I was amazed tonight by the realization that we are a family of one hundred toes. I'm feeling overwhelmedly thankful tonight for my wonderful husband and the eight lives God has entrusted to our care.
The Father has been steadily renewing my affection for my children lately. In the busy-ness and challenges of my pregnancy, I had gotten into a rut that found me not treasuring my Blessings. Or perhaps I wasn't treasuring them before the pregnancy and had not realized it. But my heart is being drawn back into communion with these precious lives God has given us, and I'm thankful.
Last Monday (June 7), I began a new phase of life that is helping to facilitate my desire to draw closer in heart with my children. The internet is now considered to be "off" to me during the day while Jonathan is gone to work. And this decision is helping me to change my life.
The first couple of days of this new habit brought the head-bowing realization that I would have to go slowly as I worked my way back into my children's daily lives. My pregnancy was quite debilatating physically, and I ended up spending most of my time in my room. My children became acustomed to me not being around very much. But we're changing that for the better, and while I still have a long ways to go (and always will, because that's the way growth works), I am thankful to find my relationships with my children growing and deepening.
The Father seems to be working on my heart in a lot of other areas right now, including toward my beloved man, but instead of typing more, I think I'll get off the computer and get back to my family. Tonight is Davey's birthday party and our traditional Friday night family late night. Fun times!
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pregnancy. Show all posts
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
Progress Reports
Note: I'm planning on posting updates within this blog post, so that folks with readers are not overwhelmed in case I post lots of updates today. I'll just add the latest at the top of the post with the time, so things will be nice and backwards. Sweet.
Sunday 5/2 - 7.45pm
I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. I've been busy with a precious bundle of boy who was born last night at 10.40! One of his names is Andrew... we're still pondering names. More info in another post.
Saturday 5/1 - 8.20pm
The castor oil seems to be working (but with only one of *those* trips to the bathroom so far). I'm having contrax one on top of the other right now, which is typical for the beginnings of the CO effect. Need to stop to breathe through them. Just had a yummy supper of high protein waffles with blueberries and yogurt on top. SO glad to be at home.
Saturday 5/1 - 4pm
Stalled. Cervix is still in a good position, but contrax have slowed way down. We're going to do something we normally wouldn't and try castor oil. As far as our normal philosophical hesitation with pushing labor along, my body obviously tried to go into labor and my cervix made those efforts ineffective. So it isn't as if we're trying to jump start things from scratch. Logistically, there are many reasons to see if the castor oil will work, so we're going to give it a shot. Our prayer is that if the time is right, it will work, and if the time is not right, it won't work. We'd love it if you'd pray that with us.
Saturday 5/1 - 11am (anatomical details)
I've definitely never had a labor quite like this before. Last night around 10, MW checked me internally and found that I had dilated very little over the course of the day, and that my cervix was in an awkward, extremely far forward (almost tucked up under the pubic bone) position. That meant that Baby's head was not able to apply pressure properly to the cervix, hence the lack of dilation. As we discussed this dilemma, B got a call that a mom was in labor, so she headed out for her house.
Our wonderful chiropractor (Dr. Mary) was here last night and she and MW came up with a belt-like contraption to try to get things in a better position. We decided that it would be best for everyone to try to get a decent night's sleep. So Sue and Dr. Mary headed for home, I went to bed, and MW and sis Liz settled down for the night in the living room. When Jonathan came to bed shortly thereafter, I mentioned, "Well, we made it to May Day... we'll see what happens."
I had lots of contractions through the night and in my sleepiness, it seemed that they felt different somehow, so I was hopeful the belt was helping. My 7.30'ish potty break showed signs of progress, so after a while, MW checked and found that it seemed my cervix had moved enough that contrax were indeed able to be more productive and I had made some progress (all the way to 3cm... better, but not was I was hoping for).
Things are progressing and contrax are continuing, though I must admit I'm struggling with being patient and fighting frustration/discouragement. I just need to remember that the Lord will bring this little forth in His time and in His way. MW and Liz are out running some errands right now, so J and I are going to try to relax and hope we make some more progress.
Please pray for our friends Eric and Jen. Their precious daughter Elisabeth was born around midnight last night... with spina bifida. She's in NICU and it sounds like she and they have a rough road ahead. May God give comfort and grace.
Friday 4/30 - 7.30pm
Still waiting for MW to arrive, but she's getting close. Contrax getting more intense. Played scrabble with J and B, ate sandwhiches for supper. Dear Sue is on her way over as well. There's a storm coming in, so we'll likely lose connection soon.
Friday 4/30 - about 2.30pm
Last night as midnight approached, I was having pretty steady contractions. Still ~20 minutes apart, but feeling a bit more serious. So I had a snack and headed for bed to see if things stopped, if I could sleep, etc. I snoozed between contrx, but was starting to wonder about my primary MW's 3+ hour drive. I finally called her around 2am and reached her on the way to another client's house! I called again at 2.30 after 3 more contrx that were 10 minutes apart and feeling more demanding. This other precious mom was at 6cm, so there was no way MW was leaving her for a while. We decided I'd go ahead and call B, MW's assistant and a dear friend of mine, who got on the road shortly after I called. Then we called Dad and Mom Smith, who came to pick up the Blessings.
B drove in about the time that the Blessings pulled out of the drive, and I felt relieved to have her here. She found I hadn't really started to dilate yet, but that baby was very low and everything was soft and ready to go. We decided to get some sleep if possible, both for the sake of rest and to give MW an opportunity to finish up and make the drive over.
Today has been spent mostly relaxing, because things really intensify whenever I'm up and around and I'd really like to give MW plenty of time to get here. The "other" baby was born around 10.30 this morning, and we're guessing MW is on her way.
Sunday 5/2 - 7.45pm
I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. I've been busy with a precious bundle of boy who was born last night at 10.40! One of his names is Andrew... we're still pondering names. More info in another post.
Saturday 5/1 - 8.20pm
The castor oil seems to be working (but with only one of *those* trips to the bathroom so far). I'm having contrax one on top of the other right now, which is typical for the beginnings of the CO effect. Need to stop to breathe through them. Just had a yummy supper of high protein waffles with blueberries and yogurt on top. SO glad to be at home.
Saturday 5/1 - 4pm
Stalled. Cervix is still in a good position, but contrax have slowed way down. We're going to do something we normally wouldn't and try castor oil. As far as our normal philosophical hesitation with pushing labor along, my body obviously tried to go into labor and my cervix made those efforts ineffective. So it isn't as if we're trying to jump start things from scratch. Logistically, there are many reasons to see if the castor oil will work, so we're going to give it a shot. Our prayer is that if the time is right, it will work, and if the time is not right, it won't work. We'd love it if you'd pray that with us.
Saturday 5/1 - 11am (anatomical details)
I've definitely never had a labor quite like this before. Last night around 10, MW checked me internally and found that I had dilated very little over the course of the day, and that my cervix was in an awkward, extremely far forward (almost tucked up under the pubic bone) position. That meant that Baby's head was not able to apply pressure properly to the cervix, hence the lack of dilation. As we discussed this dilemma, B got a call that a mom was in labor, so she headed out for her house.
Our wonderful chiropractor (Dr. Mary) was here last night and she and MW came up with a belt-like contraption to try to get things in a better position. We decided that it would be best for everyone to try to get a decent night's sleep. So Sue and Dr. Mary headed for home, I went to bed, and MW and sis Liz settled down for the night in the living room. When Jonathan came to bed shortly thereafter, I mentioned, "Well, we made it to May Day... we'll see what happens."
I had lots of contractions through the night and in my sleepiness, it seemed that they felt different somehow, so I was hopeful the belt was helping. My 7.30'ish potty break showed signs of progress, so after a while, MW checked and found that it seemed my cervix had moved enough that contrax were indeed able to be more productive and I had made some progress (all the way to 3cm... better, but not was I was hoping for).
Things are progressing and contrax are continuing, though I must admit I'm struggling with being patient and fighting frustration/discouragement. I just need to remember that the Lord will bring this little forth in His time and in His way. MW and Liz are out running some errands right now, so J and I are going to try to relax and hope we make some more progress.
Please pray for our friends Eric and Jen. Their precious daughter Elisabeth was born around midnight last night... with spina bifida. She's in NICU and it sounds like she and they have a rough road ahead. May God give comfort and grace.
Friday 4/30 - 7.30pm
Still waiting for MW to arrive, but she's getting close. Contrax getting more intense. Played scrabble with J and B, ate sandwhiches for supper. Dear Sue is on her way over as well. There's a storm coming in, so we'll likely lose connection soon.
