12 weeks & the announcement

We had the 12 week appointment with the OB yesterday. Heart rate was 167-170, so maybe a girl this time? We also announced to the families, which has gone well.

I also finally found our camera, just in time for Mardi Gras, so enjoy the cuteness:

The Missing Camera

Many interesting things have happened this week, but sadly, I cannot document them visually. My camera, which I love oh so much, has disappeared. It happened in a 10 minute period in the living room, and my dear son has placed it somewhere magical. We have torn the house apart. I'm sure it will turn up, but I'm going crazy every time a picture-worthy moment passes.

So, a quick run-down:

~We had our ultrasound last week, and saw a tiny heartbeat on the tadpole. (Which, coincidentally, looks very much like a tadpole.)

~Aengus is walking all over the house like a tiny adult.

~The first birthday is quickly approaching, and I MUST FIND MY CAMERA!

Bleh

I'm sick. I don't remember being this nauseous with Aengus, but perhaps I am remembering his pregnancy with rose-colored glasses. I wake up at 3am every night feeling like death warmed over. Eating makes it worse. Not eating makes it worse. I am miserable. And, that is my bitch for the day. I'm off to be more positive now.

Women Deserve Better...

The 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is tomorrow. As a pro-choice, pro-woman, pro-child mother of one (and one growing) I am thankful for this court case. To best explain my reasoning, please enjoy the below video of Sonya Renee's spoken word "What Women Deserve". It may be the pregnancy hormones talking, but I cried watching this. Then again, I almost always cry when I watch it.

Birth Plans for Tadpole?

I gave birth to my son at home with a wonderful midwife last year. Every memory I have of his birth makes me happy-even the more difficult parts. Will and I still speak of certain parts and laugh or smile.

With this pregnancy, I'm unsure of what to do. We were planning on moving in May, with me working a job and Will staying home, but I can't work for 4 months and then take maternity leave. Well, I guess I could, but I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. So, I guess we'll wait until September or October to move and have the tadpole here. I would love to use our midwife again, but we have to pay out of pocket, and with the move and me not working past May, I'm not sure if we can do it. I mean, we could, but I don't know how financially strapped I want to be.

The other option is to give birth in the hospital (which freaks me out, but I hear one is not bad) with a doula or 2 for support and have the whole thing covered by insurance. I just have to find an OB that I like. I have 2 or so recommendations, so that shouldn't be difficult. I just hate the idea of not remembering tadpole's birth as fondly as Aengus's.

Of course, I have this weird feeling that I'm having twins because I'm still breastfeeding, and if so, I can't give birth at home anyhow.

Cravings

They have begun. And, of course it isn't anything normal. I want vinegar. Apple cider vinegar, to be exact. I want to drink it. I want to get a bowl of apple cider vinegar and dip french bread into it. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water. This is going to be a strange pregnancy.

It's official

I'm gravid again. Looks like we're starting this journey all over again.

Sometime in mid-September, 2011 the tadpole will arrive.

The Arrival

I've been MIA for a while because the kid arrived! So, first, I'll share our story:

4 weeks old

On Valentine's day, I started having contractions at 9am. Will had gone to work early that morning, so I kept it to myself. I told Will at noon and he came home at 2pm. The contractions were irregular, but pretty strong and went all day. Finally at about 9pm (yep that's 12 hours) they were very strong and lasting 1-2 minutes, 3-5 mins apart. Kept going that way and we called the midwife at 11. She got here before midnight and checked me, but I wasn't really dilating yet. Meanwhile, the baby still hadn't dropped. I was so exhausted. She suggested taking a bath (I did) and trying to sleep. She thought it would be a few hours and I would be going strong. I slept poorly from 1-3 and woke up completely disheartened. I was exhausted, but the contractions were lessening. Labor stalled out at around 4 and I slept until 7. Completely gone. I had labored for 15 or so hours and it just went away. I was so upset.

