#2: 28 Weeks

{You're getting me in all my post-shower, PJ glory this week!}

How far along: 28 weeks

How big is baby: An eggplant. Baby's lungs are mature enough that, if born right now, she has a pretty good chance of surviving. Her skin is still pretty wrinkly (one byproduct of living in amniotic fluid) but will smoothen as fat continues to deposit.

Weight gain/loss: Not sure. At least 27 lbs.

Stretch marks: None yet this time. But, I'm sure they'll come.

Sleep: Starting to get uncomfortable. I'm sleeping through the night generally, but never really feel rested. We have a pretty firm mattress and it puts a lot of pressure on my hips. I loved my mattress until I got pregnant. I've hated it ever since.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions: Food in general sounds yummy!

Movement: Still lots. A ton of kicks on my right side which I never had with Evelyn but still all over the place too.

What I'm worrying about: I had an ultrasound last week that showed baby to be frank breech. Basically, his/her bum was down and feet were up by his/her head instead of crossed in the fetal position. I had a bit of a freak out moment in the ultrasound room. I also got a little peeved with the technician because when I expressed my concern she said, "Oh don't worry, the baby will be fine. They'll just do a c-section." Gah! I know the baby will be fine, but I have no intentions of a c-section! I know I'm being totally selfish, but that is not what I wanted to hear and I really thought it was a little harsh. The birthing process is very important to me and I'm not just going to resign myself to a c-section. Especially this early on. That is the key thing I had to realize. It's still very early. In fact, the more I paid attention to movement, I still think the baby is flip-flopping all over the place. It doesn't completely ease my worry, but I'm not feeling so emotional about it. I'm trusting that this baby and my body will figure things out in the end. I'm also figuring out that this pregnancy is not Evelyn's pregnancy. She had settled head down and stayed there (with her cute little butt in my ribs) at 28 weeks.  

I've got some exercises I'm doing to help with the breech issue, but I'm just forcing myself to let it be for now.

Also, I'm considering switching to a midwife at a birth center. I'm going to a "meet the midwives" session on Wednesday and we'll see how I feel then. My OB hasn't done anything wrong or anything, I'm just not feeling the hospital birth in my gut like I did before. Especially since they pulled the plug on water births. We'll see. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that my insurance will cover a midwife in either a birth center or home birth setting. Unfortunately, Rob isn't on board with the home birth thing, but at least I should be covered at the center if we decide to go that direction.

What I'm loving: Movement. Seeing my baby on an ultrasound. The thought of being a family of four (six if you could the boys) and Evelyn having a sibling. Love.

Symptoms: Hip pain and general achiness. Pretty good otherwise! 

What I'm looking forward to: The meeting this week for the birth center! I'm really looking for the feeling of peace in regards to where I'm going to have this baby. I'm hoping I'll find what God has planned for me there.

Best moment of the week: Seeing baby on ultrasound even if he/she did give me quite the cause to worry. Finding out about more options with my insurance.

Baby #2's Birth Plan

We were so grateful that Evelyn's birth went perfectly. It was everything I could have dreamed of. As you may have noticed, I've been a bit of a worry wart about this pregnancy. I guess the idea that I could have more than one perfect birth seems impossible. I know that's crazy-talk, but it still brings the "what-if" monster out. I thought I'd at least share our birth plan for this baby anyway.

I'll make the obligatory disclaimer about the unpredictability of labor and delivery and that things may not necessarily adhere to my plan. But, my feelings are that I need to have an answer for the different scenarios in case I am presented with the option. I'd rather get there and be prepared than not. Also, I have faith that my body can do what it is meant to do.

Here is my birth plan from Evelyn. I love reading these old posts and seeing how I refer to her as a "he." We didn't know and I was pretty sure she was a boy. Ha! I find myself wondering who I'm referring to when I say "he" only to remind myself of our lack of gender knowledge!

I feel pretty much exactly the same way about this labor and delivery. In fact, reading it again has sort of refreshed that passion I had with her labor and delivery. I'll add a few more things that we actually ended up doing with Evelyn but I never mentioned in the birth plan.

