Sunday, June 30, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
37 Weeks - Round 2
How far along? 37 weeks and 3 days (I figured after 5 weeks off, it was time to fill out the weekly survey)
Total weight gain/loss? I haven't weighed since my appointment this past Tuesday, but I'm up a grand total of about 40 or so pounds. Yes, yes, this is over the "recommended" 25-35 pound weight gain (with still some time to go), BUT, compared to my last pregnancy, I'm doing great. I was about 20 pounds heavier at this point with Lukas. And I started both pregnancies at the exact same weight. So, yea.
Maternity clothes? Ugh, I'm totally over the same 5 dresses I wear every week to work.
Stretch marks? You know, I haven't really noticed them too much. I haven't gotten the linea nigra (dark line running vertically up your belly), which I'm happy about! Have I mentioned that I do have a few dark spots on my face that I swear are pregnancy hormone related? It looks like I have a dark circle /black eye under my right eye. It's pretty, really.
Sleep? Depends on the night. On the whole I'd say I'm sleeping well, but one night this week I was up with insomnia for about 4 hours.
Best moment last week? Sunday was a pretty good day all around. It started with homemade overnight Grand Marnier french toast and brunch with my parents and ended with an evening spent with good friends.
Movement? He's running low on space, but Julian is still rolling around in there and his kicks have become quite painful.
Food cravings? Cheddar cheese. Is this strange? And sweets - mainly cookies.
Food aversions? Nope.
Gender? B is for boy.
Labor signs? I've started to have more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. Yesterday evening they were almost timeable, but stopped after about an hour. My OB has also indicated that things are "progressing" from the other effacing, dilating perspectives, but I know that means nothing as far as when labor will actually begin. So we continue to wait.
Belly button in/out? Out. As in poking out through shirts. But did you know that when it's "out" during pregnancy, it's not exactly that your innie turns into an outie. My innie is still there, but above it is now this protruding mound of skin. It's really bizarre.
What I miss: Gracefully being able to get off the couch/bed/floor.
What I am looking forward to: My last pregnancy massage and eventually having a very dirty vodka martini with my BFF with a side of sushi.
Milestones: Full term buddy! Come out, come out wherever you are!!!!
Total weight gain/loss? I haven't weighed since my appointment this past Tuesday, but I'm up a grand total of about 40 or so pounds. Yes, yes, this is over the "recommended" 25-35 pound weight gain (with still some time to go), BUT, compared to my last pregnancy, I'm doing great. I was about 20 pounds heavier at this point with Lukas. And I started both pregnancies at the exact same weight. So, yea.
Maternity clothes? Ugh, I'm totally over the same 5 dresses I wear every week to work.
Stretch marks? You know, I haven't really noticed them too much. I haven't gotten the linea nigra (dark line running vertically up your belly), which I'm happy about! Have I mentioned that I do have a few dark spots on my face that I swear are pregnancy hormone related? It looks like I have a dark circle /black eye under my right eye. It's pretty, really.
Sleep? Depends on the night. On the whole I'd say I'm sleeping well, but one night this week I was up with insomnia for about 4 hours.
Best moment last week? Sunday was a pretty good day all around. It started with homemade overnight Grand Marnier french toast and brunch with my parents and ended with an evening spent with good friends.
Movement? He's running low on space, but Julian is still rolling around in there and his kicks have become quite painful.
Food cravings? Cheddar cheese. Is this strange? And sweets - mainly cookies.
Food aversions? Nope.
Gender? B is for boy.
Labor signs? I've started to have more frequent Braxton Hicks contractions. Yesterday evening they were almost timeable, but stopped after about an hour. My OB has also indicated that things are "progressing" from the other effacing, dilating perspectives, but I know that means nothing as far as when labor will actually begin. So we continue to wait.
Belly button in/out? Out. As in poking out through shirts. But did you know that when it's "out" during pregnancy, it's not exactly that your innie turns into an outie. My innie is still there, but above it is now this protruding mound of skin. It's really bizarre.
What I miss: Gracefully being able to get off the couch/bed/floor.
What I am looking forward to: My last pregnancy massage and eventually having a very dirty vodka martini with my BFF with a side of sushi.
