I Had The Baby (Just Kidding, April Fool's)

This was originally written on Tuesday, April 01, 2008:

It's April! Joe and I thought about calling people today and telling them we'd had L.J. (since it's April Fools Day), lol. Instead, I played a trick on him! I never have before, but his mom called me this morning and recommended I tie a rubberband around the sprayer on the kitchen sink so that it would shoot him with water when he turned on the faucet, he-he. It was a success :-)

At first I didn't think it was going to work--the rubberband couldn't get tight enough to do the job without breaking. But then I tried a different one and it worked! Joe wasn't even looking when he went over to the kitchen sink and turned it on, so it sprayed ALL over his shirt! He turned around and glared at me and said, "It's April Fools Day, isn't it."

I told him to blame his mom, haha!

Apparently they used to do stuff like that all of the time while he was growing up. One year his dad changed the clocks in the house so that his mom arrived to work one hour early. Another year his mom switched the salt and sugar so that his dad put salt on his cereal. Joe said, "All right, it's on--you just wait until next year." A-oh. My family never did any pranks while I was growing up so I may regret this!

For real, though, I did experience "some type" of contractions on Sunday. They were possibly Braxton Hicks, but I really don't know since I haven't experienced them in the way that everyone else describes. Whatever they were, it wasn't like what I'd expected with either real contractions or Braxton Hicks, so I've been referring to them as "contraction-like-thingies." Basically, despite just vegging out all day, my stomach kept tightening up. (In the past, I've only experienced that sensation when walking around for long periods--like at Nebraska Furniture Mart. The last time we were there I joked to Joe that if I want to go into labor I should just go there!) But this time it was all day long. Braxton Hicks are supposedly without a pattern and off and on. Real contractions are constant and painful. These were constant (lasted for hours without any releasing) and uncomfortable--but not painful or serious. When I woke up on Monday they were gone. I guess it could be my body's own unique way of having Braxton Hicks.

When I was at Jenn's last Thursday I mentioned that maybe I still had a ways to go because I'd never experienced Braxton Hicks (more than 50% of women start getting them at the beginning of the second trimester!) But she said with all three of her kids she didn't have them until the week before she went into labor. Hmmm. . .

Not much has happened since my blog on Sunday night. Yesterday (Monday) we had rain all day which was kinda nice. I don't think we'd heard thunder and seen lightening since we moved into this house last August 29th.

Melissa moves to Arizona this Friday and so she and I are getting together for the last time tomorrow (Wednesday). :-( She did say that she will be back, though, whenever their house sells because they are leaving their furniture here and will have to come back to get it. So she'll get to meet L.J. when he's still a newborn. I'll also get to see her in September, as our mutual friend (both Joe and Jake's best man) is getting married on the 6th.

I will conclude with some random things. . .

I tried one afternoon last week to take the dogs for a walk, but could only make it around the block. Otherwise, I haven't been for a walk since late September! Soon enough, though, I'll be able to. . .with L.J.!

Last Sat. at scrapbooking, Sarah was going through morning sickness and I could identify SO easily--and yet at the same time it seemed like a million years ago since I was at the beginning of pregnancy! I can't believe how long ago the fall of '07 seems. I feel like a completely different person now. It's probably true that I've never changed so much in one year. I really hope that my next (and last) pregnancy will be better in the sickness department. A lot of people say that pregnancy goes fast, but it has definitely not gone that way for me! I'm sure I'll feel the same way when I'm ninety. My mom was talking to my grandma (her mom) on the phone recently and she said that she remembers very clearly how much she hated being pregnant more than fifty years ago with all three of her kids! So maybe it's a family thing!

I've been writing twice a month in a journal I bought for L.J. in early September. I plan to write as often as possible once he's born until it ends--because it's a thick book, so I should be able to get some good childhood years in there, which hopefully he will enjoy reading about when he's an adult.

We still have Halloween candy leftover because until 2008 I really could care less about sweets. I am usually a chocolateaholic but I had no problem buying our Halloween candy in advance last year and not eating it--that was definitely a "pregnancy thing."

