Best Part of My Day!!

A picture is worth 1000 words and can create and evoke many wonderful thoughts and feelings...

Kaleesi, Come Out!!

I woke up in a pretty decent mood. I had an ultrasound booked for 8:45 to check how my baby was doing.

Although, my NST went well the day before my ultrasound did not. Baby girl was doing great but there was no measurable amount of amniotic fluid left. We decided to schedule an induction.

We got to boundary trails at noon and had cervidil inserted at 12:30. I wasn't allowed to get up afterwards for 2 hours. Let me tell you 2 hrs is a long time for a woman with a baby that's been sitting on her bladder for quite a few weeks.

At noon, they'd brought me lunch which was hamburger helper with mixed veggies and green bean soup. Looked nasty and I hate pasta do I let John and our child minder, Joanne have it.

Around 13:30, the midwife decided she would go back to her office to check on things there. I also sent Joanne back to work, thinking it may be a long day, or few days.

After my 2 hours of bed rest, 14:30, I was hungry. We went to the cafeteria where I had a turkey sandwich with coffee and a blueberry muffin.

I couldn't finish my muffin and kind of knew the cervidil was working. I mean, i can always finish a blueberry muffin! Lol!! The coffee was absolutely delicious too. I wanted to drink it all but the only reason I'd ordered it was because I was slightly constipated. Well it did its magic!!

By 16:00, I started timing what I felt we're birthing waves. My pressure waves started at 90 seconds apart and lasted for 30 seconds each.

Around a half hour later, I told the nurse and midwife and they explained that the cervidil could sometimes cause the "contractions" and it not affect the body.

Huh?!?! I'm like, this has to be real. They're getting more intense. My midwife decided she would go home, but to call her if i had "bloody show", so I texted Joanne to tell her to go home after work too. This was around 17:00.

I started getting some diarrhea around 17:20, and I could feel my pushing muscles start to engage a little along with some bloody show. I called for my husband and told him to call the midwife and Joanne. I removed my clothing and donned a hospital gown.

I got on the bed and tried getting comfortable as walking and moving wasn't helping. I got on all fours and the nurse asked if she could check me because the midwife was still MIA. she removed the cervidil and examined me. I was fully dilated and effaced!!! Time for baby.

With each pressure wave, I began pushing. At some point, the Dr. JJ said I could start pushing. I told him I already was. There were some chuckles. At around this time Joanne and then the midwife finally showed.

As each pressure wave intensified, I had a harder time relinquishing control and relaxing. John kept telling me my hypnobabies cues release, peace, & relax but for the most part it was impossible. A few times I was able to relax comfortably into the wave. I had asked John earlier to switch the track for my hypnobabies but he hadn't been able to figure it out so I had the wrong track playing throughout.

I could feel Kaleesi's head low just before crowning. I knew she was close.

Impatiently Waiting

41 weeks, Day 6

Still no signs of baby coming. I went for another NST this morning. The same nurse as last time hooked me up, Margaret. It was a little discouraging but I treated her with respect. As much as I could muster anyway, luckily she got called away and another nurse came to unhook me, n entire 40 min later. Twice as long as needed.

Tomorrow I've got an ultrasound booked. It'll be interesting to see what my baby girl looks like now. I'm gonna call the midwife to make an appointment to get my membranes stripped. Hopefully that'll get things going. I'm not really sure I want to do it, but this baby has to come some time.

Natural Inducers. Do They Really Work?

I was 40 weeks pregnant on march 13, 2013. Since then, I've been trying to think of and use a few natural inducers.

1) Sex
Not the act itself but the results thereof are said to get things going. The female orgasm is supposed to help with and mimic birthing waves (labor). Semen is said to ripen the cervix and increase effacement. So far this method is not working.

2) Castor Oil
I took a teaspoon about an hour ago. Castor oil is a laxative when taken internally. The cramping it gives helps some women begin their birthing time. Sometimes within hours of taking it. I believe the usual dosage is 1-2 tbsp but I had fairly severe diarrhea a couple of weeks ago and was in an incredible amount of pain, so I lessened it. I may try more in the morning.

