We went in for our growth scan today and Baby Girl is doing great! She is growing and the placenta is doing its job pumping all the good stuff to her! She will probably be a little bit smaller than my first one, but she is healthy and growing! I am so happy and relieved and will sleep so much better tonight knowing that she is growing and healthy in my tummy! Our scheduled c-section for this little one is on October 1st - unless she wants to come out and get some snuggles early! I was hoping she would miraculously flip to head-down on her own, but she is really stuck in the breech position. The ultrasound tech said that the baby's but is stuck down really low into my pelvis! Many babies come out with a cone-head - mine may come out with a super ghetto booty or a cone-butt! ha ha!
So we have about nine more days until we get to meet this little girl and I am getting excited! Soon you will be reading crazy ramblings of a super tired mommy on this blog!
I can't wait to hold my little one and snuggle her - that is the thing I look most forward to. This pregnancy has been tough and it will be so amazing to finally see her and how beautiful and healthy she is. The next will be when Emily comes to meet her little sister! Its going to be so cool! Emily is going to be the best and bossiest big sister this side of the Mississippi! She already tries to boss our dog around with no success! Now she will have an actual human under her control! She tells me every day about how she is going to teach her baby sister to ride bikes and play base ball. I have been preparing her for the reality that the baby will not be doing much for a while besides eating, sleeping, pooping, crying, and maybe a smile here or there.
One last thought before I go to sleep - I haven't told Emily anything about breast feeding yet. I don't know how to explain it ahead of time, she will just have to see it. I feel like we have a lot of funny discussions in our immediate future! I will try to hide the breast pump for as long as possible though! That could traumatize an adult! For you first time moms out there, that pump is going to turn your nipples into a national geographic special! They will look like cow utters for about 10 - 20 minutes after you pump! It will be disturbing to you even after you do it a hundred times! The actual breast feeding really isn't bad at all! Its nice, calming and you get to snuggle your little soft newborn! Its a pleasant experience for the most part! Its the pumping that will be discouraging! But remember ladies - pumping is your ticket to freedom! Think of it as a milk bank! You make a couple of bottles - you just bought yourself a trip to get a pedicure or go to the mall all by yourself... You make several bottles - you just bought you and your hubby a date night out to see a movie! Pumping is a necessary evil for independent women who need to have "Me" time and who have to go back to work when their babies are still breast feeding! I just can't imagine what Emily will be telling all of her friends at pre-school once she sees how babies really get milk! While it is one of the most natural things in the world, to Emily, it will be quite an interesting spectacle! I just hope she doesn't ask to try it too!!!
Friday, September 21, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
To Grow or Not to Grow... that is the question
I have been a bad blogger-mommy this week! It has been a weird week! Monday was my last day of work and I have been off for some pre-baby doctor ordered R&R! I have been finally able to relax and rest now that I am not at work and my long-term substitute teacher has taken over my job and is doing fine!
Tuesday was our Non Stress Test (NST)... This is basically just a baby monitoring session in which they place a heartbeat monitor on your belly to monitor the baby's heart beat for 20 minutes to an hour. My Baby Girl's heart rate is wonderful! After the NST, we talked to the Doc for a while and she answered all of my neurotic questions and put me at ease. She said that her heart rate is great and that means she is getting plenty of oxygen to her brain and body. There could still be a problem with the placenta or cord if she hasn't grown any, but we will find that out tomorrow and if she isn't growing, we will get her out of there and get her growing out of the womb! I am closely monitoring her movements at home and if she doesn't move enough, obviously I have to go to the hospital immediately! She has been a good little mover for me all week!
Tomorrow afternoon is the ultra sound that determines if she has grown at all in one week. The Doc will also check the blood flow from the placenta to baby via Doppler at this time (some sort of ultrasound device that detects blood flow). If she hasn't grown at all or if he sees anything concerning, we may have a little baby tomorrow night or possibly Monday. If she is growing and thriving in there, they will keep monitoring her via NST every few days until our planned c-section on October 1st (she is breech). It is entirely possible that she is just going to be a smaller baby. That does happen! It just seams so odd for that to happen in either of our families!
She has been doing some pretty big movements in there! I think she might be trying to flip herself to the correct position, and the poor little thing is stuck! She always ends up with her head back under my right rib! I wish I could help her move!
I don't know if anyone actually reads my blog, besides EB, but if you do, think positive growing baby thoughts for me tomorrow!!!
Sorry I am not very witty or entertaining today. I am just a sleepy pregnant girl who is worried about her little baby!
R & R: I will say that I think every pregnant woman deserves to rest for a couple of weeks before their baby is due if they can afford it! Even with the worry about my baby, it has been very nice and relaxing to be home and resting and keeping the stress of work out of my brain for a little while! I feel like I am healthier and in a better mental state and ready for this baby! I also get to spend some extra alone time with my 3-year-old before the baby comes and that has been nice too! We made cupcakes today and that was fun - except for when Emily just couldn't wait for them to cool any longer and started picking little pieces off of the cupcakes and eating them while I wasn't looking. She mutilated three cupcakes before I noticed what she was doing! That kids loves cupcakes!
My idea of working until the end was a bad one and I am glad that the Doc said I needed to slow down and be resting! You have to love a doctors note that requires you to rest! If you have a stressful, on your feet all day, non-stop kind of job, its just really hard to keep going at the end without wearing yourself out! Having another kid (or kids) already really magnifies the stress and exhaustion by ten or more! Take care of yourselves ladies! That is my advice for today! In the long run, its better for you to get some rest and not be stressed. Save up that energy for child birth and all those sleepless nights to come! Soon enough your life will be on a strange time schedule full of boobie feeding, trying to remember whether you left off on your left or right boob, getting baby poo all over yourself, forgetting to shower for days on end, and trying to figure out how to safely bathe your slippery little newborn without dropping her. Being a new mommy is a wonderful thing, but it takes a lot out of you, so you may as well start off with a full tank right? Right!!!
Tuesday was our Non Stress Test (NST)... This is basically just a baby monitoring session in which they place a heartbeat monitor on your belly to monitor the baby's heart beat for 20 minutes to an hour. My Baby Girl's heart rate is wonderful! After the NST, we talked to the Doc for a while and she answered all of my neurotic questions and put me at ease. She said that her heart rate is great and that means she is getting plenty of oxygen to her brain and body. There could still be a problem with the placenta or cord if she hasn't grown any, but we will find that out tomorrow and if she isn't growing, we will get her out of there and get her growing out of the womb! I am closely monitoring her movements at home and if she doesn't move enough, obviously I have to go to the hospital immediately! She has been a good little mover for me all week!
Tomorrow afternoon is the ultra sound that determines if she has grown at all in one week. The Doc will also check the blood flow from the placenta to baby via Doppler at this time (some sort of ultrasound device that detects blood flow). If she hasn't grown at all or if he sees anything concerning, we may have a little baby tomorrow night or possibly Monday. If she is growing and thriving in there, they will keep monitoring her via NST every few days until our planned c-section on October 1st (she is breech). It is entirely possible that she is just going to be a smaller baby. That does happen! It just seams so odd for that to happen in either of our families!
She has been doing some pretty big movements in there! I think she might be trying to flip herself to the correct position, and the poor little thing is stuck! She always ends up with her head back under my right rib! I wish I could help her move!
I don't know if anyone actually reads my blog, besides EB, but if you do, think positive growing baby thoughts for me tomorrow!!!
Sorry I am not very witty or entertaining today. I am just a sleepy pregnant girl who is worried about her little baby!
R & R: I will say that I think every pregnant woman deserves to rest for a couple of weeks before their baby is due if they can afford it! Even with the worry about my baby, it has been very nice and relaxing to be home and resting and keeping the stress of work out of my brain for a little while! I feel like I am healthier and in a better mental state and ready for this baby! I also get to spend some extra alone time with my 3-year-old before the baby comes and that has been nice too! We made cupcakes today and that was fun - except for when Emily just couldn't wait for them to cool any longer and started picking little pieces off of the cupcakes and eating them while I wasn't looking. She mutilated three cupcakes before I noticed what she was doing! That kids loves cupcakes!
