Weekly thread June 25-July 1

[Lissybug]

Good morning everyone. I'm 39 weeks today. Seems like quite a few of us are nearing our dute dates! And it's exciting to see some of these babies arriving.
Dh is teasing me about reading "my stories". Oh well. Hope everyone has a great week. I'm just gonna work on keeping the house clean and sewing some more. And letting this babe know he or she can come any time!

[luckydog]

It's so exciting to see everyone nearing their due dates - and even some babies coming!! PLUS, in just one week it will be... JULY. Wow.

New symptom kicked in for me over the weekend: Nighttime leg cramps. Fortunately I've been close enough to awake so far when I feel it coming on that I've been able to flex my foot and stave it off.

Must remember to flex my feet several times each night before falling asleep - I remember that helping tremendously in my other pregnancies.

[phathui5]

I have until the end of July (dd 7/29). Sleeping hasn't been easy lately, between me being so big and it being so hot. I've also grown out of my maternity shorts, and I don't want to buy more clothes that I'll wear for a month.

My next midwife appointment is this Thursday around 1pm. That's when they'll schedule the home visit since we're planning a homebirth. I want to remember to ask about if I should have a birth plan written (especially as pertains to baby after the birth) for in case we have to transfer to a hospital.

[luckydog]

I'm starting to outgrow my shorts, too. And a lot of my shirts are getting too short, too. Bah. I looked at some used maternity clothes over the weekend, but didn't buy any. Even at the incredible prices ($3!) I couldn't get into it. I tried on a couple pairs of capris and they fit like crap and it was discouraging and I was hot and bending to put on bottoms was a pain in the butt, so I gave up.

I think I can make it through the next 4-6 weeks with Bella Bands making up the difference...

[tatermom]

I'm down to one pair of capris and one pair of shorts... and the capris are feeling rather snug lately (though the shorts are still a bit big and feel great)... I had a second, more comfortable pair of capris until Saturday when I split them completely down the middle while attempting to squat and make our bed. We have a complicated bed situation (crib sidecarred on one side, toddler bed on the other) so not only is it hard to get in and out of bed, it's really hard to make the bed or change the sheets! Oh well, I hope I can make it the next few weeks with basically just a single pair of shorts!! I'm 37 weeks now!!

[ahdoula]

My mom has taken both kids for a FULL day. I am talking 8 hours straight. God bless her! The whole house to myself. And to boot: the house is spotless and I am at a loss of what to do with myself!

I am killing time at the computer, sitting on my birth ball, of course! Spending too much time on MDC and adding chick flix to my Netflix cue to help keep me awake during those first couple weeks of night time nursing (after that is gets so easy I can do it lying down while I sleep!) I did clean out my microwave and one of the cats planted a hairball right on the baby’s downstairs bassinet (nice welcome present) that I need to go clean up.

I do have a midwife appointment to go to in a bit, which is very nice not to have to drag the kids to. They do great while I am there, but it is 45 minutes there and back and they don’t like that part as well!

Otherwise, I think I put my feet up, watch a movie, read a book, and take a nap! Life's hard, uh?

[bdavis337]

I've only got 3 more weeks of babysitting for Sir Snot and his older brothers!! That also means I've only got 4 more weeks to be pregnant. !!!!!!!!!

[Mel L]

ahdoula- I have to say that I am a little jealous!! Enjoy your day off, and sleep...a lot...for me!

Dh and I have been taking shifts, not for the baby, but for Benji. He has been getting up at 6:30 every morning (used to be 8-9 before the time change), and he is wearing us out! I woke up at 8:30 this morning to see Bella next to me asleep, but my dh was not in bed. I came into the living room to see dh passed out on the couch with ds watching Curious George. Poor guy!

