Daily chat thread~October 16

[myrmom]

Well it's 3:30 in the morning and despite lying in bed from 11:30 on wards I can't sleep. I am very very tired but sleep evades me. I think it's becasue as soon as I lay down I hope that maybe I will go into labour sometime in the night. I don't know why I think this other then i'm 4 days away from my due date, other then that though I have no signs of labour. I haven't had any prelabour(though I didn't with either of my boys either), I have had no mucus, no bloody show, no real cramps or backache...in otherwards nothing to indicate that labour is imminent. Not to mention I was 41weeks with ds1 and 40w1d with ds2.

Mostly I just want to meet this baby and not be pregnant anymore. Physically I feel fine, which is a real kicker cuz I could probably continue pregnant for another month the way I feel. Emotionally though i'm wreck...My kids have been sick for well over a week. I have had to keep ds1 home from school this week and I Have no patience left for him...I Have no energy left to deal with his sickness...I just want to run screaming from the house. My dh's last day of work was suppose to be Friday this week and now he has scheduled an all day event for Saturday and I am really ticked off about it...I mean seriously I can't deal with this right now. I need him home to look after the boys so I can tend to me......

ugh I just needed to get this off my chest...I really am feeling sad and a bit lonely right now and want to have this baby!!!!!

[CrunchyDoula]

I am so sorry your feeling this way Maggie s

In the possibility that it may make you feel better I had NOTHING that signaled that I would be going into labor. I never lost my mucus plug and I had NO bloody show even when I was 10cm, it was just light pink. I really think it is crazy, but I guess it shows that it can happen.

I am sending you tons of Labor vibes and I hope you can cuddle your baby in your arms soon!!!

AAM:
As you can see it is 2:51am here and I'm up...and on the computer, lol. Little Mr. Christopher is a lazy nurser and takes about an hour to wake up enough in order to nurse at all. He has only nursed twice since he was born. He has a great latch, but man does he need to be coxed out of his cuddly space. So, now after trying to getting him to nurse for an hour and a half, I'm up...a bit. He has also been really gurgly so I'm paying attention to his breathing as he spit up quite a bit of amniotic fluid earlier.

I hope all you mamas are still doing well!!

[JBaxter]

I was up at 230 but mangaged to get back to sleeep then up again at 5. Jack is trying to get off is side and get back out he just cant quite make the 1/4 turn he keeps rolling back. I swear he is using his little hand to bunch up my bladder as a pillow. I have to pee like 10 drops each time hs does it

[mkmb129]

I'm sorry you're not feeling good, Maggie.

Jessica, that sounds like my Colin Only he'd wake latch on & comfort nurse-- all day long! We spent a LOT of time at the computer his first 6 months

Jeana, mine is using my bladder as a punching bag I think. I always get shots in it then feel like I have to pee. She does it over and over and over again, mostly at NIGHT when I wanna sleep. It's hard to ignore the feeling of having to go without at least trying.. and most of the time there's nothing to come out! So frustrating!


I am sick. And it sucks. Ds started with a yucky now a few days ago (and still has nothing but a yucky nose as far as I know), then the night before last I started feeling that drip in the back of my throat.. yesterday I was extra sleepy with a headache, and then trying to sleep last night was just hell. Today my nose is yucky, back of my throat sore, head hurts & I just feel like crap. I expect it only to get worse. All I want to do is sleep, but I can't. As soon as the boy wakes up, and dh is gone, I'll be exhausted I'm sure, because I won't be able to sleep. Blah.

[Skrimpy]

Maggie I'm sorry you feel so crummy! It is so, so hard to have kids who keep staying sick - it just gets very draining on you. I hope today goes better for you.

Jessica Lol I must admit I'm jealous of you being up with a lazy little nurser - I can't wait to cuddle mine!

Jeana My LO likes to punch my bladder... painful and keeps me running to the bathroom!

Megan I hope you feel better soon!!!

AAM Well I had a completely crummy day yesterday. I tried to relax our routine a little this week since DD's home school unit this week is a nature unit. Well it has been fine while we've actually been doing something but if there has been a break where we don't normally have one the kids have gone crazy. I just need to remember my kids need the routine... period. I hope they do ok the first few days after the birth - those are going to be crazy no matter who their caretaker is. Other than that, though, my house has copies of their routine all over and I've got plenty of notes. And DH will be here and he knows their routine so that's helpful. But next week we start a school break and I'm going to keep up the routine anyways. I'll just put crafts or something in the school time block. I can't deal with them going crazy because they don't have their routine.

On a happy note I did get my Hanna Anderson pilot caps in the mail yesterday, which is something I've wanted with every baby and this is the first baby I could afford to order them for

Our next few days are busy with Japanese lessons for the two bigger ones this morning and an art class for all three tomorrow morning, then our normal Saturday shopping. I'm hoping that will help the days go by faster.

