My other excuse is that I've had baby on the brain...if you couldn't already tell!
So, are you ready for my long story?
I haven't written too much about what exactly has been going on with the whole baby situation for a multitude of reasons. One, I wasn't sure anyone would really be interested in all the nitty gritty details. Two, I'm a pretty shy and private person. (Even though if you catch me in the right mood, I can be queen of the over share...not sure how that works!)
And I just don't like to complain! I've felt like the important part was that we were having a baby, and I needed to be grateful for that and find the humor in all of the insanity that has surrounded our lives since we found out we were expecting! (I've found pregnancy to be a pretty funny thing, it's one of those "if you don't laugh about it, you'll loose your mind" kind of things. At least that's what my personal experience has been!)
So here's at least part of the whole story.
Mother's Day! We had just found out we were pregnant the day before and surprised Larry's Grandma with the news!
Happy Grandma's day indeed!
I'll spare you the excess details of how severe morning sickness kicked in basically the day we found out we were pregnant and has never really fully gone away, mingled with all of the other health issues I've had with this pregnancy and we'll skip to the part when we got to see our baby for the first time and find out what we were having, because that's really when all the insanity set in. (If not being able to really eat or move wasn't insane enough!)
So we went to have our first ultrasound and we could see the baby perfectly! We loved our ultrasound tech, she let us know everything she was doing, step by step, so that we didn't have to wonder what on earth we were looking at! We also loved that there was a huge tv screen in front of us we could see the baby on so we didn't have to crane our necks to stare at a tiny computer screen.
As she was measuring all of his limbs, she was measuring VASTLY inside where we thought his limbs began and ended which resulted in calculating his due date as January 2nd instead of the original date we had of December 12th. When she measured his limbs a little closer to where we were seeing them, they were consistent with the original date. So we began to be confused! As she scanned his head, we saw a few cysts. The ultrasound tech said that they could be totally normal, but that she wanted to make sure the doctor saw them and told us that he would probably want to talk to us about it. The worry became that the baby was so much smaller than he was supposed to be and that these cysts could be causing the problem and could be a sign of a disability. So they ordered another ultrasound for a few weeks later to make sure the baby was growing the way he was supposed to.
I don't know why, but I wasn't too worried about it, I knew it was going to be ok. No, I do know why, the Lord had already given me the assurance that everything would be alright.
So we didn't tell anyone because we didn't want to cause unneeded concern or stress, and because it DID end up being ok.
But for a few weeks we waited to find out what was going on with our little one. We went to California wondering and tried to put it out of our minds as we enjoyed celebrating our friend's wedding and our own first anniversary.
We went back to get the ultrasound and the cysts had shrunk and the baby had grown and all was well.
Our one year anniversary! (We won't be doing that again while I'm pregnant...It was fun! But EXHAUSTING!)
The first sonogram! Cute little thing!
Like I said, the cysts were totally normal, they're gone now and there's nothing wrong with the baby.
He is completely healthy!
(Yes, we're sure :P)
But that was certainly a fun roller coaster! So, then we had the battle of the dueling due dates!
Here's my issue with them changing the due date: usually they won't change your due date after you are 12 weeks because eating habits and genetics begin to play a part in the size of your baby after that point. Not to mention I was barely coming out of being able to control my nausea, so I hadn't been able to really eat up to that point. AND we found out a few months later that I have been anemic! Apparently pregnancy related anemia has been known to cause low birth weight. All of those things could have played a part in our baby being a little smaller, and we've felt all along that the December due date was correct.
But the doctor has been adamant that the second due date is the true due date. So my weekly appointments didn't start till last week when, according to them, I was 37 weeks.
As the doctor was checking everything, she seemed confused that my stomach was measuring full term and that the baby was estimating to be about seven pounds! (Perish the thought!) And she seemed a little surprised that I was dilated three centimeters (for those who don't know, heck I never did till now, you are considered in labor when you are dilated to four centimeters and experiencing contractions) and that I was about 50% effaced.
She was concerned that now the baby could be getting too big so she ordered another ultrasound. So Thursday, my original due date, we went in for another ultrasound. And guess what? The baby was all of a sudden measuring that he was 40 weeks and fully grown! (Funny what being able to eat and getting some much needed iron will do for you...)
The fun part about that particular experience was that we had a much less kind ultrasound tech, and she kept telling me the baby was huge and giant...which, by the way, are NOT the things you want to hear when this is your first kid and you're already scared to death that you're going to have a huge baby and your delivery is going to be a nightmare! The baby isn't even big!! He's right on target with where he should be! Is he big for 37 weeks? Yes, because he's not 37 weeks, he's 40!!!!
