On Friday Silas had his first bath!
His cord finally fell off and we were so excited to put him in a tub of warm water... especially since he hated the sponge baths we were giving him prior!
Daddy poured water down his chair and Mommy dangled his feet in the water.
He liked the wash cloth when it was full of warm water.
We had our second appointment with Dr. Jones on Tuesday.
Silas lost weight. He went from 8lbs 1oz to 7lbs 14oz.
I explained what had happened over the weekend and she said that could be apart of it, but we had to start a plan to get Silas to gain weight.
She did an initial exam and found that Silas had thrush. The likely culprit was the antibiotics from the hospital. I had tons of yeast and I passed it on to him via the breast. She gave us a script for Silas and we continued our session.
This time I was able to feed Silas about 50cc, which is an ounce more than what I was able to produce the last week. 50cc is good, but it doesn't make a full supply if I'm feeding him 8-12 times a day. Supplementing is something we will have to do. So I'll feed him on the breast and the give him a bottle until he is satisfied. I'll pump afterwards and save what I pump to give to him.
Dr. Jones then talked to me about blood work. I told her I had to go to a follow up appointment for my hospital stay and she asked me to call and make the appointment and find out the Dr's name so she could call them and talk to them about the blood work. Fortunately I was able to get in again with Dr. Whitehead.
Dr. Jones asked me to make another appointment with her for the following week and then called me later that day to tell me she spoke to Dr. Whitehead.
Today I went to see Dr. Whitehead. I had my abdomen looked at and all looks and feels fine. I did mention that Silas had thrush and she gave me a script for diflucan, which will help the yeast. So hopefully we'll get that all taken care of.
So many eventful things going on in baby land! I hope that is the last eventful thing we have to go through...
now even though things with Mommy have been rough, Silas is doing well aside from not gaining enough weight. He sleeps so well and gets up every 3 hours to be fed and changed and then goes back down. When he is alert he grins and smiles. I'm not sure if they are purposeful smiles or just gas, but I love them all the same!
Silas was two weeks old when I had my follow up appointment for my split incision.
My wonderful mother-in-law took me to my appointment since I was told not to drive and Josh had to work. She stayed in the waiting room with my sleeping Silas as I went to be checked out.
I was out of pain meds and hoped they would write me a script for some more because I was still in a lot of pain.
A med student took a look at me first. She seemed very concerned that I was so sore still. She looked at my split incision and told me it was closing up nicely, but she wanted to have the doctor come in to look at my abdomen. It was very sore and tender to the touch and felt very hard.
Dr. Aguilera came in and did an exam and told me that my uterus was infected and that she wanted me to be admitted into the hospital as soon as possible for IV antibiotics.
At that point I was in tears from the pain and confusion. I have no idea why my body was working against me and the idea of being in the hospital upset me because I had a 2 week old newborn to care for. Dr. Aguilera said she would find us a room in the hospital that would allow Silas to stay with me so I could continue to breast feed and care for him. That comforted me some, but I was still scared.
I was in tears when I went into the lobby to get my phone so I could call Josh. I went back to the examining room and called Josh and my mom (who was in KY for my grandfather's funeral). Josh who is always the calm to my crazy told me to calm down and take a deep breath. He said he'd call work and head down as soon as I got more information. As Dr. Aguilera got my admittance forms ready Dr. Whitehead came in. She was the doctor who looked at my split incision the week before. She had Donna bring Silas to me and she talked to me about what would happen. She was very supportive.
True to her word Dr. Aguilera was able to find me a room on the 4th floor where couplet care is. Donna walked me over and I pretty much hung out in my room until around 8 pm before an IV was inserted. Antibiotics were started around 9 pm.
I was very stressed and that seemed to have stressed Silas out as well. He refused to go on the breast at all while we were in the hospital. My nurse Frankie was so kind and was able to get me a pump so I could give Silas breast milk.
Josh stayed with Silas and I and when he couldn't be there Donna came and so did his dad and step mom. I really appreciated having Warren and Ruth come and cuddle Silas while I rested. My sister came to see me as well since my mom was still in KY and my dad was in MI for a work related situation.
I spent 36 hours on antibiotics and on Sunday Dr. Aguilera said I could go home before 6pm. We were out the door by noon and on our way back home with more scripts for pain meds and my abdomen feeling soft and squishy and much less tender. Also I had strict orders to rest and to come back in later that week.
Once we were back home Silas was more inclined to breast feed and the time off the breast gave them time to heal well.
7 1/2 years ago I had a breast reduction. It was medically necessary or I'd have to have back surgery. At 19 years old it was something that I had to do. Unfortunately it would mean that I would drastically reduce the chances of breast feeding with a full supply or at all.
