• 19Jun
    Categories: Pregnancy Comments: 1

    Skip this blog if you’ve already heard enough birthing stories.  For the rest of you, let’s start from the beginning of labor.

    Around 9 PM on Sunday, May 9, my Braxton Hicks contractions started to really hurt.  The kids were in bed.  Husband and I were watching an episode of Lost upstairs on the TV by streaming Hulu.com from Husband’s computer.  We started timing the contractions, but they were not consistent or close together, so we quit timing them.  Pain level on scale from 1 to 10 was about 2.

    Around 10:30, I was getting ready for bed and the contractions were really quite painful, enough so that I was pretty sure I would not be able to sleep through them.  Husband was already in the bed, either reading or playing solitaire on his iPod Touch.  We started timing the contractions again.  They were not exactly consistent in frequency (between 3 and 4 minutes apart), but they were pretty consistent in duration.  We went back and forth trying to decide whether to wait or to go on to the hospital, all the while gathering up the toiletries and other various items that needed to be added to our suitcase.  (I had a list of these items, of course.)

    By 11:00, I was having to concentrate on my breathing to get through the contractions.  My pain level was a 5 or 6.  We got on the Internet and looked up the signs of labor (yet again) and read how the pain usually increased dramatically when the baby was moving into the birthing canal.  I felt pretty sure that this is what I was feeling.  It was definitely different than my normal Braxton Hicks contractions.  So Husband calmly called his Mom and asked her to come over to stay with the kids, as planned, so we could go to the hospital.  She had predicted that the baby would come that day, so I’m sure she wasn’t surprised to get the call.  It took maybe 15 minutes for her to arrive.  It was a surreal feeling, waiting for her and anticipating that the big event had finally arrived.  With the finality of it settling on me, I felt ready and excited, and time seemed to roll on inevitably like the waves of the ocean gaining momentum before crashing upon the sand.

    When Granda arrived, I felt a little silly and embarrassed that the pain was difficult to bear so I went to another room when the contractions came.  We weren’t there much longer.  I went to say silent goodbye’s to Bryler and Kelby as they slept.  I wanted to share my excitement with them, to let them know that the baby was finally coming!  I knew they would be so excited!  But I knew better than to wake them.

    We were on the road at 11:30 PM.  Such a strange feeling to be getting in the car and driving to town in the middle of the night, leaving our kids at home.  It reminded me of the dream I had a few months earlier where we had gone to the hospital to have the baby and had forgotten to call Granda, only to realize hours later that the kids were still home alone in the bed.  We kept timing the contractions in the car and actually considered turning around and going back home when I skipped a contraction altogether.  But the next contraction after that was the strongest one yet, as if my body was trying to compensate for the missed one.  It hurt so badly that I almost cried.  I gripped the handle above the window and tried my hardest to breathe through it.  There was no turning back home after that. I knew that this was true labor.

    There was no traffic, so it was about 11:45 when we checked in at the emergency room.  We were happy to find that Dr. M, the same doctor that delivered Bryler, was on call that night.  It was weird having to pause the conversation we were having with the receptionist when the contractions hit me.  I hadn’t felt this much pain with Kelby and Bryler until just before getting the epidurals, and maybe not even then.

    Around midnight, I was taken in a wheel chair from the emergency room to the triage room in the labor and delivery wing.  They hooked me up to the monitors and checked my dilation.  I was 4 cm dilated.  I was so relieved to hear that!  It meant that I was moving along in labor and we definitely would not be sent home to wait any longer!  Baby on the way!  The nurse asked me if I wanted an epidural and I said yes and she said that she’d get to work on getting that arranged.

    At 1 AM, we were moved to our birthing and recovery room, which are very nice and spacious at this hospital.  By this time, my pain level was an 8.  I was really having to work hard to breathe through my contractions.  Each one was an excruciating cramp.  I felt it in my back, my groin, and my abdomen.  I had never experienced this much pain with my other two babies.  I had tested positive for Strep B earlier in the pregnancy, so I was given an antibiotic through an I.V. in my arm. They warned me that it would burn for about a half hour because it was a concentrated dose.  It was really miserable.  I thought, “Sure, the contractions aren’t enough.  Let’s add some more pain on top and see if you can take it!”  This pain was even more annoying than the contractions because it was constant burning at a pain level of about 5 whereas the contractions, at a level 8, lasted about 40 seconds and then I had a reprieve for about 3 minutes.  There was no relief from the burning in my arm and it seemed to last forever.