[PassionateWriter]

Originally Posted by myrmom

Well it's 3:30 in the morning and despite lying in bed from 11:30 on wards I can't sleep.
Emotionally though i'm wreck...My kids have been sick for well over a week. I have had to keep ds1 home from school this week and I Have no patience left for him...I Have no energy left to deal with his sickness...I just want to run screaming from the house. My dh's last day of work was suppose to be Friday this week and now he has scheduled an all day event for Saturday and I am really ticked off about it...I mean seriously I can't deal with this right now. I need him home to look after the boys so I can tend to me......

ugh I just needed to get this off my chest...I really am feeling sad and a bit lonely right now and want to have this baby!!!!!

what the heck is our deal? you and i always seem to be awake at the same time! lol!

im sorry about teh sickies. i know you hate to hear this but its probably better for baby to stay put for now anyway. Make sure you increase your own Vit. C (drink a bunch of EmergenC).

Im feeling sad today too. I am going to have my MW strip my membranes today. I am feeling a loss w/ it but at 42.3 weeks,my confidence is waning and I just feel deep inside that something needs to assist me. DP and ds3 are still in bed (DP is scared of how long my labors are i think so he's trying to catch up on sleep). My MW is coming over in 1/2 an hour. I need to shower I guess. lol!

If anyone has any links to GREAT home birth videos, i would love to see them. I really need to get my head in the right place and I'm scared of any interventions, even now. But I guess I'm getting more scared of why my body is just not taking off here. I'll stop rambling b/c I don't even have a logical formulation of my belief system at this point...and I feel a bit shattered b/c of it. I have tried to be so grounded this whole pregnancy and now i feel like a fish out of water.

[NDFanatik]

Morning ladies... Another preggo day here. 5 days left... *sigh* Trying so hard to stay fat & happy, lol... And I'm great about it until I think about wanting to hold my baby girl, and then I get a little sad and have to go play with my boog man to get happy again. Was kind of hoping last night would be it bc I had a dream the night before that I'd go into labor... But nope. Still pregnant, lol. Today is my last appt before my due date (Tues). I dread going past my due date. Not at all because I'll be "overdue" but bc of the travel to my doctor's office. It's 1 hour one way to his office, then 15-20 mins for the appt, and then 1 hour back home. I know he'll want to see me twice a week, but there's just no way! Not with gas prices and whatnot! And then I'm sure he'll want to do an NST or an US and I'm thinking I'll decline that and just do kick counts or whatever. She's still super active in there. He's been awesome about repsecting my wishes so far and I hope he stays that way after I go past my due date.

Anywho... Sending tons of labor vibes to you ladies (especially PW ). Hope your day is more fun than mine!!!

[carolina~mom2be]

morning ladies! Sorry that I never respond to everyone else. My patience and concentration went away a long time ago I'm feeling a little crampy this morning....maybe I just need to poo though. I just had a cup of coffee yummy! I hope that some of us will have our babes today I really do enjoy seeing all of the birth announcements! We're all one day closer!!!!

[selena_ski]

PW- HUGS, i give you permission to have that baby already.

AFM- after 10 weeks of ctx and bedrest, i am having nothing. I am going on walks, having lots of sex, nesting like crazy, but nothing is giving me ctx anymore. I feel like this is going to be a repeat of last time when i spent 8 weeks on bedrest only to have DD go to 41.1. I am so tired and ready for baby to be here. on a lighter note we did our trial run with the pool MW dropped off and everything worked well.

anyways i am going to go spend the day crafting with my momma friends.

[Skrimpy]

*sigh* Just having an "I really want to meet my baby moment" I have so much planned for the next week to help keep me busy but it's these quiet little moments when I think about all the babies born already... and I just want mine

I'll stop now!

[Bella Catalina]

Maggie, I am sorry you're struggling. I am, too. Physically I feel fine--aside from the cold I caught from DS and the hip/thigh discomfort--but emotionally I am a wreck. It's absolutely pathetic that at this point PMS would be preferrable because there is an end in sight when AF shows, so I am trying to keep in mind that the end result is definitely the better of the two options

PW, mama I hope the stripping does something for you

Selena, isn't that always the way! I hope this one comes soon for you, too.

Amy Lynn, mama. I have almost an hour's drive to our appointments too and I am so hoping not to have to go back on Tuesday. I hope your little one arrives soon!

