Labor and Delivery - Part 3

Joseph is being a little bugger again today! It all started yesterday with a whole lot of pressure whoa momma. The nesting was in full force - the house is CLEAN -the car is CLEAN - groceries are stocked...then at about 9:00 last night I started - um - cleaning myself out. So I had about an hour devoted to the bathroom and finally got to sleep around midnight.

I woke up at 2:30 AM with AWFUL contractions. I started timing them and they got to about 5 minutes apart, went down and took a shower, came back up and they stepped up to 3-4 minutes apart and lasting 30-50 seconds even after sucking down two 32 oz jugs of water so I called the on call OB at around 4:30 and she told me to come in. So I called my mom - woke up Jackson and packed a bag for him and headed in. This time I got to skip the triage unit and went straight to a delivery room. Where they showed my contractions spiking - and Joe's heartrate would jump along with them. The problem was - no dilation...the first nurse checked and said that I was still too posterior and she couldn't reach with her little fingers. I was able to get up and walk around which was lovely and contractions were still coming regularly (and painfully I might add).

They had a nursing change at 7:00 AM so we did another exam - and she said that, despite the painful contractions, I was still only at 2 centimeters and - for some reason - they have my due date down as the 16th not the 12th so I was only 37.5 weeks according to their charts even though I was 38 on Saturday and wouldn't do anything but send me home and hope I dilate on my own. The worst is that the nurses kept reiterating that I wasn't supposed to go in unless the contractions were getting more and more intense (um - HELLO - they were - that's why I came in!!!) I was crying at that point knowing there was nothing I could do about the pain but that Joe was just being stubborn.

Mom took us home and Jackson wanted to stay with me instead of going home with Nana. Stopping to say that he was a complete angel the entire time at the hospital, he played quietly with his toys and rubbed my back - even wished on a star before we left the house that he would see his baby brother today. I am so incredibly blessed to have such a sweet little boy. He didn't even complain that I woke him up at 5:00 AM. By the time we got home it was nearly 9:00 and I was exhausted emotionally and physically so Jack and I laid down and napped for a couple of hours.

I'm sitting here now drinking some Red Raspberry tea - had some lunch and Jack and I are going to spend the rest of the day walking to all the parks in town and trying to get Joe to move himself down. I'm still having contractions...this stinks. I know he will come on his own time but man, he's giving us a run for our money at this point. Ugh. Prayers that he either starts cooperating or at least calms down enough to let me rest and go about my day would be nice.

Thanks for all of the well wishes. It feels so good to know that Joe's arrival is being prayed over by so many people. Let's just hope he comes soon and lets us love on him for real. Thank you friends!

The latest in the weekly checkup saga...

Wish I had better news...but I want a total do-over on today's rainy gross day!

Had a dr appt this morning at 8:30 - left the house at 7:45, took J to mom's realized the car was out of gas, stopped for quick fill up, on the road again - got stopped by a friggin freight train at the crossing in town - then got stuck behind a guy going 45mph on the Interstate ;swearing . Arrived at my appt 12 min late and the nurse gave me the stink eye and told me we needed to get going right away at which point I started tearing up and apologizing...gotta love the preg hormones...had my exam, I'm still only at 2 cm and "thick" and my Strep B test came back positive so I'll have to be on IV antibiotics during delivery to make sure it doesn't pass to Joseph during birth (Strep B is harmless - like strep throat to you or me but could cause complications for little dude's immune system). So - I went home to lay down for a couple of hours...I don't have any appointments until 3 and I need to not think about how frustrating this is trying to keep him IN for 8 weeks only to have him not want to come OUT when the time is actually right...

So here I am in all my bellied up glory.

When will JT arrive?

Register your guesses by following the link below!  There are prizes for the person who gets closest to his arrival date AND weight!  Thanks for playing!

Baby Update

I'm going to post the last trimester appointments here so I have them for the baby book - hope you all don't mind.

We had our ultrasound and weekly checkup today - Joseph is doing great - he's down low in my pelvis and I'm dialated to 2cm! The doctor thinks that my contractions and recent "other unpleasantries" are due to a prostaglandin release - good news for progression of labor since that is what starts opening things up for him to come through.

I got an ultrasound today too he is a big boy! Measuring out to be about 6 pounds 12 ounces! Couldn't get any really clear pictures since he's so big but its enough that he's healthy and growing! If I go to term they are anticipating an 8.5 - 9 pound baby!!! WOW!!! Jackson was only 8 lb even. So I'm going for a walk tonight and hoping to get him loosened up some more so I keep seeing progress. Only 3 weeks max to go! Come on baby boy lets do this thing!

Next appointment is next Thursday at 8:30 am!

State Fair Weekend!!!

I celebrated the release of myself from my sofa by going to the fair!!!  Friday afternoon was a hot day - so my dad insisted that I be pushed around in a wheelchair **eye roll** but I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.  But at least we got the traditional picture of Jackson and Papa by the Hy-Vee sign.  4 years running baby!  The highlight of the fair this year!  WINNING an Honorable Mention for my Iowa State Fair themed scrapbook page!  I was so excited to have a ribbon for my work!  WOOT!

That night my bestest friendest from high school, Heather, came to stay with us!  She made the most ADORABLE diaper cake that was waiting for me when we got home!  I'm so blessed to have such amazing friends!!! I just wish she didn't live all the way up where the buffalo roam so we could see each other more often!

We stayed in our jammies for way too long on Saturday then went out and had a yummy lunch at Fazoli's and got stuff for a girlie night of dying hair and giggling.  2SB forever! Then we got up way too early on Sunday and headed to the fair again this time with her husband, daughter and MIL- despite having to dodge giant bananas flying off the back of a pickup - we made it and I (sans wheelchair) tried to walk this baby out of me!  It didn't work but it did tucker us out into an early night!  Back to work today - let's just hope that Joseph decides to come out SOOOON!  Here some other fair photos - coming soon to a layout near you!

Me and my ribbon!

 

GROUP HUG - Heather Jack and Laina!

Jack and me in the ag garden

Jack and the giant pumpkin

FINALLY 36 weeks! **long update**

This is officially my LAST week of modified activity/bed rest and not a second too soon!! Although the whole concept of staying at home/working from home sounds delicious its also VERY boring.  I have done a lot of scrapping though - watched two full seasons of "Weeds" on Netflix - all of Joseph's little clothes are clean, hung up, and his room is organized and I am completely caught up on all message boards/blogs/facebook/pogo.  Sheesh.

In between all of that - my brother got married August 1st at the Blank Park Zoo.  It was a lovely ceremony and everything went so smoothly - besides - check out my little bubba in his monkey suit!

Ashley and I showing off our bridesmaids gowns and beautiful bouquets.The happy couple sharing their first dance.

The other bright spot was the lovely baby shower that my sweet friends Autumn and Terri threw for me at the church.  We got diapers and wipes and essentials galore and some cute little outfits as well!  I used the gift cards I have gotten along the way to order my diaper bag and a changing table organizer too!  He is going to be one well dressed little baby!  Thank you SO much girls for this blessing for our new addition.  We love you so much!

Sporting the belly by the gift table.  See how seriously BLESSED we are???

Terri's super yummy cake with the real sugar frosting that we have been drooling over for MONTHS!

and...a few of my recent pages that I think turned out lovely...thanks to the ladies at HYWWP for the tremendous online crops that were such an inspiration!