Friday 4/30 - about 2.30pm
Last night as midnight approached, I was having pretty steady contractions. Still ~20 minutes apart, but feeling a bit more serious. So I had a snack and headed for bed to see if things stopped, if I could sleep, etc. I snoozed between contrx, but was starting to wonder about my primary MW's 3+ hour drive. I finally called her around 2am and reached her on the way to another client's house! I called again at 2.30 after 3 more contrx that were 10 minutes apart and feeling more demanding. This other precious mom was at 6cm, so there was no way MW was leaving her for a while. We decided I'd go ahead and call B, MW's assistant and a dear friend of mine, who got on the road shortly after I called. Then we called Dad and Mom Smith, who came to pick up the Blessings.
B drove in about the time that the Blessings pulled out of the drive, and I felt relieved to have her here. She found I hadn't really started to dilate yet, but that baby was very low and everything was soft and ready to go. We decided to get some sleep if possible, both for the sake of rest and to give MW an opportunity to finish up and make the drive over.
Today has been spent mostly relaxing, because things really intensify whenever I'm up and around and I'd really like to give MW plenty of time to get here. The "other" baby was born around 10.30 this morning, and we're guessing MW is on her way.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Slugs and Bugs
We first watched these videos a couple weeks ago and hadn't watched them or sung the songs since. Tonight, I heard Stephen singing Tractor, Tractor in the living room. He remembered the tune and everything. So I pulled them back up and he was thrilled to watch them again. And now you get to share in the fun! That Andrew Peterson is such a multi-talented fellow. Enjoy.
In Baby news, I had an encouraging prenatal today. Baby is nice and low, in a good position, with good heartones. I'm enjoying getting to wait at home in my own space, and am looking forward to whatever timing God has for this little one.
In Baby news, I had an encouraging prenatal today. Baby is nice and low, in a good position, with good heartones. I'm enjoying getting to wait at home in my own space, and am looking forward to whatever timing God has for this little one.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
A Lovely Day
I have had a wonderful day today, enjoying my freedom to do whatever I feel like doing.
Josiah and I did some weeding in the garden.
The boys and I strung yarn on tomato cages to make trellises for our peas (which are doing much better than last year, yay!).
I swept my own room! And was amazed at how much dirt had accumulated since Saturday.
I watched my man add some supports to the door of the chicken tractor, and took some pictures of the chicks and turkeys.
I went on a walk with my man and visited the pond for the first time this spring. Wow, I've missed it! We checked on the strawberry patch on the way, were caught up to by Stephen and Kate, and were eventually joined by most of the Blessings.
It's been a lovely day, and with contractions getting closer together, we'll see what else it has in store!
Josiah and I did some weeding in the garden.
The boys and I strung yarn on tomato cages to make trellises for our peas (which are doing much better than last year, yay!).
I swept my own room! And was amazed at how much dirt had accumulated since Saturday.
I watched my man add some supports to the door of the chicken tractor, and took some pictures of the chicks and turkeys.
I went on a walk with my man and visited the pond for the first time this spring. Wow, I've missed it! We checked on the strawberry patch on the way, were caught up to by Stephen and Kate, and were eventually joined by most of the Blessings.
It's been a lovely day, and with contractions getting closer together, we'll see what else it has in store!
Getting Closer
I almost called my midwife in the night last night because my contractions were getting closer together and I was having a hard time sleeping. I've been pretty much laying low the last few days, despite the fact that I'd reached the 37 week milestone, because there is a dear mama in sw Missouri who was expected to have her little one any day. Well, I talked with my midwife (MW from here on out) this morning and it looks like the other mama's dates were a bit off. MW encouraged me to do whatever I feel like doing today and not worry about the other mama. So, I'm feeling a bit giddy with excitement at the moment.
Yesterday, while Jonathan was working and the Blessings were at Good News Club, I did some last minute cleaning of the areas in our room that have been neglected as we've gotten our "birth space" ready. Namely, the desk and the buffet.
Here are some before and after shots of the areas I tackled (sitting down) yesterday, as well as a couple other shots of our room as it waits for labor to begin in earnest.
Yesterday, while Jonathan was working and the Blessings were at Good News Club, I did some last minute cleaning of the areas in our room that have been neglected as we've gotten our "birth space" ready. Namely, the desk and the buffet.
Here are some before and after shots of the areas I tackled (sitting down) yesterday, as well as a couple other shots of our room as it waits for labor to begin in earnest.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Peace
Last night, I felt like Much Afraid when her cottage was invaded by her Fearing relatives. I was suddenly overwhelmed by a multitude of "What Ifs" and crazy possible scenarios about the arrival of this little one. I knew on the one hand that I was not being logical, but my thoughts just seemed to be running out of control. One verse that helped me start to reign them in was Psalm 4:8 "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." I then moved on to Philippians 4, but didn't get very far before the Lord rocked me to sleep. Nonetheless, I'll post those wonderful verses as well:
Do not be anxious [careful] about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Phil. 4:6-8
This morning, we had a wonderful time of worship around the Lord's table with the saints of Bible Truth Fellowship. The meeting was not in the usual place because there was a fellowship lunch planned, and let me tell you - the acoustics in a double car garage can be wonderful! Such focus on our Redeemer and His amazing love for us; my heart was stilled and filled with thankfulness.
One of the themes that emerged during the breaking of bread this morning was the "But God" statements in Scripture. Jonathan shared this passage from Ephesians:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Eph. 2:1-7
We sang this hymn, which (among others) was a blessing to me (especially the bolded part).
A Mind at Perfect Peace with God
by Catesby Paget
A mind at “perfect peace” with God,
Oh, what a word is this!
A sinner reconciled through blood;
This, this, indeed is peace!
By nature and by practice far,
How very far from God!
Yet now by grace, brought nigh to Him,
Through faith in Jesus' blood.
So near, so very near to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son,
I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith He loves the Son,
Such is His love to me.
Why should I ever careful be,
Since such a God is mine?
He watches o’er me night and day,
And tells me “Mine is thine.”
When I looked up the words to the hymn this evening, one of the websites mentioned this verse:
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:3-4
What a faithful and loving Heavenly Father I have, Who is patient and gracious to me when I doubt Him. He provides abundant resources for re-focusing my mind on Him and reminds me of His love and care for me. I pray some of His reminders will be a blessing to you as well.
Do not be anxious [careful] about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
Phil. 4:6-8
This morning, we had a wonderful time of worship around the Lord's table with the saints of Bible Truth Fellowship. The meeting was not in the usual place because there was a fellowship lunch planned, and let me tell you - the acoustics in a double car garage can be wonderful! Such focus on our Redeemer and His amazing love for us; my heart was stilled and filled with thankfulness.
One of the themes that emerged during the breaking of bread this morning was the "But God" statements in Scripture. Jonathan shared this passage from Ephesians:
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Eph. 2:1-7
We sang this hymn, which (among others) was a blessing to me (especially the bolded part).
A Mind at Perfect Peace with God
by Catesby Paget
A mind at “perfect peace” with God,
Oh, what a word is this!
A sinner reconciled through blood;
This, this, indeed is peace!
By nature and by practice far,
How very far from God!
Yet now by grace, brought nigh to Him,
Through faith in Jesus' blood.
So near, so very near to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son,
I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be;
The love wherewith He loves the Son,
Such is His love to me.
Why should I ever careful be,
Since such a God is mine?
He watches o’er me night and day,
And tells me “Mine is thine.”
When I looked up the words to the hymn this evening, one of the websites mentioned this verse:
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.
Isaiah 26:3-4
What a faithful and loving Heavenly Father I have, Who is patient and gracious to me when I doubt Him. He provides abundant resources for re-focusing my mind on Him and reminds me of His love and care for me. I pray some of His reminders will be a blessing to you as well.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
And a update
I seem to be in one of those seasons of life where there are so many thoughts and words in my head and heart that very few of them make it to the written word. I just checked and realized that I haven't given a Mama/Baby update in almost a month. Yikes!
So... what's been going on, pregnancy-wise?
Near the beginning of April, I started wearing my sacro-iliac support belt much less often, for three reasons. 1) Baby was not settling down like usual and I felt the belt was making things less than comfortable for Baby. 2) I was tired of feeling like an invalid and the belt was seriously restricting my movement ability. 3) I had gained enough strength in my SI joint and hips that my chiropractor was comfortable with me going without the belt more to see how things went.
The first week I just wore the belt less, but the past two weeks I haven't worn it at all, haven't missed it, and my appointments with my chiro have shown that I'm staying strong/gaining strength this way. The belt was extremely important and helpful in this pregnancy; I'm just beyond grateful that I don't need it anymore.
I have been amazed at how much difference this change has made in my outlook and attitude. Not only am I more comfortable, I feel much more confident about labor and birth, about my health overall, and about my body's ability to do what it needs to do. I once again really KNOW that my body was made for the task ahead, and that my Creator has equipped me and will walk with me through the journey.
