Week 37: Adventures in Labor and Delivery

37w5d

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  So much to be thankful for this year!  God is so incredibly good, faithful, and He continues to amaze us in His abundant blessings!  Needless to say, this year I am beyond thankful and filled with gratitude for the amazing blessing of our precious son, Cameron!  I absolutely cannot wait to meet him in the next couple of weeks!

Speaking of...our pregnancy has been very uneventful until this past week.  This week I've managed to visit two separate Labor and Delivery units (at different hospitals). 

The first visit was for monitoring after I fell (landing on my belly) last Saturday.  I arrived at L&D and quickly learned that I would have to stay a minimum of 4 hours for monitoring and would have to miss my good friend's baby shower.  The good news was that Cameron was perfectly okay and there were no concerns for his healthy and safety! 

Our second visit was for monitoring after my blood pressure was unusually high at my routine doctor's appointment.  Typically my BP is around 110/70 but for some reason it was consistently (3 separate readings) high- reading 140/90.  After the last reading my doctor confirmed that we needed to go to Labor and Delivery for observation and to rule out pre-eclampsia.  We arrived at L&D, got checked in, and hooked up to the monitors.  Thankfully, my BP stabilized and quickly returned to normal; however, protocol insists that I had to stay for a minimum of 3 hours (or 4 hours since the high reading at my doctor's office).  In addition to my blood pressure being okay, my blood work and urine all came back negative for pre-eclampsia. 

I was so relieved as I knew that if my blood pressure did not stabilize we were likely going to be induced and meet Cameron a little earlier than expected.  As we were driving to the hospital on Tuesday I was playing lots of scenarios in my head and really contemplating my birth plan (which is to go natural, if at all possible).  I am well aware that an induced labor is much more intense and painful and limits the ability to move around, which is crucial to having a natural birth.  I was also wondering how we were going to get our hospital bags (the hospital we were sent to is over an hour, without traffic, from our home...it took us 3 hours to get home that night when we were released). 

As all these things were running through my mind, I realized that I wasn't in control and that God had all of this in His hands.  I quickly released and audibly verbalized, "God, you've got this.  I'm giving this to you and trusting in your plan.  I will deal with each of these things as they become necessary, taking it one step at a time".  It's amazing the peace I felt once I relinquished control and placed it into God's hands.  He has been here every step of the way and continues to meet every need! 

Today is Thanksgiving and I'm at a loss for the right words to describe my thankfulness and gratitude.  A year has passed since last Thanksgiving, yet it feels like our life is so much different and greater than our wildest dreams!  Last year I could not have imagined that we would be pregnant and meeting our son just a year later...it was a dream and a prayer that we begged and pleaded for for many days and nights and today it's our reality!  This journey has taught me so much and has truly changed me for the better!  Today, my heart is full of thankfulness, gratitude, and a peace that comes when you place your life in God's hands and trust in Him regardless of the circumstances.

Love and blessings to each and everyone of you, especially those still traveling the journey to their take home babies.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of you and pray for your little miracles.  May hope and peace be with you all the days until that glorious day arrives!

Weeks 35 and 36: Cameron's Nursery and More!

Today I am 36w2d pregnant!  That's right, only 26 more days until Cameron's due date!  We are getting so close and with each passing day I am filled with more anticipation and excitement to meet our precious son!  Words cannot describe the excitement I have for meeting Cameron and finally holding him in my arms!

The past couple weeks have been busy!  I am truly in full on nesting mode!  There's so much to do and time is of the essence!

Things we have accomplished recently include: 

• installing the car seat bases
• finishing the nursery
• buying the remaining essentials we need before Cameron arrives (baby wipes, hats, socks, nipple cream, etc)
• preparing freezer meals
• starting the maternity leave process
• packing Cameron's hospital bag
• setting up the rock n play
• finishing thank you cards
• organizing photos (so we can erase them from our camera's memory stick)
• writing my birth plan
• wrapping up loose ends/projects at work
• getting the house all clean and organized

Of all the things we have accomplished, finishing the nursery has truly brought a sense of joy and peace!  Seeing it all come together these past few weeks has been fun and I'm truly happy with the final product- it came out better than I could have envisioned!

1 Samuel 1:27

Psalm 93:4

Hebrews 6:19

Change Table/Dresser with Picture Frames and Paddle

Change Table Station

Cameron's Crib with Name Overhead!

