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.

Those Hard to Reach Places

So, these past few weeks have been slightly harder then usual because I just can't reach anything. Whether it's me trying to put on my shoes, buckle my seat belt or get something out of the lower cabinets in the kitchen - I find myself struggling.

I've even changed dinner plans because I didn't feel like trying to get a pot from one of our bottom cabinets. And, I lay down on the bed to try and put my shoes on these days - my slippers have become my number one shoe choice lately.

Below is a cartoon I found cute. I still eat a lot lately, so I thought I would share.

My First Complication...

So, the other day I learned that I tested positive for Group B Streptococcus also know as GBS.

I originally hesitated posting about it, but I figured that it really isn't something that at I should be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Overall I should consider myself very lucky because I haven't had any complications with the pregnancy (outside of maybe counting morning sickness) so far. All of my tests have come back with great results, and I've been 100% healthy.

GBS exist in a large percentage of pregnant women, and they test for it because the baby can get sick from it if you are not treated during labor. Before Monty is born I'll have to have two doses of antibiotics while I'm in labor to prevent him from getting sick. This puts a minor hiccup in my birth plan, only slightly because I wanted to wait as long as possible to have an IV put in, and to also walk as much as they will allow to help the labor process along. I'll just have to walk around with my IV - so no real biggie.

38 Weeks, 8 lbs. 12 oz.

Yesterday was our 38 Week appointment and it was fairly eventful. We discovered that I'm 2 almost 3 centimeters dilated, still 75% effaced but "very very soft" as the doctor said.

The only negative of the visit was that I haven't gained any weight or grown any since the last visit (I was sorta happy about this after already gaining 41 lbs). The doctor was a little worried, and went ahead and ordered an ultrasound to check the fluid levels just in case. I was so happy that we were getting an ultrasound that it didn't dawn on me that if wasn't for a good reason. I felt really confident that nothing was wrong though. Monty moves ALL the time, there really isn't any part of the day that I don't feel him wiggling around or trying to stretch.

During the ultrasound they measured his head, stomach, femur etc. and after all the measurements were taken the computer "estimated" that Monty was 8lbs, 12 ounces........all I could say was "Oh My God". After my reaction, the doctor sorta laughed and said "Well he is probably more around 8lbs right now" and she thought that the estimate was a little high. Soon after wards though she replied "Well you do have a really long torso and sometimes you tall girls hide big babies really well." So, I almost felt okay about the weight until the end part. As long as he's healthy I will be happy, I figure its going to hurt giving birth whether he's 7 lbs or 10 lbs.

Picture's of me at 38 weeks, +41 lbs!!!!

Prepared Childbirth Class

So today, Matt and I went to the new and improved version of lamaze class that they have renamed "The Prepared Childbirth Class". It was fairly uneventful, and I didn't learn nearly as much as the breastfeeding class that I took a couple of weeks ago. That's not to say I didn't learn anything at all. We did get to take a tour of the labor and delivery unit in the hospital which was very helpful. And.....

I do feel better about the birthing process. After learning about the stages of labor, and their expected time frames, I feel fairly confident that I can make it through a natural birth. That is of course, if everything goes as planned. Fingers Crossed. The epidural still scares me more then giving birth, although I have a feeling that if things start to get complicated that I probably wont care nearly as much. Lets just pray for an easy, speedy and uncomplicated arrival for Monty :-)

My Bag's Are Packed

So, today I finally packed my hospital bag!!! Yayyy!!!!

What's in the bag?

I packed a "going home" outfit for myself, and THREE for Monty! I just couldn't decide what I wanted to bring him home in, so I decided to pack three different ones and just decide when the moment comes. Here is a picture of the three we picked out....the first one is sort of hard to see but has green and blue dots on the pants and says "Mommies Little Monster" on the front.