    While we waited for the anesthesiologist to come give me the epidural, Husband went out to the car to get our suitcase.  He was gone for maybe 10 minutes, but I missed him terribly while he was away.  It was so much worse bearing the pain alone.  He was a great encouragement and comfort throughout the whole ordeal.  He also kept it interesting by keeping up a steady stream of questions for all the nurses, not just about the delivery, but about themselves — whether they had kids or grandkids, how long they had been nurses, etc.

    The anesthesiologist arrived around 1:30 AM and prepared for the epidural.  (She was a very nice woman who was also 7 months pregnant.  Her hospital clothes hid it very well.  She offered the information as a result of some of Husband’s questions.  Otherwise, we would never have guessed she was pregnant.  The conversation was a nice distraction.)  As much as I dreaded the feeling of the needle going in my back, I was ready for some relief from the painful contractions.  Getting the epidural was one of the most memorable moments of the night.  I was sitting up on the side of the hospital bed, bent over so my spine would stick out, with Husband holding my shoulders to help comfort me and to keep me still, with all the I.V.’s in my arm, and being told to be as still as possible so the epidural could be safely inserted into my spine — and then a contraction hit me full force.  I looked at Husband and the nurses and told them, “Here one comes” and the nurse just looked at me fervently and said, “Breathe and don’t move.”  That was one of the most painful 40 seconds of the night because of my bent-over position and not being able to move to alleviate any of the cramping.  I didn’t make a sound or move, but I somehow breathed through it.  Husband says he was really proud of me.  Heck, I was proud of myself!

    After that, the nurses asked me what my pain level was and I said it was a 10 during the contractions.  It was around 2 AM.  It was only a few more contractions before I felt the pain ebb and within about 15 minutes, the pain was back down to about 2.  Ah, what a relief!  Shortly after that, the nurse checked me and announced that I was fully dilated!  No wonder it had hurt so much!  I had gone through all the labor except the pushing without an epidural!  Oh, but I was so thankful to have gotten it before I had to push!  I’m sure that if they had checked me before giving me the epidural, they would have told me that it was too late to get one.  I thanked God that I was spared that!

    They called for the doctor to come.  He broke water my water at 2:20 AM.  They told me to let them know when I felt like I needed to push.  It was maybe 10 minutes later when I felt that it was time so the nurses got me in the stirrups and called for the doctor to come back.  I don’t know how many contractions I pushed through.  I would estimate about 4 contractions.  This part of it was less painful than it was when I delivered Bryler, but I did have to work hard.  His head crowned and it felt really strange – like a big piece of poop that needed to come out (sorry for that — but that’s what it felt like).  At the next push, his head came out and then I asked if I needed to push any more and they said no and then the rest of the body tumbled out.   It was 2:40 AM, almost 6 hours after the very beginning of labor.

    The next part is a little fuzzy in my memory but I know that Husband cut the umbilical cord and that he said something about it being tough to cut.  As soon as he was cut free, they put his tiny body in my arms.  I wasn’t expecting it.  I had a hard time feeling present in the moment.  I felt like I was moving in slow motion and kept thinking about the blood all over his squirming body and trying to convince myself that this was the little guy who had been in my belly for so long.  Perhaps I was experiencing some shock.  The nurses took him over to the table with a heat lamp the clean him up and I listened to his little cries, which were not at all annoying.  Husband went over to take pictures and video of our new baby.

    I delivered the afterbirth and then the doctor stitched me up.  He said it was just a very minor tear and then he stitched and stitched and stitched for like 15 minutes until I felt pretty certain that it wasn’t really a minor tear at all.  I kept an eye on the baby and kept trying to convince myself that he was ours.

    After about 30 minutes, I was feeling a bit more like myself.  We weren’t able to hold him because he needed to get warmed up first, but we got to take a good look at him.  I was so glad to see that he had some hair.  It was dark brown and he had a nice hairline.  He had long fingers, long arms, long skinny feet, and super-long toes.  His face was perfect.  He was perfect.  We were exhausted, but we were very happy!

  • 16May
    Categories: Pregnancy Comments: 0

    Mother’s Day was nice this year, probably the nicest one since I became a mother, simply because it was relaxing.  My sister, Jana, turned 40 on May 10 this year.  Since it is always so close to Mother’s Day, we rarely give her birthday due diligence.  But her husband, Steve, wanted to give her a surprise birthday party since it was her 4oth, so we organized a party for May 8, the day before Mother’s Day, under the ruse that we were celebrating Mother’s Day early.  It worked out very well.  She thought she was going to a Mother’s Day event at Mom’s house and when she walked in the door, we all yelled, “Surprise — Happy Birthday!”  Although we didn’t officially celebrate Mother’s Day that day, we got to spend time with all the people we normally would see on Mother’s Day.  I think everyone planned to celebrate Mother’s Day in their own way, so we made plans to take Mom & Dad out to dinner on Monday, May 10.