We had a good day yesterday! My parents came over for dinner (love those freezer meals), and they brought more goodies. Dad got the best cantaloupe in the world, and I think Benji and I ate half of it by ourselves. Two neighbors also came by bringing food or baby gifts. Plus, dh finally mowed our lawn before the hoa attacked us, and I got a chance to weed my flower garden for a while. It has been overgrown for months now, but I haven't touched it because of all the stray cats in neighborhood or in our backyard. It is almost finished, and we finally have a pretty yard again! Yea! My parents told us about a sale at a local garden center where they are clearancing out all of the old brick and landscaping stone. We have been trying to get a barrier between the grass and the garden for a while. However, they are either too expensive (my favorite of course), or we can't decide. Mom was saying that the $2 stones are now .30-.50 so maybe we can afford somthing nicer than we thought.

Is it crazy to say that I am sad that my baby is getting so old so fast??? She will be 2 weeks on Thursday so I will never have a baby this young again.: Oh well!

[~Demeter~]

I'm so tired. This weekend just had me hopping all over the place after my appointment this afternoon I'm looking forward to just relaxing for a few days. I left the boys all with daddy yesterday and when I came home my living room was picked up and much cleaner than it was when I left. That was very sweet of them :. No real contractions/cramps last night but I am getting up to pee a heck of a lot more. I can't believe we are all getting so close to our due dates and everytime I leave the house I come back to new announcements of babies or labor.

[DoulaClara]

I am totally crabby today. I didn't have the best night last night, and the online news is completely bumming me out. I'm just in a vicious mood, and am trying to change that.

I did go to Target to try to get some things accomplished, and that lessened my crankiness somewhat. I needed to get some "paper" stuff into the house just so DH can focus on me and the babe and not on running around and doing a thousand stupid things. So, we're all set for a while on dishsoap, handsoap, paper towels, blah blah blah. I bought some chux pads so I don't wreck the place immediately post-partum. I also bought some Ghirardelli Intense Dark chocolate to try to combat my mood (and nudge this baby into some motion- he or she is a slug today) and some nail polish for fun. The cashier was this very sweet teenage girl who loaded my stuff into my cart (which lately has been a complete rarity) and that was so nice!

So anyways, cranky mood. MW appointment and last birth class tonight. I'm just going to vedge out on my birth ball and see what the heck is so interesting about TV. Maybe some sleep will take the edge off.

Clara

[becoming]

I'm 36 weeks on Wednesday and right there with you ladies whose clothes don't fit anymore! I'm down to a couple pairs of pants and 4 or 5 shirts that don't make me feel so much like a whale. I am getting *so* tired of all my clothes, and I'm sure everyone around me is getting tired of seeing me in the same ones every day!

I've now officially hit my goal weight for what I wanted to be at delivery (30 pound gain), and I probably still have 3-4 weeks left. I realize that 3 or 4 pounds is not going to make that much of a difference in the long run, but it's disappointing anyway.

I just realized yesterday I don't have any baby wash/soap to bathe the baby with. I think that's the one thing I don't have, so I'll be grabbing that this weekend, and then we should be totally and completely prepared. Except for the 20-month-old who still needs her mommy every second of every day.

For the past week or so, I've been staying up really late doing things I love, like surfing the 'net or looking through cookbooks/magazines, because I know I won't have much time for myself for the next few months. I really should be catching up on my sleep, but my heartburn at night is so terrible that it's hard to sleep anyway.

Anyone else drinking massive quantities of water lately? I am so, so thirsty all the time. With all the water I've been drinking, you'd think I'd be LOSING weight, but nope -- still gaining every day!

[~Demeter~]

Yes Lindsay.... I'm so parched constantly and nothing is quenching it. The water just makes me pee so much and when I drink a pop it just makes me even more thirsty.