I think I'd be a walking-disaster if I hadn't found out L.J.'s gender. As I've said before, this pregnancy has been long enough already! It's enough of a surprise just to know when he's coming and what he'll look like! Knowing he's a boy has helped me focus on something positive during this experience. Best of all, it's allowed me to bond with him much better than if I hadn't known who he was.

Until now I've been worried about my weight not coming off after I have the baby, but now I have a feeling I'm going to feel thinner than I ever have in my life as soon as this baby's born--even though I will still be at my heaviest--since I'll be losing the most amount right away. I can't imagine how that will feel, it's been so long since I was just carrying ME around!

Cosmo is back to his 9.5 lbs, but Bella has remained at her higher 11.5!

I read about Christina Aguilera's birth story the last time I was getting my oil changed--and I was horrified to read that she scheduled a vanity c-section. I'd read about these in my HypnoBirthing book but couldn't believe people actually do them! Apparently they are common in Hollywood with celebrities--and, sure enough, Christina was totally bla-zay about it, saying something like, "I didn't want to experience any pain or vaginal tearing so I scheduled a c-section a couple of weeks before my due date." What?! As you might remember from my HypnoBirthing blog, c-sections are serious and should only be done for a valid reason, like when there is a complication--not for a vanity issue!!!

At one point I mentioned here that I was worried I might have to go on bedrest at the end of my pregnancy, but I think it's safe to say that's not going to happen! :-)

My belly button still hasn't popped out--it's remained flat rather than an innie like it was before the last day of January. From what I've read, some women's pop out and others remain flat the entire time. Here's what experts say:

The belly button is the scar of the connection of the umbilical cord. The deepest part of the belly button is tethered to the abdominal wall fascia. The shape of the belly button is from the overlying fat and skin with the deep attachment holding the typical "innie" shape. With the distension of the belly of pregnancy, the abdominal wall pushes out. This can change the shape of the belly button, for some more shallow and for others, "pop out." For most pregnant belly buttons, this is a temporary situation that reverses after delivery.

As for the "don'ts," I've now had Cherry Coke and cold lunchmeat each a total of 9 times in pregnancy, asiago cheese once by accident, no ceasar salad dressing, tea, or herbs, and no seafood except for cod and shrimp which added together equal five times. A few times during the third trimester I've woken up in the night on my back (it seems to be harder to sleep on my side at the end of pregnancy because gravity wants to keep rolling me over) but 99% of the time I'm on my side. I haven't done any heavy exercise, tanning, or use of electric blankets, saunas, or hot tubs. I haven't had any contact with litter boxes (or cats at all for that matter) and have only come into contact with my dogs' fecal matter three times while pregnant. There's been no lawn work or paint, and I've only used house cleaners six times during these eight months--with the back door open and a fan going. No x-rays and no acne products. I've remained with my natural hair color since last June, and have painted my nails/used remover eight times while pregnant. So I haven't been perfect, but I think I've done pretty well compared to most people. For anyone else interested in doing the best you can with stuff like this, I own a book called The Complete Organic Pregnancy.

I once mentioned how I'd been the smallest in our childbirth class. Now I look exactly like what they had all looked like--I'm definitely not small anymore! (My waist is 41 inches now!) Knock on wood, still no stretch marks or varicose veins. I still credit the cocoa butter.

My stomach still gets numb sometimes, and now it also tightens up when I sit too long. Thankfully, I haven't had back pain in a month and never any swelling. No sciatica (ever) or insomnia (for over a month)--although my hands/arms have been falling asleep a lot lately during the night (probably because I have no choice but to lay on them, but also because poor circulation is common during the third trimester). I have also begun experiencing the "loose and aching joints," or at least this week my wrists and ankles have been hurting during the night since I go a long time without using them. (Update: I know see this was the start to my de Quervain's experience, which I blogged about here: Part One. Part Two.) Fortunately, I haven't had any menstrual-like cramps since my pre-term labor scare over a month ago!

My craving this week is V8. Very strange, but finally something healthy, haha! Fortunately, none of my cravings throughout this pregnancy were in the middle of the night or any time inconvenient for Joe :-)

This weekend is the car seat check at our local mall, so Joe and I will go to that on Saturday.