Milestones: Full term buddy! Come out, come out wherever you are!!!!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Let's Talk about Birth Plans
I'm officially 37 weeks today, which means Julian is considered FULL TERM and in theory can come any day now. So I thought it was perhaps time to consider packing a hospital bag and think about what I'm hoping for in this labor/delivery. I've decided that I'll throw the hospital bag together when I'm 39 weeks or once I start having regular contractions. As for my birth plan it would look something like this if I were to actually write it down, which perhaps I will and give to the nurses.
Birth Plan: Delivery healthy baby
I'm serious, I have no expectations for this birth. I have hopes, but I've decided not to go into it with any game plan. Will I get an epidural? Who knows. Probably. I'll decide when the time comes. Will we have a birthing playlist ready? Nope. I don't even think we had music playing when Lukas was born. Do I care how often I'm checked at the hospital? Not at all.
I have one goal. Birth a healthy baby boy.
Now this is a much different perspective than my labor expectations with Lukas. So let's talk about that. Here is the actual birth plan we gave to the nurses at the hospital:
We have chosen to use the quiet and relaxed method of Hypnobirthing to bring our baby into the world. We appreciate your support of our choice for a natural birth with minimal intervention. Thank you for your help and care on this very special day for us.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY: In the event that the situation becomes life-threatening for either Ms. Swan or our baby, we will, of course, yield to any request for life saving intervention, upon the briefest of consultation. In the strong likelihood that we have the normal birth that we're expecting, we ask that you refrain from any routine interventions or measures that we have not previously agreed upon.
• Hydration: We ask that Ms. Swan hydrate herself with water and juice as desired, and will be happy to accept a Heparin Lock (but request that the Heparin Lock not be inserted in the back of either of Ms. Swan’s hands). IV to be implemented only in the event of complicating factors.
• Monitoring: We prefer intermittent monitoring as opposed to continuous. Internal monitoring, upon our consultation, to be used only in a life-threatening situation.
• Room Environment: We will be performing various techniques of self- hypnosis and for this reason we ask to be allowed to bring soft music, use dimmed lighting, and ask for the staff to kindly use a low voice - avoiding references to "pain", "hurting" or "hard work".
• Management of Labor: It is our strong desire to allow our birthing to proceed upon its natural course, in the absence of complications, without restriction to time. We plan to use pitocin or AROM only as a last resort after all other natural methods have been attempted.
• Vaginal Exams/Dilation: We request minimal vaginal exams – with permission. Please do not inform Ms. Swan of her progress or “lack of progress” in dilation. Please share such information with Mr. Cob instead.
• Coping with Labor: We decline discussion of pain tolerance or pain levels, and request that there be no offering whatsoever of pain management options.
• "Pushing": Because we are using hypnosis for childbirth pushing techniques, Ms. Swan will be using positions she finds effective, and this will be completely mother-directed. We ask that the staff respect our request and not direct us how to push, unless an emergency arises. We request a calm, gentle, encouraging atmosphere during the final birthing phase – calm, low tones of voice with no “counting” or “pushing” prompts.
• Breastfeeding: We will be exclusively breastfeeding our baby and request that no bottles of any kind be given to our baby.
Thank you for all of the care we've received during our pre-natal visits and in advance for the respect and assurance we know we'll receive from you during our birthing.
Ha. Do you think those things happened? No. Despite my lovely laid out plan, things veered off course. A bit. After hours of laboring through the night, I got an IV of fluids at 6am in anticipation of the epidural I decided I wanted (screamed for, even begged for), which I got around 7:30am. I was more or less confined to the bed thanks to the catheter and epidural (which was sweet relief and even allowed me a few hours of sleep after being up the whole night). The baby was monitored continuously once I got the epidural and I asked them to tell me how far along I was every time I was checked. Oh yea, and eventually I even got pitocin. Lots of it. And I distinctly remember counting during the pushing stage, which was done totally on my back (for only 15 minutes, thankfully). And right after he was born, Lukas was whisked away by the nurses to have tubes shoved down his throat to make sure he hadn't swallowed any meconium, so I didn't get the immediate skin-to-skin contact I wanted. I did, however, exclusively breastfeed and refused bottles even though he SCREAMED the entire day 2 in the hospital. So you could say things didn't go as I'd planned.
This time around I'm focusing on one thing and one thing only: healthy baby. And if he screams in the hospital on day 2, the kid is getting a bottle of formula.
And they say the second kid always gets the shaft.
