Six Week Update

On November 14, I went back to the doctor's office for my 6-week checkup. I didn't see Dr. H this time, which was fine by me. I really didn't want to see her anyway. I really don't like her, and I was thinking the entire time on the drive to her office that I wasn't going to be going back. I saw a nurse practitioner named Brittany. I hadn't met her before. I know that she started there in the end of September, because I was asked if she could see me for one of my prenatal visits. I said no, because I didn't want to have someone new so close to delivery. This was my first time meeting her, and I have to say that I really liked her. I think that she would be worth going back to the office. She was real and open with me. She also seemed to predict some issues that I would have after having a baby and was very in tune with my feelings. She said that everything was looking good, but my stitches were a bit tight. That might make things a bit uncomfortable for a while. I was just glad that I could now get back to normal. She said that I could go back to my normal routine of "business as usual." As far as a BABY UPDATE, I think things at home are also getting better. Edmund is still not on any type of sleep or feeding schedule, but I feel that I'm getting better at juggling.

Checking out and going home! :)

At midnight, the nurses came back to checkn on me and Edmund. I then fed him at 1am and did a diaper change and another feeding at 1:50am. Things were looking up in regards to his feedings, which put me more at ease. At 4:30am however, he spit up again. I was worried, since I thought over 24 hours had gone by since he was born. Shouldn't the spitting-up slow down by now? He really wasn't spitting up that much during the day, so maybe it was more of a night-time thing. I was unsure, so I changed his diaper and fed him again around 5:20am. The nurses came back while I was changing his diaper to do a jaundice test. The result was a minus 7, which I was told was good. He was fine. I fed him again at 6:05am, since the feedings were short anyway. At around 6:45am, Edmund was wheeled to the nursery in his little bed. He needed to get checked by Dr. G again. The doctor said that he looked fine to him, but he wanted the nurses to check him again around 2pm because of the positive Group B strep test I had during my 36th week of pregnancy. They wanted to make sure that he wasn't affected by it. The doctor told me all this around 7am when he came back to my room to discuss things with me in person. I mentioned the spitting up still, and again, he said to monitor it. He said that it wasn't uncommon for this to happen. Shortly thereafter around 7:10am, Dr. H came by. I was surprised that she didn't check me at all. Maybe she just went by what the nurses had been reporting in their log, because she didn't really spend much time checking me out at all. She wanted to know if I had any questions or needed anything. I wasn't sure about any of it, and I told her that I felt ok. She said that I could drive right away, and that she didn't see why I couldn't return to life as normal. I thought this was really weird, since I was told to take it easy for 6 weeks after having Andrew. Why was Dr. H so sure that I didn't need to take it easy? I really didn't like her, but I had to take what she said to be the rule, since she's the doctor. I was just so sore that I coudln't imagine life as normal for a while. She told me to make a follow-up appointment for six weeks and then left. That was it. I didn't need any prescriptions or anything else from her. I was free to go when the nurses did their final check of Edmund at 2pm. At 7:45am, my breakfast of biscuit, oatmeal, oj, decaf tea, peach yogurt and milk came. I don't know why it is, but I LOVE the hospital's oatmeal. There is nothing special about it. It is plain, but for some reason, I was craving it! :) Dennis left after I finished eating to go home and get cleaned up. A new nurse came in after that. Her name was Kathe, and she brought me some pills: iron, collase, and motrin. She also took out the needle from my IV that was sitting there, unattached to a machine since 2am on Oct. 4. I had to have my IV for 8 hours after delivery via Dr. H orders, in case I needed something else later. Kathe also brought me towels for a shower and more ice packs. Mom and dad brought Andrew up to visit again. Dad doesn't have to work on Fridays, so he was able to come with them. Andrew still seemed to be interested in his brother, but I think he was ready for mommy to leave the hospital. Dennis was still gone at this time. Mom changed Edmund's poopy diaper and brought us food for lunch/later. They left just before Dennis came back at 11am. I fed Edmund at 11:45am and then ate lunch myself. It was grilled cheese, peaches, side salad, and a dinner role with some lemonade. Not bad, but I worried that all the cheese would bind me up. I still wasn't able to make a bowel movement, and with the stitches, I was worried that when I did, it wouldn't feel too nice. :( Dennis ended up eating the food that my mom brought with them, all except the spinach pockets. I took those home. I got a shower after Dennis and I ate lunch. Dennis took a nap, and I started to get ready to leave. I sat in bed with my regular clothes on. We also put Edmund in his going-home outfit. It was a soft one piece sleeper that had a lion on the front. He was so cute and cuddly. I was ready to leave and get Andrew. It would be nice to have us all home. It would also be nice to see Kenneth and Maria. I felt so bad that we weren't able to spend more time with them. Nurse Kathe came back around 2pm, and we were free to go. I had everything ready, so Dennis only had to find a way to get it all on his shoulders to go down to the car. There was an older man, a volunteer, who wheeled me down to the main door with Edmund in his car seat on my lap. Dennis walked ahead once the elevator opened on the main level, so he could have the car ready for us. I was having some cramps at this point, so it was uncomfortable getting into the car. We called my mom, and she said that she'd have Andrew ready for when we got there, which was close to 3pm. We went straight home after that.