Friday will mark the 37 week milestone. I am looking forward to passing that mark and being in the "comfort zone" as far as birthing at home is concerned. The last week or so has seen me restricting my activity level quite a bit, as I am feeling a good bit of pressure and tightness when I'm up and around very much. Once Friday arrives, I'll feel more free to be up and around, taking care of things I'd like to have done before Baby arrives. I'd like to make it to 38 weeks, and think I will, but we'll see.
Almost all of our "baby prep" is done. The birth pool is here (we still need to test for leaks), and all of the essential birth supplies are ready. I have about a dozen meals in the freezer; I would have liked to do more, but am happy with accomplishing what I have. There are several odds and ends that we need to take care of, but nothing that seems stressful or like things will fall apart without it.
And in non-pregnancy news...
We discovered last Friday that Davey has a very bad tooth. After several days of us researching options, he has a root canal scheduled for tomorrow morning at the dentistry school in St. Louis. We honestly don't know how we're going to pay for the whole process (the root canal is just the first step), but will take it one step at a time and watch to see how the Lord provides.
The garden is coming along. We're a bit late on planting carrots and potatoes. Maybe we can get them in this week. Our seedlings are doing well and should be ready to plant next month when our planting guide says it's time. We have peas, spinach, and onions coming up, and we need to replant the lettuce bed (my mulchers didn't know that bed was already planted and didn't need another layer of mulch).
We're almost done with logging hours for this school year. We'll stick with at least some math daily through the summer, and of course, reading. But it will be nice to have the hours recorded as required by our state.
Whew. That's enough for today! Hope all is well with you!
So... what's been going on, pregnancy-wise?
Near the beginning of April, I started wearing my sacro-iliac support belt much less often, for three reasons. 1) Baby was not settling down like usual and I felt the belt was making things less than comfortable for Baby. 2) I was tired of feeling like an invalid and the belt was seriously restricting my movement ability. 3) I had gained enough strength in my SI joint and hips that my chiropractor was comfortable with me going without the belt more to see how things went.
The first week I just wore the belt less, but the past two weeks I haven't worn it at all, haven't missed it, and my appointments with my chiro have shown that I'm staying strong/gaining strength this way. The belt was extremely important and helpful in this pregnancy; I'm just beyond grateful that I don't need it anymore.
I have been amazed at how much difference this change has made in my outlook and attitude. Not only am I more comfortable, I feel much more confident about labor and birth, about my health overall, and about my body's ability to do what it needs to do. I once again really KNOW that my body was made for the task ahead, and that my Creator has equipped me and will walk with me through the journey.
Friday will mark the 37 week milestone. I am looking forward to passing that mark and being in the "comfort zone" as far as birthing at home is concerned. The last week or so has seen me restricting my activity level quite a bit, as I am feeling a good bit of pressure and tightness when I'm up and around very much. Once Friday arrives, I'll feel more free to be up and around, taking care of things I'd like to have done before Baby arrives. I'd like to make it to 38 weeks, and think I will, but we'll see.
Almost all of our "baby prep" is done. The birth pool is here (we still need to test for leaks), and all of the essential birth supplies are ready. I have about a dozen meals in the freezer; I would have liked to do more, but am happy with accomplishing what I have. There are several odds and ends that we need to take care of, but nothing that seems stressful or like things will fall apart without it.
And in non-pregnancy news...
We discovered last Friday that Davey has a very bad tooth. After several days of us researching options, he has a root canal scheduled for tomorrow morning at the dentistry school in St. Louis. We honestly don't know how we're going to pay for the whole process (the root canal is just the first step), but will take it one step at a time and watch to see how the Lord provides.
The garden is coming along. We're a bit late on planting carrots and potatoes. Maybe we can get them in this week. Our seedlings are doing well and should be ready to plant next month when our planting guide says it's time. We have peas, spinach, and onions coming up, and we need to replant the lettuce bed (my mulchers didn't know that bed was already planted and didn't need another layer of mulch).
We're almost done with logging hours for this school year. We'll stick with at least some math daily through the summer, and of course, reading. But it will be nice to have the hours recorded as required by our state.
Whew. That's enough for today! Hope all is well with you!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Mama and Baby
I realized while looking through my blog posts from my pregnancy with Stephen that I haven't done a very thorough job of blogging about this pregnancy. Some of you might be relieved, some might be disappointed. But as we approach the "finish line," I'm going to be trying to do better.
We're a few days past 32 weeks right now, and Baby seems to be doing very well. Lots of motion, good heartbeat whenever it's checked, etc.
My "belly taping" seems to be helping to keep my abodominal wall from separating any further. The downside is that it is varying degrees of irritating to my skin. I actually had blisters last week and had to take several days to let my skin heal. We re-taped last night, which means I got to do my pilates. Amazingly enough, I truly mean that "got to." I feel so much better when I can do my exercise, perhaps because I know how helpful it is.
I had my first ever midnight prenatal last week when my midwife spent the night at our house and arrived late at night. We were all still awake enough for a prenatal, so we did it that night instead of early in the morning. It was unusual, but fun. I so appreciate my dear midwife, both as a midwife and as a friend, and I'm thankful we seem to be balancing our roles well.
For the sake of keepin' it real, I'll admit that this pregnancy continues to be my most challenging ever. I see the chiropractor every Friday, yet continue to have significant pain in key areas. My chiro is the best; I know my discomfort is much much less than it would be without her help, and I am very thankful that Jonathan places a priority on me getting in each Friday. I don't want to go into a list of my challenges or be a whiner; I just want to be honest enough to say that it is far from easy, and I treasure your prayers.
On the up side, we've passed 32 weeks, and 5 out of our 7 Blessings running around the house right this minute were born within a couple days of 38 weeks. I realize this could be the one pregnancy that goes to 40 weeks or beyond, but I can't help but count down to that shining beacon of 38 weeks.
As my belly promise-swells, my heart floods with thankfulness for this gift of life growing inside me. Unexpected, challenging, yet God-given and received with open and grateful hearts.
We're a few days past 32 weeks right now, and Baby seems to be doing very well. Lots of motion, good heartbeat whenever it's checked, etc.
My "belly taping" seems to be helping to keep my abodominal wall from separating any further. The downside is that it is varying degrees of irritating to my skin. I actually had blisters last week and had to take several days to let my skin heal. We re-taped last night, which means I got to do my pilates. Amazingly enough, I truly mean that "got to." I feel so much better when I can do my exercise, perhaps because I know how helpful it is.
I had my first ever midnight prenatal last week when my midwife spent the night at our house and arrived late at night. We were all still awake enough for a prenatal, so we did it that night instead of early in the morning. It was unusual, but fun. I so appreciate my dear midwife, both as a midwife and as a friend, and I'm thankful we seem to be balancing our roles well.
For the sake of keepin' it real, I'll admit that this pregnancy continues to be my most challenging ever. I see the chiropractor every Friday, yet continue to have significant pain in key areas. My chiro is the best; I know my discomfort is much much less than it would be without her help, and I am very thankful that Jonathan places a priority on me getting in each Friday. I don't want to go into a list of my challenges or be a whiner; I just want to be honest enough to say that it is far from easy, and I treasure your prayers.
On the up side, we've passed 32 weeks, and 5 out of our 7 Blessings running around the house right this minute were born within a couple days of 38 weeks. I realize this could be the one pregnancy that goes to 40 weeks or beyond, but I can't help but count down to that shining beacon of 38 weeks.
As my belly promise-swells, my heart floods with thankfulness for this gift of life growing inside me. Unexpected, challenging, yet God-given and received with open and grateful hearts.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
This and That ... and lots of it!
I haven't been very good with blogging regularly about what's going on around here, so it's time for a This and That post...
Last month, Jonathan and I waited for a couple of hours in my backup OB's office, then saw him for less than 10 minutes. We only got as much of his time as we did because I kept asking him questions. I couldn't help but think, "and this is one of many reasons why we choose midwifery care." On the bright side, we are in "the system" and don't need to go back again. I will update my charts with the office by fax, and if there is a need for transport (which we don't plan on, of course, but for which we want to be prepared), I should slide into things at the hospital without a bunch of hullabaloo about "not having prenatal care."
Speaking of prenatal care, a couple days after the aforementioned 2 hour wait/<10 minute appt, my midwife's assistant arrived at our home for a prenatal visit. We spent a lovely and mutually respectful hour+ together. We talked about what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, my diastatis, how the baby is lying, and a myriad of other things related to baby and me. We walked around the house and talked about plans for birth, advantages/disadvantages of our house layout, etc. We drank tea together as we chatted. When she left, I felt thoroughly "cared for." THAT is what I call prenatal care. And yes, there are numbers and notes on my chart ... probably in more categories than the Dr's office will know what to do with when I fax it to them.