    On Mother’s Day morning, I went to wake up Kelby and the first thing she said was, “Happy Mother’s Day!”  She had also made a banner in bubble letters (similar to the banner that Tasha had made for Aunt Jana the day before) that said, “Happy Moths Day!!” (I think because she was running out of room for the rest of the word Mothers) and I was really impressed with it because I didn’t know she could make bubble letters!  She was very sweet to me all day.  Bryler didn’t remember to tell me Happy Mother’s Day, but he was really sweet and gave me a nice hug when Kelby and Daddy reminded him.  After church, we went to Lori and Lance’s house and ate lunch and hung out in the beautiful weather for a little while before going home and taking a nice long nap.  I wasn’t feeling the greatest and was a bit irritable, so the nap was probably the best Mother’s Day gift ever!  After our nap, we all took a walk around the block because it was so pretty and because I hoped it would encourage the baby to come.  Kelby walked with Daddy and Bryler held my two fingers most of the way while he talked and talked, and I loved it.  After that, we ate dinner and had a movie night.  We watched the first half of Mary Poppins, which I have been wanted the kids to watch for a long time now.  We had popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon.  Bryler snuggled up next to me and Kelby snuggled up with Daddy on the couch downstairs in our “theater”.

    Granda had felt that I would have the baby that day and I was hoping she would be right.  I thought I felt some change in the position of the baby and that I might have leaked some amniotic fluid, but it was just my imagination.  We put the kids to bed, took our showers, and watched an episode of Lost.  That’s when the contractions began to get painful.  And that’s where I will end my Mother’s Day post and start working on the posts about the baby being delivered because I believe the baby started moving into the birth canal when we were watching Mary Poppins and my cervix started opening up around 9 PM.  My mother’s day ended in the hospital, getting ready to meet our little baby boy!

  • 16May

    Husband and I decided early on in the pregnancy that we didn’t need any baby showers.  We already had too much “stuff” and we didn’t feel right about having people give us baby gifts for the third time.  It wasn’t until the 3rd trimester that the subject of showers came up again.

    On April 20, Elizabeth and Tosha from the accounting department came to ask if they could give me a party.  I was resistant at first (after all, I had already had 2 baby showers at this company), but I told them that as log as it was a party and not a shower, it would be okay.  They sent out an email for a “Gathering for Baby Castleberry” to be held on April 30.  We were going to have cookies and ice cream, chips and dip.  I figured out that people were planning to bring gifts, so I asked them to send out another email to make sure people knew that it was a party and not a shower, which they did.  On April 30, the party was attended by about 15 people, which was not too many but not too few, and we ate and had a good time and then I opened about 5 gifts, which was mostly gift cards and a few outfits and blankets, which was really nice.  I was really appreciative of everyone’s generosity and well-wishes.

    Lori (Aunt Nooni) offered to give us a shower at her house and we felt that she really wanted to do it because it would be fun rather than feeling an obligation to do it, so we considered it.  I knew that Kelby and Bryler would love to have one and there were just a few things that I needed, so we decided that a small shower would be very nice.  We only invited family and just a few close friends from church.  I was looking forward to it and hoped the baby would wait until after the shower to come.

    I got off work early on April 14 and took Bryler with me to register for just a few things at Babies R Us.  The most important thing we needed was a diaper bag, but there were a few other things that we had gotten rid of that I thought we could use.  Bryler was very good and patient even though he got tired and was ready to go after about 15 minutes of shopping.  I took him to Chick-fil-a afterward.  (Kelby got to have a “Granda day” for reaching the happy star on the reward chart.  I think they went to Party City and Home Depot and she loved it.)

    On May 1 at 2:00, we had a nice small relaxed shower at Lori and Lance’s house with people who I knew cared for me and we had a great time.  Here was the list of guests who were able to come: Me, Husband, Kelby, Bryler, Lori, Lance, Layla, Lane, Granda, Grandmother, Mom, Terri, Heidi, Elijah, Brenda, and Bea (Lance’s mom and grandmother).  The kids helped bring me the gifts and were very good and enjoyed themselves.  The shower was not overwhelming or stressful and we went home with things that I knew I could use.  Husband even seemed to have a good time.  It was perfect!

