November 06 Mommies ~ The Babies are Arriving!!!

[Rancid13]

Neenbean~ Thanks for the advice! My coworkers are convinced my doc wants to do an induction for her own sake/schedule. You know, like to avoid getting a call in the middle of the night (or middle of Thanksgiving dinner), considering that my bp is only borderline high and I have NO other 'symptoms'. But I must admit, the more I think about the possibility of being induced, the more it appeals to the planner in me. Just the thought of knowing when I'll be heading to the hospital to get L&D started rather than being taken by total surprise (I hate surprises!!) and being able to plan out a fun "last meal" to eat en route. But another part of me wants this baby to come out on his own schedule, assuming it's safe for him to do so (ie: no pre-e or PIH symptoms, fetal distress, etc.).

[lml41981]

Congratulations to BethIrish!!! :D :D :D

The rest, I'll leave for her to announce. ;)

[EJH]

Just popping in to say congrats to Beth :D .

[kadee_29]

Here is a picture of Matthew. One of the rare times that he is awake and not screaming. I have a few others in my LJ and a bazillion more to upload.

http://static.flickr.com/104/293276057_ae2117f1a4.jpg?v=0

[Lizzie Beth]

Ellidew & Kadee, Miles and Matthew are adorable. Now I want a boy, too!!! (But then that means I have to do all this crap again....I'll think about that LATER...)

Rancid - I'm sorry to hear about your feeling pushed into an induction, but it sounds like you're really giving your options a lot of consideration... If I don't go this weekend, I'm probably going to be induced early next week, even though my due date isn't until the 21st. But I have the benefit of prior experience to know that my plumbing just doesn't accomodate a large baby, (DD was 6 lbs even, and even with a major episiotomy, we just barely got her out before they were going to do a C) and I don't want to push it so far that I have to get a c-section. My DH really thought that the induction idea is strange or somehow just more convenient for me and the Dr., but I think it's just his knee-jerk reaction. The more he realizes a C-sec is a definite possiblity, the more he goes for the induction idea. Which is completely irrelevant to your situation.. :rolleyes:

I'd not worry too much about the coworker opinions, everybody loves to slam on doctors and scheduled inductions and c-sections these days. And pregnant women drinking caffeine, and gasp! eating deli meat.. For me, I am extremely comfortable with my Dr. and relying on her judgment and experience. But when I ask her a question, she gives me a thoughtful, balanced answer and doesn't rush me at all. And she seems to respect my judgment, too. So if it were me, I'd wait for the labs to come out, talk induction with the Dr. and ask if she has any reasons other than the BP that make her lean toward induction. If she seemed hurried or evasive, I'd second-guess her. And what's the deal with the due date change, anyway. Any possibility that could be off?


Neen-
Wait, we are required to have another HIV test at 36 weeks in NY???? Do they think all pregnant ladies are out street walking? How come my doc didn't mention this?! I guess she knows they will do it anyway on surgery day, so why bother, I guess.

Well, I guess some of them apparently are. Or their husbands are getting it at home and elsewhere... And do YOU sterilize your crack needles every time you borrow them from somebody else?? ;) (But my reaction was exactly the same...) My Dr. told me that if they didn't take the HIV test from me at 36 weeks, they'd have to do an additional test on the baby... It's evidently a brand spankin' new law.. You'd think there'd be a big announcement in the baby-doctor newsletter, but you'd be surprised. I'm an assistant DA and they changed a law recently about expiration dates on restraining orders, (something we do every.single.day.) and none of us heard anything about it until 2 months later.

I am nesting like a crazy woman. I've gotten more done at home in the past week than in the last three years combined. I got up with my DH at 5:30am for work and made him a sandwich. (This is something I do NOT ever do...I offered to make him breakfast, but he declined - I think he saw it as having greta potential as one of the seven signs of the apocalypse) I have a list of errands to run today like you wouldn't believe, but I like it so much more than last time, when all I did was lay on the couch and be freaked out that I was going to be a mommy soon. And feeling every twinge and cramp. Hopefully today I am going to try this: www.ssbethpageny.com so that we might eat after the baby comes. Drives me nuts that everyone sends cute frilly worthless baby clothes. What happened to the time-honored tradition of feeding us????

[Peaches]

Holy babies Batman!!!!

Congrats Kyrsten and welcome Carolina

Congrats Mimieliza and welcome Miranda

Congrats ppwgal and welcome Spencer

Congrats Sinclair and welcome Corbin

Congrats ellidew and welcome Miles

Congrats brio and welcome Megan

Congrats Rubbersoul and welcome Ian (glad your DH made it in time for the birth)

Congrats Mayham and welcome Maya

Congrats Euphorhea and welcome Layla

So many babies and we are only 11 days into November! How wonderful!

Now for another pathetic attempt at SOs

Lilla Sorry there doesn't seem to be any progress for you...thinking positive labor vibes for you!

Catgirl You must be heartbroken at having to be induced. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end. It's something I have thought about, you know, what if my birth doesn't go the way I am planning, I just don't want to feel down about it but I know I will.

Sare Gosh, kidney stones and all the pain you are experiencing. You would think the Dr's would have some better ideas about helping you out?!?! I hope you get some kind of relief SOON.

Neenbean How scary to be told you have a calcifying placenta! Although it sounds like everything is going to be fine I would be freaked out if I was just told that and then that was it!

Scarlett Sorry to hear about the strep...I was never tested for it wonder if I should ask about that?

Rancid Yay for being full term. Sorry that you are feeling pressure to be induced. I can totally relate. I really don't want to be induced as it would mean giving birth in the hospital and not the birthcenter we've been attending since day 1.

Lisariv I just finished work as well. It's great to be finally done huh?

Lizzebeth That super suppers thing sounds like a great idea. Last weekend my mom helped me to make and freeze a BUNCH of meals so we don't have to think about food after the baby gets here ;)

__________________________________________________ _________

I have finally finished work, hallelujah! They surprised me on my last day with a bunch of gifts for the baby and some gift certificates for both of us as well. I also think this cold is finally on its way out, thank goodness!

I will hopefully have more time to keep caught up with this thread. We have the nursery mostly together. We spent alot of last weekend buying the last things we needed.

I also got the TENS machine that I rented to help with labor. So now I guess I am officially ready for this baby to make its appearance.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I'm sure we'll see some more babies soon :D

[scarlett74]

Ellidew, Ppwgal, Kadee, your babies are so cute!!

Peaches, here is a routine in all the cities doing the vaginal test for strep B at 36 weeks. And in the 30% of the times it's positive, like mine...
I don't know if you should ask for it. If the baby takes strep B during vaginal delivery could have risk of some infections.

[Rancid13]

Ppwgal~ I fully enjoyed reading your birth story, thanks so much for sharing it!!

Katnbug~ Wow, little Hilary sure is growing isn’t she! Sounds like she’s doing incredibly well. Here’s hoping her bb heals up sooner rather than later.

Ellidew~ That is an adorable picture of Miles!! I’m glad to hear that you are both adjusting well, and yay for a healthy baby boy!:D

Kadee~ Matthew is precious!!:D

LizzieBeth~ Thanks for the words of assurance! I just think my ob is/was being a bit overly cautious on the whole borderline high bp thing. Read my updated below for more info. I think the due date changed sometime after my first u/s, something to do about the baby’s measurements or size? Although how far along I am is still based on my LMP, therefore on Nov 30 I will be at 40w…and my belly is measuring now at a week ahead (last appt it was 2 weeks ahead, all appts before it was right on). All I know is that baby will be here sometime late Nov/early Dec…and that’s good enough for me!:)

Peaches~ Yay for being done with work!! Sounds like you’re doing great and getting everything ready for the arrival of your little one.



So, I fully blame my ob and her office for causing my high bp readings at my ob appts. :rolleyes:

I had my 2nd NST of the week yesterday at the hospital, and my bp was a record low of 110/45. I was shocked but pleasantly surprised. As I was exiting the elevator on the ground level, who should be about to get in but my ob?! She asked me how the appt went, I shared with her the low low bp (and mentioned that everything else looks good too) and she was shocked. :D I told her that she stressed me out, that was the only explanation.

I mean, if my bp is fine at the hospital when I get it read twice a week, fine at home when I test it twice a day, and fine the 3-4 times I've been to a walk-in facility in the last few months to get my itchy skin diagnosed & treated (and those were stressful days!), and high only at my (until now) monthly or every other week ob appts...what other explanation is there?!

I still show NO other "symptoms" of PIH that my doc keeps talking about and she mentioned again that she would put a call in to the hospital for my appt on Tuesday so I could get the bloodwork done. How much you wanna bet it comes back NORMAL? ;) I have a feeling that induction is not in my near future. Unless of course things take a change for the worse and my bp gets and stays high or I exhibit any other PIH or pre-e symptoms. Then I would have no issues with being induced...

[BethIrish]

Hi ladies!

Just popping in to say we're home!!

Patrick Robert was born on Thursday 11/9 at 5:38pm!! He was 7lbs 6oz and 20 3/4 inches long. Needless to say, we're in love:)

My water broke at about 3 o'clock that AM and we were at the hospital by 5am :) Labor and delivery weren't awful...I'll write more later.

Hope everyone is doing well!

[Ilovemygeek]

Just a quick post to say that Daria Lynn arrived on 11/8 at 6:40pm. She is 7lbs 7oz, 20 inches long and absolutely beautiful! I will post my story and pictures later.

[kadee_29]

Congrats BethIrish and Ilovemygeek and Welcome Patrick and Daria!!!!

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, BETHIRISH AND ILOVEMYGEEK AND WELCOME, PATRICK AND DARIA!!

Sheesh! It's raining babies in here!!

No news here. At my appointment on Thursday, they estimated baby's weight at around 7 lbs. Nice and average. Who knows how accurate that is, though. Everything else was normal, status quo. I'm feeling a little more irritable and fatigued if I do too much but aside from that, nothing to indicate that a human is about to emerge from my body. :rolleyes: I'm starting to think that I might end up being that final "pop!". My guess is for a Thanksgiving baby (11/23) which would only make her about six days late (I was 11 days overdue myself). Who wants to be my turkey-baby buddy?

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations BethIrish! Welcome Patrick!!!
Congratulations Ilovemygeek! Welcome Daria!!!
kadee- Matthew is sooo cute!

[lisainpink]

Bijou We share a due date- and a lack of goings on:rolleyes: .
I'll be the turkey day popper with you!

Congrats BethIrish and Ilovemygeek!!!

[bijouparvin]

Bijou We share a due date- and a lack of goings on:rolleyes: .
I'll be the turkey day popper with you!



Yay! Thanks!! ;)

[Rancid13]

Whoohoo, more babies!!


Congratulations BethIrish!! Welcome, little Patrick!!!


Congratulations Ilovemygeek!! Welcome little Daria!!!



I can't wait to hear more about your precious little bundles of joy!!!! :D


Bijouparvin~ Don't worry, you won't be last!! If I have my way I won't end up "needing" to be induced (according to my ob) and my little guy won't get here till the week after TG Day. :D

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations BethIrish and Ilovemygeek & welcome Patrick and Daria!!!!

Well, I'm about done with my monster to-do list... I never thought I would get this far on it, but I have pleasantly surprised myself, for once. My mom is coming up today, so it will be great to have her around, and Susie will love hanging out with Nana..

