Weekly thread October 24-30 - Page 2

[Awaken]

We are getting so close!!!! So cool to hear everyone getting to 35, 36, 37, weeks, etc, and starting to feel prepared for birthing!

Monique and Christy- thinking of you mamas today! Can't wait to hear news, I will be checking back often!!

Prayers for anyone in, or who has loved ones in Wilma's path, I hope they are all safe.

Snugglebutter- please let us know how things go today- I hope it's nothing or something really simple and explainable!



As for me (see my other post on the baby shower!) we had the 1st nice sunny day we've had in ages yest. so went on a long walk in the woods with the dogs to counteract all the sitting and driving in the rain the day before (now of course it's cold and cloudy today!), then I went to prenatal yoga.

Had a hypnosis session today with the birth assistant who happens to also be a hypnotherapist, so it was nice to meet w/ her before the birth. The baby told me again it was a boy, even though everyone else is saying girl!! It also told me his name is Isaac, bd 11/17, and will be 7# 4oz but who knows, maybe my subconcious made all that up! We are still completely undecided on a boys name!! Dh is stuck on Noah, which I feel is too popular around here, and I'm stuck on James, which dh won't consider for a first name, only mn. Ugh. We both like Isaac although it doesn't go the best with our last name.

Psychologically, I really feel like I'm completely in birth mode now. It's all I can think about- I am constantly wondering how and when it will take place! I am really excited to know it's going to be sometime soon and soon I will have a birth story to tell! I am 35.5 wks and our mw home visit is Sat. so I just have to get till then and I'm free and clear! I still have no impending signs of labor- very infrequent BH, no idea if the baby's dropped or not. Athough I did try and feel my cervix for the 1st time ever while pg, and what I could feel felt very mushy and soft so I guess that is a good sign!

I was a good girl today and got dinner ready so I can have it made by the time dh gets home! Other than that I haven't done much- guess I'd really better get started while ds is asleep!

[snugglebutter]

Luckily I was just freaking out! My midwife wasn't worried at all. I, however, am completely worn out from all of this worrying!

Thanks for all of the positive thoughts.

[Awaken]

Sara- I'm so glad! What was the matter?

ps. Wow, we sure are getting chatty! This thread is going to be a million pages long by the end of the week!

[MelW]

Sara- Glad to hear that everything is fine!!!

Monique- Lots of gentle birthing vibes to you. Looking forward to an update

Plagio- Safe wishes to your parents.

I'm 38 weeks today, but not really feeling any "signs" of imminent labour. Baby is still OP- turned very briefly on friday, then rolled back to it's favourite position. I'm waiting for a few good contractions to spin this little one around. I'm still hanging in ok- not really grouchy/rant-y/fed up enough of being pregnant to think that anything is going to happen soon. Though my feet are starting to get a bit puffy in the evenings. The accupuncturist is my new hero, since she has totally improved my backache, and threw in some points to help reduce the edema, too (and it worked!).

I spent the late part of last week playing phone tag and fighting with people in human resources/payroll trying to get the necessary paperwork for my maternity leave benefits from the goverment. Finally (with a lot of prodding from different angles) I have what I need today. So I'm off to stand in line at peak hours at the federal human resources office. At least it's a nice day for my walk down there, and I know to bring reading material. Fingers crossed for fast line-ups.

Great to hear from everyone, and I'm glad that we are all getting so close. Here's to lots of babies this week!

[spughy]

FSM: Australians think everything that's sold there comes from there, like they have no import industry at all Robeez are manufactured in Burnaby, BC. Yay Canada! (Although, that's probably why they cost $30CDN a pair. But rest assured, there is NO slave labour going on there ) But you can buy them all over the place - my mom said they were the new hot thing in Britain when she was there in the summer.

I just sat through THE most boring conference call in the history of the planet. And found out that my boss will be away for the remainder of my time here. Funny, he never bothered to tell ME that. :

[meagen]

Well, it looks like this week is starting off way more exciting than last week! We could have quite a few babies by Sunday!

Nothing exciting to report. We had a boring weekend, but did get some housework done. I can't believe Halloween is only a week away. How can the days crawl by, but the months seem to fly?

It's such a beautiful fall here, I wish I had more energy to get out and enjoy it! We carved/painted pumpkins last night in case I'm not around to carve one later (wishful thinking!), so that was fun. It sounds like so far, everyone is having a good week, which is great. Well, except Samsmamma, I'm wishing you some good days of working from home!

