Calling all the Pregnant PS''ers

[sunkist]

Fisher, I have not yet had to rush to the hospital. The hospital I''m using is maybe 5 miles from home, but it''s 40 miles from work. I too am planning on working up until I go into labor. But I figured that in the beginning labor usually progresses slowly so if I did think I was starting while at work I would have plenty of time to get home. Maybe others have different opinions, but I think it''s just fine. If it''s a good hospital and that''s where you want to have your future bebes, go for it!

Sabine, yes my male cousin has corkscrew hair too! I think curly hair is a love/hate relationship for everyone no matter the degree of curls. It took me years to learn to love my hair So while growing up I always felt sorry for my future kids (especially future daughters) that would probably cry and go through the same "torture" that I did. But now I love curls and I do wish them for my kids! heehee!

 

[cellososweet]

Ooooh sunkist! I didn''t know you were a curly too! I want to start a Show me the Curl thread. Oooh I wanna do it. I''m gonna!

 

[qtiekiki]

Fisher
I do think 59 miles is too far, and 32 miles still seems far to me but better. The thing with labor is you don''t know what will happen. My OB was telling me about another patient who was 3cm dilated with slight contractions at her appointment. He told her to stay in the area if she can. Well she ended up going to work (about 30 miles away) this day after the appointment. Her water ended up braking, so her coworker took her to the nearest hospital. She gave birth in a hospital that she''s never been to with a dr she''s never made. I am sure you wouldn''t put yourself in this situation, but just to give you an example. If you do end up choosing this hospital, I would suggest being around the area as soon as you are having timeable contractions (before they are 5 min apart). That means you won''t get to labor at home where you are comfortable, so put that into consideration.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 7/15/2009 8:29:22 AM
Author: Sabine
... I''m annoyed with my dad for letting his feelings about my mom get int he way of him being there for the first few days. This is his first grandchild...so I feel kinda hurt that he doesn''t want to be here right away and I''m annoyed that their divorce is making yet another joyous occasion awkward and difficult (the wedding was not fun, let me tell you...). But then again, maybe it would be more awkward and difficult if they were here at the same time. I guess I''m just annoyed because I know if my dad had said that he wants to come before and stay for weeks, NOTHING would have kept my mom away, she is just so excited to be here and that is her first priority. But my dad''s first priority is himself.

Sabine, I would either sau the above to him directly if you are close to him and feel like this is something that will bother you in the future, or I would just let it go and be glad your mom is there. Which option you choose depends on your relationship with your father, how comfortable you feel expressing you feelings to him, and whether you think it is worth the emotional hassel that could arise if you confront the issue. Sometimes it is best to air emotions and sometimes best to let sleeping dogs lie! You will *not* want any drama in the weeks pp. You will be so overwhelmed without adding any stress.

If it were me I would tell him how I feel and then let him come later on. But I''d probably voice my hurt.

 

[steph72276]

Fisher, is the hospital you are talking about Northside? I ask because I had quite a few friends deliver there and lived in Marietta/Kennesaw. I have heard nothing but absolute wonderful things about NS, but I choose not to deliver there because I didn''t want to try to get there in rush hour traffic if we had an emergency. It''s a tough call, but I would probably stick closer to home especially since it''s so far away from your office.

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Steph,

Forgot you used to live in this area (wish you still did!!! I don''t know anyone here from my area... sadness!). Yes, it''s Northside and I totally

the hospital, the experiences friends/family have told about it, and the professionalism of the staff when we get work cases from them.

I''m above Marietta, but not by much. I''m not worried about it at all with regard to being home, what I worry about a little is from work. I work in Northern Georgia (the first rural county outside of "metro" atlanta). One thing I''d not thought about when I posted this was alternate routes. That''s a great idea! My husband is a GA native and knows maps and roads like no one''s business, so I just asked him and he said that from our house, he''d have no problem in the world getting me there just fine, and in plenty of time, rush hour or not. The thing is, if I''m at work, he won''t be there... so hmm.

The hospital I''m closer to is Northside Cherokee and I have a very negative opinion of them, all based on my dealings with them through my work. A good friend had her baby there a few months ago and when she delivered, they took the baby right away to be weighed and all that, without even letting her hold the baby at all, not even for a quick second. The baby had no medical issues, and they weren''t worried that he did, that''s just how they do things. I''m not fond of that so much.

I hate to think of changing my practice because of the location of the hospital. I think it''ll be fine, though. Traffic is heavy going toward Atlanta, and that only happens in the morning, so I''ll just be hoping my baby gets me uncomfortable enough to go in not too early in the morning, then. (Besides, if it was in the morning, Paul''d be here, anyway. So score, looks like a good scenario after all...)