Come one, come all!! Come and meet Edmund!

The nurse came back at 6am to give me more Motrin (600mg). I also had blood taken out of my right hand to check counts by another nurse. The nurse came to take Edmund at around 7am because Dr. Ged.. was here to see him and check him out. They kept him in the nursery for 2 hours because he was cold. they put him in a warmer to raise his body temperature. Dr. G came to talk with us before he left to say that the baby was fine, but he'd have to do one more check the next day since I tested positive for Group B strep. I mentioned that Edmund spit up quite a bit, and he said that we should monitor it. My breakfast of pancakes, oatmea, milk, and oj came at 8am, and while I was eating, Dr. H came to see if we had any questions. She said that she'd be back in the morning to check me before we went home. Dennis then decided to go home to shower, change and get some breakfast, since all I offered him was the 2 sausage links from my plate at around 8:15am. I went to get Edmund shortly before 9am. We tried breastfeeding again, but he wasn't interested. At 9:10am, the nurse, Andrea, came in and gave me an iron pill because I lost lots of blood and a colase pill (stool softner). Andrew and my mom came to visit around 10am. Andrew was excited to meet his new, little brother. He wanted to hold him right away, which he did before my mother got her turn. They both brought him some presents as well. Next, came Kenneth and his girlfriend Maria. They arrived just after 12noon with Dennis. I had just finished my lunch of a grilled cheese, garlic bread stick, dinner roll, side salad, green beans, milk and lemonade. Hello carbs!!! They both were really excited to hold the baby. You could tell that they hadn't had much exposure to a newborn, so I think that made the experience much more special for them. It was really nice for them to be here at the time of his birth. Nurse Andrea came then with a Motrin for my pain as well. I also ate a pear that Dennis had brought from home. It is uncanny how much of an appetite one has when in the hospital. I think maybe having a baby had something to do with that! :) When the lady who registers new babies for their social security cards came in, Kenneth and Maria decided to leave. They still had my car, and they were planning on heading to a store or two before going back to the house. This registration lady was really nice and funny. We had a nice time with her. When Angie (Reese), the lactation consultant came in the room, we weren't done registering Edmund, so she said she'd come back. SHe never did, which later irritated me. Just because I already have a child at home doesn't mean that I don't want to visit with the LC. It would have been nice to have the option, at least. Around 3-3:30pm, the hearing test lady came. Edmund passed the test on both ears. Afterwards, I was finally able to breadfeed Edmund. We all (Dennis, Edmund and I) took a nap after that. It was well-needed, since I didn't sleep much the night before. Dennis left to go to dinner with his brother and Maria. It didn't seem right for them to just sit at our house for days until we came home from the hospital. We really wanted them to have the experience of going to Texas Roadhouse, a real cowboy restaurant, since Maria had never been in the US before. My dad showed up 25 minutes later and so did my supper. I knew that my dad came to the hospital straight from work, so I tried to share my supper with him. I figured that he was starving too. They brought me a hummus wrap that was cut in two, so I gave my dad the other half. There was also bread pudding and a dinner roll. Dad stayed and held Edmund until 10 minutes to 7pm. Then he left to go home. Kim and her two boys showed up at about quarter after 7pm. The boys had a boy scout meeting after school, so they came to see us just after that. Ayden was stand-off -ish, but Alek was "in your face." I could tell that they both liked him a lot. My Dennis showed up at about 7:45pm, and my brother-in-law Dennis showed up at about 8pm or so. He just drove back from seeing a dying friend in Kentucky. He stayed for about 15-20 minutes after Kim and the boys left, but he left at 9pm when 2 new nurses, Rose and Michelle came in to check my vitals, leges, feet, blood pressure, belly and baby. Everything checked out find. They took Edmund to do a pulse oxygen test and then brought him back to do a blood test. They wanted to do the blood test out of the room as well, but I wanted everything that could be done in the room to be done in the room in my presence. Dennis, Edmund, and I went to sleep after I breastfed and was given a stool softner and Pertussis vaccine at 10pm. At 11:45pm, Edmund woke up for a diaper change, which I did myself, and I also fed him. It felt more natural now to be his mom. I was getting ready to go home. Hopefully, we wouldn't have to stay too long tomorrow.