Anyway, so that was fun!
Us on the baby's due date! We were hoping we would be able to say this was taken days before the baby was born... No such luck! I guess we'll just take another picture!
Baby's last picture before he comes! Let's just hope it's soon!!
I've been having a few contractions every day for probably a month now, but Friday night I had more than I was used to having. They continued all night and all day Saturday (we cancelled our tickets to go see the new Hobbit movie, on the off chance we'd need to go to the hospital, because the movie theater is almost an hour in the opposite direction of the hospital and the hospital is an hour away from where we live! A two hour drive while in labor just didn't sound like a good idea.) So Saturday night they finally increased in intensity and we decided it was better to be safe than sorry and to just go to the hospital and get checked out. Not a pleasant experience. I was having pretty intense contractions, but they weren't doing anything. So they made sure the baby was doing ok and sent me home. The contractions continued most of the day Sunday and Monday I had my next appointment.
This time, the doctor was much more willing to admit that I could be hatching sooner rather than later! Progress!
She checked me and told me I was ALMOST at four centimeters dilated, that I was a few millimeters away and that the water sack was prime and ready to go and that I was about 70% effaced. She had thought about stripping my membranes but that would very likely have broken my water so she didn't do it. She said it could be hours or a few days but that it wouldn't be long! That there was MAYBE a 50/50 chance that I'd be making it to my next appointment next Monday.
So we went home and I had lots of contractions, lots of intense contractions! But they weren't regular so we went to bed and waited.
Tuesday the contractions almost stopped entirely. Wednesday night they picked up again and lasted all night long! So, being cautiously optimistic we went into the hospital yesterday morning to get checked.
Apparently my body has done the impossible.
I've digressed.
The nurse said I was dilated to a two, maybe a three, that the baby wasn't anywhere near being in the right spot and had actually moved up from where he had dropped down, and that I wasn't even 70% effaced. She gave me a shot of a pain med that is supposed to take the edge off of real contractions and chase fake contractions completely away to help let my body relax from being in constant pain and hopefully dilate like it's supposed to. So we waited an hour and the contractions got less intense and you could see on the monitor my body finally starting to relax just a little. But the contractions were still there, so they are real contractions, but when the nurse came back to check me, nothing had changed. I was still about three centimeters dilated. Real contractions do something to your body, they help you dilate, so apparently I'm having real contractions that are also fake!
So after the better part of the day was spent in the hospital, they sent me home and the nurse seemed to think I wouldn't be back any time soon.
The pain medicine wore off and the contractions came back and have been going all night and, so far, all day today. Yet, I'm STILL not in labor. I'm not sure if it's my body being stubborn, or the baby being stubborn, but I sure wish one of them would make up their mind and kick me into gear!!
The doctor doesn't want to induce me because that would potentially heighten my risk of needing a c-section, but my thought is that the longer he is in there, the bigger he is going to get, which is going to increase the risk of a c-section. So, that doesn't make a whole ton of sense to me, but oh well! I'm about two inches from going in there Monday and just begging them to induce me!
In the mean time, Aphrodite apparently got into something, we're not sure what or how, and has had...well, we'll just say she's been sick for the past two days. Thankfully she's feeling better today, but that is only thanks to the fact that we made a frantic call to the vet last night because we were pretty worried about her! For some reason, that just seemed like the cherry on the top of, what has felt a little like everything falling apart. (Which you would think would be the EXACT moment the baby would decide to come, but no amount of chaos or stress can get this bugger to make an appearance!)
So, I'm trying not to worry about it.
If I go into labor, great! If I don't, no big deal!
(Easier said than done since I've been so over being pregnant since the first time I lost my cookies in May!)
I'm hoping he comes sooner than later, for a plethora of reasons, mostly because I want to get to have Christmas at home with my new baby and enjoy it with the family around instead of at the hospital.
We'll see what happens! I'm working on that whole having faith in the Lord's timing thing...apparently I haven't learned that yet!
Anyway, I hope that everyone is having a wonderful week before Christmas and that everyone has a fantastic one!
Here's hoping that the next time I write, I have a baby to show you and tell you about!
Oh, and if anyone who has snow would like to send me some...
I'LL TAKE IT OFF YOUR HANDS!!
Gladly!!
Less Than Three,
Sarah
P.S. If I have forgotten to respond to any messages anyone has sent me (facebook, texts, emails, etc.) in the last week or so, I appologize! Traveling back and forth to the hospital, religiously timing contractions, and frantically wrapping the last of the presents (just in case I don't get a chance to later) has taken up every ounce of sanity and ability for thought I have left! Sorry about that!