In other news...
Stephen is definitely going through a stage where he is wanting to exert his will, so he's keeping us on our toes. At the same time, he continues to be such a delight! His imagination is going full-steam, and while he adores playing with his siblings, he also plays happily by himself, totally engrossed in a world of his own making. He particularly enjoys playing with the tub of horses.
The Blessings received five seasons of Daniel Boone on DVD for Christmas. We've been watching it at lunchtime a few times a week and finished Season 1 yesterday. I had never seen it before, so it's been an adventure for all of us.
Last night, Elanor mentioned that she had lost something and had looked all over for it. Stephen pipes up helpfully, "Did you look under the green couch?" "Yes." "Did you look under the gray couch?" "Yes, Stephen." :-)
I've been looking across the table/room/yard/etc lately and realizing that Davey, our eldest Blessing, who will turn 14 in June, is looking more like a young man and less like a "boy." This does funny things to my heart, but mostly makes me realize how much I like this young man.
Have I mentioned that we've finally figured out a laundry system that we can actually make work for us? It's nothing fancy, just a three-bag laundry sorter in the laundry room where all the Blessings' dirty clothes are deposited (two for darks, one for lights/whites), a white basket for light towels/sheets/blankets and a blue basket for dark towels/sheets/blankets. The four older Blessings have the responsibility of doing two loads of laundry from start to finish on "their" laundry day, picking whatever basket or bag is most in need of being done. Kate and Grace help fold and put away, and I need to start working with Kate on Fridays, working towards her having a laundry day as well. For some reason, this system seems to be one that we can make work, and the laundry room floor is no longer covered with dirty laundry 98% of the time.
Our guinea hens have started laying eggs! They actually lay them in the coop, which is wonderful for us. Hopefully as the weather warms they will continue to lay in the coop and not take to the fields as guineas are prone to do.
I finally finished getting our winter/Christmas decorations packed up and ready to go to the attic. They'll go up and perhaps the baby tubs will come down...
The taping seems to be working well for keeping my abdominal separation from worsening. I finally started doing pilates again a couple night ago, and am thankful to be back to it. At the same time, I have to admit... it's kickin' my tail! But that's a good thing.
We have our garden mostly planned out for this year and are eagerly awaiting the warming of the soil so that we can get started! We're going to be using principles from the book Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich. No tilling, established beds/paths, and lots of mulch, for which we've found a good and cheap source. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it.
Speaking of the soil warming, I feel like I am blossoming as Spring moves in. I've enjoyed several days this week of sitting in the sunshine reading or working on a project. The warmer weather and the smell of spring is such a reminder of our Heavenly Father's faithfulness! Last night, I fell asleep to the rumble of thunder, the patter of rain on the roof, the occasional distant flash of lightening... and woke to the sound of birds chirping while the sunshine streamed in my window. Spring Bliss!
See Yesterday, my photo blog, for some recent pictures. I'll be updating it later today.
Last month, Jonathan and I waited for a couple of hours in my backup OB's office, then saw him for less than 10 minutes. We only got as much of his time as we did because I kept asking him questions. I couldn't help but think, "and this is one of many reasons why we choose midwifery care." On the bright side, we are in "the system" and don't need to go back again. I will update my charts with the office by fax, and if there is a need for transport (which we don't plan on, of course, but for which we want to be prepared), I should slide into things at the hospital without a bunch of hullabaloo about "not having prenatal care."
Speaking of prenatal care, a couple days after the aforementioned 2 hour wait/<10 minute appt, my midwife's assistant arrived at our home for a prenatal visit. We spent a lovely and mutually respectful hour+ together. We talked about what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, my diastatis, how the baby is lying, and a myriad of other things related to baby and me. We walked around the house and talked about plans for birth, advantages/disadvantages of our house layout, etc. We drank tea together as we chatted. When she left, I felt thoroughly "cared for." THAT is what I call prenatal care. And yes, there are numbers and notes on my chart ... probably in more categories than the Dr's office will know what to do with when I fax it to them.
In other news...
Stephen is definitely going through a stage where he is wanting to exert his will, so he's keeping us on our toes. At the same time, he continues to be such a delight! His imagination is going full-steam, and while he adores playing with his siblings, he also plays happily by himself, totally engrossed in a world of his own making. He particularly enjoys playing with the tub of horses.
The Blessings received five seasons of Daniel Boone on DVD for Christmas. We've been watching it at lunchtime a few times a week and finished Season 1 yesterday. I had never seen it before, so it's been an adventure for all of us.
Last night, Elanor mentioned that she had lost something and had looked all over for it. Stephen pipes up helpfully, "Did you look under the green couch?" "Yes." "Did you look under the gray couch?" "Yes, Stephen." :-)
I've been looking across the table/room/yard/etc lately and realizing that Davey, our eldest Blessing, who will turn 14 in June, is looking more like a young man and less like a "boy." This does funny things to my heart, but mostly makes me realize how much I like this young man.
Have I mentioned that we've finally figured out a laundry system that we can actually make work for us? It's nothing fancy, just a three-bag laundry sorter in the laundry room where all the Blessings' dirty clothes are deposited (two for darks, one for lights/whites), a white basket for light towels/sheets/blankets and a blue basket for dark towels/sheets/blankets. The four older Blessings have the responsibility of doing two loads of laundry from start to finish on "their" laundry day, picking whatever basket or bag is most in need of being done. Kate and Grace help fold and put away, and I need to start working with Kate on Fridays, working towards her having a laundry day as well. For some reason, this system seems to be one that we can make work, and the laundry room floor is no longer covered with dirty laundry 98% of the time.
Our guinea hens have started laying eggs! They actually lay them in the coop, which is wonderful for us. Hopefully as the weather warms they will continue to lay in the coop and not take to the fields as guineas are prone to do.
I finally finished getting our winter/Christmas decorations packed up and ready to go to the attic. They'll go up and perhaps the baby tubs will come down...
The taping seems to be working well for keeping my abdominal separation from worsening. I finally started doing pilates again a couple night ago, and am thankful to be back to it. At the same time, I have to admit... it's kickin' my tail! But that's a good thing.
We have our garden mostly planned out for this year and are eagerly awaiting the warming of the soil so that we can get started! We're going to be using principles from the book Weedless Gardening by Lee Reich. No tilling, established beds/paths, and lots of mulch, for which we've found a good and cheap source. I'm sure you'll be hearing more about it.
Speaking of the soil warming, I feel like I am blossoming as Spring moves in. I've enjoyed several days this week of sitting in the sunshine reading or working on a project. The warmer weather and the smell of spring is such a reminder of our Heavenly Father's faithfulness! Last night, I fell asleep to the rumble of thunder, the patter of rain on the roof, the occasional distant flash of lightening... and woke to the sound of birds chirping while the sunshine streamed in my window. Spring Bliss!
See Yesterday, my photo blog, for some recent pictures. I'll be updating it later today.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Something new
This pregnancy continues to be my most interesting pregnancy to date. Boring would be fine with me, but "interesting" give more opportunity for growth, doesn't it?
I blogged about our midwifery Cookie Day at the capitol a couple weeks ago. I didn't mention how thrilled I was at my energy level and the fact that I walked all the way around all four floors of the capitol building, taking the stairs between levels. That's probably because the exhertion that I was initially so excited about had some not-so-great consequences. By the time we stopped for lunch, I was experiencing an irritating burning sensation under the surface of my skin to the left of my belly button. I asked my midwife about it, and her guess was that it was my diastasis. I have never had pain from the diastasis before, so this was a whole new sensation. The fact that that evening I could feel where the diastasis had "spread" from its previous gap of 1 1/2 fingers wide (the spreading was right around my belly button where I felt the burning), pretty much confirmed her assumption that the pain was from the diastasis.
On Saturday, I started having the same burning belly pain that I did at Cookie Day. I had a pretty active day around the house, and the burning started while I was on my feet for an extended period working on supper. Saturday night and yesterday, I was very careful about not doing much, in order to not put extra pressure on the area. I was standing for a while before supper while helping to dish up the kids' plates at our buffet-style supper at Dad and Mom Smith's. The burning started again and I sat down right away. I have remained a bit sore in that area, and feel the beginning of the burning sensation if I do much of anything active.
This development is very disconcerting to me. In a way, even more so than my various mystery pains. I think that's because the mystery pains are "maybes." I can't do much about them, which somehow makes it simpler to put them in the Lord's hands. But this... this isn't a vague maybe. It's a definite physical "event" that has palpable and lasting consequences that have the potential to be more than cosmetic. And at 28 weeks, I'm very aware that my belly is going to keep growing and putting more pressure on my abdominal wall.
