Making & Baking

Waiting 4 Baby

by Jessica on February 6, 2012

I just got back from my 36/37 week appointment (I’m 36w2d), and it looks like I’m making some more progress! I’m now at 4 cm and still 80%/ -2 station. I haven’t had too many contractions, granted I get way more in the evening than I do during the day. Still, I’ve progressed one centimeter in about four days, so I’m guessing things will really start moving now that bed rest is behind me. After checking me, my doctor and I chatted for a bit. She told me call for pretty much anything because I am so far progressed and just with my history, they don’t want to take any chances and have me deliver in the car! She did tell me that when I come in next Tuesday (Valentine’s Day), to bring my hospital bag with me because if I’m dilated past 5 cm, they’re checking me into the hospital. So. Unless I just don’t progress between now and then, it looks like we’ll have a baby by Valentine’s Day. Wow.

If you ask me? I think he’ll come before then. Today, I’ve started to get back pain and downward pressure with my contractions, which is how it felt when I started to go into actual labor with Knox, so I really don’t think it will be much longer. I just hope I start to feel better soon because I have a stupid sinus infection and so does Trevor. Knox gave us both his illness which has turned into this fun stuff- we are both on antibiotics, now, though, so at least we won’t be contagious to Brody. Still, I’d rather feel good going into labor and delivery, rather than be all stuffy and congested! I feel better than I did yesterday, though, so at least I’m moving in the right direction!

Here at home, I *think* we’re ready for him! I cleaned the mess (literally) out of this house on Saturday and have been psychotically spot cleaning since then. I sterlized all the pump parts/ bottles/ pacifiers today and my hospital bag (and his) are packed and ready to go. I have thought pretty much nothing about labor and delivery until now, and when I start to get uncomfortable contractions, I think “oh crap.” Ha! It’s too late to turn back now!

So now, we wait. Feel free to venture a guess as to when the little man will arrive, I am guessing the 7th or the 13th… we shall see!

Oh, and apparently, I am giving birth to a full-grown man. Look. At. This. Belly.

36 weeks and 2 days pregnant with Brody

P.S. I’m not taking my laptop to the hospital with me, so if you want to know when labor stuff starts to happen, make sure you’re following me on Facebook or Twitter because I can update those from my phone!

{ 25 comments }

A day in the life: Bed rest edition

by Jessica on January 31, 2012

I thought I’d give you guys a peek into my riveting life- at least how it’s been for the past several weeks while on bed rest. I think one of the hardest things about being confined to your bed/ couch is the monotony. Luckily, having a cute two year-old helps add some excitement into the picture, but most days are pretty similar. I find myself thinking of my weeks in terms of when I get to leave the house or have someone visit. For example, “okay, it’s only two days until my doctor’s appointment” or “one day until church” or “Trevor’s working tomorrow, so ______ will be coming over to help.” I try to vary my location some, alternating between the living room and the playroom couches- I don’t actually do any resting in bed unless it’s night time and I’m asleep! For the most part, here’s how the day goes.

7:30 or 8:00 am- Wake-up. This time can vary depending on what time Knox wakes up or if it’s a preschool day.

8:00-8:30- Get Knox dressed, brush his teeth, put him in the playroom while he drinks his milk and I get ready. I do try to get dressed and fix my hair/ put on make-up every day. Otherwise, I feel like a total bum, and it makes me depressed! It’s nice to at least not look like crap if I can’t do anything! Of course, I’m only wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt, but wearing pj’s all day makes me feel like I’m sick or something.

9:00 am- Breakfast for Knox and I. I’ve already taken a Procardia and drank at least two glasses of water (or chocolate milk if I had dreams about it… don’t laugh, I totally dream about drinking milk when I’m pregnant!) by this point.

*If it’s a preschool day, this whole schedule is shifted back by about half an hour. We leave the house at 8:30 for school, which is less than five minutes from our house. Trevor always takes him if he’s home, if not, I do it and pray for a close parking spot!

9:30 am- 12 pm: Chill out time. Typically I lay on the living room couch while Knox plays with his toys. Trevor’s home two out of three days, so those days are easiest since he’s here from the time Knox wakes up. He does a good job keeping Knox entertained and keeping him from injuring himself! I try to lay down as much as I can from this point forward. Though I do get up frequently to pee. By frequently, I mean about 20 times a day. Yes, that is the actual number… I counted the other day because I thought it was getting ridiculous. I also guzzle water like crazy ALL day.

My buddy, the Nalgene bottle.

If Trevor’s working, my mom tries to come over in the mornings around 9:30, which is a big help in watching Knox!

To keep myself entertained during this time of the day, I usually watch the Today show, check my email and surf around Facebook/ twitter for a while. Of course, Knox is super playful at this hour and loves to climb up on the couch with me. He will sit and we’ll practice talking, or he’ll just cuddle for a while. He will go through all of his books, then move on to his toy basket. He’s pretty entertaining to watch, so I don’t watch much TV when he’s around!

