Another photo bomb

We had a baby!

I opened my computer 4 or 5 days after Gus made his arrival to find the beginnings of a post that I was writing while we were in the hospital.  I was writing it to keep myself distracted from the pain of contractions.  Here’s what I had:

“Since we last spoke…

I took myself up on the bath. Ryan got it ready for me and I did my best to relax in there for about an hour. Ryan got some things cleaned up and showered then we went up to Mesa Cafe to get some breakfast before we came to the hospital. We had packed all out our stuff and took it with us so that we could go straight to the hospital.

So here we are now, in the hospital and all hooked up. When we got here this morning there was no one else here so we got the “best room” and all kinds of love.

I was feeling more discomfort than I was interested in so I asked for an epidural. That was easier than I thought it would be and honestly, the worst part about it is the catheter. But that just got placed so I’m hoping it will calm down.

My contractions had been coming every 4 minutes before the epidural and have since slowed down to about every eight minutes, but my doc said she’d swing by around lunchtime (any time now) and break my water. Hopefully that will do the trick to get the pace picked back up.

For now we are just hanging out and waiting. More waiting. It does look like my parents will be here in plenty of time for the big show.

I’m getting nervous about pushing. Glad I got the epidural.”

 

Well once I got the epidural the contractions all but stopped.  My doc came and broke my water and after an hour of still nothing much happening, my doc requested I be hooked up to pitocin.  Well my nurse didn’t think I’d need much so she started me on the lowest dose.  After a bit she upped it then went on a break.  The other nurse came in after a while and found that the clamp on the pitocin drip hadn’t been unlocked so I hadn’t been getting any pitocin.  She unlocked it and it finally reached me about the time my regular nurse came back to check me.  I was fully dilated.  She encouraged me to allow my body to just labor for a while and do its thing to work baby down rather than wear me out by having me push.

This worked okay for a while, but there was a window in my abdomen where the epidural hadn’t reached.  After enduring it for a while (as it continued to get worse) I asked if we could ask the anesthesiologist to try to adjust it.  She was great and came really quickly but was unable to get the drugs to hit that spot, so I was stuck dealing with the pain.  May I just say, power to the women who do it completely naturally.  That was an uncomfort I just had no interest in.  Our nurse came in and checked on me and when she saw that the adjustment in my epidural hadn’t made a difference, she had me try a practice push to see if it was worth having me start pushing or whether it was better to let my body do it’s thing and just suffer the pain.  She told me I was a great pusher and after 15 minutes or so of pushing through contractions she called my doc and had her come on down.

I pushed for a total of a little over an hour.  Once he got down far enough that it was just a matter of getting his head out my doc massaged and I pushed and we tried really hard to get him out.  Ultimately my doc gave me a tiny little snip which was just the ticket to get his head out on the next push.  Ryan was there with gloves on to play catcher.  He helped turn the baby’s head and tilt him this way and that (as per the doctors instructions) and pull him out.  Once his shoulders were out I was invited to reach down and help pull him out and up to me as well.

Once out they look for a nice big screech to indicate he got a nice big breath.  He did not oblige so once they got the cord cut they took him to the baby workshop station thing on the other side of the room to help him along.  It turned out he swallowed all kinds of amniotic fluid on the way out and his stomach was so full that his little lungs didn’t have space to fill up.  They suctioned out his stomach and nose and lungs and after lots of rubbing and stimulation (and after he peed all over the nurse) they finally got him squawking at which point they gave him back to me.

He was swollen, smelly (amniotic fluid smells weird) and really red but he was mine and snuggly and he seemed to like me, so we decided to keep him.

Looking back (and even in the moment) the whole thing was really mellow.  It was damn near the ideal situation.  My parents made it.  Both parents had cameras out and got some amazing pictures and video.  Ryan was so much fun to watch.  I kept finding myself looking at him while I pushed and trying not to laugh at his facial expressions.  He just looked so silly happy and amazed.  He was cute.  It was really special to have everyone there.  They were great company and support.

He weighed in at 7lbs 7oz, was 20.75inches long.  When we left the hospital he had only lost 6oz.

He has gotten cuter and cuter every day since.

More to come.

 

Is this it?

Will our baby Gus be sharing his birthday with the man responsible for his parents being a happy couple?
I was jolted awake at about 5:19am with serious pain in my lower parts. I breathed through it and immediately thought to myself ” yeah right I’m doing this all natural. Fuck that!”
Since then the pain has been coming. 8-9 minutes apart. It’s now 6:14am and another just ended. Mom and dad have been warned. Ryan has been called off from work. Hopefully this is the real deal, otherwise my body and baby Gus have shaken up some days. Perhaps I shall embrace a hot bath.
Please! If you are reading this and know me for real, no posts on Facebook please. I’d prefer not to be bombarded. Thanks!

Cervix watch 2013

Well almost 24 hours later and still no baby. No real labor yet either.
I have been experiencing lots of period like cramping off and on. So far nothing I can’t handle and nothing regular still. I tossed and turned a little more than normal last night, but I still got a pretty solid amount of sleep.
They (whoever they are) do say that early contractions feel just like period like cramping, so perhaps this is the beginning. I’m not packing my bags yet though as I have had all kinda of pain like this off and on for months now.
I’ll try to stay posted here with any progress if any happens. For now though, if this is the beginning of labor, keep your fingers crossed that the real show doesn’t start until later in the day. Daddy is out to work today (therefore pretty difficult to reach).