I struggled in the hospital with breast feeding and spoke to several consultants. My post partum nurse, Alison, suggested seeing Dr. Laurie Jones who is a pediatrician who specializes in lactation. After a week of struggling and having very traumatized nipples and an angry newborn I decided to call for an appointment.
Josh took the day off from work to take me to the appointment. I was very thankful that he came with us. Dr. Jones was very interested in my situation and listened to me as I cried and opened my heart to her.
Breast feeding was not the experience I had hoped it would be. The milk was not flowing from my breast and my baby was not happy. Every time I'd put Silas to the breast he would latch on and suck with earnest. We had been using an SNS and I was pumping frequently to give him breast milk through the SNS and then also using formula as much as I didn't want to.
Dr. Jones weighed Silas and he was up from his pediatrician appointment. He came in at 8 lbs 1oz, which was 7oz more than at his appointment. Dr. Jones watched as I nursed Silas and she helped me see that my breast were working against us. They are soft, the nipples are flat and smooth, and pointed upwards. And from the week of improper latch they were scabbed over and there was some scaring on the areola.
To get Silas to latch properly he had to be elevated. She provided me with a special nursing pillow call My Brest Friend and rolled a towel under his head. This helped the latch stop hurting. She gave us a lot of information to look through including a website called BFAR and a book to begin reading called Defining Your Own Success.
After the feeding Dr. Jones weighed Silas again and he had taken in about 20cc. She suggested taking fenugreek for milk production, which I already was, but she wanted me to increase the amount.
We spent about 2 hours with Dr. Jones. Afterwards we went to a store she recommended called Healthy Baby Happy Earth and bought the brest friend pillow and a few other things she had suggested.
It made breast feeding much easier and a lot less painful. We made an appointment for the next week, which I'll write about in another entry.
Well, Silas is already 19 days old and I'm way behind in my posts.
To be honest it's not my fault.
Aside from how crazy it is adjusting to life with a newborn we've had some roadblocks.
Wednesday the the 19th, when Silas was 5 days old, we took him to the pediatrician. He gained half an inch in length, but had lost 14 oz in weight. Aside from the weight loss he was in great physical health. However his doctor was concerned about me. At that point I was in a lot of pain and my incision was seeping. I shared that info with him. I clearly wasn't doing so well and he made me promise to call my CNM's office to see someone. By the time we left his office the CNM's office was already closed, but I planned on calling the next day.
Around midnight I was in so much pain and the incision was bleeding that Josh called to get a hold of the CNM on call. He actually got in contact with Tanya, who provided me with all of my prenatal care. She said to get to the hospital ASAP, and to go to the one closest to us.
Not wanting to take Silas into the ER we called my sister Andi who came over and stayed with him. We were gone for about 2 hours. The hospital pumped me full of antibiotics, packed the incision and gave me some pain meds. They called the OBGYN's office to get a hold of Dr. Porter, who did my c-section. Dr. Porter was on vacation but they spoke to an associate and they said to send me into the office the next day.
Josh took me to the office and they checked out my incision. It was infected but superficial, which meant that it was only the top layer of skin that split open. I had orders to take it easy, finish the antibiotics and come in next week.
That pretty much caps all of the exciting stuff that week.
Silas adjusted well to being home. The kitties paid no attention, and Asher was at my parent's house while I healed so he hadn't met him yet. We even managed to have a few nights where Silas slept through the night.
Its our first full week of being a family of three.
Silas was born on Friday the 14th. My water had broken the night before at around 10:30 and I was in labor until around 2pm the following day when I spiked a fever. My temp was over 100 degrees and Silas' heart rate went from 120 bpm to over 180 bpm. I felt so cold that I had them turn off my a/c and bundle me with heated blankets, but none of those things seemed to help. The midwife on call said that the best route would be an immediate c-section.
Josh of course had just ran home to get a shower, eat some food and check on our animals and they wanted to take me in right away. Fortunately we only live about 10 minutes away and he was able to get to the hospital as they were prepping me for surgery.
I was in a lot of pain from the epidural and still very cold. Josh held my hand the entire time and talked to me as they performed the c-section. Before I knew it Josh said they were pulling Silas out and they held him up and I could see is angry red face. My poor little guy didn't want to come out! As they were stitching me back up Josh went with Silas to be taken care of. Since I had a fever they wanted to put him on antibiotics as a precaution so that if I did have an infection I didn't pass it on to him so they had to put an I.V. in his hand after they cleaned him up.