 

[taovandel]

I''m 23 weeks today!


Where has Peony been?

 

[vizsla]

tao - i love your post

and yes, where is peony?

 

[Mandarine]

and I''m 24 weeks today!!!

tao, I didn''t realize we were exactly one week apart! or maybe I did but I forgot...oops, pregnancy brain fart!)

****

Quick question for you ladies...

This weekend I''m on the hunt for the baby shower favors (I told my sister I would do it so she doesn''t have to worry about this too!). Amy recommendations?

Second quick question...

I would like to give my sister a little something for everything she''s doing, as a thank you gift to the hostess! Any recommendations for that?

Thanks

 

[steph72276]

Fisher, I think you should just stick with NS. Most of the time, you have PLENTY of warning, esp. with your first baby and if it really was a true emergency, you could just go to one of the hospitals closest to you, ya know?

 

[ChinaCat]

Fiery- Hey there!

Thanks for dropping by, and we always welcome any advice at all! I generally have no problem letting others help, esp my mom just b/c she''s so good at it. It will be interesting to see if I''m different with my own baby though. But I will keep that in mind. As for taking it easy, were you talking to me?

I am TRYING. Why is it so hard? Nursery is coming together, and I''m done worrying about it. We''ve done enough for now and whatever doesn''t get done, DH can do. But resting is so hard, I just have so much going on. But I am really trying.

Cello- Nice to see you, was wondering how you''re doing. That completely sucks that you are so sick and that you had such a hard time getting diagnosed. Hope you are feeling better and soon! Funny story for you on the "genderizing" of kids- my cousin and her husband have masters/PhD''s in child development/education. They are awesome people, very smart and very cool, just destined to be awesome parents. With their first child, they also did not want to "genderize" so they didn''t find out the sex and chose a name that was gender-neutral. Well, really they picked a boy''s name but decided it was the name whether boy or girl. They chose only gender-neutral colors, clothes, toys, etc. They had a daughter, we''ll call her "B". Then second child comes, they don''t find out the sex again, it''s a girl, but this time they give her a very feminine name, let''s say "S". I went over to their house for B''s birthday and went into the girls'' room and was surprised to see it was very pink and purple, looked like a unicorn had thrown up rainbows everywhere. As girly as can be. Both girls changed clothes multiple times during the party, all various pink and sparkly outfits and tutus. I asked what happend to not genderizing. They laughed and said, yeah, well, we tried that but B only likes pink and dresses and has never been interested in anything neutral or boyish. They kinda gave up and just let their kids be what they want. They now have 3 girls, B, S, and a third that has an equally girly name. They are awesome and independent and crazy smart, but they are definitely all girl. I am not telling you this story at all to change your mind or challenge your opinion, and I totally respect your POV- just wanted to share b/c I thought it was so cute and funny. It will be interesting to see how your experience meshes with your ideas. They are obviously just one example. The third daughter is the least girly of the bunch, but has the most girly name.

Fisher- Looks like you got some good advice on the hospitals!

 

[vizsla]

mandy- sephora sephora sephora they have some GREAT 'gift sets' on-line (free shipping) and, probably, in the store as well for your sister. AND they have awesome sephora brand nail polishes, lip glosses etc that are suuuupppper inexpensive and would be soooo fun to get as a favor... then again, i have a total weak spot for product of all kind

fisher - i have no 'words of wisdom' i live about 2 miles from our hospital and about 4 others.... but i have driven in atlanta traffic many times.... oh girl, i don't know how you do it

that's enough to make a sane person insane! however, i've yet to hear a story of someone going into labor at work (OMG i'd DIE if that happened to me!.. yes, i just jinxed myself).

cello - so glad to hear you are on the mend! 4 weeks is waaaayyyy to long to be cooking a baby AND be sick... poor thing!

cc - i've been saying dashiell out loud and it's totally growing on me... originally my mind went immediately to 'dasher', but not anymore... and i still think dash could be the cutest/coolest nickname evah!

so.... i'm in the process of building my 'push present'!! we don't have a nursery or ANYthing for the baby... but my push present is started

anyhoodles i knew i wanted a 'blue' stone to represent my - non 'genderizing' son

- AND it just so happens that my birthstone (which i've always wanted) is aquamarine.. so, i just sent peter torraca an email to purchase one of his stones! i'm so excited... now.. how to set it......

 

[ChinaCat]

V- Ooh, how exciting!!! How have I forgotten about the push present?

