We got the green light!!!

Our appointment went really well again this week. The baby looked fantastic on her NST.

I just have a lab appointment Sunday, and then we have to be at the hospital at 9:30 Monday morning. I don't mind being there that early. I remember with E, that time in the prep room goes by super fast. You change into the beautiful hospital gown, get hooked up to the monitor to listen to the baby's heartbeat. They ask you about a million questions, then you get to see the anesthesiologist and answer 2 million more. Visitors can come in and see you, so that helps the time go by as well. About 15 minutes before surgery they have B put on his lovely blue plastic suit and then it's time to go.

In the operating room they get me all set up, administer the spinal block (the needle doesn't feel so good going in), and then a bunch of people come in and start acting important. There is my OB, an assisting Dr. (last time it was his partner Dr. F), my nurse (who stays next to me), 2 surgical nurses to assist that Dr's, the Anesthesiologist, a surgical tool tech (she counts them all before and after surgery....really cool to see if they leave something behind), then all the support staff for the baby. I think we had two nurses with E, but my memory of that time is foggy. So, all these people are gathered around you bustling with energy and talking medical jargon. Then after they make the first incision, they let B come in and sit next to me. From there it seems like mere seconds before you hear the baby cry. They show her to me quickly over the curtain, clamp and cut the cord, and then she goes to a warmer and I can watch then work on her while they put me back together.

It's not so scary when you know what t expect. The fun part is for the others at the hospital. They get to wait and watch while B brings the baby into the nursery. Then they measure her weight, length and head circumference. Meanwhile, I am still down in surgery. The "putting back together" is the longest part. Not too bad for me...the Dr's usually make small talk with me. In fact, I recall as Dr G was closing me up after E he said "All of your reproductive organs look healthy and perfect.....ready for #3".

Maybe he jinxed us into it happening so soon???

Time is running out...

So here it is Wednesday, nearly 5 pm. I just looked up at the calendar and realized I only have 4 full days left. Wow. Where has the time gone?

My bag is packed, the house is (mostly) clean, arrangements for the other children have been made, and I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO ready to not be pregnant anymore. But I still feel rushed all of a sudden. So many important decisions to be made. A name, whether or not we really want this to be our last child, etc. I have felt very overwhelmed with these ideas this week...to the point of tears. Is it just pregnancy hormones? Spinal anesthesia anxiety? Fear of being a horrible mother to 3 now, instead of just 2? What gives? I thought I was ready.

Well, ready or not....here we come. 1 more Dr. appointment tomorrow and the next time I see him, we will be in the operating theater. Fun! Too bad I can't have popcorn in there...

Update!

We had a call from the Dr's office today letting us know that our C-section has been rescheduled to Monday, July 2nd at 12:00 noon.

I appreciate the later time slot, although I believe I can't have anything to eat or drink after midnight. EEK ! How can they do that to a pregnant chic?

The great thing about this is that J and E will be able to be there when the baby is born. Obviously they can not be in the operating room, but they can be there in the waiting area and see the baby soon after birth. Then I can see them when I'm in recovery, which will make me feel better.

Now if I could just find an "I'm a Big Sister" shirt in a 12 month size. I can't find one smaller than a 2T...

Instincts...

What have I been doing since I found out I was going to have a baby in less than 2 weeks???

Ask my husband, and he will say I have been going crazy. In woman terms...I am nesting. Not the kind of nesting I was doing a week or so ago...this is serious stuff.

In the past two days this what I have accomplished:
-rearranging the kitchen cabinets
-vacuuming, dusting, mopping and cleaning the living room
-ditto on the master bedroom (and moved a few pieces of light furniture)
-cleaned all 3 toilets (yuck)
-7 loads of laundry (most of which is already folded or hung, and put away)
-cleaned kitchen 3 times (included loading and unloading the dishwasher twice)
-went to the store to buy last minute items needed for hospital stay and coming home or the first few weeks
-had B set up the Pack N Play
-washed all padding for infant car seat and vibrating bassinet
-nearly put myself into labor (no kidding...last night I had contractions 5 minutes apart for an hour until I sat down and ate inner)

And can you still believe I feel like there is more to do???

We're scheduled!

And I didn't even have time to have a melt down...I was too much in shock.

The verdict:
Wednesday, July 4, 2007....at 7:30 AM!!!!!

Yep, you read that correctly. I have to be there 2 hours before surgery, so I will be pretty sleepy. I can't even imagine why my Dr. would schedule surgery on a holiday. Apparently there were no openings the rest of the week. Oh well, just happy that it isn't the following week.

There is still a glimmer of a hope that I will go into labor on my own before then, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Another Dr. appt day!

