Baby Update - 40 Weeks

40 weeks and baby
is still hanging out

Today is Baby Marron's due date. I know that the due date doesn't mean a whole lot, but there is apart of me that is amazed we made it here. It has been a long road, but all in all a pretty good one.

Physically I am still feeling pretty good. The aches and pains that I have had for months are still there, but I think I have just gotten used to them. I know that someday my right finger tips will no longer be numb and I will be able to wear my rings again.

Mentally and emotionally, I am a little on edge. I have been doing everything I can to persuade baby to come since 37 weeks and it is beginning to wear on me. I feel like my induction date is looming and that is unnerving. I had to push pretty hard to get 40 weeks and 5 days (she wanted to induce at 39 weeks 2 days), so I know that my doctor will not be happy if I try and push it some more. My next doctor's appointment isn't until Friday, so I just keep reminding myself that I have time.

This week I am really trying to focus on relaxing, which is easier said than done. Yesterday I had a great prenatal massage. The therapist also gave me some pressure points to help encourage things. It feels good to use them, so it can't hurt. I also have an acupuncture session scheduled for tomorrow. Lots of walking and yoga are also on the plans for this week. Pregnant or not physical activity helps me relax.

Speaking of physical activity, I tried running during my walk this morning. I only think I made it a minute and looked really silly, but it felt pretty good. Except for the whole baby smashing into my bladder part.

In general, people are starting to annoy me a bit. They really say the stupidest things to pregnant ladies. At least there is not a whole country waiting for the arrival of this baby, just a few important people.

I am excited that by this time next week it is likely that baby Marron will be here.

Disappointment

I feel like I should preface this post with the statement "In the grand scheme of things going on in my life, none of this really matters." That said, it is still disappointing.

A few weeks ago I discussed my post baby running plans. My overall goal is to get back into running as quickly as I can while being safe, listening to my body and figuring out how to care for a newborn. Part of it is to get my body back and part of it is for my sanity.

I had a couple of half marathons picked out and was watching the registration numbers. I was hoping to deliver the baby before officially registering, because at that point I would have a slightly better idea what my recovery was likely to look like.

Then last night I saw this tweet about my goal race:

I immediately grabbed my laptop and credit card to register. The site said that they were at 99% and let me start the registration process only to tell me it was full. Sad face.

While I was looking at races, I checked the Space Coast Half Marathon site. They were at 80% so I figured I had a few days. In order for this race to be an option, I would need to have a vaginal delivery, and while that is a goal, there is only so much I can do. So this morning I woke up to the following tweet:

Double sad face. I was too slow and missed out on both races. I actually started crying when I saw that this race was full too. Then again, it doesn't take much to make me cry these days.

At this point, I am taking it as a sign that I was getting too far a head of myself and I need to be more in the moment with Baby Marron arriving in the next week or so. I am sure I will race again, I just don't know when.

Any suggestions for an Orlando area half marathon in the Late-January to March timeframe are appreciated.

Baby Update - 39 Weeks

The dress makes me look bigger
than I am, but it is comfortable.

We have now made it to 39 weeks and I am only one week away from my due date. Which means pretty much the same thing it did when I hit full term a couple of weeks ago. Sometime in July, there will be a baby, but who knows when baby will decide to show up. I think we are as prepared for the baby as we can be, so now it is just a waiting game.

The theme for the past week has been distraction. I am still working and that keeps me busy and my mind off the possibility of the baby coming. It is also fun because everyone is always curious if I am going to show up or not. My schedule is a bit random this month, so someone is always surprised when I come into the office.

We also went to the beach on Saturday. It was really nice to just relax and enjoy the ocean and hanging out as a twosome. We spent most of the morning there and headed home just before the rain came. The water was surprisingly calm for having a storm in the area.

I also spent a ridiculous amount of time last week dealing with fun adult things like mortgages and life insurance. We are switching lenders for our mortgage which meant gathering all the documents once again. Our original mortgage person left the lender who did our first pre-approval and they have been pretty unresponsive since then. We also figured that since we are going to have a mortgage and a child, life insurance would be a good thing to look at. Ah, the joys of being an adult. 

I am still feeling pretty good. The biggest change is that I feel bigger, which I didn't really think was possible. Sitting like a lady is no longer really possible and I always feel especially proud when I put on shoes that have ties. That is a workout in and of itself and probably pretty funny to watch.

