It really seems like this first trimester is dragging along compared to my first two, and I finally figured out why. With Zack and Dom, we didn't find out I was pregnant until 5 weeks or later...so I was almost halfway through my first trimester already. This time, we pretty much knew when it happened. (It's pretty obvious when I ovulate. And at my age, when you ovulate the same night you had lovin' in the morning, the odds getting pregnant are pretty darn good.) I've had the inkling that I've been pregnant since the start, and we got confirmation at only three weeks along. So I've had the "pregnancy mentality" for over a month longer already!
Yesterday we had an early morning run to the ER. Not for me, for Joe. He took a substantial shot to the ribs while playing basketball on Sunday, and when he woke up Monday, he told me he wanted to go get checked out. After three hours in the hospital, some IV fluids, and a CAT scan, they determined he sprained the cartilage on a few ribs and bruised his liver, but he didn't lacerate any organs and he wasn't bleeding internally. It was also determined he does not like narcotic pain relievers given through IV, since it didn't take any pain away, it just totally looped him out for about five mintues.
I finally got a relatively decent night's sleep last night, although I don't know for sure what caused it. For two days or so, I've been living with a sinus infection that is really irritating my throat, my neck and shoulders have been so tight I haven't been able to get comfortable in bed, and I was waking up at 4 am every morning because I was crashing out at 8:00 at night. So yesterday I went to the chiropracter, got adjusted, and got some therapy on my neck and shoulders...something I am definately going to get done more often! I took some Olive Leaf Extract, which usually helps with my sinus issues. Then last night, I made myself stay awake until 9:00, switched to a more orthopedic pillow, and slept with a throat lozenge in my mouth. I slept four hours straight!! I don't know what it was that did it, so I guess I'm going to have to do all those things every night...except I think I'll add a hot bubble bath before bed to the mix, too. ;o)
On to baby: at 11 weeks s/he is the size of a fig (1 1/2 inches long) and is fully formed. The fingers and toes are fully separated and bones are starting to harden. Toothbuds are starting to form, and s/he could start getting the hiccups already. I'm really anxious to feel movement, but thats still a few weeks away. We're scheduled to hear the heartbeat in about two weeks, so I'm looking forward to that.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Sunday, February 11, 2007
So I bit the bullet...
I know I missed a week, but hey, life happens. Sometime in the last two weeks I bit the bullet and switched to maternity pants. I figured, I could do the whole rigamarole of using rubberbands on my buttons, and not zipping my pants all the way, or wearing pants that were larger sizes, but frankly, maternity pants are more comfortable. And I am all about comfort this time around. I'm in that fun stage of early pregnancy where you can tell people are looking at your belly and thinking, "Pregnant or fat?"
I started taking a vitamin B complex last week to help with my fatique. While it helped me have more energy, I found it kept me from being able to nap in the afternoons. Which meant that I was ready to zonk out at about 6:00 every night. That didn't seem like a very good solution, so I stopped taking them. I'm managing to function, but I'll be very glad when I'm out of my first trimester, and not so dang tired all the time!
We went to my nephew's birthday party yesterday, which round trip consisted of a little over 7 hours in the car. I think I discovered that I'm more prone to motion sickness while pregnant. The entire car ride I felt queasy. Normally I get motion sick if I try to read a lot in the car, but I couldn't even read the directions without having a wave of nausea. Unfortunately, I threw up my lunch when were were about halfway home. The pizza wasn't nearly as tasty coming out as it was going in. The thing I feel the worst about is that we were in my Mom's car. Since Joe is wild pig hunting in Texas, the boys and I carpooled up with her. It would have been much worse if I hadn't picked up a Mary Kay order from my sister at the party (just so you know, while very cute, those bags aren't entirely waterproof). I don't think I get sick when I drive, so I think I'll be behind the wheel for any more extended periods in the car.
Let's see...baby is 10 weeks along now, so the fingers and toes are totally separated and the nails are starting to form, and the liver is formed and is starting to make blood cells. Other than that, the bean is just getting bigger and continuing to develop. Thanks for stopping by!