Here are a couple pictures of the bags I packed and a small assortment of what I packed. I also packed an outfit for myself, my robe, a pair of comfy shoes I can wear in the hospital, and a few other items :-) The big bag is for me of course, and the green back pack is our current make-shift diaper bag, I haven't decided if we need an "official" diaper bag yet.

 

Here is a sneak peak at Monty's room! We haven't painted yet, and we still have to hang some pictures, the train shelf and curtains! Once everything gets done I'll take some more pictures and post them.

Packing While Unpacking

So, It's official. We are now Missourians. My husband arrived here on Wednesday, and we have been unpacking ever since. We moved from a rather large home, to a much smaller home and are now paying the price. Even though we have been unpacking things for a few days now, it doesn't seem like we've really made a dent into the large piles of boxes and furniture in every room of the house. At this point in the pregnancy I'm having problems finding the energy to unpack non-stop like I would have under normal conditions which is making this process longer then what it would normally be.

We do have some rooms nearly finished or done. Those include the bathroom, kitchen and our bedroom. Which functionally we had to do first. Right now we are working on trying to clear out Monty's room, but its very unnerving to see it packed floor to ceiling with random boxes and my husband's tools. Yes that's right, somehow during the move in, the baby room was deemed the tool room which has left boxes too heavy for me to even push across the floor. I feel bad for my husband having to lift all of the heavy boxes himself - although it definitely is better then me going into labor.

Once we get Monty's room finished, I will feel very relieved. Although we would still have A LOT of unpacking to do, having our bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and baby room set up will make me happy, and due to our circumstances we will be able to function somewhat normally, and not have to be stepping over boxes to make it from room to the next.

Unpacking our house is top priority right now, but there is also another high priority. Packing the hospital bag! I will be 37 weeks tomorrow, which is terrifying based on the state of our house and lack of baby room, but packing a hospital bag is something I hope to get finished if not this evening, then tomorrow so that we will be all ready to go if the time comes. I haven't really had any contractions, maybe one or two, when I was probably pushing myself to hard working on the house. Since those minor instances, I've started taking it much easier and have been giving myself plenty of excuses to take breaks throughout the day.

My Hospital Bag Packing List:

• personal information such as id, insurance card etc.
  
• bathrobe/slippers
• eyeglasses/contact solution etc.
• toothbrush/toothpaste
• deodorant
  
• hair brush
• maybe some makeup - I doubt I'll be worrying about that while I'm in the hospital though
• camera/batteries
  
• clothes/shoes for myself
• clothes for Monty
• carseat
• baby blanket
• change for vending machines (for hubby of course)

I'm sure I'm missing something from the list, but I think it will work for the two days I'll be staying in the hospital.  Keep your fingers crossed I don't go into labor any time soon!

1 cm Dilated and 75% Effaced, Week 36

Today was my 36 week appointment, and it went really well. I found out that I'm 1 cm dilated and 75% effaced - which is good (I think, lol). I haven't had any contractions yet, which I'm very thankful for, but I know they are right around the corner.

What does this mean?

Well not too much really. If I were to go into labor, they would not try to stop it and I shouldn't have any complications. However, just because I'm "making progress" doesn't mean that I will go into labor any time soon. I'm thinking that I still have a couple good weeks in me before any real action starts.

My doctor did say that I may one of the few women that have no sign of labor or contractions until the last minute, and then it will ALL come at once. I just need to be prepared for anything and everything, and it should all be fine.

Next on my to-do list is to pack my bag for the hospital so I will be ready if Monty decides to make his appearance.

The Epidural Interview

Today I went for my "epidural interview" at the hospital, and pre-filled out all of my paperwork so that when the time comes I wont have to hassle with a clip board and pen while in labor. What a great idea, right? Well, I thought so until I got to the epidural part. I met with the anesthesiologist, went over paperwork, filled out all the forms I needed and answered lots and lots of questions. All was going very well until it came time to watch the video..........wahaha (evil laughing). This is when my past came back to haunt me.