I think I'm in labor. Baby today?

I woke up today at 7:30am as Dennis kissed me before he left for work. I normally get up at about this time anyway, since it is about the time that Andrew gets up. I noticed right away that I had a bit of a cramp in my belly, and I wondered if it could be a contraction. I had my labor started in the hospital with Andrew, so I wasn't sure what was actually labor pains and what was Braxton Hicks. I thought I would just monitor my feelings and see what happens. I had been monitoring contracions all month off and on. Nothing ever lasted past a few hours, so I assumed that this would be the same. Dennis' brother and his girlfriend were visiting us for the week, and they had just arrived the day before. I had suggested earlier that they take my car and drive to Galena for the day, but since I was having pretty consistent contractions, my brother-in-law was a bit worried about taking my car. He said, "what if you need it to go somewhere?" What a funny thing to say!! It just goes to show that he doesn't have much experience with women in labor. Haha. I told them that I would call my mother to come over to watch me and Andrew. As they were getting ready to go, my mother showed up. It was perfect timing. I was, in fact, in labor. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. At about 10am, my mother, Andrew and I were at my house hanging out. I thought this would be a great time to update my blog, since the thought of having a baby made me think that I wouldn't have time to work on it. At about 11am, my mom made Andrew and I a grilled cheese sandwich. She's such a trouper!! Where would I be without her!?! :) I sat eating when the phone rang; it was my OB/GYN office. They wanted to add a stress test to my appointment, so they wanted me to come in at 8am instead of 8:30am the next day. I said that would be fine, but I also mentioned that I was having contractions every five minutes since 7:30am that morning. The lady on the phone said that she would talk with Dr. H and get back to me. She actually put me on hold, so she could talk immediately with the doctor. This told me that my condition was likely serious, but I was still a bit in denial. When the nurse came back on the phone, she told me that the doctor had suggested I go straight to the hospital immediately. I had a feeling she was going to say that. Since I had already gone to the hospital before as a false alarm, I wasn't too excited about going back unless I was going to have a baby. Never having had labor start on its own before, I wasn't 100% sure that this was it. It was close to 12noon by this time, so I thought I would just wait until Dennis came home to go to the hospital with him. Luckily, my mother could take Andrew, so things worked out all around. I finished eating and got a few things together. Then, I texted Dennis to tell him that I needed to go to the hospital. He was reading the text as he walked in the door. My mother, being wonderful, had also made an extra grilled cheese for Dennis, so he could quickly eat when he got home. It didn't take long before we were on our way to the hospital. Mom and Andrew stayed at the house so Andrew could finish his lunch. Hopefully, we'd see them after getting a new little guy. Dennis loaded up the car with what we would need for labor and the stay at the hospital. I had a bag packed, and we also took along two pillows from our bed, the camera, video recorder, and exercise ball that I had borrowed from my sister. I was planning on having a natural birth without pain medication, and I wanted the ball to help with the pains. We checked into the hospital at about 12:50pm, and they put us in an actual labor room instead of a triage room like before when I was in preterm labor. This also made me feel that things were going to happen this time. I was getting a bit excited. Room 541 was going to be my new home until I delivered my son. I immediately got undressed and into the hospital gown. I shared my birth plan with the nurses, so there wouldn't be any issues. I had shared the plan with Dr. H weeks before, so I was confident that things would work out as I wanted them to this time around. When I had Andrew, the doctor who delivered him was a man I had never met and was against many of the things I wanted in my birth plan. I was hopefull that I would have a better experience with all staff involved this time. We'd have to see. Gerri, the nurse who checked us into the room, also checked my cervix. I was a bit surprised to find that I was dilated to 6cm, but she could stretch me to 7cm. I knew that I was feeling lots of pressure over the last week or so, and I had heard that the only feelings a cervix would register were stretching. I had a feeling that the process was moving along, but this confirmed it! She also told me that my cervix was very thin and stretchy and that I was 90% effaced. It didn't seem like it would be long before I would have the baby, but I knew there must be lots of women out there who stayed at 6cm for a long time before delivering their babies. My contractions also weren't getting stronger, so I wondered if that also was a sign that I would be stuck at this dilation for a while. Only time would tell. Dennis' response to all of this was "I'm ready for this," which he said with a laugh. I think he was a being a bit sarcastic, since he forgot to put the baby seat in the car for the new baby. haha He'd have time later. For the first few hours, Dennis and I mostly just waited in the room, while I sat in the bed having contractions. In the meantime, Gerri came in to start an IV at 1:50pm. I was scared about this since she was the one to give me my IV back on August 31st, and she used a catheter that was much too large and hurt like hell. It also hurt for weeks after they took it out. :( At 2:00pm, there was a shift in the workforce, and Gerri was out allowing Chelly to come in and be our nurse. Chelly was of a grandma's age. I wouldn't say that she was old enough to be my grandma, but she had grandkids of her own. She was probably in her 60s, and she was great. She