On Labor

The weird thing about being a first time mom going into labor is that you’re unsure. At least I am. Even though I’ve read up on all the signs online, we’ve talked about them in our centering classes, I’ve read about them in the books, my mom has lectured me, doctors have quizzed me…for me, it’s still: is THIS it?

Yesterday I had my 38 week (and 2 day) appointment. Seth and I were taking bets on if I was dilated at all; we both bet I wasn’t. Well well well, what do we know! I’m 3 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Seriously?!?! I was SHOCKED to hear that. We both were. Prior to getting my cervix checked, the doctor had asked if I wanted my membranes swept…I said heck no, because I’ve been told it’s painful and it’s not a guarantee that it’ll get labor started. Once the doctor said I was 3 cm/50% effaced, she asked again if I wanted them swept. Heck no again! I’m not ready to have him! I am, but I’m not. Now I’m having a mini panic attack. (Plus, I have a long list of things I need to accomplish this weekend!) I feel so unprepared for labor. I feel like I don’t know enough of what to expect. I’m sure part of it is that it’s the first time I’ve ever done this so I’m anxious for the unknown. Right now, as I type this, baby is moving around like crazy and it feels like he’s trying to bust loose, straight out of my belly button. I went pee less than an hour ago and there was a pink tinge to it and it was more mucousy (I’m sincerely sorry for the TMI!!!). What’s that a sign of? Yep, labor. Even though it may still be a few days away, I’m wondering if this is stage one. I’m not having any more contractions than I normally have…at least I don’t think I am. Right now, my brain is cloudy on all the stuff we’ve learned and read about and I’m just unsure.

Seth is ready for him now. Last night we were talking about me being 3 cm/50% effaced already and he said he was ready to meet his son now. I asked him if he was nervous and he said no, he is ready. I'm most nervous about the birth. Ok, and I'm nervous about bringing him home and how the dogs are going to react. 

So I’m continuing to work…and blog…because I’m not quite ready (mentally, emotionally, physically…) to push a baby out. Jimney Crickets.

Good news!

I just had a phone conference with my boss and got some good news! He has me budgeted in to be working 20 hours per week starting July 1st (after I take maternity leave). Last we talked on the phone in February, June 30th was my last day, so I've been slowly and sadly counting down how many paydays I have left. Seth and I both have a habit of stressing big time about money, but we both know deep down we could do without my income, it'd just be an adjustment. Worrying about finances has kept me up late a few nights recently and has woken me up in the middle of the night and kept me up then too. Preparing for a baby is EXPENSIVE WORK. Holy crap. Let's not talk about how much money I spent this weekend. 


Speaking of this weekend, we got a lot accomplished baby wise:

• Finished painting. Just need to finish the chair railing in the middle, which will hopefully be done this weekend.
• Bought a bunch of big items for baby: car seat, stroller, pack-n-play, baby bedding and the crib and dresser. We ordered the crib and dresser last weekend and paid half at that time, so we paid for the other half and Seth put them together this weekend! It actually looks like a nursery in there now! Pictures to come soon, as soon as the chair railing stuff is done in the middle :)
• We also got a few smaller yet still important things such as the changing table mattress, changing table sheet, a hanging toy for the car seat and some clothes. I feel like I'm missing some things, but I can't think of what right now.

Thankful for productive weekends! Oh, I'm 34 weeks today. Holy crap, where does the time go?!?! He's also been having the hiccups quite a bit lately! I've felt the feeling before and wondered what the heck it was. Last week, I finally realized it was the hiccups! I haven't found a food or drink that seems to give him the hiccups yet, but he sure is very very active when I eat guacamole. Which is good, because I love me some guacamole. 

It was also the first Memorial day that Seth and I got to spend together and I'm thankful for that, too. We've been together for 4 years, and this was the first in the 4 years that he's been in America for this holiday. Iraq, Germany, Afghanistan, Germany and now finally Washington. 

Baby stuff

We painted more of the baby's room yesterday and I love how it turned out! No pictures this time because it's not done, but once we get it finished, I'll definitely post them! It's a really light blue on top, with a darker turquoise blue on the bottom. We're going to put a crisp white railing around the room which will tie in very nicely with the white crib. We ordered the crib and dresser last Saturday and I can't wait till it arrives at the store for us to pick up and put together! 