3) Exercise
Walking helps bring the baby down, engage it, open the pelvis, along with a few other benefits. I've also been doing some belly dancing to encourage proper positioning and strengthen my birthing muscles.

4) Calcium Supplements
With my first pregnancy I took a handful of calcium supplements, went for a walk, and my birthing time began the following morning. I tried the supplements a couple of days ago and it didn't do anything.

5) Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
Drinking this tea is also supposed to help prepare your birthing muscles, effacement, and ripen the cervix. I've been drinking this for about a month now and have not noticed a difference. Albeit, I don't drink it every day and sometimes don't get the two cup dosage in.

6) Nipple Stimulation
Nipple stimulation releases oxytocin which helps the birthing process. This is quite simple for me as I'm still nursing my toddler. This also has not worked.

These are the ones I've tried so far. I will be trying a few more (evening primrose oil, acupressure, etc) in the coming days so stay tuned possibly. Maybe I'll have my sweet baby.

http://www.bellybelly.com.au/birth/natural-induction-methods#.UVAAt4y9KSN

http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=107

Tired as hell! Annoyed as well!

41 Weeks, 4 Days

For a few months now I've been having pregnancy insomnia. I fall asleep fairly easy but wake up after a few hours awake as if it was morning. And hungry. Oh unbearably hungry sometimes.

These last few nights have been no exception. I've slept a combined total of 12 hours. That's an average of 4/night.

Yesterday morning I had an NST (stress test) scheduled for my baby girl. Then a couple of hours later an ultrasound. I went to the NST appointment, but decided to skip the ultrasound because I thought it was more important for me to get rest than for a test I find unnecessary.

When I told the nurse, Margaret, administering the NST that I was going to skip the ultrasound, she mentioned it to my midwife, Lisa, during a routine call to let her know my plans. She came back and demanded my cell number to give to Lisa. I told Margaret that I would give Lisa a call and the nurse got upset with me and wouldn't leave until I gave her my number. I would also like to point out that Lisa already had my cell number due to a text I had sent her earlier in the week.

When I called Lisa after the NST, she explained to me why she wanted me to go to the ultrasound and the risks involved if not everything was perfect. I stopped listening about sixty seconds in. Just before she finally conceded she asked how my DH felt about me not going. I told her he'd rather I get the rest I needed than go to an ultrasound.

Over the last couple of visits with Lisa, I have felt that she has tried scaring me that if I don't go along with her choices for my baby's birth, my baby will die. When I mention I don't want any form of medical interventions, she still tried getting me to agree to pitocin to get the placenta out after baby's birth. She also strongly encouraged me to come in for a stripping of the membranes, which has not been proven to do anything other than possible make the pregnant woman uncomfortable and possibly bleed. I feel bullied and disrespected for making my own informed choices.

As I'm not yet at 42 weeks, I'm not overly concerned about the health of my baby. She's kicking and reacting properly to dietary changes eg. sweets. She massages the insides as she moves, sometimes pushing a foot up as high as she can and other times squiggling on my bladder so I have to run to the bathroom. I have come to realize that I'm a long incubator.

Does My Baby Not Want To Meet Me?

March 23, 2013. 10 days past due date.

Started wondering if my baby wants to meet me. Does she know I get frustrated easy? Is she afraid there is not enough love for her? Does she know what life entails? Why isn't she coming?

Are these some of the reasons Asher was 19 days over due? Do my unborn children have a sixth sense?

Crazy questions, I know, but viable in some way. Right? I know, babies technically aren't over due until past 42 weeks, but that doesn't stop the midwife from trying to psych me out.

I wanted a midwife because I thought they took a more relaxed natural approach to child birth. Now, with what I've learned, I just want to have my baby at home. I don't want to go to my appts tomorrow. I don't think they're necessary.

Babies come on their due dates, not when doctors or midwives decide. A little mantra from my hypnobabies course. Pregnancy is natural, normal, healthy, and safe for me and my baby.

Of course, my baby girl wants to meet me. She's just loving the comfort of my womb. It's warm in there. It was an emotionally hard decision to wait with my son as well. And it will be now too.

I will have a happy, easy, comfortable childbirth.

39 Weeks, Day 4

So much to do, so little time! I can't believe baby girl is going to be here by the end of the month