Weekly chat for Nov. 7-13th

[DreamsInDigital]

Well, since I'm up, I guess I'll ring in the new week. I'm awake because I have a nasty sore throat, among other things, and after 5 restless hours of sleep I finally gave up and got out of bed to make some tea. I'm 38 weeks and 1 day. 13 days to go.

Hope we have lots of babies this week.

[beachbaby]

I haven't jumped in on the weekly thread in ages! I am up early for a midwife appointment this morning so thought I'd go ahead and post. I've been keeping up with all the weekly chatter and the birth announcements--it's starting to get exciting around here! :love

DID--sorry you are feeling sick; I had bronchitis a few weeks back and have *finally* stopped coughing. I think I pulled a muscle or bruised a rib from coughing so much...blech....

My last day of work was Friday....it's going to feel odd not being there today...but, I'm ready to just be hanging out at home--cooking, washing dipes and baby clothes and waiting for something to happen! :lol So far, no labor signs for me....EDD 11/18....

Happy Monday, everyone! Can't wait to hear about more babies on their way! :throb

[DreamsInDigital]

beachbaby, I stopped working 3 weeks ago and it's amazing how much housework I can get done with a toddler and a 6 year old running around. I can only imagine how much cleaning and cooking you're going to do at home by yourself!

[HoneyTree]

Morning, preggies and mamas with brand-new babes! (I may be assuming a bit much, that the new mamas of our group have the time or inclination to stay up-to-date on our chatter, but I didn't want to be exclusive :).)

Still no contractions here -- three or four pretty darn serious Braxton Hicks this weekend, but nothing like what has been described to me as a real contraction. I tried to get a lot of cleaning done this weekend, but ended up doing more movie-watching -- has anyone seen "Me, You, and Everyone We Know"? It's brilliant and adorable, and was EXACTLY the kind of movie I wanted to see. "Wallace and Grommit and the Were-Rabbit" fit the bill, too. DH's choice, "Land of the Dead," not so much. I knitted a new soaker in the next room while he watched it, and because there seemed to be quite a complex little socially conscious plot, kept asking, "What's happening now? Who just said that?" I just can't handle gore and heart-racing stuff right now, but getting a play-by-play from a very patient husband to acompany the sound track was kind of entertaining.

My goal this week is to KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN, i.e. sit still and don't do anything, as I have natural inclinations toward messiness, and to finish an article I'm working on that was supposed to be done by early October. I'm guessing my time is not going to become freed up anytime soon, so I have quite the fire under my tush to get it done NOW.

Happy second week of November -- wishing healthy, happy babies and labors to those mamas who are destined to go this week!

[willemsmamma]

Hi everyone! Didn't sleep more than an hour all last night because contractions were keeping me up. I tried to stay in bed and rest as much as possible but they kept coming. I got really hungry but didn't want to wake dh yet so I went downstairs and made some scrambled eggs and rice w/ braggs. And they went away... story of my life these past 5 weeks!

My midwife is coming up for a visit and we're going to discuss my options. I am getting nervous about the safety of my baby, the ability of the placenta to support the baby etc. I know too many moms whose babies died within months of Willems' birth because of postmature complications... so I guess this time around I consider myself forewarned by the universe. I didn't feel like this at all when I went over with Willem and was willing to wait as long as necessary. But this time, considering the flow of prebirth hormones in my system, it's hard to distinguish between fear due to other peoples' experiences and my own intuition. So I'm going to play it safe because if anything happened to my baby I would blame it on myself at this point.

That said, I'm scheduling another acupuncture appointment, this time for the actual induction points to be stimulated. I'm also making an appointment for a prenatal profile ultrasound for Thursday to determine the state of the placenta. Kinda scary... I've never had an ultrasound before. I figure the baby is well enough developed and the circumstances warrant its use.

So that's what's up with me....
DreamsinDigital (and anyone else whose sick) I hope you feel better soon! Being sick in the third tri really sucks!

[Awaken]

Ahhhhh......it's 8:30am here and ds is still asleep and dh left for work......I'm alone and drinking my RRL tea and eating my yummy pastry I got at the farmer's market yesterday- what fun :)

willemsmama- I hope you and your mw decide on some good approaches to get things moving- sounds like you already have a good plan- the acupuncture should help! And maybe you won't even need the u/s but if so hopefully it'll show a happily growing babe in there. Sorry your bday was not *great* but you know we were all thinking of you :) How was your meeting with your other MDC mom? I thought of you when we were up in the Phila. suburbs a few weeks ago but it was a really short trip.

amy- so sorry about that pain in your side!! How are you today? I hope it's subsided.

:hug To anyone who is sick/feeling crappy- sounds like there are a bunch of us :(

plagio- and anyone else who is having no real signs of labor- I feel so wierd that I don't, either! I had my son by this time (37 w)- I"ve never been pg this long! And I don't feel like it's going to be soon, either. I only had a very mild run of BH the other night and that's it. Mentally, I need to finish work this week, or at least finish tomorrow and write out a memo for whoever fills in for me- and then I'll feel freer. It'll be so different for me if I go to or near full term and have a 'regular' size baby!

kavita, DID- Yay, sounds like some productive days you've been having!! Doesn't it feel great to have things clean, somewhat organized. I keep cleaning but with our shedding dogs and toddler it doesn't last long :irked: I wish shaving our dogs was an option- but they are lab/golden retreiever mixes with short hair already so they would just shed as much, but shorter hair.

It was a good weekend for us- Sat. was the first day we had NOTHING on our calendar!! Woo hoo. It was absolutely beautiful weather, in the 70's and sunny. We went on a long walk in the woods. Sun. we had our mw appointment, then went to our farmer's market and hung out for a while and had fun. That night I went to our local birthing circle meeting which was really interesting- about chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, and other complementary medicine in preg, labor, birth, and infants. I am getting myself a massage, I've had little to no pampering this preg. so I think it's the least I deserve!!

[flyingspaghettimama]

Waa. I'm still pregnant. Ok, I'm only one day over my DD, but I really thought I would have him early, based on...well, my own imagination, I guess. And so many B-H...and, and...well, I guess not.

willemsmama, I also had a talk with my MW about options. I guess she does the biophysical profile w/ultrasound (if you want) at around 42 weeks. She also strips membranes if you wish for it - did you have that done? She suggested all of the usual methods of natural induction, but none of them sounded too hot to me, as in - I've already tried them! I might try this acupuncture method if I get fidgety by Wednesday. There are several people around here who do acupuncture.

On the other hand, I did get to spend some awesome time yesterday with my family, going for a huge walk & bike ride, eating really good homemade food, just snuggling on the couch with my daughter.

If some of you GBS FREE (lucky duckies, all of you) remember, I am GBS positive. I've decided to go down that antibiotics road, because they don't bother me that much physically and my MW has a very mellow way of doing it (20 min needle in, no hep lock to keep dry). I'm totally bummed about it though - I think I have a pretty kick-ass immune system, so I don't know why I'm positive. But even Ina May in her book defines as higher-risk women who are highly colonized. Which I am. Dang colonizers. I am oppressed by GBS.

I wonder if Flapjack Helen had her baby. I hope you feel better DiD. Colds are so not fun.

[nataliekat]

Morning, all. Well, today I'm 3 days from my due date. No progress other than one or two strong BH at night, and a lot of regular BH in the evening usually.

Trying to be strong, but right now I just want to get through the days and it's hard to really be there for Maisie. She came down with a stuffy, runny nose yesterday, poor baby. She fell asleep on the couch sitting up in the afternoon. Then she didn't sleep well last night for trouble breathing. I feel a bit of a scratchy throat this morning, so it's lots of hot tea with lots of Vitamin C for me today. Can you believe it? Three days from my due date and I'm coming down with something? Ack!

No nookie for us this weekend, because honestly I want to wait and have the baby this weekend when my mom is here. Then I don't have to worry about Maisie at all. After reading about all you prodromal mamas, I keep thinking that's going to happen to me, too. But I think it would have started before this. Hopefully I won't be a victim of disappearing contractions!

We had just about decided on a name for the baby and told Maisie we had decided on Lottie, then she said, "No, I like Clara." She keeps saying Clara is the name she likes, so she must know something we don't. After the little one arrives, we'll let her make the final call.

All right, hang tough, mamas! It's getting old saying that weekly thread after weekly thread. But soon enough it will be Dec or Jan and we'll ALL be done!

[PicnicBear]

My goal this week is to KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN, i.e. sit still and don't do anything, as I have natural inclinations toward messiness,

That's my approach, too.

Willemsmama -- good luck to you with the induction attempts -- I have never had an ultrasound either, but it sounds like this is exactly the kind of case where they can be useful so go for it and hope you get some useful info. Oh, check out my belly cast that you inspired (under belly shots)


FSM -- too bad about the GBS but that's what I would have done, too, if I were + since I am not as anti-antibiotics as some -- if like me, you don't have bad reactions to them, then you probably won't even notice you had them

[AmyGirl28]

Good morning everyone! Well, my weekend was okay. The in laws came to visit. I cooked and DH cleaned. It was nice and it made the weekend go by quickly. I am starting to count the days, all 18 of them that I have left till my due date. Then, when I reach the due date I guess I can start counting how many days late I am. Oh boy! Time is crawling. I can't wait to meet my little girl.

Lots of you mammas have been talking about cleaning. Ugh, I can't even find the motivation for that. Especially with DD running a muck everywhere making more messes.

Dreams In Digital- I'm sorry about your sore throat. I have one too. DD caught a cold at daycare. Isn't that lovely. Hope you feel better soon!

Willemsmamma- Sorry no baby yet. Hopefully you can get things started pretty soon. I'm rooting for ya!

[MamaFern]

ak. yesterday my plan was to sleep all day and try to get my body better..well that didn't happen.. stuff just kept happening..people dropping by..elwynn being needy..and i didnt even get a wink of a pnap all day long... and my throat is as sore as ever this morning. but the rest of me feels okay..or maybe im just trying to convince myself.. im sorry to everyone else who is feeling sick. its a really stressful time to be sick.. at least im having a hard time with it. im thinking of fasting today and see if that helps my body at all.. just drinking lots of herbal teas and taking it really easy. well as easy as i can with elwynn and lucas in the house all day. i just finally got the house cleaned up this weekend :bawl its a never ending cycle. oh well.. ive come to the realisation that baby will come when the time is right and if the house is a mess then the house is a mess and if i have a sore throat then i have a sore throat...i guess baby isnt going to come as early as her brother did.. that makes me kinda sad, but im also okay with it. today would be the day i had elwynn.. i was hard at work in labour..it brings back so much! i want to be holding this sweet baby in my arms sooon!!!! i guess we all feel that way now..

and to you mommas who are over your EDD i especially feel for you! i always assumed that this baby would be born by now..and its hard! :hug waiting is really hard.

im thinking about the mommas who havnt posted in a few days and wondering if they have their beautiful babies now. its so lovely sharing this exciting time with all of you. i think it would be hard going through everyday without having people to talk to about this stuff.. sometimes i think the people in my life get tired of hearing me talk about this baby!

