...or just skip this post all together if you are not interested in hearing the ramblings of a very pregnant woman...
There's not a whole lot happening around here other than growing a baby, becoming VERY familiar with the waiting room in the Dr's. office and making sure my kids stay alive. Not much action going on...just lots of thinking. I'm just wondering when I'm going to start the action part!
Some things I've been thinking about lately:
When I will get to take my next nap....
Fatigue is my only pregnancy complaint, so I really shouldn't complain, but it will be nice to have energy once again! Another thing to consider... if I don't get my sleep, you never know what could happen.
My increasingly dirty house....
I'm just wondering when I'm going to actually act on those nesting instincts that are barely starting to come?!?! If it doesn't happen SOON....I'm going to have to shell out the money and hire someone to clean my house!!! Does anyone have a referral for a good cleaning lady ???
Watermelon, glorious watermelon...
I am obsessed with watermelon. I can't eat enough of the stuff! It takes very little effort to prepare....which is probably a very good reason it is so appealing to me. I did actually cut a massive slice off of this for breakfast and then proceeded to mutilate it while "grazing" for much of the morning. Bye the way, I LOVE watermelon right now!
My birth location choice....
Since I've had one mediocre hospital birth experience with Justin at Valley Hospital (not a place I'd recommend if you want to have a natural birth, but it was possible) and a Fabulous home birth with Anna (quite an amazing experience,) I have mixed feelings about giving birth in the hospital this time. I am confident in my ability to give birth and know It will be just fine at home or in the hospital, but think I might miss the intimacy and comfort of home, which I loved. So why am I in the hospital this time? Sad but true, I'm a girl with an eye for a bargain! I was planning on doing a home birth with April Kermani, a well recommend midwife here, until I found out that a hospital birth would only cost me $100 compared to the $3000 for a home birth.....and I met Dr. Steven Harter, who is more open and accepting of woman's choice in birth than any OB/GYN I have ever met. Last week when he approved my Birth Plan with flying colors, it gave me comfort. I've heard that Summerlin is the most accepting of mothers who want to give birth naturally and know I can have a good experience anywhere. I've felt for months that it's an ok choice to make, but still will miss the home birth experience.
i wrote this letter to Kaye Bullock, my midwife for Anna's birth.
July 11, 2008 at 10:25pm
I'm a great pregnant lady. Feel great! fatigue is all I have to deal with. I am 90 % sure it will be Dr Harter at Summerlin catching. . w/my insurance that's $100 bucks + marci thomas' doubla fees....April k. costs....$3000 I really like her.though . It stinks that money plays a part.
I have really liked everything he says. Not your average Doctor at all. If he really is true to what he says, he will be great..All I want is to have my way and he seems like he'll agree to any reasonable request. :) I feel well prepared and can have a great birth anywhere...the best is at home, but with a supportive doctor the hospital will do fine. I'll just have to get there on time...one of my concerns. At least I know it will probably go fast.
I still could do homebirth if something didn't feel right...but right now, everything feels peachy.
I have really liked everything he says. Not your average Doctor at all. If he really is true to what he says, he will be great..All I want is to have my way and he seems like he'll agree to any reasonable request. :) I feel well prepared and can have a great birth anywhere...the best is at home, but with a supportive doctor the hospital will do fine. I'll just have to get there on time...one of my concerns. At least I know it will probably go fast.
I still could do homebirth if something didn't feel right...but right now, everything feels peachy.
Whether or not I'll get to use this much...
Anna's birth was so fast that I wonder if I'll actually have enough time to utilize the birth tub I've rented. If I do get to birth in the tub it will be my first water birth. Water birth never actually appealed to me until now, even though I find water extremely relaxing and wonderful so I'm excited to try something new. I like the idea of breaking up standard hospital procedures and am glad that I have a Dr. that will let me use it! When I was speaking with the hospital, they said that Dr. Harter is one of the only ones who even does hospital water birth. I'm very interested to see how it goes, especially compared to my other two births.
When I'm actually going to pack...So, this isn't actually my bag...it just resembles mine due to the fact that it is EMPTY! I wonder how soon normal people start to pack for the trip to the hospital.
When I will be able to take a nap....O.k., I did mention this already, I just think about it A LOT!
How sweet my husband is....
For doing this to my sink while I was having a fun night out of the house. OK, OK, my sink wasn't shining like this one, but it had NO dishes in it! I wish I could still say that now....
What the actually size of baby is....
When a well meaning observer comments "Wow, you are huge" or "you look like you are going to pop", it isn't music to my ears to say the least. When my Dr. measured me at 41 weeks today, I didn't like the sound of that either. The ultrasound said yesterday this baby is 95th percentile in weight...Yikes! Who really knows! They told me the day before Justin was induced that he was over 10 lbs and he came out 7.7lbs. I wonder if there is any hope left that Baby will slide out like Anna did at a perfect 7.1 lbs?!? Chubby babies sure are cute though!