My birthstone is aquamarine also (are you a March baby?). My DH surprised me with aquamarine earrings on my wedding day- they were my something "blue". I

aquamarines, so beautiful. You''ll have to keep us posted/show us pictures. Not sure what I want to do. My wedding band is already a sapphire/diamond band. Hmmm. Maybe I need diamond studs? I don''t have any and have always wanted some.

 

[vizsla]

i am i am i am! and a pisces to boot! funny, my wedding band is a sapphire eternity band tee hee.

 

[cellososweet]

Date: 7/16/2009 1:12:50 PM
Author: ChinaCat
Fiery- Hey there!

Thanks for dropping by, and we always welcome any advice at all! I generally have no problem letting others help, esp my mom just b/c she''s so good at it. It will be interesting to see if I''m different with my own baby though. But I will keep that in mind. As for taking it easy, were you talking to me?

I am TRYING. Why is it so hard? Nursery is coming together, and I''m done worrying about it. We''ve done enough for now and whatever doesn''t get done, DH can do. But resting is so hard, I just have so much going on. But I am really trying.

Cello- Nice to see you, was wondering how you''re doing. That completely sucks that you are so sick and that you had such a hard time getting diagnosed. Hope you are feeling better and soon! Funny story for you on the ''genderizing'' of kids- my cousin and her husband have masters/PhD''s in child development/education. They are awesome people, very smart and very cool, just destined to be awesome parents. With their first child, they also did not want to ''genderize'' so they didn''t find out the sex and chose a name that was gender-neutral. Well, really they picked a boy''s name but decided it was the name whether boy or girl. They chose only gender-neutral colors, clothes, toys, etc. They had a daughter, we''ll call her ''B''. Then second child comes, they don''t find out the sex again, it''s a girl, but this time they give her a very feminine name, let''s say ''S''. I went over to their house for B''s birthday and went into the girls'' room and was surprised to see it was very pink and purple, looked like a unicorn had thrown up rainbows everywhere. As girly as can be. Both girls changed clothes multiple times during the party, all various pink and sparkly outfits and tutus. I asked what happend to not genderizing. They laughed and said, yeah, well, we tried that but B only likes pink and dresses and has never been interested in anything neutral or boyish. They kinda gave up and just let their kids be what they want. They now have 3 girls, B, S, and a third that has an equally girly name. They are awesome and independent and crazy smart, but they are definitely all girl. I am not telling you this story at all to change your mind or challenge your opinion, and I totally respect your POV- just wanted to share b/c I thought it was so cute and funny. It will be interesting to see how your experience meshes with your ideas. They are obviously just one example. The third daughter is the least girly of the bunch, but has the most girly name.

Fisher- Looks like you got some good advice on the hospitals!

Haha. That''s so funny! I know that kids will be what they want to be and I could have a fairy princess whether it''s a girl or a boy. I just don''t want OTHER people starting my kids off on the gender train when they don''t even know what it is. I feel like they can be socialized in time when they go to school and have friends and get out in society, but in my house, a boy can do ballet and a girl can scream at football on tv (I know I do). Or a girl can be a fairy princess and a boy can play football. I''ll be proud of whoever they want to be. But I don''t want to hear about how strong my little boy is going to be and how pretty my girl is going to be when he/she isn''t even born yet. What if my girl is a butch goth and my boy is a weakling. Who cares? Does that make sense? I just feel like kids have time to be stereotyped based on gender and I know it will happen. I just don''t want it to come from me. I''ll encourage them to be themselves, but I don''t want to force them to be frilly girls and strong boys.

 

[qtiekiki]

I went for the NT scan today. They canceled on Tues, and rescheduled for today. We waited over 2 hours; it was horrible. The NT measurement is 1.5. The dr. didn''t say if that''s normal or not. I''ll have a follow up appointment in two weeks. The tech told the dr. that it looks like the placenta is detached b/c there''s fluid accumulation around the placenta and the placenta is low. The dr. sounds it''s normal for the placenta to be low this early in the pregnancy and not to worry about the fluid since I am not cramping or bleeding. So I hope the fluid is nothing. The dr. did give us a 4D u/s pic, so here it is.

 

[sunkist]

Oh my gosh, QT that is such an amazingly cute pic of your little one! I love it! Can''t wait to hear what your doctor says. That stinks that it took 2 hours!

 

[Sabine]

Qt, I''ll be keeping you in my thoughts, I really hope it''s nothing! How terrible that you have to wait two weeks for a follow-up! What a cute pic though!

Cello, I can''t believe it took so long for doctors to take your pneumonia seriously!