  • 16May
    Categories: Pregnancy Comments: 0

    Husband got to come with me on Wednesday, May 5, to our latest ultrasound.  We couldn’t really see much going on, but we got to see the baby practice-breathing so that was pretty cool.  There was still “stuff” in the amniotic fluid, but all the vitals checked out fine.  At the end when we were getting ready to leave the ultrasound room, Husband asked the technician if she had measured the baby’s femur bone to see if he had grown and she told us that it was too soon since the last ultrasound to do that.  I was very disappointed to hear that because I thought that was the whole reason for the ultrasound.  Without knowing whether the baby was growing adequately or not, we would still be in wait-and-see mode.  By the time the nurse practitioner came to see me, I was on the verge of tears.  I told her I was getting worried because he was small and we couldn’t tell if he had grown, and there was stuff in the amniotic fluid, and he hadn’t moved as much that day.  She did a good job a reassuring me that there was no cause for concern, that the ultrasound had shown that everything was looking fine, that there was really no way that the stuff in the amniotic fluid could be meconium because it was really thick and the baby would be distressed and we would have been able to tell that from the non-stress-test.  She checked my cervix and it was still only 1 cm.  She stretched me out as much as she could, which hurt like the dickens, and said it might now be 2 cm if I didn’t close back up, and that I would bleed and cramp as a result.  She scheduled another ultrasound for the morning of May 11 in case he hadn’t be delivered by then.  I felt better after she talked with us, but I was still emotional when it was time to leave.  Husband had to stay in town to play bass for the youth service that evening and I had to go pick up the kids, but I didn’t want to leave him.  I felt like I needed him.  I cried a little when he hugged me goodbye and I walked to my car.

    I picked up a pizza on the way home because I didn’t have the energy to fix dinner for myself and the kids.  I was already cramping on top of the discomfort of the baby sitting on my groin nerve.  I was pretty miserable that evening and I didn’t sleep well at all due to the cramping, but I survived.

    After the check-up, I tried very hard to maintain the attitude that the baby would come when he was ready and that he very well may be late.   Over the next few days, everyone was pretty anxious for the baby to come, but I tried to remain positive and to use the extra time to finish up last-minute preparations around the house.  We got out the most important baby items, logged in all the new items we had received and made a list of thank-you cards to be written, put the bassinet in our bedroom, and set up a changing station in our bedroom on the dresser where I had been keeping my jewelry.

  • 05May

    In anticipation of having to get up with the baby several times a night, I thought we might try to see if Bryler would quit relying on us to get him up to pee in the middle of the night.  So about 2 weeks ago, we quit getting him up.  I think he’s only had one wet pull-up since then!  He still doesn’t wake up to pee, but he’s dry in the morning!  I was really surprised and impressed.  Just a couple of times, I’ve heard him crying in the middle of the night because he’s had to pee, but he didn’t have an accident.  When he did that, we just took him to the potty and I tried encourage and congratulate him that he woke up all by himself, but we also tried to let him now that he could just get up and go instead of crying.  But I am really happy with this huge progress!!

    Just a few more quick notes about Bryler:

    He has really settled on his dalmatian dog as his favorite stuffed animal.  That’s the one he takes with him everywhere and sleeps with every night.  He calls him “Doggy”.  Last night, I went to check on him and he was still awake.  I peeked in the door and saw him holding the dog in front of his face and he said, “I love you, Doggy.”  He also tells me that Doggy is afraid of various things like monsters or thunder and Bryler will talk to him and comfort him.  (Kelby is annoyed when Bryler treats Doggy like he is real and tells him, “Bryler, Doggy is just a stuffed animal.”  I explain to her that she used to do that with Daddy Ho Ho and that it’s okay for him to pretend that Doggy is real.)

    Bryler also loves his soft Mickey Mouse blanket that Granda bought him.  He wants to have it on him every night even if it’s 75 degrees in the house.  This is just like Kelby was with her purple blanket.  I’ve tried giving him a sheet instead, but he says he can’t sleep without the blanket.  And anything that will help him sleep I’m willing to try at this point because Bryler is having trouble going to sleep for naptime and sometimes for bedtime.  Once he’s asleep, he’s REALLY asleep, but falling asleep is a problem.  I have read that this can happen when kids go through growth-spurts and I suspect that is the case.  However, it is very frustrating!  We can tell that he is so sleepy and he really needs a nap and yet he just lays there in the bed.  Actually, the problem is that he can’t keep still and quiet.  He’s constantly rolling around or propping his feet up on the side of the bed or halfway off the bed and talking to himself.

  • 05May

    Well, I’ve collected quite a few Kelby and Bryler sayings over the months.  So here goes…

    Kelby Sayings

    Fall 2009 – Kelby told Layla a “secret” that was a scary story that made Layla cry.  It went something like this: “One scary night there was thunder, and lightning struck, and it was dark…”  It made Layla cry.  She’s not allowed to tell Layla scary stories anymore.

    Fall 2009 – We sat down to watch a movie together.  The screen flashed the Century 21 Fox icon.  Kelby said, “This happens a lot in movies.”