I feel the need for a plan for how we're going to deal with this and try to prevent the diastasis from spreading further. Jonathan has told me that he'll put me on bedrest himself (actually, "tie you to the bed" were his words) if we can't figure out a plan that works for preventing further separation.
Here are some of our ideas so far...
~ No lifting anything heavier than 5#
~ Limit standing/active work to 10 minutes at a time with a conscious and determined effort to prioritize/let things go.
~ Dr. Mary (my chiropractor) has some special tape that we have used before with great success for supporting weakened muscles. I don't know how tape on the outside can have so much effect on the muscles inside, but it somehow does. I'm planning to have her apply this kinesio tape at my next appt. and see if it helps. Our hope is that it will help to keep the muscles from pulling further apart without the heat and possible negative effects of the maternity belt. The downside to the tape is that it usually falls off around Day 4 and my appts. are once a week.
~ We're wondering about going ahead and using a maternity belt for the days in between the tape coming off and my next appt. I don't really care for them, but if it keeps things from spreading more...
~ After the baby is born, I will be focusing on exercises that will strengthen my abdominal wall and hopefully pull those muscles back together. We've read that the first six months post-baby are the most critical time for this.
~ My current pilates exercise routine is up in the air right now. Once this flair-up has subsided, I'll get back to the pilates and see how things go.
So, there's my latest pregnancy news. Your prayers are treasured, and resources/input are always valued.
Psalm 131
A Song of Ascents, of David.
O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
I blogged about our midwifery Cookie Day at the capitol a couple weeks ago. I didn't mention how thrilled I was at my energy level and the fact that I walked all the way around all four floors of the capitol building, taking the stairs between levels. That's probably because the exhertion that I was initially so excited about had some not-so-great consequences. By the time we stopped for lunch, I was experiencing an irritating burning sensation under the surface of my skin to the left of my belly button. I asked my midwife about it, and her guess was that it was my diastasis. I have never had pain from the diastasis before, so this was a whole new sensation. The fact that that evening I could feel where the diastasis had "spread" from its previous gap of 1 1/2 fingers wide (the spreading was right around my belly button where I felt the burning), pretty much confirmed her assumption that the pain was from the diastasis.
On Saturday, I started having the same burning belly pain that I did at Cookie Day. I had a pretty active day around the house, and the burning started while I was on my feet for an extended period working on supper. Saturday night and yesterday, I was very careful about not doing much, in order to not put extra pressure on the area. I was standing for a while before supper while helping to dish up the kids' plates at our buffet-style supper at Dad and Mom Smith's. The burning started again and I sat down right away. I have remained a bit sore in that area, and feel the beginning of the burning sensation if I do much of anything active.
This development is very disconcerting to me. In a way, even more so than my various mystery pains. I think that's because the mystery pains are "maybes." I can't do much about them, which somehow makes it simpler to put them in the Lord's hands. But this... this isn't a vague maybe. It's a definite physical "event" that has palpable and lasting consequences that have the potential to be more than cosmetic. And at 28 weeks, I'm very aware that my belly is going to keep growing and putting more pressure on my abdominal wall.
I feel the need for a plan for how we're going to deal with this and try to prevent the diastasis from spreading further. Jonathan has told me that he'll put me on bedrest himself (actually, "tie you to the bed" were his words) if we can't figure out a plan that works for preventing further separation.
Here are some of our ideas so far...
~ No lifting anything heavier than 5#
~ Limit standing/active work to 10 minutes at a time with a conscious and determined effort to prioritize/let things go.
~ Dr. Mary (my chiropractor) has some special tape that we have used before with great success for supporting weakened muscles. I don't know how tape on the outside can have so much effect on the muscles inside, but it somehow does. I'm planning to have her apply this kinesio tape at my next appt. and see if it helps. Our hope is that it will help to keep the muscles from pulling further apart without the heat and possible negative effects of the maternity belt. The downside to the tape is that it usually falls off around Day 4 and my appts. are once a week.
~ We're wondering about going ahead and using a maternity belt for the days in between the tape coming off and my next appt. I don't really care for them, but if it keeps things from spreading more...
~ After the baby is born, I will be focusing on exercises that will strengthen my abdominal wall and hopefully pull those muscles back together. We've read that the first six months post-baby are the most critical time for this.
~ My current pilates exercise routine is up in the air right now. Once this flair-up has subsided, I'll get back to the pilates and see how things go.
So, there's my latest pregnancy news. Your prayers are treasured, and resources/input are always valued.
Psalm 131
A Song of Ascents, of David.
O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty;
Nor do I involve myself in great matters,
Or in things too difficult for me.
Surely I have composed and quieted my soul;
Like a weaned child rests against his mother,
My soul is like a weaned child within me.
O Israel, hope in the LORD
From this time forth and forever.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
This and That
I haven't been very wordy here lately, but I have been updating my photo blog semi-regularly, so if you want to see what we're up to, that's a blog to add to your reader/follow list/etc.
Had a great prenatal with my lovely midwife today. Unfortunately, she didn't get to stay for supper as we had planned, but it was good to see her and get an update on the baby. FHTs 144 today, Fundal Height 25cm, various and sundry body fluids are fine. BP a bit high today, but hopefully it's just a fluke.
Visited with an OB last week who is willing to be our backup in case of transport. We don't anticipate needing to transport to the hospital, but being able to have an OB who is familiar with the mom is a wonderful thing about having legal midwives. It makes continuity and quality of care much better in the rare cases that the mom needs to transfer to the hospital from a planned home birth. We're excited about having a doc who is willing to work with us.
I have a post to write about our recent yard-cleanup efforts, but I think it will wait for another day.
This Friday, we're doing a progressive dinner with several of the families that live close to us. We'll be having appetizers here, salad at the K's, main dish at the W's, and dessert at the T's. Should be a great time, and I'll try to remember to take plenty of pictures.
So... there you have it... this, that, and the other!
Had a great prenatal with my lovely midwife today. Unfortunately, she didn't get to stay for supper as we had planned, but it was good to see her and get an update on the baby. FHTs 144 today, Fundal Height 25cm, various and sundry body fluids are fine. BP a bit high today, but hopefully it's just a fluke.
Visited with an OB last week who is willing to be our backup in case of transport. We don't anticipate needing to transport to the hospital, but being able to have an OB who is familiar with the mom is a wonderful thing about having legal midwives. It makes continuity and quality of care much better in the rare cases that the mom needs to transfer to the hospital from a planned home birth. We're excited about having a doc who is willing to work with us.
I have a post to write about our recent yard-cleanup efforts, but I think it will wait for another day.
This Friday, we're doing a progressive dinner with several of the families that live close to us. We'll be having appetizers here, salad at the K's, main dish at the W's, and dessert at the T's. Should be a great time, and I'll try to remember to take plenty of pictures.
So... there you have it... this, that, and the other!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Thankful!
This afternoon I had a wonderful visit with my lovely midwife. As I went to update my Facebook status, I was struck by just how rewarding & fantastic it is to be planning a home birth in Missouri with a legal midwife, instead of planning to leave my kiddos & travel 8 hours away in order to work with one legally??
THANK YOU so very much to all of you who spent countless hours making this possible. Tears of joy overwhelm me...
THANK YOU so very much to all of you who spent countless hours making this possible. Tears of joy overwhelm me...
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Update - almost 14 wks, ultrasound
Warning to my few male readers: This post covers reproductive-parts topics, so proceed at your own choice. The short of it is that baby and I are both fine and doing well.
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In seven pregnancies, the only ultrasound I had performed was a brief one to confirm that Katie's tranverse/frank breech position in labor. The lack of ultrasounds was not by accident or laziness, but due to a decision to skip procedures that were not truly medically indicated. Ultrasound technology can be a great tool, but it is a tool that is greatly over-used in U.S. obstetrics without good evidence to back up its nearly ubiquitous employment. So we chose early on to only use it if there was a good medical reason.
Well, I've had a new and strange pain this pregnancy in my lower right abdomen. It has at times brought me to tears with its intensity. I could feel a swolleness that seemed to be in the area of my right ovary.
At my 13 week prenatal (last Monday), B. was able to feel the swollenness in the tender area. This is why we decided to go ahead and listen for hearttones with the doppler, because though it's rare for an ectopic pregnancy to make it that far, it is possible. Finding hearttones (at last!) confirmed that there was indeed a growing baby in my uterus, though it didn't explain the pain.
Over the weekend, my pain "pattern" changed, and on Monday I called my primary midwife, Mary. Jonathan and I agreed with her that it would be good to get an ultrasound to see if we could find out what was going on. We had several possibilities I was going to look into for where to get the ultrasound. I procrastinated through Monday, though, and Monday night was in quite a bit of pain.