On February 18, I woke up at 3am to use the bathroom and said "either I just peed myself or my water broke". Well, I was pretty sure it was the water, but I knew I needed sleep, so Will and I went back to bed....and stared at the ceiling. We finally got back to sleep by 6 or so and Will called into work. We were so excited, but I wasn't really having any contractions. At 9 I called my midwife and was only having random irregular contractions despite little gushes of fluid throughout the day, so she told me to maybe go on a walk to get things started. I stalled and stalled all day, so she came over to check the baby and me. Everything was good, and she wasn't really convinced my water had broken. She said it could still be urine due to the pressure on my bladder, but that she still thought it would be tonight. Meanwhile, the baby was perfectly poised and ready to come out-in the best position he had been in all 3rd trimester.

By 5:30pm I was having regular strong contractions every 5 minutes. They kept getting stronger, longer, closer together--you know the drill. Bouncing on the birth ball was awesome at this point. I was still feeling really upbeat and coping well. I called the midwife and asked her to come around 9 or 10. At that point, I was at 6cm and had a bulging bag of water! So...no water before? Well, contractions continued about 2 mins apart all night. I took a bath to relax at 4am and slept between contractions.

Fetal heart tone check

Will, the midwife apprentice, and I went on a walk at 5am to hopefully get things going more. After that didn't do much, I asked her to check me again and we talked about maybe breaking the water bag if it looked favorable. I was at 7cm at 6:30am (and 13 hours or so) and the water bag was still bulgy. I said, just go ahead--I want my baby. The bag was so thick, the amnio hook just about couldn't get it open--no wonder I wasn't really getting anywhere!! Water broke and the pressure was relieved and it felt amazing until transition hit me like a freight train. It was really rough, but my labor support was amazing. Will was my rock-and the midwives (the apprentice also works as a doula and was amazing) were so wonderful.

By 7:30 I was pushing and it felt great. On all fours, the toilet, etc. The birth stool that I thought I wanted felt terrible and I still can't understand why I didn't like it. After 1 or so hours of pushing, I was getting so exhausted, they suggested I lie back on the bed and pull my legs back as I push--finally, some progress! I could see the top of his head peek out with a mirror and it was unbelievable. But, his head was having a terrible time getting out. My midwife was trying to help him along by doing some technique stretching around his head with his fingers and I really thought she was going to kill me. It hurt terribly, but I just kept pushing. They pulled my bottom off the bed after almost 3 hours, and that allowed just enough extra room to help things along better.

Suddenly, during a hard push I felt relief and they said "his head is out!". I immediately pushed again as hard as possible and his little body shot right out. His cord was short, but they put him on my belly so it wouldn't stretch too far. He had other plans. He started crawling up to my chest immediately, and raised is head up and looked over at Will. I cannot describe the feeling of seeing his face for the first time. He was really here-and he was beautiful!

Just born

Aengus Cade was born at 10:26am on February 19, 2010. He was 6lb 13oz and 19.5in at birth. He immediately started nursing perfectly and had already gained a pound by his 2 week appointment.

38 weeks, 1 day

It's the final countdown....

I figured I should keep track of the days leading up for progeny's sake, or at least to allow myself some pretense of progress.

We woke up late today (seeing as it was Saturday) and had lunch at a mexican restaurant. After Will left for work at 3, I took Baxter on a long walk around the upcoming 'burbs being built behind our street. Sadly, that did not cause any contractions, but I did come home with a side stitch. Around 6 or so, I had a couple of contractions about 15 minutes apart, along with more crampy feelings for half an hour. I also had lower back pain for a few hours. I'm hoping something is going on with the kid--maybe he'll visit the outside world soon.

25 Weeks

Yesterday I had my 24/25 week appointment with my midwife. I am happy to report that the little boy is vertex-and will hopefully stay that way for the rest of his gestational period. I'm measuring just right and have gained 9 lbs total. He should be chunking up in the next few weeks, and so should I. The little boy had the hiccups, and was kicking back against the doppler, but he is too big to run from it so we could measure his heartbeat at a strong 148bpm.