    November 2009 – Kelby’s preschool teachers interviewed the kids to ask them what they are thankful for.  They sent this home in her backpack. “Kelby is thankful for Mommy & Daddy, my kitty, baby in Mommy’s tummy, little brother, my cousin, Mommy Hoho (stuffed monkey).”

    February 2010 – I was putting Kelby to bed.  I mentioned having to “count” her.  She said, “Let’s talk about counting.”  Kelby likes to use symbolism.  I don’t know if it’s normal for kids this age or not.  She wanted to try to equate the 1, 2, 3 counting which results in a consequence to a traffic light. After some discussion, we decided that Kelby didn’t need to be counted to 3 anymore.  1 means yellow light and 2 means she’s run the red light and “the police.”  Bryler would still be counted to three “because he’s younger.”  I was really impressed by Kelby’s grasp of symbolism.

    April 2010 – At Granda’s house, the kids were putting on a talent show for each other.  I got to see the video of it.  When it was Layla’s turn, she came out from behind the curtain and seemed a little bit timid and Kelby whispered from the audience, “Are you nur-vous?” Layla said, “Yes.”  It was so cute!

    Bryler Sayings

    Fall 2009 -

    • “Hi, Daddy! Oh, you got pizza!”
    • We were in the car.  Kelby said something about her best friend and Bryler said, “Kelby, ‘member, I’m your best friend.”
    • “We wash my blanket.  It got booders on it.”  Yep, that would be boogers.
    • About a weed-eater, to Granda: “Mommy has one of those.” Granda: “Does she use it?”  Bryler: “No, Daddy does.”  Hmmm, makes you wonder why he thinks it’s Mommy’s weed-eater.
    • On a Sunday evening, talking about his nursery class: “Them talking ’bout Jesus.  What Jesus make things grow in garden?”

    February 2010 – Bryler went poop.  I came to wipe him.  There was LOTS of poo-poo in the potty.  I say, “Wow! Where did all that come from?”  He said, “From my bo-bo.”

    [Bryler REALLY improved his sentence structure from Fall to Spring.  He's really sounding grown up now and some of what he says reminds me a lot of things Kelby would say.  Here are Bryler sayings from the Spring...]

    3/15/10 – When seeing that his Daddy had his laptop out on the coffee table, Bryler said something like, “Oh, you are playing with your laptop.  I’ll go get mine, too.”  He ran to get his v-tech laptop and put it right next to Daddy’s.  They worked together side-by-side on their laptops for about 20 minutes.  Bryler played the letters game where it flashes a letter on the screen and he has to find the letter on the keyboard.  Husband said that he was so cute.  Bryler didn’t know he was being watched.  The letter V came up and Bryler traced the letter with his finger, saying something like, “Long line… another long line… hmm…I saw it yest-u-day.  Where is it?… I know it is here. I saw it yest-u-day.”

    3/16/10 – I was helping Bryler get dressed in the morning.  I picked out his Spiderman underwear and started to put it on him.  After one foot in, he said, “Oh, how ’bout the other underwear?  Like Daddy’s.”  I pulled out his whitie-tidie underwear from the bottom of the pile and said, “You mean these.  They are just like Daddy’s except your size.”  He said, “Yes.  No colors. Just like Daddy’s.”  And he giggled happily as we put them on.

    This morning – Bryler came out of the bathroom after peeing and happily said, “There was some poo-poo eating my bo-bo, but I just wiped it off!”

  • 04May
    Categories: Pregnancy Comments: 0

    I lost my mucous plug on Sunday morning.  After that, I felt like the baby had dropped even more, which seemed to be impossible since he was already so low.  It also felt different when the baby moved around.  I looked up what it meant to lose the mucous plug.  “The loss of the mucous plug mean that the cervix is starting to open up. Think of it as a cork in a bottle of wine, as the cervix opens up, the plug will come out. Many women never ever see their plug as it drops in the toilet in pieces or is not noticed. Loss of the mucous plug means that labor will most likely start within the next 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes sooner, but that is the norm.” (http://www.babycenter.com/400_how-long-after-the-mucus-plug-comes-does-labor-start_2010611_262.bc)  So it means that there’s progress, but it still may be days or weeks before I go into labor.

    On Monday, I used the elliptical machine for 15 minutes and walked on the treadmill for 15 minutes while Kelby was at her basketball and ballet classes at National Fitness.  When I got home, I had a lot of braxton hicks contractions and started to ache in my back.  I thought the baby may come that night, and I didn’t sleep very well, but he didn’t come.

    Today is Kelby’s Kindergarten registration and I have several meetings at work, but my schedule starts to clear up after that.  Maybe the baby is waiting until it’s more convenient. :)   Husband is especially very anxious for the baby to come out so he can see that he is fine and to have the stressfulness of delivery behind us.  I’m getting pretty anxious myself.  I can finally say I’M READY!!