And now, the one topic this 37 weeks pregnant lady can't seem to get off her mind....
WHEN MY BABY IS COMING OUT!!!!
It's not that I want the baby out now, I just would like to be informed of WHEN!
I say due date, shmue date....Since I never had a period my due date was only predicted by ultrasound when I was 13 weeks along for Aug. 31. They say that the date is give or take 7 days. So my due date really should be Aug 24 through September 7th. Sigh....Consider the unpredictability of a more accurate due date calculated by the last menstrual period since babies are rarely born on a due date, then add 7 days either way?!? I say, why bother with the date at all! I'm usually a pretty patient person, but the total uncertainty is consuming so much brain power that it is hard to think of anything else! I vote for giving birth August 16th since there is a full moon, if any force in the cosmos cares!
So maybe you'll know some of the answers to my dying questions...
When will my baby be born??
Why is my Dr. going out of town right before my "due date??"
How much sleep is too much?
When am I supposed to get the whole nesting feeling?
Who should I hire to help me clean my dirty house?
Could I put off packing my hospital bag another week?
Has anyone had their baby on the night of a full moon?
Have ultrasound predictions been accurate for you?
Is cankles (calves + ankles ) a real word...because it sure is a real condition!?!?
When will my baby be born??
Why is my Dr. going out of town right before my "due date??"
How much sleep is too much?
When am I supposed to get the whole nesting feeling?
Who should I hire to help me clean my dirty house?
Could I put off packing my hospital bag another week?
Has anyone had their baby on the night of a full moon?
Have ultrasound predictions been accurate for you?
Is cankles (calves + ankles ) a real word...because it sure is a real condition!?!?
22 comments:
i love you. It's going to be great! It's all happens when it wants to whether your bags are packed, your house is clean, waiting or surprised! My only advice is to enjoy it. Easy to say I know, I remember feeling absolutely uncomfortable, wishing for a good nights sleep. Hang in there, it will be over way too soon!
that was funny! you really made me laugh with that one. that water birth tub looks actually pretty awesome. hey, your baby's been in water for 9 months, why not keep him there for another minute? :) good luck and i can't wait to hear the gender when the arrival comes!
1. Don't plan on packing your suitcase until your due date. Packing ahead of time will ensure that you go all the way through August still pregnant!
2. What nesting instinct? I apparently was gone the day that was handed out. My husband nested for both of us.
You will have to tell me how the water birth goes. I have always wanted to do that but was never brave enough to ask if they would let me. I don't usually pack my bags until I have my first contraction. With Joshie I had it pack way in advance and then i realized that I had plenty of time to pack once I realized I was in labor. Even when Eliza and Aubrey were born only a few hours after my first contraction I still had plenty of time. Can't wait to see you tomorrow.
Fun to read all your end-of-pregnancy thoughts! I'm sure all will go well for you--whenever that happens to be. Can't wait to see the post with the pictures of the sweet babe! Until then, hang in there!
Oh, Julie! I so feel ya and I am totally stoked to hear how your hopital birth for purely monetary reasons with the fabulous Dr. Harter goes!! Is that bad that I want you to be my guinea pig. Because I mean it in the nicest possible way! :) I've never been "ready" once until the very moment it happened. When I went in to labor with Katy, one of the first things I said to Chuck was, "hey, quick can you go change the laundry?". I was on my last load. You have to get desparate enough that you actually want to push the baby out.
Oh, the dreaded last few weeks of pregnancy. Isn't it crazy that you forget all of that when you get to hold that little darling in your arms. Talk to Amy about who to hire to clean your house. She usually finds a good deal!
I love your pictures from your CA trip. I want to run away to Southern Ca.(sigh)
Your almost there! I always think to myself you are doing pretty awesome considering how far along you are. I always think of you running around non-stop when I talk to you. See you in a few minutes when you drop the kids off to go to the temple!
I delivered both of my girls naturally at Summerlin Hospital. I had really good experiences both times. I have never done a water birth though, you'll have to let us know how it goes. I hope everything goes well for you! Hang in there and take care.
This is getting so exciting.
I think this is the one time in your life that you can get away with doing exactly what you want. So grab a nap, forget the dishes, and eat some more watermelon.
Make yourself happy!!
Oh I can't wait to hear how your birth goes, I didn't know you did your natural. I had both my girls natural also and I actually used April for my last baby, Sienna. I hope that all goes well and that you can sneak a nap in soon.
