32 weeks - Baby Shower and Birth Plan!

The last couple of weeks have been nothing short of INSANE! With going back to work and finishing up preparations for the Baby Shower, we have been extremely busy. I am happy to report that everything went beautifully, and will be sharing some photos as well :) Get ready for a long post :)

How far along: 32 weeks 4 days! :)

Total weight change: Just had an appointment with my OB yesterday, and am up a total of 31 lbs!!! ::GASP:: OB seems to be ok with it... I don't think I've changed my eating habits... But I do think Baby DBud is really starting to put on some wait... And I'm starting to feel it!

Maternity clothes: Same as last time... I hate most maternity clothes, so I got my baby shower dress from The Avenue, and it fit great. It was a bandeau maxi dress with black, a lighter blue and a dark blue.

Stretch Marks: No new ones... and the ones I have look a little less red/purple. So, hopefully there won't be anymore...

Movement: He is moving a lot lately! Rolling and kicking... so cute :) More rolling than kicking these days. Gotta say, the hiccups are cute :)

Sleep: Back to work, so not sleeping as much as I would like, but still sleeping well. I pretty much knock out, and only wake up about once a night to go to the restroom. I also wake up once or twice to turn over from one side to the other. Still loving my Boppy :)

Best Moment This Past Week: Of course, the Baby Shower!!!!! Also, having my OB appointment and setting up the birth plan... Which I'll go into in a bit :)

Most Difficult Moment This Past Week: Can't say that I had any real difficult moments... It was a good week :) However, I did have a major fit when one of my dogs tore up one of my favorite sandals... One of the ONLY shoes that still fit. It was a totally hormonal moment. Other than that, it was a wonderful week.

Belly Button In or Out: Still in, but definitely not as deep as before. It's getting more shallow each day... lol

Cravings/Aversions: Not really craving anything, actually. The ice cravings have died down... But it also hasn't been as hot anymore. I hope our South Florida version of Spring is on the Horizon... Here's hoping!!!

Symptoms: The Heartburn has been coming and going, and hasn't been TOO bad. The nausea has been staying away. I have a very heavy, low, feeling in my uterus, that is also quite exhausting. I want him to stay put for a few more weeks, so let's hope he does, but it's getting a little uncomfortable.

And now... First things first!

On Saturday, we had my Baby Shower. It was a beautiful, women only, event at a gorgeous restaurant. We had about 70 guests for a Cirque du Bebe theme that turned out beautifully! It was a major DIY event, and I have to say I was extremely pleased with the result. We made the favors and flower arrangements. Here are a few pictures, taken by a photographer we hired, of the details:

The cake

Diaper and Wipes Tent

My Table :)

A gift from a good friend for the Baby's room (bedding is Carter's Safari Sky)

Feathers!

Showered with gifts for the Baby! (this is not even half of what we got)

A special gift for Mommy from some co-workers :)

It was an amazing day, and I have to say that I am truly blessed to have so many people who care for us.

As for my Dr. appointment and Birth Plan, I briefly discussed this with my OB at our appointment yesterday. I told him that the only thing I do not want is to be induced. He said that was fine, because the Hospital we chose won't induce until 41 weeks either way. He is sending me for another ultrasound in 2 weeks to see how big the baby is getting, etc. If the baby is too big, and he feels a c-section may be the best option, then we he will schedule me for one. I am only 5'1", which concerns him a bit in reference to having complications during vaginal birth. If the baby is a good size for me to try and deliver vaginally, he will let me be until 39 weeks. If he doesn't come by then, it'll be a c-section for sure. I am fine with whatever will be best for the baby and I, so at this point I am putting it in his hands. I am going to be specific about what I don't want, but other than that, I'm flexible.

So that's that... Now, we wait! We are waiting on the furniture to arrive (in about 2-3 weeks) so we can build it and finish the nursery. In the meantime, I'm going to start packing my hospital bag, and preparing anything else we need.

Until next time :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Birth Plan Highlights

As a bit of background, we are being seen for prenatal care at a freestanding birth center, and are planning to deliver there under the care of midwives. The biggest reason we chose the birth center was because we agree almost entirely with the midwifery model of care, and believe it's the best option for us as a family. The average stay is 6 hours post-birth, and the two interventions they strongly prefer patients have are antibiotics if GBS+ and the Vitamin K shot. (That said, they put a saline lock in the middle of the non-dominant forearm, give antibiotics, and unhook the bag from the lock so it doesn't interfere with labor as much as possible). We finally finished our birth plan last week. I wanted to share the highlights. If you'd like a full copy (it's probably too long!), drop me an e-mail. My contact info is in the sidebar...

Name/EDD
Introduction/thanking our birth center for prenatal care.
Relevant medical history/drug allergies (these are serious for me)
From there, it's broken into two parts--"Birth Center Requests" and "In Case of Hospital Transfer"

Birth Center Requests:

Dim lighting, quiet voices preferred;

Touch and guided relaxation are how I best relax;

Mr. Magnolia Bud would like to assist in catching the baby, announce the sex, and cut the umbilical cord;

Specific religious requests with Hebrew/English transliteration (I probably won't remember the prayers, so this is my reminder);

Tearing naturally is preferential to an episiotomy;

Refusal of eye ointment and heel stick for jaundice testing; and

Postponing PKU test until nurse comes to our house for post-birth home visit.