Vizsla and China, I''m so jealous that you guys are thinking about push presents. My dh isn''t against the idea at all. A while ago he asked me what I wanted, and seriously, what I want is a new elliptical machine, and I told him that. He was okay with it at the time, but now he''s saying we shouldn''t spend the money, we have nowhere to put it, I can just go the "gym" at the apartment complex, etc.

Thanks for all the advice on my family situation. I think I will definitely just have my dad come later, but I think I''m going to need to have a talk with him (again...I tried at the time of the wedding and when we found out I was pregnant) about how he needs to get over it, but I don''t think right after I give birth is the time for it.

And it''s looking like I''m going to be induced around 39 weeks. I saw the specialist at mfm yesterday about my GD, and although I thought my glucose numbers were good, he was NOT happy with them. I really didn''t like this doc. because he was really rushed and totally brushed off my questions. I don''t need to see him again, and he doesn''t actually make any decisions about my care, but he makes recommendations to my regular doc (who I''ll see today) and he said he was strongly recommending I deliver before 39 weeks AND start a medication called glyburide if my numbers don''t improve this week (so I''d only be on it for a week). We''ll have to see what my regular doc says today.

And it''s belly pic friday!

 

[Sabine]

WARNING...HUGE bare belly pic ahead...

Did I tell you girls the AWESOME side affect of the topical steroid cream they gave me for the PUPPS rash? It TOTALLY made my stretch marks fade! They are still there and expanding, but they aren''t the glaring red they used to be. So I''m feeling brave...here is my bare belly!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Sabine, you looke Awesome!! And your belly really is quite large! You are so slim everywhere else, I wouldn''t be surprised if pp you find you have lost weight compared to pre-preggo, do you think? Did the docs mention is you have polyhydramnios? It can make you carry larger... I had it and although I didn''t carry *out* I was still measuring large. It can go with GD sometimes. I''nm sorry the doc was poopy and recommended early induction, but if it is best for baby and you then its the right thing to do! Hopefully your regular doc can answer more of your question?

 

[vizsla]

first, sabine... GAH! you look amazing girlie.. seriously alllll belly! p.s. i luvvv your shirt... me thinks i have the same one from ON

qt - that picture is amazing... i wish my office had the 4D... it''s sooo cool to see them sooooo tiny! good luck with your follow up! keep us posted!

here''s my contribution... and yes, i took it in the bathroom at work

 

[rockpaperscissors67]

Date: 7/16/2009 8:33:15 PM
Author: qtiekiki
I went for the NT scan today. They canceled on Tues, and rescheduled for today. We waited over 2 hours; it was horrible. The NT measurement is 1.5. The dr. didn''t say if that''s normal or not. I''ll have a follow up appointment in two weeks. The tech told the dr. that it looks like the placenta is detached b/c there''s fluid accumulation around the placenta and the placenta is low. The dr. sounds it''s normal for the placenta to be low this early in the pregnancy and not to worry about the fluid since I am not cramping or bleeding. So I hope the fluid is nothing. The dr. did give us a 4D u/s pic, so here it is.

Hi qtiekiki,

I had my NT scan earlier this week and the measurement was 1.11mm, which I was told was very good. I read somewhere that anything less than 2.5mm at this stage is considered normal. Just wanted to throw that out there to set your mind at ease.

Your little peanut looks so cute! I only got pics from a regular u/s, but I think it''s cool to see the babies looking like real humans now instead of gummy bears.

I hope that the placenta issue turns out to be nothing!

 

[ChinaCat]

Cello- That makes perfect sense. You''re going to be a great mommy.

QT- Wow, what an amazing U/S pic!!! So cute. That is beyond frustrating that not only did they resch/make you wait, but that you got no answers. Is this the same dr you used before? Can you not call and ask some questions, you really have to wait 2 weeks? Oy. Hang in there, my guess is if they were worried they wouldn''t wait 2 weeks to discuss?

Sabine- Well, don''t get too jealous of the push present talk. My DH isn''t against it in principle, but we just bought a house so I don''t think it''s something I will bring up just yet. If I asked, I''m sure he would be willing, but I feel like we need to focus on the house and furnishing it and such right now. I kind of feel like a "push present" can come anytime, but sometime in the first year would be good for me. We''ll see how my labor goes though.

You look AMAZING!!! DD is right, huge (but so cute!) belly, but the rest of you looks so tiny in comparison. Well, if that''s what''s best, then a healthy baby is all that matters. I just get the feeling that docs these days are so quick to push induction. It''s frustrating. And sorry that he was so gruff and impersonal. Let us know what your doc says.