In addition to requesting no IV/Epidural, freedom of movement, alone time, etc.:

1. I'd like to wear my own clothes (wasn't an issue last time)
2. I'd like as few vaginal exams as possible and the minimum required fetal monitoring. Let me clarify that I want to make sure my baby is okay, but I don't feel it is necessary to be monitored every second of labor. I believe the 20 minutes out of every hour is sufficient unless otherwise indicated.
3. We would like the option for a water birth if desired. The hospital where we are delivering at was allowing these throughout this year, but has temporarily put them on hold. Not because of an issue but because ACOG recently released a statement stating that there wasn't enough evidence to support water births. They did not, however, seem to find it necessary to mention that there is no evidence AGAINST a water birth. Most evidence supporting them is based outside of the US and they don't find that sufficient. I'm frustrated to say the least. But, we did it once without, we can do it again!
4. No episiotomy
5. Let the cord stop pulsating before clamping/cutting and also allow the placenta to deliver spontaneously.
6. Immediate skin-to-skin after birth and allowance for breastfeeding as I feel is necessary. Any APGAR exams can take place on my chest. Weights and measures can be taken afterward.
7. (New this time) I think we will be requesting that the baby not be bathed right away. Let me say that Evelyn was bathed early on and she is perfectly healthy. She's hardly been sick and I don't regret it. However, there is a lot of information in regards to the protective properties of the vernix that is on babies after they are born. This post gives a nice outline of some of those benefits along with some studies backing the info up.

That's it for now. Like I said, most of it is kind of expected with a med-free birth and most of it we got last time without really asking. I just thought I'd outline it for anyone who was wondering.

And, I had an ultrasound this week which totally didn't help my worrisome self this time around, but more on that later. For now, let's all fawn over a baby foot!

Evelyn June's Birth Story

Sorry if this is a little long and disjointed. It was all such a blur and I've been writing it in spurts. This is my initial take. I'm sure I'll find myself going back and editing and adding things as I recall more, but I wanted to share anyway. Also, my doula is writing her version for me and I'm anxious to read that!

Wow, I can't even fathom where to start. I had a feeling Evelyn would make her appearance very close to her due date when I started experiencing contractions about 10 minutes apart on Monday, June 27. They were not painful at all, just a tightening that was uncomfortable. This lasted for the next two days on and off. I was starting to get antsy, so on my due date I thought I'd see if we could get things going by practicing with my breast pump. Worked like a charm! I only used it for about 20 minutes and already was experiencing contractions less than 10 minutes, so I stopped. The contractions waned, so I got my pump out one more time before I went to bed and had the same results. I woke up to consistent contractions on June 30 at about 3:30 am. They were tolerable for sure, but definitely real. I knew we were in labor! I labored at home the rest of the morning and they were slowly getting closer together and I was having to breathe through them, though I could still walk and talk through them. I had an appointment with my OB at 9:40 that morning, so I thought I keep that and see what she recommended from there.

The car ride wasn't too bad, but definitely uncomfortable and I was talking to Rob about what he thought we should do about going to the hospital right away or not. I was a little afraid to go to the hospital too early when I could labor elsewhere. I got to my OB and she checked me and said I was at 3.5 to 4 cm. Woo-hoo! I had been at 2 cm and 80% effaced at my appointment the week before so I was happy that we made some progress and I wasn't experiencing the contractions for nothing. She said we could go to the hospital then if we wanted or go to the mall or a park and walk around to pass some time. We decided it was too hot outside to walk in a park and the contractions were uncomfortable enough that I didn't want to be "watched" at the mall so we headed to the hospital. It was about 11am.

I'm going to insert my little rave about Barnes Jewish St. Peters. They were AMAZING. Super supportive and not at all pushy. I got there and immediately got my room. They gave me the quick rundown of things and I signed papers and they put me on the monitor (20 min or monitoring is required every hour) and let me be for a while. During this time my mom and my doula arrived and we just managed contractions which were about 3 min apart by now. The nurse came back in and saw how well the baby was tolerating contractions and took the monitor off. She didn't come back for monitoring for another 2 hours, which I am so grateful for. It was hard to stay in a position that kept the monitor happy and me somewhat comfortable. I was also able to eat and drink as I pleased (although I vomited any food back up) and the nurses never once questioned it. 