My idea of working until the end was a bad one and I am glad that the Doc said I needed to slow down and be resting! You have to love a doctors note that requires you to rest! If you have a stressful, on your feet all day, non-stop kind of job, its just really hard to keep going at the end without wearing yourself out! Having another kid (or kids) already really magnifies the stress and exhaustion by ten or more! Take care of yourselves ladies! That is my advice for today! In the long run, its better for you to get some rest and not be stressed. Save up that energy for child birth and all those sleepless nights to come! Soon enough your life will be on a strange time schedule full of boobie feeding, trying to remember whether you left off on your left or right boob, getting baby poo all over yourself, forgetting to shower for days on end, and trying to figure out how to safely bathe your slippery little newborn without dropping her. Being a new mommy is a wonderful thing, but it takes a lot out of you, so you may as well start off with a full tank right? Right!!!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Operation "Baby Flip" Was a Flop! :(
The Bad(ish) News: The ECV procedure in which the doctor tries to manually flip the baby from breech to a head-down position was unsuccessful yesterday. The doctor tried to flip her, but her little butt and hips are stuck down too low into my pelvis. It was a painful and awkward procedure, but I am glad we at least tried it. My lower uterus is sore every time the baby moves today - a weird bruised sort of feeling! We have a C-Section scheduled for October 1st. I am still not thrilled about having the C-Section, but I know that its best for us and that everything will be ok.
The Scary(ish) News: One thing that the doctor discovered while attempting the ECV procedure is that our little baby girl is a bit on the small side. She is approximately 5 pounds and at this point, the average baby is 6 pounds or more. This is concerning. It could be nothing, just a small kid, or it could be a sign of trouble. Emily (my three-year-old) was 7lbs. 9oz. and she was almost two weeks early. My husband and I are not small people and even the shortest people in our families (our moms) are average height. In fact Emily is in the 100th percentile for three-year-olds. Baby Natalie is estimated to be in the 7th percentile for babies at this point in pregnancy. Her heart rate was monitored for over an hour and it was strong and great... she looked healthy via ultrasound. She is just smaller than she should be. Because of this, the doctor wants to monitor her and make sure that she is growing and not having any issues. At home I have to be extra aware of her movements and kick-counts... On Tuesday, we will be going in for a Non Stress Test (NST), where they will monitor her heart rate for an hour to make sure it is steady and consistent. Next Friday, the doctor will do another ultrasound to check her growth rate. If she hasn't grown at all or not enough, we may end up with a C-Section that evening. If she is thriving and growing, then we will continue to monitor her until our scheduled C-Section date. I was a crying pregnant mess once we got in the car from the ECV appointment! It was a lot to process - kind of a mommy-brain explosion started to happen - The baby won't flip - boom - you have to have a c-section - boom - she looks a little too small - BOOM!!! - oh and, you need to stop working and rest until the delivery date - BOOM! It was a lot to think about and a lot for me to obsessively research online all in one night!
Obsessive Online Research Discoveries that were actually helpful and comforting last night:
1. after thoroughly searching the world wide web, I discovered that I have been a good pregnant mommy! I haven't done anything on the list that causes babies with low birth weights, and I have done all of the right stuff. I take my vitamins and eat well and take good care of myself. There is nothing I could have done to prevent the possibility of a small baby. Even stress hasn't really been proven to cause low birth weight. This made me feel a little better at first, but almost more worried later because I just don't understand what could be wrong. I need to hope that she will just do some big growing in the next two weeks!
2. C-sections can take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour start to finish depending on the doctor. Thats not so bad!
3. Since I find "Skin-to-skin" time with the baby right after birth to be very important and healthy, I will have to be pushy in the OR and try to force someone to hold my naked little baby up to my chest as they are finishing stitching me up after the procedure (my arms will be strapped to side boards - aaaahhh). But this can be done! I just have to be pushy!!! I learned this from some random mommy blogs and it was nice to know! That was one of my main concerns with having a c-section. Look up the benefits of "Skin-to-skin"... its amazing and it was a really cool bonding experience! We did skin-to-skin time a lot for the first few weeks and it was really calming for me and baby.
I tried to keep my online research light last night so as not to panic! I avoided horror stories and webMD!!!
The Scary(ish) News: One thing that the doctor discovered while attempting the ECV procedure is that our little baby girl is a bit on the small side. She is approximately 5 pounds and at this point, the average baby is 6 pounds or more. This is concerning. It could be nothing, just a small kid, or it could be a sign of trouble. Emily (my three-year-old) was 7lbs. 9oz. and she was almost two weeks early. My husband and I are not small people and even the shortest people in our families (our moms) are average height. In fact Emily is in the 100th percentile for three-year-olds. Baby Natalie is estimated to be in the 7th percentile for babies at this point in pregnancy. Her heart rate was monitored for over an hour and it was strong and great... she looked healthy via ultrasound. She is just smaller than she should be. Because of this, the doctor wants to monitor her and make sure that she is growing and not having any issues. At home I have to be extra aware of her movements and kick-counts... On Tuesday, we will be going in for a Non Stress Test (NST), where they will monitor her heart rate for an hour to make sure it is steady and consistent. Next Friday, the doctor will do another ultrasound to check her growth rate. If she hasn't grown at all or not enough, we may end up with a C-Section that evening. If she is thriving and growing, then we will continue to monitor her until our scheduled C-Section date. I was a crying pregnant mess once we got in the car from the ECV appointment! It was a lot to process - kind of a mommy-brain explosion started to happen - The baby won't flip - boom - you have to have a c-section - boom - she looks a little too small - BOOM!!! - oh and, you need to stop working and rest until the delivery date - BOOM! It was a lot to think about and a lot for me to obsessively research online all in one night!
Obsessive Online Research Discoveries that were actually helpful and comforting last night:
1. after thoroughly searching the world wide web, I discovered that I have been a good pregnant mommy! I haven't done anything on the list that causes babies with low birth weights, and I have done all of the right stuff. I take my vitamins and eat well and take good care of myself. There is nothing I could have done to prevent the possibility of a small baby. Even stress hasn't really been proven to cause low birth weight. This made me feel a little better at first, but almost more worried later because I just don't understand what could be wrong. I need to hope that she will just do some big growing in the next two weeks!
2. C-sections can take anywhere from twenty minutes to an hour start to finish depending on the doctor. Thats not so bad!
3. Since I find "Skin-to-skin" time with the baby right after birth to be very important and healthy, I will have to be pushy in the OR and try to force someone to hold my naked little baby up to my chest as they are finishing stitching me up after the procedure (my arms will be strapped to side boards - aaaahhh). But this can be done! I just have to be pushy!!! I learned this from some random mommy blogs and it was nice to know! That was one of my main concerns with having a c-section. Look up the benefits of "Skin-to-skin"... its amazing and it was a really cool bonding experience! We did skin-to-skin time a lot for the first few weeks and it was really calming for me and baby.
I tried to keep my online research light last night so as not to panic! I avoided horror stories and webMD!!!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Another tale from the ER....
This time it was me, not the three-year-old who had to go to the ER. Don't worry, baby girl and I are healthy and safe and there were no emergency deliveries!
Here's the story... Excuse the grammar and run-ons, I am typing quick so I can get back to my day of bed-rest!