Speaking of, Susie woke up this morning at 4am, screaming her lungs out.. I guess it's growing pains or late teething..she never does this. So we let her climb into bed with us, and she chattered nonstop. I kept telling her ssshhh, Mommy and Daddy want to sleep...so eventually she got quiet, and when the cats started meowing for breakfast, Susie kept saying "Sssssshhhhh!!!!"

[acrane]

Wow - lots of babies! :D
Congrats to Rubbersoul and welcome Ian!
Congrats to Mayham and welcome Maya!
Congrats to Euphorhea and welcome Layla!
Congrats to BethIrish and welcome Patrick!
Congrats to Ilovemygeek and welcome Daria!

And the pictures prove that this group of mamas made very cute babies! :)

Still here and pregnant and very, very tired. zzzzzzz I have an appointment tomorrow, so we'll see if any progress has been made or if I'll actually get an induction date. This baby has to be at least as big as ds #1 was (8lb8oz) and that was kind of the point of inducing, to avoid that. So, we'll see and I'll be back to update if there's any news. I did get a pedicure yesterday, the first one since before my wedding 4+ years ago, so that was a nice treat. Now if I could only sleep at night, I'd be golden! :rolleyes:

[Toonces]

Just got home and nak (nursing at keyboard).

I am so pleased to announce that Devin Patrick was born on Fri., 11/10, at 10:40pm. He weighed a whopping 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 21" long. I didn't understand how I'd be able to love another baby, but I am so incredibly in love with this little guy. He is so precious. More good news... the induction was a success (delivered vaginally - last 2 hours or so were incredibly painful) AND he latched on shortly after birth (took DD 4-5 days). two screaming kids now. bbl w/ story. gotta catch up from p. 73.

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, CATGIRL. WELCOME, DEVIN!!

Happy to hear that the delivery was uncomplicated (if painful at the end) and that he's got a good latch already. Welcome home. :)

[Ilovemygeek]

On Tuesday, I had an appointment with my OB and she told me I was 3cm dilated and 70% effaced. We went ahead and scheduled my induction for Sunday, Nov 12 because it was close to my due date and she was on call for her group that day.
Around midnight that night, I woke up after being asleep about 30 minutes to contractions that were stronger than any I had experienced before. Not unbearable, just stronger. They were coming and going about every 8 minutes. I walked around the house for a while and when I noticed I was spotting, I decided to take a shower, shave my legs (something that had not been done in a while :o ), and tell DH to start getting our things together to head to the hospital. Even though my contractions were getting stronger, they were still about 6-8 minutes apart. I was not sure if this was actually "it" but something was different and I wanted to be checked.
We got to the hospital and checked into OB triage about 3am and they hooked me up to all the monitors and did an internal. No change from my appointment the morning before, but since I was having good contractions they had me walk around for an hour and checked my progress again. At this point my contractions were really starting to hurt, so I was sure that I was dilating, but no such luck. The nurse left the room to call my Dr. to see if they should discharge me or keep me a little longer and I started crying at the thought of being sent home. I was in too much pain to try to sleep and the thought of enduring this at home for an indefinite period of time was a little too much for me to handle at this point. The nurse came back and said that they were going to keep me and that I would be having a baby today. My Dr was on call for her group that day and she agreed to break my water so I could stay. I was thrilled because my Dr's group is rather large and the odds of me going into labor on the day she was on call was unlikely, that is why we had scheduled my induction for the day that she was on call closest to my due date.
It was about 7:30am when they took me to the Labor and Delivery room and as soon as I laid down in the bed, I felt a pop and a huge gush. My water broke on its own! I was so happy because now I knew I was going to give birth without having to be induced. The nurse did an internal and I had dilated to 4cm so I told her it was epidural time. My contractions started coming hard and fast as soon as my water broke and I have never experienced such intense pain in my entire life! The nurse was awesome and called the anesthesiologist as soon as I asked for my epidural, so I only waited about 20 minutes before he came in. He had a hard time placing the epidural because apparently the spaces between the discs in my spine are abnormally small (I am fairly petite), but after he got it in it was pure bliss. My DH and I slept while we had the chance, only being interrupted by the occasional internal exam. I was dilated 1cm an hour, so about 2pm they told me I would be pushing soon.
I started pushing with the thought that this would be over quickly and I would be holding my baby soon. Wrong! I pushed for an hour with some progress, but not as much as they would have liked. It turns out, that Daria was face up instead of face down and I was having trouble getting her through my pelvis. They tried several positioning techniques to try to turn her. During that time, my epidural stopped working and I could feel everything. I could not believe the pain. The nurse gave me more medication in the epidural, but it took about 30 minutes to take effect.
At this point, even with the epidural, I was feeling an enormous amount of pressure on my pelvis and I could feel my vagina and perineum stretching. Daria still had not turned, but they decided to have me start pushing again anyway. I pushed for almost 2 hours before Daria was born. She weighed in at 7lbs 7oz and 21 inches long.
She was still face up when she came out and as a result, she had a major cone head, bruising, and a skin tear on her scalp from the trauma. I ended up with a 4th degree tear :eek: that includes multiple tears in my vagina, my entire perineum, and lacerations all the way into the muscle in my rectum. Later my Dr told me that she almost made the call to do a C-section, but she could see I was determined to get that baby out and would not give up, so she let me continue.
Even though I can't even sit or pee right now (I won't even talk about pooping) without a fair amount of pain, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Daria is so amazing and watching DH with her makes me love him more. The only problem we have had is with nursing. She did great the first day and after that, she refuses to latch, so we are going to rent a pump today and see how that goes. We have been supplementing with formula, but I would prefer that she take breast milk, even if it is from a bottle.
Thank you all for the well wishes and congratulations to everyone who has given birth so far.

[bijouparvin]

Wow, thank you for sharing that amazing story, ilovemygeek! Despite being torn up, you sound ecstatic. :)

[Toonces]

will catch up w/ everyone soon. nak again and in pain from a poor latch. both nips bleeding. going to see an lc tomorrow. here's parts 1 & 2 of birth story that i typed earlier. i've only had 3 hrs of sleep since thurs. will catch up on so's and other births next week.

-----------------

I found out at my 40 week OB appt. that my amniotic fluid level scored a 29. It’s supposed to be under 24, so 29 is quite high. It put Devin at risk of having the cord wrapped around his neck. My OB consulted with a high risk OB, and they recommended an induction. I wasn’t happy about this because I wanted Devin to come in his own time, but it was best for him. My OB asked me to get to the hospital between 6:30-7:00pm that evening.

DH and DD dropped me off at the hospital at 6:30pm on Thurs., 11/9. I went up to the L&D floor and they told me that it’d be an hour before they had a bed available. I went into the waiting room and watched Entertainment Tonight and Survivor. :) At 8:00pm I checked back with L&D and they told me it’d be another 2 hours!! I went back to the waiting room, but only had to wait one more hour. They had a room ready for me at 9:00pm. It ended up being the same room where I delivered DD! :)

I waited in the room until after 10pm, when one of the night nurses came in and inserted the Cervadil. I had to leave it in for 12 hours, so they told me it’d be taken out at 10:30am the next morning. They said that it might start some contractions. I did have contractions overnight, but nothing big.

At 10:30am on 11/10, they removed the Cervadil and did an internal. I was 50% effaced, still only 1cm, and still very posterior. :( So they started the Pitocin at 10:35am. I started having regular contractions that hurt more when I was lying in bed, so I walked around the room (couldn’t leave b/c they had to use the fetal monitor to watch Devin’s heartrate since I was on Pitocin). My doula showed up at 1:15pm and helped me use an exercise ball and suggested things that would get labor moving. DH arrived at 4:00pm.

The rest of some of this is somewhat a blur. My doula is writing a detailed birth story for me since I became kind of out of it. The OB who delivered DD, was on call. She came in and broke my water around 5:30pm-6:00pm. After my water was broken, the contractions became very regular and much stronger. When My OB broke my water I was 3cm, but my cervix was still very posterior.

My doula helped me greatly when the contractions became too strong to talk through. She told me to make the contraction work by accepting it. She said “Don’t waste this one by tensing up”. That helped me so much. When I thought that relaxing would make the contraction work and help dilate me, it kind of forced me to relax through it. When I relaxed through them, they were tolerable. At some point in the evening they started getting bad to the point that I was crying because I just wanted the contrax to end. They weren’t necessarily unbearably painful, but I was tired and wanted to meet Devin. They did an internal then and I was 6-7cm.

[Toonces]

Within maybe one hour of that they started getting really bad and I was having an impossible time relaxing. They were 1 minute apart and so strong that I was constantly tense, dreading the next contraction. They did an internal then and I was 8.5cm. When I found that out, I very quickly asked for Nubain. That’s more of a muscle relaxant than a pain reliever, but I needed something to take the edge off, and knew I was in the Transition phase which was the most painful. The Nubain took effect immediately. I was able to relax in between contrax, but during them I was in a great deal of pain. I told them I wanted to push and I didn’t care how dilated I was. One of the nurses told me to lie on my back and she tried to open my cervix more so that I’d get to 10cm and could push. When I was having a contraction, she did an internal and swept my cervix, trying to open it. That worked!

I went from 8.5cm to 10cm in 40 minutes and was thankfully done with the Transition phase. Unfortunately pushing did not alleviate the pain that I remember it alleviating with DD. I wasn’t pleased with the job I was doing, felt I should have been more productive, and was still in an immense amount of pain. After pushing through 3-4 contractions, I was fed up and gave the next push my all. I remember my OB standing at my feet with her hands on her hips, watching me push to see how I was progressing. On that particular push I pushed so hard that I felt Devin turn, twist, drop and his head came shooting out into the birth canal! I saw My OB’s face go frantic and she started yelling for her scrubs immediately. Everyone in the room was running around because the next time I pushed, he was coming out! Sure enough, the next contraction came on, I pushed three times through it and out popped Devin. It was the best feeling in the world.

I forgot to mention that when My OB broke my water, it was tinged yellowish-brown, meaning Devin had a bowel movement in utero. That was dangerous because newborn meconium can be ingested upon delivery, go to his lungs, harden like tar and cause infant death within 3 months. Because of that the NICU team was there, grabbed him when he came out and started to suction his nose and mouth and stuck tubes down his throat into his stomach to suction out the meconium. They got everything out and he’s perfectly fine now – thank God!

Post-partum my OB collected Devin’s cord blood for private banking and stitched me up – not pleasant since I hadn’t had an epidural. I needed quite a few locals because I had an episiotomy and 3rd degree tears.

Even with all of that I’m in very little discomfort now. I’m sore, but it’s definitely tolerable. Devin was worth every moment of it. He’s the most precious little miracle and we’re completely in love with him.

[tray622]

sorry... lurker popping in...

catgirl I am so happy for you and glad everything went as well as they could have :) CONGRATS to you, hubby, and Miss C on the new addition!!

[RubberSoul]

Congratulations Catgirl! Welcome Devin!!!- Thanks for sharing your birth story. I hope you have a speedy recovery and it is great that Devin is doing well.

[Sare79]

Welcome to all the new babies and Congratulations mommies!

I'm just checking in. I'm 39 weeks now and just waiting on my baby. Everything is looking normal and a looooong way away, but I am getting a bit more patient than I have been in recent weeks. I go again on Wednesday for another appointment.

