So in another effort to induce labor (you can see my previous attempts here) tonight I walked the mall for an hour (in pajamas!) and then decided to DANCE.  Yup…I decided to try to dance my baby out…or at least dance to make my water break…or dance to  give me some contractions!

It’s Hammer Time!

This list was a lifesaver!  We did it!  Of course as we wait…and wait…and wait…things get dirty again or another thing needs to be added to the list, but overall we accomplished most of what we set out to do alleviating some of the “nesting” stress we had BOTH been experiencing.

I highly recommend other couples sitting down and generating a list of things they both want to complete during this stressful time.  We kept our list in the kitchen and as each of us finished a task marked it off.  At first the list overwhelmed us but we quickly saw we could independently and collectively work together to “Get Ready”.

Other big news is that I canceled the induction scheduled for TODAY.  I calmed my fears and after talking to my OB decided it was best to give baby a couple more days to see if she will make an appearance on her own.  She has one more week or else she will be officially evicted on 27 April 2011.

I feel good about the change in plans…well not physically good.  The past two weeks have been challenging to say the least, but in terms of allowing my body to try to react and set me in labor naturally, I feel confident that even if I wind up induced this was the right decision for me.

Today I lost a good piece of my mucus plug (definitely don’t look up a google image of that)!  A mucus plug blocks the opening of the cervix to prevent bacteria from entering the uterus. Before labor, the mucus plug is expelled so that the cervix can open to allow the baby to pass through during labor and birth.  I know not to get excited – when you lose your mucus plug it could be hours, days or even weeks before the baby arrives.  However, this is a positive sign showing me that my body is gearing up for the big day!

So for the past week-and-a-half I have battling a nasty “sickness”.  It started last Monday when I started to feel nausea on-and-off throughout the day.  I woke up fine on Tuesday and ate a normal breakfast, but after lunch I was in the bathroom throwing up everything that could possibly rise from my stomach.  I’ve had stomach viruses before, but this felt different.  Besides feeling nauseous and vomiting I didn’t feel sick in other ways (if that makes any sense).  Of course we called our doctor who said 1. It could be a stomach bug OR 2. It could be signs of pre-labor due to the change of hormones.

Wednesday came and went with me feeling fine.  Thursday some minor nausea and Friday, well I was good enough to make a trip to the only Friendly’s in Northern Virginia!  And then there was Saturday…

On Saturday I had my good friend Casey’s bridal shower.  I woke up feeling awful, the worst I felt in days.  I was so incredibly nauseous that I was getting ready for the shower I had to stop every few minutes to still my body to stop the wave of sickness.  I knew I shouldn’t have gone to the shower but I wanted to be there so badly!  Once it was time to eat at the shower and I walked around the table trying to decide what might sit well (I had not eaten in 14 hours at this point). I knew my time there was numbered because the look and smell of all the food made me find the nearest toilet…let’s just say shortly thereafter I was in the car, driving home, crying mascara tears.

I spent the remainder of Saturday sleeping…and sleeping…and sleeping some more.  By the seventh month of pregnancy I basically gave up on sleep as I spend most nights tossing and turning.  I knew my body had shut down on Saturday as it was actually forcing me to sleep regardless of any big bump discomfort.

Today I finally feel recovered, not at 100% but any percentage is better than the 0% I felt on Saturday!  I went and saw the doctor again and she is confident that all my symptoms are due to hormones.  Apparently, this late in pregnancy it is normal to have first trimester symptoms come revisit prior to the baby’s arrival!  This is awful news considering I didn’t even have these symptoms when I was in the first trimester of pregnancy! So now I am trying to take each day and awful symptom as it comes, hoping the final day until her birth is shortly upon us.

This is a wonderful “prayer” written by Tina Fey…I want to pass this along to all the current mom’s and mom’s-in-waiting like myself…thank you for your love, dedication, and true sacrifice of self that begins many, many months before your child is placed in your arms.

I hope you all LAUGH & CRY simultaneously like I did…

The Mother’s Prayer for It’s Daughter

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered,
May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half
And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the nearby subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock N’ Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance.
Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen.
Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long,
For Childhood is short- a Tiger Flower blooming
Magenta for one day-
And Adulthood in long and Dry-Humping in Cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever,
That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers
And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister,
Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends,
For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord,
That I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 a.m., all-at-once exhausted,
bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.
“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck.
“My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental note to call me. And she will forget.
But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

]]> http://waiting4tuesday.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/tinafeydaughterprayer/feed/ 2 waiting4tuesday tina_fey http://waiting4tuesday.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/workingfromhome/ http://waiting4tuesday.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/workingfromhome/#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:30:57 +0000 Waiting4Tuesday http://waiting4tuesday.wordpress.com/?p=833 ]]> Last Tuesday I cleaned out my desk and packed up a box of personal belongings kept at work – bills, tax documents and other odds-and-ends that should probably be stored at home but had never made their way back to their originating spot! This is the cleanest my desk has been probably since starting with my employer, almost 6 years ago!