PART 1 - The Scary Incident: I had a nervous nauseous stomach all morning and couldn't figure out why. I wasn't actually nervous about anything, just felt queazy! First period went off without a hitch! The lab went well, the kids did great, and life was good. Between classes, I started seeing a bright spot in my left eye... It seamed like when you stare directly into a light or the sun or even a camera flash and you see that weird light in your eye for a few seconds. This was not your ordinary spot! This spot wouldn't go away. I wasn't worried yet though. I closed the blinds in my classroom thinking that the sun was too bright. Kids left, new ones came in... Still a bright spot in my left eye... Next there were a bunch of spots and a blurred peripheral, so trippy - aaahhhh! I adjusted my contact lens and it was fine... I looked down to read an email and realized that I couldn't see it very well because the words were moving and shifting around, and that my left hand also seamed strangely uncoordinated... this is when panic set in! Blurry left eye and sort of tingly uncoordinated left hand... I immediately sat down in my big comfy desk chair, told the kids to get started on their warm-ups and writing down their homework, and called my classroom aide over to me (A woman that helps a group of kids with special needs who are in that class). Remember that I am 36 weeks pregnant at this point, can barely see out of my left eye, and can't coordinate my right hand properly! I am in a panic! I explain to the aide what is happening and she asks me some questions, we decide to call my principal over... My boss is awesome! She is a mother of three and was very sweet and calm through this whole ordeal. She immediately radioed the office to call paramedics (against my pleading to not call them and that I would be fine - I am so dumb sometimes)... I was so worried about the baby.... Since it was only on one side of my body, I was thinking of blood pressure and preeclampsia and heart attacks and having an emergency C-Section to get the baby out, which is a bit too early for my liking... What if I die of heart attack and my children have no mother... AAAHHHH!!!I was sooooo scared! My vision in my left eye was still practically gone and my left hand was still weird... They cleared my scared classroom full of kids out to the library and the paramedics came in... There were 4-5 of them... there was poking and prodding and questions and oxygen tubes in my nose and blood pressure apparatuses and heart monitors... It was crazy and caused more panic! I was slow to react to their questions and it was just craziness! My hubby showed up lightning fast from his school which is only about 5 minutes away and looked so worried and helpless. The medics found that my blood sugar, pressure, heart rate, etc. were all normal and that it wasn't anything heart related. None-the-less, they had to take me to a hospital to be checked out and make sure the baby is doing well and find out what is wrong with me. The entire time all of this was happening around me, baby girl #2 was kicking excitedly in my belly, which helped ease my mind a little bit... After about a 30 minutes from the start of the whole thing, my vision had returned and my hand was back to normal as well... I was still very shaken up and terrified!
PART 2 - The Ambulance Ride: They wheeled me into the ambulance in the middle of campus near my classroom - so embarrassing right?!?! Jon followed in his car behind the ambulance the whole 20 minute drive to our Kaiser hospital. I could see him in the window, which was comforting! He was terrified! The medic in the back with me was really nice and just chatted with me the whole time - I think they have to do that to make sure that the patient is responsive. I was just scared, but his small talk helped ease my tension a little. I still was so panicked that I couldn't recall basic information about myself! It was so weird! An ambulance ride is the bumpiest ride in the whole world! Especially for a pregnant woman who is laying uncomfortably on a stretcher and really has to pee! Somehow the medic was able to perform putting an IV with a saline block during Mr. Toads Wild Ride, without hurting me! What a magician he is! He was awesome!
Part 3: The Hospital: Once at the hospital, they checked all my vitals again. They used a "Doppler" and found the baby's heart beat and she was great and moving around in there so much that the nurse had trouble getting an actual reading! Go go baby girl!!! That eased my mind so much to know that she was happy and not in distress in my tummy! All of my other vitals were fine and clear. We were so confused as to what could be wrong with me. It wasn't a random panic attack! I didn't actually panic until after I couldn't see out of one of my precious eyes!!! Jon paced nervously around the tiny room until the doctor finally came in. He immediately said "Sounds like you had an Ocular Migraine"... a What???? I have never had a migraine in my life and furthermore I didn't have a headache!?!? What a quack I initially thought - until I listened to what he had to say... He described the symptoms I had experienced perfectly... He talked about seeing bright flashes and spots and not being able to focus or read out of only one eye.... he mentioned how it affected my hand... he even asked if I currently had a headache and ya know, I did, a very small head ache above my right eye... he said the head ache is usually found on the opposite side of the head of the visual disturbance because your left brain controls your right and visa-versa. Often times an "ocular migraine" occurs with no headache at all, or in my case, a tiny little headache that went away very quickly. Baby girl #2 was checked again via ultrasound and she was still just fine! We were sent home by lunch time to rest and regroup!
Part 4: OCULAR MIGRAINES: Apparently women (or some men) can experience any type of migraine due to stress, sleep loss, or hormonal changes. Ocular Migraines are just one specific type. Migraines are hereditary ladies (sorry)! After talking to my mom, she shared that she had had these while pregnant and even a couple before pregnancy and later in life - she never knew what they were though. She thinks my aunt experienced them while pregnant too but was going to check. I guess pregnant women sometimes (fairly rare unless they already have a history) experience these due to hormonal changes at the beginning or end of pregnancy. I am hoping that this was an isolated incident and the doctor even said I may never have one again. He said they usually start during puberty in women or even in their early twenties. Anyway, I am here and safe and so is baby girl!!! If one of my eyes freaks out on me again (like it took its own little hit of acid), I will not panic! I will sit and rest until it passes. These things usually last for about a half of an hour.
So that is my fun little story! I am okay! I taking an extra day to rest just to be cautious! Back to work for me tomorrow!
Here's the story... Excuse the grammar and run-ons, I am typing quick so I can get back to my day of bed-rest!
PART 1 - The Scary Incident: I had a nervous nauseous stomach all morning and couldn't figure out why. I wasn't actually nervous about anything, just felt queazy! First period went off without a hitch! The lab went well, the kids did great, and life was good. Between classes, I started seeing a bright spot in my left eye... It seamed like when you stare directly into a light or the sun or even a camera flash and you see that weird light in your eye for a few seconds. This was not your ordinary spot! This spot wouldn't go away. I wasn't worried yet though. I closed the blinds in my classroom thinking that the sun was too bright. Kids left, new ones came in... Still a bright spot in my left eye... Next there were a bunch of spots and a blurred peripheral, so trippy - aaahhhh! I adjusted my contact lens and it was fine... I looked down to read an email and realized that I couldn't see it very well because the words were moving and shifting around, and that my left hand also seamed strangely uncoordinated... this is when panic set in! Blurry left eye and sort of tingly uncoordinated left hand... I immediately sat down in my big comfy desk chair, told the kids to get started on their warm-ups and writing down their homework, and called my classroom aide over to me (A woman that helps a group of kids with special needs who are in that class). Remember that I am 36 weeks pregnant at this point, can barely see out of my left eye, and can't coordinate my right hand properly! I am in a panic! I explain to the aide what is happening and she asks me some questions, we decide to call my principal over... My boss is awesome! She is a mother of three and was very sweet and calm through this whole ordeal. She immediately radioed the office to call paramedics (against my pleading to not call them and that I would be fine - I am so dumb sometimes)... I was so worried about the baby.... Since it was only on one side of my body, I was thinking of blood pressure and preeclampsia and heart attacks and having an emergency C-Section to get the baby out, which is a bit too early for my liking... What if I die of heart attack and my children have no mother... AAAHHHH!!!I was sooooo scared! My vision in my left eye was still practically gone and my left hand was still weird... They cleared my scared classroom full of kids out to the library and the paramedics came in... There were 4-5 of them... there was poking and prodding and questions and oxygen tubes in my nose and blood pressure apparatuses and heart monitors... It was crazy and caused more panic! I was slow to react to their questions and it was just craziness! My hubby showed up lightning fast from his school which is only about 5 minutes away and looked so worried and helpless. The medics found that my blood sugar, pressure, heart rate, etc. were all normal and that it wasn't anything heart related. None-the-less, they had to take me to a hospital to be checked out and make sure the baby is doing well and find out what is wrong with me. The entire time all of this was happening around me, baby girl #2 was kicking excitedly in my belly, which helped ease my mind a little bit... After about a 30 minutes from the start of the whole thing, my vision had returned and my hand was back to normal as well... I was still very shaken up and terrified!
PART 2 - The Ambulance Ride: They wheeled me into the ambulance in the middle of campus near my classroom - so embarrassing right?!?! Jon followed in his car behind the ambulance the whole 20 minute drive to our Kaiser hospital. I could see him in the window, which was comforting! He was terrified! The medic in the back with me was really nice and just chatted with me the whole time - I think they have to do that to make sure that the patient is responsive. I was just scared, but his small talk helped ease my tension a little. I still was so panicked that I couldn't recall basic information about myself! It was so weird! An ambulance ride is the bumpiest ride in the whole world! Especially for a pregnant woman who is laying uncomfortably on a stretcher and really has to pee! Somehow the medic was able to perform putting an IV with a saline block during Mr. Toads Wild Ride, without hurting me! What a magician he is! He was awesome!