I was wheeled to recovery while Josh went with Silas to the nursery. Everyone got a chance to see him except for me. I wanted nothing more than to hold my son. Once Silas was situated Josh came down to recovery to see me. He showed me pictures of Silas being cleaned up and a few videos he had taken of our little guy. I cried with joy for our little one. He looked so precious and wonderful. I sent Josh back to be with him and slowly the rest of my family came back to see me.
At around 6 they finally started the process of transporting me to my post partum care room. My nurse DeAnna said that she could take me down to the nursery if I felt up to it, but I wouldn't be able to stay long because of shift change. I started to get up and she was amazed because she had never seen a mom so quick to their feet after surgery. All I wanted to do was to see Silas.
It was amazing to see him the first time and touch his little hands and feet. His arm was wrapped up tight with tape and such with an I.V. and I wanted to cry because I had caused him to have to have it in. They said he'd have to spend 48 hours in the nursery.
I spent all the time I could in the nursery and probably over did it the first day. We had a steady stream of visitors and in between sharing Silas with them down in the nursery I was trying to breast feed, but with little success. Having a breast reduction 7 1/2 years ago has limited my ability greatly, but we went forward and he would latch on each time. He has a strong latch and suck, but isn't able to get a lot out.
The Pediatrician came in on Saturday and said that he looked good and gave the o.k. for the nurses to let Silas be wheeled into my room for feedings during the night. He said that he'd have to have the I.V. in until Sunday evening though and then he could room with us until we were discharged.
Sunday was much like Saturday with lots of visitors. I worked on walking around and breast feeding. My incision hurt and I had to take it easy on Sunday as I did too much on Saturday. By 10 pm Sunday night Silas had his I.V. out and was wheeled in our room. We had our first night together and it went very well. He woke up several times to be fed and hardly fussed in between at all.
Monday we worked on getting ready for home. I had a lactation consultant come in to talk to me about breast feeding and had my staples removed. We finally got to leave for home around 3 pm with strict orders for me to take a nap in my own bed, which I did.
To me at least...
Today I am 27 years old.
I'm also 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant.
At my midwife appointment everything was great, oh expect I had no changes in the cervix department.
My child just doesn't want to be born. My uterus is still contracting, but my cervix won't change.
They sent me over to L&D to have the prostaglandin gels inserted. And they didn't do anything.
Donna, the midwife on call suggested using cervidil. That required being admitted to the hospital for observation. So they admitted me and inserted the cervidil at around 3:30 in the afternoon. The cervidil stays inserted for 12 hours so Josh and I hung out, had my family come entertain us at different intervals and got no sleep all night. Josh was on fold out which was probably more comfortable than my bed. I had a hard time sleeping because I was on the fetal heart monitor all night and had to page a nurse everytime I needed to go to the bathroom. The removed the cervidil at 3:30 in the morning and they checked me.
Around 6 am Donna came in and checked my cervix and she said that I was finally making some progress. My cervix is soft and I'm effaced 50% and dilated 1cm. She said Silas' head feels much lower in my pelvis, but still not at low as he should be. They gave me the option of staying and trying another method, or going home to relax and try to labor at home. Josh and I decided to come home. We went out for breakfast before hand and now we are resting.
So here I am... on my birthday still waiting for my son to arrive. At this point I'm done guessing when he'll come. He'll be here when he gets here.
I went in for the follow up appointment today.
As I thought, no changes.
His heart tones sound good, my blood pressure was normal and there were no proteins in my urine. He was squirming around as she was trying to locate his heart beat. I did put on a few pounds from the last appointment, but she said right off the bat that I was retaining water. She could tell in my belly, feet, and face and she said not to worry about it.
So what we are going to do is hold out until my next appointment on Tuesday. If I haven't gone into labor and there are no visible changes she wants to have me go to L&D and have prostaglandin gel administered to help ripen my cervix. They will administer it and monitor me and then send me home to hopefully labor on my own time. All the midwives there know how I feel about induction and pitocin and my fear of Cesarean. And in my birth plan I did state that I would be open to the prostaglandin, which is why they suggested it.
In other news...
I've been sleeping well, I got the house tidy, and I'm looking forward to mother's day. Even though I may not hold my child on mother's day, I'm still a mom and we are going to celebrate that. On top of it, my brother-in-law is in town for the weekend and we are going to see him too.
Tonight we are going to have dinner with my sister and brother-in-law at my favorite Mexican restaurant, which also happens to be my BIL's favorite restaurant too. Tomorrow I may or may not go to the zoo and then Sunday we'll be with family. We have church and then lunch with my FIL and SMIL and then in the evening we are going to go to my parents house for dinner and we'll play tripoly. I'm hoping at some point we'll see my MIL too. I'm looking forward to it.