[samsmamma]

Hello hello!

No news to report at all. Had a nice mellow weekend - took Sam to see the Wallace and Gromit movie on Saturday and did nothing yesterday. Dh seems to be mellowing out a bit, but he just feels so nervous about us doing anything that will make the baby come "right away" that I'm surprised he even let me go to work this am! ;)

Sam has been super sweet about the baby and thinks it is coming on 11/17. Which is possible. There is really no sign of much of anything going on at all. Baby feels lower, but I actually am feeling a lot better - I feel lighter, somehow, more comfortable even with the add'l pressure in my hips and groin area. So whatever it is, it is.

Some very good news though: I have been approved to work one day a week from home after my leave! I will have this privilege for 9 mos after I return, so till baby is a year, and then we will evaluate on an ongoing basis for period of 3 months at a time. I'd be happy to be able to do it till baby is about 15 mos or so (at that point with Sam, I stopped pumping, and I was on a day schedule with him by the time he was about 18 mos), so I'm really happy about this. It's a huge credit to my own decidation and work ethic, and also to my boss who really needed to fight for me for it. So yay!

I think I might get some spicy food for lunch. I keep talking to the baby and telling it to come out because it will have more fun out here, but it's not listening to me...

[rsjamison42]

Well, I had my MW appointment Friday and found out I'm GBS +. :irked: Also, the baby is still happily hanging out head-up, so we scheduled a version for Tuesday afternoon. At this point I kind of feel like I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place: it'll either be a c-section or a penicillan IV. Obviously the IV is the lesser of two evils, but I'm still not happy about it. I don't do all that well with needles, and I'm afraid that could be what starts the slippery slope of my not being able to relax. It will mean I have to go into the hosp a lot sooner than I was planning. I've seriously considered just waiting anyway (oops, too late, time to push!), but I don't want to make the MW mad at me, or give them any reason to insist on a spinal tap or something equally awful for my baby once she's born. Amazingly, dh was completely supportive of me wanting to refuse the IV; he's much more accepting of standard hosp procedures than I am. After thinking about it all weekend, though, I just don't think I could live with myself if she did get an infection, and I've already proven I'm horrible with the low odds (breech, GBS+), so I'll most likely go along with it.

On a related note, does anyone know if the eye antibiotics have any benefit with GBS? I'm not planning on giving them to her, but if they might help the chance of infection from GBS I might consider it. I've never heard any connection between the two, though.

The MW also sprung on me at the visit that if the version is successful they'll probably want to schedule an induction to make sure she doesn't turn back to breech. That's a battle I'll absolutely fight. I'm so frustrated. I've spent my entire pregnancy reading up and preparing myself physically and emotionally for a natural birth, and now at the last minute I feel like everything is conspiring against me to prevent that. I feel like I did about the best I could in finding a suitable MW on my time crunch (we just moved states, and with changing insurance and not knowing anyone in town, it was really tough to choose), but now I'm feeling like she's way more indoctrinated into the OB mindset than I wanted. Too late now.

Sorry to hear some of you are sick. Hope you feel better soon!

[flyingspaghettimama]

rjamison, I don't think eye antibiotics really do much one way or another regarding GBS. I'm declining them. GBS infection seems to be something fairly random, from what I've read. My MW said the only infection she's seen was one in which the baby came out WITH the amniotic sac (waters hadn't broken), and it was fairly obvious that the baby was sick.

Is there any way that your hospital won't hook you up for the entire time, but just a 20-min infusion every 6-8 hours? This is what I'm doing. I know it's really hard to get around "protocol" esp if the MW isn't flexible.

Ina May has a good section on GBS in her book. You might find out if you are highly colonized or less so, which would reduce risk.

[rsjamison42]

One of the things I'm going to ask about at my appointment tomorrow is the specifics of the IV treatment. If they only hook me up for 20 minutes it won't be so bad, and I know dh and I are willing to fight to have them take it out in between treatments if they don't want to. I'll also ask about the level of colonization. My copy of Ina May's guide is still packed somewhere...I can't find it. I've also considered asking them to rescreen at my 39 week appointment, assuming I make it that long. I know odds are good that I'd still be positive, but it couldn't hurt to check.

When she first did the GBS test, the MW told me a horror story (I think it was her sister) who wasn't screened, her child got an infection, and spent a month in the hosp near death. This came across to me as a scare tactic, though I hope it wasn't meant that way, which is why I think it will be a major battle if I refuse the antibiotics.

[Godiva]

I hope all the sickies feel better soon! Thankfully I got over all that a few weeks ago. I'm trying to get into my acupuncturist today to get some contractions going again. Hopefully she has something open today and I don't have to wait til tomorrow. I'm so disappointed, I had really strong contractions going for 2 days (definatly not bh's) and then they just stopped. I'm trying to be patient, but I really need Caia to come out now for my sanity. I'm starting to get a bad case of the "what ifs". She's so overdue and I know the risks of that. I know she is still very healthy and that the placenta is functioning properly but I still start worrying about what if she's not ok. What if she isnt getting enough nutrients or oxygen. It's been so long, what if she isnt comming out because something is wrong with her. I'm starting to loose faith and I'm thinking I should go to a Dr and get a U/S just to quell my fears. But at the same time, I know they are just worries because I have nothing else to do but worry. I can feel that she is ok, she is actually getting even more active than she was before, if she wasn't getting the proper nutrients she would be getting weaker, not so strong to the point where some of her kicks and punches literally feeel like she is going to claw her way out the front of my stomach. I know my instincts are telling me that she is ok. But my stupid brain keeps me worrying. The only times I ever get into trouble is when I ignore my instincts and listen to my brain. I don't know what could go wrong with just going to get a us to check her out, but something doesn't feel right about it. See now if she would just come out, I wouldn't have to worry anymore. Oh, I got a rather funny email from my aunt this morning (who I dont talk to much) saying that she was hoping that she would open her email to see a notice that I had my baby already and she "assumes that you're not near that 'magical' 42 week mark where it is wise to 'coax' the baby out because the placenta may deteriorate". No, I'm not near it, I'm way past it :D and guess what, my baby is still alive thank you very much! It's not like on week 41 and 6 days the baby is just fine, then all of a sudden overnight the placenta just stops functioning. ::sigh:: I'm just not going to bother responding to her, I know my baby is fine and that's enough. Well I'm hungry, I think I'm gonna go make some waffles.. hmm or pancakes...

[babykaoss]

I am oppressed by GBS.

Same here. how annoying, huh?

Well, as I posted in another thread, in order for my mother to be present during the delivery, baby will have to decide to come either between now and the 14th, or after the 21st which is my EDD, because mom is flying to san diego for grandma's 80th birthday party. she has non refundable tickets and i guess this was planned a long time ago. it makes me crazy though, because she doesnt much care for her mother in law.......and i KNOW she'd rather stay here w/ me just in case but...........yeah that's not going to happen. :(

so i'm really trying not to be frustrated because other than really constant, strong B& H and the stabbing pains in my cervix nothing unusual has been going on. Unless you count that in the last few days if I stand up from sitting down, or try to walk right after being seated my stomach gets so tight and uncomfortable that i literally have to stop and not move for a few moments...........anyone else experiencing this?!? Never happened to me w/ dd! :blah

[spughy]

Good morning everyone!

No signs of imminent baby here. Just the usual minor aches and pains. It's a nice day at the moment so I think I'll go for a walk before it rains.

rsjamison - one of my best friends had the same thing happen with her first baby as your midwife described but I don't think hers was in the hospital for a month with his GBS infection, maybe a week? It was still pretty scary. That's the problem with GBS, it's rare that a baby will get an infection but they do happen. But it is your choice what to do about it - if you have difficulties with antibiotics the odds for good outcomes might favour not treating you and only treating the baby if it gets infected.

My friends had a baby shower for me yesterday and I didn't get one single thing I didn't want!!!! Tons of books (yay!), the cutest little star-shaped fleece bunting bag, some bunnykins dishes and a few little clothes (we had to put the little socks on my friend's cat, they were just too cute... fortunately the cat is tolerant). Anyway, it was really nice and nowhere near the estrogen-infested hell I had imagined it could be, even though none of my guy friends got invited.

Hope everyone has a good week, and babies start popping out like spitballs from a straw in the hands of an eight-year-old!

[snugglebutter]

37w 5 days here - just got back from my midwife appt. My GBS test came back negative YAY! Everything is looking good otherwise. I found out that the other midwife in the group switched to a different practice - so if I give birth on my midwife's "off" weekend then it will be attended by one of the ob's. :( That is this Fri-Sun - hopefully she will not decide to come out then!

Afterwards I stopped at the hospital's breastfeeding store to get a bra. I have a couple of cheapies from Target that I am happy with, but wanted to also have something with a little more support. I ended up with a Medela seamless softcup bra. The LC at the store was very helpful in making sure I got a good fit.

We did a little "stock-up" shopping over the weekend - things like toilet paper, a few frozen dinners, etc... And I picked up a few more Christmas gifts. Hopefully I can get some stuff done around the house today, but I also plan to rest!

Hope everyone is having a peaceful week. I just love coming to the board to read about more new babies!!!!

[spughy]

so i'm really trying not to be frustrated because other than really constant, strong B& H and the stabbing pains in my cervix nothing unusual has been going on. Unless you count that in the last few days if I stand up from sitting down, or try to walk right after being seated my stomach gets so tight and uncomfortable that i literally have to stop and not move for a few moments...........anyone else experiencing this?!? Never happened to me w/ dd! :blah

Yeah I totally get that, especially in the evenings. Not so bad that I can't move but it's certainly less than comfortable. And it makes me have to pee. Ah well, it can't go on for TOO long!

[Slackermom]

:yeah: Especially if I've been sitting awhile. I feel like I'm grabbing my crotch more than Michael Jackson grabs his.

I finished work a couple of weeks ago, but there's been no time to relax. Between taking care of sick parents, a toddler, and getting all the things on my "to do" list done, I haven't been able to rest much. In fact, I think I was more rested at work! I've got most things done now, though...just DD's 2nd birthday party to get through on Sunday, and that's very low key.

I have a cold, too. So even though I'd been hoping I'd go early with this one, I'm content to keep waiting until I feel a little better!

[Feathere]

Hi Mamas,
Sorry to hear so many of you are sick! Here's hoping the ickies go away quickly so you have feel 100% for birthing.

No big news here--had check up today, measuring 40 cm, baby is head down, thankfully, no bladder infections or anything... and nothing else, either! My dd is Friday and I was just aching to have the baby this weekend. My first was born on a weekend (a week past due) and some how I have it in my head that this one will show up on a weekend, or start to arrive, on a weekend too. So I was all moody and frustrated half of Sunday, despite going to church and napping and otherwise trying to distract myself. I started to walk on the treadmill again (got lazy a while ago) in the hopes that it might get things going... had some contractions this am as I made it to a mile, but they don't last. Oh well. I am seeing the chiro tomorrow for some accupuncture. Can't hurt! MW says the baby feels to be around 8 to 8.5 pounds and I am afraid it might get bigger! Eeek!