Part 3: The Hospital: Once at the hospital, they checked all my vitals again. They used a "Doppler" and found the baby's heart beat and she was great and moving around in there so much that the nurse had trouble getting an actual reading! Go go baby girl!!! That eased my mind so much to know that she was happy and not in distress in my tummy! All of my other vitals were fine and clear. We were so confused as to what could be wrong with me. It wasn't a random panic attack! I didn't actually panic until after I couldn't see out of one of my precious eyes!!! Jon paced nervously around the tiny room until the doctor finally came in. He immediately said "Sounds like you had an Ocular Migraine"... a What???? I have never had a migraine in my life and furthermore I didn't have a headache!?!? What a quack I initially thought - until I listened to what he had to say... He described the symptoms I had experienced perfectly... He talked about seeing bright flashes and spots and not being able to focus or read out of only one eye.... he mentioned how it affected my hand... he even asked if I currently had a headache and ya know, I did, a very small head ache above my right eye... he said the head ache is usually found on the opposite side of the head of the visual disturbance because your left brain controls your right and visa-versa. Often times an "ocular migraine" occurs with no headache at all, or in my case, a tiny little headache that went away very quickly. Baby girl #2 was checked again via ultrasound and she was still just fine! We were sent home by lunch time to rest and regroup!
Part 4: OCULAR MIGRAINES: Apparently women (or some men) can experience any type of migraine due to stress, sleep loss, or hormonal changes. Ocular Migraines are just one specific type. Migraines are hereditary ladies (sorry)! After talking to my mom, she shared that she had had these while pregnant and even a couple before pregnancy and later in life - she never knew what they were though. She thinks my aunt experienced them while pregnant too but was going to check. I guess pregnant women sometimes (fairly rare unless they already have a history) experience these due to hormonal changes at the beginning or end of pregnancy. I am hoping that this was an isolated incident and the doctor even said I may never have one again. He said they usually start during puberty in women or even in their early twenties. Anyway, I am here and safe and so is baby girl!!! If one of my eyes freaks out on me again (like it took its own little hit of acid), I will not panic! I will sit and rest until it passes. These things usually last for about a half of an hour.
So that is my fun little story! I am okay! I taking an extra day to rest just to be cautious! Back to work for me tomorrow!
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Post Baby Birth Control and the Old Snip-Snip!
I was just thinking about post baby birth control and how annoying it can be. Your doctor or nurse will offer you a "mini-pill" to take while breast feeding because there is a slight chance that you could get pregnant while breast feeding. The fact is that if you accidentally got pregnant quickly after giving birth to your baby, the new pregnancy would likely result in miscarriage and/or health issues. It just isn't healthy to get pregnant right away after having a baby! You need to give your body time to heal and get back to business as usual first. So some pushy medical professional will be pushing pills on you like a drug dealer.
After giving birth to my daughter, they gave me the "mini-pill" and told me that as soon as I was done breast feeding I would need to start taking a regular birth control pill, so that is what I did... Funny, yet natural things happen to your body and hormones after having a child. When I started taking the pill in my late teens/early twenties, it was wonderful. It made my periods lighter and my PMS barely noticeable. It was smooth sailing and it really regulated my hormones and made me feel more balanced. Before the pill, I was a hormonal mess! After having Emily, my body and hormones were so different that the pill was actually causing me problems. Problems that were so bad there was no point in taking the pill to begin with because the sex was less likely to happen anyway! It caused me to have longer periods and crazy (CRAZY) PMS symptoms among other things. I gave up after a few months of hell and stopped taking the pill and my body went back to normal. Nice easy short and light periods and easy going PMS. I guess babies are good for our bodies!
Dealing with any sort of birth control ever, from condoms to the pill, is just a pain! It isn't convenient or sexy! It is necessary, but can be a mood killer, especially when you don't have much time to "get it on" anyways due to the new crying pooping machine (baby) in your lives.
One thing I am really looking forward to after baby girl #2 comes (very soon) is getting my husband "snipped". I can't wait! Its like Christmas for me!!! We only want two kids and can really only handle and afford two kids. Once this baby comes out and is healthy and good to go, my hubby will be scheduling himself a much needed vasectomy. It will be so nice not to have to worry about accidentally having a #3. It will be so nice to never think about any sort of birth control ever again! When he has his doubts about getting the procedure done, I just remind him of his friends who have had it done and ask "aren't you more manly and tough than they are honey???" It works like a charm! See, sometimes the male ego is a good thing!
Men are so weird about their man parts! I have had an entire human being come out of my hoo-hoo while several people watched and helped, and plan to do it again in a few weeks, and yet these men worry about a quick little snip-snip that they won't even feel in their sack! They get to lay on the couch for a couple of days with some frozen peas on their junk hopped up on pain meds watching sports, and then they are back in business!
There is a secret evil part of me deep down that can't wait to see what a baby he is about the whole thing when it happens. I know its mean and cruel, but the heart wants what the heart wants!
In conclusion ladies, I truly believe that after you and your man are done having the babies, it his his job to get snipped! It is what is fair and what is right! Don't feel bad for him! Don't let him off the hook! You have done your part and suffered with birth control long enough. You have powered through labor and delivery and breast feeding and all of the thankless parts of being a mother. It is his turn to take one for the team! So take him out of the ball game ladies!!!!
After giving birth to my daughter, they gave me the "mini-pill" and told me that as soon as I was done breast feeding I would need to start taking a regular birth control pill, so that is what I did... Funny, yet natural things happen to your body and hormones after having a child. When I started taking the pill in my late teens/early twenties, it was wonderful. It made my periods lighter and my PMS barely noticeable. It was smooth sailing and it really regulated my hormones and made me feel more balanced. Before the pill, I was a hormonal mess! After having Emily, my body and hormones were so different that the pill was actually causing me problems. Problems that were so bad there was no point in taking the pill to begin with because the sex was less likely to happen anyway! It caused me to have longer periods and crazy (CRAZY) PMS symptoms among other things. I gave up after a few months of hell and stopped taking the pill and my body went back to normal. Nice easy short and light periods and easy going PMS. I guess babies are good for our bodies!
Dealing with any sort of birth control ever, from condoms to the pill, is just a pain! It isn't convenient or sexy! It is necessary, but can be a mood killer, especially when you don't have much time to "get it on" anyways due to the new crying pooping machine (baby) in your lives.
One thing I am really looking forward to after baby girl #2 comes (very soon) is getting my husband "snipped". I can't wait! Its like Christmas for me!!! We only want two kids and can really only handle and afford two kids. Once this baby comes out and is healthy and good to go, my hubby will be scheduling himself a much needed vasectomy. It will be so nice not to have to worry about accidentally having a #3. It will be so nice to never think about any sort of birth control ever again! When he has his doubts about getting the procedure done, I just remind him of his friends who have had it done and ask "aren't you more manly and tough than they are honey???" It works like a charm! See, sometimes the male ego is a good thing!
Men are so weird about their man parts! I have had an entire human being come out of my hoo-hoo while several people watched and helped, and plan to do it again in a few weeks, and yet these men worry about a quick little snip-snip that they won't even feel in their sack! They get to lay on the couch for a couple of days with some frozen peas on their junk hopped up on pain meds watching sports, and then they are back in business!
There is a secret evil part of me deep down that can't wait to see what a baby he is about the whole thing when it happens. I know its mean and cruel, but the heart wants what the heart wants!
In conclusion ladies, I truly believe that after you and your man are done having the babies, it his his job to get snipped! It is what is fair and what is right! Don't feel bad for him! Don't let him off the hook! You have done your part and suffered with birth control long enough. You have powered through labor and delivery and breast feeding and all of the thankless parts of being a mother. It is his turn to take one for the team! So take him out of the ball game ladies!!!!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The 3-year-old and the Quarter...