Like I said... I'm just going to take it easy and try to wait patiently for Silas to come. (seriously hoping he'll come on his own though!)
Tomorrow is our due date and I am still pregnant.
I thought for sure Silas would have arrived this weekend, but we were wrong. He is still holding on strong!
We had an appointment on Tuesday and there had been no changes from when we went to L&D on Saturday.
My blood pressure was 120/75, had no proteins in my urine, and had even lost a pound!
Silas's heart rate started off really low, but jumped back up to normal so they wanted me to have a non-stress test done and L&D, so after my appoint I headed over there.
I was a little keyed up given I haven't had much sleep since Friday night and I thought for sure our little guy would be here by now. I also managed to show up over an hour early for my appointment and was disappointed that I had not changed at all.
I spoke to the midwife on call and she went over the monitoring tape. She said Silas looked textbook perfect and that everything with me was normal besides being worked up. We talked about the importance of breathing and taking in enough liquids and trying to relax.
She prescribed an anti-anxiety med to help me rest and get some sleep at night. I'm only taking a small amount and only at night. I took it last night and it was amazing. I slept so well. I had to get up a few times for the bathroom, but was able to get back to bed with no problems. I got up around 10:45 this morning and felt wonderful after having so much sleep. I feel very well rested.
Once I got up and going my sister came over and she took me out. We went to the mall out in Scottsdale and walked around for a few hours. She bought Silas a build-a-bear bear. We just picked out a bear and a t-shirt that says "it's a boy". We named it Mr. Bearington and gave him Silas' due date as his birthday.
I was so tuckered out that I fell asleep in the car on the way home. I'm still really tired, but don't want to nap anymore otherwise I may not sleep tonight. Silas is currently moving around and causing a lot of back pressure and sharp pains, but at least he is moving around... maybe he'll realize that he is running out of room and will try to make an appearance soon!
Pictures are both 39 weeks and 4 days
I'm officially in labor, but the early stages. I'm having contractions and all day yesterday they were very regular. They got to be about 4.5 minutes apart and I was having extreamly bad back pain so we went to L&D at the hospital.
Once I got there they hooked me up to the fetal monitor and confirmed I was having contractions, but when they did an internal exam I was only 1cm dilated. Because I wasn't dilated enough they sent me home.
I continued to have contractions but managed to get some sleep. When I woke up today the contractions were back to being irregular. I've been having them off and on all day, but the closest they've been together today is 7 minutes.
To be honest, I'm very discouraged. I was hoping yesterday was it and I'd have a little boy to hold in my arms today, but he has other plans.
Also, it makes it hard on our family because they are just as anxious as Josh and I are. We are getting lots of texts and phone calls and its hard to tell them that there is no baby yet.
I know he'll come when he is ready and apparently his is just not ready today!
My due date is in 6 days.
Most of my family thought we'd have an April baby, but as it is after 3 in the afternoon, I'm not feeling any things major, and we have 9 hours until the end of the April I'm fairly certain we'll have a May baby after all. It's just a question as to when in May.
I had a midwife appointment on Wednesday and all looked good. My blood pressure was 116/80 and his heart rate was nice and strong. He was also very wiggly and his head was bearing down which made it very uncomfortable. My midwife said that Silas has dropped and she wouldn't be surprised if he came this weekend. I'm hopeful, but not holding my breath. If he doesn't come over the weekend I'll have another appointment on the 4th.
If he did decide to come this weekend it would be great since my midwife is on call at the hospital this weekend and she would be able to attend the birth. Wishful thinking!
In the end, he'll come when he is ready to. I know I need to be patient but as my father likes to point out, patience is not one of my stronger attributes. Sure I have patience with my students and other people, but when it comes to something I want, not so much.
Josh and I are ready. Every day we rub my belly and tell Silas that he's good to go and that he can come out whenever he wants. We try to encourage him but will very little reaction. Its funny though because he does move and kick when he hears Josh's voice. Already he knows his daddy.
So maybe he'll be here this weekend... or maybe not... I hope that he is here before mother's day because holding my newborn on Mother's day would be the best feeling in the world. I couldn't imagine anything more special!
Then again, he is my child and if he is anything like me he'll be stubborn and make he entrance when he deems appropriate!
We are only 11 days from Silas' due date. Its hard to believe that he could be here within a week, maybe two (or three, if he's feeling particularly stubborn).
I've been on maternity leave for a full week now and have everything finished that I wanted to get done. My entire nesting list is complete aside from general keep up with the house. I may scrub the kitchen floor and already the Tupperware cabinet is a mess again. I'm trying to keep up with laundry as well.
