40 Weeks and Counting

Today marks the gestation period of 40 weeks and 3 days overdue from when this baby was "due" to be born. Starting three days before her due date, Adam and I began to inquire about ways to naturally induce her arrival. I googled the topic and found a website that has a list of 40 ways to naturally try to induce. Seems that this baby is not ready to arrive as none of these have worked just yet.
On Thursday, our midwife checked my cervix to see if it was ready to open up and let this baby into the world. It was a "fingertip soft" and nothing more. I'm ready to have this baby and done with being pregnant and not being able to get into a comfortable position to sleep at all. There are just too many people that are anxious to meet her and hold her and love her. Her parents are the biggest one guilty of wanting this.
At this point, we have tried naturally inducing in the most common way. "They say" that the way the baby was made will also help bring her into the world, so we try. Hips up and every night. LOL. We have looked up the acupressure points and tried those too. Pinky toe, just above the ankle, shoulders and lower back on the sacrum. Basil in our breakfast on Saturday. Black and Blue cohosh yesterday. Nipple stimulation. Bouncing on a yoga ball. Going for a walk with one foot on the curb. Dancing. Spicy food. A couple ounces of wine. Raspberry leaf tea. Pineapple. Spicy food. Swimming. I didn't realize how many of those we had tried thus far and, yet, there has been nothing that has pushed her more to want to come into the world.
Our "indication" balloon came down on Saturday night with the help of the cat in our life. The balloon went down late that night and she helped with a little claw to help flatten it to the fullest. Apparently, the balloon was just not ready to come down and it was not the indicator we had hoped. Still searching for that one little action that will induce this baby's grand entrance. Hopefully VERY soon!

Natural Induction Begins

So...the baby is due in two days and as we have decided, no interventions unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. However, I am uncomfortable and at that point where I am just ready to not be pregnant anymore. I want to hold the baby and Adam wants to see her and hold her. So we have an indicator hanging in our home that we believe will tell us when this baby is going to come. The balloon has been here since September 10th and has not deflated at all when all the other balloons went flat that night and the next day. This balloon has stayed strong and up in the air...until today. It has started to sag a little and my back has started to hurt a little and there is some pressure in my pelvis. So maybe the balloon is the indicator of when the baby is going to come. And considering balloons are only ment to last 16-24 hours, this balloon knows something that we don't. We shall see.

Close to the End

I'm due October 7! I can't believe how fast it has come. In the beginning when I said I was due in October, it seemed so far away. Now it's at the end of the week. The due date that is. Now, we must begin to naturally induce this labor only and simply because I am so very ready to not be pregnant and ready to have this little one out in the world and open. There are so many clothes, it's time to play dress up and have some comfortable sitting and laying down positions. :)
The anticipation of birth is getting a little, for lack of a better word, stressful. I am ready for this and heaven knows Adam is ready to met the baby along with every other person anticipating her arrival. However, it seems that babies don't know that they are supposed to listen to their parents, not when it comes to coming into the world anyway. I know she'll come when she's ready, we're ready so she can come soon. I looked up a list of 40 ways to naturally induce labor, there are a lot of good things on that list. I think we'll start with the black and blue cohosh...

The Final Four

   For as long as I can remember, everyone tells me that the final four weeks seem like the longest you will experience throughout pregnancy. I've just ventured into those weeks and so far, they aren't long just SO uncomfortable. I was a stomach sleeper preprego and had to learn how to sleep on my side (either one) and now I am having to learn how to sleep on my back. I often wake myself up with a loud and brupt snore noise that has only come from the other side of the bed until now. If I am in one position for too long, this little girl kicks up underneath my ribs and twinkles her little toes around. I would say the pain is a close equivalent to a broken rib. Ouchy! Oh and then there's the breathing. Take a 6-8 pound baby, shove it up under your ribs and push it against your lungs and try to breathe :) It's hard to do.
   Although, it sounds like compaints, these are true joys of carrying your child. I love knowing she's getting big enough to fit in the dresser full of clothes she has waiting for her. I know she has a personailty with the touch and poke games we play with each other and she hears so much through the thick fluid and skin surrounding her. She's amazing and she is so tiny. She is so loved by all the people in our lives, I had no idea how truly blessed we are to have so many wonderful souls in our world and are so excited to teach her and love her and just be for her. This child is more than loved. Is there even a word for that?
   The next four weeks of this pregnancy are going to be great! Whether they are long or short :)