So, as I quickly approach the 3rd trimester (26 or 27 weeks depending on the source), I need to increase my Omega Fatty Acids, DHA, all that good stuff. However, I had to stop taking the fish oil tablets a few weeks ago because they made me so sick. Well, I have found my saving grace: children's gummy omega-3s. Delicious! They taste like fruit and cause no upset stomach. Hey, at least they aren't Flintstone's vitamins.

23 Weeks and Blasting Zeppelin

So, we've hit the 23 week mark (well, yesterday) and according to my Mothering newsletter, the little boy can hear pretty well now. Supposedly, he can tell when I'm dancing and will start to prefer types of music. So, naturally, Will has decided (and I completely agree) to get out the giant headphones and the ipod to pump plenty of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Flogging Molly into my uterus.

So, if you want to see what Plant and Page look like now,

click and think about the fact that they're as old as your parents/grandparents.

If the little boy's kicks and flips indicate any preference, it is for AC/DC, which is fitting. I may have to push him out to 'For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)' since he most definitely will be a badass little boy.

On a non-pregnancy note, Thursday it was 80F and practically monsooned-- we even had tornado warnings here in the swamp. And then today it was 65F and utterly beautiful. What is going on with the weather? Is mother earth just screwing with us?

22 Weeks

Today, I hit the 22 week mark on this pregnancy journey. I am finally feeling energetic, and for some reason I can eat and drink as much dairy as I want (I am normally lactose intolerant). The little boy is kicking and squirming; he enjoys bouncing on my bladder frequently. As uncomfortable and sometimes painful as it can be, I am thrilled because it reassures me that he is growing strong. In that vein, I want to share a video of Kimya Dawson singing "The Smoothie Song."

She wrote this song while pregnant with her daughter, and it shows a pregnant woman's anxieties about the kiddo growing so perfectly. Any time I start singing this song, Will now takes it as a hint to get me something to eat! 

I love Kimya Dawson's music, and she actually recently came out with a children's album, Alphabutt, that I am thinking about buying.

Bullfrogs and Swine Flu

As I continue my second semester of graduate school, I am getting into the down and dirty of my research. Luckily the steady downpour of rain has continued for the last 40 days and 40 nights (wait, should I be looking for a big boat filled with animals?) has tempted many a Ranid frog out from the the deep swamp water. Makes for easy collecting!

Frog legs? Look at this cute face. How could anyone eat him?

Bullfrogs are ridiculously cute, especially at a young age, and that cuteness makes it all the more difficult when I have to euthanize them for the sake of science. However, my histology preparations are coming along nicely, and I am at the paraffin stage. 

One point of stress for me this afternoon was that I realized I had been exposed to low amounts of toluene for about 15 minutes. It can be harmful to your lungs, and a possible reproductive toxin, so I'm sure the little boy growing in my uterus is not pleased with me. However, after panicking and searching the internet, apparently I would have to huff it every day for a few hours for him to have any kind of damage, according to previous animal testing. 

Common uses of toluene: paint thinner, gasoline, nail polish, and TNT

Finally, on an unrelated note, if anyone is interested in good information on the swine flu vaccines available and whether you should get one or not, I recommend Dr. Sears' website. He lists the 4 different versions available, their ingredients, what ages they are approved for, and any possible risks. He also talks about H1N1 itself: the prevalence, risks, etc. 

I like Dr. Sears; he isn't anti-vaccination, but he also is rational when it comes to looking at what to get and what not to get for you and your kids. But most of all, I like that he gives you all the information you need to make an informed choice and leaves the decision up to you (though on some he does recommend for or against the vaccine). 

Being 5 months pregnant, swine flu is on my radar, but so are the possible effects on said unborn fetus. Dr. Sears lists the safer vaccines for preggos like me (ie no flumist or mercury containing vaccines) so when the vaccines arrive in my area, I can at least know which ones are safer for the kid.