Josh is super busy trying to wrap up a class before Silas arrives but unfortunately starts another class right away. It's hard with me being home and him trying to stay focused. It's so easy to slip into a mode where all we want to do is hang out and be together. We've been spending a lot of time cuddling, laughing, and enjoying each other's time. We have been playing video games together, watching movies, and just being us.
We are so ready to make our family of two into three and know that with the change we'll have quite the adventure. We rub my belly throughout the day and whisper to Silas that he can come anytime he is ready. Every pain or surge of discomfort has Josh ready to gather us up in the car and head towards the hospital, but really there has been no signs of impending labour. I hope that changes soon though!
As much as I have enjoyed being pregnant, I'm ready to give birth. I'm ready for the experience and the journey. I'm also ready for the swelling to go away, and to be able to sleep on my stomach again not to mention for the heartburn to stop being so intense.
I'm sending positive thoughts to my body for it to prepare it self and to get the show on the road. Hopefully we'll have some news soon!
In my next post: pictures of Silas' finished nursery and 38 week belly bump pictures.
16 days to go until Silas' due date!
I started maternity leave this week and created a list of things I wanted to get done before Silas arrives.
Clean the Master Bedroom
Clean and organize the garage
Fold all clean laundry and put it away
Wash and put away baby laundry
Prep cloth diapers
Finish the nursery
Clean the hall closet
Clean and organize the random junk cabinet
Clean the fridge
Clean and organize the Tupperware/pots and pans cabinet
Keep up on all dishes, dusting, and vacuuming
If it's bolded, then it's been completed... if it's italicized then it's in the process.
Josh and I tackled the master bedroom over the weekend. I took care of cl earning off the dresser and side tables, stripping the bed and picking things up off the floor. Josh took care of vacuuming the room and we both moved the mattresses off the bed so we could vacuum under the bed. Thanks goodness for the Dyson. We emptied it at least 5 times just working under the bed. Needless to say we are banning the animals from the bedroom or will be investing in Ssscat cans to go under the bed to keep them from going under there. Not only does it get covered with cat hair, but they also shredded the fabric under the box spring. Once we got the room cleaned I went through and cleaned my closet. I donated clothes and shoes for goodwill and organized all of my non-maternity clothes.
On Monday my MIL came over and helped me with the garage. Mostly I observed and decided whether or not to keep, trash, or shred items and Donna did all of the heavy lifting and moving. We really got it looking nice! It's not scary looking when we go in it and the cars fit nicely and we can both get into the cars without bumping into stuff. The best part is we got it finished in less than two hours!
After Donna left I got started on folding our laundry and washing baby laundry. Both of those projects are done. I just need to put Silas' laundry away. It's all sorted though by size. He is in no need of clothes until he gets into 9 months. He has a handful of things and then pretty much nothing for 12 months and above, which is good because once it's his first birthday we can suggest clothes!
I started washing diapers last night. I got all of the inserts and prefolds washed and dried. Today I started on shells and covers. I hope to finish them either tonight or tomorrow.
The hall closet has been cleaned out and organized, although we have so much stuff in there we really can't put much else in there right now. I also got the junk cabinet cleaned out and organized last night. Now I know where everything is in there.
My other projects just take keeping up on or I'm just not in the mood to do it... like clean the fridge. It's not nasty, just needs a decent scrub down. I just don't feel like pulling it all out and doing it right now. I'll leave that for later.
So far so good! I hope that it all gets done before Silas arrives!
In non nesting projects....
Something I need to do is get the car seats installed! My hospital bag is packed and ready to go, although Josh really needs to put a bag together with some change of clothes and some snacks as I'm sure he won't want to eat hospital food. Now we just wait!
Josh and I went to the hospital today for our labor and delivery tour.
Of course we were late... this was after we had missed the first tour because I was so tired after church I needed a nap.
The website was very vauge about where it was and the woman at reception spoke so quickly that I didn't catch everything she said before she moved on to the next hospital guest. After aimlessly walking the halls a nurse helped us find the location. They were already a few slides into the powerpoint when we walked in.
After the power point we went on the walking tour. There was a woman there that was so pushy. She cut in front of me several times as if we all weren't going to see the same thing. Given my current hormonal level it took a lot for me not to say anything to her.
Overall I was pleased with what we saw. I had been to triage before so I knew what that looked like. The high risk delivery was a little scary and I hope that I don't have to go there or have a cecerean. The regular L&D rooms were nice though. They aren't anything spectacular, but they are private and I'll be there to labor, deliver, and recover. The couplet rooms were bigger and Silas will be with me the entire time. I have the option to send him to the nursery, but I want to keep him with me. Those rooms are private as well.