was kind, patient and very smart in the ways of her profession. She was also with us back on the September 1st, and I was glad to have her. At this point, I was given 500 million units of penicillin in my IV. This was because I tested positive a few weeks ago for Group B Strep. They didn't want the baby to get it on the way out, so I had to have to doses of antibiotics before I delivered to prevent any harm going to my son. Dr. H also showed up at this point. She said that she would just wait until my water broke or until the second dose of antibiotics was gone in my IV. I didn't know then that it would be close to 7pm for the antibiotics to be in my system, so I was a bit on the anxious side. I just had to wait out the contractions and see what happened. At around 4pm, the nurse, Chelly, came in to tell me that she'd give me the second dose of antibiotics at 6pm. When that was gone, she would talk to Dr. H about checking my cervix again and perhaps breaking my water. It was nice to have some times, because the waiting is truly the hardest part. During the duration of my labor from 4pm to 6pm, I did a variety of things. I stood and held on to Dennis during contractions. I also sat on the exercise ball. Dennis rubbed my shoulders and counted as I breathed lamaze. He was truly wonderful, just as he was when I was in labor with Andrew. He was so patient and went along with whatever I wanted. I really appreciated having him there, and I don't think I could have stayed as calm as I was without him. After the second dose of antibiotics went through my IV, I was eager to hear what the doctor was going to say. At 6:40pm, Dr. H checked my cervix, and she told me that I was 9cm, 90% effaced and at a -2 station. This meant that I was pretty much ready to go, but the baby was up a bit too high. If I were at a +2 station, I would be pushing the kid out. I wondered how long it would take for the baby to drop, and I had been waiting all day for my water to break as well. I had hoped that my water would break on its own outside of the hospital. Boy, am I glad that I didn't get my wish. Overall, when I think about the labor process, it really didn't seem that bad. It actually wasn't that bad during the process. Only at the very end, did it seem to get heavy with hard labor feelings. That only lasted about 20 minutes before the water broke, though. At about 7:15pm, Dr. H broke my water. She used the long, plastic stick to break my water. HOLY COW!!! Can I now say, "thank you, God for not allowing my water to break anywhere other than in that hospital bed." Immediately, I felt the baby drop. I would tell Andrew about when he was born and how I felt him slide down into position as if he were going down a slide. I would say that was when he went down the "weee", since that is what Andrew used to call the slide. With Edmund, I wouldn't say it was quite like that exactly. It was definitely a "weeee" type of feeling, but it felt almost as if he were already out. He slid down as far down as he could go. It is amazing how much that sack of water kept him in. With it gone, I can't imagine what would have happened had I been at home or out alone with Andrew. I don't even want to think about that. Once the water was broken, I immediately screamed, "help me, help me." I was freaking out because it almost felt that I wasn't ready for the baby to come out. The pain also became much more intense when the water wasn't there. It was just all happening too fast. Speaking of fast, I asked the doctor right away if I could push. She said that I had a smidge left of my cervix, which would need to be completely thinned out before I could push. She told me that after 2 or 3 more contractions, I could push. I didn't know how long that would be, so I started to panic. The pain/pressure was so intense, that it felt that the only way to get past it would be to push. Luckily, the contractions were on top of each other, so I didn't have to wait long before I could start pushing. All in all, it only took about 15-20 minutes for me to push the baby out. I can't say that it felt much longer than that, but there was non-stop action during the entire delivery. I was scared and in pain, and I constantly asked them to help me. Being in pain isn't a good feeling, and I just knew that it was going to get worse before it got better. I felt everything. Because I had in my birth plan that I didn't want pain medication, no one had asked me about it during the entire time I was laboring. I appreciated that they were so supportive of my wishes. I never asked for pain medication, even during this hard time. I was so determined to have a natural experience, that I wasn't even considering pain relief until after the baby was born. I pushed as best as I could. I had a nurse on each of my legs holding them back, and Dennis was on my right side counting and rubbing my head. He kept telling me how proud he was of me and how I was doing such a great job. I was great to have him there, but I have to admit, I was getting into that scary, yell-at-everyone phase. I wasn't like this during Andrew. When I was delivering Andrew, I was more sad than anything. With Edmund, I was mad with little things. I think this was because I felt it all. I was a bit irritated that my nurses didn't have such a good hold of my legs. I wanted more support. Also, my doctor actually called me Kristin twice. I really yelled at her the second time, when I said, "my name is Kelly," as I was about to push again. I would cry in between screams, and I meant screams. I never screamed so loud or with so much force as I had at that moment. I tried to give the pushing all I had, but it just didn't seem that the baby was going to fit. The doctor and nurses tried to stretch me in between pushes. The mere thought of that makes me cringe. It was so painful. The doctor finally said that she felt I should have an episiotomy. I was against it in my plan, and she knew that. Still, she wouldn't have asked if she didn't think it was the best solution. I half cried when she asked because I knew that I would feel the entire thing. It