Tuesday morning I called the number Mary had given me for a wonderful OB that she's gotten to know recently. I talked with her late Tuesday afternoon, and by the end of our phone call, she said she would call the hospital closest to me Wednesday morning and see if they could get me in for an ultrasound on Wednesday. On the list of possibilities were ovarian cysts of various types(that might be causing torsion, a twisting of the ovary on its "stem" that could lead to the death of the ovary), ovarian cancer, and an ectopic pregnancy (in addition to the growing little one).
Wednesday afternoon found us at the hospital. At the welcome desk was a huge bowl of apples. I asked Jonathan if he thought they were to there to keep the doctors away.
The ultrasound tech who worked with us was extremely nice and she really helped put me at ease. She did both a trans-abdominal and a trans-vaginal ultrasound. I had a lot of mixed emotions about the whole thing... wishing that we didn't need to do it at all, delight in seeing the tiny person growing inside me, and concern about what they might find. Alex, the tech, asked if we minded if she printed us a picture of our baby. Of course not! Though I would have preferred to not need the ultrasound, I figured I might as well get a baby pic out of it!
The long and short of the ultrasound results are that the radiologist didn't see anything out of the ordinary. When Mary told me this over the phone last night, I wailed, "Well, then what's wrong with me??!??" But I have to admit it's much better than finding out that I need to have surgery, etc.
I don't know if the Lord has chosen to heal whatever has been causing me pain (I haven't had any significant pain since Monday night and can barely feel the swollen spot), or if there is some other cause than my ovary for the pain. For now, we're moving forward in faith and trusting that if there is anything that needs to be dealt with, it will be made clear.
In the meantime, I keep coming back to this precious souvenir, which has greatly relieved my sense of surrealness about this pregnancy. There really truly is a baby in there and I'm so thankful!
.
.
.
.
.
.
In seven pregnancies, the only ultrasound I had performed was a brief one to confirm that Katie's tranverse/frank breech position in labor. The lack of ultrasounds was not by accident or laziness, but due to a decision to skip procedures that were not truly medically indicated. Ultrasound technology can be a great tool, but it is a tool that is greatly over-used in U.S. obstetrics without good evidence to back up its nearly ubiquitous employment. So we chose early on to only use it if there was a good medical reason.
Well, I've had a new and strange pain this pregnancy in my lower right abdomen. It has at times brought me to tears with its intensity. I could feel a swolleness that seemed to be in the area of my right ovary.
At my 13 week prenatal (last Monday), B. was able to feel the swollenness in the tender area. This is why we decided to go ahead and listen for hearttones with the doppler, because though it's rare for an ectopic pregnancy to make it that far, it is possible. Finding hearttones (at last!) confirmed that there was indeed a growing baby in my uterus, though it didn't explain the pain.
Over the weekend, my pain "pattern" changed, and on Monday I called my primary midwife, Mary. Jonathan and I agreed with her that it would be good to get an ultrasound to see if we could find out what was going on. We had several possibilities I was going to look into for where to get the ultrasound. I procrastinated through Monday, though, and Monday night was in quite a bit of pain.
Tuesday morning I called the number Mary had given me for a wonderful OB that she's gotten to know recently. I talked with her late Tuesday afternoon, and by the end of our phone call, she said she would call the hospital closest to me Wednesday morning and see if they could get me in for an ultrasound on Wednesday. On the list of possibilities were ovarian cysts of various types(that might be causing torsion, a twisting of the ovary on its "stem" that could lead to the death of the ovary), ovarian cancer, and an ectopic pregnancy (in addition to the growing little one).
Wednesday afternoon found us at the hospital. At the welcome desk was a huge bowl of apples. I asked Jonathan if he thought they were to there to keep the doctors away.
The ultrasound tech who worked with us was extremely nice and she really helped put me at ease. She did both a trans-abdominal and a trans-vaginal ultrasound. I had a lot of mixed emotions about the whole thing... wishing that we didn't need to do it at all, delight in seeing the tiny person growing inside me, and concern about what they might find. Alex, the tech, asked if we minded if she printed us a picture of our baby. Of course not! Though I would have preferred to not need the ultrasound, I figured I might as well get a baby pic out of it!
The long and short of the ultrasound results are that the radiologist didn't see anything out of the ordinary. When Mary told me this over the phone last night, I wailed, "Well, then what's wrong with me??!??" But I have to admit it's much better than finding out that I need to have surgery, etc.
I don't know if the Lord has chosen to heal whatever has been causing me pain (I haven't had any significant pain since Monday night and can barely feel the swollen spot), or if there is some other cause than my ovary for the pain. For now, we're moving forward in faith and trusting that if there is anything that needs to be dealt with, it will be made clear.
In the meantime, I keep coming back to this precious souvenir, which has greatly relieved my sense of surrealness about this pregnancy. There really truly is a baby in there and I'm so thankful!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Baby Update - 13 weeks+
Monday morning, I had a prenatal. I've been a little uneasy about this pregnancy, which has seemed almost surreal to me at times for some reason. Though we don't generally opt for the use of a doppler during prenatals, preferring to wait for hearttones until a fetascope can detect them, I was more than ready to hear this little one's heartbeat on Monday.
After some discussion (because I hadn't talked to Jonathan about my perceived need to hear the heartbeat), B got the doppler ready and started looking. And looking... and looking. Since I was already concerned, it seemed like an eternity. After a couple minutes, B suggested that she try her other doppler (that's more sensitive, but has some battery issues). One she got it powered up, she went back to looking for a heartbeat. It was obvious it had a better signal, but still... looking and looking. I just closed my eyes, waiting and praying. I could feel the tears pricking at my eyelids. I never thought the beat of my own heart would be a sound I wouldn't want to hear. And then, the most beautiful song in the word - the beat of my little one's heart. My eyes flew open and met B's, both sets full of joy and relief. Sweet little heart, pumping along in the 140's or 150's. Bliss.
A friend of mine was a couple weeks further along in her pregnancy than me. It was kind of neat to have a buddy at almost the same stage as myself. Until last Friday, when they found out that their little one had died. She birthed him at home early last Saturday morning. My sorrow for my friends has been a thread running through my emotions all this week, and they are in my thoughts and prayers regularly. Even in my joy, they are in my thoughts. What a complex mix our emotions can be.
I'm starting to gain more energy and am hopeful that I'll get back to blogging more regularly soon. I have lots to tell you!
After some discussion (because I hadn't talked to Jonathan about my perceived need to hear the heartbeat), B got the doppler ready and started looking. And looking... and looking. Since I was already concerned, it seemed like an eternity. After a couple minutes, B suggested that she try her other doppler (that's more sensitive, but has some battery issues). One she got it powered up, she went back to looking for a heartbeat. It was obvious it had a better signal, but still... looking and looking. I just closed my eyes, waiting and praying. I could feel the tears pricking at my eyelids. I never thought the beat of my own heart would be a sound I wouldn't want to hear. And then, the most beautiful song in the word - the beat of my little one's heart. My eyes flew open and met B's, both sets full of joy and relief. Sweet little heart, pumping along in the 140's or 150's. Bliss.
A friend of mine was a couple weeks further along in her pregnancy than me. It was kind of neat to have a buddy at almost the same stage as myself. Until last Friday, when they found out that their little one had died. She birthed him at home early last Saturday morning. My sorrow for my friends has been a thread running through my emotions all this week, and they are in my thoughts and prayers regularly. Even in my joy, they are in my thoughts. What a complex mix our emotions can be.
I'm starting to gain more energy and am hopeful that I'll get back to blogging more regularly soon. I have lots to tell you!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Bad Blogger - 9 weeks along
I have multiple posts going in my head, but between feeling naseaus and having trouble with our internet, blogging keeps getting bumped to the bottom of the list.
I'm looking forward to hitting that 12-14 point of this pregnancy, which is when my "green" feeling usually fades considerably. In the meantime I'm working to maintain the balance between 1)forgiving myself for not being very "productive" and 2)embracing slugdom. It's a fine line!
Things seem to be going swimmingly with the wee babe. I've had some new aches and pains this go 'round, but I think I just need to get to the chiropractor. I had my first pre-natal today with a dear friend of mine who is now a CPM who can legally practice in the state of Missouri. I can't express how meaningful that is, after all the years that we (the team of Missouri consumers and midwives) worked to legalize midwives here. It is sweet, to say the least.
I'm looking forward to hitting that 12-14 point of this pregnancy, which is when my "green" feeling usually fades considerably. In the meantime I'm working to maintain the balance between 1)forgiving myself for not being very "productive" and 2)embracing slugdom. It's a fine line!
