Thursday, April 29, 2010

It's getting to the "not so fun" part of the game

So...what was supposed to be just a 1 hour visit with our new OB turned into a 2 hour wait to see the doctor, followed by a 5 hour hospital stay (and I didn't get to meet the midwives, so that plan is out the window now). This new doc of mine is very, very thorough. She doesn't let anything slip through the cracks, really. That's actually why her wait time is so long, apparently everyone loves her. She is a sweet/intelligent lady, but...yesterday still wasn't fun.

The night before we didn't sleep much because I was contracting every 3 minutes for about 20-30 seconds each time. That lasted 2 hours then stopped. But the next day at the appointment, when the doctor put the doppler on my belly to see how Mirabel was doing, she was concerned about how she was responding to the contractions. So that's when she sent me to the hospital for what was supposed to be a 30 minute NST. She said that if the baby wasn't tolerating the contractions, I'd be INDUCED THAT VERY DAY!

After being hooked up to the monitors for an hour, the results were faxed to the doctor. She said all was well with the baby but she was concerned that I was having contractions every 2 minutes. Apparently the monitor was catching more contractions than I was. I was surprised to feel half of the contractions, because even that was more than what I was used to. Hoping the space between each contraction would slow down, she had me drink 2 liters of water.

4 hours later, I'm still contracting.

I finally get to leave because the contractions decreased a tad, and I told them that I've always contracted throughout this pregnancy. Thankfully I didn't have to be induced, but going 10 hours without eating was pretty rough.

Today I'm having some on/off contractions again...I'm not sure how much longer this is gonna go on, but hopefully we can get some more sleep before the baby arrives!

Monday, April 26, 2010

The waiting game


37 weeks today. Nope, no sign of Mirabel yet. But the good news is that we're all set up!

We're not in the cottage yet (that'll be when we're in Austin), we're staying in a cozy condo here in Houston for the first 6-week internship. We can take a big breather, knowing that we're finally settled down and pretty much ready for her to come! She's got a doctor, a new car (well, it's more ours than hers :P), a little bed and bouncer, clean clothes, a hospital (where she'll be delivered) and Wednesday I meet with the midwives. (I decided to go with a midwife because we haven't had any complications and I think the support during the labor/delivery will be nice. :) This weekend, we've got a family baby shower :)! Then one more in a couple of weeks, but I wonder if that one will be a baby welcoming party instead ;)?!

Here are a couple of pics of the place, and one final pregnancy photo!




Monday, April 19, 2010

Might be a slow process after all

Looks like we're going to have an uneventful plane ride to Texas this Thursday after all :). Jose and I can breathe a sigh of relief now that we know I haven't started dilating yet. Still, at 36 weeks, her head is at -1 station, she's head-down, and I'm 50% effaced. Things are a'changin', slowly but surely. Well, maybe I shouldn't say that. The pregnant body is very unpredictable; every pregnancy is so different, as is every individual. Who knows when this little girl will decide to grace us with her presence. Hopefully it won't be when Jose has to come back to Boston for his finals when I'm 38.5 weeks :/. Right now, that is my only real concern...but even then, it's not the end of the world. I've had to get used to the idea. It wasn't easy at first, but I really couldn't ask for things to be better as far as the health of the baby and myself go. :) More updates later...

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Sooner rather than later, I think ;)

Posts are naked without pictures, so here's another little somethin' girlie sewn for Mirabel. Blanket and cozy pants, featuring Hello Kitty; having a little girl gives me an excuse to continue my Sanrio obsession!

Braxton-hicks have been messing with me since about 16 weeks, but lately they've become more painful and they've changed. Before, they'd just cause my belly to tighten up, now they're causing pain way below my belly, and today I started having some lower back pain/cramping with them too. I only have bad ones about 4 times a day, very spread out; the usual tightening ones happen about 10 times in one day though. Every time I get the ones that are lower down and in my back, I wonder "Is this it?!". I'm only 35.5 weeks, but I have a feeling this baby will be here around 37 weeks. Watch, she'll probably arrive at 41 just because I said that :P. Monday I go back to the doc and get checked out! She'll also do a quick ultrasound to make sure Mirabel's head down. I haven't seen my baby since about 20 weeks, can't wait to see her!

...And Thursday we fly south, to Houston. Jose is worried that Mirabel will come before then; we are both ready to get outta here! We need the vitamin D! :P Right now we are just in "let's do everything to avoid labor" mode, so I'm no longer walking a mile to my doctor appointments/church :). Full term isn't until 37 weeks, but these early contractions have me a bit concerned that it might happen before then.

Thursday... just a week away! That's also the day we (or I, yep me!) will be buying a car. I can't believe it. I don't like the idea of having more debt (undergrad debt is still being paid off), but I am thrilled that I qualified for a CR-V loan with Honda, without needing a co-signer! This is progress for me, I feel like a big girl now! Of course, that isn't the mark of adulthood, but there is something very liberating about being financially independent. All my student loans required co-signers (because I didn't have a credit history/job), but thanks to my husband (who does a fantastic job of paying the bills on time) my credit score is pretty darn good! I don't mind making the money, but I do not like paying the bills... I leave that to him, and he enjoys it, thankfully :)! There will be no Forester this time. Turns out the middle seat in the back (which is supposed to be safest for babies) doesn't work very well with car seats because it has a strange hump. I read on a few forums that this is a pretty significant problem, and I didn't like the sound of it. I called Subaru and they confirmed my fear; their manual even recommends that children be placed on the right or left, by either side door, because of the hump. How strange and disappointing. Hondas are family-friendly cars, though, you can easily and safely fit 3 car seats in the back of a CR-V, so we're going with that one instead :D.

