Weekly Thread: Sept 12-18 - Page 2

[mom2threenurslings]

ELV's going out to Lilli! I completely forgot...thanks for the reminder!

nicole! I hope Kaulini waits for you to be safe again at home. Good luck with the evac and keep in touch if possible!

Goldie - thanks for the reminder! :LOL

beth ... I hope the contractions are doing something! Enjoy the pineapple (oooh, that sounds good!!!).

Trying to keep myself busy today, but it's not working. I need to find something to put on tv and sit and relax for a while...maybe Little House on the Prairie.

[curlyfry]

Looks like Lilli is fine. *phew*

I have to say, though, after reading that birth story, I'm starting to get a bit frightened about what the pain is really going to feel like. I feel prepared, but I mean, you never know until you go through it, right? I just hope that the coping strategies that I've practiced can help me relax through the pain and not fight it. Give in to it, and breathe. Change position. Visualize. I really want to do this without pain medication.

Zeldasmom...I actually wrote down some of the things that you posted and I'm going to include them in my "birth wisdom" journal tonight.

That's all for now...

(by the way, Nicole...hope everything goes well for you and Kaulini cooperates)

[mom2threenurslings]

Yaay Lilli!

curlyfry! In my experience, the more relaxed I am and the more positive I am about the experience, the less pain I feel. It sounds like you've prepared yourself very well for relaxing and coping during labor.

[curlyfry]

Originally Posted by mom2threenurslings

curlyfry! In my experience, the more relaxed I am and the more positive I am about the experience, the less pain I feel. It sounds like you've prepared yourself very well for relaxing and coping during labor.

Thanks Amanda! I guess we'll know in a few days!

Can you believe I'm still at work? I told myself I would pace myself since it's my last day but I've gotta get outta here by 5! sheesh...

I don't think baby is happy with me either, because she's wriggling and wiggling like crazy right now! o.k...maybe if I would stop posting on MDC and actually finish my work, I could go home...hehe

[NowOrNever]

I agree, Lisa! I've had four natural births and I have done everything from freak out to remaining calm. I can tell you that freaking out makes the pain 100xs worse. The more calm and in control you remain, the easier it makes it for your body to do what it's supposed to do.

[Goldiemom]

Wow! I have added 8! babies to the list today. I can't believe how we seem to have kicked the baby birthing into high gear. I am sooo happy to be adding all these babies that have the neatest names. *sigh* For those of you still waiting, I send out lots of hugs.

MOre later baby crying!

[shell024]

holy crap, 10 babies in one day! What, did you all get together in a circle & VIBE??? CONGRATS to all you mamas, I dont know how I'll find the time to read all those stories! I also am sending hugs to the mamas still waiting. Don't get discouraged, your babies have their own baking agendas, and are doing what they know is best for themselves. I think I recall someone posting "each day you wake up pregnant is another day that your babe is safe in your belly getting all your nutrients"...I like that one.

[trijosie-mama]

Goodmorning mamas!! Congratulations to all those with new babies!!

I tihnk I'm gettin really cranky about still being pregnant. I really figured I would have gone by now, With ds I was only 38wks 4 days, Now I'm 39 wks 4dys. And I'm not having any more signs that labor will behappening in the next few days, except a bruised feeling pelvic bone. When I get up to pee inte middle of the night, standing is very hard, I almost can't do it without wall support.

DH had a minor accident at work, well not him his boss so he won't be going into work today, he's a little worried about losing his job. They are having a review of what happened today and he'll go in for a meeting afterwards. My biggest fear with this is he really won't find another job in this area, we wold have no choice but to move. He works on boats and Wisconsin just doesn't have a lot of them. We weren't planning to move for a few more years, I cant' worry about it though. It's not happening yet!

I'm being a terribly mean person rightnow. I have to go to work today and my feet are killing me, I'm whiny and tired and just plain at the end of my rope! Maybe getting it out will help!

OH, I figured out the mom stuff, thankyou guys for the support! I didn't get as much relaxing as i wanted, but enough! And I was able to talk to a few family members and dh and come up with some good solutions. My labor should be a wonderful experience, if it would just start already!

I'm off to work now, I hope my impatient cranky behavior isn't too bad!!!

[danaan]

So, as I posted on the WAAAAHHH thread, I feel so jealous of all the moms with new babes. I keep thinking it's coming -- and of course, it is -- but I sit and wait. Every birth story makes me cry. My dh is tired of being at work. We're a couple of whiners!

But I had this thought last night that I tried discussing with dh but he thought I was looking for a solution-based conversation, which I wasn't. I'm hoping I can get a little input from you gals.