Willemsmamma, hope you conversation and decision about possible induction goes well. I know the feeling to wanting to wait it out, but yet wanting to be done. It's hard to be past due! FSM, good luck to you--hope you don't have to go too far past due either.

Anyone know statistically, if you are past due with the first, you'll be past due with a second?

[willemsmamma]

...and babies start popping out like spitballs from a straw in the hands of an eight-year-old!
Spughy, you made me smile :thumb

Well, so my prenatal went well. My midwife is THE BEST :love !!! I'm so lucky to have her on my side! With 8 babies and 7 of them "late" she knows exactly how it feels to be a long gestator. :lol She did an internal and as we suspected, everything is ripe and soft and I'm ready for labor. She could stroke the top of my baby's head through my cervix... weird that my baby can be so close to the exit yet still be comfy-cozy inside. She also stretched me (mostly to help stimulate protaglandin release) to about a 4 and it didn't hurt or wasn't uncomfortable in any way.

So the plan is to get a biophysical profile ultrasound done asap. But my backup OB is apparently upset that I never got my dating U/S when we had that mixup back when I was 34 weeks and went in for my meet the backup OB visit and she measured me 5 cm smaller and made me all freaked out about having PROM. She really left the decision up to me and when all the other tests came back proving that I was gestating normally I obviously decided against it. Well, so now she wants to order BOTH a date u/s and then the longer scan too (doesnt' make sense but oh well).
I have an appointement with the acupuncturist tomorrow night (she agreed to see me after hours at 8pm because that's the only time she has open). I'm hoping to high heaven that I go into labor tonight or tomorrow night so I don't have to get all caught up in all the medicalized procedures (even though at this point, like I said I'm concerned and feel like they should be done for peace of mind, if anything).

I'm really feeling that "any day now" feeling (even though I've felt it for the past 5 weeks :lol ) It's almost unreal with all this waiting that I'm actually going to have a baby soon. There is NO WAY that I can be pregnant for another week, I know this baby will shoot out like a spitball sometime in the next couple of days!

[MelW]

Hello from the land of postpartum...

Today is my "due" date- hard to believe my little Neela will be a week old tomorrow. My milk is here is full force- and I expect that she'll have gained weight (the midwife will visit and weigh her tomorrow). She's looking chubbier already. We had a hellacious couple of days of cluster feeding to get all of this milk happening, and my nipples are kind of trashed. So...working on PERFECT latch and healing now. But she's sleeping three to four hour stretches after some of her good feeds- and I feel terrifically rested today.

I'm not staying caught up with the board of course, but drop by to see who is birthing. I'm excited to hear about all of your new babies soon!

Eventually I'll get some photos and a full birth story done- but probably not any time soon...

[BensMom]

Hi all! Took me all day to get caught up!

I went to the MW appt this morning. Measuring 45! - I'm hoping it a breech thing. :lol But the baby has dropped lower in my pelvis, so I think she is breech to stay. I feel more pressure in my pelvis and occassionally crampy and twingy on my cervix. I hope something happens soon, as we have childcare for the week and my Dr is available all week. This weekend, things get complicated.

I am about to go out to dinner with some friends for a small "shower" - just the 5 of us. Should be nice.

I hope all of you overdue mamas have babies soon! That would be so hard to wait 2 or more weeks, with all of the worries creeping in. Good luck on the u/s willemsmama - I didnt have one until the end either. I am not a fan of them for no reason, but sometimes life throws us a curveball. Glad to hear you are going with the flow.

Mel, thanks for checking in! Life in postpartum land sounds fun!

Hugs to the sick mamas. I think my bronchitis is on the way out, I just have a nagging cough that hits me every now and then and sends me into major spasms. Yuck!

Well, I am off to go get DS bathed and then to clean up myself soon. One hour til freedom! :p

[gonnabeamom]

Hey all,

I almost feel like my check in post is redundant. I've been out of commision for a couple of weeks between being sick -with a sore throat and laringitis, and having my network down half the time.

So in the meantime I did go out on Halloween with my belly painted as a pumpkin. Not nearly as professional a job as the posted pics-I did it myself and I could barely reach around to paint the mouth. Still lots of people got a kick out of it and it was fun.

I've been being pretty frantic getting the last minute stuff done, and I'm trying to slow down. It's hard because I can always think of one more thing that would make post baby life easier.

My last midwife appointment was pretty cool. We did the whole last review of stuff before the birth an I'm feeling pretty prepared. Birth tub is here, birth kit is here, there are a few tiny details to take care of, but almost everything is ready. Baby has moved over to left and head down, but hasn't dropped yet, so the midwives said probably another two weeks at least (from last Wednesday.) They went to do cervical massage, an it turns out I'm already effaced!! They seemed pretty excited and I am as well.

Got to go put the feet up and see if I can rest after a short night of sleep.

[Queen of Cups]

OMG. I just spent 8 hours building a train table for Killy. (Can anyone say nesting?) Its supposed to be a present from the baby for Killy when we get home from the hospital, and I feel like I'm getting very close so I woke up this morning knowing it HAD to be done today. And, it basically is. Just waiting on the superglue to dry and then DH is going to screw the last few pieces of the track to the table. I went all out on this project... and I'm so exhausted and sick right now I think I'm going to die! Anyway, its in the garage right now, but its made to fit over the coffee table top. Here's a picture:

Queenie's big project (http://www.photogrove.com/gallery/albums/album416/PICT5996.sized.jpg)

(I'm just the slightest bit annoyed with DH - I started planning this 3 months ago and he acted all suportive saying he'd build it and all I'd have to do was paint it and do the foam edges/cloth covering. As of this morning he had not even measured the stupid coffee table so I decided I better just do it all myself. So, I went and bought the lumber, the foam, the fabric... then came home and painted and built and assembled all day. DH was good about coming and helping me when I needed it, though. Its so big I could hardly manuver it!)

Anyway, I think I might go into labor tonight after all this work today. Plus, when I checked myself the day before yesterday my cervix was REALLY far forward and I think I could actually feel my bag of waters bulging and I swear at I was 5cm. Of course, I'm so bad at checking myself toward the end of pregnancy I could be totally off... I've had contractions all day, but I've been chalking them up to doing so much work.

[PicnicBear]

OMG -- QofC that is awesome but where do you get the energy? I am really a pretty fit person but my legs feel SO tired from doing just a regular active day of stuff. Maybe it is different for different people -- obvioulsy it must be. I have been on my butt all day except to switch the loads for the diaper prewashing/drying routine. I feel like my body needs this rest. It is interesting that others seem to be so active -- I mean, I know you say that you feel tired, but I am to the point where I just could NOT do something like that.

Well, more power to ya, mama :twothumbs

I'm sure your son will be thrilled!

[AmyGirl28]

I just read that a December mamma had her baby already... and I'm still pregnant. Whaaaa!

[*Amy*]

Hi mamas!
I haven't been online much the past few days, but I have been thinking a lot about everyone: the sick mamas, the prodromal mamas, the waiting mamas, and the mamas with babes already (I am SOOOO excited that Gunter had her baby today!!). It seems like so much is going on, it's hard to keep track of everyone. I've been thinking about how we've all been hanging out together for the past 7-8 or so months, which seems like a long time in real life, but has really flown by. I was remembering all of the big high-points we've shared with each other, getting through the first trimester, starting to show, feeling these babies move for the first time, or getting our ultrasounds (those who did) and finding out gender, picking out names, etc. We've been through SO much together!! It seems weird that this little chapter in our lives is coming to an end. I guess I'm getting sentimental about it all, and all of the mamas that I have come to love so much!!!! :throb

I have about 2.5 weeks til my due date, and I alternate between feeling like she is going to be here any second, and that she is never going to be here and life will always be like this and I will always be 9 1/2 months pregnant. I guess it's still really abstract to me that very soon we are going to have a teensy baby living with us! I keep feeling like we have plenty of time to do those "last" things, like our last nice dinner out without an infant, or our last movie date without a baby...stuff like that. It just doesn't **really** seem like life is ever going to change. It's weird.

I've also been dealing with some emotional issues regarding my MIL. I'm still resisting her involvement *big-time*, and trying to get to the root of it so that I don't feel so torn about what I feel, and what I think I should be doing in this situation. It brings up a lot of issues left-over from my earlier life, and I'm trying to come up with a good plan so that I am not a disaster when she comes to visit around Christmas.

I guess I am just intensely feeling that my life is about to change in the most drastic way that I have ever experienced, and it's making me really thoughtful and introverted and calm, like I need a lot of time in my head. It's probably making things worse ( :lol ) but it's just where I am.

Anyway sorry to ramble on. :blah

QoC, damn, you are the woman!!! I hope all of that exertion on your part gets things movin' with the babe!

Willemsmama, get that baby outta there girl!

Jenn, glad to hear that you are sounding more peaceful about the breech situation.

Spughy, yay for your fun baby shoewr!

MelW - so good to hear from you and I am happy that life is going great with the babe (except the sore nipples! :angry ).

Flapjack, are you having your baby? Where are you?

Everyone else, hugs and kisses to my cyber-homegirls!!!! :Kiss

[PicnicBear]

[QUOTE=*Amy*]

I've also been dealing with some emotional issues regarding my MIL. I'm still resisting her involvement *big-time*, and trying to get to the root of it so that I don't feel so torn about what I feel, and what I think I should be doing in this situation. It brings up a lot of issues left-over from my earlier life, and I'm trying to come up with a good plan so that I am not a disaster when she comes to visit around Christmas.

QUOTE]

From what people have been telling me -- it's normal to be super-sensitive about MIL issues around this time -- independent of how annoying they may or may not be. I don't remember what specific issues you had with yours, if you have shared them, but even if it's just general dis-ease, people have been telling me that it's normal b/c I have had those feelings too. I found myself complaining about little things about her to DH way too much and then started to feel bad that I had gotten so nit-picky so I try to stop myself from saying, out of the blue "you know, your mom . . ." I'm sure it was difficult for him.

[MamaFern]

well i just did my belly cast.. i had this moment of.. if i dont do it RIGHT
NOW i wont gett to do it.. but i didn't have any help and the boobs are all crumbly because i kept having to move my arms and body to get the strips into the water and on my body.... the belly part is okay... but it started to peel off before it was dry.. i could have used
more plaster.. im kinda bummed anout how it turned out ( but damn is my belly big!) and REALLY hope i dont go into labour tonight cause i want to do another one but i dont have any more supplies.. sometimes being impatient isnt such a great thing..oh well...