Today we have another OB appointment, NST and sonogram. I'm not sure if he will do the Group B strep test this week or not, but he's running out of time, so I hope so. We are also hoping we can pin down a potential date for my scheduled C-section.

I am really going to try and stay sane during all of this. 10 days before the due date he has given me numerous times is the 4th of July. I know he won't schedule a surgery for that day. In fact, he may not even schedule a surgery that whole week if he has out of town plans for the holiday. Our hope is for earlier, rather than later. Lack of sleep and mobility are taking their toll, and the scars from my previous C/s are not enjoying the contractions and weight they are faced with everyday . I have a strange feeling he will schedule it for the 9th of July. Do you think a few tears might charge his mind and go a week (or two) earlier?

I feel like I am ready. I bought the last thing I needed yesterday, my diaper bag. It's HUGE! My house is a disaster, but I can work with that, so again...I am ready. Cross your fingers for us...I know you have all prayed to keep her in there. Now, after Sunday, she is "full term" and can come out and play. And after watching "In the Womb" last night on National Geographic...we are so ready to see her!

My baby is walking!

It seems like just a few days ago E started letting go of the furniture and standing alone. Then a few steps happened here and there.


Today I finally accepted that my baby girl is walking. She let go several times today and precariously toddled from an armchair to a table, then casually sat down. She can also squat down without sitting and stand back up again. Her legs have become quite strong and he can get herself into a standing position without even pulling up on anything.

I really thought I would have more time before she was walking. And, if you really think about it, it could be awhile before she uses it as her preferred MO. Crawling is still her favorite, especially when she needs to be fast. (Like when mom spots her putting something into her mouth and comes after her). It's hard to see her growing up so fast. She is becoming my little toddler and soon a smaller baby will be in the house. She'll be the "big sister", but she will always me my baby...just like J.

Still going!

We reached another major milestone yesterday. I made it to 36 weeks. I honestly believe that this was possible because of all my friends' and family's prayer. As uncomfortable as I am at times and as little as I can sleep these days, I am pulling for everyday this little girl can hang out in her human incubator. It is better for her and her growing lungs.

I will officially be considered "full term" next week. After that I say "anything goes".

Side note: All of you parents out there. What makes food so much more appealing on the floor? I spent 30 minutes trying to get E to eat her dinner. She threw most of it on the floor. After I let her out of the highchair, she proceeded to follow me around (with my broom in tow) and cry as I swept up the pieces of her food. She looked desperately and longingly as I shoveled them into the trash and cried some more. This child had PLENTY of time to eat. I did a load of laundry AND loaded the dishwasher while she sat there. What is this mysterious power the floor has over food?

Things are looking better!

I just got back from the Dr. and it looks now like I could go to "full term" (whatever that means). He said my fluid levels seem to be increasing and the baby was more reactive than she has been in months.
Usually on the NST, the line looks like a straight line with one or two twists, but today her heart rate line looked like a back road through the Rockies. She was pretty hyper, moving more than usual. We are really excited since this means we will likely get to the magic 36-37 weeks! YAY.

In case you keep wondering what a Non-Stress test is...here is more info:

Non-stress Testing
Non-stress testing (NST) simply involves monitoring a developing baby's heart rate over time. The monitor has two belts that go around the mother's waist-one registers any contractions she may have, the other tracks the fetal heart rate. These are graphed on paper or on a computer screen. Often, you can see the graph as it is being made. Usually, the NST is not uncomfortable, although it may get tiresome to stay in one position for 20 minutes or so (in fact, it's not unusual for these tests to run as long as an hour).Reactive vs. nonreactive tests.

The usual baseline fetal heart rate is between 120 and 160 beats per minute. Once the monitor is in place, your practitioner will look for certain measurements to see how the baby is faring, including if his heart rate rises when he moves. An NST is considered reassuring if there are accelerations of the fetal heart rate of at least 15 beats per minute over the baseline, lasting at least 15 seconds, occurring within a 20-minute time block. This is called a reactive NST. If these accelerations don't occur, the test is said to be nonreactive. In addition, since many women have mild contractions that they may not even notice, your practitioner will note any of the baby's responses to contractions or if the fetal heart rate dips below baseline.

What does it mean if the NST is nonreactive?A fetus who is sleeping may not demonstrate accelerations. Your practitioner will have to wait, then, for him to wake up. Although a reactive NST is a good sign, a nonreactive NST does not mean the baby is in trouble. If you and your practitioner aren't reassured by the results of the NST, or if the fetal heart rate slows down alarmingly, more testing is usually done. This might include a more prolonged NST, a contraction stress test, or a biophysical profile.

We're off to see the wizard!