[50ftQueenie]

Holy Hannah. After 10 years of marriage, about 8 years of TTC, dh and I are having a baby this week. This is sort of hard to wrap my head around. I mean, I really did get to the point where I just assumed we would never have kids of our own. I'm not really scared of the induction. I've been in pain before, and this blood pressure thing is freaking me out (which is, of course, great for one's blood pressure) way more than the potential pain of being induced every could.
Wow, by the end of this week, I could have a kid AND the feeling back in the fingers of my right hand. How cool is that?
My in-laws- bless 'em. They will not let the waiting at hospital while I give birth thing die. I understand it's a cultural thing. I understand that all my SILs let them sit around and wait at the hospital while they were in labor. I understand that they don't want to be in the delivery room, just nearby. It's just not what I want. Dh is trying his best to mediate. He's been very firm with them about "no, that's not what she wants", but then he comes to me and reminds me that this is not an unreasonable request from them. He's right, it's not unreasonable for them to request it, but I did say "no". Now I'd like them to move on. They seem to think we're not going to tell them when the baby is born. Duh, of course we will. But inductions (or any labor) can take forever. I don't need to know they're milling in the hall outside the delivery room the whole damned time. Anyway, this will go on right up until the moment we leave for the hospital.
In a way, it's very sweet. This isn't just dh's parents who want to be there. It's all of his brothers and their wives and children. Cousins will probably wander in and out. I just know how I handle pain: pretty well actually, if I'm left alone. I do not handle pain so well in a crowd.
Hopefully, they'll understand. Or, they'll be pissed, but they'll get over it when they meet the baby, right? Right?

[amnda527]

I hear ya queenie! I just want to be ALONE when I'm at the hospital laboring. Even if I don't actually see my family, just knowing they are there, and that they know I'm in labor, will make me nervous and uncomfortable. I've posted before about my mom "needing" to know when the first contraction hits. I told her I would think about mayyyybe calling her on the way to the hospital. But I won't. She said that she is going to be mad if I don't call. Good!! Maybe then she will leave me alone! I just totally don't understand why people act like they can hang around and wait like that. What business is it of theirs? And why do they just "have" to know that the baby is on its way. What difference does it make to my mom if I call her at 3am letting her know that I'm on my way to the hospital, or if I call her at 7am to let her know that the baby is HERE. AAHH! Drives me nuts!! New topic! I had my midwife apt today. She is going out of town the 29th through the 8th. I'm due the 6th. Oye! Her and her assistant couldn't tell the exact position of the head, and because she was going out of town, she asked if she could do an internal to see how things were going. So I said ok. I'm only dilated a little fingertip, so I still have awhile to go. She said that I will most likely still be pregnant by the time she gets back from vacation, so she will be the one to deliver my baby. So that much is good. At first I was upset hearing that I still have awhile to go, but after some thinking, I guess it is good that I knew this. At least now I can just relax and enjoy the end of my pregnancy and not be so anxious. The past couple weeks I've been on my toes thinking, wow, it can be today!! So after hearing this I can stop thinking so much about it. Watch, now that I'm not "on guard" she will decide it's time to come!!

[becoming]

Yeah, I'm dreading the really embarrassing amount of people that will inevitably be waiting at the hospital all day (or all night) while I'm in labor. It's not that I mind them being there -- I actually think that part is sweet -- it's just that I know they will be in the way all day, and the hospital staff will be so annoyed and ready for us to be out of there! But it would do no good to protest.

[50ftQueenie]

Exactly! And I do have memories from January, when I had my surgery for my cyst. I was fresh out of surgery and hooked up to a morphine IV, and my one BIL just left his kids in the room with me. Totally typical behavior for him, by the way. I told them to hop up on the other bed in the room (which you're not supposed to do) and showed them how to work the tray. Then they were trapped! So, they sat there and watched tv and drank my juice and asked me 2 million questions until dh came and rescued us.
My other BIL's kids will be well managed, but I totally dread feeling responsible if I know that my nieces are wandering around unrestrained while I'm giving birth.

Re-reading this post, it is clear that I completely expect that they will all be there, against my wishes. I'm not going to give in and say "Yes, come on down", but I know in my heart there's no use in fighting it.