In Case of Hospital Transfer

Request to abide by birth center preferences when possible;

Skin-to-skin contact for a minimum of one hour;

All post-birth care to wait until baby has finished breastfeeding;

No pacifier, no bottles, no formula;

Discussion of drugs should be with father, midwife and/or doula, not mother directly unless a birth partner requests this;

Father to be present for all medical procedures on mother and/or baby, and to accompany baby anytime baby needs to leave mother's room;

Preference for laboring in "alternative" positions, no continuous fetal monitoring, eating and drinking freely, and no drugs (i.e. pitocin) following birth unless there's a medical emergency;

Induction preferences; and

C-section preferences (continual epidural for 24 hours, epidural over general if possible, at least one arm not strapped down, skin-to-skin immediately, no bath until breastfeeding has begun).

That's it! If I'm forgetting anything, please comment or email me. We're scheduled to go over the plan with one of the midwives next week at our 34 week appointment. It covers our biggest concerns/wishes, knowing that no matter what, we need to be flexible.

Hope you're all having a great week!

18 Weeks and some thoughts...

First I will start with the usual updates:

Belly Measurement/Weight: I am not sure the correct way to measure but I measured in a line through my belly button around and it was 34 1/2 inches.

Physical Progress: Still a little round bump, I got asked today if I was expecting!

How I am feeling about my body: I am still feeling good about my body, I like to see the progression of my belly from my weekly pictures.

Cravings/Aversions: Yesterday it was chocolate milk and dill pickles!

Energy Level: It seems to have fallen a bit but I am not sleeping well. I wake up 1-2 times to go to the bathroom and a handful more because I keep ending up on my back! I hate not being able to sleep on my stomach or back.

Baby Movement: Baby seems MUCH more active this week than last week. He/she is rolling and moving all the time.

Thoughts/Feelings/Emotions: I am still enjoying being pregnant. I go from thinking wow, almost half way there! To oh my gosh I still have that long to go! I am excited for Mr. BB to be able to feel baby move soon, he has not felt baby yet.

Mr. BB and I decided not to find out if we are having a boy or a girl before we even got pregnant. How I wish we would not have made that decision because I SO want to know! It is driving me nuts not to know. Mr. BB will not let me give in and ask our midwife. She has known what baby is since 12 weeks when we had the CVS. I kind of hope that the u/s tech at our anatomy scan accidentally shows/tells us!

I have been reading a ton of books about pregnancy and birth.I went to the library and checked out 3 on birth alone. Right know I am reading 'Husband-Coached Childbirth' by Robert A. Bradley. Of course he is the founder of The Bradley Method of Childbirth. It is very interesting! I am planning on have a natural childbirth and want to be as prepared as possible.

I got something to theme the nursery off! I was in BRU and picked this up:



Our plan is to base the room off this so we will be painting the walls one of the colors off the turtle, probably the green. We will also get sheets and a bed skirt and a breathable bumper. Basically we are not going with a theme from a crib set. I am very excited since I couldn't find anything I wanted to use that was gender neutral. I feel like with these colors we can add some purples of baby is a girl or some darker blues if baby is a boy. Yay!

I hope all my fellow buds are doing well!

We hired a doula!

I'm determined for a different (read: better) birthing experience this time around. My labor/delivery with Little Sunflower Bud was less than desirable. I was induced (failed Cervadil induction twice) and dialed up to the highest dosage the hospital would allow of Pitocin, had my epidural by 3cm and didn't start pushing until after 18 hours of being hooked up to Pitocin. After 2 hours of pushing, she got stuck and wouldn't budge. Her heartrate slowed and my blood pressure rose, so off to an emergency c-section we went! Recovery was pretty bad.

After watching my best friend get out of bed easily 6 hours after giving birth, I've been bound and determined for a vaginal birth this time. My doctor says I'm an excellent candidate for a VBAC and so that is my goal.

I've done a lot of research and reading and made a lot of decisions. The first was finding and hiring a doula. Amy is amazing. We clicked immediately and I feel completely comfortable with her. She is very much on board with everything that I'm looking to get out of this experience and very much willing to do whatever she can to get us there.

We'll meet a few times before my due date and then she'll also be there for the entire duration of labor and delivery and 2-3 hours afterward to help with latch and breastfeeding.

Our plan so far is to do as much laboring at home as possible. Since we have a large garden tub, we'll be able to use that for a lot of the labor. I don't want a home birth so when it gets close or too much to take at home, we'll move on to the hospital (thankfully, it's only 10 minutes away). I really want to avoid Pitocin and an epidural, if at all possible, since they have been shown to sometimes stall labor. We'll be using a birthing ball and a number of positions to make sure baby is moving into the position that we need him in. Another reason to avoid the epidural as long as possible, so that I'm free to move around.

She was thrilled with the specific chiropractor that I've been seeing and said she is definitely one of the best in the area for helping with pregnancy. Dr. K will start to work with me towards the end to do things to help open and loosen up my pelvis.

I'm very excited about everything. While I know that I'm not guaranteed the outcome that I want, I like knowing that I'm doing everything I possibly can to get there.

~Sunflower Bud~