As for me... I'm kind of feeling a bit miffed. Sorry this will be long. So back when we found our mw, their apprentice was supposed to be certified in August and she lives much closer to us... so that was our agreement, that we'd have her be our mw once she was certified and able to start seeing clients from her own office. After we met with them, were happy with that plan to drive that far for appts until the end of summer etc, the mw we wanted (I'll call her ACMW for almost certified) called and said that with the way the Board worked etc she wouldn't have her paperwork until after our EDD and so we'd have to have the other midwives.
We considered it for two weeks before deciding we were okay with this, and since our initial meeting/interview, have seen ACMW once, a few weeks ago--because she happened to be down there in the office that day. I was told she'll probably be at the birth anyway, which is fine, but I don't know her like I know the other two.
So at my appt this week, main mw (who I initially wasn't sure I liked but have now since gotten to know and am very comfortable with) says that if it's okay with us, they will have ACMW (now certified/licensed) do the majority of the delivery. Of course we're entitled to say no, but am I overreacting here? We have built a relationship with main mw (and to a slightly lesser extent, her partner), and we gave up our ideal of having ACMW attend the birth (and almost didn't go with these midwives because of that)... and now they want us to let ACMW be the primary attendant... I just feel a bit let down and almost betrayed. As if this has been the plan all along yet we weren't notified until now. The stupid thing is that had ACMW been at most of our appointments, I would feel like I actually know her and would be comfortable--she was our first choice. It's probably a moot point seeing as I want to catch the baby myself and have them hands off as much as possible, and regardless, in the moment it won't really matter, but I guess I just need to process it.

[OrchideZ]

Maggie, we have same dd and I feel the same as you.:
I still am waiting on my bloodwork results re. cholestasis and feel itchy to boot.
Been popping EPO like crazy and DTD and combining the two. EPO makes a great lube.
That is all. *le sigh*

[Amber Lion]

myrmom - Hope things get better around your house soon!!

mkmb129 - sorry to hear you're sick!! That totally sucks when you're hoping that baby comes... and now it'd probably be better if baby waited a bit!

Skrimpy - I do better with routine too, which might have something to do with why *I* feel like I'm going crazy these days with nothing to do!

PW - Hoping stripping your membranes does something for you!! You've been such an amazingly strong Momma, you can do this! I don't have any specific links to great homebirth videos - but I always go to youtube and search for "home water births" and there are a few that I always enjoy watching.

Bella - I don't think you're being unreasonable in feeling like you've established a relationship with the main midwife and would prefer her. That's the whole point of midwifery care imho, the relationship you create with your care provider!! If it were me I'd say ACMW is welcome at the birth, but you want the midwife who you know and trust to be primary.

OrchideZ - Still thinking of you and sending you good labor and healthy liver vibes!!

AAM: Having a slight crisis here today. Dh found out the leader of his religion passed away this weekend; it'd be like the Dali Lama for Buddhists or the Pope for Catholics. It's a big deal. Earlier this summer he had an invitation to go meet this person, but turned it down due to expenses (what with baby coming and the meeting being in England). He never felt completely ok with turning the opportunity down and says he had a feeling that this person would die and he would never get another chance. Turns out he was right. So, fast forward to now, and the Memorial for the West Coast is going to be in San Francisco this Sunday. Dh *NEEDS* to go to this for so many reasons. I can completely understand those reasons and am not going to stop him.

HOWEVER, SF is about 6 hours away from me and I'll be 39 weeks on Friday. I'm really struggling with the idea of Dh possibly missing most or all of my labor b/c he's at this memorial. Of course, baby could choose a completely different day to arrive and it wouldn't be an issue, but it's making me extremely anxious. Dh has decided to leave very early on Sunday, hit the memorial, and drive home immediately afterward - which also makes me nervous b/c that's a very long, emotionally trying day and I'm not sure I want him driving that much in one day.

So now I'm desperately hoping baby stays in over the weekend! And I had a dream last night that my water broke and I was so happy in the dream for labor to finally be starting and to get to meet my baby. Now I'm freaked out again about the possibility of going into labor instead of welcoming the idea.

[OrchideZ]

Awww Amber, that's a tough call.
I personally think he should skip it as my DH's grandmother (his last g'parent and she helped raise him) passed away last week and he missed her memorial due to us being so very pregnant. His family understood and he did his mourning nevertheless and didn't have to be away. It would make me very nervous to have to be alone at this point.
Sending you lots of love no matter what he decides...:

I just got off the phone with my MW's office and its official...I don't have cholestasis! I am so beyond relieved. Just wanted to share.

[lee1203]

Originally Posted by OrchideZ

I just got off the phone with my MW's office and its official...I don't have cholestasis! I am so beyond relieved. Just wanted to share.

Yea!! So glad to hear this.

[OrchideZ]

Originally Posted by lee1203

Yea!! So glad to hear this.

thanks!
I still have to get another blood draw tomorrow and do some NST. They said they like to err on the cautious side and to be 100% sure the levels don't change. Also, my itch is still here and unexplained. But yes, I am relieved!:

Sending : to everyone still hanging in there!