Lucky for me my Program and Project Manager agreed to let me work from home the last week and a half of my pregnancy.

In other locations working from home may not be highly desirable, but in the DC Metro area where a one-way commute is typically 1.5 hours, the ability to forgo waking early to shower, dress, and sit in traffic gives me back approximately 3.5 – 4  hours of my life each day!

I will be returning to work after the baby is born, but will be off for sixteen weeks!  My company will cover my pay for twelve of the sixteen weeks using a combination of short-term disability and paid paternal leave along with maxing out my paid time off.  The last four weeks that I am home will be without pay.

I am looking forward to spending time with my baby and husband without feeling rushed to get back at the job right away.  And I can’t wait to turn the computer off and become disconnected….

Here is what I included…

1. Baby coming home outfit (1 outfit that is newborn size and 1 that is 0 – 3 months…we don’t know how small or big she may be).

2. Mommy coming home outfit…maternity top with a choice of black sweat pants or black sweat capri’s (not trying to look fancy here).

3. Flip-flops for potential walking/laboring at hospital. Also will be handy for showers at hospital.

4. Breast-feeding Bravado brand tank top…only one for now, they are $50 per tank top.  With an already busty top-half the Target brands just wouldn’t provide the support my “twins” need!

5. Two pairs of new pajamas! I LOVE pajamas.  I purchased one set that has a top and bottom.  Although the top doesn’t have buttons (needed for easy breast feeding) it has an elastic area that is easy to pull down.  I also purchased a cute one piece night gown…normally NOT my style however, several mom’s told me that if I have a c-section or tear bad “down there” it will be easier and more comfortable to not have bottoms on. Best prices and variety at Marshalls!

6. Granny panties! Purchased a box from Motherhood Maternity that have a fold down (in case of c-section) and another set from Marshalls that is a soft material with no tough elastic.

7. Pads…it is a sad thing but after 9 months of no period I have been informed I will bleed after birth, like a period, for potentially weeks.  And although the hospital supplies pads I have heard mixed reviews on them so I purchased a small box.

8. Nipple cream and breast pads.

9. The Moby Wrap!  I have heard this thing is a life saver but a bit complicated to use.  The hospital told us if we bring it with us a lactation specialist will show us how to wrap it correctly!

10. Toiletries ranging from travel sized shampoo/conditioner, face wash, tooth brush etc.

11. Husband’s clothing items…”swishy” pants, two t-shirts, boxers and socks.

Still needed…lap top, cell phone charger, camera, video camera, magazines, and snacks!  Oh and my birthing ball!! It isn’t packed because I am using it now, but it will be coming along!!

Did I miss anything important?!

Urine sample, weight and blood pressure check, pushing and painful prodding against my cervix – I waited until the end of the visit to find out the most important jeopardy question of the day, “New doctor joins practice”. I hoped for the response, “What is May 1st 2011?” WRONG! How about, “What is April 11th with on-call, hospital rounds starting April 14th”. I wanted to cry…hysterically. All I could think is why me?   To make matters worse, during the week of my due date, this new, unknown-to-me, doctor-I-already-don’t-like would be on-call almost the whole.entire.week.

So let me back up and preface this story a bit in case you have not been keeping up with my blog. Just weeks into my pregnancy I switched OBGYN practices (you can read about why clicking here). I was quite upset that I had to spend a substantial amount of time researching local doctors, un-confident in my ability to pick the best one for baby and me. I found Fair Ridge OBGYN online. I utilized medical rating tools like ratemds.com and message boards where current and former patients wrote about and provided feedback on their experiences with this practice. I read nothing negative with almost all the commentary providing glowing, over-the-top positive feedback. The worst comments I found were related to their nursing staff – who cares I thought, the nurse won’t be delivering my baby! So we went in for our meeting and we left signed up as new patients. My husband and I were elated that we found this practice and finally relished each and every appointment to meet and learn more from and about, the two doctors at this practice.

Fast forward to week 36 of pregnancy.  The week of realness, the week an official countdown can start, the week where we find out when this baby girl might truly arrive. The worry of delivery and motherhood set-in on this exact morning. My stressful, anxiety-free pregnancy was over and now, to make matters worse I had to hear that a doctor I never meant might very likely be the one to deliver my child. There was no way around it. There was nothing we could do to change these circumstances, so my husband and I uttered words we dare spoke before: induction.

Let’s back up again and discuss my birthing plan so I can explain why to me, induction has been a dirty word! I never in a million years thought I would be a hippie-ish type pregnant woman when it came to my labor and delivery. But then again, I knew nothing about labor and delivery and it wasn’t until I became educated that I realized there are a lot of choices a woman can make regarding this experience. I guess it didn’t help either that I have been attending a FABULOUS pre-natal yoga class where the instructor is also a doula! So although not typed up and printed out, I had some high-level bullets I had planned to share with my doctor:

–Prefer to go into labor naturally with no chemical/medical assistance

–Prefer to labor at home as long as possible

–No discussion of induction unless medically needed or past 41 weeks pregnant

–Ability to shower during labor and use birthing ball (hippie, I know!)