[neenbean]

WOW! Congrats on all the babies!!! Thanks so much for sharing your birth stories.

I am still here and pregnant. We installed the infant carrier into the car, next to DD's new booster seat. I am "test driving" my double MacLaren Twin Techno stroller tomorrow while shopping with friends. Should be interesting to see how it goes. ;)

Baby is still very high up but moving enough not to worry me. Thank goodness! I cannot believe I will be having a c-section a week from tomorrow. :eek: Time has flown, but I am thankful as I am done being pregnant. I want to be selfish and do things my body will not/ cannot do right now- like run, crunches, drink alcohol- stuff I never missed while pregnant with DD. I am thankful all has gone well during this pregnancy and I am soooo grateful not to be on BEDREST this time!!!!

Hope all are well and those that are ready for labor have it come on swiftly and with little pain ASAP! I am patiently awaiting 11/20. :)

[RubberSoul]

Just wanted to share a super cute picture my Dad took of Ian today.

http://static.flickr.com/116/295963672_e2dbbc9006.jpg?v=0

I can't wait to hear more birth stories. I am sending labor vibes to all the ladies still waiting on their babies!

[Rancid13]

Congratulations, Catgirl!! Welcome Devin!!! :D :D :D

I can't wait to read your and Ilovemygeek's birth stories when I have a few minutes later on!!:D

[Lilla]

CONGRATULATIONS CATGIRL!!! I'm so happy to hear that the induction went better than expected!


Just checking in quickly. No news on my end. I have a doc appt this morning along with my NST and fluid level check. PLEASE cross your fingers for me that I'm at least at 2cm today.....at least that way she can try to sweep my membranes again. *sigh*

I seriously feel like I'm going to be pregnant forever. But the one thing that is keeping me going this week is the fact that one way or another, this little girl WILL be making an appearance this week. Either I'll go on my own, or I'll be induced at some point because doc won't let me go longer than 2 weeks overdue.

[kadee_29]

Congrats catgirl and Welcome Devin!!!

[lilo]

Wow, so much activity over the weekend!

Ellidew: Miles is so adorable!

Rancid: Glad to hear that your bp went down after your doctor visit and hopefully you won’t need to be induced. I’m like you, a planner type person and would love to be able to know exactly when I’ll go into labor, etc. but on the other hand, it would be nice to let nature takes its’ course too. Hang in there!

BethIrish: Congrats on your baby boy!

Kadee: That picture of Matthew is adorable. I can’t get over how huge that pacifier is too!

Lizzie Beth: Too funny about your nesting instincts kicking in full force. It’s such a great feeling to cross things off your list though, isn’t it?

Peaches: Congrats on being done with work! What is a TENS machine?

Ilovemygeek: Congrats on your baby girl!

bijouparvin: I will be another turkey baby-buddy too! I doubt this baby is going to arrive early so I will be happy if he arrives around turkey day.

arcane: good luck with scheduling an induction date. I have a feeling that I’ll have a big baby too. Yikes.

catgirl: Congrats on your baby boy!

Sare: Hang in there!

neenbean: How exciting about meeting your little one a week from today! And I hear ya on wanting to be able to do things with your body that you can’t do now. I can’t wait to start running again and wear normal clothing!

RubberSoul: What a cute picture of Ian. He’s getting so big already!

Lilla: Good luck at your appt.! I’m so glad the end is in sight for you this week.



I'm still here and still very pregnant. I sound like a broken record. ;) Had my 38 week appt. this morning and that went well. Our weekend was very productive and busy so I guess my nesting instincts have been in full force lately. Of course my DH did most of the actual work but hey, I made the list. :D

The nursery is now 100% completed and it came out great. I'll take pics sometime soon. The house is clean top to bottom so the baby can arrive any time now. Not that I think he actually will but a girl can keep hoping.

I'm feeling okay although I have many moments of "I can't believe people do this more than once!" and "When is this going to be over!". I'm definitely having to get up more often in the middle of the night to pee now but luckily I go back to sleep really easily so that's good. This morning I'm in a better mood although I still wish I would some kind of sign that labor is coming soon but nope, nothing!

Friday is my last day of work so at least I have that to look forward to!

[acrane]

Congrats catgirl and welcome Devin!! :D

Cross-posted from my LJ:
My 38 week appointment was today and guess what? If I don't go before (unlikely), Matthew will be born on 11/20/06 - next Monday!!! Yahoo!!!!!! I haven't dilated any more since last week or lost more mucus plug or had contractions, so that's why we're thinking I probably won't go into labor before next Monday. My doctor said this way we'll be home by Thanksgiving and dh and I can make arrangements to care for Andrew. I have to be at the hospital at 5am, and she thinks I'll have the baby around lunchtime! I hope so. No sleep, heartburn, heavy, heavy belly, etc. are really taking their toll, and I am so ready for Matthew to be on the outside versus the inside! :)

[scarlett74]

Congratulations Catgirl!! Welcome Devin!!
Congratulations BethIrish!! Welcome Patrick!!
Congratulations Ilovemygeek!! Welcome Daria!!

How many babies!!! :)

Rubbersoul, Ian is so cute...!

I was a little worried this morning because the baby didn't move from 7am to 1.30 pm, then he kicked a little but less than the others days.
I know that now there is less room for movements, but I would really wish to delivery so I could stop worrying...
The doctor said to phone him 3-4 days before the EDD to fix a visit directly at the hospital. He really wants to wait till the end!

[Peaches]

Congrats Catgirl & welcome Devin!!!!
Congrats BethIrish & welcome Patrick!!!!
Congrats Ilovemygeek & welcome Daria!!!!

Boy! they are coming thick and fast now :)

Lilo TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. It is a unit that sends little electric pluses (that you control) to sticky pads you place on your back. It is supposed to help stimulate your body to produce more natural endorphins and help in the early to mid stage of labor. They are used by chiropractors in the States and are routinely used by women in labor here in the UK. My midwife suggested I give it a try. I figured I would give it a shot especially as there are no side effects and I can easily stop it if I don't like it.

[Rancid13]

Ilovemygeek~ That was a fantastic birth story! Besides you being all torn up from the delivery, it sounds like it totally ended up being worth it to have your little angel Daria!:)

Catgirl~ Incredible birth story! That’s crazy that the monster push made Devin’s head start coming out! Sounds like that startled the ob into action, LOL!! Glad to hear they had the NICU team there to handle the suction and everything is ok!!:)

Neenbean~ How exciting knowing that your little one will be here in 1 week!! Assuming of course that baby doesn’t decide to make a surprise appearance before then!! Here’s hoping this next week flies by for you!!:D

Rubbersoul~ Adorable picture of Ian!!:)

Lilla~ I’m sending dilation vibes your way!! Keeping my fingers crossed that baby decides to come out VERY soon!!

Lilo~ Thanks for the words of assurance! I’m all for induction like I said, if it’s a medical necessity or if I’m overdue, but I’m not seeing a point in being induced if I only have borderline high bp at 4 ob appts in the last 2 months. Compare that to 16 hospital visits in the same time period with good bp, and 120 at-home tests also in the same time period with good bp results. 4 borderline high bp readings out of 140 does not warrant a “medical necessity” for inducing, IMO. I’m having my bloodwork done tomorrow, and the results will not lie. I just know that they’ll be normal. ;) Whoo for Friday being your last day at work!

Acrane~ Whoohoo for Matthew being here in 1 week (or sooner if he decides to surprise you early!)!! How exciting!!!

Scarlett~ Have you done any kick counts?? I know that there are some times of day where my little guy doesn’t move nearly as much as he does others, I just assume he tires himself out during the times he is moving b/c he moves around so much it’s crazy. His usual 'high movement' time is just as I'm lying down to go to sleep...it's like that wakes him right up and gets him going (and of course I'm exhausted and wanting to sleep).:rolleyes:


Nothing much going on here, I've been so tired the last few weeks that I've been using the weekends to take nice long naps in the afternoon which has been nice. I've also been nice and sore, especially in my hips/pelvis area. My heat pad and big hand-held massager have been getting a lot of use lately, I'm so glad we have them on hand!! We have our last class tomorrow night, it's the baby saver class and tomorrow afternoon I also get my bloodwork drawn at my NST appt for a second PIH blood test (I like to call it the PITA blood test) which I'm fairly certain will come back with normal results (as it did before)...

This is my last full week of work, with next week being a short week b/c of the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll see at the end of this week how I'm feeling so I can decide if I'm coming in next week at all, or maybe doing 1/2 days Mon-Weds and that's it! Maternity leave!! I'm just really hoping that I'm NOT in the hospital ON TG day b/c it's my favorite holiday and I really enjoy spending the day with family eating lots of good food! And I'm looking forward to preparing a couple of yummy dishes to take to my mom's that day also. I'll be 39w exactly on TG day so here's hoping baby waits till at least the day after that to make an appearance if he's here early (or at least a few days prior to TG day!).

[Franni]

Just a quickie - Sydney Elyce was born on November 9 at 12:29 PM.

I'll be back with an update. I am having bf issues AGAIN.....I can't believe it.

[lilo]

Congrats Franni!

[Lilla]

CONGRATULATIONS FRANNI!!!


Just a quick update after my doc appt. Good news and bad. Good is that we passed the NST and fluid level check with flying colors. Bad news is that there has been no cervix change. So, unless baby girl decides to come on her own, I go in Thursday afternoon for my Cervadil, spend the night in the hospital and then start Pitocin 12 hours after the Cervadil.

[Rancid13]

Congratulations, Franni!! Welcome, Sydney!! I can't wait to hear more!! :) :D :D


Yay, more babies!!



Lilla~ Doh!! Glad to hear you passed the NST w/flying colors but bummer that no change w/your cervix. At least Thursday is only a few more days away. I have a feeling it'll be worth the wait!! ;)

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, FRANNI AND WELCOME, SYDNEY!!!


Y'all, what's up with me? This morning I woke up at 8am, took a bath, watched an hour of Baby Story from 9 to 10 and cried my eyes out. Then, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 4! :eek: Maybe I'm just trying to help the time pass more quickly by sleeping it away? Maybe I'm trying to stock up on sleep in advance since I know it won't be like this in a week or so? Maybe I'm a lazy bum?

I've managed to get myself dressed and I'm going to head to BuyBuyBaby to exchange some duplicate presents. Might get a peanut butter/oreo milkshake from Cold Stone on the way. At least I will have left the house and accomplished SOMETHING, right? :rolleyes:

[Rancid13]

Y'all, what's up with me? This morning I woke up at 8am, took a bath, watched an hour of Baby Story from 9 to 10 and cried my eyes out. Then, I went back to sleep and didn't wake up until 4! :eek: Maybe I'm just trying to help the time pass more quickly by sleeping it away? Maybe I'm trying to stock up on sleep in advance since I know it won't be like this in a week or so? Maybe I'm a lazy bum?


Same thing that's wrong with me perhaps? :) I've taken to watching Tivoed episodes of Taking Home Baby in the evenings after work (5 or 6pm) and proceed to cry my eyes out for each one. Sometimes I'll fall asleep shortly after and not wake up until 9 or 10pm, realizing that I need to eat dinner already. My last 2 weekends have comprised of me sleeping in until 9am, eating breakfast, watching tv, and falling asleep from 12-5/6pm.