Well, not really. Just the Dr.
Time for my weekly sonogram and NST.

I will post the word when I get back. With only 20 days left, we a begin to wonder...when will it be? Today? I hope not. I need the weekend to get a few things done!

We learn as we go

So here I am, less than 22 days before I am a mother of 3 (wow that looks strange) and I am kicking myself for being a horrible mother.
Today we went to a community water park with friends Lisa and Cynde. We all three had little ones, plus C and I had our older babes in tow. It was really fun to see E's first reaction to swimming. The child is a fish. No fear of water at all. J and I had to keep pulling her away from the deeper water.
Back to the bad mom thing. Despite slathering both babes with ample sun protection, they still managed to get red in places. With J I forgot the "reapply every 30 minutes while in the water" rule. With E, I forgot her head and her hat (most of the day) and she has a teeny burn on her scalp. I thought I was being so careful, and yet both kids (and me) have some kind of burn today. Next time, I keep telling myself, I will do better.
I only managed to get one picture of the day...I'll share:

35 weeks!

We made it to 35 weeks!
One more week and will be considered "full term" (although it's best if she stays in there as long as she can).

More interesting facts about this week courtesy of pregnancy.org:

• Week Thirty-Five
• The average baby weighs almost five and a half pounds now.
• Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
• Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
• Her hearing is fully developed, so be sure to talk to your daughter. Do you find yourself speaking in a high-pitched tone? That's okay since some studies show babies respond better to higher pitches.
• It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again (just not walk so easily! Ha!).
• Your baby is 18.2 inches (46.2cm) long and weighs 5.3 pounds (2383gm).

No baby today

Everything looked good today. In fact, he said the baby looks great! I admit, I was a little upset at the thought of being pregnant much longer, however, it quickly changed when I realized how much healthier she will be by staying in longer.

I asked a nurse if there was anything I could do to jump start labor. I won't mention exactly what she said since this is a family blog, but she blushed when she said it. Isn't that what got us into this predicament? I laughed.

When I told Dr. G I was asking his nurses for help to get my labor started, he grumbled "It's still too early...see you next week". Oh well. At least with these nesting instincts going on my house should be spotless by then.

Nesting

If you are here looking for an update on today's appt., I have not gone yet. Not until 1 pm. I don't think much will happen. The baby is moving well and I feel bigger like there is more fluid. I guess we'll see soon.

Today I have been nesting like crazy. I have set up the baby's crib, put away most of the gifts from the weekend, and cleaned out my pantry. Not only did I clean it out, I washed the trashcan, reorganized and wiped down the shelves. I missed a few spots that I couldn't reach due to belly..but it sure smells better in there. If I keep like this through the weekend, I MIGHT have a clean house by next Tuesday.

Ok, gotta run to see Dr. G!

Wednesday reflections

Well here it is humpday again. You know what that means...tomorrow is my OB day.

Wednesdays around here are really starting to have a sense of urgency. Well, for me anyway. To B and the rest of the fam it's just another day in the week. I have so many errands to run and things to do before I go tomorrow. I finally made it to the grocery store this morning, and Babies R Us this afternoon. Now I just need to do 5 loads of laundry, set up the new baby bed (she got her bedding this weekend), clean all the bathrooms, and wash bottles. Not too much in the next 19 hours...right? Oh, and I also need to put away the loot from the showers.

By showers I don't mean the horrible gloomy damp weather we have been having here in DFW.

I had three lovely showers in the last week. Remember how I didn't want one? Well...there were 3! A dear friend from church, Mary Beth, organized a "Dinners and Diapers" shower that they held at choir last Wednesday night. I now have 260 newborn diapers, 180 of E's size and several other in between sizes as well as extra wipes. They also gave us 8 frozen dinners from the Dinner Station , and I just heard that we are getting 2 more!!! What a wonderful idea for a mom who has most of what she needs for her new little girl.

The second shower was thrown at B's church, Flower Mound Presbyterian. He is the pianist there and they always take very good care of him. We received several gift cards to BRU, a second highchair (thank goodness), and several homemade beautiful items. One of which is a newborn crocheted cap. I plan on taking this to the hospital with me for the girl. It was lovely, and very sweet. They are good people.