*On preschool days, Knox gets picked up at 12:00 pm

12 pm-ish: Lunch. I do eat lunch at the table because Knox needs supervision! He usually eats some form of chicken, fruit and crackers/crunchy item, and I’ll have leftovers or a sandwich or something like that. If my mom’s over, she’ll pick up lunch for us on those days.

12:30 pm: Nap time! Trevor does this if he’s home, or my mom if he’s not. On the rare days I’m alone, I do it. While Knox is asleep, I usually read (currently “Catching Fire”… second in the Hunger Games trilogy), blog or watch something on Netflix. I’ve already gone through all of the seasons of “Parenthood” (which rocks) and am almost finished with “Downton Abbey” (also, quite awesome).

2:30-3:30: Knox wakes up and snuggles with me while he drinks his milk. This kid LOVES milk!

Then, we play, normally in the playroom for a change of scenery. If Trevor’s working, his mom comes over around this time if she’s off, or if she has to work, she’ll arrive just after 5.

I take another Procardia around this time, and am still guzzling water.

This is the longest part of the day for me, for whatever reason. It always seems to drag by!!

5:00 pm: Bath time for Knox. Trevor or his mom do this every day. I really miss giving my little water baby a bath- he loves the bathtub so much!!

6:00 pm: Dinner time! I’m getting super sick of “convenience” food items. Ie: frozen lasagna, frozen pizza, basically if it’s frozen, I’m sick of eating it! Last week I really wanted to cook something homemade, so I sat on a bar stool and made Apple Pancakes! Since I’m not on strict bed rest, I didn’t feel too badly about that!

When we grocery shop (online! Love that convenience!), I try to get things like Rotisserie chickens, Pasta-roni and microwavable veggies, so it tastes like a home-cooked meal, even if I don’t have to do much cooking! If Trevor’s working, his mom will pick us up dinner. I know. Our moms rock!!

6:30-8 pm: More living room play time for Knox. He drinks a third cup of milk around 7:30 and starts to wind down.

8:00 pm: Knox’s bed time. Trevor or his mom do this daily, as well. They brush his teeth, read him some books and lay him down. He puts himself to sleep, generally within 30 minutes or so. I did have to read to him last week because I missed it so much!

8:00 pm- 12 am: More resting. After Knox is in bed, Trevor and I may watch a show together, or just talk for a while. He normally does the dishes or some laundry, and I will get a basket of laundry and fold it on the couch. Somewhere in this time range, I take another Procardia. I also take a shower and do a devotional every night. I’m using the “Jesus Calling” devotional by Sarah Young, and it’s amazing, if you’re looking for one! It really helps me to re-focus and connect with God, which I sorely need in the midst of stress.

I continue to surf the Web, read or watch TV. Trevor usually beats me to bed- all of that laying around doesn’t make me very tired, so it’s typically 12 or 1 before I go to bed.

Then… it starts all over the next day! Super exciting, right?

I’m so, so thankful that our families have been willing to help so much, it’s been such a blessing! I can’t imagine having to do everything alone… that would take the rest out of bed rest, for sure! Plus, it’s nice to have women to talk to!

The best days, like I said earlier, are those where something “different” happens. Saturday, our awesome friends, Cole and Lindsey, came over with their two kiddos to bring us dinner. It was so sweet, and so much fun! Noah, Knox and Sam did lots of playing (and so did their dads!) in Knox’s tunnels while Lindsey and I got to talk.

This week is particularly slow because I am so ready for Saturday to get here! Saturday= 36 weeks and the end of bed rest and all medication! Guess what I’ll be doing this weekend? EVERYTHING. When I went off meds with Knox, he was born five days later, so I am very curious to see how it will be with Brody!

{ 12 comments }

Unplugged

by Jessica on January 24, 2012

Sunday night I was laying on the couch (shocker, right?) eating a brownie, drinking some milk and reading “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth.” I don’t know if it was all of that reading about labor or what, but I was getting a lot more contractions and cramps than I normally do. I just drank some extra water and hoped it would pass. I figured I would go ahead and go to bed since that generally calms things down. When I woke up in the morning, I found a little something extra during my bathroom trip. *TMI alert* There was what seemed to be a small, blood-tinged booger in my underwear. It was not much (we’re talking very small) and had obviously come out during the night. Hmm. I figured there would probably be more of whatever it was later in the day, so I just hoped it was a piece of mucus plug and not the beginnings of a bloody show.

When I was going into labor with Knox, I had the bloody show at about 5 p.m. and Knox was born by 7 a.m. the next morning, so I didn’t want a repeat of that situation!! A few hours later, another bathroom trip revealed a gelatinous whitish blob… mucus plug. I know the mucus plug doesn’t mean much, aside from the fact that you’re probably dilating and effacing, but in my case that’s not exactly news. It doesn’t mean that labor is imminent, and many women lose theirs weeks before they deliver. Still, my doctor told me to call for pretty much anything new, so I let them know, and they echoed my feelings that all was well and not to worry, just to call if contractions picked up or got more severe.

Anyway, in the interest of documenting all things pre-term labor, I’m sharing that gross tidbit with you all. Of course if you follow me on FB or twitter, you already know this and are probably bored reading this again!

