Friday, February 12th

Friday, February 12th is the day that I will be induced if I don't go into labor beforehand. I'm still keeping up hope that Monty will make his own arrival before then.

Our decision to get induced was based on a couple different things. One, Monty is getting bigger everyday, and the longer I wait - the higher the chances are that I could need an emergency c-section because he is just to big to be delivered. Two, I just can't go forever. Mentally I think I'm breaking down a bit, and I'm getting very uncomfortable doing everyday things.

I hate the thought of getting induced, but I hate the thought of getting induced 2 weeks later, laboring for hours and then having to go for an emergency c-section even more. I still have 3 days to go into labor naturally, and I plan to do every thing possible that I can to help the process along. Please keep Monty and I in your thoughts and prayers that everything will go alright.

Today Was Supposed to be THE DAY...

Today is my due date, however, there are no signs that Monty is going to arrive, so I'm just going to try and relax, and wait as patiently as possible.

I haven't had any contractions lately, or really any steady contractions at all up until this point. A couple of weeks ago I experienced a few, but they weren't steady enough to truly count them as making any progress. However, one of my friends mentioned that she had hip or pelvic joint pains right before she went into labor which I have pretty frequently - so that is one glimmer of hope that Monty might be getting ready to venture out into the world.

I'm not a big fan of being induced, so I will probably wait as long as possible before we go that route. I'll know more about getting induced tomorrow after I see the doctor. As long as everything is going alright, she said that she will allow me to go up to 2 weeks overdue. So, if I was to choose a date to get induced it will probably be Saturday the 20th, which is one day before the 2 week mark. I'm definitely keeping my fingers crossed that Monty will be able to come on his own terms though.

Nesting....I think my husband might kill me

Up until recently I haven't been "nesting" all that much. However, yesterday was a 100% packed full day of nesting! I cleaned every inch of Monty's room, and rearranged it about 5 different ways. I thought Matt was about to kill me when I finally said that I wanted back the way it was when we first started moving things around. I even took out all of his clothes from the dresser, just to reorganize and put them all back in again.

For some reason I can't stand any dishes being in the sink, clean or dirty! Normally, after washing the dishes by hand I would just let them air dry, now I find myself drying them all so they aren't left sitting there. I also reorganized the freezer, which honestly didn't really need it, but I did it anyway. I've also been insane about laundry lately. I literally go around the house looking for clothes/towels/etc. to make a full load. This is of course, not including the normal cleaning that I do around the house.

I just have this worry in the back of my head that laundry and dishes are going to be left undone when we make our hurried trip to the hospital, and I really don't want to have to do either of those things when I finally make it home again. By some miracle, I want the house to be spotless and 100% put away when we walk back in our front door holding Monty in our hands.

Personal Time

So, as we are getting close to the end I've noticed that there is almost a calm throughout the house. We will sit in the quiet and read next to each other, do simple things without a hurry like cooking dinner or cleaning up after wards. Everything has just come to a slow, and we are taking things in as slow and easy as possible. It's as if there is a mutual understanding that any day now it will be complete and total chaos in our house and right now we are just going to relax and enjoy our last few days together when its just us.

I thought about this post last night when I realized that we were both doing something that was just for ourselves. Matt has started a new pet project of restoring an old gun. Of which, he sat at a table for a few hours, just working on trying to clean out all of its parts in hope that some day it will be usable again. He found the gun in my dad's work shed hanging on a nail in the wall. And after hearing the story behind the gun, he decided that it needed to be restored. The gun is an old colt that was burnt up back in 1991 when our house burnt down. Although, it was mostly destroyed my dad couldn't part with it, and hence its been hanging in his shed for the last 19 years. Here are a few pictures of him working on it.

 

What was I doing? I took the time to watch a chick flick, and paint my nails! I know this seems simple, and uneventful, but it was exactly what I needed. I got in bed after the dishes were done from dinner, set out my manicure/nail stuff, put in a movie and just took my time. I had nothing better to do, and it felt nice to have nothing that I had to do.  Here is a picture of my handy work.

All the Books I've Read...

Last night I had an epiphany about all of the baby books that I've read. I read who knows how many books about how to become pregnant, how to eat while pregnant, what to expect while pregnant - well you get the point. Then it hit me. I haven't read one book about what to do when Monty actually gets here. For some reason it never crossed my mind to worry about how to change a diaper, or give him a bath, or what to do if he wont stop crying. I think it has finally set in that he is going to be here soon, and I mean very soon since my due date is only 3 days away, so now my new mission is to refresh myself on all the baby basics. Here are a couple "how to" videos I've found on YouTube.

How To Swaddle a Baby

How to Change a Cloth Diaper

Can I Take a Nap? Please?

This past week or so I've just been plain exhausted. I'm not really doing much other then a few household chores like cooking and cleaning, but I'm just tired all the time. Everyday around 10-ish I feel like taking a nap, but I don't because that just seems waaayyyy to early in the day. Then again after lunch, I have the urge, but always decide to fight it because I want to be able to sleep at night. Then as bedtime approaches I wake up for the day and can't sleep! It's insanely frustrating sometimes. I wake up at least every 2 hours in the middle of the night to make a trip to the bathroom and/or the fridge (cause I always have to pee and I'm always hungry). I guess this is natures way of preparing me for Monty's feeding's every 2-3 hours when he arrives.