[BensMom]

Just got back from dinner with my friends. These are my mainstream friends who all thought I was nuts for having a HB and now think I am nuts for planning a vaginal breech birth. But at least they are supportive over all. I received some wonderful baby things and a gift cert for Target. Now I am all excited about buying some baby girl clothes! :throb

I have this feeling about tomorrow. It could be wishful thinking, but I keep thinking that would be a great day to have this baby! So I am going to go to bed and will myself into labor! :lol

[DreamsInDigital]

It's 10:30. Everyone else is asleep. I *am* tired, I just can't fall asleep. Ugh when will this insomnia end?!?!?!

[MamaFern]

It's 10:30. Everyone else is asleep. I *am* tired, I just can't fall asleep. Ugh when will this insomnia end?!?!?!

im with you momma.. and baby feels like its trying to push its way out of me.. :lol its head butting me so hard!

ive been trying to nap all day and havnt had a wink of sleep.. im so tired. whats wrong with us?

[zjande]

ME TOO! Sooo tired, so sleep deprived, but can't sleep, not even a nap. And now it's 11pm & I'm still excitedly putting away baby stuff we got from our shower yesterday & doing the whole late night nesting thing. It IS weird, isn't it? I guess we're all suffering some sort of late pregnancy insanity or something.

Good luck BensMom!!

Aren't I a dork.... as soon as midnight hits I always announce how many days I am now due in. Shortly it will be 15, only 15! :flipped

[DreamsInDigital]

Heh, I do that too. Soon it will be 12 days for me. Not that the EDD makes ANY friggen difference. I know I'll still be pregnant long after November 20th passes.

[MamaFern]

4 for me!!!

[willemsmamma]

... yeah and here are all these babies... popping out like spitballs from a straw in the hands of an eight-year-old! and I'm sitting here 17 days OVERdue :mischief

I know I've said this before but it is so frustrating to have contractions that aren't turning into labor... :(

[samsmamma]

Here's hoping for a good day for everyone!

I was having some stronger ctx last night that were going down into my thighs, and that delightful knife in the cervix feeling, but then of course they stopped and so far things are quiet this AM. I'm up early so I can go and vote, not that A, my vote will make any difference or B, that any of the issues I really care about are going to get anything more than a lot of lip service. I mean, is it so weird to want affordable housing, decent education and good healthcare in one of the world's biggest cities? The mayor keeps saying NY is expensive, has always been expensive and will always be expensive, yet the middle class is totally being priced out of the city in a way that we've never seen before, our landlord is a scumbag and trying to turn all the apartments in the buildings on the block into co-ops and offering people a whopping $5k to move out (many of the people in our building pay very very low rents and don't have big incomes, so that may seem like a lot, but you can't start anywhere else for $5K!) and it all just ticks me off. Sorry for the rant, but that was what I thought about all night with my insomnia.

In the meantime, I have my 38wk MW appt today, so we'll see that baby is happily laying there, moving down but not doing much of anything else. Now I'm hoping it does wait a little while so I can enjoy my massage on Sunday and then DH has a dentist appt next Wednesday that I want him to be able to get to so he can get an appt with the oral surgeon...and woulnd't it be nice if he could have his surgery before the baby comes? At the same time, I still say sooner rather than later. Not enjoying waiting!

It's going to be hectic at work today, but I'll post again when I can. Happy Tuesday!

[HoneyTree]

I love reading this thread first thing in the morning -- it almost always readies me for my day of being pregnant, giving me a bunch of mama-thoughts and stories and experiences into which I can orient my own. :throb

MamaFern, I did my belly cast last night, too. I'm glad I waited; everything is HUGE and ROUND. I had a couple of friends help me, but I have some questionable spots on mine as well, especially at the bottom of the belly. I'm just planning on going over it with plaster of paris after the baby, which makes it much sturdier than those pre-plastered strips. It took a lot out of me doing that project!! And it forced me to be OK with my big, low right boob and my slightly but noticeably smaller, higher leftie!

So I finally felt the bowling-ball-between-the-thighs thing yesterday. Walking became an exercise in properly shifting my incredibly low center of gravity laterally instead of moving gracefully forward in fluid movements. I thought it meant the baby had dropped for sure, and was REALLY looking forward to that repreive from heartburn, but no such luck. Either the drop was not complete or baby's legs are super long (unlikely, given DH and my genes!) because I still feel movement and discomfort near my fundus.

I'm having a bout of super sleepiness, too -- like, pass out if you don't lay down RIGHT now sleepiness! I don't know what it's all about, but I'm just trying to follow my body's lead.

QoC, love the table, and GO YOU for taking on such a project! I've been feeling crafty/nesty, too, but haven't managed to rustle up the proper outlet yet! (Artfully folding baby clothes has lost its appeal after three weeks!)

And Amy, I totally feel you on the MIL thing. I know you've been dealing with this thing almost the whole time -- please tell me she's at least given up the "first bath" battle (that was one poinit of contention, no?). My MIL announced last month that she was getting married to her 13-year partner, and chose the date of November 26. I'm obviously bowing out, along with baby, but MIL is making a REALLY big deal about DH going. And surprisingly, only one of his 4 siblings seems to agree that it is a given that a man with a 2-week-old or less baby and immediately post-partum wife shouldn't be leaving town for the weekend, either, if it can be avoided. I'm secretly hoping that if she gets pissed off enough about him not going, that she'll decide not to visit until the spring. Such horrible thoughts to have to entertain in these our last couple of weeks!!!

[*Amy*]

My MIL announced last month that she was getting married to her 13-year partner, and chose the date of November 26.

Nothing like a little carefully-scheduled power struggle huh? :irked: Unbelievable!!

You know, I don't want to hijack this thread for this so I will start a new thread for "issues." Hop to it here (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?p=4077618#post4077618).

Anyway, Monique honey, I am so sorry this seems to be the never-ending pregnancy for you!! You must have the most comfortable womb in the world! :lol

Erica, I hope things pick back up for you today!

And to all the sleepless mamas....I feel ya. I can only sleep on my left side now (laying on my right side causes the horrible round ligament pain) so I'm kind of a zombie today. Is it wrong to say I am getting SO sick of this? Not being pregnant per se, but being f-ing uncomfortable no matter what position I'm in? Enough already!!

[Godiva]

:hug to you willemsmama! I'm in your boat too and it sucks!!! I think we are the only ones left of the October mamas that haven't delivered yet. Umm I don't wanna count how many days I'm overdue, I may just cry..umm ok I just did, 28 days! I keep trying to tell myself that Oct 11th wasn't THAT long ago. Our wombs must be like the hilton or something! Our babies just don't wanna leave. I know I have a roomy pelvis and all, but cmon, it MUST be getting tight in there... I hope you go soon (but not before me please, I don't wanna be the last! :bawl )

[MamaFern]

MamaFern, I did my belly cast last night, too. I'm glad I waited; everything is HUGE and ROUND. I had a couple of friends help me, but I have some questionable spots on mine as well, especially at the bottom of the belly. I'm just planning on going over it with plaster of paris after the baby, which makes it much sturdier than those pre-plastered strips. It took a lot out of me doing that project!! And it forced me to be OK with my big, low right boob and my slightly but noticeably smaller, higher leftie!



i have 2 totally different sized boobs too.. elwynn loved nursing on my right side a lot more than my left and so my left side is still kinda perky and smaller (as perky as can be after 2 plus years of nursing) and my left is all floppy and saggy and bigger.. oh well. thats what they are for.. right? not to look pretty but to noursish our babies.. i didnt do it alone because im ashamed of my body. im so in awe of my body right now.. i just had this feeling that if i didnt do it then i would go into labour and never get it done.. but my instincts proved wrong..againi did have some crampiness that woke me up a few times in the night though!! who would ever think to be happy of pains that wake you from sleep? only very pregnant woman :lol

also i had 3 not 4 rolls of the plaser and it would have been better with 4. im sending my sister off to get more and we are doing another one!!

bailey & williesmama - i feel for you :hug im getting crazy and im not even at my EDD yet you woman are amazingly strong.. sending you :dust that those babies come soooon!! :heartbeat

[Queen of Cups]

Well, I'm a bit bummed. Even after all my exhausting work yesterday, I don't seem to be that much closer to labor. I dialated less than 1cm this week (I'm now at a "generous 4"), effaced just a little bit, and the baby is still at a -1/-2 station. BUT, I'm now measuring 2-3 weeks ahead, even though I lost a couple pounds this week. Though, my midwife did say that some women loose weight right before going into labor, and she did say my cervix "felt" like I was right on the verge of going into labor. But, since last time I walked around at 6cm for a few days, she's not holding her breath yet. And, she said she'd reccomend an ultrasound if I haven't delivered by next Tuesday. She PROMISED me she wouldn't pressure me for an induction or c-sec, no matter what the ultrasound says, but that it would be good information to have going into labor. She's guessing my 37w2d baby (as of today) is at about 8lbs.

Wah! I feel very sorry for myself right now. I don't want to deal with big-baby stress, I don't want to go into labor knowing that I have a gi-normous baby after I had to push for 2.5 hours with DS who was only 7lb 11oz - its stressful to think about.

The good news was that my blood pressure is still great, urine sample was fine, and I've lost some weight, so my total weight gain has only been 30 lbs this time. At least if I have a big baby I'll be back at pre-preg weight by the family reunions at Christmas... how sad that that's the only thing cheering me up at the moment?

[samsmamma]

Just feeling a little chatty...

I had spicy bbq last night for dinner and I just ate some very spicy Korean food for lunch. So let's see if anything happens.

While it may not look like baby has dropped, I have so much space between my boobs and where I feel baby now that I can tell it is down more than it has been. I'm starting to wonder about its size...maybe I'll ask tonight at my check up.

[AmyGirl28]

17 more days to go, maybe less, maybe more. I feel so bad for you overdue mammas. I am getting impatient already. I can't imagine how you feel. I am trying to stay busy, but baby is the only thing on my mind. Ugh!

[PicnicBear]

Hey -- just got back from my almost 40-wk MW appointment. I am "due" Thursday, so 2 days. I go back next Tuesday if I don't have the baby before then. I declined the internal exam. She said that the baby had dropped since last time since the head is so low, but I don't really feel any different, the baby has always been low-ish. She said that when I go back next week (at which time I would be 40 wks 5 days, they would want to do a non-stress test. I didn't say much and thought to myself "well, maybe" but I don't know if I would be up for that by then -- I think I would prefer to wait til my 41 wks 5 days appointment (if it comes to that). I have not had the doppler or any ultrasound yet -- I'm not opposed to it if it could be useful and I will have it for sure during labor, but I think waiting a week makes more sense. I mean, we always poke the baby a lot when we are feeling for position at my appointments and the baby always reacts by moving a lot and having the heart rate go up, so s/he's definitely responsive.

[babykaoss]

sorry if this is a bit OT but what is the benefit of eating spicy food again?

[samsmamma]

Spicy food can help bring on labor. It has something to do with the impact on your digestive system and making things move around which can in turn make the uterus have real contrax. I think.

[Feathere]

Hi!!
Hope this isn't too much information but I am so excited, I have bloody show!!!! I realize it might still be a good while but I am so thankful for a sign that something is happening!!
More later--I have to nap now, while dd takes hers.