is one thing to ripe on one's own, but to have someone ask if she could cut me in a very sensitive area, was horrible. I agreed and braced myself for more pain. Though I was feeling terrible at this point, I knew that the harder I pushed, the shorter the delivery would be. I had a couple of good pushes, and the head came out. I wasn't sure what was happening, and I was then told that the head was out. Dennis was happy at this point and kissed me on the forehead. He said that the baby was beautiful. He had said the same thing with Andrew. He had the easy job! :) The weirdest feeling came next after I had pushed the baby's body out. I can't quite explain it, but I felt the shoulders and body slide out of me as if it was a slug falling out of a bottle. I asked, "what is it?" because I really wanted to hear her say "it's a boy." She seemed confused why I was asking, but eventually said, "it's a boy." I just needed to hear it to know that it was true. Edmund Johs was born at 7:37pm. He was 8lbs. 7oz (6.7oz to be exact.) and was 20 1/2 inches long. As stated in my birth plan, I wanted the baby to be placed on my chest before anything else was done. The only things the doctor could do before I got to hold my son was clean out his mouth and have the umbilical cord cut. Dennis cut the cord, and I actually got to see it happen this time because I was sitting in a different position for birth than I had with Andrew. It was really neat to see. Dennis didn't hesitate. He kept kissing my forehead and telling me that he was so proud of me. He said that he was proud of me for doing it "my way," which meant without pain medication. He was so happy and excited for his new little man, and he told me that he thought I was amazing for giving birth without pain medication. The baby was then placed on my chest. I really wanted the skin-to-skin exposure, so it would be easier to breastfeed. I just didn't plan on being in so much pain. After Edmund came out of me, I wasn't able to move because of all the pain. I actually shook from the waist down because of the trama I had experienced. My abdomin was cramping so badly, and I felt unable to move. I had never felt so much pain as I did at this point. It is crazy to think that I would be begging for pain medication after the birth instead of during. Who would have thought! During the time that my son sat on my chest, the doctor stitched me up. I was so sensitive at this point that the shots she gave me to numb everything was so painful as well. I even flinched a couple of times, since she started the stiching process before I was even numb. This and many other reasons that were mentioned before are reasons enough for me to find another doctor. I would expect behavior like this from a man, who has no idea what this experience/pain is like, but to have a woman, who is actually a mother, be so insensitive, is unbelieveable. Tragic. It was hard even to look at my new baby, which made me sad. I wanted to enjoy this experience, as I did with Andrew. I asked many times for pain medication. During the time of laying limp with my new child on my chest, the doctor finished stitching me up and then asked me to pass the placenta. I actually had to push it out after getting my stithces. Weird! I don't know why this was done, since I never was asked to do that with Andrew. I just assumed that those things just fell out on their own. This was a new experience, for sure. I had to assume that the doctor knew what she was doing. Maybe she just wanted to check my muscles abilities and her stich job. Whatever. The doctor was out the door once the placenta came out, so the nurses started to clean me up after that. They also gave me pain medication then, which went into my IV. It was some sort of narcotic. It didn't work right away, but I was able to attempt to move at this point. I asked them also to help me move onto my side. I still couldn't move because of the pain. Laying on my left side was extremely better, and I actually got to look at my son more this way. I even breastfed him on my left side at 8:30pm. The nurses even pointed out that they were playing the lullabye over the loud speaker. This happens everytime someone has a baby, and normally, new mothers don't get to hear it play for them/their child, so it was nice to get to hear it for Edmund. This was now time for Dennis to hold the baby. He's such a patient man at times. He never once rushed me to try and hold the baby. He looked the part of a happy, new dad. He just loved the baby, which one could tell by Dennis' big smile and kisses he gave the baby. The nurses took the baby then to the nursery to do some tests and get him cleaned up. Dennis followed along to watch, and I tried to move off the bed and use the restroom before being wheeled to a new room. I just couldn't make anything happen in the bathroom. I think it was partially due to two factors: one being that I was shaking so badly, and the other was that my muscles just weren't resonding to the signals the brain was sending it. It was kind of like trying to lift a car with my mind. Impossible. The nurses said that it was okay, so I got in the wheelchair and headed to room 521, where I would be for the rest of my time in the hospital. With Andrew, I walked to my new room, but this one was much to far down the hall for me to walk. Once I got to this new room, I actually felt a bit better and was able to pee. I tried to breastfeed again at 11:30pm, but Edmund was passed out. He didn't want to wake up. The nurse, KJ, gave me a stool softner and a motrin after she got Edmund dressed from his poor attempt at feeding. We were all asleep just before midnight. Throughout the night, Edmund spit up quite a few times. He also needed to be changed a lot because the spit-up got all over his blanket and shirt. I thought it was a bit strange that he was spitting up, since that didn't happen with Andrew, but I thought he just had a bit more of the fluid in his system that needed to come out. I tried to breastfeed a couple more times, but he didn't want it. I think it was because he was so filled with fluid.