My dream has always been a home birth. I was accepted into midwifery school (direct entry) several years ago, but decided the timing was off. I am fervently dedicated to natural, peaceful, non-interventionist birth. My dream birth would be in warm salty water outside, or in the forest or something. (We're talking when I really let myself daydream, here :LOL )

Our insurance covers all of prenatal care at an OB clinic, with a payment for the hospital stay. Our version of our insurance covers no out-of-network care, which a homeborth would be. So we decided to stick with our great nurse mw practice when we moved an hour away because we just weren't finding that kind of care closer to our house. I had a brief period of total bliss and excitement when I thought we might be able to swing a homebirth, but then realized it wasn't practical. I love my midwives, who are more like birthing center mw's, though I'm not psyched about the hospital, but it should be fine.

But I got to wondering about if maybe I am holding back subconsciously in this baby's birth. I know I'm not really that late (40 w 4 days), but I have had two nights of reg mild to moderate ctrax all night that go away by morning. I had to ask myself if something was holding me back. I realized last night that I am pretty resistant to that drive to the hospital, to the hospital itself (especially triage), and to just leaving my home to have a baby. I suspect my birth will be fast -- mom had two precipitous births. I've been having fantasies about it going so fast I have an unplanned home birth. But then I don't know where I'd take the baby when she was born, and I'd like some attendant in case she has trouble breathing or something. So I don't really want that.

I came up with the affirmation, "I trust the journey." That includes both the literal drive to the hospital and the whole process. I am witnessing my frustration and resistance and sitting with this affirmation. I'm not really an affirmation kind of gal, but I need something to hold myself on track right now.

Okay. Thanks for putting up with such a long post. I needed to get it all out. There's nothing to do but go forward.

A funny little note, to end -- the only dream I remember from last night was that I was singing in a Baptist church service (I am pagan, if anything) the song "You Can't Hurry Love." I started laughing this morning thinking of the lyrics. I think it was a note from Sophie.

[mamabeth]

danaan--it is so hard to go "over" especially with all these babies! I think that sounds like a great affirmation/visualization. And I think it is totally normal to start questioning birth choices even at this late date, and maybe especially now.

"You can't hurry love" :LOL

I'm just sitting here contracting, occasionally painfully, nothing regular that I can see. Same old same old! It will be weird to *not* have ctx when this is done. But I really won't mind, I swear.

[trijosie-mama]

Clea~ I have been doing so much of the same thinking about something holding me back. I actually think that may be whats starting to hold me back! With DS my intuition was right on the whole time, right now everything for me is off. I thought I was going to be very early, I dreamt about it. Then later i dreamt about a much different experience with a much larger baby that turned out to be a boy not a girl. I think if i can figure out how to let go I will be so much better. Right now I'm upset that I didn't know when I was going to deliver, I was off by weeks, maybe a month!

I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but in my case i think trying to figure out why I havn't gone into labor yet is the reason I'm not going into labor. I'm trying too hard to control nature and I need to figure out how to stop this. Hopfully just realizing it will help some!

Good luck to you! I think trusting the journey is a great idea! I need to learn to trust mine without controlling it!

[curlyfry]

Clea...I love your idea of "trusting the journey". I'm going to a hospital as well...I'm going to write that down in my birth wisdom journal.

Trijosie...well, Sunday's only 4 days away...can you believe it??? We have the same due date, I wonder which one of us will go first?

Today I meet one of the back-up ob's for my weekly appointment since my midwife is still away (could she please get back already??!! this feels like the longest week ever!!!) I'm kind of stressing about it, because I don't know her and switched from a practice of doctors so that I could specifically see a midwife. We've become good friends over the past couple of months, so I just can't imagine delivering with anyone else. But, it's just an appointment...not labor...not yet at least! I'm leaving in about 10 mins. to go see her. I've heard great things about her from my mw, so we'll see...

[trijosie-mama]

Curly ~ Please let me go first!!! I really want to have my body back!!!

I actually think something is going to happen soon. It's like I'm having a calm before the storm and my back is aching differently than it has through the whole pregnancy. I'm not going to assume though. I should probably keep thinking that I have a few more weeks to go.

Back to work now!

[PrincessCass]

Four more days

Well only four more days till I meet my lil girl. I have a C sec scheduled for monday the 19th at 7:30 Am. I am nervous and excited all at the same time. I just hope I don't go into labor before then LOL We are having Moms memorial services on saturday in our old town about 3 hours away from my home. Hoping for easy traveling vibes and no labor vibes.

Trijosie-mama: Try the horse lip thing I did last night and joy upon joy I was poppin within 10 minutes :LOL I guess I am one of those who is afraid I will push baby out on the potty :

I am really happy to see all the new babies so congrats to everyone. and even though I just read all those posts I can't think of my responses to most of them oi prego brain.