Vizla- Great pic! You look adorable. How many weeks are you again? I feel like you are carrying similar to me. Boy, right? Oh, and I''m an Aries- late March bday. But I have a Pisces moon sign!

RockPaperScissors- Yummy cute u/s pic!!! Love those. It''s so clear!

Going to dr today for my weekly appt. Not much else going on. Not sure if my dad is coming or not- brother supposedly doesn''t have the swine flu, or even the flu, but his GF definitely has swine flu. My dad hasn''t been around her, but my brother has and he lives at home. We''ll see what the dr says, but just seems like I shouldn''t chance it. Which means I will be alone Sat-Sun, but not as worried as I was about it. I guess if I go into labor early and DH misses it, then at least I should get a fab push present out of it, right?

I kid, would rather have him there. I don''t really feel like our little one is coming this early, so not too stressed.

Oh, and we painted the nursery and it looks so much better than I thought!

So excited. We painted 3 walls pale pale blue (almost looks white in some light), but one wall a dark blue. The dark blue looks so cool. When I finally find my camera cord from the move, I will post pics of the nursery and a belly pic, I promise. MANDARINE, I totally copied the dark wall and the decal from that Ohdeedoh pic. I think it''s going to look cool.

 

[AmberWaves]

Qtie, our NT results were 1.1mm and the doc said it couldn't possibly be any smaller, so they were happy. I can't believe you had to wait so long, that's just ridiculous. Although waiting for two weeks for a f/u, at least that should give you a little bit of relief since you'd think they'd schedule you for another appointment right away, if it was concerning, right?

Sabine, you look fabulous. Am I right that you're short (I'm only five feet tall)? I think I may end up carrying like you- I'm a shortie with a short torso, and DH is super tall, so I guess we'll see! I feel for your family situation, luckily my parents get along better now than they ever did while married- not to say they hang out or anything. Despite that, I still would rather they NOT be together all that much anyway for my own sanity. Since it's obviously your Dad's issue with your mom, I'd just let that be how he wants to. I hope your inducement goes smoothly, but that it's essentially unnecessary!

Vizsla, you look great!!

Here's my horrific 21w4d belly pic from last night. I'm pretty round, it's crazy.

ETA: Movements are insane now. They are totally happening all day (and sometimes night), and it's getting noticeable from the outside, the other night I felt something like a muscle spasm. When I put my hand on the spot, it felt like a rolling wave beneath my hand! There really is a little baby girl in there!

China & Indy: We're also doing a tree decal! The theme of our nursery is Woodland, so I'd love ANYONE'S opinions! I saw some super cute trees at Etsy, and we're thinking of going a bit more "cutesy" to feminize the room a bit, since it's going to be painted a like turquoisey blue.

 

[indypitty]

87%; HEIGHT: 100px" class="ibbquote">Date: 7/17/2009 11:05:14 AM
Author: ChinaCat
Oh, and we painted the nursery and it looks so much better than I thought!

So excited. We painted 3 walls pale pale blue (almost looks white in some light), but one wall a dark blue. The dark blue looks so cool. When I finally find my camera cord from the move, I will post pics of the nursery and a belly pic, I promise. MANDARINE, I totally copied the dark wall and the decal from that Ohdeedoh pic. I think it''s going to look cool.

Oooh, China... I can''t wait to see pics of your nursery. We are planning on doing a tree decal, too. Which one did you use?

 

[ChinaCat]

IndyPitty- I bought the one with a kid (a little boy?) sitting in a tree with a kite, and the kite is tied to/lassoing (sp?) the moon. It''s so cute. I almost got one that had a huge sun/moon and stars behind it, with different animals stacked on top of each other (lion, giraffe, etc.) called "Reaching For the Stars". But DH liked the kite one better. We haven''t gotten it yet, so we''ll see. Which one are you looking at?

 

[vizsla]

oh... this pp is just a ''legit'' reason to look for/talk DH into baubles... plus, DH wouldn''t buy me *ANY* unless i did the entire thing myself... so instead of being TO''d i decided a long time ago to just do it myself and say "look at what you got me"

it''s evil, but he''s happy he doesn''t have to "think" about anything and i''m happy b/c i get exxxaaacccttllly what i want.....

cc i''m allllmmmoooosstttt 27 weeks... (on sunday) - and yes, a boy. p.s. i would totally treat myself to a mani/pedi if my DH was going to be out of town this weekend... and a sappy girlie movie and a pint of ben and jerry''s cherry garcia... yum!

i still feel like my belly looks small - yes i''m fairly tall (5''10" and have a loooonnngggg torso) but insomuch as it is probably annoying that people make comments about women who ''are ready to pop'' when they still have 4 weeks to go.. it''s kinda the same when people ask how far along i am and they say things like ''wow you are so small'' (referring to my belly *only*

) makes ya feel self conscious either way - can''t win

.

amber we are doing a ''modified'' woodlands theme too... you should check out some charley harper prints... he does AMAZING ''woodland'' animals.

whoo hoo for 1/2 day fridays! have a wonderful weekend girls.