Oh the days when I used to be able to sleep in till noon....

39 Weeks and Counting...

We went to the doctor for our weekly visit today, and there was no real exciting news. I'm still 2-3 centimeters dilated and 75% effaced, so although I've been having some contractions they really haven't made any progress which is a little disappointing. I sort of feel that if I'm going to go through the uncomfortable last few stages of being pregnant that I should at least get something to show for it.

Our doctor did ask us if we wanted to schedule an induction, but we opted out hoping that he will just come on his own terms. The risks are lower if you go naturally, and I know the chances of delivering without an epidural are slim to none when you are induced because labor is much more intense. It also raises the risk for a c-section. So, as of now the doctor will allow me to go up to 2 weeks over-due as long as everything seems to be going just fine.

Just in the Mail....

So today I ventured out to our local post office to find a package waiting for me (Thanks Jacque and Jacob!!!!). I of course quickly opened it up, to find a five pack of Bamboozle Bamboo Fitted Cloth Diaper's. As my face lit up in excitement, my husband rolled his eyes at me (I will admit that getting excited over cloth diapers is a bit extreme - its amazing how much I've changed over the last 10 months). But I just can't believe how unbelievably soft they are! I have looked at several different kinds of cloth diapers in person and these are by far the softest ones I've seen, both inside and out! Not to mention that they snap into place instead of velcro which I'm a huge fan of because once Monty gets a little older I think he might just master the ability to un-velcro himself with a few of the other cloth diapers that are out there.

I have been re-inspired to use cloth diapers again, and look forward to posting about how well they work!

Some Adult Reading...

As part of my new years resolution I vowed that I would make some time to read a few books this year that have nothing to do with baby Monty. I'm hoping this will help me keep my sanity when I'm knee deep in diapers, breastfeeding and play dates that have consumed my life - and I have officially finished my first book of the year!

The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger

It took me a bit longer then I had expected, but I finally finished it only 31 days into the year! It's like no other book I've ever read, its from multiple perspectives and from all the different phases of life. You get to hear the story told though the perspective of a 5 year old all the way up to an 80 year old women. It's a bit hard to get a hold of at first, but then soon you find yourself following along easily.

It was a great break from all the baby books and magazines that I've been reading, and would def. recommend it to a friend as a nice casual read. One of the nice things about this book is that its divided up into a million small stories that are anywhere from 1-2 pages long, to the length of a normal chapter. This makes it easy to set it down in a hurry if you need to - but it also made it harder to keep reading because you can easily get distracted and set the book down. This would be a perfect book for a mom who has her hands full and just needs a little alone time each day.

Onto book number two...

Preparing a Birth Plan....Can This be Anymore Stressful?

So, I've started and stopped this post a million times because there are a ton of different birth plans that cover everything you could possibly imagine. I keep trying to fill out online forms and research the internet for samples but I'm about to pull out my hair.

So.

I've decided that I'm just going to list the things that I find important and that all this nonsense about 10 page birth plans is just ridiculous and crazy. Who thinks a nurse is going to read that anyway? Plus the pure fact that if anything is going to go wrong, I would rather them discuss any options with me instead of referring to my birth plan.

My Birth Plan in a Nutshell 

People/Visitors

• I would like my husband to stay with me at all times possible
• I would like to allow family members to visit
• I do not want any students in the room while I'm giving birth
• I want to participate in "nap time" between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm, which will allow only my husband and baby in my room during that time period
  

Monitoring

• I prefer intermittent rather than continuous fetal monitoring, if possible

Photos and Video

• I would like my husband and/or nurse to be able to take pictures

Anesthesia/Pain Relief

• Please do not offer pain medication, I will ask for it if I want it
• I have pre-filled out all anesthesia paperwork and I am educated in the choices that are available
  

Labor

• I want to be free to move or walk around as much as possible
• I would like to eat ice chips and drink water if possible
• I want to wear contact lenses unless it is not possible due to a c-section
• I would like coaching on when and when not to push

Induction

• I would like to try natural methods of movement/position before using Pitocin

C-Section

• I would like to avoid a c-section, unless absolutely necessary
• I would like to be part of the decision process
• I would like my husband in the room if a c-section is necessary

Delivery Aids

• I'd like to use a labor ball
• I'd like to try a squatting bar

Soon After Delivery

• I would like the baby placed on my chest soon after delivery
• I would prefer to pee on my own instead of using a catheter
• I would like my husband to cut the umbilical cord
• I would like to allow time for the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before it is cut so the baby gets all remaining cord blood

Circumcision

• I would like to have my baby circumcised before we leave the hospital

Postpartum

• I do not want to be separated from my baby during newborn procedures (when possible)
• I want my husband to be with the baby if I cannot be there

Breastfeeding

• I plan to breastfeed the baby exclusively
• I would like to meet with a lactation consultant while at the hospital
• I would like to begin nursing soon after birth
• I do not want my baby to be given a pacifier, formula or sugar water

It turned out a little longer then I had imagined it, but at least it doesn't have anything crazy on it like complete refusal of a c-section (which there was a women in my prepared childbirth class that included that). I figure that if anything goes wrong I'm going to do what the doctor thinks is best and not argue.