[flapjack]

Sorry I haven't been around much: we called in the troops (my mother, the family matriarch) for a spot of shock and awe tactics after all of the adventures of last week, therefore I've had almost no time to myself to mope, feel miserable or use the computer. No baby, no excitement. I spent an hour in the antenatal assessment unit yesterday afternoon, just checking that baby was coping OK with the frequent contractions, and got talking to a woman due the same day as me, with two boys the same age as me, who was showing all of the symptoms of pre-eclampsia and was truly truly miserable: it really made me feel grateful for what I have. Plus, of course, baby got to spend a fun thirty minutes trying to push the tocograph thingummy off the top of my tummy. Looks like his movements were fine after all :)
Strange question: am I the only person who googled DIY caesarean to see what came up??? The other mummies in the school yard think I'm nuts...

[willemsmamma]

I just read that a December mamma had her baby already... and I'm still pregnant. Whaaaa!


You're still pregnant....what about bailey228 and me??? :D

[MelW]

Strange question: am I the only person who googled DIY caesarean to see what came up??? The other mummies in the school yard think I'm nuts...

Just lurking a bit while baby naps (I know I should be napping, too...), but you made my day! :LOL Did you come across the story about the woman from Mexico who survived? It's a totally amazing story!

[zjande]

Strange question: am I the only person who googled DIY caesarean to see what came up??? The other mummies in the school yard think I'm nuts...

OMG did you actually find info about such a thing?? I'm all for googling weirdo stuff, I hadn't ever thought of that one though!

You know, I'm really strangely happy. I was pretty depressed the last 6 weeks or so of my pg with ds, I'm so grateful that hasn't happened to me this time. I'm impatient, but perfectly excited that I'm having this baby soon. Like AmyGirl though, the baby is the only thing on my mind like every second.

Feathere, how totally exciting!!! :bouncy

[DreamsInDigital]

I had to keep DS6 home from school today because of his 103 degree fever and what do you know? Of course all the moms are calling asking if I'm in labour! ARGH thanks for reminding me. 12 days to my EDD.

[willemsmamma]

I'm having a bout of super sleepiness, too -- like, pass out if you don't lay down RIGHT now sleepiness! I don't know what it's all about, but I'm just trying to follow my body's lead.



That's exactly what it feels like when my blood pressure dips really low (especially the diastolic reading). Do you have a history of low blood pressure? :shrug

[willemsmamma]

Just lurking a bit while baby naps (I know I should be napping, too...), but you made my day! :LOL Did you come across the story about the woman from Mexico who survived? It's a totally amazing story!


I READ THAT STORY!!! She was like hours away from any medical help and was in labor all alone and knew that if she didn't do something drastic she would die and the baby would too. So she took a couple swigs of RUBBING ALCOHOL (I thought that stuff was poisonous), grabbed a kitchen knife, bit down on a wooden spoon and started carving. Baby came out and latched on and she passed out. I think the drunken dad came home to a sobering sight, took her to the hospital and everyone survived/was fine. That's got to be the most incredible unassisted childbirth story I've ever heard. That woman has got more than guts!!!!

[zjande]

WOW. That story is shocking, I had to look it up & forward it to dp. But does anyone know of a more informative article? I couldn't find one that explained very much. Has it ever been said why she couldn't push the baby out naturally? That's so amazing.

[Godiva]

I am so in love with my husband it's crazy. He always knows what to say to me to make me feel better or to make me laugh. Today when we were walking our puppies along the river we were talking about how Caia won't come out and now my family is starting to do "research" (ya know the articles that say a baby will die at 42 weeks if not induced :rolleyes ) and really as much as I trust that she is taking her time because she needs it, I can't help but start worrying about all the "risks" of a postdates baby. I didn't even need to tell my husband that I was worrying, he just knew I was upset and said "well she is better off in there obviously, otherwise she'd be out here with us. Mabye she just needs more time to develop and grow before she is ready." That just made me feel so much better and more confident. That was comming from his heart, he doesn't spend hours researching birth like I have been for weeks. He said that because he honestly feels that way. It just meant the world to me that a belief I have been struggling to convince myself of just comes so naturally for him. If he can so easily trust me and the baby, then surely I can too. I love him so much, I couldn't have picked a better husband. (hmm actually Caia picked him for me kind of, she came to us even though we wern't married and I was on the pill, she knew something more than either of us did. Obviously if she knew that much, she knows enough to pick her own birthday.) :throb :love :heartbeat

[flapjack]

Bailey228, that's how we feel about Alex. He was a pill-and-condom baby, conceived more or less to the minute that we found out that my father was dying: and whilst he drives me nuts every day of his life, he is a total blessing- very loving and giving, but incredibly strong-willed and does things his way or not at all. Has done since he was a fetus, bless him :)
If your library has it, go and read The Indigo Children.

[*Amy*]

I've heard of the Indigo Children but I thought it was about special needs kids or something. Now I'm curious, I will have to go google it after I read about the unassisted c-section woman. My GOD, how unbelievable is that. It's like the hiker guy who cut off his arm because it was trapped under a boulder. Do you ever ask yourself if you would be able to do that if it were you? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't.

Anyway, my in-laws (DH's dad, step-mom and two little sisters) are coming today and I'm actually excited about it. They will be here til Saturday night so I will probably be off-line so DON'T all go thinking I'm having my baby or anything because I'm about 99% that isn't going to happen this week!! :lol

I hate that I won't be able to check in to see who is having babes, but here's who I predict will go before I check back in:

:dust

Flapjack
Willemsmama
Bailey
Plagio
Feathere

:fingersx: :fingersx: :fingersx:

[Frigga]

I'm really torn on the whole Indigo Children thing. I've heard a few diff. versions of it. I got my cards read a few months ago and was told that all my children are Indigo (diff. versions). I don't know how I feel about the whole old souls from other galaxies thing, and I've also heard that they're aliens :scratch ? I don't know all that much though. Haven't read about them. I'll have to check it out, though no time soon because I'm in the middle of taking 2 courses in college. I like to think we're witnessing a beautiful case of evolution before our eyes and our children are part of wonderful awakening in inteligence, both emotional, and congnitive :) . With that being said, the conceptions of my first and last are right along both your stories, and the personality of my Caydan (middle boy) sounds just like your Alex. He's into EVERYTHING, wants to know everything, and be everything. ABove it all he's so sensitive and concerned about us. He's the sweetest little bobbin! :throb
On another note, I can't get over how diff. each pregnancy is. I just can't wait to meet our daughter. The big thing is how much I love her and how much our family's love will grow when everyone else will get to know her. I didn't feel this with my boys during pregnancy, but right away after. I already love her so much, it's crazy... :heartbeat

[snugglebutter]

38 weeks today and soooooooooooooo excited that I don't have to be anywhere! LOL My various appts are usually on Mondays and Tuesdays and being in the car usually brings on my rib pain. So today I am staying home! (unless I end up baking more than one batch of muffins - then I need some eggs LOL)

Dh's sister had her baby last night - a boy! This is #5 for them and their second boy. Her due date was today and this is the first time she didn't go "over" and I think it kind of caught her off guard. LOL

Now I am off to get started on my "to-do" list........

[HoneyTree]

WHOA on the unassisted cesarean. I've always wanted to think that I could do something amazing like that, and that I've just never been tested. But when I think about how just a few years ago I sat on the edge of my tub crying my eyes out for an hour because I had a big ole splinter in my thigh that I couldn't get out with tweezers, and how I had to wait until DH got home to help me, I wonder just how well I'd pass... It totally makes you understand why for so long myths persevered, like as a people we needed to know that amazing, inhuman feats were possible, and that any one of us, assisted by whatever divine power, could do amazing things when the time came. I think of that sometimes when I think of yet another little birth mantra that I've taped to my mirror -- "Get out of your head." I feel like on some level I need to allow myself to access that really primitive place where cutting off your arm or carving open your own abdomen isn't a sensationalized story on par with "Fear Factor," but an action that ensures your and your child's survival.

Hmm. Heavy thoughts for a Wednesday morning!

So let me just put this out there -- have any of you had births suddenly, with no clear signs leading you to it? I'm just wondering if there's any chance at all that I'll have this baby on Friday (my EDD) considering my total lack of major change, the fact that baby hasn't dropped, etc.

[HoneyTree]

And P.S., is anyone else unreasonably tempted by those little champagne glasses that we all post for congratulations? Here, let me torture myself:

:champagne :champagne :champagne


I can almost never finish more than two or three drinks of anything at a sitting, but I am just SO ready for a real glass of wine or champagne (and NOT in the service of relaxing for the birth, just for the hell of it!!!).

[Frigga]

And P.S., is anyone else unreasonably tempted by those little champagne glasses that we all post for congratulations? Here, let me torture myself:

:champagne :champagne :champagne


I can almost never finish more than two or three drinks of anything at a sitting, but I am just SO ready for a real glass of wine or champagne (and NOT in the service of relaxing for the birth, just for the hell of it!!!).
Ahh, YES! I never really wanted it before, ever really. But this pregnancy I am ready to hit the liquer store as soon as little one comes!

[Godiva]

hmm that indigo children thing is quite interesting. I found a site to see if you are an adult indigo and apparently both me and my husband have every single characteristic of an adult indigo. So I guess it's pretty likely that she's an indigo as well. I don't know about that alien stuff though :lol

[MamaFern]

his week!! :lol

I hate that I won't be able to check in to see who is having babes, but here's who I predict will go before I check back in:

:dust

Flapjack
Willemsmama
Bailey
Plagio
Feathere

:fingersx: :fingersx: :fingersx:

i want on that list!!! i :down ive been feeling kinda crampy the last few days...so maybe ill sneek in this week.. :) since i am due in 2 days and i cant imagine going over :lol

[PicnicBear]

Yeah -- thanks for the mention in the predictions, Amy. I am due tomorrow. I just got back from buying a gift for a friend who just had her baby last week (she was due Dec. 1st). I was chatting with the woman in the store and she said I looked ready to go at any time. I did have the most minor cramping last night and this morning, but I swear it was the kind of thing that you wouldn't even notice if you were in a converstation or otherwise distracted.

The MWs said yesteday that they wanted to do a non-stress test next week if I didn't have the baby by them because I would be "over" but I thought "over" was when you were past 42, not 40! Unlike some people here, I know my conception date to a T -- well, I know it happened in a 3-day window, so that's as good as you can get, I think.

[SoulJourney]

Ok...so someone piqued my interest with this whole adult indigo thing, so I copied/pasted this off of a website for everyone's viewing pleasures! WOW...does it fit me to a T!!!

This is the link:
http://www.genindigo.com/Are%20You%20an%20Adult%20Indigo.htm

Are You an Adult Indigo?
~by Wendy H. Chapman, Director, Metagifted.Org

Yes, you can be an adult Indigo at any age. The Indigos are not JUST those born from 1975-1995, although that is certainly the largest group. See if some of these attributes resonate with you. You, like me, may indeed be an Indigo too!