–Must authorize and discuss use of pitocin, only as last resort

You get the point.

So for me to utter the word induction was a big step, in the wrong direction. However, it has felt like the only way I could ensure having one of the two doctors I have grown to know, like, trust and feel confident with the day of my delivery.

Fast forward to today – my 38 week check-up. I had to get it out! I told my doctor, the most kind, caring, doctor whom it is difficult to say anything harsh to, how displeased I am with their scheduling of the new doctor. My husband told him that full-term patients should be guaranteed one of the two original doctors. I told the doctor that I am annoyed that my anxiety and worry has centered on this issue instead of the million other things I should be thinking about. I also explained that I put a lot of intention, thought, and research behind picking this practice and that now I could labor and deliver with a woman who may not be as like-minded as me in terms of my wants and needs. And I added that I researched this new doctor and found little information and what I did come across was well, rather negative.

I put our doctor in a difficult place and I felt bad. But I too was put in a position I wasn’t too pleased about. I have felt forced to make an already critical decision 1. Get induced to ensure I have a doctor I know and trust during labor and delivery (and increase my chances of a c-section as a result) or 2. Let labor occur naturally almost guaranteeing that a “stranger” will direct and guide me during labor and delivery. One option doesn’t feel better than the other.

Our semi-resolution. My doctor was clear that he prefers not to induce labor unless it is medically needed or if the woman is 42 weeks pregnant with little signs of labor approaching naturally. He explained the risks of induction – how some woman don’t respond to pitocin and how many result in a c-section. Again, more reasons why I love these doctors and their ability to respect a woman’s body and not force-feed planned medically and chemically induced deliveries. But he also respected my need for him or the other doctor I know to be present during my birth. He laughed when I pulled out the doctors two week on-call schedule, but he then used it to pick the day he would induce me (20 April 2011 – one day after my due date)…with a couple of disclaimers.

1. I still can very well go into labor on my own. Although only 1 centimeter dilated, I am 90% effaced, and my water can break at any time regardless of my dilation and effacement progression. The rule is you have 24 hours to deliver your baby once your water breaks or else the baby is at risk for infection. PLUS I am walking, bouncing on my birthing ball, eating spicy food – you name it. I’m doing anything natural that can help get this show on the road!

2. I will meet the new doctor next week during my 39 week visit and I will be open-minded (requested per my doctor). I can ask her whatever I would like. If she makes some amazing impression on me in this short visit I can cancel my induction and wait it out knowing that there is a high probability she will be the doctor on-call when I go into labor.

3. If still pregnant, I will see my main doctor on 18 April 2011. He will not approve my induction on the 20th unless my body produces signs that it would favorably respond to the induction. If he feels confident in moving forward he will then strip my membranes (ouch) and I will check in to be induced on the 20th of April.

I never in a million years thought that I would have to think, consider, and worry about such a variable 2 weeks out from my due date. I feel like motherhood has already begun, forcing me to make several big decisions prior to our daughter’s arrival by trying to determine what is best for me, my baby, and her daddy. The positive outcome is that my husband and I are united. We’ve supported each other, understood each other and have really listened to each others concerns and suggestions about how to handle this situation. This unfortunate circumstance has given me a positive preview of how we will tackle parenthood.

I would love to get the opinions of other mom’s and mom’s-to-be about whether or not I should get induced!  Please click the poll or share your feedback in the comment section below!

So pregnant women, don’t respond to constipation late-in-the-game like I did!  If you are “backed up” go to your local pharmacy and purchase COLACE!  It truly is a pregnant girls best friend and it is safe to take.  In fact, I have been told that if you incur constipation after birth you should continue to take Colace not only for you but for the baby!

The internal exams take place weekly and the doctor checks for dilation, effacement, and station.  Most people are familiar with the term dilation.  This is when the doctor is checking the “mouth” of the cervix to see if or how far it has opened.  The lucky number is 10 centimeters…that is when you are given the green light to start pushing.  However, most women dilate long before delivery and many can easily walk around 3, 4, or even 5 centimeters dilated before being admitted to the hospital!  This week I was 0 centimeters dilated.  Effacement means the thinning of the cervix.  While you are pregnant your cervix is really thick and tough, but as your due date approaches the doctor checks to see if your cervix is thinning to allow the baby to enter the pelvic cavity.  This week I was 50% effaced!  Lastly, the doctor checks the baby’s “station” to see how far down the baby’s head has come into your pelvis (or dropped).  I wasn’t told anything regarding this, but next time I will ask!

My doctor, husband and I all took guesses based off this first exam as to when the baby will arrive – my husband guessed week 38, I guessed week 39.5 and my doctor agreed with me saying based off this exams results I would more than likely make my due date! For now, this news is a relief as I have so much to wrap up at work, things to finish organizing at home, and need some time to just absorb this great life change before it happens!

Of course, anything can change at any time…