[lovemysunshine]

Originally Posted by PassionateWriter

If anyone has any links to GREAT home birth videos, i would love to see them. I really need to get my head in the right place and I'm scared of any interventions, even now. But I guess I'm getting more scared of why my body is just not taking off here. I'll stop rambling b/c I don't even have a logical formulation of my belief system at this point...and I feel a bit shattered b/c of it. I have tried to be so grounded this whole pregnancy and now i feel like a fish out of water.

I hope the stripping works for you mama! Is it at all possible your dates are off? Just thought that might help your mental attitude a bit if you weren't positive that you were 42+3. Hopefully you're right though and your body just needs a tiny push and baby will be on its way! :

Not a super great hb video, but here's the link to my slideshow of DS' homebirth. The birth story is there too, but just a forewarning it does mention getting stuck/shoulder dystocia, so skip it if you're trying to avoid any mention of that. All went just fine though.

Originally Posted by Bella Catalina

Of course we're entitled to say no, but am I overreacting here? We have built a relationship with main mw (and to a slightly lesser extent, her partner), and we gave up our ideal of having ACMW attend the birth (and almost didn't go with these midwives because of that)... and now they want us to let ACMW be the primary attendant... I just feel a bit let down and almost betrayed.

I would definitely talk to the mw's about it; having negative feelings so close to your birth isn't going to be helpful for you. If you would prefer the primary mw to be the "main" one, then say so. Don't worry about hurting someone's feelings. Any mw worth her salt is going to understand you feeling a bond with one more than the other, especially if it's related to just not knowing one as much as another. Go with your gut here; this is your birth and the only time you will be bringing this baby into the world.

Originally Posted by OrchideZ

I just got off the phone with my MW's office and its official...I don't have cholestasis! I am so beyond relieved. Just wanted to share.

: Great news!


AAM: I decided to skip our farm field trip today and get caught up at home instead. I'm at 38+5 today and baby could really be here at any time. We have no food in the house and there are lots of things I need to get done, so we're working on that. I'm finishing up my lunch and will get back to work in a few minutes here. I think we'll go grocery shopping next before DS needs his nap.

[Bella Catalina]

OrchideZ, great news mama!

[LoveLife]

Sorry I don't relpy to everyone's posts, but know that I am reading and thinking of you all.

AAM: 38 1/2 weeks along here. Mostly feeling good, but starting to feel ready to get this baby out.

I'm trying to keep busy. Yesterday I nested and cleaned the house from top to bottom. It looks great, but didn't leave me with much to do today. LOL.
I had lunch at the mall with a girlfriend today then we went to the play area so her little one could play while we chatted. It was a nice change of pace. Dh has made some plans with some friends of ours for Saturday. He asked me about it and I said I'd rather have plans and something to do and have to cancel than to sit around waiting for weeks for this babe to come along. I'm looking forward to hanging with them.

I'm starting to get a bit impatient for this baby. I've lost bits of mucus plug all week. Then yesterday Dh and I slept together and I was very crampy all night long. But this morning it fizzled out to regular BH contractions and baby still doesn't feel very low, so I don't know what to make of what my body is doing right now. LOL.

[crosscat]

myrmom:
mkmb129: Sorry you're sick. I hope you feel better soon.
PW: Good luck to you!
Bella Catalina: Everything you shared with us re: main mw and acmw, I feel, you should be sharing with main mw. It is YOUR birth and you deserve to get what you want. It's just another birth for people helping you, while some CP are more respectful of birth than others, it's still your unique experience. Don't compromise.
Em: I'm hoping baby and daddy decide to be in the same place on the big day.

Originally Posted by OrchideZ

I just got off the phone with my MW's office and its official...I don't have cholestasis! I am so beyond relieved. Just wanted to share.

I knew it!!! Congrats! Good luck with the itchies (maybe it's just a little stress causing it?).
Lovelife: Just curious if you liked Dr. Stiles after your interview? We are really liking her.

AAB (Baby):
Today was Calla's first ped appt and we were so thrilled with her weight being only one ounce shy of her birth weight (she's only five days old)! If they had just weighed her about ten minutes earlier, we're convinced that she would have weighed OVER her birth weight because she FILLED UP a diaper big time as soon as we got to the doc's office!

Seriously it was really reassuring to know her weight was so good because we did have two rough nights with breastfeeding (first night and the third night). Thank goodness my SIL is an LC and she is AWESOME. She has taught us so much. Most of the time feedings go really well. Obviously baby is getting plenty to eat. Time to feed her again now.

Hope everyone is doing well! I wish you all the best as always.