The video was awful! First, I wasn't mentally prepared for this, and it was nothing like I had envisioned it. Then, a few minutes into the video I started feeling VERY nauseous and lightheaded. It just wasn't fun. Luckily, I pulled myself together (after closing my eyes and trying not to think about it), and after a few minutes in the cold fresh air outside - I felt much better.

Just for your information, I went ahead and found a video on Epidurals to give you an idea of what it looks like and how the procedure is done.



I haven't planned on using an epidural, and I still don't - however, I went ahead and filled out all of the information just in case we ran into complications (such as a c-section) where I would have to get one anyway and/or the event that labor is just to much for me to handle and I decide to do it. Better safe then sorry I guess. I do think its sad that the thought of an epidural bothers me more then actually giving birth.

A Quilting Story - Order of Operations and "The Binding"

So, as I attempted to finish what I thought would be the easiest part of Monty's quilt (the batting and back) I ran into problem after problem.

First I didn't buy the right size of batting so I had to piece it together to make it large enough. Second, the fabric that I choose for the back of the quilt is super soft, but its also super stretchy, which makes for a slightly difficult time to keep it lined up correctly. And Third, the binding was just a nightmare!

The sewing machine we have, just wasn't strong enough to go through the five layers of fabric I had, which resulted in a bent needle, lots of bad-bad sounds coming from the sewing machine and me getting very frustrated. I eventually was able to get it all together, but it took longer to do the back/batting/binding then it did for me to piece together and sew the front.

I also made a mistake by sewing together the front, batting and back together before I tied the quilt. If I had followed the correct "order of operations" I probably would have had less trouble in the end, but oh well. Lesson Learned. 

All in all, I think it turned out pretty good. This was my first quilt that I've ever made, not to mention that I've never even used a sewing machine before. So although I made a few mistakes, and its not 100% perfect I'm still happy with the way it turned out.

Water Weight - The Beginning of the End

Water Weight, Water Weight, Water Weight......

Up until this point I have been lucky enough to skip this well-know pregnancy symptom. Unfortunately, my luck has officially run out. My face is starting to get just a little "puffy", I've definitely got those rings around my ankles that appear after taking off your socks, and for the first time today, I noticed that my hands are swelling and my wedding ring/band is getting VERY tight.

I know this is normal, but I feel slightly bummed because I had heard time and time again that the more water you drink, the less water weight you'll actually gain. Counter-intuitive I know! But, that's what they say...so I drink and drink and drink lots and lots of water. I will have to admit that I eat A LOT of salt. Every day the salt fairy will come to me, no matter what meal I'm eating and say "why don't you sprinkle just a little salt on that wonderful dish your eating" and I happily say "why yes, of course - I love salt". Which is one thing that can make you gain water weight. So, my small attempt to gain as little water weight as possible will rest solely on the idea that if I try to cut salt out of my diet (despite the fact that I crave salt all day, every day) that it will minimize what is in store for me these last few weeks.

Baby Grace

If you follow my blog you'll remember me posting a congrats message to a friend of mine that had her baby girl on Christmas Eve. Well the time has come and I've finally taken some pictures of little baby Grace, she is so adorable.

A Quilting Story - Part II

Monty's Quilt is almost done!!!

It's the middle of winter right now, and has been snowing fairly often, which has resulted in several snow days. What does this mean to me? Well, this means that my mom doesn't have to work since she is a substitute teacher, and can therefore help/teach me how to sew.

So today, I cut out all my squares, rectangles and strips for my quilt and started piecing things together. I will admit that I quite frankly suck at sewing! I bunch the fabric up in a very odd fashion, and really have no idea of what I'm doing. My Mom ended up sewing the quilt while I laid out and pieced everything together. Handing her pieces one at a time until the quilt was mostly done. So, you might say that I engineered and managed the quilt whilst my mom slaved away and did the manual labor.

THANKS MOM!