The Teddy Bear waiting area is a little small though and I hope our family will be alright down there. Right now my plans are to only have Josh with me during labor and delivery, but I may ask my mom to come at some point. I just know how overwhelmed I get and I really just want to stay in state of calm, at least as much as I can. Josh is good for that. He is the most level headed and calm person I know.
It's hard to believe that I'll be there not to far from now! There are only 18 days until his due date, so really I'll be there within a month.
Just making some simple changes to the blog...
Aside from the background and colors...
I had originally made this blog under a different GMail account so I would have to sign out and sign back in under another name... so I decided to fix that so I wouldn't have to do that anymore.
And I modified the title and description.
Also, even though Josh is a contributor, he never posts and leaves it to me to update, so I though I'd change the signature from the Willinghams to just my name.
Covered belly
vs
I'm roughly standing in the same spot, and maybe I see a small difference, but I'm not sure.
I'm amazed that we are so close to meeting Silas. He could be here in three weeks... or sooner... or maybe even a little later. I wish I knew when he'd be here!
Today was my last day at work though, which will give me lots of time to do the final touches on his room, wash his laundry, prep diapers, and clean the house.
Leaving was a little bitter sweet. I love my students and I enjoy my colleagues. It will be strange not waking up and getting ready for work for the next year. Josh and I decided I should take a year leave of absence and we would become an one-income family. I've never not worked. When I turned 16 I had two jobs while I went to high school and when I went to college I worked at the movie theater and the night desk at my dorm on top of taking a full course load. I had a job lined up before I even graduated college and I've been working at the school ever since. Even during summer breaks I was working.
I know being a mommy will be a full time job in itself, but I wonder if it will bring me the same satisfaction as being a teacher has. Only time will tell and this time next year I can make the decision to go back to the school, or decline my contract.
I'm very excited to be at home though. I have so much to do it seems and not the right amount of time to do it in. My wonderful mother-in-law came over today on her day off and cleaned up the kitchen and all three bathrooms including floors. Walking into a clean house is such a good feeling. It takes off quite a few items off my to-do-list.
On Tuesday this last week I had another appointment with my midwife. My Strep B test came back negative and my blood pressure was good. On top of that the swelling was not as bad this appointment so it seems lowering my water intake into a more reasonable amount seem to have helped. Silas is still head down and it's any one's guess to when he'll come.
I also attended a breastfeeding class this week. It was informative. I plan on using a lactation consultant while at the hospital and will be contacting another one outside of the hospital if I need one. I have high hopes for breastfeeding and hope that Silas and I can learn together!
My next appointment will be when I'm 38 weeks (Thursday). My normal midwife is not available on Tuesday so I'll be seeing the midwife who attended to me when I was seen at L&D triage at 32 weeks. I'm sure it will go well. I felt very at ease with her even though I was in a stressful and freaked out situation.
Other than that my week is going to be full of prepping and relaxing. Something I'm looking forward to!
Today is April 6th. My due date is exactly one month from today.
Will Silas be a May baby or will he decide to come early and be an April baby?
I don't know... no one know except for Silas. He'll come when he is ready, although I secretly hope that he is hear before May 9th, which is mother's day.
I would love to be a mommy on mother's day. I know that I'm already a mommy even though he isn't here yet, but to hold my son on mother's day would be wonderful. It would also be nice if he were here before my birthday which is on the 12th of May.
If he isn't, that is o.k. too. When he decides to come will be the day he is suppose to be here.
I've been having a lot of discomfort though. I'm really swollen, and its not just at the end of the day. Sometimes I wake up swollen. I'm also having period-like cramping and pressure in my pelvis not to mention back pain.
I had an appointment with my midwife today... I'm now on weekly visits with her.
While she was checking Silas' heart rate she said I was contracting. I've noticed my stomach getting tight and hard, but I just thought it was Silas pushing against my belly because I feel no pain or discomfort with it... but apparently it's Braxton Hicks.
As for the cramps and pressure, she said that is normal and my body is preparing for the big show. I need to begin timing them. If they last for more than a minute, and occur every four minutes for an hour then I need to call and then head into L&D. However she also said that this could go on for weeks and try to relax and not stress out.
I talked to her about being so swollen and we talked about how much water I'm drinking in a day, which apparently might be too much... I own a 24oz Camelback bottle and drink 5-8 of them a day, which is 120-192oz a day. She said try to aim for 64-96oz and see if that helps. She also suggested warm baths and eating watermelon and asparagus (both which I love!)