Things seem to be going swimmingly with the wee babe. I've had some new aches and pains this go 'round, but I think I just need to get to the chiropractor. I had my first pre-natal today with a dear friend of mine who is now a CPM who can legally practice in the state of Missouri. I can't express how meaningful that is, after all the years that we (the team of Missouri consumers and midwives) worked to legalize midwives here. It is sweet, to say the least.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Baby Bath and other news
Our local church family had a neat surprise for us yesterday during fellowship break - A Baby Bath! It was basically a low-key baby shower with a rubber ducky theme, hence, Baby Bath. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures, because my camera (which is always in my purse) was in the work truck. But good memories! And someone had a 35mm camera that was used for pictures, so eventually we'll have some evidence. ;-)
In other pregnancy news, I hit 34 weeks tomorrow! I've been feeling pretty good lately, especially when I stay on top of getting my protein, exercise, vitamins, etc, etc. Swelling is under control, BP is fine, I'm getting used to the carpal tunnel, and my energy level overall is good. I do seem to be a little low on amniotic fluid, so I'm trying to drink even more water so baby can make more cushion for him or her self.
In other health news, we're trying traction to try to get out the knot in my neck/shoulder. Between that and the wonderful massager that J bought for me, I'm not having much of the burning from the knot that has been haunting me for the last couple months. Praise the Lord!
I find myself pretty quiet lately online and in my email groups. It's an interesting thing to me. It's not that I'm hiding, or that I don't want to communicate. It just seems important to use my energy elsewhere. So I find myself not replying to blogs and group emails on which I would usually comment, and blogging very little myself. I have tons to say, just seem to be on auto-filter. Some women nest right before going into labor; I think I nest 1-2 months beforehand. :-)
Speaking of nesting, we re-arranged and cleaned our room yesterday. Yay! Our room is very dark (wood panelling that was there when we bought the house), and I very much feel the need to lighten things up. So we re-arranged and did some cleaning, and I got out the light-colored quilt. J even said that we could go ahead and paint that dark wood panelling! Woohoo!
Why all the need to lighten and brighten? I have had, with some of our babies, a tendency to slide downhill emotionally after birth. I'm greatly aware of how much my physical environment affects me, and I'm concerned that being in a dark dreary room during those critical first couple of weeks will drag me down emotionally. The thought of being in a fresh and light room, however, lifts my spirits even now! I'm praying that I can find someone willing to come and paint for us so that J doesn't have to use his limited time off work to do it. We'll see how it works out! :-)
So that's the latest scoop from our house - how are you all?
In other pregnancy news, I hit 34 weeks tomorrow! I've been feeling pretty good lately, especially when I stay on top of getting my protein, exercise, vitamins, etc, etc. Swelling is under control, BP is fine, I'm getting used to the carpal tunnel, and my energy level overall is good. I do seem to be a little low on amniotic fluid, so I'm trying to drink even more water so baby can make more cushion for him or her self.
In other health news, we're trying traction to try to get out the knot in my neck/shoulder. Between that and the wonderful massager that J bought for me, I'm not having much of the burning from the knot that has been haunting me for the last couple months. Praise the Lord!
I find myself pretty quiet lately online and in my email groups. It's an interesting thing to me. It's not that I'm hiding, or that I don't want to communicate. It just seems important to use my energy elsewhere. So I find myself not replying to blogs and group emails on which I would usually comment, and blogging very little myself. I have tons to say, just seem to be on auto-filter. Some women nest right before going into labor; I think I nest 1-2 months beforehand. :-)
Speaking of nesting, we re-arranged and cleaned our room yesterday. Yay! Our room is very dark (wood panelling that was there when we bought the house), and I very much feel the need to lighten things up. So we re-arranged and did some cleaning, and I got out the light-colored quilt. J even said that we could go ahead and paint that dark wood panelling! Woohoo!
Why all the need to lighten and brighten? I have had, with some of our babies, a tendency to slide downhill emotionally after birth. I'm greatly aware of how much my physical environment affects me, and I'm concerned that being in a dark dreary room during those critical first couple of weeks will drag me down emotionally. The thought of being in a fresh and light room, however, lifts my spirits even now! I'm praying that I can find someone willing to come and paint for us so that J doesn't have to use his limited time off work to do it. We'll see how it works out! :-)
So that's the latest scoop from our house - how are you all?
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Feeling Relieved
I talked this morning with my lovely midwife in Kansas, where we will be travelling for our "homebirth away from home." in June. I feel much lighter of heart!
Some of the things that helped lighten my heart and ease my mind -
After hearing about what my body's been doing the last few weeks, she's not worried about preeclampsia at this point. I'm going to keep tabs on my BP, etc, and keep in place the healthy changes I've made in the last couple weeks, but my mental load over this issue is lessened by her confidence.
It was interesting to hear her recommendations for protein intake. I actually wasn't doing poorly with protein intake before, according to what she recommends. I was still getting way too much junk food and too many wasteful carbs. I find it fascinating that so many women that I respect and see helping women have healthy babies have such varying opinions about things like optimal protein levels. I'm not sure where we'll land over the next few weeks on what my daily goal will be for protein intake, but it's encouraging to know that there probably isn't a perfect number!
While not sounding happy about how much weight I've gained already (I was expressing my concern about this issue), she is happy with the fact that I've changed my eating and exercise habits the last couple weeks. She thinks that if I'm really committed to eating well and exercising faithfully, that I could healthily maintain my current weight or possibily drop some before delivery. Dropping weight is never a good goal in pregnancy, but it's neat to know that if I take advantage of the spirit of power, love, and self-control that God has given me (2 Tim. 1.8), that I could see some of the junk food weight come off while nurishing my baby better.
And then there's just the excitement that comes from getting ready to order a birth kit and starting to really prepare for a birth. That always gives me such a lift.
Guess what??
I'm gonna have a baby!!!!!!! :-D
Some of the things that helped lighten my heart and ease my mind -
After hearing about what my body's been doing the last few weeks, she's not worried about preeclampsia at this point. I'm going to keep tabs on my BP, etc, and keep in place the healthy changes I've made in the last couple weeks, but my mental load over this issue is lessened by her confidence.
It was interesting to hear her recommendations for protein intake. I actually wasn't doing poorly with protein intake before, according to what she recommends. I was still getting way too much junk food and too many wasteful carbs. I find it fascinating that so many women that I respect and see helping women have healthy babies have such varying opinions about things like optimal protein levels. I'm not sure where we'll land over the next few weeks on what my daily goal will be for protein intake, but it's encouraging to know that there probably isn't a perfect number!
While not sounding happy about how much weight I've gained already (I was expressing my concern about this issue), she is happy with the fact that I've changed my eating and exercise habits the last couple weeks. She thinks that if I'm really committed to eating well and exercising faithfully, that I could healthily maintain my current weight or possibily drop some before delivery. Dropping weight is never a good goal in pregnancy, but it's neat to know that if I take advantage of the spirit of power, love, and self-control that God has given me (2 Tim. 1.8), that I could see some of the junk food weight come off while nurishing my baby better.
And then there's just the excitement that comes from getting ready to order a birth kit and starting to really prepare for a birth. That always gives me such a lift.
Guess what??
I'm gonna have a baby!!!!!!! :-D
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Further Pregnancy Update
First of all, I want to thank Michelle for not letting me blow off her concerns about the possibility of preeclampsia developing. You are a true friend!
Last night I got a call from a dear friend of mine who knows a TON about pregnancy and birth. She had read my Checking In post on my blogspot blog and called in the midst of an extremely busy and stressful time to check on me because my symptoms raised a lot of red flags for her as well. This was followed a few hours later by a terrific informative email from another dear friend who was alarmed by what was going on with me. They both were concerned about preeclampsia and had some super practical suggestions on how to head it off.
Sometime between yesterday evening and this morning, I realized that when I talked to my midwife about the tingling in my hands/arm, I didn't mention the swelling. I called her this morning to round out the information I'd given her and she too was very concerned.
So, here are some changes I'm making. Some are specifically to head off the preeclampia possibility, some are things I should have been doing anyway and have been lazy about . . .
~ I am boosting my protein intake Bigtime. I have not been getting nearly enough protein in my diet and this is probably why I'm having such trouble. My goal is to get between 125-150 grams of protein a day for a while and see what this does to my symptoms.
~ I'm serious about charting my food intake now!
~ A cucumber a day.
~ I will be having my BP checked once a week for the rest of this pregnancy. What I learned last night is that often BP doesn't do a sudden rise with preeclampsia, but it rises in smaller gradual steps. Tracking it weekly should help me keep tabs on where it's headed. Today it was 112/62, which is right along what it's been throughout this pregnancy.