There are some flaws of course, and those can 100% be blamed on me because that is probably the part I messed up on. Some of the lines don't line up just right, but I figured "what the hell" it is my first quilt, and I don't think Monty will really mind that much.

I still need to iron it out, and put the binding and backing on, but I feel very accomplished that the front is ALL DONE.

A Quilting Story

So, I officially have all of my fabric and supplies (I think) and will be starting my quilt today! Yay! I can't tell you how much I struggled trying to find all of the different fabrics and picking out a quilt design. I'm keeping with the train idea - mostly. I say "mostly" because I really couldn't find a good train fabric or pattern that wasn't, Thomas The Train, or really really cheezy. I finally found a standard pattern and decided to just incorporate the train fabric as much as possible, and then decided to choose the rest of my fabric around that. 

So here are a few pictures of the fabric that I picked out, along with the pattern and cutting supplies. I also purchased a little fabric with planes in the same style and color scheme and will try to incorporate that if possible too.

Wish Me Luck!

 

 

 

 

Breastfeeding Class

So, I just got back from a breast feeding class, that I absolutely loved! I am soooo glad and thankful that I went to it. I'm typically the type of person that believes that you can find and learn just about everything by searching the internet. This class taught me an incredible amount in just the short two hours I was there that I feel that EVERY WOMEN who plans on breastfeeding should go and take a similar class.

It's hard to describe everything that I learned because a lot of it was either a video or hands on with positioning the baby, but I'm going to do my best to list out a few of the things I thought were not common knowledge.

Health Benefits

• Breastfeeding increases and speeds up weight lost after giving birth (for mom of course)
  
• It decreases the risk of SIDS and increases the overall IQ of the child
• For the first 6 months of breastfeeding, it is a 98% effective version of birth control method (I always thought that was a myth)
• Plus, all of the other well known benefits such as the babies immuitity protection, bonding, reduced risk of cancer (in both mom and baby) etc.

Things EVERYONE thinks they need, but they don't!

• Nursing bra pads
• Special creams
• Nursing bra's - the instructor felt this was more of a luxury, and with the average cost around $40 each, skipping the nursing bra is an easy way to save on money
• Expensive breast pumps, the instructor showed us several moderately priced versions that would work perfectly fine - my two favorites were the Medela Swing Breast Pump and the Harmony Manual Pump (I'm not sure which I will get yet)

Just Good Info

• A baby's stomach is the size of their fist, which means they don't actually eat as much as you would think 
• They need to nurse every 2-3 hours
• You should wait 2-3 weeks before introducing a bottle or pacifier
• Don't put your hand on the baby's head while nursing because this prevents them from swallowing, instead support the neck and let the head lay naturally
• Breastfeed within the first hour or so after the baby is born
• "Room-In" with the baby at the hospital because it's easier to nurse with the baby in the room
• Signs of hunger include: sucking, licking lips, chewing on fingers etc. - a crying baby is past the point of hunger and will be harder to breastfeed because it will have to calm down first before being able to nurse
• Wake the baby to feed in the first few weeks
• Breaking the suction properly with a finger will help keep breastfeeding pain free

And the most important thing that I learned..........BREAST FEEDING SHOULD NOT HURT IF YOU ARE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY!!!!

Along with everything I learned I also got some goodies! I was given a sample of the Medela disposable nursing bra pads, a washable cloth bra pad, Amy Spangler's Breastfeeding - A Parent's Guide, and a reusable quick clean micro-steam bag! Along with a folder filled with pamphlets and other information in relation to the local area.

Now, if only I could find a class on cloth diapers!

Due Date Club

So the other day I came across this website and thought it was a neat idea. It's a "Due Date Club" that mothers-to-be can join to ask questions, get advice, share ideas, and countdown to D-Day together! It's a great resource for all of those embarrassing questions that you might otherwise keep to yourself as well as getting to talk to others that are going through the exact same thing.