[katnbug]

Congrats Catgirl & welcome Devin!!!!
Congrats BethIrish & welcome Patrick!!!!
Congrats Ilovemygeek & welcome Daria!!!!
Congrats Franni & welcome Sydney!!!!

Thanks for the birth stories catgirl & ilovemygeek! You both did so well!! :) I don't envy your 3rd & 4th degree tears.. you two are my heroes! ;)

[acrane]

Congratulations Franni and welcome Sydney!! :D

[neenbean]

Congratulations Franni!!!


Just wanted to report that I (heart) my MacLaren Twin Techno stroller!

I pushed it today while shopping with my DD and my friend's DS in tow. Besides taking one another's toys and snacks, it worked out REALLY well!!! Only one store gave us road obstacles (Thanks Children's Place), otherwise it manuvered like a champ! Now, let's see how well it works with an infant! I am patiently waiting after Thanksgiving to give it a whirl. :)

[Sinclair319]

I'm a good 15+ pages behind, but wanted to drop off Corbin's birth story and a picture of my little guy. We've had some ups and downs with nursing (I have so much milk he's having trouble latching, so we're using a nipple shield which he now really likes and doesn't want to go without it). He's so worth it though!

Corbin's birth story (FYI C=DH)
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
One of my best friends from college was due 2 days before me with a little girl. She had her October 24th and was in town so I could see her. It was also my friend’s 30th bday. The past couple of days I’d been having more Braxton Hicks than usual. I’d noticed a few times where I had uncomfortable cramps throughout the day. At dinner I had to excuse myself to go to the bathroom because I was so uncomfortable—I thought it was because I was wearing maternity jeans that had become too tight. After dinner we came back to my house to hang out. As we were driving home I said, “I’m going to change when we get home, these pants are killing me.” As soon as we got home, I put on warm up pants and a sweatshirt, but didn’t feel much more comfortable. We were hanging out—getting to see her baby and I had to go to the bathroom (diarrhea). I told my friend, “I must have ate something bad, my stomach isn’t feeling good.” I told her I was having really strong cramps. She finally said, “Uh, those sound like what my contractions were, maybe we should time them.” At this point (9 pm) they were about 10 minutes apart. She was getting ready to leave, so I called C, who was at church playing basketball. I told him, “I’m having some really bad cramps and Jill is getting ready to leave. Can you come home?” C got home around 9:30 and we timed the contractions—they were about 5 minutes apart at this point. We called L&D about 10:30 to say I’d been having contractions lasting a minute to 1:15 every 5 minutes for an hour. At this point I couldn’t walk or talk through the contractions. The nurse suggested taking a warm bath, if it was false labor the contractions would stop. She said to call back in an hour either way. The bath made me miserable—I liked standing and leaning over during the contractions and sitting was really painful. I’d also thrown up a couple of times during contractions. I called L&D again about 11:45 to say the contractions had stayed every 4-5 minutes even after the bath. They gave me the option of coming in at this point. I remember telling C it was time to go and he said, “Do we need to take anything?” I made the mistake of calling them “cramps” rather than “contractions” (I didn’t know that’s what they were) and I think he thought we’d get sent home. I was surprised that the contractions were mostly in my lower stomach—I thought my whole belly would get hard and I’d feel them high up. Thankfully only a couple went around to my back. We got everything together, got in the car and started to the hospital.

Thursday, November 2, 2006
We got to the hospital about 12:30—I walked from the parking lot to the ER (about 100 yards) rather than being dropped off. Then we were escorted to L&D (again, I walked, it was better than sitting in a wheel chair). We left everything (camera, overnight bag etc) in the car just in case we got sent home. We got checked in and Aimee (my awesome night nurse) said I was 3 cm and 100%. I was really worried they’d say I was still only 1 cm and send us home. They monitored the contractions and his heart beat for about 20 minutes, then she suggested I try walking for an hour to try and get my body to progress. We walked for about 20 minutes and during a really bad contraction I threw up in the hallway. I told C to go get the nurse—she came running around the corner and said, “Why don’t we get you in a bed, we’re not sending you home.” This was about 2 am. They had lots of problems finding a vein to start an IV (this was unusual, normally my veins are easy to find). The vein they did find kept rolling, so they had to start a vein in my left wrist. Aimee said they would get me something for the pain. About 3 am the anesthesiologist came in to start my epidural. I had 2 numbing shots, then he inserted the needle and within a few minutes I couldn’t feel the contractions or my legs. Unfortunately I was still pretty nauseous which kept me up the whole night. C called both of our parents around 3:30 am. Once my parents got there, he went down to get our stuff out of the car. At this point my legs were dead weight and they had to roll me from side to side every hour. A nurse midwife came in about 5:30, said I was 4-5 cm and broke my water hoping to get my labor moving along. At about 7:30, I still hadn’t progressed, so they started pitocin. This started causing his heart to decelerate, so they had to stop the pitocin for awhile. They finally gave me some anti-nausea medicine around 9:30 am, which enabled me to sleep until about 11:30. At that point my epidural had started to wear off, so they gave me a little more which seemed to help the contractions, but I could still move my legs. My day nurse, Tina, (who worked with my mom when she was an L&D nurse years ago) was wonderful! I told Tina I could move my legs and feel the contractions. She said they could call someone from anesthesia, which could take 30-45 minutes, or I could start and push and maybe be done by the time they’d get here. Figured since I was in pain anyway, I might as well push. I started pushing at 12:50 pm. I was surprised at how much I screamed at the end of each push. I kept crying saying, “Just get him out! I can’t do this anymore.” C was a wonderful coach, but I tending to focus more on Tina. I did use the mirror a few times to see his head, but I mostly kept my eyes shut. Corbin Sinclair was born at 1:34 pm. I remember being surprised how warm and slimy he was when the laid him on my stomach. He cried for just a few seconds, then opened his big eyes and looked at me. I kept crying saying, “He’s here! He’s here!” My OB took care of the after birth (and I only needed 1 stitch!), and then C went and brought our parents in for a sneak peek. I was able to nurse, and then we were moved to our other room. It was an amazing experience and I’m still in awe that my body was able to create, nurture and give life to this amazing little person who has stolen my heart.

Corbin Sinclair
11/2/06, 1:34 pm
8 pounds, 22 inches


http://static.flickr.com/112/293133492_360dae6d62_m.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/122/293133494_8fbd46767f_m.jpg

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations, Catgirl & Franni & Welcome Devin & Sydney!!!

Well, I'm in the warm-up circle.... I'm waiting on my Dr. to call me back to tell me when to go to the hospital... We're going to start with the induction thing tonight...I leave in about 45 minutes... :eek:

Holy crap. I hope this goes better than I think it will....

[neenbean]

Thanks for sharing your story Sinclair!!! Happy (Belated) Anniversary!!!

Good luck with your induction Lizzie Beth!!!

[bijouparvin]

Awesome birth story, Sinclair! Thank you so much for sharing. And he is adorable! You're right about those big eyes. :)

Good luck, LizzieBeth! Sending positive labor vibes your way. Can't wait to hear all about it!!

[scarlett74]

CONGRATULATIONS FRANNI! WELCOME SYDNEY!
Good luck, Lizzie Beth!
Sinclair, Corbin is very cute! I loved your birth story!

Rancid, yes I paid attention and counted his movements, today he kicked me some times.
Anyway today my blood pressure was higher, so this afternoon I'll call the doctor to ask if it's better to make a visit this week. So I'll be sure that everything is all right.

[Toonces]

nak - no caps.

congrats bethirish & welcome patrick!
congrats ilovemygeek & welcome daria!
congrats franni & welcome sydney!
best of luck to you lizzie beth!
sinclair ~ ty for sharing your birth story. corbin is adorable. “Just get him out! I can’t do this anymore.” i sooooo hear you on this one. i uttered that quite a few times myself. :)

Thanks for the birth stories catgirl & ilovemygeek! You both did so well!! :) I don't envy your 3rd & 4th degree tears.. you two are my heroes! ;)

awwww...! that's nice of you. it really isn't that bad now. i've heard that 4th degree tears are hellacious though. there was a new mom on the floor when i was there who had 4th degree tears, ended up in the e/r after labor and is now on bedrest! :eek:

having bf'ing probs again. i know i'll figure it out and this will pass, but i'd forgotten the pain of a poor latch. ooowwweeeee! i don't think there's any way i can catch up w/ the posts i missed. i'm sorry! i'll be reading along but not posting as much. looking forward to reading more birth stories.

[Rancid13]

Sinclair~ Awesome birth story! Thanks so much for sharing it!! What a little cutie Corbin is!! :D

LizzieBeth~ I'm thinking of you today! I hope all goes well with your induction and L&D!!


Rancid, yes I paid attention and counted his movements, today he kicked me some times.
Anyway today my blood pressure was higher, so this afternoon I'll call the doctor to ask if it's better to make a visit this week. So I'll be sure that everything is all right.

That's good to hear you got some movements. Good for you on calling the doc, they'll know what to do to make sure your little one is doing ok in there. :)

I know there's less room in there for the baby to move around, but from what I've been told the movements shouldn't decrease much, but they may have less "gusto" than they did before where they could really wind up and give a good hit or kick in there. I get a lot of odd 'body parts' movements, like an arm or leg or butt moving around and poking out of my belly, not so many "kicks" though.

[katnbug]

Good luck lizzie beth! Speedy delivery vibes!!

Sinclair- Thanks for telling your birth story! :) Corbin is a cutie!

[Peaches]

Congrats Franni & welcome Sydney!

Good luck Lizzie Beth!

Great birth story Sinclair, thanks for taking the time to post it.

Sorry to hear about the bf probs catgirl I hope they sort themselves out pronto.

I hope that you get some reassurance from your doctor Scarlett

neenbean glad to hear the stroller is working out for you!

bijouparvin sleep = good ;) I am just taking it when it comes (even if it is in the middle of the day!)

Rancid Yay for your last full week at work! I know what you mean about not wanting the baby to come on Thanksgiving. I prefer TG over Christmas. I think I worked out that anywhere from the 22nd through to the 28th can be a TG at some point?!? I can't remember...oh, and my DH's birthday is the 29th so we are hoping to avoid a large chunk of late November :) Saying that I'm sure we'll end up right in the middle of it all!
_____________________________

Nesting is in full swing. Today was cleaning out the fridge, taking the recycling to the center and laundry. Tomorrow is upstairs bathroom and possibly vacuuming, if I feel up to it.

[Rancid13]

Rancid Yay for your last full week at work! I know what you mean about not wanting the baby to come on Thanksgiving. I prefer TG over Christmas. I think I worked out that anywhere from the 22nd through to the 28th can be a TG at some point?!? I can't remember...oh, and my DH's birthday is the 29th so we are hoping to avoid a large chunk of late November :) Saying that I'm sure we'll end up right in the middle of it all!

Oh, I'd be fine if his birthday ended up being on Thanksgiving sometime in the future, I just don't want him to be born this TG. I want to enjoy this holiday without having to be in a hospital. ;) And ITA with you on the 'rather it be TG than Christmas' thing, my BIL's bday is Christmas day. I know I wouldn't want a bday falling on a major holiday, particularly if that holiday fell on the same day every year, unlike TG or Easter. :)

[lilo]

Thanks for sharing your great birth story Sinclair! Corbin is adorable.