  • 04May

    I’ve had more ultrasounds with this pregnancy that either of the other two:

    #1 – First Trimester – Husband & Me – to get estimated due date

    #2 – Second Trimester – Husband & Me & Kelby – to get sex of baby

    #3 – Second Trimester – Husband & Me & Kelby – to get a look at baby’s spine

    #4 – Third Trimester – Me – to get weight of baby

    The 4th ultrasound was last Wednesday.  Husband had a dental appointment at the same time as the ultrasound, so he wasn’t able to join me.  This late in the pregnancy, the baby is too big to see a whole lot anyway.  The ultrasound technician told me that the baby was 6.7 lbs, which I thought was big for being 2 weeks away from the due date, but the nurse practitioner told me that he was slightly small for his gestational age.  She said she was going to get the doctors to look at the ultrasound and when she came back, she said I needed to go to the labor and delivery ward of the hospital (walking distance away) and get a non-stress test just to be sure that the baby was not in distress.

    I had already waited an hour in the waiting room.  My appointment had been at 2:30 and it was 4:15 when I walked over t0 the hospital.  I got done with the non-stress test about 5:00.

    The nurse practitioner had not really told me anything about why the doctors wanted me to take the test, so husband was a little upset when I called to tell him.  I asked the nurse who was giving me the non-stress test and she was kind enough to fill me in.  It turned out that the ultrasound technician had noted that there were objects in the amniotic fluid, which could be the baby’s hair, skin cells fluffing off, or meconium (baby poop).  The latter is what they were concerned about.  Stress on an infant can cause the gastrointestinal tract to expel meconium prior to delivery.  Certain stresses such a compression on the cord can cause a gasp reflex in the infant presumably making it more likely to inhale the meconium.  (http://parenting.ivillage.com/newborn/ncare/0,,3q76,00.html) Thus, the reason for the non-stress test.

    During the non-stress test, two belts are placed around your stomach. One belt records your contractions.  The other belt is attached to a monitor that records your baby’s heart rate and movement. When the baby moves, his heart rate should increase — just as yours does when you move around or exercise.If your baby is moving and active, his heart beats faster by at least 15 beats per minute. This happens for at least 15 seconds at a time. In order to be considered normal or “reactive,” this activity has to happen at least twice in 20 minutes. If your baby isn’t moving much, the test is considered “nonreactive” or abnormal. (http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/nonstress)  I didn’t have to stay very long.  The baby was moving around and the nurse said that he was giving all the indicators of normalcy.

    I also asked about why they scheduled yet another ultrasound for me the following week since I knew that it was not normal to have so many.  The answer was that the baby was slightly small for his gestational age so they wanted to make sure he was growing.  They can tell if he’s growing by measuring his femur bone.  If he is not growing, it would be better to induce to get the baby out so the baby can be fed and monitored.  So if I make it to May 5th, I’ll have yet another ultrasound.

  • 25Apr
    Categories: Pregnancy Comments: 0

    We traded in the Scion for a Mazda5 minivan yesterday.  Another big to-do item off our checklist!  Mom had invited Kelby and Bryler to spend the night with her on Friday night, so Husband and I took the opportunity to eat a nice meal at Rafferty’s together and then went to Carmax and test drove a Mazda5 and we really liked it.  We also looked at a Honda Odyssey and got a quote on our Scion.  They would give us $6000 for it.

    The decision between a Honda Odyssey and the Mazda5 was difficult because the Odyssey has much more room but would cost about $8000 more even if we got a used one, and it gets worse gas mileage than the Mazda5.  I was thinking that as the kids got older, we’d need more room than the Mazda5, but we figured it would be sufficient for about 5 years and that it was worth the savings to get this one and plan to keep it for at least that long.

    So the next morning, I went to the Mazda dealership to see if we could get a new Mazda5 for just a little bit more than the used ones at Carmax.  The Ludum Dare semi-annual computer programming competition was this weekend so Husband stayed home to work on that and I called him from the dealership to help with price negotiations.  It turned out to be a good strategy because he could be firm in his price expectations and could look things up on the web as we talked and I could just be an innocent conduit of the information.  It was still stressful for me, but it was worth it.  We ended up getting a brand new 2010 Mazda5 for only $1500 more than a used 2009 with 28K miles on it.  And the Mazda dealership gave us $7000 for the Scion instead of $6000, so we really only paid $500 more plus taxes.  And we really like it so far.  It drives super smooth and feels just like a car, easy to park, good acceleration, and the kids can get in and out of it easily with the sliding doors.  With 6 seats, we will be able to fit the 5 of us in it and fold the last seat down for more cargo room.

