There is No Baby Yet

Number one most commonly asked question to Marcus...  "Has Jewel had the baby yet??"  And to me, "You're still pregnant??"  We're both a little tired of the questions.  Marcus especially.  He wishes he had a t-shirt that says, "No, there is no baby yet." 

So we've missed the original window to follow the Kipapa birthing tradition, to deliver the males two weeks early.  It was supposed to be the 18th, give or take a few days to leave room for error in the due date.  But nothing.  Upon further discussion with my mother, however, her second boy wasn't two weeks early.  She was only estimating, he was actually 10 days early.  So that means there really was no boys-are-two-weeks-early law.  Instead the proposed law is boys are early.  Girls are on time. 

Isaiah, are you going to follow the rules?

My big event is over, so I'm not stressed about Marcus working it & not being there for the birth.  I told Isaiah he wasn't allowed to come this weekend because of that.  He can't come tomorrow either because I've got a lot of homework.  And I'd really like for him to wait until my big sis comes back from vacation Wednesday. 

But I'll be okay either way.  I'm ready now, but I wouldn't mind a few extra days to mentally & emotionally prepare.  I'm not horribly uncomfortable yet. 

Sleep is different.  I'm still getting it, but occasionally I will have to sleep on the couch sitting up because the heartburn is so bad.  Other than those moments & the annoying bathroom breaks & having to roll over to alleviate my aching hips, I'm lucky to be getting the rest I'm getting.  Naps are my favorite & cuddling with Marcus. 

Went to see Babies tonight with my mom & little sister.  It was just precious. 

Here we are after the show. 

And here is me trying to read & follow my midwife's orders...  Sit on the ball. 

Getting Closer... And Baby Pictures!

Last time I wrote, I said I was feeling better.  That feeling didn't last long.  Instead the cold got worse.  It spread to my ears & my eyes.  I lost my voice for a whole week.  But today, for real, I feel better.  I can taste & smell things again.  I smelled the popcorn when we walked into a movie theater last night (Robin Hood... ehhh).  And I tasted the chicken dipped into my favorite ranch dressing today.  And I can talk! 

My midwife Sarah came to my apartment for my latest prenatal visit.  I have dropped a little.  And after feeling his head & his butt and his back, she says everything is perfect as far as size goes.  Which means all that work I have been doing not eating ice cream has paid off!  My baby isn't too big! 

We set up everything on my dresser for the birth, and we talked about who was going to catch the baby & who would cut the cord.  Marcus doesn't think he will want to do either, but I think he'll change his mind.  The other day he tried to tell me that because his father couldn't handle the natural birth of him & his brother, he shouldn't have to either.  Then I threatened him. 

And now...  I've been meaning to post these forever...  Baby pictures of me & Marcus.  I will admit that he was much cuter than me as a baby.  My looks came in a little later.  After looking at these, can you tell what Isaiah will look like? 

 

Getting This Body Ready

Getting this body ready for labor is even more involved then anything else. Which makes sense, since my body is the one that's going to do all the work. 

For awhile, I was considering my job sufficient exercise.  I stopped working, then I got sick.  Today feeling better, my mom, sister & I started walking.  We need to keep it up, and I need to be squatting, doing pelvic exercises, and I desperately need to start remembering my kegels!  I had to put signs up in my bathrooms reminding me to do them.  All of these are supposed to help my body get ready for labor.

I'm also trying to get Marcus to do as much exercising with me as possible, if you know what I mean.  I need those prostaglandins!

Also in order to get ready, we are attempting perineal massage.  This lovely massage is supposed get my perineum used to being stretched & lessen the chance of tearing.  It also helps me to learn to relax through discomfort in that area.  It's difficult for us because Marcus doesn't really love it, and I've found it not very effective when I do it alone.  And there are many nights when he comes home from work at 2am exhausted, & I'm already asleep.