Birth Plan: Delivery healthy baby
I'm serious, I have no expectations for this birth. I have hopes, but I've decided not to go into it with any game plan. Will I get an epidural? Who knows. Probably. I'll decide when the time comes. Will we have a birthing playlist ready? Nope. I don't even think we had music playing when Lukas was born. Do I care how often I'm checked at the hospital? Not at all.
I have one goal. Birth a healthy baby boy.
Now this is a much different perspective than my labor expectations with Lukas. So let's talk about that. Here is the actual birth plan we gave to the nurses at the hospital:
We have chosen to use the quiet and relaxed method of Hypnobirthing to bring our baby into the world. We appreciate your support of our choice for a natural birth with minimal intervention. Thank you for your help and care on this very special day for us.
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY: In the event that the situation becomes life-threatening for either Ms. Swan or our baby, we will, of course, yield to any request for life saving intervention, upon the briefest of consultation. In the strong likelihood that we have the normal birth that we're expecting, we ask that you refrain from any routine interventions or measures that we have not previously agreed upon.
• Hydration: We ask that Ms. Swan hydrate herself with water and juice as desired, and will be happy to accept a Heparin Lock (but request that the Heparin Lock not be inserted in the back of either of Ms. Swan’s hands). IV to be implemented only in the event of complicating factors.
• Monitoring: We prefer intermittent monitoring as opposed to continuous. Internal monitoring, upon our consultation, to be used only in a life-threatening situation.
• Room Environment: We will be performing various techniques of self- hypnosis and for this reason we ask to be allowed to bring soft music, use dimmed lighting, and ask for the staff to kindly use a low voice - avoiding references to "pain", "hurting" or "hard work".
• Management of Labor: It is our strong desire to allow our birthing to proceed upon its natural course, in the absence of complications, without restriction to time. We plan to use pitocin or AROM only as a last resort after all other natural methods have been attempted.
• Vaginal Exams/Dilation: We request minimal vaginal exams – with permission. Please do not inform Ms. Swan of her progress or “lack of progress” in dilation. Please share such information with Mr. Cob instead.
• Coping with Labor: We decline discussion of pain tolerance or pain levels, and request that there be no offering whatsoever of pain management options.
• "Pushing": Because we are using hypnosis for childbirth pushing techniques, Ms. Swan will be using positions she finds effective, and this will be completely mother-directed. We ask that the staff respect our request and not direct us how to push, unless an emergency arises. We request a calm, gentle, encouraging atmosphere during the final birthing phase – calm, low tones of voice with no “counting” or “pushing” prompts.
• Breastfeeding: We will be exclusively breastfeeding our baby and request that no bottles of any kind be given to our baby.
Thank you for all of the care we've received during our pre-natal visits and in advance for the respect and assurance we know we'll receive from you during our birthing.
Ha. Do you think those things happened? No. Despite my lovely laid out plan, things veered off course. A bit. After hours of laboring through the night, I got an IV of fluids at 6am in anticipation of the epidural I decided I wanted (screamed for, even begged for), which I got around 7:30am. I was more or less confined to the bed thanks to the catheter and epidural (which was sweet relief and even allowed me a few hours of sleep after being up the whole night). The baby was monitored continuously once I got the epidural and I asked them to tell me how far along I was every time I was checked. Oh yea, and eventually I even got pitocin. Lots of it. And I distinctly remember counting during the pushing stage, which was done totally on my back (for only 15 minutes, thankfully). And right after he was born, Lukas was whisked away by the nurses to have tubes shoved down his throat to make sure he hadn't swallowed any meconium, so I didn't get the immediate skin-to-skin contact I wanted. I did, however, exclusively breastfeed and refused bottles even though he SCREAMED the entire day 2 in the hospital. So you could say things didn't go as I'd planned.
This time around I'm focusing on one thing and one thing only: healthy baby. And if he screams in the hospital on day 2, the kid is getting a bottle of formula.
And they say the second kid always gets the shaft.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Shedding Light
Since "the Palace" has shed some light on Kate's baby plans, I thought it was about time I do the same. I know my royal subjects are waiting with bated breathe...
KING OR QUEEN?
The Swan Palace can confirm that another little king is in the making. This was confirmed last week via an ultrasound tech during a routine ultrasound given to Ms. Swan at 35 weeks to determine the size of said baby boy. Thankfully, he was weighing in at 5 pounds 16 ounces as of week 35 and assuming a full term baby, he should not completely wreck his mother's vagina and future sex life as he is estimated to weigh a nice 8 pounds or so at birth. However, it should be noted that the tech did mention something about a wide forehead, but perhaps I misunderstood her as I was stuck on trying to understand how she could determine that his bladder was indeed full.