The next few updates will be more exciting, I think :)...



Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Weekend Projects and Sunshine

When it comes to boutique items, I am guilty of wanting to purchase more than I should. I can easily spend hours browsing all of the colorful handmade items on Etsy. Whether it's a pair of button earrings or an adorable purse with fun fabric, it's all delicious eye candy to me. Sometimes, to save a few bucks (or many ;), I actually try to make these items. I usually don't have the "skillz" or materials, but I work with what I've got.

I just don't feel right splurging on little treats like this very often, especially with a kiddo on the way. And I really don't see myself spending $60 on a sweet looking handbag.

Oh! But Little Odd Forest has such cute handbags and totes, click here to see what I mean. Who can resist? (I can, honestly folks, but let's just say I can't. ;)

Problem? Yes. Solution...

This past weekend I TRIED to make a similar handbag/diaper tote for Mirabel. I have so many random scraps of fabric. And sometimes I give in and buy a fat quarter or two of irresistible/adorable Japanese fabric, from Etsy, of course. I just so happened to have a little more than a fat quarter of pink nesting doll fabric, purchased earlier on in the pregnancy for Mirabel (you see, I was justified in making this "wise" investment ;). But the fabric was so cute, I was hesitant to cut into it... until I spotted the Odd Forest handbags!

Definitely not perfect. It's got its flaws and I'm still learnin'. But, by golly, I had a whole lotta fun making this bag. I will add that my seam ripper came to my rescue many times; it's my new best friend :).

Here are a few close-ups of the final product, including the nesting doll fabric. I added a few big pockets to the inside, too (can't have too many of those, especially with a baby!). The orange buttons came all the way from Bulgaria! They're from one of last summer's Etsy purchases :).

After finishing up the bag, Jose and I felt it was time for a sunshine break! Thankfully, we've got plenty of sun these days :). A nice change from the dreary weather. I think it's safe to say that spring has sprung.

I love pink trees. If only they tasted like cotton candy!
I almost forgot! We have a new neighborhood pal, meet Al. He's the albino squirrel that lives on our block :).



Thursday, April 1, 2010

A little post about childbirth (and maternity pic)

Before and After :)...

I'm 33 1/2 weeks! I can actually say that next month I will be holding my tiny girl for the first time! It still seems unreal, but the third trimester pangs are kicking in, so (aside from the belly) I really can't hide from the reality of this pregnancy any longer! I get tired very easily; have indigestion and bloating (there is no room in there!); get out of breath just taking a shower, and often find myself craving afternoon naps instead of strange snacks. But I welcome these feelings. I really can't complain because everything is NORMAL. Normal is the very word I hoped would apply to my pregnancy from day one (when I wasn't sure if it would last), and thankfully it has and still does.

Now I've really got to start thinking about and preparing for the big delivery day!

I'm not going to lie and say that I think it'll be a breeze. But I will say that I do feel more at ease these days. How can that be? Well, a few weeks ago I started listening to this series: Hypnobabies: Hypnosis for Childbirth. It's required a lot of dedication on my part (even Jose's) and some time (about an hour or so a day), but this is something I decided to fully throw myself into because I really want to have an unmedicated labor/delivery. Here are a few reasons why: I'd like to walk around when I'm in labor (I tend to feel more sick/in pain when I'm stuck in bed); I'd like to be able to get up and take care of Mirabel right after she's born; most pain medications make me feel terrible (migraines, etc.) and epidurals tend to lower blood pressure (mine has already been very, very low throughout this pregnancy). Oh yeah, and here's another BIG reason (sorry if this is TMI) but your chance of tearing is lower when you aren't numb.

I've watched a few YouTube videos of women giving birth using Hypnobabies and they're so encouraging. That's what first convinced me to purchase the CDs. So much of what we see on TV regarding birth is scary and threatening. Women are portrayed as out of control; they're scared and screaming. I know it isn't an easy process, but it's nice to see birth portrayed as something positive every once in awhile. Earlier this morning I came across this uplifting post. Though I don't watch the Kardashians, I was curious to see for myself what the blogger was talking about. I headed on over to the link she sited and watched snippets of the popular birth episode. I have to say, Nicely done reality TV! Like the blogger notes, I have no idea whether or not Kourtney's labor was medicated, but even if it was I don't judge her (or anyone) for choosing a medicated delivery. My choice is for completely personal reasons and I understand that everyone's situation is unique. I think it's wonderful when women are able to enjoy birthing their babies, whether they're medicated or not.

So as I make a list of what I'll be taking to the hospital, I accept that I'm going into uncharted territory (at least, I've never been there :P). If I need a c-section for medical reasons, I accept it. If the labor is longer than expected and I get tired and want an epidural, I won't feel like a failure at all. Like everything else, I'm just going to do my best. Bringing a baby into the world is always a great miraculous event worth celebrating, no matter how it's done.

 

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