Aside from that everything looks good. My blood pressure was 100/70, there was no protein in my urine, and that even though I've gained 5 pounds in the last two weeks, she thinks it has to do with my water retention. I'm not over eating, and I'm not over indulging. I'm eating small portions and they are generally very balanced.
I go back in a week and we'll see what happens.... but with my BP being so good and my urine tests fine she isn't very worried. She said Silas is going to be a healthy little guy and I need to focus on relaxing until he gets here.
Outside of talking about the now we talked about the labor. I spoke to her about the class we took and how it had me really worried because it was all about the worst case scenarios. She said that I need to write a birth plan, not focusing on what I don't want, but focusing on what I DO want. She also said that none of the midwives will use interventions unless it is absolutely necessary. I asked about cord clamping because I would like to wait for it to stop pulsing so that Silas receives as much iron and nutrients from the placenta as possible and she said non of the midwives clamp right after birth as long as there are no complications or signs of distress of the baby. Once he delivers they will place him on my chest, skin to skin, and then they will ask me if it's o.k. to clean him up. They will tend to him in the room and if they need to move him Josh will be able to go with him. I feel very comfortable with how things will go. She said that unless I tested positive for the Group B Step or have to have a Cesarean that I will only need to spend 24 hours in the hospital and then I can go home. We do however need to have a pediatrician and a car seat installed. We do not have a pediatrician yet, but will have one soon. We also already car seats, but they are not installed yet. I'm hoping my wonderful cousin, who is a firefighter and certified in car seats, will help us with that.
4-5 more weeks to go and he'll be there... things to do before then, in no particular order...
And now for bumps photos...
35 weeks and 5 days
All is well in the Willingham household!
Cricket is doing quite well these days! I had an appointment this morning with the midwife and he is measuring right on target. His heart rate is 150 bpm. He will be here in 7 weeks at the latest! His due date is 44 days away, however if he doesn't come on his own they will induce before the 13th of May. Josh and I are hoping that he comes on his own and we won't have to worry about induction, but to be honest, all that matter is that we have a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
This last week was spring break for my school and I got much needed rest. I got caught up on almost all of the house work. I'm not able to clean bathrooms because of the smells and of course because I'm so big. I'm going to have someone clean them for me. Josh is suppose to call a family connection. I feel bad for asking for someone to do it, but with Josh working full time, and going to school it's hard for him to do it.
I had some maternity pictures taken over the break and there are a few pictures below all the text. Ron and Steph came over and took pictures right in our home. It was fun to hang out, pose, and just be silly. Ron does amazing work and I feel so beautiful in the pictures. I hope that we do this for each of the children we have so we can cherish the memories forever!
Josh and I also went on a mini trip. It was so nice. We only went to Apache Junction, but it was beautiful at the resort we stayed at. It had a huge bathtub that I took full advantage of! We were only gone for two days, but it was so nice to spend that time alone with Josh and away from all distractions of life. I fall in love with my husband more and more every day we are together and I just know how great he'll be with our little guy.
In other news....
I'm back at work and have the rest of this week and three weeks after that left before I stay home on maternity leave. I'm going to miss my students, but I can't wait for April 16th. It's becoming difficult to walk across the campus and I'm so tired that I often feel like I need a nap. My feet and ankles are swollen by the end of the day and I've been skipping walking at the gym to come home and put up my feet.
With parent teacher conferences this week I know that it will be tough and I will be more than ready for bed by the time I get home. I'm not staying very late tonight, but have appointments until 6 pm tomorrow and 7 pm on Thursday. Fortunatly I'm finished by 1:30 on Friday! Its nice that I'll get to see all of the parents before I go on leave and I'll be able to talk to them about who is going to be taking over and what they can do now to ensure that their children are well prepared for the transition. I think most of them think I'm coming right back after I have the baby. My midwife says that I should be o.k. to take baby into the school to meet my class on the last day of school, but to keep him covered and not to let anyone touch him. I haven't made up my mind about bringing him in yet and will have to make that decision when he's born and near the end of the school year. If nothing else I do plan on sending them lots of pictures!
Speaking of pictures! All of my maternity pictures were taken at 32 weeks and 6 days.
I had a meeting this morning at 7:15. I got to work at 7, dropped my things off in my classroom, took my lunch to the lounge and then went to my meeting in our Math AA's room. After the meeting I walked into the work room and I suddenly felt horrible cramping in my belly.
My stomach got real tight and I start to panic. I got out of the work room and away from the handful of teachers who are in there scrambling before the school day started and walked into the office. I sat down and within seconds I felt the cramping again.