I walked the halls a bit and then I hopped in the jacuzzi tub (I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED the tub!!!) and labored there for a little while until my doula suggested I get out and move around a little more - I think it was about 3 or 4 pm at this point. Honestly, I had no concept of time at all during labor. I was amazed at how focused my body was and keeping my mind on working through the contractions which were definitely getting intense. I labored by leaning on Rob while my doula and mom took turns putting pressure on my back (I had back labor). The nurse came in and I asked to be checked. I wanted some idea of if I was making progress.Thankfully, I was at 7-8 cm! I then hopped back in the tub with some hope of getting a little relief. I was getting some "coupling" in my contractions (this is what my doula called them) and was really questioning myself at this point as I was lacking the much needed breaks between. I realized that I was hitting transition and that meant I was in the home stretch. The tub was, again, amazing. I just sat in it with the jets going and breathed through contractions while Rob just sat next to me. He was amazing. Just amazing. He seemed to know exactly what to do/say, exactly when to say it. 

At about 6:00 I was beginning to feel pressure and knew I needed to get out of the tub to get things going some more. I wanted gravity on my side, so I was back to leaning on Rob. I would sit on the edge of the bed between and rest and eventually I just laid down on my left side and worked through them some more. I knew we were getting close as the pressure intensified, but I didn't feel like I hit that point where pushing felt "right." Again, I was so in awe of my body. I remember literally falling asleep between contractions. I would go from full-on focus and determination to complete rest and relaxation in a matter of seconds. 

Finally, at about 6:30, the urge to push was making it's appearance. I had rolled over on my other side by now and started a couple of "practice" pushes. I had no idea if I was complete or not and no idea if I was even pushing correctly, but the nurses had fetched my OB and she was letting me go on my own. (BTW, if anyone is looking for a natural-friendly Dr. I would recommend my OB to anyone!!) I remember everyone just letting me do my thing. No one touched me except to give me a hand to hold or a cold washcloth on my face. About 15 minutes into pushing, my water broke (I should say exploded everywhere) and my OB said she'd be back in a few (I think she got a shower...). I was a little discouraged, but kept at it. Finally, the nurses said to fetch her again. When she returned I asked her if I was making progress and she looked at me with great encouragement and said yes, she could see a head of brown hair! I continued pushing and Rob just whispered in my ear that I was doing great and he was so proud. He was telling me that he could see more and more of her head with every push (I can't believe he looked!) and my OB encouraged me some more. Eventually, I started to feel the ring of fire and knew I had made it to the end. There was no question. I had to get her out (lol, I remember asking my OB if it would stop when she was out... she smiled at me and nodded). Finally, at 7:27 pm, She arrived and was laid directly on my chest. Rob told me that she was a girl and we all laughed because we'd been calling her a "he" for so long. 

We spent the next hour bonding, attempting to nurse and just staring at our little girl. I finally realized that the nurses and never weighed her as they had just let us be while they cleaned up the mess (which apparently was a pretty big one as I ended up delivering "caddy-wompus" off the side of the bed, as my mom put it) and my OB took care of me. I had some blood loss and clotting and tore a bit (not sure how bad yet) and I honestly thought the massaging of my uterus and all of the "messing around down there" was more irritating that any bit of labor and delivery. The nurses finished and came to ask if I was ready for them to take her and check her out (they did all of this in the room) and I said yes. She was a perfect 8 lbs 2 oz, and 19.5 inches long. She had the most perfect round head and was just the most beautiful little miracle. 

I couldn't believe it was over. I couldn't believe she was finally here and that I had done what I set out to do. We had finally reached the end of the road and could start our lives as a perfect little family. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

33-36 weeks and Our Birth Suggestion

For some reason there is something scary about being 36 weeks. I don't know why. Technically, I'm still a month out but 36 weeks just sounds so final. SO CLOSE.

The most commonly asked question nowadays? "Are you ready for that baby?"

My answer? No.

Believe me, I can't wait to meet our little one - to find out whether it's a boy or girl, name him/her, enjoy being a little family. But, at the same time, I'm terrified. I'm not scared in the slightest of my ability to take care of a baby. I'm not even terrified of labor and delivery (Scared? Yes. Terrified? No.). What scares me most is the unknown changes that are waiting for me. I often find myself driving down the highway with Rob or sitting on the couch watching TV and thinking, "It's never going to be the same." I love this time in my life. I love being pregnant. I know I will love having our baby finally join us. And yet, I'm embracing every second of this life we have right now. I'm excited beyond words to be going on this adventure of parenthood but I'm not letting this time go by without enjoying it!

Let's talk about baby!! I had an ultrasound last Wednesday which revealed nothing more than an adorable little squishy that is healthy as can be. Baby is now the size of a honeydew!!