What a fun post. I remeber the days of being pregnant. I keep trying to convince Dustin we need another. Good for you to go natural! I have had 4 out 5 that way. Would recommend the natural to anyone, at least that they try it. My first I had an epiduaral and did not like the recovery. I also didn't get that great feeling of accomplishment afterwards. I tell people I loved giving birth way more than being pregnant. The only question I can answer for you is the one about packing your bags. Julie, I have had five kids and never had my bag ready and packed. Dustin would bring it to me later. I guess that is why we really don't have many pictures of right after birth, but that's okay. We got pics the next day. Pack it when you have the energy. You don't need half the stuff they recommend anyway! Just get rest and relax. If your husband will clean the house for you, let him. His labor is free! Ofr give a big hint for a welcome home present to moms and family members! August 16th is a good day, that's Dustin's birthday. I could go on and on, but I won't. Good luck and hang in there. Hope that baby comes in 3 days for you!
Oh, Julie! I want to cry reading that post because it brings back memories of those last 3 weeks of pregnancy! I went to WSC also (Dr. Kelly, whom I LOVE and admire) I think that whole practice has great reputation. As for the cleaning house thing, Steve and I have a deal. When I am pregos, I get a cleaning lady. I would refer the one I had last time, but she kept breaking things! I got to keep her for about 2 months after Clara's birth, but she was costing us more and more money each visit (how do you break a bathtup faucet???). Check out one of the local church mags, they usually have a few adds that are well qualified.
As for the due date, I swear that eating balsamic vinegar does the trick, not right away, but it does get things moving. I also had a pork roast with lots of spice rubbed in the night my water broke. I swear that is what put me into labor! Good luck on keeping sane over the next couple of weeks!
You are so funny! If only I could be so entertaining on my blog... =) And at first I thought that sink was yours and was wondering how in the world anyone could get a used sink so sparkly!??! And you are a trooper to go the natural road. Good luck with everything... though I'm sure I'll see you before you "pop". (Why do people even make comments to pregnant women they don't know??)
Good luck, Julie! I've heard nothing but the most wonderful things about Summerlin hospital and it sounds like you have everything ready. Sorry you feel so terribly uncomfortable and I REALLY hope you don't have a big Morris baby! They're killers on a mama! Let's both hope for a sweet little Anna!
Pregnant in August? The only thing I can think to say is "I'm sorry"!
Soon you will have the answers to all of your questions! Except maybe the sleep thing... I've found that having kids has made a regular pattern of sleep almost impossible!
Oh, and I NEVER packed a suitcase. I got up there, had a baby and then sent hubby home to grab me a few things. I didn't ever take C.D.'s or comfort items or anything like that. He'd just run home for things like a hair brush and clothes to come home in.
You must be around 37 weeks if you feel like yu can't stand being pregnant for another minute. That always happens to me anyway! You could always drink some castor oil and encourage things a little.
That's really cool that you can do a water birth at the hospital. I would try it knowing the anesthiologists is only a phone call away. Good luck! I hope the baby comes soon.
Hold On! I know it's hard. You know what I did when I was offered the choice to wait for it to come or be induced with the baby most definitely being born on Thanksgiving day! I chose to KNOW when it was happening! Hang in there and enjoy your watermelon as much as you can!
Oh Julie, I sooooo feel your pain. I am just a few days behind you and I would really like to have my baby tomorrow. Sleeping is out the window, the house is a mess and my bag is still not packed. I told Kyle I was going to hire a maid, but he said no. He said he would help out more. He was off for 4 days straight last week and didn't even carry the laundry bins full of clean laundry upstairs for me. ( What a slacker) Luckily my kids are out of school and I got lots of help from them today. I'm not worried about the bag all I need is the camera and Kyle can bring the rest later. All of my kids have been induced so I knew when they were coming. I definately like that because I can have the whole house clean right before baby comes. I hoping he'll take this one in 2 weeks.
PS: Remember with your natural birth that the hospital cannot give you anything or do anything that you don't consent to. So don't be worried. As long as it doesn't effect the health of your baby you can tell them no to whatever they suggest. I for one am all for the long needle in the back. This is number 6 for us and I figure why not enjoy a painless birth again, because labor is the easy part. Raising them is really the biggest challenge.
i never did pack my bag with either one.....waited till time to go then grabbed the stuff I needed....that way I wasnt sitting there waiting for it...........I hear reflexology can enduce labor...dont know if its true never made it to that either......I also never nested with my 2nd one....whats the point Gwyn came and cleaned my house afterwards, I busy running around, shopping and hanging out with my friends....I say August 30th is a good day That is Celesse's birthday, needs to be a girl to so we can have cousins that share the same bday......understand all your woes about what to do and how to do it.......I personally could not go natural since I had to be majorily enduced and had total back labor, plus my doctor worried about my should coming back out of socket...long story but I am clumsy while pregnant......
My prayers are with you....i remember how frustrated I was the last 3 weeks of being pregnant......
and by the way my Doctor told me they get a pound bigger each kid....so if anna was 7.1 ecpect 8lbs.....
Yeah for a baby boy!!! I am so excited for you!!! I loved this post. it was freaking awesome!!!
Post a Comment