 

[so cal girl]

Love the belly (and ultrasound) pics everyone!

Sabine- You really are all belly! I wish I was so lucky.

As for push presents, I don''t think I''m getting anything. I mentioned to DH that I wanted some sapphire jewelry, since we are having a boy and his birth will be in September, and he just laughed. He says I have too much jewelry already (which may or may not be true

). He wants to buy me rollerblades so we can go rollerblading along the beach pushing the baby in the BOB. Not exactly the glamorous gift I would hope for!

I want to see pics of some of these nurseries everyone is working on. Ours is almost done. Furniture came last week, but I''m still organizing.

Here is my contribution to BPF. It''s from yesterday, at 30 weeks.

 

[puffy]

awww, you ladies look wonderful with your bellies!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I've been meaning to post my complete birth story here, but was waiting for a lull between births to do so. Here it is, it is very long, but I know I enjoyed reading other longer stories, so I hope you all won't mind!

****

The weeks before the birth were really hard. Hunter’s position gave be such terrible pelvic pain that I couldn’t walk. And then when we went in for a biophysical profile 10 days before my due date, and found out that I had extra amniotic fluid and that he was supposedly over 9lbs already… well then things got even more stressful. We kept talking about induction and the possibility of a c-section, we had to consult with an OB and figure out whether or not the polyhydramios was dangerous or not. And Hunter was still not engaged, which complicated matters even more.

My mom was due to arrive on the 26th, two days before my original due date, but since there was the possibility of an immediate c-section if my fluid increased, we changed her flight to the 19th at the last minute. Was this a premonition? Perhaps…

On the 20th, we met with the OB and got the all clear to wait until 10 days past my new due date, and this was a big relief. She also told me that my cervix was funneling, or starting to thin from the inside, and this was a relief! All day I had been having increasingly painful period-like cramps and I had a feeling that something was going to happen in the next few days… so I quickly finished up a manuscript I had been working on and submitted it at 8pm. I was really tired and irritable, but I sat up watching TV with DH and my mom anyways. I finally went to sleep around midnight. At 1:30, DH came to bed and I got up to go to the bathroom and GUSH… my water broke. I quickly scooted forward off the toilet to let the waters run onto the floor so I could check for meconium, and they looked clear, so I yelled, “My water just broke!” My mom and DH came running and we gathered everything together and got in the car to go to the hospital. (Because of the poly and the risk of cord prolapse we had been told to do this immediately if my waters broke.)

On the way to the hospital, we put a big towel between my legs, and when I stood up outside the hospital the waters just started pouring and pouring and pouring out!

After we got all checked in and I got settled in triage I started having mild contractions. They were totally manageable and my mom started talking me through guided imagery--like walking in the forest or sunbathing on a beach--during each one. This was really helpful. They were about every 5 minutes at this point. When the nurse came in to check me out, she noticed meconium in my waters. Bad news, since this means they would only allow a short amount of time for labour to kick in naturally before induction would begin.

One of the midwives arrived -- not one we had met! The practice had been so busy that week that all the m/w were off that night except for two --and we were given a room and we got all settled in to see what would happen. As soon as I lay down though, the contractions basically stopped. The m/w checked me, and I was only about 1cm dilated, but she said that because of the poly and the risk of cord prolapse, I wasn’t allowed to walk around! She suggested I get some sleep. By 6am the contactions had stopped completely, and the m/w decided it was time for “the talk”. Basically, she said that she had stretched things as long as she could. If I had arrived and been under and OBs care, I would have been induced as soon as I came through the door. Because my contrax had stopped and it had already been 6 hours since my waters broke with meconium, they were going to have to transfer care and get the OBs involved. I cried and cried and cried over this. I just *knew* that if I was induced I would need an epi, and because they all thought I was having such a large baby, I just *knew* that if I had an epi I wouldn’t be able to push the baby out -- I had read that with large babies you usually need to get into positions like squatting that will open the pelvis. The m/w said she would give us until 7am when there was a change in shift for the OBs. She had checked who was coming on, and it was one of the m/w favourite OBs who was very pro vaginal birth. So the m/w did me that huge favour, apparently the OB on call when I arrived was *not* a favourite and I probably would have had a very different outcome had we transferred care sooner.