The Growth of 32 Weeks

By now, our baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in her womb. Eeek...I'm, supposedly, gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to this baby. In fact, she'll gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next 7 weeks as she fattens up for survival outside the womb. She now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). Her skin is becoming soft and smooth as she plumps up in preparation for birth.
To accommodate our growing needs, my blood volume has increased 40 to 50 percent since before I was pregnant. My uterus is now cramming and pushing up near my diaphragm and crowding my stomach (and, boy, can I feel it), the consequences may be shortness of breath and heartburn. You may have lower-back pain as your pregnancy advances. Assuming it's not preterm labor that's ailing me, it's probably the growing uterus and hormonal changes causing these lovely back aches. This expanding uterus shifts my poor center of gravity and stretches out and weakens my, once pretty strong,  abdominal muscles, changing my posture and putting a strain on my poor back. Hormonal changes in pregnancy loosen up my joints and the ligaments that attach pelvic bones to the spine. So don't make fun of me when I look less stable and in pain when I walk, stand, sit for long periods, roll over in bed, get out of a low chair or the tub, bend, or lift things.

31 Weeks and Counting...

Thursday marked another successful trip to Park City to see Midwife Danielle and her team to check on mom and baby and our progress. Last appointment we had a glusclose/hemoglobin test (or in lamens terms; blood test) to make sure that I don't have gestational diabetes or any other blood deficiencies. The results came back to say that I am slightly anemic. Nothing to be too concerned of, I just have to add some more iron into my diet with vitamins and food. More spinach, yummy! Or red meat, no thanks. Beans or anything iron rich. So far, it seems things are perfect. Baby and pregnancy pass exams with flying colors. She is resting confortably slightly on the right side of my uterus and seems to be happy as a clam. (What does that really mean?!?!). While it seems that we are doing well, she is slowly running out of room to move. She is a very active baby and kicks and punches a lot. It has been suggested that I see a chiropractor and massage therapist to make some space adjustments for this little one. As my belly gets pretty tight even after walking for short distances. I have to be honest and say that chiropractic adjustments while pregnant made me a little nervous at first, but after speaking to my doula and a pregnancy specialized chiropractor himself, I feel a lot better about it and will be visiting him in the next week before our travels to California to play in the sunshine with Amy, Mattie and family before September's deployment. All is well, baby is getting bigger and we are still on track for a happy birth and healthy baby. Yay!!

In the weeks to come...

So, here we are 30 weeks into the duration of the pregnancy of our first child (no name to annouce yet). The game plan is as follows. Natural, water labor. That's right, I said natural. No epidural, no pitocin, nothing that will compromise my ability to be fully alert in the labor of our daughter. The goal and thought is that we will both be fully aware of our surroundings and not have any outside influences on the experience coming our way. The water is there to help take the pressure off my back and hips. The "drug free" experience is there to keep both her and I in a regular state of mind. To keep the immediate bond between us and 'skin-to-skin' contact with her and I completely pure. Our bond with her as soon as possible is very important. To dull the pain with any kind of drug may also dull the other senses involved in the birth of our daughter. I want to laugh, cry and love to the fullest extent and if that means feeling some pain, then so be it! I understand that things can change so I am open minded to changes in the plan, as long as they are truly necessary.
There are only 10 weeks left in the count down to parenthood. It's such an exciting time. It's hard to explain the plethora of feelings flowing through our world. We are counting down the days til we meet the angel that chose us as her parents.