Today has been pretty calm (hopefully that will continue!) though I have had a good many contractions this afternoon. I think it’s just due to a full bladder, though, because I have to pee every five seconds today!

I leave you with this picture, which is thankfully, totally unrelated to the topic at hand (I may show you pictures of my stretch marks, but I will not be posting pictures of my mucus plug!). Last night, Trevor was doing squats and let Knox (and his tiny giraffe toy) “help” him by sitting on his shoulders, which is possibly Knox’s favorite spot to be on the planet. He laughed and laughed, but of course has a more serious face when I take out the camera phone!

ETA: So, I went back and looked at my old blog entries when I was on bed rest with Knox, and apparently I did lose my mucus plug with him! How I forgot that, I have no idea, but I actually lost it with him around 33 weeks. Interesting.

{ 5 comments }

34 Weeks

by Jessica on January 21, 2012

I generally don’t post these surveys every week, but considering I really don’t know how much longer I have, I figured I might as well document these last few weeks!

How far along? 34 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: Around 26 pounds. I have lost a pound a week for the past two weeks- I know this is from a decrease in appetite caused by all the water I’m drinking. I take in 12-14 glasses a day, so I am always full (literally) of water. I’ve been really trying to eat well this week, regardless of whether I’m in the mood or not.
Maternity clothes? Yes. My bed rest uniform consists of maternity yoga pants and a t-shirt… SO comfortable!
Sleep: I’ve had a hard time getting to sleep. I’m very restless from laying around so much- I’m just not tired at a normal hour. Generally, I’m falling asleep close to 1 a.m…. and getting up at 7:30 with Knox. At least bed rest won’t last much longer, but seriously, I’ll be getting way less sleep pretty soon, so I might as well get used to it!
Best moment this week: Hitting 34 weeks. Every single week is a big deal with all of this pre-term scariness going on.
Movement: Nearly constant. Brody is a wild child! Now that’s he’s bigger, too, I’ve started to get “lightening crotch” a lot more often. You know, that super fun pinching feeling in your cervix that makes you want to jump out of your skin.
Food cravings: Brownies and chocolate milk, still.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Unfortunately, yes. At 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. His head is not engaged, which is very good. Let’s hope that by next week things have not progressed any more. I’m still contracting, even on the meds and with the bed rest.
Stretch marks? It’s a disaster. Trevor caught a glimpse of them this week and said “Ugh! Those look painful!” Thanks, babe.
What I miss: No contractions and not worrying about pre-term labor!! Also being able to change sleeping positions- I only have one comfortable spot… laying on my left side in my snoogle.
What I am looking forward to: Reaching 36 weeks, finishing Brody’s nursery, getting the to-do list knocked out. Thankfully, I have help! My awesome and amazing friend, Lindsey, is coming over today to help me get his room finished up. I just have to hang a few things up and it will be pretty much complete.
Weekly Wisdom: Be still! Lay, drink, and lay some more. Also, I have found a lot of comfort in reading my daily devotional and Bible verses. It keeps me centered and somewhat calm.
Milestones: 34 Weeks! Each week (and day, really) is a milestone at this point!

{ 4 comments }

32 (almost 33) Weeks

by Jessica on January 13, 2012

How far along? 32 weeks and 6 days
Total weight gain/loss: Holding steady at about 28 pounds… my shot nurse told me a lot of her patients don’t gain as much weight because of the P17 injections, and that’s totally proving to be true for me! Brody is gaining weight, but I’m staying the same- I like it!
Maternity clothes? Yes. Also have been stealing Trevor’s t-shirts because they are so much more comfy than “real” clothes!
Sleep: I had a few rough nights thanks to the corticosteroid injections earlier this week, but now I am back to normal, thank goodness!
Best moment this week: The fact that Brody is still in there is looking like good news to me! Also looking forward to Knox’s birthday party tomorrow.
Movement: Uh, yeah. This kid is WILD! I am slightly concerned that he may be more active than Knox… oh well, I guess I’ll lose my baby weight fast keeping up with these two!
Food cravings: Brownies and, YUM, chocolate milk! I could drink it all. day. long.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Far too many for my liking!! I went in yesterday and saw my normal doctor (finally!) and I am officially 2 cm dilated and 80% effaced. At this point with Knox, I was 1 cm and 50% effaced. I am on moderate bed rest and Procardia for contractions, and PLEASE let it work to keep him in for another four weeks (at minimum!). My fetal fibronectin test was negative this week, which should mean that he’ll stay put for at least another week without incident. I will say that Procardia doesn’t work nearly as well as Terbutaline for me in relaxing my uterus, but hopefully it will keep things from progressing any more. I have also been moved to weekly doctor’s appointments, which I think is awesome.
Belly Button in or out? Far out.
Stretch marks? Let’s not talk about it, okay?
What I miss: No contractions and not worrying about pre-term labor!!
What I am looking forward to: Getting the nursery finished, Knox’s birthday party, getting rid of the biggest freaking hemorrhoid on Earth (sorry, but seriously, you try sitting down on top of this thing all day!) and REACHING FULL-TERM!!