[DreamsInDigital]

Ugh. I feel like ass.
Although I am quite enjoying not getting up at 5am for work, and DP is now working a later shift so I got to sleep in until 7:30 this morning!
But I still feel like ass. My blood sugar this morning was 30. I am majorly hypoglycemic and I just can't seem to keep it from getting that low at least a few times a day. Yuck.
I have my 36/37 week appointment on Thursday and then my home visit the following Thursday.
Oh crap. I still need to order my birth kit! But I honestly don't expect this babe to come until December.

[Belleweather]

37 weeks, and no immanent signs of labour -- which is good, actually. My insurance doesn't switch over until halloween, so the baby can come any time after that. DH and I are both madly scrambling to finish end-of-semester projects before the baby appears, which is what we did all weekend rather than anything useful like cleaning the nursery, rearranging our bedroom to fit the cosleeper, or packing the birth bag. *sigh* You'd think we'd eventually learn, huh?

[BensMom]

Well, I posted in my breech update thread. Been thinking a lot today. The plan is to have an u/s tomorrow to verify. I hate that. I feel like I have gone this long without invading my babies space, why now? But at least there is a reason for it. I will try moxibustion tomorrow, as well as continuing with the slant board.

I spoke with a friend who had similar issues (only she was a VBAC too since her 1st was breech as well) and that the one Dr in the area actually backs up one of the HB MWs, so he is not totally opposed to HB clients (there is so much lying and sneaking you need to do around here). So I will probably have him try a version next week.

Oh and I tried a Hypnobabies CD (turn your breech baby) that another friend gave me just now and I think I fell asleep. I woke up and the CD was not playing anymore, so who knows how long I was out. I dont know if it did anything else other than relax me, but its worth a try.

Other than all this breech nonsense, which is making me the *ONLY* 37w pregnant woman on earth who does not want to go into labor everything else is fine. I have a bunch of last minute lunch dates with friends, trying to enjoy my time while DS is in school before I have the babe. DH is at Monday Night Football tonight and went straight from work, so I have been on my own with DS all day from 7am. And we survived! Makes me feel invincible.

Well I am off to go relax in bed with my dog and maybe some ice cream. Night all!

[cjbeach]

Our plan is a homebirth and I find myself nervous now that I'm never going to go into labor. I had to have Pit the last 2 times and although they were natural births I'm wondering if I'll ever go into labor. I'll be 37 weeks tomorrow and it's the longest I've ever been pg (my other 2 are 36 weekers at 7.7 and 6.13 btw). I'm having a LOT of contrax, no regularity and constant *tension* the ole belt around my middle feeling. I'm pretty miserable and doing things like shopping and driving the kids back and forth to school has become a real effort. I pee constantly and contrax are so not fun. I guess I'm in a bit of prodromal labor with diarrhea, no regular contrax, but lots of them. I even tried Melatonin last night thinking I'd get a good night of sleep...Ha!

Up until now this pg has FLOWN by but these last 2 weeks (and I'm only 37 weeks) have been horrible (I had the flu at 35 weeks).

There is no room left at this inn. My ribs hurt, I'm stretched beyond stretched and butt is kicked! come on baby!!!!

[3for3hb]

Well... I'm still pregnant...

I've been having regular contractions all day today but I've been so exhausted feeling that I've been laying down a lot and everytime I lay down they slow down. I got up to minute to minute and a half long contractions every 4 minutes but they slowed down and now I'm getting stronger ones but less frequently (like every twenty minutes or so).

Not much of an update, but I thought you all would like to know. Hopefully I'll wake up in hard labor because I don't want to go to my prenatal apt. tomorrow

Dh surprised me by organizing our closet and putting up the birth tub and cleaning out the rest of the bedroom. He said he wanted to make sure I was comfy enough in my surrounding to go into heavier labor

Goodnight all, and thanks for all the good labor vibes... I still need them. I must have a very comfy womb or something because even the blue cohosh my MW told me to take didn't really strengthen the contractions. This babe wants to stay inside!!!

[flyingspaghettimama]

cjbeach - I'm in the same mode. Yesterday we were in the large-corporation natural-foods market elevator when I started gripping the railing...my husband says, "oh, another contraction?" and these two women in there looked totally freaked out. But it's rather par for the course around here. Maybe they thought I was going to have a baby in our 1-minute elevator ride. Just like in the movies.

Why did you deliver so early the first times?

Willemsmama, good luck. I hope you get some sleep!

[SoulJourney]

Willemsmamma...sending you more good vibes!!! Hopefully that baby gets down to some serious action tonight!