I started taking a vitamin B complex last week to help with my fatique. While it helped me have more energy, I found it kept me from being able to nap in the afternoons. Which meant that I was ready to zonk out at about 6:00 every night. That didn't seem like a very good solution, so I stopped taking them. I'm managing to function, but I'll be very glad when I'm out of my first trimester, and not so dang tired all the time!
We went to my nephew's birthday party yesterday, which round trip consisted of a little over 7 hours in the car. I think I discovered that I'm more prone to motion sickness while pregnant. The entire car ride I felt queasy. Normally I get motion sick if I try to read a lot in the car, but I couldn't even read the directions without having a wave of nausea. Unfortunately, I threw up my lunch when were were about halfway home. The pizza wasn't nearly as tasty coming out as it was going in. The thing I feel the worst about is that we were in my Mom's car. Since Joe is wild pig hunting in Texas, the boys and I carpooled up with her. It would have been much worse if I hadn't picked up a Mary Kay order from my sister at the party (just so you know, while very cute, those bags aren't entirely waterproof). I don't think I get sick when I drive, so I think I'll be behind the wheel for any more extended periods in the car.
Let's see...baby is 10 weeks along now, so the fingers and toes are totally separated and the nails are starting to form, and the liver is formed and is starting to make blood cells. Other than that, the bean is just getting bigger and continuing to develop. Thanks for stopping by!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Where's the beef?
Ah food, glorious food. I've hit the stage in pregnancy where if I don't eat shortly after waking, and every couple of hours thereafter, I get nauseous. I'm craving protein (probably because of the extra iron I'm needing right now), so while the boys have grapes for morning snack, I have a slab of meatloaf...which Joe finds amusing. I'm still incredibly tired, and am trying to figure out the best combination of naptime and bedtime so that I am still able to get stuff done around the house, and get work done, too. My pants are starting to get snug already (especially after meals) and that is kind of annoying, considering I'm not even out of the first trimester yet. I don't think I had to switch to maternity pants until I was four or five months with Dom, but I think it's going to be closer to three with this kid.
Kind of looks like a kidney bean, too. That's it for this week! Thanks for reading!
As for this kid, at 8 weeks she/he is about 5/8" long (kidney bean size). All appendages have continued to develop, and the respiratory system and neural pathways have started to form. Here is a 3-d ultrasound pic of a baby at this stage, courtesy of babycenter.com...
Kind of looks like a kidney bean, too. That's it for this week! Thanks for reading!
Saturday, January 20, 2007
So why homebirth?
This is going to be a long post, so be forewarned. After our last homebirth, I had many people ask me why we would choose to homebirth with a direct entry midwife, as oppsed to having a hospital birth with an OB, or even a Certified Nurse Midwife. Since I'm sure there are people wondering that this time too, I thought I would explain. There are a lot of reasons, but here are the big ones:
1) I've already had an unecessary c-section, and I don't want another one. The odds of me having a c-section with my midwife are less than 1%. I am not sure what the statistics are for our local hospitals, but I have yet to find any hospital with c-section statistic for low-risk mothers that is anywhere near that. The national average for c-sections is 29.7%. Since that is an average, there are hospitals out there with c-section rates of 50% or more. So just by walking in the door of a hospital in labor, my risk of a c-section goes up anwhere from 20-50 times. That is not acceptable to me.
2) I do not want to deal with unecessary and potentially dangerous procedures performed on me that are dictated by hospital policy. Policies such as: continious fetal monitoring, restricted food and water, a "labor curve" that I must progess along, or otherwise having my labor screwed around with, when it doesn't need to be. Since I am a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesearean) the odds of me being able to refuse these policies with little resistance from the staff is even lower than normal. I do not want to have to fight medical personel while I am in labor.
3) I do not want to deal with unecessary and/or potentially dangerous procedures performed on my newborn, and I don't want to deal with medical staff giving us a hard time for refusing those procedures. There are more than I care to list here, but they would include: immediate umbilical cord clamping and cutting, eye medication, Vitamin K injection, Hepatitis B vaccine, and circumcision.
4) I want a medication free birth, so being at home makes it impossible for me to get an epidural in a weak moment. I also know my support team will not offer me medication, like a nurse in the hospital might.
5) When I give birth, I want to be in a familiar, comfortable place, with people who I know, who know me, and whom I feel safe with.