I believe Adult Indigos have these characteristics:

Are intelligent, though may not have had top grades.
Are very creative and enjoy making things.
Always need to know WHY, especially why they are being asked to do something.
Had disgust and perhaps loathing for much of the required and repitious work in school.
Were rebellious in school in that they refused to do homework and rejected authority of teachers, OR seriously wanted to rebel, but didn't DARE, usually due to parental pressure.
May have experienced early existential depression and feelings of helplessness. These may have ranged from sadness to utter despair. Suicidal feelings while still in high school or younger are not uncommon in the Indigo Adult.
Have difficulty in service-oriented jobs. Indigos resist authority and caste system of employment.
Prefer cooperative efforts, leadership positions, or working alone.
Have deep empathy for others, yet an intolerance of stupidity.
May be extremely emotionally sensitive including crying at the drop of a hat (no shielding) Or may be the opposite and show no expression of emotion (full shielding).
May have trouble with RAGE.
Have trouble with systems they consider broken or ineffective ie. political, educational, medical, and legal.
Alienation from or anger with politics - feeling your voice won't count and that the outcome really doesn't mattter.
Frustration with or rejection of the traditional American dream - 9-5 career, marriage, 2.5 children, house with white picket fence, etc.
Anger at rights being taken away, fear and/or fury at "Big Brother watching you."
They feel a burning desire to do something to change and improve the world. May be stymied what to do. May have trouble identifying their path.
Have psychic or spiritual interest fairly young - in or before teen years.
Had few if any Indigo role models.
Have strong intuition.
Random behavior pattern or mind style - (symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder), may have trouble focusing on assigned tasks, may jump around in conversations.
Have had psychic experiences, such as premonitions, seeing angels or ghosts, out of body experiences, hearing voices.
May be electrically sensitive such as watches not working and street lights going out as you move under them, electrical equipment malfunctioning and lights blowing out.
May have awareness of other dimensions and parallel realities.
Sexually are very expressive and inventive OR may reject sexuality in boredom or with intention of achieving higher spiritual connection. May explore alternate types of sexuality.
Seek meaning to their life and understanding about the world May seek this through religion or spirituality, spiritual groups and books, self-help groups and books.
If they find balance they may become very strong, healthy, happy individuals.

[samsmamma]

OK, I"m kind of struggling with understanding this whole Indigo thing. I think I got lost in the threads above so I'm not even sure how we arrived there. What is it about?

[Godiva]

apparently it's like the evolution of the human race. The fact that we are not a static ideal model. The children being born today are much more evolved than those born in the past. Higher levels of understanding, more sensitivity... just another stage in evolution. Some adults are indigos as well though there aren't as many adult indigo's as children. They think it's why so many kids now are diagnosed with ADD because they don't understand the new evolution of the human race, so they think there is something wrong with them. This is all new to me as well, I didn't know about it til flapjack suggested that my baby might be an indigo child.

[PicnicBear]

OK, I haven't kept up with all the Indigo posts, but I read the one above for an overview -- and from my understanding of evolution, species take millions of years to evolve any noticable differences -- I don't think, according to evolutionary theory, that one generation would show those kinds of differences.

[Queen of Cups]

The whole Indigo Children idea is a new-age concept of evolution of the soul - not necessarily physical traits like you would observe/quantify in a scientific discussion about evolution. If you're open to new-age concepts of psychic abilities, astrology, telepathy, etc you'd find the Indigo children and Crystal children books really interesting. Here's the amazon links to a couple of the books that started this: The Care and Feeding of Indigo Children (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1561708461/qid=1131567463/sr=8-2/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-6370415-9607923?v=glance&s=books&n=507846) and Crystal Children (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1401902294/qid=1131567527/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/104-6370415-9607923?v=glance&s=books). Both of these are written by Doreen Virtue, who does seminars on connecting with your angels and spirit guides and such. Her website is here:Angel Therapy (http://www.angeltherapy.com/)

I'm bummed I'm not on the prediction list! Someone send me birthing vibes! I had contractions all morning, about 5-10 minutes apart while out shopping with MIL and DS. But, even after getting Taco Bell for lunch they've been petering out somewhat. I'm going to give up and take a nap... I know it seems extreme to be so anxious at 37.5 weeks, but since DS was born at 38 weeks I feel very ready. I've been having diarhea for about a week, my hips are loose, and today I've had a ton of cervical discomfort, so I'm hoping that means I'm dialating a bit more (I was at a "generous 4 cm" yesterday).

[HoneyTree]

The Spirituality forum has ongoing discussions about Indigo children, Indigo adults having Indigo children, Crystal children, etc.

Here's a link to do a test to determine your aura colors, to see if you too could be an Indigo! :wink I was not -- I did it a few months ago, but I think I was some combination of the tans/green/violet or something like that... Of course these tests are completely subjective, and most people could answer any question with "sometimes" or "it depends." But it's kind of fun.

http://www.auracolors.com/test2.htm

And you can save yourself a lot of trouble if you have a friend or relative who can actually SEE auras... I don't possess that talent myself.

[samsmamma]

Hmm, that aura thing was fun. I seem to be yellow and green, whatever that means.

[PicnicBear]

The whole Indigo Children idea is a new-age concept of evolution of the soul - not necessarily physical traits like you would observe/quantify in a scientific discussion about evolution..

OK, I see the difference.

[SoulJourney]

That was fun...thanks for the link! I'm yellow/indigo! :down

[Godiva]

yup I'm indigo/violet with yellow in a close second.

[spughy]

Hmm, apparently I couldn't be farther from indigo if I tried. According to that I'm some sort of amalgam of all the tans and yellow.

I am cranky today anyway. It's "attack of the 'roids" time in spughy-land and I am uncomfortable and not a pleasant person to be around. My dog hates me now because I keep kicking her off the couch so I can lie down and DH is spending as much time outside or asleep as possible so he doesn't have to put up with my whining. It's starting to subside now but still, the only way I can be moderately comfortable is lying on the couch with brief periods of sitting or pelvic rocks so my hips don't seize up completely. Argh. I just hope I don't go into labour until the roids go down.

Anyway I have another night of binging on Horatio Hornblower DVDs to look forward to. Tomorrow I at least have to drag myself out of the house for a midwife appt. but hopefully I'll be feeling a little better.

Back to wallowing in self-pity... hope everyone who actually WANTS to go into labour soon gets her wish!

[babykaoss]

i'm primarily blue with equal parts of indigo and yellow. hmm.

[willemsmamma]

Hmm.. apparently I'm a crystal with an abstract tan as a close runner up and definitely a red overlay (though I think that it's mostly dissipated due to spiritual therapy).

[zjande]

I am whichever one listed "mighty short attention span" because I couldn't even get through that whole thing. :p

So is anyone else having a grand time gorging on fatty foods & junk while you can enjoy it guiltlessly?? :lol These past weeks I've decided to inhale cookies & cupcakes & pizza & the like at a disgusting rate, because as soon as this kid's out, my rotund booty shall not be indulging in the fatty foods for a very long time.

Well then, back to my pizza....... :thumb

[BensMom]

Yeah, I have had a sweet tooth like crazy lately! Bad, bad Jenn!

So I had a few ctx tonight. I have not really had any, so even though they were just very mild crampy things, I got a little excited. I called DH, it was his normal quitting time anyway. Told him to just not worry, come home as usual. Called my first line sitter, just in case. Nothing. Still having a few cramps here and there but it sucks getting your hopes up.

Oh and SIL called and asked if we had the baby (idiots! like we would *forget* to tell them) and DH starts to tell her that something *might* be happening. I went ballistic and told him not to say anything like that to his idiot family otherwise they will be harrassing us daily. Ugh. I think he learned his lesson. I said there is no need to tell anyone that doesnt have to be at the birth or taking care of Ben. Everyone else can find out when we have a baby.

Yes, I am moody! :lol

I hope something kicks in tonight. It would be a great night to have this baby, since we dont have good childcare arrangements on the weekend. But I guess if I have learned one things this pregnancy, its that I have no say in what happens!

[flapjack]

Yeah, have a baby!
I'm taking myself off Amy's list, because I have man flu: I'll have this little one when I'm better.
In answer to the questions: the best thing about the Indigo Children phenomenon, imo, is that it gets you into the mindset that children are not pliable or compliant, and that's a fine, fine lesson to learn. (FWIW, on those tests I come up as lavender: I have a friend who sees auras and she sees me as magenta, which is meant to be obsolete: one of the colours the indigo and crystal replaced. Personally, I think I'm just very, very me) Most of it seems like total crap: but then if you go and read any teen board, it does feel like todays teenagers are aliens compared with how we were 10 years ago: so maybe there's something in it? Talking to my mum and older friends, we can't remember there ever having been such a big generation gap.
(Bailey228, I know you're a young mom, I'm not trying to offend you. It's more the younger teens I'm thinking of here.)
BTE: Yes. With Isaac, I threw a bottle of castor oil in the bin without taking the lid off it because it was out of date. That was 5pm. No niggles, symptoms, show, anything. First contraction 3.30am, he was born at 12.30pm the next day.

[Godiva]

oh no offense taken, I usually don't think of myself as 19, I usually feel about 30, and I relate more to people that are older, I always have.

[willemsmamma]

So is anyone else having a grand time gorging on fatty foods & junk while you can enjoy it guiltlessly?? :lol These past weeks I've decided to inhale cookies & cupcakes & pizza & the like at a disgusting rate, because as soon as this kid's out, my rotund booty shall not be indulging in the fatty foods for a very long time.



Heck yeah!!! I was sooo good with not eating sweets all the way up till the last month or so. Now I just don't care. And the bag of halloween candy on top of the fridge isn't helping either. But I don't seem to be gaining much weight these days so maybe I need that extra energy. Someone said that if you are craving sweets and eating them makes you gain weight that it is a sign of strain on your adrenals. :shrug

I plan on going on a juice diet for 3 days each month after the first 6 weeks and then doing a 10 day juice fast at 5 or 6 months postpartum to clean all this junk out of me (and the baby :)... At least I do draw a line and am not eating stuff with MSG or Trans-fats (okay, Twix bars have PHO's but...)


Anyway, I have been having pretty regular contractions all day yesterday and today... I'm just ignoring them until they get bad enough to really grab my attention. I know it's probably just hot air but I'll say it anyway... I hope this baby comes so I don't have to worry about the ultrasound and stuff. I really don't want to have it done. But if I wake up tomorrow and am still pg well then I guess it's meant to be.

[samsmamma]

With ya on the lousy eating. Halloween kind of did me in because there is candy everywhere. I guess I feel kind of like, well, I'm still just under the 50lb weight gain I set as an outside limit, so since the baby could be coming at any time, I may as well live it up! I'm mildly freaked out by it but no one else is, so I'm not worrying.