I have been having a lot of pressure and menstrual-like cramping for the past week, but I don't know what, if anything, that means. I may get some insight at my doctor's appointment tomorrow. Some days I will have a lot of what I think are Braxton-Hicks contractions and other days I will have almost none. Sometimes I have more of these after walking, but other days the walks don't do much.

The strangest thing is that I have been really weepy lately. I don't feel sad, but the smallest things can make me cry. Normally they are happy tears. Sometimes it is just because of how much love I feel for my husband and this little baby right now. It normally takes a lot for me to cry, so this has been really strange.

I think the baby is running out of room. I am feeling more and more baby body parts and movements in random areas. This is especially true if I am not standing or sitting up very straight. The baby lets me know if I lean too far forward.

Operation get the baby out is still in progress, with the goal of going into labor before my induction date. A huge thanks to Michelle and Katy for their tips. I have integrated most of them into my plan. 

I am hoping that Baby Marron arrives before my 40 week update.

Baby Update - 38 Weeks

I don't know what I was
doing with my hands

So baby and I have made it to 38 weeks. This means that the baby can come at pretty much any time. That said, I am keeping my anticipation in check, because it could still be a few more weeks. I am super excited to get meet the baby so I really wouldn't mind going into labor sooner rather than later.

Overall, I am feeling good. I get tired easily, but I am staying active and keeping busy. The pregnancy related carpel tunnel is probably the worst of my symptoms. I am now wearing wrist braces on both wrists to sleep. It also doesn't help that I spend a good portion of my day on the computer. Surprisingly, cutting the grass made them feel better. My husband was not real thrilled I did that last week while he was at work, but it was a nice walk.

I am feeling bigger, but that is to be expected at this point. Getting out of bed is always interesting. There are some maternity items that are no longer very comfortable and flip flops are about all I can wear on my feet. I am lucky there is a pretty laid back dress code at work.

Baby is getting big, but that is not a surprise. My doctor's office keeps wanting updated size ultra sounds and at 37 weeks the baby was estimated at 7 pounds 10 ounces. That said, those can be off by a pound or more so who really knows how big this little one will be. The ultra sounds keep my doctor happy and it won't really change my initial plans for labor and delivery. It is nice to get to see the little one.

While it is not ideal, I did have to set an induction date at last week's appointment. I got them to give me until 40 weeks and 5 days to go into labor on my own. To help with this, my husband and I are working on operation evict the tenant. Lots of walking, sitting/rocking on the birthing ball, red raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil, and a few other things. It may not help, but I am doing pretty much anything that can't hurt at this point. I would really like to avoid an induction if at all possible.

Any other tips or tricks for starting labor? If it I get to my due date, I am thinking about trying acupuncture or accupressure. Any suggestions for places in the Orlando area?

Birth Planning

I have been thinking about this post for a while now, but I was not 100% sure that I would write it. Birthing a baby is such a personal moment and everyone prepares in the way they think is best for themselves and their family. That said, reading about other people's birth plans and birth stories has been incredibly helpful to me as I have gone through this journey and I wanted to share my thoughts, decision process and plans.

During the first part of my pregnancy, I was really nervous about losing the baby and focused on taking everything day by day. I felt like we got ahead of ourselves in several ways with the first pregnancy and I didn't want to do that again. It was not until I was about 25 or 26 weeks, really close to viability that it dawned on me that I should probably think about what I needed to know to be prepared to birth this baby.

From there I started reading. I also thought a lot about what was important to me and what scared me. I can say that going into this journey, my biggest fear is to have a C-section and honestly that fear still holds today. As I started reading, I realized that there are a lot of things, most of which I was unaware of, that can increase the likelihood you will have a C-section. Some only increase your chances slightly, while others have a rather dramatic impact.

After processing all the information I decided that the natural childbirth route was going to be the best option for me. From there, we started looking at various methods. I looked into both Hypnobirthing and The Bradley Method and while I am not fulling doing either, I plan on incorporating key learnings from both. We also took the natural childbirth class at our hospital and learned some good coping techniques there as well. Additionally, we have hired a Doula to help us through the process. Neither one of us has been through this before, so  we felt that having someone with recent experience would be key.

Additionally, I sat down and wrote out a birth plan that outlines our preferences. Since we have little control over the birth, I know they may not all be met, but I felt it was important to document them while I was thinking clearly, or at least as clearly as a pregnant woman can think.

Even with a plan at the end of the day, it is about keeping both baby and myself safe and healthy. I like to think that the plan is written in pencil to allow for rewrites and changes as needed.

Did you have a birth plan? Was it helpful while in labor? How close was your birth experience to what you planned?