[mom2threenurslings]

Just checking in - too tired and HOT to do personals. I'm not sure if it's an official heat wave (3 days over 90 degrees F) here, but it feels like it. Yesterday was 90, the day before 94, and today it was at least 89. IN SEPTEMBER IN NEW ENGLAND! : :LOL

Went to my LLL meeting this morning and got lots of people saying "I was wondering about you - you're still pregnant!" It was great, though...I got to see some mamas I haven't seen in a while - and got to see my friend Lisa and her 9 day old baby (the one who borrowed the birth pool!).

I'm trying to convince Moonbaby to be born tonight or tomorrow night so that I don't have to drive over an hour away to my midwife appointment on Friday! :LOL Somehow I don't think it's going to work! With my luck I'll go into labor Sunday evening, when my parents are at a very expensive wine dinner!

I had another baby dream last night - baby was a boy and looked like he did in my other boy dream. I'll be shocked if Moonbaby is a girl - I won't mind, but I'll be surprised!

Going to go figure out what's for dinner - not that I feel like cooking.

[bluebirdmama]

Hi everyone

Just thought I'd introduce myself. I've been lurking around in here off and on for quite a while but haven't really had time to join until I got finished work. I'm living in Vancouver, BC, married for 3 years and expecting our first baby (EDD is 2 days away - Fri, Sept 16).

It's been great to be able to pop in here now and then and see that people are going through the same thing...we're the first in our circle of friends to start having kids so I haven't really had anyone to talk to, or bounce ideas off.

I've been feeling a little discouraged the last few days because I kept thinking that baby was going to show up any day and here I am still waiting. I thought I had a case of wishful thinking, was just imagining the contractions coming and going...so nice to see I'm not the only one. With a first baby, it's so hard to know what's going on exactly.

My midwives both lead me to believe that baby was coming any minute (it seemed), 75% effaced, baby at 0 station making it very difficult and uncomfortable for me to walk, lost mucus plug...seemed like things were really gearing up...and now for the last several days, nothing. Feels like I could be pregnant for weeks.

Aside from being disappointed at having gotten my hopes up and still having to wait, I'm also just really hoping that this baby makes an appearance before my best friend has to go back to the UK on Monday!!

Obviously, babies come when they are good and ready, but any thoughts about it being a mental thing?

We've been going through a bit of a rollercoaster with having to check my platelets every 3 days. On Friday, the last word was that they were too low for us to have a homebirth. I was pretty upset - if I would have gone into labour this past weekend, we'd have been making the trip to the hospital. But last night at our appointment, my platelets were up again and we agreed as a team that we all (midwives, including the others at the clinic, myself and my husband) feel comfortable with the level of risk and will proceed with the homebirth though we will continue to monitor my platelets. It's a huge relief and I'm hoping that's just what I needed to get the show on the road again.

Just wondering if anyone's had the experience of needing a mental block removed before baby was ready to show up?

Congratulations to all the Sept babies out there! So happy for all of you! It's been a real joy to read all of your birth stories.

Alison

[trijosie-mama]

Welcome Alison! I know how you feel about hearing where others are and knowing we're all in the same boat! It's been 5yrs since I'd done this I can't remember a thing!

We're all just waiting the arrivals of our little ones! It's good you could join us!!

[NowOrNever]

Lisa and Erin...we all are due on Sunday! But I'm willing to bet it won't be me that goes first. I don't feel a thing going on. I think this little one likes the controlled climate in there! :LOL

I still can't get to sleep before 3am. I just know I'm going to have this kid in the middle of the night. My body is already programmed for it!! But then again, all four of mine have been born at night.

My kids are starting to avoid me. I have little to no patience right now and I feel so bad! I know it's to be expected, but the guilt of a mother...

[Galatea]

Since Miles was born on Monday, I have become a total believer in mental blocks preventing labor from progressing. I had tried to read Birthing from Within and thought it was too touchy-feely and spiritual for me. I should have tried harder to do the work in it. I was physically miserable and having lots of contractions and mucus for days before I faced my fear of pain and unease with my birth plan. And then a day and a half later, I had my baby. I just had to talk about what I really felt and then make up my mind that I was going to have the baby, and there he was, in 2.5 hours. So I think everyone who has a nagging feeling like this should really try to think about it.

I am sorry if I scared people with my painful birth story. It was only so painful b/c I fought my body and panicked instead of just going with it. And besides, it was over and forgotten very quick. So maybe if you talk to yourself and the baby and really get all your feelings out, the baby will come.

[mom2threenurslings]

Having sporadic, yet intense contractions and bloody show for the past couple hours...wondering if they're accomplishing anything and if they'll go away when the kids get up in a little while....