I've also been asked the big "What if'" question: "What if something goes wrong?" There is a misconception in mainstream American society that childbirth is a disaster waiting to happen. Studies comparing low-risk homebirthers to low-risk hospital birthers have repeatedly and consistently shown that homebirth is as safe or safer than hospital birth. In reality, there are very few things that go catastrophically wrong very quickly in birth. 95% of the time, childbirth will happen just fine if you leave it alone. With a homebirth, I have one on one monitoring from an experienced midwife. The odds of her catching a potential problem early are much better than if I were in a hospital with a nurse watching a monitor showing my contractions at the nurse's station down the hall, while watching three other women's monitors at the same time. There is only a minute possibility that something would go wrong so quickly that I would not have time to transfer to the hospital before the issue becomes life threatening.
I mentioned a few interventions in #1 that are very typical for most hospitals. Any one of those things can lead to distress in the baby, a "stalled" labor, or problems with mom. One intervention typically leads to another, and another, and another. This is known as the "cascade of interventions." Any one of those interventions can cause problems, but when you start adding them together, you increase your risk of a whole host of problems which include fetal distress, instumental delivery, or c-section. So the truth is, the odds of something going wrong are increased by being in the hospital, simply by virtue of things they do as "standard policy". If you want more information on iotragenic (doctor or intervention caused) c-sections, and the cascade of interventions, you can read Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, by Henci Goer, or pretty much anything written by Ina May Gaskin.
So, I hope that answers any questions anyone may have about our choice to homebirth. Here's a quick update on baby's development: At 7 weeks, she or he is almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — and has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. Both hemispheres of the brain are developing, as well as teeth, the inside of the mouth, and ears. And although I can't feel it, apparently the little bub is bouncing around like a mexican jumping bean in there.
I am still going to the bathroom a lot, and am still very tired. I'm trying to keep up with my excercise, but it's tough when I feel so run down all the time. Still no morning sickness!! That's it for this week...
1) I've already had an unecessary c-section, and I don't want another one. The odds of me having a c-section with my midwife are less than 1%. I am not sure what the statistics are for our local hospitals, but I have yet to find any hospital with c-section statistic for low-risk mothers that is anywhere near that. The national average for c-sections is 29.7%. Since that is an average, there are hospitals out there with c-section rates of 50% or more. So just by walking in the door of a hospital in labor, my risk of a c-section goes up anwhere from 20-50 times. That is not acceptable to me.
2) I do not want to deal with unecessary and potentially dangerous procedures performed on me that are dictated by hospital policy. Policies such as: continious fetal monitoring, restricted food and water, a "labor curve" that I must progess along, or otherwise having my labor screwed around with, when it doesn't need to be. Since I am a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesearean) the odds of me being able to refuse these policies with little resistance from the staff is even lower than normal. I do not want to have to fight medical personel while I am in labor.
3) I do not want to deal with unecessary and/or potentially dangerous procedures performed on my newborn, and I don't want to deal with medical staff giving us a hard time for refusing those procedures. There are more than I care to list here, but they would include: immediate umbilical cord clamping and cutting, eye medication, Vitamin K injection, Hepatitis B vaccine, and circumcision.
4) I want a medication free birth, so being at home makes it impossible for me to get an epidural in a weak moment. I also know my support team will not offer me medication, like a nurse in the hospital might.
5) When I give birth, I want to be in a familiar, comfortable place, with people who I know, who know me, and whom I feel safe with.
I've also been asked the big "What if'" question: "What if something goes wrong?" There is a misconception in mainstream American society that childbirth is a disaster waiting to happen. Studies comparing low-risk homebirthers to low-risk hospital birthers have repeatedly and consistently shown that homebirth is as safe or safer than hospital birth. In reality, there are very few things that go catastrophically wrong very quickly in birth. 95% of the time, childbirth will happen just fine if you leave it alone. With a homebirth, I have one on one monitoring from an experienced midwife. The odds of her catching a potential problem early are much better than if I were in a hospital with a nurse watching a monitor showing my contractions at the nurse's station down the hall, while watching three other women's monitors at the same time. There is only a minute possibility that something would go wrong so quickly that I would not have time to transfer to the hospital before the issue becomes life threatening.