Our secretary grabbed the school nurse and our admin secretary. The nurse ushered me into her office away from prying parent and student eyes while our Admin Sec called Josh. Once she got a hold of him she came into the nurses office with our principal and we waited for Josh. During that time I felt the cramping again. The pain didn't last long, maybe 10-15 seconds, but my belly felt real hard. By the time Josh showed up at the school I'd felt the cramping 6 separate times. I called my CNM's office and they told me to drink lots of fluids and head into L&D triage.
I was a mess and in tears. I'm only 32 weeks today. It's too soon for Cricket to arrive and I was going out of my mind because I a) have no idea what contractions should feel like b) don't know if it's Braxton Hicks I'm having or something else c) don't know if I'm just over reacting and worry if I am then how the heck am I going to react when its really time.
They got me into a room in triage right away and I had to give them a urine sample. Josh helped me change into a robe and they hooked me up to the fetal monitor. I hadn't felt any more cramping since getting to the hospital, but I was still stressed out and my belly felt really tight. The CNM on call, Anita, came in after about 30 minutes to do a pelvic exam and check the monitoring tape. She was super friendly and very calm.
I feel very fortunate that out of the 4 midwives at St. Joe's I've met three, and they have all be great to me.
She said that the baby was fine and there were no signs of contractions and that he was moving around. I told her that I believed her, but my belly felt tight and I couldn't feel him myself. She did a pelvic exam and asked if I had ever had an abnormal pap. I told her no and she said that there was some bacteria that she was going to send to the lab to have analyzed and that she also thought there might be a cyst on my cervix. She ordered an ultrasound to have my cervix measured and then sent my pap to the lab.
The ultrasound Tech was great and showed Josh and I Cricket. She said he looked great and was moving around. She checked his heart rate again and then she did the trans vaginal to measures my cervix. She said she couldn't see a cyst on my cervix though. When I went back to triage they got me hooked back on the fetal monitor. The nurse left the volume on so we could hear Cricket's heart beat. I finally started to calm down and I could feel him moving again. Josh tried to get me to watch tv, but I just couldn't get into it. I turn it off and just listened to Cricket's heartbeat and random movements.
I dozed off while Josh held my hand. When Anita came back in she said that the labs came back fine and that the bacteria is likely from hormonal changes but she was going to prescribe an antibiotic on the safe side. She also said that she wanted the doctor on call to take a look at the spot on my cervix since the ultrasound tech didn't see a cyst. While we waited for the doctor she told me that I needed to stay off my feet and recommended that I take the rest of today and tomorrow off from work. She even wrote me a note so the district knows that I legitimately needed to take the day before the break off and wasn't just trying to get one extra day.
The doctor who came in was really nice. He talked to us for a little bit about what was going on, check the monitor tape, and generally made me feel more at ease before he did another exam. He said that it could be a cyst or a fibroid, but that it's nothing to worry about and they would take a look at it again after I deliver. He also told me to stay off my feet for a few days and to relax before the big day arrives.
I've had a very healthy pregnancy so far, so this really scared the crap out of me. Josh was great though. He didn't panic or worry and he kept me as calm as he could. The staff at the hospital were wonderful and I feel very confident about giving birth there. Now that I've met Anita I'm not as worried if Tanya isn't present for the birth. I would rather have one of them there since I've spent time with both of them, but there is only a 50% chance since there are four midwives who rotate.
I called work to let them know and they told me not to even worry about sub plans and that they would take care of it, which takes a lot off of my shoulders.
I've been napping, and laying on the couch between talking to family and friends who've called to see how baby and I are doing. The thing to do right now is not worry because that won't help my cause.
We had our thrid trimester ultrasound on Saturday.
Our little guy is now in the head down postion!
It was so great to see him again. Although I've always thought that the 4D ultrasounds looked a bit on the creepy side, it must be because it's my own child, because I thought he looked adorable!
I loved watching him move and am falling more deeply in love with him. It's amazing that he is due in about 8 1/2 weeks. I can't wait to meet him and hold him and shower him with love.
I've embeded the video and I hope it shows up, because I've never done this! It is a little on the long side, but I hope you enjoy viewing!
Baby Willingham from Victoria Willingham on Vimeo.
His little foot was practically attached to his forehead the entire time!
Big Yawns!
Tiny baby feet!
All curled up! 
Chubby cheeks!
27 weeks 5 days
28 weeks 3 days
29 weeks 2 day
30 weeks 3 days
27 weeks 4 days
LOVE my baby belly!Today I am 26 weeks along. In only 11 weeks I'll be full term and then in 14 our little Cricket will be here, unless he decides to extend his stay.