[MamaFern]

i blew up our birth pool today.. mostly to make sure there are no holes and to wash it out.. but its EXCITING!

i had the pool set up for like 2 weeks before elwynn was born then didnt even get to use it. im SO determined this time to have a water birth!

i took my camera in to get repaired a few days ago and im just HOPING that it gets fixed in time for the birth.. i do have my manual camera, but then its quite a process to get the pics onto the computer, isnt it? or can they just put the pics onto disc at the developing place.. i seem to recal them doing that some places.. Hmm. either way i really want to be able to share pictures with you all again!

willemsmamma: still sending you gentle birthing vibes..

..wondering how bodogirl and her twins are doing

im going to do the dishes : and tidy up for my busy day tomorow.. maybe there will be some babies when i wake up and check here in the mornin!!

fern

[HoneyTree]

OK, this is going to have to be a build-a-reply, because with 33 posts to read and talk about, I just can't keep it all in my head. So here goes the first round.

We've decided against a water birth -- all the rooms in our house are small and long (not very maneuverable with a big ole tub and big ole me in it), and there are all wooden floors, and we rent, so I thought it would be best to just forego that option. I'm a little sad about that, just because I've beeen enjoying baths so much these days.

I traveled to my mother's this weekend past and brought the fetoscope my mw had let me borrow. My mom got to hear the heartbeat and feel a few kicks and leggie stretches and hiccups, and I think she really liked that. My older sister (L&D nurse) made just one snippy comment -- after a few snotty looks when I talked about wanting no plastic toys and mostly unbleached, natural, or organic cotton or hemp clothes and diapers, the conversation turned to homeschooling and she said, "Well, I'm glad that's ONE bandwagon you're not getting on." She makes me crazy. AND she's coming to the birth. The midwives have a heads up to do damage control, and almost everyone else in my family insists that she'll be on her best behavior in such a delicate situation. We'll see. But she was able to compile me a fairly comprehensive home birth and emergency baby-comes-before-midwife kit from pilfered hospital supplies, which was helpful.

I had a mw appointment yesterday that went very well -- she seemed so pleased that everything has been going so smoothly so far, that the baby remains head-down and mostly anterior (he switches sides, but tends to keep most of his back to my front), and that he feels so solid. That made me happy. In preparation for her visit, I did my most thorough cleaning yet. It was not nesting -- there was no urge or delight in doing it -- but I do so like it when my house smells of tea tree oil, lavender, and slightly of vinegar.

Laboring mamas, YAY!!! We're all rooting for you!

So heating pads -- where does one find them if one does not shop at Wal-Mart? I have had amazing difficulties tracking them down...

[snugglebutter]

You should be able to find a heating pad at a regular grocery store or pharmacy, if you shop at those places. Are you needing it just for the birth? If that is the case maybe you could borrow one from a friend or neighbor.

[HoneyTree]

That's what I thought! I mean, I KNOW I saw those funny looking squishy pink bags sitting on shelves in my childhood. But no grocery or pharmacy around me carries them, and each one suggests I go look at the other. Maybe it's because I live in Florida? I'm trying to avoid having to order one online -- seems so silly. I've put the word out to friends, so hopefully one will turn up in time for the labor!

[laisett]

i'm new here, can i join in? i'm expecting baby #2 sometime in november! my edd is nov 3, so i'll be 39 weeks on thursday...but my DS was 11 days past his edd, so i'm trying (and failing ) to think in terms of 3 weeks rather than 1...

DS was a planned homebirth and i'm planning a second homebirth this time. i labored in a tub for a while with DS, but this time, like BeTheEarth, i think i'll have to forgo it. same exact reasons- renting, wooden floors, narrow rooms...we DO have a very deep bathtub, so i might throw some towels on the bottom of that and see how it goes. has anyone tried this?

and even though i'm nervous to have 2 kiddos (esp so close in age- about 20 months apart!), i'm ready to get this show on the road and meet my new little one!

[MamaFern]

welcome!

im in a rented house, but there has already been a baby born here in a pool, so i figure, why not? our bathroom is the size of a small closet, so i doubt it would be a good place to have a baby. i can just see the midwives and elwynn and his pappa and everyone trying to cram in there and getting stuck..

how exciting about bodogirls twins! 6 lbs each at 35 weeks is really great! another two november babies born!! makes it all seem more real.

i hope you all have a great day. we are off to get the last of or birth supplies and have a midwife visit as well.. busy days ahead!

[flapjack]

Hrmph. I haven't found Bodogirl's update yet
Laisett, welcome. Short age gaps are erm, bracing, for the first 18 months or so (the worst bit is being pregnant with a small toddler, you've more or less done that bit already) and after that, it does get easier. My two are 21 months apart and are pretty much inseparable- everyone comments on it. They tend to protect and help each other a lot.