Don't get me wrong- I am EXCITED for baby to come. We are so looking forward to meeting him, really. But the days are going by just a wee bit faster than I'd like and I can't quite squeeze in all the productivity that I want to. I know, I know- having my husband hang the bike hooks in the laundry room is SUCH a first-world issue, but it seems quite necessary before baby comes. (What's he going to do, hang them AFTER? Puh-lease).
I know that soon, very soon, we will be holding our new little boy in our arms. I know when that happens that I won't care about the bike hooks or the dusting or whether the tupperware cupboard is organized (it is, by the way.) But I'm Type A, so bear with me.
Next week I'm going to start being a belly model for the local midwifery school. It's a "paying" job and only takes a couple of hours on Thursdays. I'm excited! My midwives informed me that there is also a foot massage involved. YES PLEASE! Mostly, I just want to have a reason to get out of the house and ignore the approaching "due date". I really, really don't think of my due date as a deadline- more of the central date between a month-long time period when baby *could* come, but getting out of the house alone will be nice.
My shower/blessingway is this weekend, and I am ridiculously excited for it. Mostly I am excited for the special art that will be taking place- if you don't remember what I'm referring to then you'll have to wait for the big reveal!
Here's an especially poor-quality 37-week photo. I want to take photos weekly now so I can see when baby drops. He's still positioned very high, so heartburn is still raging. Yeesh. I want him to drop but my chiropractor says that will likely make my SPD worse. I can't win!
Here's an especially poor-quality 37-week photo. I want to take photos weekly now so I can see when baby drops. He's still positioned very high, so heartburn is still raging. Yeesh. I want him to drop but my chiropractor says that will likely make my SPD worse. I can't win!
I'm wearing my new "birth gown" that I bought for early labor (i.e. before I get into the tub). It's super cozy! I don't anticipate it getting stained or anything since I won't be wearing it to deliver in (probably, unless I have some crazy fast labor) so hopefully I will get to wear it in the future, too. It's ridiculously comfy. Yes, it's just a sleep tee. It's the little things, you guys.
So yeah, I'm 9 months pregnant, and considered *full-term*. This means that baby's organs should be completely good-to-go, however, the longer he stays in the better! We really value all the development that happens in the womb, so he can stay in for a few more weeks! I told my midwife that I have had no signs of impending labor and I would like to keep it that way for 2-3 more weeks. Not that he couldn't decide to come any day despite what my wishes are.....which is nerve-wracking. She said that was different, (most moms are D.O.N.E. at this point) but she understands. We have some things to accomplish before he makes his appearance, though I do try to think about being prepared for labor any day. I do my "labor checklist" each morning. Mostly I would want the house to be in order and for Owen to be set for us to leave him with his caretaker. I know, Type A, blah blah blah.
At my appointment this week his heart rate was great, lots of movement, and I'm measuring a bit small still. (Of course that means nothing.) My midwife mentioned that from her palpations she'd guess he's on the smaller side- like maybe low 7lb range at birth if born at 40 weeks. Owen would have been the same had he come at 40 weeks (he was 7lbs 9 oz at +10 days) so it seems I grow smallish/average sized babies. Wahooo! I was just happy she didn't think this little guy was huge- obviously a concern with GD moms. And as for my weight gain, well I was pleasantly surprised and that's all I'll say.
My glucose levels have been good. The only "bad" news was that my GBS test was positive, again. I was positive for Owen's birth as well. (You can read more about this, and our treatment decision, below if you are interested. Or you can skip it. Your choice!) I have to say, between the GD and the SPD I am really glad that this is our last pregnancy. Both of those things can be present much earlier in subsequent pregnancies and I'm just glad this is it.... It's not that we don't love kids- we certainly do and we especially love our own but for a lot of reasons we know we want two. Period. So it's just nice that I will not have to go through these things again. Overall, it's been a really great pregnancy, though. I feel really comfortable and relaxed given the circumstances.
So anyway, time is winding down and we're scurrying around trying to finish up a few tasks. Maybe by the end of next week I can breathe a sigh of relief and say that I am finally *ready* for this baby to come. We're soaking in all the time we can with Owen, too. It's bittersweet, of course. For now, it's party time! I'll be sure to post photos and stories from my shower/blessingway, as well as Kraig's Man Day! Exciting!
more info:
GBS (Group B strep) is a normal bacteria found in the body, and it comes and goes. It's kind of silly that I would need to say this, but it is not a sexually transmitted disease. Everyone carries it at some point, and about 25% of pregnant women will carry it towards the end of their pregnancies. There are a lot of bacteria- good and bad- present at all times, and they test for GBS because it can, very rarely, make babies ill (aside: it is odd to me that they only test for this bacteria, since others can make babies ill as well. Like E. Coli, etc.) The stats are: of mothers who choose not to take antibiotics during labor, half a percent (0.5%) of babies will become ill with GBS disease.
However, the CDC recommends that all mothers who test positive be treated with antibiotics during labor. I mentioned in a previous post that we are waiving the antibiotics unless I have a risk factor such as fever during labor or premature rupture of membranes (meaning my water breaks 18+ hours before the onset of labor). Those risk factors increase baby's chance of developing an illness. So I will have antibiotics on hand just in case. The other important thing to remember is that antibiotics aren't always effective, AND that GBS comes and goes so I could have tested positive at 36 weeks but be negative at the birth. With all of these variables as well as the tiny risk of illness, we have opted to not preventatively treat with antibiotics during labor. My midwives will be alert to any signs of GBS illness in the baby after birth, and we can treat with antibiotics then.