In the meantime...since we found out the kiddo is a he, we also decided on a name! His name is Karl! It's a wild experience to have a real name for him right now and know that it is his. If we ever end up having another baby - which I highly doubt - maybe we'd find out the gender earlier on, because this is kind of fun right now.

Sam's colds just are not going away. So far I haven't gotten them, but with my luck I will right when I go into labor. It's a drag. He has a cough that just wo't quit. Each time he starts getting better, he gets a new one. I know this is what happens when they go to school, but still. He also is a nose-picker (i Know!) and that doesn't help matters any, so I'm trying to work with him more on hand-washing. But he slept in my bed last night and DH slept in Sam's bed because he was just so sad and coughing and it was heartbreaking. It was nice to have him there anyway and enjoy one of our last nights as a family of 3...

[nataliekat]

HAPPY DUE DATE TO ME!!! and all my due date buddies!

Oh, yesterday was so hard. I had absolutely nothing to give and Maisie and I both suffered for it. I tried to take her to a playgroup that we haven't been to in months. She told me she wanted to stay home and I should have listened to her. We drove all the way down there and stayed 10 minutes while she cried and whined, and then drove all the way back home. BTW, I cried the whole drive back. Then the rest of the day I was so depressed and down.

I don't remember being so weepy and depressed at the end last pregnancy. But maybe it's because when I did feel down I could just eat and watch TV or read or go to bed or do WHATEVER I WANTED!! Now I have to play and entertain and be sympathetic to all the foibles of a 3-year-old. That's mighty hard when you're jam-packed with hormones, am I right?

And she just can't bear to be apart from me right now. Last night when Tim got home I asked for 30 minutes in bed by myself. After 15 they came up and she was crying and telling me how worried she was about me and that I was lonely. :heartbeat Oh, sweetie. We're probably in for more of the same when baby finally makes her appearance.

No ctx or anything new. Last time I was induced three days overdue, so we'll see.

samsmama - we're sick over here, too. Mine never really turned into anything, thank GOD. Just megadosed on Vitamin C. Tim and Maisie are improving as well.

My mom is coming Saturday morning so I really do want to hold on until she gets here.

Here's to a Saturday birth for me!

[PicnicBear]

Yes, it's my due date, too, today -- and I'm up early although I slept well (relatively). I've been so BORED the last few days -- which is so weird since I haven't been bored in years -- I usually have so much to do. As far as school work, I have a ton but I cannot face it now. As far as housework, of course there is stuff I could do, but the major stuff is done and I'm certainly no perfectionist when it comes to the home. Even though yesterday I went out for a quick shopping trip in the AM and then visited a friend with a newborn in the PM, I still felt like I did nothing and was bored all day. Last Friday I went into school so that I wouldn't be bored, but it was so tiring, especially the 2-hour ride home in Chicago traffic -- so I don't know if I want to do that tomorrow. Last night DH said we could go to a matinee today and then come come and make choc. chip cookies to pass the day. But I looked at the theatre listing and all of the movies looked like crap. BooHooo!

[nataliekat]

I hear you on the boredom, plagio. I'm just trying to get through each day. It's like I can't get excited about anything except giving birth!

I can't even talk to people any more.

Them: "How are you feeling?"

Me: "fine."

Them: "Everything ready?"

Me: :splat "Yes! Jesus, I'm ready!"

[PicnicBear]

yeah, it's bizzare, people call and there is really nothing to talk about -- I have been so busy the last ? years, whenever I had time off I was so thrilled to just veg out that I was not bored in the least, just savoring the monents of laziness. So this is totally weird.

[Frigga]

I'm blue with a tie in violet and indigo...hmmmmm.

[samsmamma]

Plagio - the Wallace and Gromit movie is a riot in case you have not seen it yet...

[PicnicBear]

that's funny -- that one is not playing at the theater near us (we are in suburban chicago so of course there are plenty of theaters throughout the area, but we like to go to the close one, which has about 12 movies anyway). Also, Proof is not playing there, and we wanted to see that since it was filmed on our campus and we have "run into" Gwyneth 2 times (once when she was on campus, and another time on Long Island) so we joke that we have this "thing" with her (I hope DH is not secretly stalking her . . JK, actually the second time he was so wrapped up smiling at her daughter that he didn't notice the mom!)

Anyway, the theater near us seems not to show some of the better movies. But OK, I will stop complaining since I'm sure there are some of you out there that are too busy too see a movie today anyway and don't appreciate my whining!

[HoneyTree]

Plagio, Belleweather, and other mamas in school, what are you planning on doing regarding the end of the semester? I have a paper and a research write-up hangiing over my head, and it makes it so that I feel guilty just sitting around being pregnant since I'm not writing. I'm trying to tell myself to get as much done before the baby arrives as possible, but it's so hard to make myself sit still and concentrate on something that I'm rapidly losing interest in!!! But when the baby comes, who knows when I'll even be able to spare the 1/2 a brain it takes to write a paper. Are y'all working still? Taking incompletes? Did you play it way smarter than me and finish all your stuff early?

[willemsmamma]

Plagio, Belleweather, and other mamas in school, what are you planning on doing regarding the end of the semester? I have a paper and a research write-up hangiing over my head, and it makes it so that I feel guilty just sitting around being pregnant since I'm not writing. I'm trying to tell myself to get as much done before the baby arrives as possible, but it's so hard to make myself sit still and concentrate on something that I'm rapidly losing interest in!!! But when the baby comes, who knows when I'll even be able to spare the 1/2 a brain it takes to write a paper. Are y'all working still? Taking incompletes? Did you play it way smarter than me and finish all your stuff early?

I'm not in school anymore but I was when I was pg with Willem... and I would definitely recommend that you get as much done now before the baby, even if it seems like you don't have the concentration to do so... it's sooooooo completely different, living life with a newborn. You don't know what "kind" of baby you are going to have and if by chance you have a fussy/highly sensitive one... school will be the LAST thing on your mind. Between not being able to sleep the night through (or even as much as you can now) to recovering, to dealing with postpartum hormones... you also have to remember that the holidays are right around the corner and depending on where you live, weather and transportation could be an issue as well. Trust me, I know the feeling of not being able to sit still and do stuff you're just not interested in. Schoolwork was a cloud hanging over my head after Willem was born and I wished I had done more in prep in that reguard.

Good luck all you schoolin' mamas, I know it can be rough but you'll pull through!

[BensMom]

OK, so unlike the rest of you, I DO NOT want to go into labor in the next 3 days. :lol

Just got back from a visit with my Dr and he is not on call Fri/Sat/Sun. He said that one of his backup Drs is a younger guy and probably not trained in breech delivery. The other is older, with breech experience, but very conservative, so would probably not support a vaginal delivery. But in both cases, he told me to talk to the doctors (if it came to that) and present my case and see what they say. No guarantees, though.

So hopefully now this babe will hang tight until Monday! Besides, we have much worse childcare arrangements for Ben on the weekend, so it would be an all around inconvenient time to go into labor. (If you listen closely, you will hear the sounds of God chuckling....)

Although I admit to only you guys that I am still secretly hoping to go into labor, have my HB MW arrive to check things out and suddenly find a baby hanging half out of me. Ooops. :D

ETA: GBS came back NEG! Woo hoo, one less battle to fight with the hospital staff.

[snugglebutter]

Jenn, I am also wanting our baby to stay in over the weekend. My midwife is off-call and her backup midwife changed practices about a month ago so it would have to be an OB attending the birth. I have cut out all walking, EPO, and "baby please come" vibes this week. LOL


Today my cervix pressure has shifted to PAIN. It really takes my breath away. Sometimes I wonder if they are contractions but I really don't feel anything otherwise.

The food choices in this house are completely unsatisfactory right now. LOL

[samsmamma]

Jenn, I'm sending you some STAY IN vibes for a change! I have my own reasons for wanting to get throught the weekend, and actually up till about my due date at this point. Tomorrow is DH's bday, saturday will be my one day with Sam this weekend, Sunday I have my massage, I have no real feeling about Monday or Tuesday but Wednesday DH has a dentist appt that he really can't miss and at that point it may as well wait till the weekend because then we're basically at my due date, so why not, right?

[MamaFern]

well im off to eat some spicy indian food with my momma.. maybe that will get this baby coming.. then my friend and doula is coming to help me do my belly cast. nice day ahead..

[willemsmamma]

So all the mamas who want their babies to stay in this weekend can just send those unused labor vibes my way :lol :lol :lol

I've had the bowling ball sensation increase by like a hundred overnight. It's been extremely difficult to walk and I can't sit down without major discomfort either. Birthing ball is a lifesaver though. I told my mw it feels like if I sneeze the baby will crown :wink .

[PicnicBear]

BTE -- I am "lucky" in that I am done with school in the regular sense of courses and exams. I have a fellowship that funds me to do my research and when I have written my dissertation I will graduate -- so, I just plan on "disapearing" for a little while. I am not taking any kind of break because we need to get my monthly check and I have already done a lot of work this quarter, and will continue to work on things, so I am working, it's just more at my pace. I have already done a lot of work this quarter, so then with the holidays coming, things always slow donw, so I am just planning on starting back up after the new year in terms of productivity. I have NO idea how it will go -- school is the last thing on my mind now, since I did submit a paper about 1 week ago, I have done no work since then. I hope your profs will be understanding and give you extensions to finish things if you need them. It seems that it varies a lot from prof to prof, I think most would be understanding -- I've seen people get extensions or incompletes for pretty pathetic reasons.

[MamaFern]

uh. im so tired and heavy all of a sudden.. i almost fell asleep in the indian food restaraunt today with my mom ( and the food wasnt even spicy :irked: ).. i came home and napped for 3 hours but i still just feel soo tired. but ive been feeling consistantly more crampy and having lot of braxton hix contrax for a few days.. come on baby!!

williesmama.. my want for baby to stay in is officially over.. im not sick anymore and neither is elwynn.. im ready. NOW! ill send you baby come out vibes if you send some my way :wink

im also having a hard time walking today. last night i went for a long walk and by the end my yoni had started to feel almost numb from the pressure of the baby down there.. it was a really weird sensation

[snugglebutter]

having a bit more of a contraction pattern here!!!

[MamaFern]

why is it so hard when other people have their babies and yours is still safe inside..

i just got a call from my auntie who's friend was due a few weeks after me.. but she was having high blood pressure problems and went in for in induction today. babies heart rate kept slowing with each contraction and she ended up with a c-section.. babies umbilical cord was very short causing the heart rate to fall.... i know her and held her older son when he was a few months old and he was at my baby blessing for elwynn.. but i still feel like i was supposed to go first!! its so weird how emotional we get over these things..i feel badly for her for having to have a c-section..she was planning a vaginal birth but im really happy for her to finally have her wee baby.. but man i want my baby!

[Queen of Cups]

DH has been predicting all week that I'll go into labor tonight - I see zero chance of that happening. I've had fewer contractions today than any day in the past two weeks, I think. But, there are supposed to be severe thunderstorms on Saturday afternoon, so I'm thinking that might get things going - that was what did it with DS! And maybe storms again on Monday afternoon...