Good luck Lizzie Beth! I hope your induction goes well.

Movement at this stage of pregnancy: Just wanted to add a little additional reassurance about the slowdown of movement for those of us who are still pregnant. Like Rancid, I don't get many kicks any more since I think he has run out of room. I get a lot more body parts moving around (mostly his little butt or his elbow) and some days are definitely more subtle than others, to the point that's it's nervewrecking! A few days ago, he was soooo quiet that I started to worry but by the afternoon, he was moving around a ton again. Thankfully he's very quiet at night when I'm asleep so it doesn't wake me up.


Nothing new with me. I slept like a log last night, which was great but am still having issues with going to the bathroom (sorry if TMI!!), which is super frustrating. I have tried everything under the sun, including upping my fiber, etc. and it just sucks. I know it's due to pregnancy and will get better once I deliver but in the meantime, it puts me in such a bad mood. Ugh. I'm thankful that this wasn't a problem until recently but it still doesn't make it any easier to deal with.

I definitely feel large now too and am getting more and more looks at work like, "should you really be here?" and the ever common comment of, "must be almost time, right?" Luckily, it is almost time but the comment is annoying nonetheless. Geesh, can you tell I've been crabby lately? :D

I just want to be done with work and done with being pregnant. I'm tired of walking like an 80 year old woman, feeling like I could fall asleep at any second and tired of all the aches and pains. I'm grateful to have gotten this far in my pregnancy but I'm ready to meet this little boy. I really wonder if there are really women who enjoy their pregnancy at this late of the game? I am trying to be as positive as possible and rationally I know that the end is near but it feels like the days go on forever now.

Thanks for letting me vent. :)

[Rancid13]

Lilo~ I started having bathroom issues recently too, and my solution was to take flax seed oil capsules, 2 a day (they're big!). It doesn't matter how much fiber I eat (I LIVE on raisin bran for dinner, 7g of fiber per serving and I have a heaping bowlful AND I eat dark green salads for lunch plus whole wheat pasta/bread/waffles whenever I can!), if I forget to take my flax seed oil one day you can bet I'll be having bathroom troubles as a result. Plus the flax seed oil is a fatty acid, which is highly recommended for pg women (like the fish oil/omega-3's).

[lisainpink]

WELL- I have had an eventful day.
I woke up with a few mild contractions at 4 a.m. When I went to the bathroom- I had some burning and couldn't really empty my bladder. I figured I didn't drink enough water yesterday- so I focused on drinking lots of water before my 40 week appointment at 1:00 (couple a days early.) I ended up drinking 64 oz. of water- and still had a ton of white blood cells in my urine.:eek: My OB said I have a nice little UTI- then he goes to check my cervix- and I am 3+ cm dilated. He asked how the contractions feel- and I told him I haven't had many and that none were really painful. He told me I was having one right then- and that I was in labor.:eek: Long story short- I was told to be at the hospital no later than 12:15 tonight- or immediately if my water breaks. He wrote me an antibiotic to get started on for the UTI too. Sorry Bijou. Looks like I'll have a baby tonight or Wednesday- not TG. I'm suddenly very scared.
Welcome to all the new babies.

[Rancid13]

Lisainpink~ Wow! You're definitely in my thoughts today and will continue to be thru tomororw!!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that all goes well & smoothly for you, and baby gets here healthy!!!:D :D

[bijouparvin]

lisainpink - Don't be scared - you'll be fine! And don't worry about not being my turkey buddy. Surely someone will step up. ;) Wishing you an easy, peaceful labor and delivery. Report back soon!!

[Toonces]

lisainpink ~ congrats! sending you speedy labor vibes. :)

lilla ~ i'm brain dead these days... i think you said you were being induced last night... ?? anyway, thinking of you today and hope you're doing well.

[lilo]

Rancid: At this point, I am willing to try anything! Where can you buy the flax seed oil capsules? At CVS? When do you take them, at night or in the morning? Do they work pretty quickly? Sorry, if these are too many questions.

[Rancid13]

Rancid: At this point, I am willing to try anything! Where can you buy the flax seed oil capsules? At CVS? When do you take them, at night or in the morning? Do they work pretty quickly? Sorry, if these are too many questions.

I got mine at the grocery store, you can find them at just about any grocery or drugstore in the vitamins aisle or likely at GNC or health food related stores. I take one in the am, and one in the evening. They work pretty quickly, if you take one before you go to bed you'll likely have a movement the next morning shortly after waking up (sorry if TMI). And they don't have any weird aftertaste, since the ones I got are gel capsules. :)

[lilo]

I take one at night, and one in the evening.

I'm confused. :confused: Do you mean, one at night and one in the morning? Sorry to turn this into a bathroom discussion!

[neenbean]

WOW! Lisainpink! So glad to hear your contractions have been so mild you did not even know you were in labor!!! Good luck tonight. :)

[katnbug]

Good luck lisainpink!

[Sare79]

I had a bit of a tumultuous afternoon yesterday. We went to my SIL's to pick up the baby stuff they are lending/giving us, and there was a huge accident going home, so we took a different way that still took a really long time. I had been feeling a bit off all day- gassy and my tummy was sore, as if my pants were too tight. I was having contractions, but really started noticing that they were fairly close at about 2:00. Between 2:00 and 4:00 I was having 45 second contractions between 7 and 10 minutes apart. I was trying not to get too excited because this has happened before but not for as long or nearly as strong.
When we got home, I decided to go for a walk to see if they would change at all and they got so intense that I had to come home. I came inside and laid down for a bit, thinking that this was going to be it and I needed to get some rest. And then, they slowed down and stopped completely by 6:00.
Boo.
I just wonder how am I actually going to know if "this is it." I was pretty damn sure today, it felt like intense pain, cramps, Carys felt lower...
This is just so frustrating. I hate all these false alarms.

[Rancid13]

I'm confused. :confused: Do you mean, one at night and one in the morning? Sorry to turn this into a bathroom discussion!

Sorry! Yeah, that's what I meant!!:o

[Rancid13]

Quick update...I had my first NST appt of the week yesterday and it turned out my ob forgot to call in the order for my PIH blood draw. So while I was all hooked up to the monitors the nurses were running around trying to get her on the phone to get the order from her, and also trying to get ahold of a blood draw lab tech to see if they could get one to come up to our floor if they got the order. Everything looked ok at the NST, no protein in my urine, baby's hb and movements look good, no real contractions on my part, fluid levels look normal. My bp unfortunately was a bit higher than I would've liked it to be, at 147/70 but the nurse didn't stress about it.

Finally got the order for the blood draw and got that done. Was told I would have to wait around for an hour till they got the results b/c if they came back abnormal I would need to be admitted to L&D asap. By this time it was after 5:30pm and DH and I had a class about 15 min. away that we needed to be at by 7pm, and had to get dinner somewhere on the way. Finally got the ok to leave, as I promised to come back right away if they got abnormal results and called me. Never got a call though, so right now I'm thinking that no news = good news because if it's that dire of a situation that I be admitted to L&D then they would get ahold of me asap.

Got dinner, made it to our baby saver class a few minutes late and I was so tired and uncomfortable and my feet were swelling that I decided to go home at the halfway point, and DH stayed on to learn about baby cpr (we had taken separate cars).

So keep your fingers crossed that if I hear back from the lab folks or my ob today, that the results from the draw are normal!!:)

[Peaches]

Good luck Lisainpink!!!!!!

Lilo Sorry you are experiencing bathroom problems. I feel for you. Although I am not getting it so bad now I do remember earlier on in the pregnancy not being "regular" really made me feel crappy physically. My mood also suffered. Hope the flax seed oil helps.

I just wonder how am I actually going to know if "this is it."

Sare This is exactly how I feel. Today I got pains in my right side. I had to sit down to make them go away, I kept thinking "ok, is this it?!?" It didn't help that I was with my mother and she kept asking if we should go to the birth center. Now I'm home and feel fine so I guess that wasn't it :rolleyes: Although your experience sounds much more promising and, I'll bet, more of a let down when it didn't pan out.


Rancid Hope your results come back normal!

[Sare79]

Peaches- Thanks. It can be so frustrating not knowing. You're hyper-aware that something doesn't feel normal, but you don't want to jump to conclusions.

We had our OB appointment this morning and my doctor was in a smart-ass mood. He was joking around with us at the start and when I asked him questions about what I could do about various things like how itchy I am or the internals being super painful, he just said "Have your baby." I shot him a dirty look and asked if he could do anything about that. Of course, there isn't. I told him about yesterday and he said it's a good sign that I had that, and it shouldn't be too much longer.

[lilo]

Where is everyone? Off having their babies? ;) :D

Sare: That's great news from the doctor that it shouldn't be that much longer! Hopefully he's right.

Peaches: Yes, the flaxseed oil capsules helped a lot so today I'm in a much better mood. Ah, the many joys of pregnancy. I won't miss them. ;)

Rancid: I'm a firm believer that no news is good news so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you.



I'm so glad the week is halfway over! I'm feeling better today than yesterday but I still feel sore in my lower abdomen area, especially on the right side. Weird. I think I might've slept on my right side for too long last night but who knows.

I can't believe we're halfway through November already! I must admit, this month is really flying by. I can't wrap my head around the fact that next week is Thanksgiving and then Christmas! So exciting for all of us.

QOTD: Is anyone else sending out holiday birth announcements? Since our baby is due towards the end of November, I thought that we might as well combine our holiday cards with the birth announcement. Originally I thought my DH could design them since he's good at that sort of thing and it would save us $$$$ but I don't know if he'll have the time. I don't want to spend too much $$ on them since we'll be sending out quite a few. Is anyone making their own?

[kadee_29]

I don't have too much time for SO's but I just wanted everyone to know that I am reading along and thinking about y'all.

I had to take Matthew back to the drs yesterday because his belly button isn't healing the way it should and we are having some bf'ing issues but that's nothing new. :rolleyes: The dr said his belly is still healing from being cut and the veins are still trying to close. They are going to check it again at his appt on the 6th. He also said that he has gained over a pound since his checkup 13 days ago. Seems Matthew wants to be fed all the time so on top of bf'ing he is getting a 3oz bottle of formula at each feed. Obviously he is getting enough from me or he wouldn't have had the weight gain but he cries to be fed constantly so the dr wants to add formula to the mix for a little while. Hopefully he calms down on this feeding thing soon so we can get some sleep.

[nic]

Hi All!

I'm trying my best to catch up but I haven't been on-line in so long I don't think I'll ever be able to read everything.

Congratulations to everyone who's had their babies.

We took Christian for his 0ne month appt. today and he's already 9 lbs, which is crazy since we was 6 lbs at birth. Everything is going great with us and the time is flying.

For those of you still waiting-get your rest!

[roberta]

pak

another one with a doctor's appointment today. Daddy apparently gave Wes a head cold. Wes weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces today- up a pound in 10 days! I think we are going to retire the preemie clothes tomorrow and try some of the nb and 0-3 month stuff. My mom is here visiting and is baby sitting tonight while we go out to dinner for our anniversary.

hugs to the mommies still waiting. your babies will be here very very soon - they just need to be fully "cooked". Get your sleep while you can!

[ellidew]

Get your sleep while you can!

Seriously, store away as much as you can! I had no idea it was going to be so hard to function with such little sleep.