The final shower was for friends and family not associated with these other groups. It was hard, since some friends belong in several groups, but I tried to not invite anyone to two showers. My dear friends from college, Dawn and Dana, went WAY overboard with this one. They planned (to my surprise) a ladies English Tea. Everything was so beautiful. Most of my friends were out of town, and I'm really sad they missed it, because it was amazing. The group was small, but they hand-painted tiny onesies for the new baby. I can't wait for her to wear them! I also received several wonderful things to complete my list of "things I still need" including: double stroller (sweet ride! Thanks mom and dad), the rest of the baby's bedding [courtesy of Aunt Katie...(aka Krafty Katie) and dear friend Beryl], and a luxury (but necessary) Pack N Play from Cynde! I can actually corral E while I feed baby B! The only things I have left on my "things I need ASAP" list are: a going home outfit (for the baby) and a diaper bag built for 2. Should be easy enough...right?

B and I are surrounded by such wonderful friends and family and we are overwhelmed by the kindness. We honestly could never repay them for everything they have done.
Thanks everyone!

Upside Down...

Even though E was a breech baby, I realized one day that B had no idea exactly what that meant. We have since corrected the problem, but in looking around on the internet I learned some new things about it as well. I thought I would share with you:

Normal baby position at full-term

(presentng "head first" or cephalic...aka vertex)

(Our baby is in a frank breech position, just like big sister E)

Interesting facts:

• More than 95 percent of full-term babies are positioned "head down" in the uterus
• 3-4 percent are breech
• a few lie crossways or tranverse

Some situations make a breech presentation at the time of labor more likely. These might include:

• preterm labor and birth - if labor starts when the baby is still small enough to move rather freely in the uterus.
• a placenta in the fundus - the placenta takes up some of the space in the top of the uterus.
  an unusual shape of the mother's uterus, or fibroids in the lower part of the uterus.
• more than one fetus (such as twins)
• a very relaxed uterus from many previous children
• too much or too little amniotic fluid

Consider yourself educated.

Milestones

Each day with a child, whether a growing fetus or a child already in the world, is a gift and a chance for growth, learning, and love. This weekend has been a weekend of a few milestones in our family.

E has been babbling for several months now. She has perfected "da da" and "ba ba" and she also enjoys singing along with music of any kind. Up until this weekend she had said "ma ma", but only when she was upset or actively crying. And, even then it was more of a "muh muh mmmmmm muhhh" type sound. Friday night on the way back from dinner with B's family, she just out of the blue said "ma ma". Thinking it was a mistake, I smiled but didn't get too excited (after all, she was a little cranky and it was past bed time). But she kept saying it. Then she said it with laughter. It was a beautiful sound. I had forgotten how wonderful it is to hear those words.

As for the new baby, we hit the 34 week mark today! Hallelujah! It is a huge step for a pregnancy and makes me a little more comfortable with the idea of an early delivery. Here's what was in my email this morning:

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches
long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once
she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system
is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now. If you've been
nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent
of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major
long-term problems related to prematurity.

A Swell Day

Today was B's family reunion. Even though I am unable to travel, we were able to attend since it was conveniently located at Lake Lewisville. A lot of his family traveled from places like San Antonio, Austin, Houston, etc. Some even came from Oklahoma (although unfortunately we didn't get to see his immediate family this time around). There were about 120 family members there at one point. It was crazy!

I have met a lot of the people who were there. Apparently they were at our wedding. I don't recall much from that day, but I do remember faces. The insane thing was to see the children. All of them have grown up so much!

The plan was to get to the reunion about 11:30 and lunch was served at 12. We would stay a couple of hours and when E needed a nap, we would bolt. I honestly planned to be there until maybe 2 or 3. But we started having such a nice time. I visited with aunts, uncles, 1st 2nd and 3rd cousins of B's. They have a really wonderful (really talkative) family! It's a lot like my own (Peterson) family reunions....only without alcohol. It made me sad that I can not attend my family's in California in a few weeks. No way Doc is letting me travel anywhere any time soon. Ah, the "Screamin' Swedes"...we will just have to wait until next time.

So anyway, the PLAN was to leave early, but we were having such a great time. I took E for a drive and she slept for a bit, then we went back and stayed more. We might even still be there had I not been so pregnant. When I hopped in the car to drive E around I took off my shoes and had permanent lines in my feet from the swelling. It's the worst I have had so far this pregnancy. I didn't think much of it, until we got back and my hands started swelling. My ankles practically disappeared!!! I told B we HAD to go when my wrists started swelling around my watch band (around 6pm). In fact, I still have a watch imprint on my wrist and the watch (which is normally loose on me) has been off for about 5 hours.

I felt pretty awful when we finally made it home. I was dehydrated, hungry, swollen and sleepy. Even though I resemble the Stay Puffed Marshmallow woman, I am so glad we were able to make it. Their reunions are sporadic and it may be another 3-4 years before we are all together again, although I hope not. In the mean time I am hoping for the swelling to go down while I sleep. We have another busy day tomorrow. Lucky for me, it all involves air conditioning and comfy seating.