My story begins around 8:30pm on Tuesday night. I want to preface the story with the fact that my daughter, Emily is very smart and mature for a 3-year-old - USUALLY!!! My baby is no glue-eater!
My husband was at a friends house doing his ever-important Fantasy Football Draft. Emily was in her bed still talking to her favorite stuffed animal, Turtle. I had settled in to put my feet up and watch some trash TV before going to sleep.
At around 8:30, I heard loud loud crying coming from Emily's room. My initial reaction is that she must have bit her tongue or fell out of her bed while attempting some new acrobatic move or something along those lines (neither of these would be unheard of in our house). I went in and she was sitting up and once she calmed down a little she said "There's a quarter in my tummy!" We went through a comical line of questioning from there because a quarter seams so big to me for anyone to just swallow! "Can you breath? Are you sure it was a quarter? Why was the quarter in your mouth? Are you sure you swallowed it? Does anything hurt?" - You get the idea! I got a bunch of non-helpful 3-year-old answers that didn't make any sense to me.
Because she was acting just fine, breathing normally, and very chatty at this point, instead of panicking, I called the Kaiser advise nurse to see if we needed a trip to the ER or if a child could actually successfully digest a quarter. I teach about the digestive system to my 7th graders and I know that the small intestine is a really really narrow tube. I just didn't see how it was possible for a quarter to go through! The nurse did all of her weird trouble shooting questions that she is required by law to ask including my favorite question, "Is the child suicidal?" Followed by "I'm really sorry mam, I am required to ask all of these questions." I started laughing (yes I am immature)! At this point she asks me to hold up a bunch of different coins for Emily to make sure its really a quarter and not just a dime or a penny. I know that Emily knows her coins well, but I held up all the coins as requested and Emily looked at me like I was a simpleton and said "Mommy I told you it was a quarter!!!" In the end, I was instructed to take her to the ER because they needed to do an x-ray to make sure it was in fact a coin and not something more hazardous (like a battery) and to make sure it wasn't lodged in her esophagus.
I told Emily we would be going to the hospital and the child got really excited! Hospitals are cool and have ambulances!!! A late night field trip! Yay! How Fun!!! I called my hubby and he said, "Do you really need me? I have a couple of picks left before the draft is over..." I hung up on him! He deserved it! He came to his senses and called back for me to pick him up on the way to the ER. Our closest Kaiser hospital is about a 20-30 minute drive away. Emily excitedly chatted away about the hospital the whole drive there! All I could think was "There better be a freaking coin in this kids belly or mommy going to lose her S-H-I-T!!!"
We got to the hospital, Emily had a lovely time with the triage nurse! She was very interested in the blood pressure checker and the cool new bracelets they put on her wrist. We went in and got the picture of her tummy and sure enough, the quarter had made its way into her stomach! I wish I had the x-ray to show! It is funny! A tiny little rib cage and this huge shiny quarter!
Apparently, if you can swallow it, it can be digested and passed through your intestines with no trouble (unless its a sharp object). The Doc said she would poop it out and to watch out for signs of illness and sent us home at 11pm. Thankfully he said I didn't have to go sifting through poo to find the quarter! Emily was very excited at the idea of pooping out a quarter like it would be magical!
I still cannot believe that my 3-year-old ate a quarter!!! I thought we were out of the woods with the tiny objects in the mouth! We give her coins all the time to play with and think nothing of it! Can't believe it! It is a funny story to tell to her when she gets older!
My husband was at a friends house doing his ever-important Fantasy Football Draft. Emily was in her bed still talking to her favorite stuffed animal, Turtle. I had settled in to put my feet up and watch some trash TV before going to sleep.
At around 8:30, I heard loud loud crying coming from Emily's room. My initial reaction is that she must have bit her tongue or fell out of her bed while attempting some new acrobatic move or something along those lines (neither of these would be unheard of in our house). I went in and she was sitting up and once she calmed down a little she said "There's a quarter in my tummy!" We went through a comical line of questioning from there because a quarter seams so big to me for anyone to just swallow! "Can you breath? Are you sure it was a quarter? Why was the quarter in your mouth? Are you sure you swallowed it? Does anything hurt?" - You get the idea! I got a bunch of non-helpful 3-year-old answers that didn't make any sense to me.
Because she was acting just fine, breathing normally, and very chatty at this point, instead of panicking, I called the Kaiser advise nurse to see if we needed a trip to the ER or if a child could actually successfully digest a quarter. I teach about the digestive system to my 7th graders and I know that the small intestine is a really really narrow tube. I just didn't see how it was possible for a quarter to go through! The nurse did all of her weird trouble shooting questions that she is required by law to ask including my favorite question, "Is the child suicidal?" Followed by "I'm really sorry mam, I am required to ask all of these questions." I started laughing (yes I am immature)! At this point she asks me to hold up a bunch of different coins for Emily to make sure its really a quarter and not just a dime or a penny. I know that Emily knows her coins well, but I held up all the coins as requested and Emily looked at me like I was a simpleton and said "Mommy I told you it was a quarter!!!" In the end, I was instructed to take her to the ER because they needed to do an x-ray to make sure it was in fact a coin and not something more hazardous (like a battery) and to make sure it wasn't lodged in her esophagus.
I told Emily we would be going to the hospital and the child got really excited! Hospitals are cool and have ambulances!!! A late night field trip! Yay! How Fun!!! I called my hubby and he said, "Do you really need me? I have a couple of picks left before the draft is over..." I hung up on him! He deserved it! He came to his senses and called back for me to pick him up on the way to the ER. Our closest Kaiser hospital is about a 20-30 minute drive away. Emily excitedly chatted away about the hospital the whole drive there! All I could think was "There better be a freaking coin in this kids belly or mommy going to lose her S-H-I-T!!!"
We got to the hospital, Emily had a lovely time with the triage nurse! She was very interested in the blood pressure checker and the cool new bracelets they put on her wrist. We went in and got the picture of her tummy and sure enough, the quarter had made its way into her stomach! I wish I had the x-ray to show! It is funny! A tiny little rib cage and this huge shiny quarter!
Apparently, if you can swallow it, it can be digested and passed through your intestines with no trouble (unless its a sharp object). The Doc said she would poop it out and to watch out for signs of illness and sent us home at 11pm. Thankfully he said I didn't have to go sifting through poo to find the quarter! Emily was very excited at the idea of pooping out a quarter like it would be magical!
I still cannot believe that my 3-year-old ate a quarter!!! I thought we were out of the woods with the tiny objects in the mouth! We give her coins all the time to play with and think nothing of it! Can't believe it! It is a funny story to tell to her when she gets older!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Breech Baby - Part 2
Today's blog is a follow up from a few days ago about baby girl #2 being breech.
Today was my 35 week baby/mommy check up. I am healthy. More importantly Baby girl #2 is healthy! That is the good news and it is always great to hear that we are both healthy and doing fine!
Unfortunately she is completely 100% breech - confirmed by ultrasound! Her head is near the right side of my rib cage. Her abdomen and butt region are right above my cervix. I am bummed! Really bummed! I really thought she had moved over the weekend!
In about two weeks, we will try ECV to get her to flip. If that doesn't work, a C-Section will be scheduled for week 39. I'm hoping that she will just be a good girl and flip on her own! Most of the people in our family are pretty stubborn though, so I can't expect her to be any different! Its in our DNA to be difficult I think! Even our dog is stubborn! Dogs are not supposed to be stubborn!!! It is my destiny to be surrounded by creatures big and small who are just as stubborn as I am or more so! I would worry if this baby is any different! ha ha!
I will blog about how the ECV goes once it happens! If anyone is actually reading this, keep your fingers crossed for us that she flips on her own before the ECV or at least that the procedure is successful! I am completely scared of the pain, but its worth it if it works!
I will try to find something more fun to blog about tomorrow! :)
Today was my 35 week baby/mommy check up. I am healthy. More importantly Baby girl #2 is healthy! That is the good news and it is always great to hear that we are both healthy and doing fine!