Good luck to all the mommies in waiting. I've been reading along and keeping up with everyone but there just isn't enough time in the day to do anything but tend to the baby. I only have a little free time now b/c dh is home (thank goodness! lol.)

Can't wait to hear about all the new arrivals.

[CityGirl]

I've been meaning to get back here to annouce the birth of Finn! He was early, born November 7th after a 45 hour labor and delivery. It was quite a long road and had had to stay in the hospital for three days due to a suspected blood infections. Turns out he is just fine and we are all home now doing well.

Hope to have time to catch up with everyone soon!

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, CITYGIRL AND WELCOME, FINN!!

I can't wait to hear if your labor went as planned. Check back in when you can!

[scarlett74]

WELCOME FINN! CONGRATULATIONS CITYGIRL!

Rancid, Lisainpink, Sare good luck!

Today my blood pressure was higher (148/93 and then 129/95!!) so the doctor wanted me to go tomorrow morning at the hospital for a control. But he'll be very busy tomorrow so he said that if the baby is moving I'll have to go Saturday morning.
Now the baby is in effect moving a lot again, yesterday night and this morning I had his feet and elbows everywere (it hurts!) so I'll wait till Saturday.
Then we'll see: maybe I'll have to deliver a few days before...
:eek:

[Rancid13]

Congratulations, Citygirl!! Welcome, Finn!! :D I'm happy to hear that he's doing fine now and is home with you.



Rancid, Lisainpink, Sare good luck!


Thanks! Good luck to you too! Sorry to hear about your high bp, hopefully everything will turn out to be ok. :)

Ellidew~ Thanks for the good luck wishes! I do wish my body would cooperate with me and allow me to sleep while I still can.:rolleyes: At least I'm able to nap on weekends even if I have a tough time getting to sleep on weeknights.

Roberta~ Glad to hear that Wes is doing well!! Sounds like the little guy's a-growin'!!

Nic~ That's great Christian's doing so well and gaining weight! Must be one healthy boy!!

Kadee~ Maybe Matthew's having a growth spurt and that's why he's needing to be constantly eating?? Hope his bellybutton heals up soon.


Still no word from the hospital or my doc about the PIH blood draw results, so I'll continue assuming that no news = good news unless I hear otherwise, which may not be until tomorrow afternoon's ob appt. :)

[Peaches]

Congrats CityGirl and welcome to Finn!

Yikes! 45 hrs of labor and three days in the hospital!!! Glad to hear you're home now.

Sare Sometimes Drs just don't know when to keep comments to themselves! Although I'm glad he thinks it's looking like sooner rather than later.

Lilo I had pain in my right side yesterday as well...I just put it down to my scrubbing out the bathtub. QOTD I think we'll just include a picture or something in the Christmas/Holiday cards we send out. That's about as much effort as I can think about for now! :)

Kadee I'm no expert but Matthew's weight gain seems pretty healthy...I wonder if it is a growth spurt like Rancid suggested? Hope his belly button clears up.

nic Wow, 9lbs that's great!

roberta The first clothing milestone...Way to go Wes! Enjoy your anniversary dinner.

scarlett Sorry to hear the BP is still high, but glad to hear the baby is still moving around in there. I agree, the kicks and elbows are getting more painful! Hope you get the news you want on Saturday.

Rancid I would guess that no news = good news as far as the results. Good luck for tomorrow's apt.

__________________________________________

Well, early this morning (the 16th for us) I lost my mucus plug. I have been having (sorry if TMI) some loose stools today along with some contractions (I think). Not sure if they are Braxton Hicks, they don't come regularly so I'm not sure if it isn't just my stomach getting crampy from the loose stools.

Anyway, I guess it is just a matter of time now. I looked up the average time for labor after loosing the plug and it seems to be anywhere from the same day, to a couple weeks!

A couple of ladies from my childbirth class have already had their babies (one of whom was due two days before me).

[scarlett74]

Peaches, good luck! I hope that losing the mucus plug will be sign of an early delivery!

[Rancid13]

Good luck, Peaches!! Here's hoping that today's 'events' mean that things are happening for you!:)

[lilo]

Congrats CityGirl! And to echo everyone else's sentiments, wow, 45 hours of labor! That's amazing. I'm glad to hear that everyone is doing well now. :) Finn is such a cute name.

Peaches: That's great about losing your plug. I hope this is it for you! Keep us posted.

Ellidew: If only I could store up my sleep since I know it will be a distant memory in the near future. I don't function well either with little sleep but I hope you are following the mantra, "Sleep when the baby sleeps!"

Rancid: I hope your appt. tomorrow afternoon brings good news.

Thanks for all the well wishes from all the new mommies. I am definitely trying to get as much rest as I can although I'm sure it will still be tough when the baby is finally here.

Still no sign of impending labor for me but that's fine. I'm trying to enjoy getting tons of sleep these days and since tomorrow is my last day of work, I can really relax from this point forward. Not to say that I'm not 110% ready for this baby to make his arrival but I know that there is an end in sight, no matter what.

I'm really looking to my next doctor's appt. since it'll be my first internal and I'm curious at this point to see if I'm dilated at all.

[Sare79]

Thanks scarlett! I hope it goes well for you too.

Good luck Peaches! I lost my plug last week and have been having the same thing happening with the loose stools. Hopefully it means we'll have our babies soon!

Good luck on your first internal, lilo!

I'm with you on the no news = good news, Rancid.

A funny little story from yesterday- I was doing some stuff in the baby's room and I noticed a little puddle where I was standing, and my first reaction was to pull down my pants to see if my water broke. Nope, my water bottle that was resting on the crib tipped over and the lid wasn't on as tight as I thought. Anxious, anyone?

The other thing I noticed is that my contractions get a bit more intense when I am in the car so I went for a drive today and they did intensify, so I'm hoping this goes on and the trend continues so that we can have this baby. Joel starts his leave on Sunday, so it would be really nice to have the baby this weekend so he gets his full two weeks with the baby. :)

[Rancid13]

A funny little story from yesterday- I was doing some stuff in the baby's room and I noticed a little puddle where I was standing, and my first reaction was to pull down my pants to see if my water broke. Nope, my water bottle that was resting on the crib tipped over and the lid wasn't on as tight as I thought. Anxious, anyone?



DOH!! :o I got excited for you as I was reading that, darned water bottle!! I'm sending you labor vibes, I know how ready you are for Carys to make an appearance. :)

[Lizzie Beth]

Katherine Marie is here!!!!

Induction went extremely well, although 23 hours total from Cervadil to baby. She arrived on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 10:33pm - 7lbs, 10 ozs!!!

Cord was wrapped around her neck, Dr. anticipated that might be why things were taking so long, but she was totally okay, Apgar 9/9.

She has platinum blonde hair and is totally gorgeous. Susannah seems to approve of her so far.. She visited yesterday in the hospital, and fed her a bottle today after we came home. Susie also got her first baby doll at the hospital, so Katie has to wait her turn on all the baby contraptions until Susannah's baby doll has had a turn..

Everyone is in love so far...

Back later to catch up on the thread, but I know if I don't post now, someone's bound to interrupt....

[Rancid13]

CONGRATULATIONS, LizzieBeth!! Welcome to Katherine!!! I'm so happy to hear that she arrived healthy with a stellar APGAR to boot!! Can't wait to hear more!!

[Lizzie Beth]

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/es_walker/IMG_4152.jpg
The finish line...

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/es_walker/IMG_4173.jpg
My girls..

http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r45/es_walker/IMG_4180.jpg
Susannah got a baby doll when she came to the hospital, so now she's a mommy, too!

[neenbean]

CONGRATULATIONS CITYGIRL!!! Welcome Finn!!! I had been thinking about you and hoping all went well with your home birth plans. My sister and I were both born at home. :)

CONGRATULATIONS LIZZIEBETH!!! Welcome Katherine!!! Love the name! (DD is Catherine. ;))




Not much new to report. Tuesday I went to the gym and did a minimal elliptical workout and bounced on the exercise ball and did pelvic thrusts. It seemed to get baby to move back into position and is no longer breech!!! So, if I go into labor on my own before Monday, I will attempt a VBAC. :) My OB seems to think my water will break on Sunday night. Here's to hoping! She did not do an internal, so I have no idea if I am dilated, but I doubt there has been progress. However, she did an u/s because I was having low movement AGAIN. Baby is doing great, just mellow. This kid is already giving me anxiety. :rolleyes:

DH is finally home from his last trip for work!!! I am so thankful because it was just nerve wracking thinking about how to get him home if I went into labor. Ugh. Anyway, we have some plans this weekend, but nothing too exciting- taking DD to the zoo, laundry, making DH clean the bathrooms and getting the carseats checked. Fun, huh?

Tomorrow, I will meet my Walking Club tomorrow for my final walk this calendar year. :) I just cannot believe I will be the mother of TWO children by this time on Monday!@!!*%$^#@!:eek:

[ButterflyJen]

HI all - I'm so excited to announce that Lilla had her baby girl! Yesterday (November 15th) at 5:30 PM. I don't know if she's announced her name yet, so I'll let her do that. ;)

Baby girl was 8 lbs, 10 oz, and 20-3/4" long. Healthy and beautiful, says her proud mama, and her daddy is absolutely in love. :) All went well overall and she was just happy to avoid induction (which would have been today at 3PM)!

Congratulations to her, and to all of the November mamas!

[Rancid13]

Thanks for the post, ButterflyJen!

Congratulations Lilla!! Welcome, baby girl!! Can't wait to hear more about her!!:D :D :D

[lilo]

Congrats Lizzie Beth and Lilla!!


Today is my last day of work!!!!! Woohoo! I am super excited about this and still can't believe that I'm due next Friday. No big plans for the weekend although we may go out to dinner to celebrate my being done with work but we'll see how I feel.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

[RubberSoul]

congratulations CityGirl!!! Welcome Finn!!!
Congratulations Lizzie Beth!!! Welcome Katherine!!!
Congratulations Lilla!!! Welcome baby girl!!!

I hope to hear about more arrivals soon!

Anyone know if mermccau has had her baby? Not too long ago she mentioned being induced. I think that was supposed to happen last weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ian had his 2 week check-up yesterday. He is up to 6lbs, 12oz! He gained 11oz in about 7 days! It was great to hear that he is growing so well. As a first time Mom I was wondering if he was getting everything he needed from me. BF'ing is going pretty good. We have some latch issues in the middle of the night for some reason. That's the worst time to have them too. Hopefully we can work it out soon so I can get some sleep!

I am happy to hear all the other babies are doing well!

[Rancid13]

LizzieBeth~ Adorable pictures!!! Awwww! Such a cute little family! I love that pic of DD “practicing” with her own baby doll!!

Neenbean~ Good job on the exercises to get baby back into position! Here’s hoping the kid stays just like that for the next few days. That’s fantastic your DH is back from traveling, it must be a load of your mind knowing he’ll be around when you go into labor.:)

Lilo~ Whoohoo for today being your last day at work!! This is my last full week @ work, I may only work partial days next week as it’s a holiday week anyhow (depending on how I’m feeling of course) then I’m done till sometime in early 2007.

Rubbersoul~ It’s great to hear that Ian’s growing so well!! Sounds like one healthy boy you got there! Yay for BFing starting to work out for you guys!