    Saturday was a very busy day.   The Mazda salesman offered to let me drive the new car home so Husband could take a look at it before we made the final decision, so I ended up driving it around all day.  I picked up the kids at 11:30 at Mom’s house, took them to swimming lessons at 12:00, went to eat lunch at Chick-fil-a with Aunt Nooni and Granda and Layla, and then went back home so Husband could check out the car and so the kids could take a quick nap before we went back in town for a birthday party for Uncle Matthew, Mike, & Heidi.  I had to get back to the dealership before 6:30 so I could sign the paperwork and stuff before they closed, so I left the party after being there about 20 minutes and started back to the city with Bryler, who was a little freaked out by all the people at the party.  Kelby stayed at the party and played with her cousins.

    But I realized after just a mile or so that I had run out of checks and I didn’t have any other options for buying the car since our credit cards didn’t have that much credit limit and I couldn’t get that much cash from an ATM.  I had to turn around and Husband met me half-way back home with a new checkbook.  Then we went to the dealership and that took about 45 minutes for the whole process of signing papers and getting the new car filled with gas and transferring all our personal junk out of the Scion and into the Mazda.  And then it was back to the party.  I hated that we’d missed eating pizza and cake/ice cream with everyone else, but there were still quite a few people there and we stayed for a little while and had a good time.  I played two rounds of Balderdash and then it was almost 9:00 so I had to get the kids home and in the bed.  I finally got in bed at 11:30 and Husband came to bed around midnight.

    I might have overdone it a little because that’s the only thing I can think of that would cause the false labor that I had between 1:00 and 3:00 that morning.  I got up to pee and it hurt my groin really, really badly when I stood up.  After I got back in the bed, my heart was racing and I started having contractions about 4 minutes apart.  After 30 minutes of this, I told Husband and he said my heart rate was about 120 beats per second, which is what I’ve tried to keep it at when I’ve exercised during the pregnancy so that’s definitely fast for a resting heart rate.  I didn’t want to have the baby that day.  Husband wouldn’t be able to finish the programming competition and the band was already short a drummer and I would feel badly if over half the band and Aunt Nooni (praise team leader) and Uncle Lance (video director) was at the hospital during the service.  Husband didn’t think I should be worrying about that, but in my mind, it just wasn’t good timing…  I also was hoping I’d make it to my shower the next Saturday, and at least one more week at work would be nice to get a few things wrapped up…  And I hated to call Granda in the middle of the night especially since she hadn’t been feeling well lately…  And I had not yet preregistered at the hospital… And I had not had a chance to read up on breastfeeding (something that people say should come naturally, but it just doesn’t for me).

    But we couldn’t really ignore the contractions either.  I sat up in the bed and we started timing them.  Over the next 15 minutes, they were all 3 minutes apart!  1:28, 1:31, 1:34, 1:37, etc.  Husband said a prayer for me and the baby and started packing since  I had only put a few things in the suitcase for the hospital.  He gave me his iPod touch to keep track of the contractions and then we noticed that they weren’t exactly regular — 3.15 minutes, 2.50, 3.45, 4.00, 2.55, etc.  So we kept waiting for them to either get more regular or stronger.  Husband laid down on the couch to rest a little until we got a clear indication.  With my heart rate up, I knew it was pointless to try to sleep so I got dressed, put some clean laundry away, put away some clutter on the dining room table, did some final packing… and then around 3 AM — 2 hours later — the contractions pretty much stopped and I went back to bed.  I slept until the alarm went off at 6:45 and then it was time for to get ready for church.

    So I guess it was all false labor.  I was SO glad we didn’t call Granda to stay with the kids and go all the way to the hospital and then find out that it was nothing.  And I was glad that it wasn’t going to disrupt the day and that we would have a little bit more time to preregister at the hospital and read up on breastfeeding, and I still have hopes of making it to the shower before the baby comes.  (Although the groin pain is really… uh, a PAIN… so if the baby comes before my due date, I won’t be disappointed.)  I think it was God’s way of jolting me into getting ready emotionally for the baby to come.  It wasn’t quite time yet, but I am feeling like it is very close and that I will be ready when the time comes. And true, we didn’t get as much sleep as we needed last night, but at least we now have our bags packed!

  • 24Apr
    Categories: Pregnancy Comments: 4

    People always ask me, “How are you feeling?” and I always say, “Good”.  And it has been the truth most of the time.  But now I say it because that’s what I’m used to saying and because I don’t like to complain and because it’s much easier than explaining how I really feel.  But for you, I’ll spill the truth because you would only be reading this blog if you cared to know how I really feel.