Unfortunately she is completely 100% breech - confirmed by ultrasound! Her head is near the right side of my rib cage. Her abdomen and butt region are right above my cervix. I am bummed! Really bummed! I really thought she had moved over the weekend!
In about two weeks, we will try ECV to get her to flip. If that doesn't work, a C-Section will be scheduled for week 39. I'm hoping that she will just be a good girl and flip on her own! Most of the people in our family are pretty stubborn though, so I can't expect her to be any different! Its in our DNA to be difficult I think! Even our dog is stubborn! Dogs are not supposed to be stubborn!!! It is my destiny to be surrounded by creatures big and small who are just as stubborn as I am or more so! I would worry if this baby is any different! ha ha!
I will blog about how the ECV goes once it happens! If anyone is actually reading this, keep your fingers crossed for us that she flips on her own before the ECV or at least that the procedure is successful! I am completely scared of the pain, but its worth it if it works!
I will try to find something more fun to blog about tomorrow! :)
Monday, September 3, 2012
The Terrible Threes and Pregnant Mommies
As my due date approaches in about five weeks, I have become increasingly irritable and impatient. This new mood of mine is not meshing well with my very opinionated three-year-old's bossy attitude. She is so demanding and challenging and I am so tired and impatient! Its a bad combo!
Emily is all of the things I dreamed my daughter would be and even some things I wouldn't have thought of on my own. She is very thoughtful (even at three), she loves animals, she is goofy, she is highly intelligent, she is a "tom-boy", she is a lover of outdoors, and she is even a good little artist. But we all have our faults and she is also very very strong willed (stubborn) and has a terrible temper! I have always been happy that my daughter is strong willed because I don't want anyone pushing her around; however, there is a down side to a strong-willed child! It makes parenting extra challenging! Everything is a fight or a struggle or a bargain! Its like I have a preview into puberty already and it aint pretty! When this little one hits twelve, look out world!!!
When she is at preschool, she has a strong will, but generally doesn't yell or have a violent temper and that is great... no one wants to have the kid that yells and hits and kicks! But once she gets home, she feels comfortable to act out and let loose. She especially loves being contrary about everything to me. Now I know this is just the mother-daughter dynamic and that she also feels the most comfortable with me to try out these fun little behaviors, but I am so dam sick of being tested by her! It is exhausting! No matter what I offer her, she wants something else! Sometimes for no good reason she will just say "Mommy go away" or "Mommy, I don't like you" in her best mean-girl voice as she snarls her little face at me. She has kicked and hit me out of anger for not getting her way. She has screamed and yelled and thrown numerous fits for very minor differences in opinion. In fact in an attempted Target shopping trip yesterday, she threw a huge crazy fit in the store entrance and refused to come shopping with me because she just wanted to go home and pet the neighbor's cat (don't worry, I didn't let her). She does this a little with my husband and her grandparents who are also her day-care providers while we are at work, but nothing compares to the rage that she throws my way. It is so hard to stay calm and be the adult sometimes! I will admit, sometimes I find myself yelling ridiculous things and realize that I have stooped to her level! It is the worst! I am the grown up! I feel so defeated when I let her get to me like that! I don't want to be the mom who is always screaming at her kids who don't really respect or listen to her anyways (we all know one of those moms). I have to constantly remind myself to stay calm (at least on the outside).
Now, don't get me wrong, all of our time together isn't this terrible, but when it is bad, it is very very bad! At the same time, we do share a special bond that no one else has and for that I am lucky (I have to remind myself of this during the crazy child times). No one can comfort her like I do and that is something that is very special! When she is sad or gets hurt or is sick, she wants Mommy! That is a nice feeling! I am loved and needed and feel that way most of the time. I just wish she would be nicer to me I suppose!
At this point in my pregnancy, I just feel helpless with her sometimes when we are alone! If she is throwing a huge fit I can't just pick her up! She weighs 45 pounds - she is a very big and tall three year old and I don't want lifting her to put me into preterm labor! I also just don't feel good! She wants me to get on the floor and do building blocks with her and all sorts of things that I am physically not able to do without inflicting pain on myself. I am usually a very hands-on mom! I love to get down on the floor and play with her! It makes me feel so bad that I can't do as much as I used to! I hate having to tell her that mommy can't lift her or play on the floor with her. I am such a drag as a parent right now - probably as a wife too!
I feel like I have lost track of my intended blog for the day! Uh oh! My final thought is that I think that mother-nature makes you super miserable during the last month or so of pregnancy so that you don't freak out about child birth! You are so uncomfortable, tired, moody, and hot that you really just want that baby out of there no matter how it has to happen! I just want the baby to be out so I can snuggle her, my body to be back to normal, and to be able to play with my three-year-old again! That is where I am at! Five weeks left and I am physically and emotionally done!
Emily is all of the things I dreamed my daughter would be and even some things I wouldn't have thought of on my own. She is very thoughtful (even at three), she loves animals, she is goofy, she is highly intelligent, she is a "tom-boy", she is a lover of outdoors, and she is even a good little artist. But we all have our faults and she is also very very strong willed (stubborn) and has a terrible temper! I have always been happy that my daughter is strong willed because I don't want anyone pushing her around; however, there is a down side to a strong-willed child! It makes parenting extra challenging! Everything is a fight or a struggle or a bargain! Its like I have a preview into puberty already and it aint pretty! When this little one hits twelve, look out world!!!
When she is at preschool, she has a strong will, but generally doesn't yell or have a violent temper and that is great... no one wants to have the kid that yells and hits and kicks! But once she gets home, she feels comfortable to act out and let loose. She especially loves being contrary about everything to me. Now I know this is just the mother-daughter dynamic and that she also feels the most comfortable with me to try out these fun little behaviors, but I am so dam sick of being tested by her! It is exhausting! No matter what I offer her, she wants something else! Sometimes for no good reason she will just say "Mommy go away" or "Mommy, I don't like you" in her best mean-girl voice as she snarls her little face at me. She has kicked and hit me out of anger for not getting her way. She has screamed and yelled and thrown numerous fits for very minor differences in opinion. In fact in an attempted Target shopping trip yesterday, she threw a huge crazy fit in the store entrance and refused to come shopping with me because she just wanted to go home and pet the neighbor's cat (don't worry, I didn't let her). She does this a little with my husband and her grandparents who are also her day-care providers while we are at work, but nothing compares to the rage that she throws my way. It is so hard to stay calm and be the adult sometimes! I will admit, sometimes I find myself yelling ridiculous things and realize that I have stooped to her level! It is the worst! I am the grown up! I feel so defeated when I let her get to me like that! I don't want to be the mom who is always screaming at her kids who don't really respect or listen to her anyways (we all know one of those moms). I have to constantly remind myself to stay calm (at least on the outside).
Now, don't get me wrong, all of our time together isn't this terrible, but when it is bad, it is very very bad! At the same time, we do share a special bond that no one else has and for that I am lucky (I have to remind myself of this during the crazy child times). No one can comfort her like I do and that is something that is very special! When she is sad or gets hurt or is sick, she wants Mommy! That is a nice feeling! I am loved and needed and feel that way most of the time. I just wish she would be nicer to me I suppose!
At this point in my pregnancy, I just feel helpless with her sometimes when we are alone! If she is throwing a huge fit I can't just pick her up! She weighs 45 pounds - she is a very big and tall three year old and I don't want lifting her to put me into preterm labor! I also just don't feel good! She wants me to get on the floor and do building blocks with her and all sorts of things that I am physically not able to do without inflicting pain on myself. I am usually a very hands-on mom! I love to get down on the floor and play with her! It makes me feel so bad that I can't do as much as I used to! I hate having to tell her that mommy can't lift her or play on the floor with her. I am such a drag as a parent right now - probably as a wife too!
I feel like I have lost track of my intended blog for the day! Uh oh! My final thought is that I think that mother-nature makes you super miserable during the last month or so of pregnancy so that you don't freak out about child birth! You are so uncomfortable, tired, moody, and hot that you really just want that baby out of there no matter how it has to happen! I just want the baby to be out so I can snuggle her, my body to be back to normal, and to be able to play with my three-year-old again! That is where I am at! Five weeks left and I am physically and emotionally done!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Breech Baby!