So, I'm getting all stressed about wanting to deliver. My MIL came out a couple weeks ago to help out (she retired after having a stroke several years ago, even though she's only in her 50s and still very active), and the plan was for FIL to join her when the baby's born and then they stay a few days and go home. THEN, my parents are arriving on 11/19 and staying for the week of Thanksgiving so my mom won't have to use all of her vacation time - and they can fix the big holiday meal for us! Now, its looking like the visits are going to overlap, which I would really prefer them not to... In-laws will be in the guest room, my parents will take my sister's room/bed, and my sister will either sleep on the couch or sleep with DS. Plus, we only have two bathrooms and it just gets sooo crowded and messy when everyone is here that I get frustrated. Plus, I don't know if FIL will even come out for Thanksgiving if the baby hasn't been born, or will save his vacation time for when the baby is born... When I was put on bedrest at 33.5 weeks for PTL we though for sure everything was going to work out perfectly, but now I just don't know... Today, MIL mentioned maybe flying home for Thanksgiving and then coming back, but its such short notice now the plane ticket would be ridiculously expensive that it would be silly to attempt it, I think.

[snugglebutter]

sigh....... we spent about 4 hours at the hospital last night, but no baby!

I called the midwife about my funky contraction pattern. She had us go for a walk and call back. The walk definitely picked things up (to about every 3-4 minutes) so we went in. Both the midwife and the nurse were pleased with the contraction pattern - I even heard the nurse tell someone else "we're probably admitting her soon. BUT, my cervix was doing nothing. The midwife had us walk around more at the hospital and it didn't really change anything, though I was still having the regular contractions.

I got some decent sleep once we got home - felt a few more during the night but not really anything this morning. We plan to take it REALLY easy this weekend since my midwife is off-call until Monday. It was nice to get more of an "inside view" of the L+D dept - we were very pleased with how they treated us etc....

[HoneyTree]

Happy due date to me! Now where is baby?

I convinced myself that things began to feel a bit different last night -- way tight abdomen, heavy feelings, pacing, restlessness, inablility to get to sleep. But whether or not that will turn into labor in the next 16 hours is anybody's guess. DH is home from work today, which is good since I need the distraction. An it's cold here today! I wanted so much for November to turn cold before baby arrived.

So the plan for the day is knit some, write some on my paper, go for a walk, sit on my ball, take a nap, and secretly be bribing baby with telepathic promises of all kind of wonderful things if he'd just come out today...

[samsmamma]

It's encouraging to me to see how much activity some of you are having. Things have really quieted down on this end. Yesterday PM I could hardly move because my hips were so locked up, but then I got home and relaxed and slept well and we're having a quiet morning here. I'm working from home today and have 2 conference calls and hope DH gets home from golf by my 11 oclock! The apartment is a mess, so hopefully I'll be able to get some cleaning done, too.

We told the family that we found out that Karl is Karl and everyone is so excited. I think my dad, especially, was happy to hear it's another boy! I mean, in my family it's just me and my sister and I think he always kind of wanted boys. SO all that was nice.

In the meantime, signed up for my 2006 benefits at work today. Does anyone know anything abotu flexible spending accounts or things like deductibles and stuff? I don't "speak" insurance very well, so I have no idea what's what on this thing. I'm trying out the FSA because I know DH will have some oral surgery in early '06, so it would be better to be able to pay that with pretax dollars. I hate all this stuff. We should really have universal health care. THat's such a thing with me. Ugh. But add that to all the well baby visits we'll have, my postpartum stuff in '06, my own dental, the chiropractor etc and it seems to make sense. Plus I can evidently use it for things like Tylenol and my homeopathic remedies etc, so why not, right? We'll see...

[Awaken]

Whew! Took me quite some time just to catch up on this thread! So much going on around here :)

First of all, :laugh: about hitting the liquor store right after the birth! Heehee...I'm glad I'm not the only one! Actually, just being able to enjoy a glass or even 1/2 a few nights a week would be divine!! I lost my taste for beer when pg the 1st time and it never came back. So it's wine, margaritas, and sangria for me :bouncy

As far as labor...nothing really happening and I'm 38 weeks. I never thought I'd go this far! I'm really surprised and am very curious about how long this baby will stay in! I don't really feel impatient, either (ask me again in 2 weeks, I'm sure I'll change my tune!) I've finally begun having BH more often, which I've barely had the whole pg. So things are starting to warm up, but as we all know, it could still be a month (or more!). I'm not that uncomfortable, except my back, it is absolutely killing me!! I was in tears last night before dh got home after working all day and caring for ds in the evening, with my back just screaming with pain. I go to the chiro tomorrow am and have a massage scheduled for Tues. am- I really hope I get to go- THEN the baby can come!!

And my biggest news of all-

I'M DONE WORKING!!!! TODAY IS MY FIRST OFFICIAL DAY OF SAHM-DOM!!!!!

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
It's such a HUGE step in my life, I've worked nonstop since I was 14 (except for my 3 mo. maternity leave 3 yrs ago!) and never imagined this day would come!!

Sara, yay on things starting to get going! I'm excited for you getting to meet your baby soon :bouncy

And it sounds like so many others are just sooooooooo close!!

And from the birth announcement thread it looks like a few more babies have snuck in there- Feathere, for one! Hooray!

[zjande]

DP just walked in here & said,"Hey why don't you tell the baby to be born at 11:11 tonight so it's birth will take place at 11:11pm on 11/11." :lol That'd be pretty cool, 'eh? FAT CHANCE though!!!

[MamaFern]

but it means it cant be THAT much longer right? im trying to stay in good spirits. i wish it weren't raining so hard you drown as soon as you walk out the front door.. days seem to go soo slow when you are stuck inside the house. i do have stuff i have to do today . errands to run.. elwynn's to take to the library.. tinctures to get to get this baby coming :lol laundry to wash.uh. i hate the laundrymat.. my insomnia was so bad last night that i was awake from 3am to 7 am.. so i knit a baby hat and watched late night cooking shows...maybe ill scrub the bathroom yet again.. and take a nap. i did get my belly cast done last night though.. so im pretty happy about that!

hope you all keep in good spirits and gentle birthing vibes to all you mommas having contractions and whatnot :hug send some my way :wink

[snugglebutter]

Mary - wooooohooooooooooo on your "career" change!!!!!!!!!!!!! You must be absolutely thrilled.

I got a care package today - full of wonderful baby goodies from my support group! What a great day for it to arrive after all of last night's drama.

Contractions are still here sometimes and I had a bit of bloody show this morning. The c's were really building up again until I got a phonecall about an hour ago - must have distracted my way out of them!

[PicnicBear]

Fern -- you sound "nesty" so maybe it won't be too much longer for you!

itsybitsy-- major congrats on your awesome news -- that's quite something!

snugglebutter -- hope they pick up, sounds like you are coming along too!

Nothing new with me except that I have been having a little more cramping (last night) why do I resist calling them "contractions"? They feel like menstrual cramps. Then today I have had a LOT of uncomfortable cervial pressure/pain. We tried to take a walk and I only made it past 1 house before we had to turn around because of the stabbing pain -- I had to hobble to the toilet (I didn't even know what if anything I might have to do there but it seemed like the place to go) and I didn't "do" anything. I have also noticed that it's harder to pee, like something (a head?) is pressing on my urethra (sp?) so it takes more push to come out. I am still bored and waiting . . not as nesty as Fern :irked:

ETA -- does it seem quiet here today (except for the birth announcements?)

Edited again, to add: when people in public, like clerks, waitress, etc. say "you look ready to go at any time" I wonder if they mean that as a compliment of some kind, or just mean that I look huge, or what. I have said "thanks!" whenever they say this too me, and it seems to take them by suprise. Maybe it is just one of those weird things people comment on like "you got a haircut" -- eh, yeah . . or "you sure got some sun " . .

[DreamsInDigital]

had my 39 week appt. today. I have bronchitis so my BP and heartrate were slightly elevated as was baby's heartrate. He's still LOA which is awesome. I'm measuring at 37cm. 2 weeks ago I was 38 then I was 36 so he must have dropped at some point. I only gained 2.5 pounds in the last 2 weeks (I didn't get weighed at my home visit)
She gave me a tincture to help prepare things for labour with spikenard, black cohosh and raspberry. Man, it's nasty! I'm supposed to take a dropperful every day. Yuck! She also suggested I get some EPO to use vaginally. We didn't do a cervical check but I expressed a little...uh...impatience at still being pregnant so she was more than happy to try to help things along a little.
I feel like ass. I hate having bronchitis!

[BensMom]

Oh, DiD, I feel your pain. I am getting over my 2nd bout of bronchitis. I am not sure what was worse, the coughing keeping me up at night or constantly peeing myself when I coughed. I am so glad its almost gone, so hopefully I can labor without going into coughing fits every 5 mins. I hope yours goes away quickly!

Our kitchen sink is stopped up. Something wrong with the disposal. Do you know what it means to a nesting pregnant woman to not be able to do dishes? That has been my thing lately - a nice clean kitchen after breakfast and after dinner. Ugh. I cant even walk in there. And I hate to think of how much a weekend plumber is going to cost us. We had decided to spend the $$ on a house cleaning (scheduled for Monday) and now I am afraid the stupid plumbing problem will take my cleaning money. Wah!

Other than that, no signs of labor here. Good. MOnday or Tuesday evening would be perfect!

[MamaFern]

plagio.. i sound nesty but im friggin exhausted.. its all i can do to drag myself around the house.. but my body wont sleep.. i dont know why :bawl i did manage to get to the laundrymat..washed all of the newborn diapers i have yet again.. just to make sure they are super clean and yummy. and all of the other truly dirty stuff... the walk there are back was nice ( its just 4 blocks away) but i feel like a weirdo with my stroller packed with laundry bags and no kiddo in sight.. just a big belly :lol im sure people think im some crazy bag lady.. elwynn has been out with his dad all day and im starting to feel lonesome for him. the house feels so sad when there isn't anyone else home. my mom called and was complaining of mentral cramps.. it seems everyone is having some kind of sympathy pains.. except me!! why is that :irked: hopefully ill be able to sleep tonight. my insomnia session last night has left me feeling a bit on edge. i wish i were more graceful about all of this.. oh yeah and in my head today was my EDD but my midwives have it down as the 13th so i guess i still have 2 days to go.. maybe ..just maybe baby will come by then.

[flapjack]

:hug
Fern, you sound so rough. Here, have some chocolate (WHY, why, why on a board full of pregnant women is there no chocolate smiley? Sod the organic vegetables, we need the hard stuff.) This will go, and soon, and then you'll have your baby and be knackered, and then you'll have your baby and be able to stay awake and everything will be wonderful :) It'll not be long, honest- just hang in there.
DiD- is your midwife OK with the idea of trying to bring on labour with you feeling so rough? We talked about it- and actually toyed with the idea of castor oil whilst my mum is here to look after the boys- but my current dose of man f