    Well, my body is telling me it’s about time to get the baby out.  It probably will not be long before it convinces me.

    Although most people tell me that I look small to be this far along, I am really feeling the 40 lbs I’ve gained.  Picking things up from the floor or tying my shoes is a real chore.  I can’t even cross my legs when I sit anymore, which is a big change for me because that was a real habit for me.  Just turning over in the bed is quite an effort and results in heavy breathing for a few minutes as if I’ve just climbed the stairs or something.

    I’ve been bragging about how well I’ve slept during this pregnancy, but I’m having trouble getting comfortable laying down now and I get up every two hours to pee.  I can get pretty comfortable on my left side using a couch pillow to support the belly, but I can’t get comfortable on my right side for some reason.  And I can’t stand to lay in one position for more than about 2 hours.  I’m not sleeping as soundly either, so my dreams are more memorable and seem to linger when I wake up, and my dreams really annoy me!

    I believe the baby turned head-down at 34 weeks, about 4 weeks ago.  That’s when he started sitting on a nerve in my groin, which is very uncomfortable especially when I get up at night to pee.  I end up toddling like an old man over to the bathroom.

    I think the baby dropped some more on Tuesday because things suddenly got worse.  That night, I started having pain in my lower left side right below where the baby is.  It was a shooting pain like something was being pulled.  Tuesday night was my worst night so far in this pregnancy.  I felt so badly that I really thought I might go into labor that night.  I did not sleep well and my back ached.  I dreamed that my water broke and we went to the hospital and left the kids sleeping at home and after a few hours I told Husband, “We forgot to call your mom!  We left the kids at home!”  It was awful.  In the morning when I stood up, the pain in my side was so sudden and bad that I sat back down and was afraid to get back up.   The pain only lasted a few seconds, but it scared me.  I told the nurse practitioner about the pain at my appointment later that day and she said it sounded like a tendon pull and that it was normal.  Thankfully, I haven’t had that happen any more since then.

    But the pain in the groin has been getting worse since that day.  Now it hurts whenever I stand up or walk around.  It’s a good thing I have a desk job.  :)

    The nurse also told me that I tested positive for Group B Strep, which means that I am a carrier of a bacterial infection that is possible to pass to the baby during delivery.  About 15-40% of healthy women carry it.  The rate of babies being infected during delivery is about 1 in 2000 in the U.S.  I tested positive when I was pregnant with Bryler as well.  What it really means is that they will give me antibiotics during labor and that they will keep us in the hospital for 48 hours to make sure the baby doesn’t show any signs of it.  My next appointment is next Wednesday and they will do an ultrasound to see how big the baby is and to check on the umbilical cord, which was off-center.  I am curious to find out how big the baby is.

    Edema, swelling of the extremities, hit me at the beginning of the 3rd trimester.  My hands, wrists, ankles, and feet are swollen.  I haven’t been able to wear my anniversary ring (which I wear as my wedding ring) for about 2 weeks because it was rubbing my finger raw.  I know from experience that if I keep my shoes on and wear good socks, it keeps the swelling down in my feet and they don’t hurt nearly as badly.  The crummy part about that is that it’s getting warm outside and I have some really cute maternity capri pants, but they don’t look nearly so great with socks and tennis shoes.  I don’t dare wear sandles all day long, though.  I tried it one Sunday and paid the price for it with some painful feet!  So I haven’t been wearing the capri’s.  I figure it’s more important to be comfortable than cute.  I also have not worn any dresses since I started showing.  I just have not had any desire to mess with panty hose!  Speaking of clothing issues… I’m carrying this baby lower than either of my other two and this has presented a new problem with getting my pants to fit.  I prefer the maternity pants that sit below the belly, but there’s no room below my belly anymore!  If my pants are around my normal waste (meaning above my butt), the elastic digs into my bulging belly and causes a lot of discomfort.  So I have about 3 pairs of maternity pants that have the extra panel that goes over the belly.  I hate to buy more maternity pants this close to delivery especially with this being my last pregnancy.

    Finally, the Braxton Hicks contractions are really getting strong and uncomfortable now.  I can always feel them coming because my chest tightens up and makes it harder to breathe and I feel a little light-headed.  I can’t explain why this is related to the contraction, but there’s a lot about pregnancy that doesn’t make a lot of sense.

    But despite all this griping, I can honestly say that I’m not miserable (yet).  Of all of this, the worst part is the groin pain and it is still bearable.  Aside from when I first get up from laying or sitting for a long time, I can usually ignore the pain altogether.  I would most accurately describe how I feel as “uncomfortable”.  I’m actually a bit relieved that I’m feeling more anxious to have the baby lately even if the driving cause is to find some relief from the discomforts of pregnancy!

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