I've since found out that there is a wellness center here in Omaha that offers women help with HypnoBirthing! So maybe for my next birth I will use them to train me in the months before labor and to join me during labor. Because I've only been praciticing the HypnoBirthing on my own since late January so I know I'm not doing it exactly correct. (Hopefully it'll still work for me, otherwise I'll blame it on that, haha.) Their website is here.

I wanted to recommend a good book that my mom bought for me: Prayers For Expectant Mothers by Angela Thomas Guffey. Many times its hard for me to put my prayers into words--this book couldn't be any better of assistance. It addresses every new feeling and question about pregnancy with Scripture.

I mentioned to you about the mix-up with the breastfeeding and new parent classes. . .well, guess what? I was refunded for the entire childbirth series! That's right, we ended up getting those six weeks of classes for free! (I had just expected to be refunded for the two extra ones.) I like Alegent Health!

Recently I blogged that I was close to being anemic. Foods high in iron include Beef, Pork, Lamb, Green Leafy Vegetables (Spinach, Asparagus, Broccoli, Collard Greens, Mustard Greens, Kale, Turnip Greens, Parsley, Cabbage), Certain Fortied Foods (Cereals, Oatmeal, Pasta, Rice), Grits, Liver, Tofu, Barley, Most kind of Dried Beans (Lima Beans, Kidney Beans, Navy Beans, Soy Beans, Chick Beans, Pinto Beans, Black Eye Beans), Nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Sesame, Tahini), Dried Fruits (Apricots, Rasins, Dates - Prunes, Figs), Turkey, and Chicken.

Finally, I've been a bad girl. I never moved up my April 4th doctor's appointment, so this Friday's will be my first in a month (when I should have been going every two weeks). But it's the only appt. I've missed during this pregnancy and nothing has really changed, so hopefully my doctor won't be too mad at me--and nothing will be wrong!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Second & Third Trimester Pregnancy Signs

This was originally written on Wednesday, February 06, 2008:

Aside from skin changes and back pain (which I blogged about in the last two posts), there can be high blood pressure. If left untreated during pregnancy, hypertension reduces blood flow to the uterus and increases the risk of intrauterine-growth restriction. In the mom-to-be, high blood pressure can cause seizures, kidney disease, liver disease, heart damage, and brain damage.

I'm good in this area, but I'm not out of the woods yet, as many pregnant women don't develop it until sometime during the third trimester.

Another possibility is swelling. Swollen feet and ankles may become an issue at this stage of pregnancy. Your growing uterus puts pressure on the veins that return blood from your feet and legs. Fluid retention and dilated blood vessels may leave your face and eyelids puffy, especially in the morning.

If you have problems with swelling, use cold compresses on the affected areas. Lying down or using a footrest may relieve ankle swelling. It may also help to swim or even stand in a pool.

Knock on wood, so far, so good on this. I think it helps that I am at home most days--in fact, I think that's been to my advantage on many pregnancy-related issues because I can adjust my body accordingly to what it wants/needs.

Shortness of Breath. You may get winded easily as your uterus expands beneath your diaphragm, the muscle just below your lungs. This may improve when the baby settles deeper into your pelvis before delivery. In the meantime, practice good posture and sleep on your side.

I have definitely been noticing this lately as I go up and down our LONG staircase! (Pray I don't fall. . .thanks!)

Braxton Hicks Contractions. These contractions are warm-ups for the real thing. They're painless and come and go unpredictably. True labor contractions get longer, stronger and closer together. If you're having contractions that concern you, contact your health care provider.

I haven't experienced these yet.

Gestational Diabetes. This is a temporary type of diabetes that sometimes develops during pregnancy. Prompt treatment and healthy lifestyle choices can help you manage your blood sugar levels and deliver a healthy baby.

Anemia. Anemia is an abnormally low level of red blood cells or hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that contains iron. Severe anemia may slow your baby's growth or trigger preterm labor. To treat anemia, you may need to take iron supplements.

Between 16 and 20 weeks, pregnant women can start to feel the baby moving around inside. Toward the end of the second trimester, you may also feel repeated "blips"--your baby's hiccups!