Rocking Chair, Nightstand, Sailboats, and Life-saver (baby shower guests signed it with notes to Cameron!)

Nightstand Closeup

Inside Cameron's Closet- he already has lots of clothes and essentials!

View from the doorway!

I also had an appointment last week (at 35w3d) with my OB.  It was great seeing her and knowing that Cameron is doing great!  He's measuring right on track (although, according to my OB, on the "smaller side of average"- she's guessing around 7 lbs) and has a strong heartbeat!  Everything is going so smoothly and I couldn't be more thankful!  She did the Group B Strep test (will get results from that next week) and we talked extensively about the whole labor process, when to go to the hospital, etc.  We also scheduled my last appointments!!!  I go back on November 25th, December 2nd, 9th, and 17th (hopefully this appointment isn't needed!)!  Overall, it was a great appointment!

We only have a few more To-Do list items and then we are all set and truly 100% ready for Cameron's arrival!  I had grand intentions of doing a bunch of cleaning this past weekend but God had other things in mind.  I came down with a bad cold on Friday and have been forced to rest.  It's amazing how God works sometimes...there's so much to do but He's put me in a place where my only option is to listen to my body and relax!  So, instead of checking things off my never-ending list, I spent most of the weekend relaxing in my pajamas and enjoying quiet moments with Lloyd!  We watched a movie, went to church (I was feeling okay on Saturday night to do this), watched a sermon online Sunday morning, did some reading, and that's pretty much it!  I'm still feeling under the weather today and am curious how long this will last...praying it goes away sooner than later! 

For now, I will just listen to my body and do my best to enjoy these little moments of being pregnant with Cameron- who knows, he can come any day now and as excited as I am to meet him I know that I will miss these moments where it's just me and him!

Weeks 33 and 34!

Me at 33 weeks

The last month has gone by so fast!  I cannot believe that we are already at the end of our 34th week of pregnancy and we will be meeting our precious little Cameron next month!

Work is coming to an end and is very busy trying to finish up two big projects.  Thankfully, things have been going pretty smoothly and it looks like I will be able to finish them before I start my maternity leave. 

Speaking of work...this past week work surprised me with a nice baby shower!  Our team went to lunch to celebrate the completion and release of one of our projects.  When we got back there were more co-workers hanging out in our conference room.  My boss came over and said, "Look what they left us!" which prompted all of us to meander into the conference room.  I walked in and was surprised with seeing my friends and colleagues, baby boy balloons, a beautiful cake, and a very nice card that had very generous gift cards to Target and Babies R Us. 

Work baby shower

Truly, I am so so thankful for my co-workers- words cannot describe the gratitude I have for my amazing boss (who has gone above and beyond in being flexible, understanding, and caring throughout this journey) and my co-workers who have also provided so much support and encouragement these past two years.  As much as I am looking forward to being a stay-at-home mom I will truly miss the friendship and comaderie that I have found at work these past 6 1/2 years.

Besides work, I have been very busy trying to get everything organized and ready for Cameron's arrival.  Everything from making sure we have what he needs, cleaning and organizing his room, setting up the car seat and bases, filling out all the safety warranties just in case there is a recall, cleaning our house, and figuring out what freezer meals I want to prepare in the upcoming weeks.

In fun news, I took some time away from the craziness to go see my little cousins play soccer!  They are so adorable and such a joy to be around!  It was great watching them play, especially Kaylie because she really loves the sport and is constantly amazing me with her improvement each week!  It was also nice to spend some time with my family, getting to catch up with my aunt, cousins, and my mom!

Finally, we celebrated Lloyd's birthday this past week!  It started on Halloween, relaxing at home and handing out candy to treat-or-treaters.  Saturday we went up to visit his parents and grandma and enjoyed a nice lunch/dinner and birthday cake for dessert!  It was wonderful seeing everyone and celebrating Lloyd's special day with them!  On the way home we decided to rent Transformers.  Although it was an intriguing movie, taking on a 3 hour movie after a long day was a little too much for my third trimester body!  I made it to about the 2 hour mark before starting to doze in and out of sleep on the couch.  We finally decided to call it a night and finish the movie in the morning!