So at 7am, the OB came and talked to me and checked me. He assured me that they would do everything they could to ensure that I had a vaginal delivery, but they needed to start my labour again. He asked me if I had any requests and I said, “Protect the perineum” using my best science fiction voice. He laughed. I cried some more. I was just so sure that interventions were going to lead to a c-section for me!

Around 9am, our midwife “M” arrived with “B”, the student midwife. They were happy that I was in labour and we all laughed about how it happened the one night she was not on call. M checked me and so did B, and they said that the baby was still at -1 station, but they could feel from where the soft spots were that his head was flexed -- so instead of having his chin tucked in, his head was flexed back and his forehead was leading the way. This was not a good thing, as it about doubled the size of the presenting part of the head, and they said it may be why he was not descending into my pelvis.

They set me up on the pitocin drip and the continuous fetal monitor. The OB said that the baby was engaged enough that cord prolapse was not a risk and I was allowed to walk around. Yes, finally I was allowed to walk the whole 3 feet allowed by the IV and the monitors. It sucked not being able to move. Basically, I stood at the bottom of the bed and when contractions came, I leaned over the bed, or I sat on my birthing ball and rocked making moaning noises. This helped and I was able to manage the pain for a long time. Obviously, the contractions got more intense as the hours went by and they increased the dose of pitocin. Eventually, I couldn’t talk and was in my own world. When the contrax came I rocked and bounced on my ball, and in between I lay forward and rested on the bed. Annoyingly, the fetal monitor didn’t work well in this position, which was the only one that helped me manage the pain, so the nurse (who was great) actually crouched down on the floor beside me and *held* the monitor against me! My hero. And she was 17 weeks pregnant!

Around 12pm the nurse decided to check me. So I had to lay down on the bed. This was horrendous. Something about laying down made the contractions so bad, the pain overtook my whole body and I actually vomited from it. I thought, Maybe I am in transition? She checked me really quickly. I didn’t want to know how far along I was, so I just kept on going.

Around 1:30, though, the pain was getting really bad and I felt like I was not really keeping on top of it. I was trying different things and moving around as much as I could, but being on the ball was the only thing that helped at all. At that point, the nurse looked at me and said, “I’m sorry, but I keep losing the baby’s heartbeat in this position. You are going to have to do something else.” What were my options? “You can lie down or you can stand.” Okay. I certainly couldn’t stand anymore, not after being awake for 30 hours. And lying down was like torture. I just sat there and felt completely demoralized. I didn’t know what to do. I asked, “How much am I dilated?” She got a really sad look on her face and said, “One centimeter.”

I couldn’t believe it. I had been in hard labour for about 5 hours and it had accomplished *nothing* at all. I think it was clear to my m/w that I was about to lose it. She sat beside me, and I said, “M, you see how hard this labour is, what would you have expected after all this? Is this normal for only 1cm?” She said, “I would have expected 6cm.” I couldn’t do it, I was so tired. If I had been 6cm I would have kept going, knowing it was all heading somewhere, but I was suffering and it was accomplishing nothing. So I asked for an epi.

The wait for the epi was really hard. I knew I had given up and made the choice and for some reason that made the pain a million times worse. I sat on the bed and my mom came over and held my hands and I looked in her eyes and I just breathed (DH was a great support during all of this too, he brought me water, and played the music in the start… but it turned out that my mom was just a better coach when it got down to it and I was losing it.) I finally got it, and lay down, and about 20 minutes later I was in heaven. No pain, nothing. I pulled up a blanket and slept for 2 hours. My mom went home, and so did the m/ws. The plan was for everyone to come back when I’d made some progress. DH slept on the couch beside my bed.

A few hours later, I woke up and the nurse said, “Well, what do you think, should I check you?” We agreed that it would be good to see what was going on. She very quickly checked me and as she pulled her hand out she laughed and collapsed over my legs. Standing up again she smiled really big and said “How far do you think you are?” Well I could feel pressure with each contraction in my bum, and I knew what that meant, and she looked happy, so I said, “Eight cm?” She cracked up and said, “Your fully dilated and effaced! And the baby is engaged and the head is in the right position!” I couldn’t believe it happened so fast.

She called M and B, we called my mom, and everyone started coming back. They said we would wait another hour to let the contractions move the baby further before I started pushing. M and B came back and basically danced into the room they were so happy! I found out later that they were becoming very pessimistic about things working out, because the baby was mal positioned and I wasn’t progressing. The OB came and when he found out that I was fully dilated he just laughed and was so happy! He said, “I was coming in here to have a very different conversation with you!” Apparently the nurse hadn’t updated my progress on the main board, and he thought I was still at 1cm!