I have not experienced these last three yet, although I mentioned in a previous post that I had this next one.

Bad Dreams. As your baby becomes more of a reality, your dreams might become more startling. Don't freak out if you wake up in a cold sweat -- it's normal to feel a little anxious.

Sex Drive. During your fifth month, you might suddenly feel much more sexual. Your body is manufacturing estrogen in overdrive: The ovaries produce as much in a single day as a nonpregnant woman's ovaries do in three years. And, since the first trimester's nausea and fatigue have tapered off, you might just feel more aroused.

Hmmm, I've actually noticed the opposite! Well, when you feel & move like a whale. . .

Vaginal Discharge. Potentially heavy vaginal discharge is common at the end of pregnancy. If you saturate a panty liner within a few hours or wonder if the discharge is leaking amniotic fluid, contact your health care provider.

Nasal Congestion. Your nose feels stuffy and sometimes you will experience nosebleeds during pregnancy. Your blood volume increases by nearly 45%, which is an amazing increase in volume. It affects the membranes inside your nose, causing them to swell. Try increasing your fluids and talk to your healthcare provider about what you can use to ease your nasal dryness, a cold steam humidifier may help increase the moisture in your home. Increased blood circulation can soften your gums as well, which may cause minor bleeding when you brush or floss your teeth. Make sure you visit your dentist incase you develop "pregnancy gingivitus."

Until recently, I definitely experienced the stuffy nose, and there was one day when my gums bled while I brushed my teeth. I also noticed the other day that a pimple popped in the shower. . .and it took forever to stop the bleeding. Maybe my increased blood volume is also why my foot injury was so bad on my birthday.

Sciatica. Some women will experience this discomfort off and on during pregnancy. It is characterized by tingling, numbness and pain affecting the buttocks, hips and thighs. The sciatic nerve branches from the lower back, down the buttocks and legs. The enlarging uterus and growing baby put pressure on these nerves. Sometimes a simple change in position of the baby may help to alleviate the discomforts of sciatica. If you are troubled by this bothersome and unpleasant discomfort, talk to your healthcare provider.

I have yet to experience that one.

Insomnia. The reasons are numerous. First of all, you cannot get comfortable in bed. You position yourself on one side that took you ten minutes to arrange, and then your hip falls asleep. So, you turn over on your other side, rearranging the pillows again, and then your arm falls asleep. It feels like a never ending battle at times. Another reason is that you may have so much on your mind about the baby, delivery, pain of labor, and being a mom that your mind never stops. Anxiety plays a big role in insomnia. Take a warm shower before bedtime, read a good book before bed, remove yourself from the bedroom where you are having difficulty sleeping. Sometimes a change of rooms will help. Make yourself as comfortable as possible with pillows. Avoid caffeinated beverages and exercise immediately before bedtime.

I experience this problem at least once a week. As of yesterday, I can no longer sleep on my stomach (I know, I was already doing that way longer than the norm) so that makes the discomfort even worse. My body parts are constantly falling asleep these days.

Loose and Aching Joints. Some of you may feel as if your joints are loose or pop or just feel achy. Hormones released toward the end of your pregnancy soften the cartilage joining the pubic bone in front of the pelvis. It allows the pelvis to expand 1 to 1/5 cms enlarging the bony opening for the baby to pass through. This is not the only place that cartilage is found. It is up your back, between your spine, in your ankles and toes, and some women have the sense of achiness throughout their bodies.

Leg Cramps. It hurts so badly that you cannot even move. Try locking your knee down in the bed and pointing your toes or pull them toward your head. You should see immediate relief of the discomfort. This is better than rubbing your leg or jumping out of bed and trying to walk it out. Sometimes you will lose the ability to stand on the leg with which is referred to as a "Charlie Horse." If your partner is there with you, have him try the above technique on your leg for you. Practicing stretching exercises 2-3 times each day (especially before bedtime) will help prevent the cramps.

I have not had to deal with the last two. But the final one I noticed around Christmas: Mood Swings. I was at gordmans trying on maternity clothes, and found some underwear on hangers. When I went back to the dressing room to try everything on, I was greeted not so nicely by one of the employees.