MY BREECH BABY: A few weeks ago at our 3-D ultra sound, we discovered that baby-girl #2 was head up in my tummy - Breech! I was told not to worry because I was only 30 weeks along and baby still had plenty of time to flip. I was also told that with 2nd pregnancies, they baby has more room due to your fabulously pre-stretched uterus and can take longer to flip to the head-down position. At our regular Kaiser baby/mommy check-up two weeks ago, my midwife found that baby was side ways. She said there was still plenty of time for baby to flip but she also knows how neurotic I can be and told me all of the options for if the baby is still breech at the next appointment. My appointment is Tuesday and I will be 35 weeks. I can't tell if I feel a head near my ribs or a butt, but there is something big under my right rib, so either baby is completely breech at this point or she's moved into position and her little booty is the knot I can feel under my ribs (fingers are crossed)!
EXTERNAL CEPHALIC VERSION: On Tuesday at my check-up we will find out for sure what her position is. If she is breech, they would like me to try External Cephalic Version - often referred to as just Version or ECV. This is where they manually move baby from the outside of your tummy and try to get her into the right position. Before talking to my mid-wife, I researched ECV... ONLINE..... Pregnant women should really not research online! In fact, they should have a pregnancy internet block like they have for kids that husbands can install on their computers so that pregnant women can't read all of the horror stories from the internet and panic.... What I read online about ECV is that it has a very low success rate (less than 60%), that it is painful, and that it can cause complications, such as the placenta pre-maturely separating from the uterus leading to immediate delivery of the baby. There were other scary things about ECV online, but these are the main things.
When I shared my crazy concerns with my midwife, she told me the true facts about ECV. First of all, at Kaiser, they have a specialist at the local Kaiser hospital that does ECV every day and is supposedly wonderful at it with a high success rate. I like this idea! If he or she does them frequently with high success, then I am already way way less worried! The doctor does the procedure while watching your baby via ultra sound the entire time to make sure they aren't hurting her. Second, ECV isn't very effective for first time moms, but it is highly effective for 2nd timers because of the uterus already being a little more stretched and roomier allowing more room for baby to move. I found out that they do this procedure at the hospital. In case there are any complications, they can safely deliver the baby right then and there. The do not do this procedure until the woman is full term - about 37 weeks, just in case you do go into labor because of the procedure. She said that the chances of placenta separation happening are so slim and that you are more likely to make it happen by bumping into a table or falling over.
I am still a little on the fence about ECV but if it comes to that, I will be sure to ask more questions before I go through with it. The only other option is delivering via C-Section and I really don't want to do that. I have heard from actual real women (not the internet) that ECV is pretty painful, but I don't want that to be the reason that I don't try it. I am scared about it though!
WHY I DON'T WANT A C-SECTION: I have many hang-ups about C-Sections even though I know tons of women who have had them who are perfectly healthy and have healthy kids.
First of all, my birth experience with Emily was chaotic at times, but awesome! I had health complications, but during the time when I was pushing and Emily came out, it was such a cool and even peaceful experience! For a while, it was just my husband, myself, and a nurse in a dimly lit calm room pushing away... nothing scary and medical feeling like they show on TV... I did have the epidural, but I could still feel everything (just not the extreme pain)... It was incredible. Immediately after she was born, they put her on my chest "skin-on-skin" for a brief moment before they took her to be checked out and measured. Despite all of my health complications and our long long stay at the hospital, I wouldn't trade that experience for the world... The idea of having major surgery where they strap down my arms and legs and give me major pain meds afterwards makes me feel very very anxious! I don't want to wait to hold my baby for an hour after having her because the doctor is still sewing me up!
Again, I have many friends who have had C-Sections and even I was born via C-section, but I really don't want to do it! I feel like the "C-Section Women" are always trying to convince the world that it is somehow better than natural birth and a piece of cake. I think somehow they feel guilty because they couldn't do it the normal way and are trying to convince themselves that they did it the best way! There is no best way! It is actually really annoying because when they get together, they act like they are in some cool club because they all had to have a C-Section... It is way weird! I don't have a "my baby came out of my vagina" club where I sit around and talk about how amazing I am for having a baby the normal way.... I don't see anything wrong with having a C-Section if you have to have one! If it is safest for mom and baby, then it must be done! I get it! But lets not kid ourselves here like its the equivalent to going in to a nice day spa and coming out with a child! It is real major surgery! It takes a while to recover from it! They cut into your skin and stomach muscle tissue and uterus and have to sew up several different layers when they are all finished. It is major freaking surgery! I also don't want to be all doped up on heavy pain meds while I am trying to care for my brand new baby! I like to be as alert and functional and as self sufficient as possible! Is that too much to ask for? Even after regular child birth, they offer you strong pain meds and I would only take the Ibuprofen because I didn't want to have that druggy hazy feeling while learning to breast feed and change diapers!
I even know of some women who have "elective" C-Sections that their doctors allow. This kills me! C-Sections should only be reserved for women who actually medically need to have one! These "elective C-Section" women will use the words "vaginal trauma" about natural child birth! I am not kidding! "Vaginal Trauma"! As if your hoo-hoo becomes traumatized doing the very thing that is was made for! Yes it will likely tear a little and be a little worse for the wear for a couple to a few weeks, but ladies, it goes back to normal!!! My hoo-hoo is fabulous and is in no way going through post-traumatic-stress disorder from giving birth to my child! Its not like my hoo-hoo was on the front line in a war!!! There are no complaints from my husband either! He's an honest guy (to a fault)! He would tell me if there was a problem!
Ok I should wrap this up now! I have gone on a tirade! SORRY! I guess my point in this blog is just working out my own thoughts about all of this... I am scared of trying ECV but even more scared of needing a C-Section. Let's just hope that on Tuesday we find that baby girl #2 has flipped head down and I can quit worrying about this! If not, at about 37 weeks (two weeks from now), I will probably try ECV and hope for the best. I will at least know that I did everything that I could to have the baby the way that I want to. I will blog on Tuesday after my check-up and tell you how it goes!
EXTERNAL CEPHALIC VERSION: On Tuesday at my check-up we will find out for sure what her position is. If she is breech, they would like me to try External Cephalic Version - often referred to as just Version or ECV. This is where they manually move baby from the outside of your tummy and try to get her into the right position. Before talking to my mid-wife, I researched ECV... ONLINE..... Pregnant women should really not research online! In fact, they should have a pregnancy internet block like they have for kids that husbands can install on their computers so that pregnant women can't read all of the horror stories from the internet and panic.... What I read online about ECV is that it has a very low success rate (less than 60%), that it is painful, and that it can cause complications, such as the placenta pre-maturely separating from the uterus leading to immediate delivery of the baby. There were other scary things about ECV online, but these are the main things.
When I shared my crazy concerns with my midwife, she told me the true facts about ECV. First of all, at Kaiser, they have a specialist at the local Kaiser hospital that does ECV every day and is supposedly wonderful at it with a high success rate. I like this idea! If he or she does them frequently with high success, then I am already way way less worried! The doctor does the procedure while watching your baby via ultra sound the entire time to make sure they aren't hurting her. Second, ECV isn't very effective for first time moms, but it is highly effective for 2nd timers because of the uterus already being a little more stretched and roomier allowing more room for baby to move. I found out that they do this procedure at the hospital. In case there are any complications, they can safely deliver the baby right then and there. The do not do this procedure until the woman is full term - about 37 weeks, just in case you do go into labor because of the procedure. She said that the chances of placenta separation happening are so slim and that you are more likely to make it happen by bumping into a table or falling over.
I am still a little on the fence about ECV but if it comes to that, I will be sure to ask more questions before I go through with it. The only other option is delivering via C-Section and I really don't want to do that. I have heard from actual real women (not the internet) that ECV is pretty painful, but I don't want that to be the reason that I don't try it. I am scared about it though!