Cervix watch 2013

Doctors appointment this morning and we had a non stress test. They put me in a comfy lazy boy recliner and hooked me up to two monitors. One was to chart his heartbeat, the other was to chart my contractions. Things apparently looked good there. Here’s a picture:

The first picture is of me hooked up to the monitors. The second is the printout of what was being monitored. His heart rate is the line on the left, my contractions (or lack thereof) are the line on the right. His real time heart rate is the number showed on the monitor.
After about twenty minutes they unhooked us and we went off to get a cervical check. I made it all the way to a solid three centimeters and 80% effaced. Progress!
They won’t let Gus stay in there any longer than 42 weeks. This means that we have scheduled an induction for late Sunday night. We are hoping (obviously) to get things moving on our own before then. In this vein we had our doc strip my membranes when she was all done with her cervical check. This results in labor within 48hours in 40% of cases. For some, it can be done multiple times and result in nothing. For us it made sense to give this a go before we are forced into a medicinal induction.
So there we are. We shall see.

Copyright Chris Buckpit

I modled for a friend of mine a while back.  He does amazing nudes and I am thrilled to have been able to do this with him.  I got brave, got cold, and I only have a sneak peak so far, but here is a favorite from the shoot.

The Pregnant Bartender Is No More

No I didn’t go pop yet, it’s just finally time to change my name to “thepregnant”.

Today was my last day at work (finally) until after maternity leave.  I had long since given up the actual bartending but had been keeping myself busy with serving and other managerial chores.  Well not anymore!

I achieved my goal, I wanted to work up until the end, and though I may not pop for another week or more still, (god I hope that isn’t the case) I worked up until the day of my due date.  It wasn’t even so bad! I could keep going still, but it really is just a matter of time before the little zen comes and continuing to schedule me at this point just adds stress each week from having to cover my shifts once I do pop.  Plus, I’ll be honest, while the lack of money idea gets under my skin, it’ll be nice to have a little time ( if I get any) before he comes to relax and take care of business here at home without the time crunch pressure of having to be at work.

It’s weird to not see my name on next weeks schedule and I’ll miss some key players, but I’m happy to not have any work (the restaurant kind) in sight.

So here I am.  A little shorter in name.  Now known simply as “thepregnant” Soon (hopefully) I’ll be needing to change even that.

Cervix watch 2013

Cervix check round two and nothing has changed since last week.
We were given the option to induce if we chose but I think we will hold off and see how our next appointment goes on his due date.
I wish I had had a camera when she told us we could have him on Friday if we wanted. I looked over at Ryan and his eyes were huge!!! Our doc laughed and said “you look like you need a reminder that she’s not going to stay pregnant. This will end in a baby. Sooner than later.”
I think he was just surprised at getting the option of picking a date.
Anyway, we’ll keep waiting and working. I will try to keep reminding myself that I will likely be at the same point in a week. No hopes up.
I figure if four games of bowling last night didn’t move anything along, nothing probably will.

It’s 4:16am

and I’m up…

-heartburn caused by a fetus squirming like crazy trying to break out any direction he can, most noticeably with his feet to my diaphram/stomach.

-headbutting to the cervix (and bladder) causing pretty sharp pains.

-body parts pressed against my sciatic nerves.

 

Even sitting propped up I’m getting heartburn.  I have take two tums already and really, I know it’s not an overflow of acid, it’s the stomach being squished back up.  Gives the feeling of needing to vomit a bit.

He’s all over then damn place!

I want some almonds (I think they help with acid) but walking hurts really badly and Ryan is asleep.

Barf

39 weeks. Are we there yet?

How far along? 39 weeks.  6 days.  Whatever that means.
Baby is the size of an: Still say watermelon. I think he stays watermelon sized till he comes out.
Total weight gain: 25.5lbs.  I gained 2.5 pounds this last week! Damn birthday sweets! 🙂
Gender: Boy!
Name: Augustus Gordon Berry. Gus, Gus-Gus, Zen and Gordy are all acceptable nicknames.
Stretch marks? No stretch marks, but I do have a beautiful henna design across my belly now!

Have you started to show yet: I pretty much think I look the same.

Maternity clothes? Nothing new. I’m just stretching out what I’ve got.

Movement: Still smooshing. Still hiccups. Good baby keeping his mama sane.
Best moment this week: Daddy came to visit! Birthday! waking up to Ryan working hard and making phone calls trying to figure out how to get the damn car seat installed correctly! Henna! Pedicure! Hairstyle! Tulips! One Week closer to meeting my little happy feet!

Worst moment of the week: At some point, for some reason, we (Ryan and I) had a fight.  Neither of us remember when or why, but at the time, we both remember that he said “you know each week when you write your blog and ask me what your worst moment this week was? This is it!”  

Miss Anything: Easy movements, not waiting, knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow, the other half of my closet.
Belly button in or out? Still pokes out, but getting flatter.
Food cravings: Sweets!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Blood sugar issues.  But that’s par for the course for me and I try to avoid those when possible.
Labor Signs: I can feel my pelvic bones coming apart (they are supposed to). I was woken up 3 or 4 times last night with contractions that are more painful than before.  Still nothing regular though.  I’ll have a few days for feeling normal, then a few days of feeling like it’s gonna happen any minute.  I have been told that I’m looking for consistency.
Symptoms: Contractions, swelling/ really sore hands and feet, sore hips (mostly just after I have been laying in bed all night, heartburn.  Yep, same as last week.
Upcoming appointments/events: Tomorrow I have another appointment with the doc.  I assume she’ll be continuing to check my cervix for dilation.  You’ll have another cervix update after that.
Happy or Moody most of the time: He’s out in the car attempting car seat installation so I can’t ask Ryan. I would say it was a fairly moody first half of the week, and a pretty happy second half.  We have had our squabbles, but we have been pretty good about getting past them.

Sleep:(I have no idea where this prompt went) sleep has been interrupted by heartburn, but I’m not having too hard a time falling asleep or back to sleep.

Looking forward to: The real deal!!!