"Miss! Your cart needs to go over here!"

Okay. So I gave the woman my cart and once again proceeded to a dressing room.

"No! You can't just go in there-I need to see how many items you have!"

Fine, no problem. I walked back over to her and she gave me a number for the amount of clothes I had. Then I was finally allowed to go into the dressing room.

After I'd put the first shirt or pants on, I realized that one of my hangers was missing: the underwear. So I walked back out and noticed the panties were sitting on her counter. She was talking to someone and so I reached to pick them up and she tried to snatch them from my hand!

Shocked, I said, "I wanted to try these on, too."

In a very snotty tone she said, "You can't try on underwear!"

I was confused because I have tried on undergarments my entire life and no employee at any store has ever told me I couldn't. "How am I supposed to know if they fit?"

She stuttered for a few seconds and said, "Well you can't try them on."

"Then I don't want them then!" And I threw them at her and walked back into my dressing room and slammed the door!

Now anyone who knows me knows this is not my typical behavior. I've never yelled or thrown something at a store employee before! But I had absolutely no tolerance that day. I almost started sobbing in the dressing room--until I saw a sign above the mirror that said "Leave your underwear on when trying on other undergarments." A-HA! Exactly like I thought! (That's what I've always done before--I would never try them on naked.) At the time, I was in the middle of changing again and so I put on another outfit before going back out to inform her that the sign made it obvious that it was okay for me to try on the underwear, as long as I left my current pair on. But, she was gone (with the underwear) and a very cheerful woman had taken her place. I went back into the room to try on the rest of the clothes but because of my sour mood it was hard to like any of them.

That was my birthday so when I got home is when I sliced my foot on the glass. :/

Anyway, there haven't been any more incidences where I've thrown things or yelled at strangers, but I definitely have more of an "I don't care" attitude since being pregnant. It's like I've lost some of my inhibitions or something. I've been reacting to my emotions immediately rather than thinking about consequences until after the fact.

According to various info scattered across the internet: "It's common to have mood swings during pregnancy, because of hormonal changes that affect your levels of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers in the brain) and the broad range of feelings you may have about becoming a parent.

Pregnancy can be a stressful and overwhelming time. You may be overjoyed at the thought of having a baby one day, and then just as quickly begin wondering what you've gotten yourself into. You may be worried about whether you'll be a good mom, whether the baby will be healthy, and how the cost of adding a child to your household will affect your family's future finances. And you may worry about how your relationship with your partner and your other children will be affected — whether you'll still be able to give them the attention they need.

Even if your baby is very much wanted, at times you may have mixed feelings about the pregnancy and what's ahead. That's not surprising, considering that the expectations we set for parents are so high these days, and the pressure starts even before the baby is born. You may be constantly wondering: Am I reading the right books? Am I buying the right products? Will I know how to stimulate my child's development properly and build his self-esteem?

In the meantime, your body's changing and you may be feeling unattractive. You may be worried about putting on too much weight or looking "fat" as your body expands to accommodate pregnancy, while at the same time feeling that you can't exercise as much as you might want to or used to.

It's not uncommon to feel like you've lost control over your body and your life during this time. All these concerns may take your emotions on a roller-coaster ride."

Wow, I couldn't have said it better! The good news is that all of these not-so-fun symptoms are temporary. For that final one, it's helped me lately to put complete trust in my body--that obviously it's been able to do all of this miraculous stuff so far, and so I'm going to be fine during the remainder of my pregnancy--as well as when the baby is here. Relaxation can do wonders.

Remember that you will never know everything and that's okay. You will learn what you need to, when you need to learn it. I'm sure there will be something that I look back on in the future and see that life would have been easier had I learned about it sooner. But since when is life easy? I could spend 24/7 reading about every scenerio possible and it still wouldn't be enough. I'd spend my life unsatisfied and constantly searching to fill a hole that is unending. Not my idea of fun. This type of lifestyle is unhealthy to anyone--but especially pregnant women. As you can see from this post, there are enough natural stressors during pregnancy without creating more!