I personally feel that, according to the stats, treating 200 women so that one baby doesn't become sick is irresponsible. Antibiotics do not come without serious side effects (creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, for instance, which has been well-documented in research of infants with GBS illness whose mothers were treated with antibiotics during labor). Antibiotics also eliminate the healthy gut flora as well as the "bad bugs" and I things that healthy gut flora is so, so important, especially in a newborn and especially during cold and flu season. If both myself and baby were treated with antibiotics (which would be the case if treated preventatively during labor) I would not have those healthy bacteria to pass along to my newborn at birth. Newborns receive those healthy bacteria from their mamas. See the issue?
Anyway, I will be doing some natural preventative measures here at home to increase the chance that I will be GBS negative during labor. My midwives don't push cervical exams during labor, and do not artificially break the bag of waters so I won't have to worry about that (those things *can* increase the amount of bacteria that enter the uterus.) Finally, my midwife does not think there will be enough time, once I arrive at the birth center, to administer the two doses of antibiotics anyway (they are administered 4 hours apart.) So, overall I feel very confident that everything will be fine despite this rather annoying diagnosis. I kind of wish I hadn't taken the test at all, but at least now we know to look out for it (though, like I said, the risk is minuscule).
So yeah, I'm 9 months pregnant, and considered *full-term*. This means that baby's organs should be completely good-to-go, however, the longer he stays in the better! We really value all the development that happens in the womb, so he can stay in for a few more weeks! I told my midwife that I have had no signs of impending labor and I would like to keep it that way for 2-3 more weeks. Not that he couldn't decide to come any day despite what my wishes are.....which is nerve-wracking. She said that was different, (most moms are D.O.N.E. at this point) but she understands. We have some things to accomplish before he makes his appearance, though I do try to think about being prepared for labor any day. I do my "labor checklist" each morning. Mostly I would want the house to be in order and for Owen to be set for us to leave him with his caretaker. I know, Type A, blah blah blah.
At my appointment this week his heart rate was great, lots of movement, and I'm measuring a bit small still. (Of course that means nothing.) My midwife mentioned that from her palpations she'd guess he's on the smaller side- like maybe low 7lb range at birth if born at 40 weeks. Owen would have been the same had he come at 40 weeks (he was 7lbs 9 oz at +10 days) so it seems I grow smallish/average sized babies. Wahooo! I was just happy she didn't think this little guy was huge- obviously a concern with GD moms. And as for my weight gain, well I was pleasantly surprised and that's all I'll say.
My glucose levels have been good. The only "bad" news was that my GBS test was positive, again. I was positive for Owen's birth as well. (You can read more about this, and our treatment decision, below if you are interested. Or you can skip it. Your choice!) I have to say, between the GD and the SPD I am really glad that this is our last pregnancy. Both of those things can be present much earlier in subsequent pregnancies and I'm just glad this is it.... It's not that we don't love kids- we certainly do and we especially love our own but for a lot of reasons we know we want two. Period. So it's just nice that I will not have to go through these things again. Overall, it's been a really great pregnancy, though. I feel really comfortable and relaxed given the circumstances.
So anyway, time is winding down and we're scurrying around trying to finish up a few tasks. Maybe by the end of next week I can breathe a sigh of relief and say that I am finally *ready* for this baby to come. We're soaking in all the time we can with Owen, too. It's bittersweet, of course. For now, it's party time! I'll be sure to post photos and stories from my shower/blessingway, as well as Kraig's Man Day! Exciting!
more info:
GBS (Group B strep) is a normal bacteria found in the body, and it comes and goes. It's kind of silly that I would need to say this, but it is not a sexually transmitted disease. Everyone carries it at some point, and about 25% of pregnant women will carry it towards the end of their pregnancies. There are a lot of bacteria- good and bad- present at all times, and they test for GBS because it can, very rarely, make babies ill (aside: it is odd to me that they only test for this bacteria, since others can make babies ill as well. Like E. Coli, etc.) The stats are: of mothers who choose not to take antibiotics during labor, half a percent (0.5%) of babies will become ill with GBS disease.
However, the CDC recommends that all mothers who test positive be treated with antibiotics during labor. I mentioned in a previous post that we are waiving the antibiotics unless I have a risk factor such as fever during labor or premature rupture of membranes (meaning my water breaks 18+ hours before the onset of labor). Those risk factors increase baby's chance of developing an illness. So I will have antibiotics on hand just in case. The other important thing to remember is that antibiotics aren't always effective, AND that GBS comes and goes so I could have tested positive at 36 weeks but be negative at the birth. With all of these variables as well as the tiny risk of illness, we have opted to not preventatively treat with antibiotics during labor. My midwives will be alert to any signs of GBS illness in the baby after birth, and we can treat with antibiotics then.
I personally feel that, according to the stats, treating 200 women so that one baby doesn't become sick is irresponsible. Antibiotics do not come without serious side effects (creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, for instance, which has been well-documented in research of infants with GBS illness whose mothers were treated with antibiotics during labor). Antibiotics also eliminate the healthy gut flora as well as the "bad bugs" and I things that healthy gut flora is so, so important, especially in a newborn and especially during cold and flu season. If both myself and baby were treated with antibiotics (which would be the case if treated preventatively during labor) I would not have those healthy bacteria to pass along to my newborn at birth. Newborns receive those healthy bacteria from their mamas. See the issue?
Anyway, I will be doing some natural preventative measures here at home to increase the chance that I will be GBS negative during labor. My midwives don't push cervical exams during labor, and do not artificially break the bag of waters so I won't have to worry about that (those things *can* increase the amount of bacteria that enter the uterus.) Finally, my midwife does not think there will be enough time, once I arrive at the birth center, to administer the two doses of antibiotics anyway (they are administered 4 hours apart.) So, overall I feel very confident that everything will be fine despite this rather annoying diagnosis. I kind of wish I hadn't taken the test at all, but at least now we know to look out for it (though, like I said, the risk is minuscule).
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