38 week belly shots from last night!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/38w002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/38w004.jpg

Compared to last week:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/37w006.jpg

Not much difference in size, IMO. But I do feel like he's yet even lower, as evidenced by my underwear being pushed down in the front by my belly even more than I recall it being pushed down last week. :o

I have my 38w ob appt early this afternoon (at which I'm sure to find out results from the PIH blood draw that are normal, LOL) and my 2nd NST of the week at the hospital even later in the afternoon. Other than the usual complaints of itchiness and some minor aches/pains nothing much is going on in my sector. :)

[scarlett74]

Lizzie Beth, congratulations!
Your Katherine is beautiful and you have a wonderful family!!!
How sweet is Susannah with her doll... :)

Congratulations to Lilla, too!

Today my blood pressure was still high (140/90), let's see what will happen tomorrow at the visit...
Good luck to everyone!

[mrstim]

August '06 mommy stopping in to let ya'll know that LisainPink had her sweet little man on Wednesday, 11/15. He's healthy and SO SO cute! I went yesterday to the hospital to check on them and he's gorgeous - the fullest head of black hair I've ever seen on a baby!! I'll let her announce all the details, but just wanted to let you all know that he's here!!

I will say this: I'm totally jealous - Lisa only pushed TWICE!! Congrats to all!!

[Rancid13]

Thanks for the post, MrsTim!

Congratulations Lisainpink!! I can't wait to hear more about your little guy!!!:D :D :D

Now I'm jealous too! Only 2 pushes?!:eek: :p

[Toonces]

Congratulations CityGirl and welcome Finn! 45 hours of labor?! Looking forward to reading your birth story. I'm glad you & Finn are doing well.
Congratulations Lizzie Beth and welcome Katherine! You have a beautiful family!
Congratulations Lilla and welcome baby girl! I'm so glad you didn't need to be induced!
Congratulations Lisainpink and welcome baby boy! Only two pushes?! You rock!

Rancid ~ It totally looks to me like you've dropped!! :eek: I couldn't see it in other weeks' comparisons, but definitely see it now.

RubberSoul ~ I hope your BFing issues improve (I saw your post back to me in the BFing thread). Hopefully we can both find some relief soon. Like you, I have the most difficult latch times in the middle of the night. So yesterday during the day was great, but last night was painful again. From what I remember, it does get better... just takes a few weeks.

neenbean ~ I'm glad your DH is done with his traveling. That's gotta be a big relief!

Speedy L&D vibes to those mommies who are still waiting for their little butterballs!!

Devin had his first WBV yesterday. At birth he weighed 8lbs 11oz, at discharge he weighed 8lbs 3oz, and yesterday at only 6 days old he weighed 8lbs 8oz! His Ped said he'd expect that much of a wt gain in 2 weeks, not in one. Let's just say this time around I have A LOT more breastmilk and Devin is quite the little fanatic about it. A lady in the waiting room asked how old he was, I told her and she said, "Wow! I would've thought that he was one month, not one week!" He seems so tiny to me compared to my 2 yr old DD, but I guess he is a healthy size for a newborn. :)

[Toonces]

Forgot to mention funny L&D story... I was toilet paper checking obsessed the weeks leading up to my delivery and was soooo hoping to lose my mucous plug (remember all my questions??). :) Well when I was in labor I kept having to go to the bathroom and I was still checking the tp (habit I guess). One time when I checked, there it was - the MP! I was so excited that I called DH & my doula into the bathroom and said, "I lost my mucous plug!!!" They were like, "Duh, you are in labor." :p :)

[Sare79]

Threadmistresses- if anyone would like me to update the thread with all the new babies, I would be happy to. I know you are all busy with your little ones, but I have time to spare while I wait for mine to come along. PM me if you want me to do this.

[bijouparvin]

CONGRATULATIONS, LIZZIEBETH, LILLA, AND LISAINPINK AND WELCOME, KATHERINE AND BABY GIRL AND BOY!!! Can't wait to see (more) pics, learn (more) names and hear birth stories.

So, it's my due date and still no baby BUT...

I went to the midwife today and she gave me a (rigorous and painful) internal, to find that I am 3cm dilated!! She didn't mention a percentage of effacement but she said that I was "nice and soft". I guess my cervix was posterior so she was moving it forward and that's part of what hurt. Also, she said she was trying to stretch me out a little bit more since at 3cm, she could get her fingers in there to do some stretchin'. Youch, though!

I've been crampy all day but I think that's just a result of being man-handled. I've also had some contrax, but none really painful. My plan for tonight is to take a nice long walk with hubby, eat pizza (DH's dad was a doctor and said this always worked well), maybe see a movie (my mom went into labor during Allegro Non Troppo), and then jump his bones. My CNM said that as dilated as I am, getting busy is the best thing I can do to hurry things along. She also said that she would be surprised if I make it to my next appointment on Wednesday. :) I'm getting excited!!!

P.S. Here, here (hear, hear?), Sare! That would be awesome. I've been trying to do the math of how many babies are here and how many are left, but I'm too PG to figure it out. :rolleyes:

[Lilla]

Thanks for all the well wishes everyone! We are now at home and I'm up trying to keep my little girl down for more than an hour at a time. :)

I'll write and post the birth story later, but just wanted to fill you in on the name - our little girl is Kathleen Christina. We'll call her Kate for short and her middle name is in honor of her grandmother who passed away this summer. I'm doing well, Kate is doing well. BFing is going ok - now just waiting on my milk to come in. I'm just so very thankful that Kate decided to come on her own instead of having to be induced. As it was, I came thisclose to having a c-section anyway! :rolleyes: Will fill you in on those details later, but I was able to have her vaginally after an hour and a half of pushing. Man that was some hard work!! ;)

CONGRATULATIONS to all the newest mommies on this thread and GOOD LUCK to those mommies still in waiting.....it's worth the wait, trust me!

[Rancid13]

Catgirl~ He certainly feels lower!! Things are getting more uncomfortable with each passing day. I can’t believe he’ll be here soon!! It’s great that Devin is doing so well BFing and with gaining weight!! Sounds like a very healthy little guy you’ve got there! That’s too funny about you still checking the tp at the hospital, LOL!! I’d probably be the same way though.:o

Sare~ That’s awesome of you to offer update the thread. My attention span has dissipated lately so I’d have a tough time keeping everything straight, LOL.

Bijouparvin~ You’re getting so close!! I’m hoping that the walk, pizza, and DTD will help get labor jump-started for you this weekend!! I’m sending labor vibes your way!!:)