Sunday morning we woke up and watched the rest of Transformers before heading out to play a round of golf at a course about an hour from our house.  It turned out to be a beautiful day on the golf course (after having rained on Saturday)!  It's always nice to watch Lloyd play golf (I only spectate!) because it's a true passion for him and he's really quite good!  I love spending that time with him! 

After golf we went to one of our favorite happy hour restaurants!  Lloyd enjoyed a couple pumpkin beers and we shared some sliders and a pizza!  Such a great time and very thankful for these little moments just the two of us before we become a family of three!

Speaking of...on my way home from work this past week I decided to pre-register at the hospital we plan to deliver (after two hospitals had called the previous week to get me to register...I guess we're getting close!).  Anyways, I walked in and met with the lady to complete the process.  While there some nursery type music came on and she explained that it plays every time a new baby is born!  It was so sweet and so surreal!  Leaving the hospital was a uniquely emotional experience...I couldn't help the thought that the next time I leave there we will be leaving with our son!!!  It was such a cool moment and realization that we are so close to our dreams coming true and prayers answered!  I absolutely cannot wait to meet our little guy!

Childbirth Class and Preparation!

Lloyd and I attended a one day (8 hour) childbirth class offered through Kaiser on October 18th.  The class was $100 but well worth every single penny!  Even though it was only one day (versus the 5 week, 2 1/2 hour per session course) we walked away feeling like we had all the information we needed to be prepared for labor.

When we first found out we were pregnant I had no grand intentions of trying to go through labor without any form of pain management.  I had already experienced a small glimpse of what labor feels like when I had my second miscarriage and I was well aware that it's extremely painful.  However, sometime over these past few months I have really embraced the idea of a completely natural labor (although I am open to being flexible with my birth plan and getting an epidural if needed).  Lloyd's okay with whatever I decide but he was also encouraged by some co-workers that raved about their natural childbirth experience and just knowing that it is possible to do labor without assistance (his mother and grandmother both used pain management of some sorts- epidural and drugs).

My mom has been a great help in encouraging me.  She delivered both myself and my brother completely naturally and reminds me all the time that I can do this (actually both her and my dad remind me that I've completed 3 Ironmans and 7 marathons, surely I have the mental strength to get through the pain that accompanies labor).  Although she is encouraging she has also reminded me that this is my labor and I need to do what is best for me and Cameron and that I don't need to go through with a natural labor just to please someone else- if I do it, it will be for me and me only.

Anyways, back to class!  The doula teaching the class was amazing!  In fact, I would love to hire her but am not sure how necessary that is.  I'm confident that Lloyd will do a great job coaching me through all the contractions and hope that we successfully deliver Cameron naturally.  She gave us some great tips: 

• labor at home as much as possible (she advised us to leave for the hospital when my contractions are 3 minutes apart, 60 seconds long, and for 1 hour)
• we do not want an episiotomy unless medically necessary
• we want intermittent monitoring
• we want to move around as much as possible
• we want to use the bath/shower
• we don't want the umbilical chord cut until it stops pulsating
• we want skin-to-skin immediately if possible, etc.
• Lloyd will stay with Cameron if they take him to the nursery and remind the nurses that they need to get him back to me as soon as possible

We left feeling very empowered and invigorated!  Oh, and we had originally planned to deliver at Kaiser in Fontana but, after taking the doula's advice (which was strongly against Fontana for a natural delivery), have decided to deliver Cameron in Riverside! 

Now that class is done and we have our birth plan in place, I am starting to mentally prepare and visualize how that day might look and unfold.  To do so I bought a book called Ina May's Guide to Childbirth: Updated With New Material.  I just started reading it and am finding it very empowering as well!  Part I tells the birth stories of numerous women who delivered naturally (and most at The Farm or in a home setting).  The book shows that labor is a very natural experience that women were designed to do instead of all the horror stories that we hear of today and the fear of pain, you can't do it mentality, etc that our culture has come to embrace.  I'm very much looking forward to learning more and more as I journey through this book.

I cannot believe that it's already November, which means next month we will be meeting our precious little Cameron!  As each day passes and we get closer to his arrival, I find myself so enthused with excitement!  I absolutely cannot wait for Cameron to be her, to hold him in my arms for the first time, to see what he looks like, and to just love every second of being his mommy!  Life is so incredibly good!