WHY I DON'T WANT A C-SECTION: I have many hang-ups about C-Sections even though I know tons of women who have had them who are perfectly healthy and have healthy kids.
First of all, my birth experience with Emily was chaotic at times, but awesome! I had health complications, but during the time when I was pushing and Emily came out, it was such a cool and even peaceful experience! For a while, it was just my husband, myself, and a nurse in a dimly lit calm room pushing away... nothing scary and medical feeling like they show on TV... I did have the epidural, but I could still feel everything (just not the extreme pain)... It was incredible. Immediately after she was born, they put her on my chest "skin-on-skin" for a brief moment before they took her to be checked out and measured. Despite all of my health complications and our long long stay at the hospital, I wouldn't trade that experience for the world... The idea of having major surgery where they strap down my arms and legs and give me major pain meds afterwards makes me feel very very anxious! I don't want to wait to hold my baby for an hour after having her because the doctor is still sewing me up!
Again, I have many friends who have had C-Sections and even I was born via C-section, but I really don't want to do it! I feel like the "C-Section Women" are always trying to convince the world that it is somehow better than natural birth and a piece of cake. I think somehow they feel guilty because they couldn't do it the normal way and are trying to convince themselves that they did it the best way! There is no best way! It is actually really annoying because when they get together, they act like they are in some cool club because they all had to have a C-Section... It is way weird! I don't have a "my baby came out of my vagina" club where I sit around and talk about how amazing I am for having a baby the normal way.... I don't see anything wrong with having a C-Section if you have to have one! If it is safest for mom and baby, then it must be done! I get it! But lets not kid ourselves here like its the equivalent to going in to a nice day spa and coming out with a child! It is real major surgery! It takes a while to recover from it! They cut into your skin and stomach muscle tissue and uterus and have to sew up several different layers when they are all finished. It is major freaking surgery! I also don't want to be all doped up on heavy pain meds while I am trying to care for my brand new baby! I like to be as alert and functional and as self sufficient as possible! Is that too much to ask for? Even after regular child birth, they offer you strong pain meds and I would only take the Ibuprofen because I didn't want to have that druggy hazy feeling while learning to breast feed and change diapers!
I even know of some women who have "elective" C-Sections that their doctors allow. This kills me! C-Sections should only be reserved for women who actually medically need to have one! These "elective C-Section" women will use the words "vaginal trauma" about natural child birth! I am not kidding! "Vaginal Trauma"! As if your hoo-hoo becomes traumatized doing the very thing that is was made for! Yes it will likely tear a little and be a little worse for the wear for a couple to a few weeks, but ladies, it goes back to normal!!! My hoo-hoo is fabulous and is in no way going through post-traumatic-stress disorder from giving birth to my child! Its not like my hoo-hoo was on the front line in a war!!! There are no complaints from my husband either! He's an honest guy (to a fault)! He would tell me if there was a problem!
Ok I should wrap this up now! I have gone on a tirade! SORRY! I guess my point in this blog is just working out my own thoughts about all of this... I am scared of trying ECV but even more scared of needing a C-Section. Let's just hope that on Tuesday we find that baby girl #2 has flipped head down and I can quit worrying about this! If not, at about 37 weeks (two weeks from now), I will probably try ECV and hope for the best. I will at least know that I did everything that I could to have the baby the way that I want to. I will blog on Tuesday after my check-up and tell you how it goes!
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Bye Bye Ankles... Hello "Cankles"!
After my first week back at work, my ankles are starting to disappear! I guess its the price I pay for teaching science to America's youth on my feet all day while pregnant! You're welcome, America!!!
I naturally have bony and skinny ankles and after this week, they are not quite as bony or skinny. My socks leave marks for a while and I had to loosen my "running" shoes (running is in quotes because there is no way in hell I actually wear them to go running in these days!)
During my last pregnancy this swelling happened much sooner due to my working on my feet the entire time and my high intake of sodium and bad foods. I am pretty surprised that this is just starting up now at the end of my 34th week. It must be due to my restful summer! When 3 year old Emily napped, I at least laid down and put my feet up for a couple of hours!
It is really weird when this happens to your legs and ankles because when you look down, it is like you are looking down at some other persons feet!
"They" recommend support socks or stocking to keep the water from pooling at your ankles if you are on your feet all day.... The "They" I refer to must be a group of male doctors who have never tried on support stockings!!! It has been 90 to 100 degrees here in my home town and I will not be wearing those tight, hot, itchy stockings! That gives me only one option! Cankles, here I come!
HOW TO AVOID CANKLES: Well, I hate to tell you this, but you can't really avoid them all together - due to your extra (up to 50% more) blood and the fact that especially at the end of your pregnancy your body's cells naturally take on extra water and keep it in. The best you can do to try to avoid or minimize getting this crazy water swelling is to eat healthy and limit your sodium intake; and more importantly keep active - make sure you are keeping your circulation going by taking walks and not sitting or laying down constantly. Another thing that keeps your body circulating blood and water properly is to always lay/sleep on your left side. The left side is best for body circulation and digestion. Beyond that, if you are a work-on-your-feet all day kinda gal like me, you just have to put your feet up whenever you can and hope for the best!
ACTIVITY TO TRY: Water-weight cankles can be fun! You can press your finger in all the way down to your bone and leave a weird depression in your giant ankles! Its a fun trick to gross your husband out with!
To all my partners in the world of pregnancy cankles - I salute you! I know your pain - especially if you are vein like I am!!!
Remember if you are a first timer, this weight will go away. Your ankles will be back! It will not instantly go away upon giving birth, but over the course of about a week, you will sweat and pee excessively until all of the water weight and cankles go away! It is pretty cool! I remember that every morning when I woke up on my walk to the bathroom, I would look in the full length mirror and look a few pounds thinner! It is kind of amazing all of the things your body does while pregnant and after!
I naturally have bony and skinny ankles and after this week, they are not quite as bony or skinny. My socks leave marks for a while and I had to loosen my "running" shoes (running is in quotes because there is no way in hell I actually wear them to go running in these days!)
During my last pregnancy this swelling happened much sooner due to my working on my feet the entire time and my high intake of sodium and bad foods. I am pretty surprised that this is just starting up now at the end of my 34th week. It must be due to my restful summer! When 3 year old Emily napped, I at least laid down and put my feet up for a couple of hours!
It is really weird when this happens to your legs and ankles because when you look down, it is like you are looking down at some other persons feet!
"They" recommend support socks or stocking to keep the water from pooling at your ankles if you are on your feet all day.... The "They" I refer to must be a group of male doctors who have never tried on support stockings!!! It has been 90 to 100 degrees here in my home town and I will not be wearing those tight, hot, itchy stockings! That gives me only one option! Cankles, here I come!
HOW TO AVOID CANKLES: Well, I hate to tell you this, but you can't really avoid them all together - due to your extra (up to 50% more) blood and the fact that especially at the end of your pregnancy your body's cells naturally take on extra water and keep it in. The best you can do to try to avoid or minimize getting this crazy water swelling is to eat healthy and limit your sodium intake; and more importantly keep active - make sure you are keeping your circulation going by taking walks and not sitting or laying down constantly. Another thing that keeps your body circulating blood and water properly is to always lay/sleep on your left side. The left side is best for body circulation and digestion. Beyond that, if you are a work-on-your-feet all day kinda gal like me, you just have to put your feet up whenever you can and hope for the best!
ACTIVITY TO TRY: Water-weight cankles can be fun! You can press your finger in all the way down to your bone and leave a weird depression in your giant ankles! Its a fun trick to gross your husband out with!
To all my partners in the world of pregnancy cankles - I salute you! I know your pain - especially if you are vein like I am!!!
Remember if you are a first timer, this weight will go away. Your ankles will be back! It will not instantly go away upon giving birth, but over the course of about a week, you will sweat and pee excessively until all of the water weight and cankles go away! It is pretty cool! I remember that every morning when I woke up on my walk to the bathroom, I would look in the full length mirror and look a few pounds thinner! It is kind of amazing all of the things your body does while pregnant and after!
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