Lilla~ It’s great to hear from you! I love the name, it’s beautiful!! I can’t wait to hear more about little Kate!!:D


~~~~~~~~~~
I had my 38w ob appointment earlier this afternoon. All went well. My doctor went over the results from my PIH blood tests and it turns out that everything is indeed normal, just as I thought it would be. She said the numbers that came back weren't just normal, they were stellar. I was beaming. :) She made a copy of the paperwork so DH and I could gloat over the fact that we were right in our prediction that all would be normal. No more talk of inducing, yay!!

I also got an internal done to check for dilation, and it was incredibly uncomfortable for me. A LOT moreso than the regular yearly internal gyno exams. After the fact, my doc mentioned that she had stripped my membranes (ouch!) to maybe get things moving along, that I'm closed up tight but that my cervix is very soft, which she said was very good. Unfortunately as a result of the internal I've been crampy ever since, my lower back has been killing me and I've been bleeding as well. I physically feel like I just started my period or something. Ick!

My next ob appointment is next Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving holiday next week. She didn't want to wait until the following Friday, at which point I'd be just over 40w along (if I'm still pregnant of course) just in case.

She also must have taken too seriously my comment last week about how she stressed me out and therefore gets high bp readings from me; she asked me if I would feel more comfortable having another ob instead of her handle the labor & delivery....DH and I assured the doc that it wasn't necessarily her specifically that stressed me out, it was the ob office in general and having to wait 30-45 minutes in the waiting room to be seen that had the most impact on my stress levels and therefore bp levels.

And all was well at my NST too...very uneventful but nonetheless reassuring. :)

Next ob appt: Nov 21

[neenbean]

Congratulations Lilla!!! Welcome baby girl!
Congratulations Lisainpink!!! Welcome baby boy!

So glad to hear all went at your appt Rancid! I am so glad your doc is being understanding.

bijouparvin~ 3cm already?! That is a big progression! Good luck!

Sare~ thank you for offering to update us! I wish I could give you the password, but I am not in the know. ;)

Catgirl~ it is a relief. DH has been gone so much of this pregnancy, it definitely explains why I have been so anxcious and cranky. :o I am just thrilled we will meet this little one on Monday!




Not much to report from me. I had a mani, pedi and eyebrow wax yesterday and feel so much better! Today we are going to the zoo. Hopefully it won't be too crazy.

DH is getting on my every last nerve, despite the fact that he is trying to be super helpful. :o I hate that I am so dang cranky! For all you new moms who dealt with this, did it disappear after the baby was born??? I never remember being this easily annoyed when pregnant with DD. It is so frustrating that everything can potentially set me off. Ugh.

[acrane]

Hooray, more babies!! :D

Congratulations CityGirl and welcome to Finn!
Congratulations Lizzie Beth and welcome to Katherine!
Congratulations Lilla and welcome to your baby girl!
Congratulations Lisainpink and welcome to your baby boy!

My parents are arriving today and s-i-l is arriving tomorrow since we have an induction day set (Monday), and I don't think I'm going to go on my own before then. Everyone will be gone by Thanksgiving though, which is actually a good thing as dh and I are looking forward to a quiet holiday with our oldest son, dog and new bundle of fun! If I don't get back here before I go into the hospital, I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll update soon. :)

[scarlett74]

UPDATE
Today I had the visit. The baby was ok but my blood pressure was higher and higer (130/100 at 11 and 160/100 at 12!!!!)
The doctor stripped my membranes to make the delivery quicker, then he said he wanted me to stay at the hospital to be sure, to
control baby two times a day and to heal pressure.
If the baby won't be here till Monday I'll have an induction.
I had the time to come back at home, have my last meal, collect my things and then at 4 pm I'll be in the hospital...
It means that my next news will be with the baby...

Good luck to all the November mummmies still waiting!!

[Toonces]

Cranky at DH ~ My crankiness toward DH, from a hormonal perspective, disappeared after I had Devin. However, one week later I'm finding that I'm snapping at DH b/c I'm tired. Devin is a very good sleeper (thank goodness!), but he of course wakes up every 1.5-2 hours to eat so I'm exhausted.

scarlett74 ~ Best of luck to you!! Hoping that the membrane stripping worked and that you won't have to be induced. Can't wait to hear back about your little one!! :)

acrane ~ Best of luck to you on Monday!! How exciting! Can't wait to hear back from you. :)

Rancid ~ Sorry about the uncomfy internal. Mine got very uncomfortable toward the end, too. I later found out that was b/c my cervix was very posterior. It felt like they were digging to China back there, even during labor b/c it took forever for my cervix to move forward. Glad your PIH results were normal!!

bijou ~ I hope some of your natural induction methods get things going for you. If not, at least you'll be having some fun. ;)

Lilla ~ Kathleen Christina is a beautiful name. Can't wait to read your birth story!

DD showed her first official signs of jealousy last night. We co-sleep and Devin woke up to nurse. So far DD hasn't woken up until last night. She started screaming and crying for me to hold her. :( I felt awful that I couldn't give her my full attn. I eventually put Devin in a football hold to feed him and held DD on the other side of my lap. After I can drive again and lift more than 10 lbs., I'm going to schedule some special outings with her.

[Tonysweetie]

Just popping in to wish the rest of the ladies waiting for babies that I hope you have very easy and quick deliverys!!! God Bless!

[kadee_29]

Quick post for those wanting to keep count ....

We are up to 22 out of 36 babies total. I will be back later to update the first page.

[neenbean]

Just dropping in to say hello. We will be admitted to the hospital in 11 hours for my c-section, and hope to meet our daughter or son in about 12.5 hours. :) We re-installed the infant carrier, bought all of our family Chirstmas presents, went grocery shopping, bought the "bundle ME" cover for the infant carrier, spot treated the rugs, vaccuumed the house, did some laundry and are now semi-ready to meet baby.

I just wish DD was not acting quite so difficult the past couple of days?!?!?!? She has been hitting and cranky and just downright ornary. Ugh. Dh and I are both annoyed, but whatever, her whole world is going to be flipped upside down tomorrow, poor thing. My friend has a day of fun planned for her, so that is nice and my mom will be here the rest of the week to entertain her. DD totally knows life is changing, but I am not she sure really "gets" that when we say "baby is coming tomorrow" and that I will be in the hospital all week, etc. what that means... Oh well. I am just happy to know we have wonderful people watching her this week! :)

[mayham]

I've been trying to at least read along, but posting has been tough lately. I'm not sure there's any way I can catch up on shout outs, so I wanted to throw out a huge congratulations to all of the new moms and babies!!!

neenbean - Good luck tomorrow!! You sound very ready for the new baby... I wish I had time to get my act together before our baby came!

scarlett74 - Good luck! I hope you're already a mommy, but if not yet, it sounds like tomorrow is your day!

acrane - Good luck with your induction tomorrow!!!

Rancid13 - Sorry the internal was so uncomfortable. Your little one will be here before you know it, hang in there!

I'll be back soon with my birth story, I promise! In the meantime, here's a picture of my little one. I'll likely take it down after a few days since I don't tend to post pics online, so please don't post this to the first page. Thanks!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y202/lamki/lamki-1.jpg

[Lizzie Beth]

Congratulations, Citygirl & Lilla, Welcome Finn & Kathleen!!

And Congratulations Lisainpink and welcome babyinpink!!

Good luck, Scarlett and Neen! Hope you've already crossed the finish line by now and everything went well..

As for me, I am mighty glad we are all done and can enjoy Thanksgiving with my stomach in its proper place! Sorry to those who are still muddling through - I had to muddle through Christmas 2 years ago..could hardly eat and Susannah was born eight hours later. As I can still justify it w/ breastfeeding, I plan to stuff myself silly.

Everything is going great here so far. Daddy has really stepped up and is Susannah's hero. He took her to the aquarium last Friday as a treat (it was the day after we got home) and I'm not sure who had more fun.. Then yesterday he took her to a christening party and they had a blast, lots of kids Susie's age... So Daddy and Susie have quite the social calendar. She's in daycare today, so hopefully I have a quiet day ahead and can catch up on some things.

So far it's been smooth between Susannah and Katie. Susie's very interested in the baby, wants to touch and hold the baby briefly before she loses interest. No aggression whatsoever...yet. Susie has been waking up at night, I guess that's how her anxiety over the life changes has been manifesting itself. She's also been in the middle of transitioning into the big girl room and big girl bed (it's been about a month now) and so that's a big change, too. Sometimes she calls for Daddy, sometimes for me, and we try to get the appropriate person there, if possible. :rolleyes:

As for Katie, she has been really easy. As long as you feed her as much as she wants it, when she wants it, keep her burped and her diaper relatively clean, she is a happy camper. She likes to sleep all day and then get busy at night, but that's good for us as it is less competition with Susannah. I can't believe how much easier the newborn thing seems now, but next to the two-year-old thing, it's cake. Plus we already figured out most of what we had to know last time, so our learning curve is mostly in the two-year-old category.

My big test will come when Daddy goes back to work, but that's not until December 9, so I'm going to worry about that around December 8th or so. ;)

Good luck to everybody still waiting....and happy parenting to everybody who's had their arrival already....

[lilo]

Just got back from my 39 week appt. and unfortunately, it was not what I was hoping for. I had my first internal, which surprisingly wasn't painful but more uncomfortable, and it turns out that my cervix is soft and flat (I think that's what term he used) but completely closed at this point. Ugh!!!! I was really, really hoping that I would be somewhat dilated and could set up an induction date for THIS week. But nope, looks like I'll have to go into labor on my own or I'll be induced next Wednesday. At least I have that to look forward to, if nothing else. On a positive note, the baby's heartbeat sounded great and my BP was very good as well. He is still movin' and groovin' a ton so I can't complain. The doctor also said that he is in a great position and his head is pretty far down, which is probably why I'm so uncomfortable these days!

Last night I started getting some early or pre-labor contractions every 15 to 20 minutes apart that were somewhat painful and lasted about 30to 60 seconds. They were definitely more intense than the previous B-H contractions since I had to breathe my way through them and get up and move around until the contraction passed. So at least my body is doing something although who knows how long this could take. They've tapered off somewhat today but still come everyone once in a while but they're manageable at this point.

I'm glad I'm home this week so I can just relax since I have a feeling that my discomfort is going to get worse. I just hope I don't go stir crazy or get too anxious for labor to start! I rented a bunch of movies, bought some magazine and hopefully will be able to cook some dishes that we can freeze this week.

If I don't go into labor on my own this week, my next appt. will be Monday, 11/27/

Good luck acrane, neenbean and scarlett!

Sounds like everything is going great Lizzie Beth! That's great that Susannah is getting along with Katie and your DH is being such a big help.

What a darling picture mayham! So precious.

[Rancid13]

Neenbean~ Glad to hear you got all pampered up with your pedi and mani! I’ll be thinking about you today! :D

Acrane~ How exciting you’ll be meeting your little guy today! That’s great that you guys will get to enjoy the holiday with just your new little family, minus all the added distraction/drama from your families. I’m thinking about you today too!!:D

Scarlett~ I’m thinking about you and your little boy!! Hoping the weekend went well, and wondering if he’s made his arrival yet!!:)

Catgirl~ Sorry to hear DD’s developed a sudden case of jealousy over Devin’s arrival. Hopefully she’ll soon realize that you don’t love her any less just because you have a new little guy in the house, but that your attention is sort of diverted more often to the more helpless kid for the time being.

Mayham~ Adorable picture! Can’t wait to hear all about your birth story. :)

LizzieBeth~ I’m happy to hear that things are going so smoothly between your DD’s. It’s great that S is so interested in the baby. I love your justification for stuffing yourself silly come TG day, LOL!:p

Lilo~ Sorry to hear your appt didn’t go as you’d hoped. I’m sending some labor dust your way, hopefully things will start progressing for you this week so you don’t have to wait to be induced next week.:)

~~~~~~~~

Still here, still very pregnant. I'm thinking I'm gonna make it at least through Thanksgiving, which I'm very happy about. It's my favorite holiday and I wasn't wanting to miss it to have to be in the hospital, KWIM? I have been eating some very spicy Chinese food (kung pao chicken anyone?) about every other day, which has done little else than majorly clear my sinuses, and have been trying to walk more often than I have been, which is tough now that my feet are getting swollen earlier and earlier in the day.

Other than that, my next ob appt is tomorrow so we'll see if anything's happened since Friday's internal/membrane stripping...I'd like to meet this little guy already but right now I'm in no rush for some reason. This is my last (partial) week at work, I can't wait to be off on Weds and not have to come back until sometime late Jan/early Feb, whooho!!

[Oakley]

Hi! I'm coming in to post an update on neenbean! She just called me and sounds GREAT!

Neenbean, her husband, and their daughter welcomed a new baby girl, Lauren Elizabeth, into the world at 11:30 this morning. :D

[Lizzie Beth]

Yaaaayyyy!! Congratulations, Neen, and welcome Lauren!!!

[Rancid13]

Thanks for the post, Oakley!

Congratulations Neenbean!! Welcome Lauren!! I can't wait to hear all about her!!!

[ausi2b]

I apologize for being such a slacker on this thread. I read along, but barely have the energy to post anymore (who knows if any of y'all even remember me!!)

First of all - CONGRATULATIONS to all of the new mommas and babies! I have loved reading the birth stories and seeing all of the pictures. I cannot wait to see what my little one will look like ... which leads me to ...

STILL PREGNANT OVER HERE! Due date is this Friday, but similar to you Lilo, I'm not making any progress. I've had some pretty consistent (and painful!) contractions for a few weeks but no dilation, no effacement, nothing. It has been extremely frustrating. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday this week, and Monday of next week and I have been scheduled to go to the hospital Tuesday evening (of next week) to start Cervadil for 12 hours and then get induced the morning of Wednesday 11/29. The OB thinks that this is a big baby (measuring 8.5 lbs LAST week) and since I'm super little and petite, the doctor is concerned that the baby is too big to fit through my pelvis so he has more than a few times mentioned a c/section. I'm ok with it (not thrilled) but I'm ready to have this baby HERE!

Hope you all are doing well. There aren't many of us left - so I hope I can keep up with you in the last homestretch!! :)

[Sare79]

I'm here and still pregnant.
I've been having contractions and false labour for the last couple of days and tomorrow is my due date. We started doing some Christmas shopping yesterday and that seemed to work, so we did a bit more today. I have the feeling that it won't be so easy to Christmas shop once I have a newborn in tow, so if I can get the majority done now, I am happy.
My pelvis si so sore and I can feel her being lower as each day goes on.
Good luck to everyone still hanging in there!

[lilo]

I just lost some or all of my plug!! Yay! I know that doesn't necessarily mean that labor is imminent but it's the little things these days to put me in a better mood. So thank you rancid for the labor dust! Maybe it's working. ha! :)

ausi2b: Good to see you over here. Sorry to hear that you're in the same boat as me in terms of little to no progress. I hope your appt. on Wed. brings better news. I've only been experiencing painful contractions since yesterday so I can only imagine how you're feeling too. How funny that we're both scheduled to be induced next Wednesday. Hopefully we'll both go into labor on our own before then!

Rancid: Good luck with your appt. tomorrow! Hopefully the membranes stripping helped some.

Sare: I hear ya on a sore pelvis. I can't believe how low my baby boy is now although he just doesn't seem to want to leave anytime soon!

Has anyone heard from bijouravin???

Question: Has anyone else been experiencing pain radiating down your thighs when you get a contraction? Weirdly enough, I feel a lot of pain on the top of my thighs sometimes when a contraction comes by. Sometimes it's more painful than others but boy, it is not pleasant.

[Rancid13]

Sare~ I'm sending some labor dust your way too chickie!! You're right about it being tougher doing Christmas shopping with a newborn; I'm planning on doing most, if not all, of my Christmas shopping online this year as a result. :)

I just lost some or all of my plug!! Yay! I know that doesn't necessarily mean that labor is imminent but it's the little things these days to put me in a better mood. So thank you rancid for the labor dust! Maybe it's working. ha! :)

Whoohoo!! It's working, it's working!! Yo