I mentioned a few interventions in #1 that are very typical for most hospitals. Any one of those things can lead to distress in the baby, a "stalled" labor, or problems with mom. One intervention typically leads to another, and another, and another. This is known as the "cascade of interventions." Any one of those interventions can cause problems, but when you start adding them together, you increase your risk of a whole host of problems which include fetal distress, instumental delivery, or c-section. So the truth is, the odds of something going wrong are increased by being in the hospital, simply by virtue of things they do as "standard policy". If you want more information on iotragenic (doctor or intervention caused) c-sections, and the cascade of interventions, you can read Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth, by Henci Goer, or pretty much anything written by Ina May Gaskin.
So, I hope that answers any questions anyone may have about our choice to homebirth. Here's a quick update on baby's development: At 7 weeks, she or he is almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — and has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. Both hemispheres of the brain are developing, as well as teeth, the inside of the mouth, and ears. And although I can't feel it, apparently the little bub is bouncing around like a mexican jumping bean in there.
I am still going to the bathroom a lot, and am still very tired. I'm trying to keep up with my excercise, but it's tough when I feel so run down all the time. Still no morning sickness!! That's it for this week...
Sunday, January 14, 2007
So far, so good!
Well, here we are at six weeks pregnant. According to Babycenter.com the baby is about the size of a lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across). The baby's heart is beating about 100 to 130 beats per minute, and blood is beginning to circulate through it's body. It is also starting to build muscle fibers and, halfway through this week, will likely start moving arms and legs. Although with so much room to swim around, I won't be feeling anything for another couple of months.
As for me...still no morning sickness, not even a hint of nausea. YAY!! I am, however, experiencing my usual first trimester fatigue, and have resorted to taking naps with the boys in the afternoons. I've also noticed the mood swings have started to creep in, but once my hormones level off, that should get better...at least I hope it does for Joe's sake!
We're started to try to night wean Dominic, so I can get more sleep during my first trimester, but since we just started I'm not really sure how that is going to pan out. I've got to talk to some ladies who have nursed while pregnant and tandem nursed to get some additional ideas on what we can try.
I guess that's it. Thanks for stopping by!
As for me...still no morning sickness, not even a hint of nausea. YAY!! I am, however, experiencing my usual first trimester fatigue, and have resorted to taking naps with the boys in the afternoons. I've also noticed the mood swings have started to creep in, but once my hormones level off, that should get better...at least I hope it does for Joe's sake!
We're started to try to night wean Dominic, so I can get more sleep during my first trimester, but since we just started I'm not really sure how that is going to pan out. I've got to talk to some ladies who have nursed while pregnant and tandem nursed to get some additional ideas on what we can try.
I guess that's it. Thanks for stopping by!
Monday, January 8, 2007
We're pregnant!
A friend of mine blogged throughout her last pregnancy, and I thought it seemed like a cool idea...so I'm going to try it!
I'm just past five weeks pregnant today. My due date is somewhere around the 8th of September...although since I went to 41 weeks with my second son, I don't really expect to see this kid until around the 15th.
So far the only pregnancy symptom I've had is soreness when my son nurses...oh, and having to go to the bathroom every half-hour. I'd forgotten about the peeing all night thing, too. I'm hoping this pregnancy is like my last one, which was really pretty much a cake-walk.
Let's see, what else...how about a quick overview of my birth history? My first son was an unecessary c-section, my second son was an (accidental) unassisted home waterbirth, and we're planning a pretty hands-off home waterbirth for this baby. I guess that's it for now, thanks for reading and feel free to check in weekly for updates on the growing belly!
I'm just past five weeks pregnant today. My due date is somewhere around the 8th of September...although since I went to 41 weeks with my second son, I don't really expect to see this kid until around the 15th.
So far the only pregnancy symptom I've had is soreness when my son nurses...oh, and having to go to the bathroom every half-hour. I'd forgotten about the peeing all night thing, too. I'm hoping this pregnancy is like my last one, which was really pretty much a cake-walk.
Let's see, what else...how about a quick overview of my birth history? My first son was an unecessary c-section, my second son was an (accidental) unassisted home waterbirth, and we're planning a pretty hands-off home waterbirth for this baby. I guess that's it for now, thanks for reading and feel free to check in weekly for updates on the growing belly!
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