Light at the end of the tunnel can be heaven or a speeding locomotive!

I don't know what I was expecting at today's doctor's appointment. I was having lots of pressure all day, but that wasn't so off from any other time. Andrew had a playdate with some of the other 2-year olds from the mom's group. It was at Cameron's house today, and all seemed okay. I didn't feel that I was having any contractions, but the pressure was there. Nothing major. Andrew and I went to my mom and dad's for lunch, since I was going to leave Andrew with my mom. I didn't want my doctor's appointment to interfere with his nap, so I thought I would let him rest there while I went to see the doctor. At 2pm, I started off with a surprise ultrasound. I didn't expect this since my ultrasounds are usually on Fridays. I was in luck, because my favorite tech, Kelly, was there that day. She told me that they needed to measure the baby. I guess I had completely forgot that they wanted to do this at 38 weeks. It was probably because I felt in my gut that I wouldn't still be pregnant at this time. I told Kelly that I didn't want to know, though I was smiling. I had no choice, and I was a bit curious. I just knew he was going to measure big, and I was a bit worried to hear what she found out.

Week 37...let's get this party started!

I have to admit that since I had Andrew on the exact beginning of my 37th week, I was kind of thinking that this week would be IT for Edmund to come. I was wrong and so sad. It has been hard sleeping because of the constant bathroom breaks as well as the pain of all the weight. It isn't like pain pain, but it is more like pressure pain. It still doesn't feel good and allow for lots of sleep. I was hoping that when I went to my Sept. 25th appointment, the doctor would magically say, "let's get that baby out today." Of course, I would agree, and it would be all over. That didn't happen. When I got to the doctor's office, I weighed a wopping 162.4. Can I get any bigger? On the monitor, I was having consistent contractions, but they seemed more like Braxton Hicks, since they weren't predictable or ending at times. It just seemed like a really bad backache that was always there. I told the doctor about the burning feeling I was having, but if I wasn't also feeling itching feelings, I didn't need to worry. I trusted her, since the burning felt more like tearing than an infection. Luckily, the burning only lasted a week, so I knew by the 38th week that it wasn't an infection. The doctor had told me that my Group B strep test (the swab test taken at 36 weeks) came back positive. I guess this is just something that happens to some women, though it didn't happen with Andrew. I just need to let the hospital know that it was a positive result so that I can get antibiotics when I get to the hospital before I deliver. That way, the baby will be safe, and the infection/bacteria/stuff wouldn't pass on to the baby. This was a bit out-of-the-ordinary to hear and also a bit concerning to me, but again, I had to trust my doctor that everything would be okay. There wasn't anything I could do about it anyway. Dr. H checked me and said that I was 90% effaced and 4 cm dilated. She thought I would deliver by the end of the week, which was what I wanted to hear, but I didn't really believe it was going to happen. I had spent the entire month going from 1cm to 4cm, and I wanted to help things along. I looked up online how I could get the labor process started on my own. I drank red raspberry tea, bounced on my exercise ball, started to walk more and more, went up and down stairs at home (usually for Andrew). Nothing seemed to work. By the end of the week, I just decided not to worry so much about it all. The baby would come when the baby wanted to come, and it didn't matter what