Still not much in terms of development aside from lungs and growing adorable baby fat. I'm glad to know that he is safe inside still perfecting his talents at living in the outside world. 

As for me, I'm still hanging in there. I'm really not uncomfortable in any way except for my ribs. My poor, poor, ribs. There is pretty much a constant pain in my right side that this little one enjoys worsening by shoving his cute little butt where it really doesn't belong. Sigh... one day I'll miss it. 

One slightly worrisome thing that presented itself during our ultrasound was the fact that baby is posterior. And, believe me when I say that he's been that way for WEEKS. I'm serious, this kid hasn't moved (except to stretch into my ribs) for probably 8-10 weeks. He's been head down (woo-hoo!), butt up, and posterior for a VERY long time. This is worrisome because of our plans for labor and delivery.

And... here goes...

I find myself shying away from discussing this with anyone since it is a controversial topic that EVERYONE has an opinion on. I'm being completely honest when I say that everyone is entitled to their opinions and how you choose to have your baby is up to you. So please don't look at me like I've grown a third eye when I say we want a natural birth.

There. I said it. We want a "natural birth." I actually like to refer to it as med-free. My reasons? Goodness, where to begin? Before trying to get pregnant I was certainly on the side of the fence that involved drugs. Good drugs. Then we started trying. And trying. And, well, trying some more. When you spend a year trying to get pregnant, that leaves a LOT of time to research. And, being the information hog that I am, I researched a lot of things (I can get lost on the internet for hours). 

Ultimately, I concluded a few things about childbirth:

1. It is not a medical procedure. I am not sick and do not want to be treated as such. (In fact, we almost considered a home birth - gasp! - until I met my UNBELIEVABLE obstetrician. She's amazing. Seriously amazing.) Cliche as it sounds, women have been birthing babies since Adam and Eve. We were made for this. Our bodies are miraculous creations and know exactly what to do in order to make this beautiful event happen. Who am I to stand in the way of that perfection? 

2. The intervention rate in childbirth in this country is outrageous. In fact, when I discuss this with many of my friends who have had/are having babies, the majority of them were induced or have planned inductions/c-sections. Many of which ended up in C-Sections. I am by no means a medical expert, and I do truly believe that there are situations where this is warranted (pre-eclampsia, growth issues, etc.), but this cascade of interventions terrifies me more than anything else. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this baby will make his appearance when he is ready. Again, who am I to stand in the way? If a problem presents itself, the health and safety of my child will always take precedence.

3. Our bodies are doing miraculous things even after labor and delivery are over and often times the interventions that hospitals are so quick to make stand in the way of this. The hormones that ultimately result in childbirth also work with baby and mom to encourage breastfeeding and bonding, among other things. I don't like the idea of medications affecting my baby during delivery and possibly afterward. I want that connection to be as pure as possible. How it was intended to be. 

That being said, we've created what I like to call a "birth suggestion." It's not a plan, per se, since I know things can change and things happen. But, this is my way of saying, if everything goes "perfectly" this is what I'd like to see. It mainly boils down to a few things. 

1. We will be having our baby in a hospital. We feel like this is the safest place and we have worked hard to make sure we are going to be surrounded by those who are supportive of our decisions.

2. I am excited that my Dr. is completely on board with maintaining my abilities to move throughout labor (walk, tub, etc.), drink fluids and eat as I see fit, and to ultimately deliver how I feel comfortable. I won't be continuously monitored and will basically be free to do as I feel my body is telling me to do. 

3. I do not wish to have any medications including an epidural or IV fluids. 

4. I want to be able to enjoy a time of bonding time with just Rob and I and the baby after he/she arrives. This means that there won't be any visitors until I (and Rob) am ready. We want the best chance at establishing a breastfeeding relationship as well as some quiet time to bask in the glory of our new little miracle. 

That's pretty much it. We've put a lot of thought into what we want and we know that things don't always go according to "plan." But, we truly feel this is the right way for us. If anyone has questions or would like me to elaborate, I'd be happy to. I just didn't want to get all preachy. Like I said, I support those around me in the decisions they make regarding their labors and deliveries (as long as I don't feel it's reckless and endangering the baby) and only ask the same in return. 

And finally, I promise I will be including a picture with my next post! I have a shower on Saturday and will surely get one then!