~ I'm being faithful in taking my vitamins - duh!! I have been really bad about this this pregnancy.
~ Though I'm usually a strong advocate of moderation, which for me includes allowing myself a cup of coffee per day in pregnancy, I'm dropping the coffee for now. It interfers with calcium absorbption, and hubby's research last night found a connection between low calcium levels and preeclampsia. I should be drinking my Red Raspberry Leaf tea anyway. :-)
~ I have also been waaaaaaaaay lax about exercise this pregnancy, and I'm going to keep working on getting back into that habit, though not so aggressively as I was on Monday and Tuesday of this week. I'm going to plan on two 10 minute sessions of non-intense exercise each day. Reasons? 1) The exercise I got Monday and Tuesday does seem to have made a significant difference in the swelling. 2) Hubby found several studies last night that found that exercise did not have a negative effect on moms dealing with preeclampsia. 3) Two brief periods of gentle exercise should not offset the huge boost I'm making in my protein levels.
Note - I'm open to more input and research on this.
There are probably other things I'm working on, but that's what I can think of at the moment. And I need a nap. :-)
Last night I got a call from a dear friend of mine who knows a TON about pregnancy and birth. She had read my Checking In post on my blogspot blog and called in the midst of an extremely busy and stressful time to check on me because my symptoms raised a lot of red flags for her as well. This was followed a few hours later by a terrific informative email from another dear friend who was alarmed by what was going on with me. They both were concerned about preeclampsia and had some super practical suggestions on how to head it off.
Sometime between yesterday evening and this morning, I realized that when I talked to my midwife about the tingling in my hands/arm, I didn't mention the swelling. I called her this morning to round out the information I'd given her and she too was very concerned.
So, here are some changes I'm making. Some are specifically to head off the preeclampia possibility, some are things I should have been doing anyway and have been lazy about . . .
~ I am boosting my protein intake Bigtime. I have not been getting nearly enough protein in my diet and this is probably why I'm having such trouble. My goal is to get between 125-150 grams of protein a day for a while and see what this does to my symptoms.
~ I'm serious about charting my food intake now!
~ A cucumber a day.
~ I will be having my BP checked once a week for the rest of this pregnancy. What I learned last night is that often BP doesn't do a sudden rise with preeclampsia, but it rises in smaller gradual steps. Tracking it weekly should help me keep tabs on where it's headed. Today it was 112/62, which is right along what it's been throughout this pregnancy.
~ I'm being faithful in taking my vitamins - duh!! I have been really bad about this this pregnancy.
~ Though I'm usually a strong advocate of moderation, which for me includes allowing myself a cup of coffee per day in pregnancy, I'm dropping the coffee for now. It interfers with calcium absorbption, and hubby's research last night found a connection between low calcium levels and preeclampsia. I should be drinking my Red Raspberry Leaf tea anyway. :-)
~ I have also been waaaaaaaaay lax about exercise this pregnancy, and I'm going to keep working on getting back into that habit, though not so aggressively as I was on Monday and Tuesday of this week. I'm going to plan on two 10 minute sessions of non-intense exercise each day. Reasons? 1) The exercise I got Monday and Tuesday does seem to have made a significant difference in the swelling. 2) Hubby found several studies last night that found that exercise did not have a negative effect on moms dealing with preeclampsia. 3) Two brief periods of gentle exercise should not offset the huge boost I'm making in my protein levels.
Note - I'm open to more input and research on this.
There are probably other things I'm working on, but that's what I can think of at the moment. And I need a nap. :-)
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Maternity Clothes
I have more eternally significant things to blog about today, but I feel compelled to share with you that I am so glad it is starting to feel like spring! Besides all the usual reasons, there's my maternity wardrobe. And my size. Or maybe it's the way my maternity wardrobe and my size are fitting together. For a little while longer....
You see, the cute summer clothes that I had looked forward to wearing closer to "term" fit me now. Not fit as in, "I'm pregnant-enough-looking to avoid looking ridiculous wearing this outfit" but fit as in, "Hmmm... won't be able to wear this much longer." The large end of my maternity wardrobe is all summer stuff, hence the rejoicing over springlike weather.
About the size issue... I started this pregnancy about 25 pounds heavier than I would have liked to have been. I'm 25 weeks along and I've gained 30 pounds. The midwife is not concerned about the weight, but she has cleared me to start watching my carbs if it will make me feel better. I'm not too worried about the weight myself, because I think a big part of why I just couldn't lose it before I got pregnant was because of the estrogen dominance issue. I feel very confident about getting it off after the baby arrives.
In the meantime, it won't be long before I'm going to run out of clothes that fit! For now, though, I'm just going to enjoy wearing my summer clothes. I shall consider myself the beacon of coming warm weather!
You see, the cute summer clothes that I had looked forward to wearing closer to "term" fit me now. Not fit as in, "I'm pregnant-enough-looking to avoid looking ridiculous wearing this outfit" but fit as in, "Hmmm... won't be able to wear this much longer." The large end of my maternity wardrobe is all summer stuff, hence the rejoicing over springlike weather.
About the size issue... I started this pregnancy about 25 pounds heavier than I would have liked to have been. I'm 25 weeks along and I've gained 30 pounds. The midwife is not concerned about the weight, but she has cleared me to start watching my carbs if it will make me feel better. I'm not too worried about the weight myself, because I think a big part of why I just couldn't lose it before I got pregnant was because of the estrogen dominance issue. I feel very confident about getting it off after the baby arrives.
In the meantime, it won't be long before I'm going to run out of clothes that fit! For now, though, I'm just going to enjoy wearing my summer clothes. I shall consider myself the beacon of coming warm weather!
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Fundal Height
This is mostly for my own documentation...
I'm looking forward to my next prenatal - to seeing what my caregiver thinks of my fundal height. I've been consciously practicing self-palpation for my last several pregnancies, and I'm regularly feeling the top of my fundus at my belly button. On me, that's ~22-23 cm. Generally, your fundus corresponds to the number of weeks along you are, and for me that's held true through 6 previous pregnancies.
Here are some possible reasons I found on babycenter.com for measuring "large for dates":
• Your due date is off. (Nope, don't think that's possible)
• You have looser abdominal muscles than most women as a result of an earlier pregnancy. (rofl!! I've had 6 earlier pregnancies - ya think?! But my abdominal muscles have been looser than normal for 10 years, so I'm not thinking this is it)
• You have uterine fibroids. (This is a known side effect of estrogen dominance, so I'm not ruling it out. However, looking at the list, pre-pregnancy I had no symptoms of uterine fibroids, so I'm not super concerned about this)
• You're carrying twins or more. (Twins do run in my mom's family...)
• You have too much amniotic fluid. (I suppose this is possible, but honestly, what I'm feeling does not feel like amniotic fluid to me)
• Your baby is positioned high above your pelvis, which might be the case with a breech baby or if you have a placenta previa. (This early in the pregnancy, I don't think these would really be issues)
• You have a bigger-than-normal baby because of gestational diabetes. This condition is known as macrosomia. You may need to be tested to rule it out. (Given my history, the list of risk factors, and my current condition, I really don't think this is it. And my urine's been "great"! lol)
So that's the fundal height report. Any reasons you know of that aren't listed here?
I'm looking forward to my next prenatal - to seeing what my caregiver thinks of my fundal height. I've been consciously practicing self-palpation for my last several pregnancies, and I'm regularly feeling the top of my fundus at my belly button. On me, that's ~22-23 cm. Generally, your fundus corresponds to the number of weeks along you are, and for me that's held true through 6 previous pregnancies.
Here are some possible reasons I found on babycenter.com for measuring "large for dates":
• Your due date is off. (Nope, don't think that's possible)
• You have looser abdominal muscles than most women as a result of an earlier pregnancy. (rofl!! I've had 6 earlier pregnancies - ya think?! But my abdominal muscles have been looser than normal for 10 years, so I'm not thinking this is it)
• You have uterine fibroids. (This is a known side effect of estrogen dominance, so I'm not ruling it out. However, looking at the list, pre-pregnancy I had no symptoms of uterine fibroids, so I'm not super concerned about this)
• You're carrying twins or more. (Twins do run in my mom's family...)
• You have too much amniotic fluid. (I suppose this is possible, but honestly, what I'm feeling does not feel like amniotic fluid to me)
• Your baby is positioned high above your pelvis, which might be the case with a breech baby or if you have a placenta previa. (This early in the pregnancy, I don't think these would really be issues)
• You have a bigger-than-normal baby because of gestational diabetes. This condition is known as macrosomia. You may need to be tested to rule it out. (Given my history, the list of risk factors, and my current condition, I really don't think this is it. And my urine's been "great"! lol)
So that's the fundal height report. Any reasons you know of that aren't listed here?
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