Nightly I'm taking evening primrose oil, which contains many prostaglandins, known for their assistance in softening the cervix, preparing me for labor.  I am drinking red raspberry leaf tea, which is supposed to tone my uterus or help it be more efficient in practice & future contractions.  There is this other thing I'm taking with meals, but I don't remember what it's supposed to do.

All of these little labor helpers started at 35 weeks.  Before then & now I am also taking my prenatal vitamins, omega 3, trace minerals, & chlorophyll to help keep my red blood cell count normal.  And I'm taking GTF to help regulate my blood sugar.  Because... At about 28 weeks, my midwife did a blood glucose test to see how my body was handling sugar.  The results weren't ideal.  Certain foods cause spikes in my blood sugar, which lead to unnecessary Isaiah growth.  If these spikes get out of control, I am put at risk for gestational diabetes.  Since then, I've been monitoring my blood sugar with a little finger pricker & taking the GTF.  It's been interesting to see what foods I can & cannot eat.  Like no Chinese food.  What the F?

Anyway, it's under control now, I've been doing pretty decent with my diet.  At my baby shower, we had special carb-less snacks, except for the baby shower cupcakes, of which I only had a bite.  The lack of treats has been a little sad, but I'm glad to know that I may have contributed to lessening the chance of having a really big baby.

How big are you going to be Isaiah? 

It wasn't Isaiah, It was Braxton

There are these moments when I don't think I'll be able to make it to the restroom.  When I remember different mothers' horror stories of not making it.  When for some reason, there is an extraordinary amount of pressure on my bladder.  It happens several times a day, and I've been thinking this whole time that it was just Isaiah trying to snuggle his little head into his little pillow, my bladder. 

But the other day I found out what it really was. 

My midwife was measuring my belly (right on schedule, yay!), and she asked me if I've been having many Braxton Hicks contractions.  I said no because I hadn't felt anything strange yet.  Then she said, "You're having one now."  What?!  She said I can tell if I'm having one when my belly gets really really hard. 

So now I'm touching my belly constantly to check for those Braxtons.  And sure enough, that extra extra pressure on my bladder happens whenever I'm having one. 

Now I notice more pressure in general, and I can feel that I'm having one before touching my belly for the hard belly test.  I still touch it though just to make sure I'm right. 

It's all so fascinating. 

And it's also exciting that I haven't had a failure to make it to the bathroom incident yet.  

Aches & Joy

After a long day at work, I woke up from a nap, and I realized I left my computer in my car.  I can't really do anything without my Mona (except for take a nap), so I had to go get her.  It was a long walk to the car.  I tried to put on some decent clothes without a bra, but that turned out to be indecent.  Putting on a bra seemed like a lot of work.  I would have had to take off my shirt, put the bra on, and then later take the shirt back off, remove the bra, and then put the shirt back on.  I put my bra on over my shirt, and covered it all with a jacket.  It got the job done. 

Bras aren't the only things that are bothersome these days.  My back seems to always hurt.  I move from my desk to the couch & back, but if I spend any length of time in one position, my back starts hurting.  That's really disappointing during sleep especially. 

Speaking of sleep, I need Marcus beside me to turn me over in the middle of the night, when I am illegally on my back.  He's usually really good about it & holding me, which often gives me the pressure I need on my back to keep it from hurting.  I'm very thankful for him.

Today, Isaiah seemed to really enjoy putting pressure on my bladder.  Usually it will pass if I give it time, but not today.  Oh Isaiah!

Despite these little aches & pains and the realization that I have 8 weeks left of them getting worse, I have actually started enjoying the pregnancy.  I posted a belly picture on Facebook the other day and a friend commented something simple, she advised me to enjoy this time.  I then remembered all of the times moms have said they missed being pregnant.  My sister says it now.  And I guess I'll say it one day. 

So today, I stood in the sun and looked at my belly and held it.  And I talked to my baby. 

Even though I'm trying to struggling with my new business & bills and this horrid class in school, and putting on a bra is annoying and my back hurts, I will cherish these last 8 weeks of my special time with Isaiah.