An hour later, pushing began. I turned onto my left side and B held my right leg and M manned the vagina (haha). DH sat down there and watched everything and held my leg sometimes too. I could really feel each contraction building and peaking and declining again, which was great! It is true what they say -- it felt like there was a football in my bum and I needed to poop it out! And the muscled to push are *exactly* those muscles. They told me to try to do three good pushes with each contraction, so that’s what I did. The first push, I thought I was going to pass out. I had a lung infection at the time and was on antibiotics, and I just didn’t have any lung capacity. So I asked for some oxygen and they gave it to me and that was pure heaven! Now I could push like crazy! I felt like I could keep going forever.

As each contraction began I would breath in and out deeply three times, and then just when it started peaking I would hold my breath and PUSH! (breath) PUSH! (breath) PUSH! This really worked well and my cheering squad told me with each contraction how well I was doing and that they could see more and more of his head each time. I asked M if she thought that I would be able to birth this baby, and she said it was looking really good.

After 45 minutes they noticed that the baby’s heartbeat slowed with each push, so they decided to take a break for 45 minutes! They thought that the baby needed a break. Later, I also found out that I had started bleeding fairly badly at this point. They were able to staunch the blood --it turned out that Hunter’s hand was beside his head when he was born and his fingernail bad cut me on the way out -- but apparently they were worried for a while since if it hadn’t stopped, I would have been heading for a c-section.

So 45 minutes later, we started again. I felt totally strong and powerful the whole time. After about 30 minutes they told me that the baby’s chin had passed the pubic bone and he was no longer receding back in when I stopped pushing! I asked M if I was going to be able to birth the baby vaginally, and she said, “I wasn’t sure until now, but Dreamer, you are going to have this baby really soon! He is almost out!”

At this point things happened quickly. They turned me on my back and put both legs in stirrups, they called the OB, and they told me not to push! At the same time, about 20 people showed up -- the nurses and the student nurses, and the pediatrics team and the student pediatrician (because of the meconium), and the student OB… but the OB wasn’t there! And the baby was coming! So M ended up catching him. I didn’t have to push or anything he just slowly slowly came out! It was probably the strangest feeling ever.

After Hunter came out, the cord was loosely wrapped around his neck and he wasn't yet breathing etc. and they didn't want him to breath until after they had suctioned him out because of the meconium. So they carefully carried his little purple/blue body over to the area where the pediatricians were waiting to do their thing. I was in shock at having seen a baby come out of my body, and DH had come up from the bottom of the table to see me and kiss me etc. I was in that drunken state that you are in after the birth, crying and high on hormones, and DH was just in shock at having basically assisted in the birth (he thought it was the coolest thing ever) so we weren't really thinking straight. After a few minutes we realized that no one had told us whether it was a boy or a girl! There was a lot of commotion in the room, so I called over, "Is it a boy or a girl??" And M said, "Oh! I forgot to look!" Then she went and looked and said, "It's a boy!" We were just so happy.

I caught a glimpse of him across the room and just kept saying, "He's so pretty! Isn't he pretty?" over and over again. I think I sounded crazy. At this time the OB was helping to deliver the placenta and was stitching me up, and then the pediatrician came over and said, “Congratulations, you have a very health baby boy!” The army of people started to leave the room, and they finally brought Hunter over for us to see. He was so small and so much cuter than I ever imagined. He looked like a little doll, except that he was blinking and looking at us! I held him to my chest and we just drank him in. I cried, but DH didn’t cry until he called his parents and said, “I have a son!” Then he started bawling!

I don’t remember these early moments very clearly. All I remember is an overwhelming feeling of being elated and energized. I wasn’t aware of anything going on around me, and I just held onto our little boy as tightly as I could and stared into his perfect little face for what felt like hours and hours.

Then we ordered pizza. Seriously, that was a major highlight of the night, I was starving!

We stayed in the hospital over night and the nurses came in periodically to make sure I was peeing and to check on Hunter. He slept that whole first night on my chest, which was great. In the middle of the night I awoke to go pee and felt a gush! I thought it was a hemorrhage and I said, “Oh no, I am bleeding!” I looked down and didn’t see any blood, but I did see fluid running down my leg. I was peeing! I ran to the bathroom and peed about a litre of fluid! I didn’t even know I had to go. The indignities of labour and delivery just keep on keepin’ on, it seems. But it was really funny.

The next morning we went home with the tiniest baby I had ever seen! I keep thinking someone will come and take him back. How can we be solely responsible for him? Who gave us permission?