I did. I decided to relax about it and not stress out. I had another appointment on the 28th with Dr. M, but for some reason, I saw Dr. H again. This was really annoying. I knew that Dr. M was leaving the practice based on some reliable "hearsay", but I really wanted to hear it from her personally. I wanted her to ease my fears and worries about having to DO THIS without her. I wanted her to give Dr. H high praise to let me know I was in good hands. What happened instead? She completed avoided me and passed me off to Dr. H. I asked the secretary what was going on, and she was the one to tell me that Dr. M's last day was, in fact, that very same day. I was pissed. I told her that it wasn't very professional for her to avoid her patients, especially those being 9 months pregnant. All she said was that maybe Dr. M was busy and asked Dr. H to step in. I didn't buy that for a second. I know that she was too afraid/ashamed/something to face me herself. How weak!!! Anyway...at this visit, I weighed at 163.6 (yes, I could get bigger.) The heartrate was a steady 135, but I really wanted to be checked to see if things were progressing. I wasn't. I was still at 4cm and 90% effaced. All in all, it was a very disappointing visit and week.

The beginnings of labor? Umm...sort of!

On Monday, the 17th, I was felling lots of pressure again, and I actually had a little bit of blood when I wiped after using the toilet. It wasn't like a period, but more like a slight nose bleed. It appeared for a couple of days, and Dr. M had told me that it was probably my mucus plug coming out. I also started to feel some minor contractions on Monday as well, which lasted throughout the week. My sister lent me her exercise ball this week, which helped my back pains when sitting. On Sept. 18th, I went in for another appointment with Dr. M. This time, she was there. I weighed in at 160 pounds, but my belly measurements weren't taken. I first went on the monitor, which actually showed that I was having consistant contractions that were 3 minutes apart. They didn't feel strong, though. Dr. M did the 36-week, swab test for bacteria and checked me. I was 75% effaced and 3 cm dilated. Baby looked good and active on the monitor, but the doctor still wants me to sit and rest when I can. She said that I didn't have to be on bedrest, but I needed to take it easy. She wanted me to call her if any of the following happened: 1) my water broke, 2) the bloody show looks heavy, 3) the baby stops moving, or 4) I start to have really bad contractions. It seemed that that was the beginning of labor for me, which would last weeks. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there wasn't going to be a September baby. I thought it would be great to get the kid out in September, but he just wasn't ready. I say that this was somewhat the beginning of labor because I was already 3 cm and progressing, but slowly. Maybe this would make actual labor easier. We'd have to see. At my Sept. 21 appointment, my belly measured at 39 cm. Someone somewhere had once said that the amount of centimeters a belly measured was actually the amount of weeks the baby should be measuring at. Boy, I hope that was a falsehood. I would hate to have a baby who measured 48 weeks when it was all said and done. Is that even possible? I didn't want to think about it. That would be crazy! This appointment was nicer since Dr. M told me not to worry about resting and to do, pretty much, whatever I wanted. That was a relief, because maybe it would mean the baby would come out sooner. I had a few contractions at this visit, but I didn't really feel them. I had an ultrasound, which showed lots of fluid still, and the heartrate was 135. I wasn't checked at this visit either, so I would have to assume that my cervix was the same.