeat.

Voting Day

Get out and Rock the Vote!

Good things to know...

Nope...no baby yet

Sorry that I haven't updated in a while...and no it is not because I've had our little one early :-) It was my break week from school and took much needed r & r.

As to how things are going:

• My blood pressure is down, nearly to a normal range
• We had our last sonogram, and the kiddo looks great
• Our little guy seems to be big (7lbs, 4 oz.) and has a full head of hair already...unfortunately the radar is in black-and-white, so we don't know what color of hair.
• My weight is holding steady...but my ankles are swelling again if I stand or sit too long.
• The baby is dropping. I feel way more lower back aches and his hiccups seem to be coming from near my pelvic bone.
• If he doesn't make an appearance on his own, my ob/gyn is planning to induce around November 14, my 39th week.
• Brian has begun "nesting" and not me. He managed to build a bench and bookcases this weekend, as well as clean the basement. Me...my only urge is to sit on the couch with my feet up :-)

So...let's start taking bets on when he'll be out to say hello to everyone!

Another great doctor visit :-)

We had our weekly dr. visit and second NST this past Wednesday. Not too much new to report on the baby front. I've stopped drinking that soda and eating those silly peeps...so my weight is back down and my feet aren't swelling quite as much. My blood pressure is creeping upward, but not high enough to require meds or permanent bed rest. Otherwise, my vitals are great. The baby is doing well from what they can tell from the outside :-o

Our second NST went similar to the first. Our little guy just doesn't perform on demand! He definitely wants his nap time between 8-10 in the morning. (Which is precisely when I have time free at work to schedule these appointments.) The nurses have this funny gizmo that vibrates the outside of my belly...supposedly it stimulates the baby and wakes him up to get him moving. Nope. Our son seems to be a sound sleeper like his mom; he comfortably ignored the vibrations, though it made me laugh my head off because it tickled AND looked funny to see my belly shaking! In the end, this meant I was "plugged-in" for a longer time (about 45min) until he moved several times on his own.

While waiting for the movements, we got to ask the doc some questions about the upcoming birth. She also thinks she might induce a bit early, and definitely not let me run later than 40 weeks. We haggled a bit as to when I should leave work and go on rest. She told me if I decide to violate the bed rest with teaching a class or two, just don't tell her about it :-) Right now, I've tentatively decided to work through the end of October...and maybe just teach my Botany class in November. Mostly because I don't know if the other faculty here can do it/or feel confident they can teach about plants. But, like all else, we'll play it by ear!

All in all, the doc says I need to start taking things easier and trying to get off my feet more. I'm about ready to agree. There are some nights I know I feel little feet pushing against my diaphragm and making me short of breath!

Month 8 = Honeydew!

I can see the finish line! I'm in the home-stretch now with a little under 7 weeks to go until I'm at full term of 40 weeks. If the baby feels like being born any time now, he has an pretty great chance of survival. Hmmm...Maybe I should put up a calendar and take bets as to when he's leaving the womb :-)

Here's what's happening this month with baby growth: Baby’s senses are continuing to improve -- when light peeks in through your (extremely) stretched belly, those tiny eyelids and irises blink and dilate. And, baby can now recognize and react to simple songs… time to start practicing your lullabies! Growth (at least inside your womb) is starting to slow, and you may notice baby descend into your pelvis at the end of this month.