[BrownEyed]

Oh, Clara thank you for reminding me about papergoods. I had totally forgotten how much easier it would be to have paper plates and cups and to not have to worry about dishes.

I am officially at 4cm's ladies. No real labor yet, but still progressing. My MW thinks it's going to be a quick labor once it hits since I'm dialating so much already, so we'll see. I'm very uncomfortable and I feel like I might just sneeze this babe out any second.

[BumbleBena]

That sucks, Queenie! My family is the same way- if anyone's in the hospital having a baby, the whole family loads up the minivan and comes a-runnin.

I already told my mom, who has been begging me to let her be there for the birth that I will not only NOT let her be there, but I'm not calling when I go into labor. It's hard because I really want my little SIL there (she had a very traumatic botched c-sec and I would love to have her experience a natural homebirth, which is what she originally wanted), but I can't just invite SIL, because my mom would tag along, you know?

DH and I have pretty much decided to have a pseudo-UC (pseudo because we're going to have a friend there who has BTDT), but I'm still seeing my MW. I dread going, and have actually started to lie about my weight because I'm so sick of the lectures that follow. I know I'm fat, thank you! The stretch marks tell me so, I'm tired of looking at the scale, and I'm tired of hearing the "you need to cut out carbs" lecture. I should be allowed to just sit back and enjoy the last few weeks of this pregnancy- do you know how much happier I'd be if I could just not feel guilty for eating a piece of buttered whole wheat bread, or sitting on the couch with my feet up, reading a book? But the whole time, I'm sitting here thinking, "is this bread going to make me gain MORE weight?" or "I need to be on the treadmill- why am I still sitting here?"

*steam*

I need to just let go. I need to just tell the MW that she's making me miserable, and even if we hadn't already decided to have a UC, I wouldn't call her during labor anyway because of all the negative energy. Last week, when I dropped DH off for work, I burst into tears and told him I'm just about ready to throw in the towel, give up this homebirth that we so desperately wanted, and go to the hospital and let them just drug me up six ways from Sunday because I have lost my will to deal with this. Drama, I know. But I've always had issues with my body. For a while, I felt sexy. I'm gorgeous, I'm fertile, I'm glowing! But now, all I can think about is stretch marks, cellulite, and the fact that I have NEVER in my life been this heavy.

So sorry for the rant- I just really needed to get that off my chest. And I needed to confess to someone that I lied about my weight- I can't tell you how rotten I feel about that. :

[Racecar]

Wed. is the big 36 week midwives come to the house prenatal appt. I am so excited to have gotten this far. 37 weeks is technically the "coast is clear" time when I can def. have this babe at home. But I do think there is a little wiggle room once I reach that 36 week appt....on Wed. Not far at all!

I need to focus enough to make a list of the stuff that needs to get done!

I had my last full day of work yesterday. Now I will only have to make sure that everything is well stocked for whoever decides to show up and sub for me. I'm letting go of my anxiety on that one. They will make it through without me!

I still need to get hoses for the birth tub. I cleared out a very nice space for it at least.

I'm missing a bag of stuff from the dollar store. Tarps, specifically. It's not a huge deal it's just one more thing that I'd have to drag ass to get (oy my swelling feet!) if it's truly been disappeared.

I have a swank diaper/baby clothes station set up in our closet.

I still need a diaper pail. A diaper bag would be good too.

Our toilet started gurgling today while I was in the shower. Not the sound I want to hear before planning a home waterbirth! So I'm waiting on the plumber right now. I'm trying to let go of anxiety concerning how much the damage will be. I'm hoping it's just a cheap snaking job and that's that.

[DoulaClara]

Bena- I think it sounds like you're making a decision you will feel good about. No one needs negative energy around a birth. And sometimes a good hard cry really does help. I think as long as a woman is eating something that they would have no problem feeding their baby, and an occasional treat as well, you have nothing to worry about. Eating McDonalds every single meal of every day- okay that's ridiculous. But don't fret over a piece of buttered whole wheat bread!

Clara