Ironically, Seth loved this crib and dresser set from the first time we went to Babies R Us to look at things but I didn't want white furniture. It seems kinda girly to me and I wanted an espresso colored crib. After a long time researching cribs, we settled on one and went to order it in the store. We had decided then that the "french vanilla" color of the crib would match best with the bedding. However, when we got there, we were told that the dresser no longer was made in the "french vanilla" color. I don't like mismatching furniture - it would drive me crazy to have a dark dresser and a vanilla colored crib in the same room. So back to the drawing board. (Mind you, this was after a long day of volunteering for Armed Forces day - I was exhausted and was excited to finally order the crib, only to be very disappointed that it wasn't possible). We wandered around for a little while and looked at our choices, looked up reviews online and then finally settled on this one. 

This is the bedding we got to go with it. Oh I can't wait to set it up!

In other important baby news, he's been moving around quite a bit. Last night we were watching TV and he was moving around so much you could see my stomach moving all over the place while I was sitting still. It's a pretty bizarre feeling. Last night, I was laying on my right side (I know, I know, you're supposed to lay on your left side...I toss and turn all night long) and I kept getting sharp pains in my uterus. If I rolled over, he would calm down and I wouldn't get the sharp pains. I read in one of my books that he's getting so big and the amniotic fluid is diminishing so I'll start having more painful kicks and punches (because the fluid isn't there to cushion the blow, so to speak). I woke up this morning with really sore hips. My buttocks hurt pretty bad too, like I had done 20390 too many squats. I had this same feeling frequently during the first and second trimesters and it was just him going through growth spurts. I get up to go pee 3-4 times during the night and when I sit up, there is an intense pressure on my bladder and I feel like I'm going to pee the bed right then and there. Luckily, I haven't done that, but it feels like I can. Sometimes right around my belly button (which is going to pop any day now, I think...) it gets reallllly hard and it's a little tiny foot or heel or knee or something right now. I can't make out body parts yet, but hopefully soon we'll be able to! I pushed back on it a few times and then it moved away. 


I'd like to go on record right now saying that I plan on going into this delivery (in 7ish weeks, holy crap) intending to do it natural. I want to give it my best shot without pain meds. We aren't taking birthing classes (they're not covered under TriCare and they don't offer any classes of any sort at the hospital). I bought a few books and DVDs on Amazon and we're going to start watching and reading those in the evenings. My mom said all the women in our family have had really fast births, and haven't even had time for an epidural. Here's to hoping I can keep with that tradition! 


We're going to be cloth diapering (I really need to order those...gah, so much to buy!!!) and I will be breastfeeding. I'm getting more and more excited each day to meet this little guy and I know Seth is too. 


Now, I must go tend to a pathetic dog (Woody) who got neutered today and is still pretty high on drugs. Poor Patrick, he so badly wants to play with his big brother, but he can't. Patrick has been in his cage for a few hours now and has been crying the whole time. I let him out and held him to Woody's face so they could  kiss each other (like they always do) but I know if I let Patrick run free, he'll be on Woody's back, biting his neck, wanting to wrestle. And poor Woody is in no mood (or shape) for that yet. 


I wonder if we have another boy if they'll be like the dogs and just wrestle all day. 

Feeling the baby move

The baby has been moving all over my uterus. It’s pretty crazy. The other night, I was lying in bed with my hands on my stomach seeing if I could feel him move from the outside. I thought I felt him move but wasn’t sure so I waited a few more times of feeling it before waking Seth up to share the excitement with him. (He had duty the night before so he passed out in bed really early). He didn’t wake up when I said his name, so I let him sleep. Then a little while later, I turned off the TV and he woke up and I told him I felt the baby move on the outside. He put his hands on my stomach to try to feel but baby wasn’t into moving and Seth fell back to sleep. He’s felt it quite a few times since then and it’s so cute to see him! We’ll be watching TV and put his hand on my stomach and when I feel the baby move, I’ll ask him if he felt it. He says, “is that him!?!?”  It’s really cute how excited he gets.

One night last week we had tacos for dinner and I made homemade guacamole. Baby sure did like it because he was all over the place shortly after I got done eating!! I had leftovers the following day for lunch with guacamole again, to see if it would have the same effect and sure enough, it did!! He was really active for a solid amount of time. Too bad Seth was at work though!

Yesterday when Seth got up for work, I kinda woke up. He said to me, “is he awake right now?” and put his hands on my stomach to see if he could feel him. Baby still isn’t big enough that the movements wake me up, so I don’t know if the baby was awake at that time or not. Sometimes when Seth gets home from work, he’ll shake and blow on my stomach and tell the baby to “wake up!! Hang out with us!!” I keep telling him he needs to NOT waking a sleeping baby; that’s parenting 101!! But he’s just excited to feel his baby boy and I can understand that!!!