PACING THE HALLWAY OR IN THE ROOM WITH HIS WIFE?
Mr. Cob intends to be fully present during the birth of his second son. And by fully present, he means actually in the delivery room sitting in a chair up by his wife's head. He has no intention of witnessing the actual birth or cutting any cord. As for his wife, she is fine with this approach and offered that he can pace the hall instead if he chooses.
WHO'S IN CHARGE?
Ms. Swan. And by Ms. Swan we mean baby Julian. Oh and the fabulous Dr. Sun will be directing the whole show. (BTW, she is the most amazing OB in all of metro-Atlanta so contact Ms. Swan's people if you're on the hunt for a new OB.)
WILL THE PUBLIC KNOW WHEN MS. SWAN IS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL?
No. Unless she gets bored in the car and decides to post a message to her blog, show pictures of the water breaking carnage on facebook or tweet her screams of labor pains for her 2 followers. But there is the unknown factor of the anxious grandmas whose excitement cannot always be contained, so perhaps they'll break the news on facebook for all to see.
HOW WILL PEOPLE FIND OUT THAT AN HEIR TO THE THRONE HAS BEEN BORN?
The "people" will likely be able to view a photo of baby Julian on Instagram or Facebook. (I should point out that Julian will be very disappointed to learn there's no throne involved and his brother had beaten him to it even if there were).
AND THE NAME?
Julian R. You'll have to wait to find out what R stands for. Unless I've already told you, in which case, oh well. I don't need comments from the peanut gallery on our weird middle name just yet.
VISITING HOURS?
Friends and family are welcome to visit us at the hospital. If we're close enough that you have my phone number, well then give me a holler and I'll give you the room number at the hospital. Just be warned that you might see some boob action, and it's not the pretty kind. And there is an admittance fee equal to a bottle of wine. And I won't even make you hold the baby if you bring me some chocolate too.
WHERE'S DADDY?
Sleeping on the amazingly comfortable "bed" in my recovery room and then hopefully taking a week off work to bring me the baby at 3am for another round of "please don't tear off my nipples".
More news updates as Ms. Swan enters the final weeks of her pregnancy. How much weight will she gain? What color will the baby's hair be (since the ultrasound tech did confirm HE HAS HAIR!!! as opposed to his bald big brother)? Will she resort to any old wives tales to get the baby out early? Stay tuned for these and other questions "the people" are just dying to know.
KING OR QUEEN?
The Swan Palace can confirm that another little king is in the making. This was confirmed last week via an ultrasound tech during a routine ultrasound given to Ms. Swan at 35 weeks to determine the size of said baby boy. Thankfully, he was weighing in at 5 pounds 16 ounces as of week 35 and assuming a full term baby, he should not completely wreck his mother's vagina and future sex life as he is estimated to weigh a nice 8 pounds or so at birth. However, it should be noted that the tech did mention something about a wide forehead, but perhaps I misunderstood her as I was stuck on trying to understand how she could determine that his bladder was indeed full.
PACING THE HALLWAY OR IN THE ROOM WITH HIS WIFE?
Mr. Cob intends to be fully present during the birth of his second son. And by fully present, he means actually in the delivery room sitting in a chair up by his wife's head. He has no intention of witnessing the actual birth or cutting any cord. As for his wife, she is fine with this approach and offered that he can pace the hall instead if he chooses.
WHO'S IN CHARGE?
Ms. Swan. And by Ms. Swan we mean baby Julian. Oh and the fabulous Dr. Sun will be directing the whole show. (BTW, she is the most amazing OB in all of metro-Atlanta so contact Ms. Swan's people if you're on the hunt for a new OB.)
WILL THE PUBLIC KNOW WHEN MS. SWAN IS ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL?
No. Unless she gets bored in the car and decides to post a message to her blog, show pictures of the water breaking carnage on facebook or tweet her screams of labor pains for her 2 followers. But there is the unknown factor of the anxious grandmas whose excitement cannot always be contained, so perhaps they'll break the news on facebook for all to see.
HOW WILL PEOPLE FIND OUT THAT AN HEIR TO THE THRONE HAS BEEN BORN?
The "people" will likely be able to view a photo of baby Julian on Instagram or Facebook. (I should point out that Julian will be very disappointed to learn there's no throne involved and his brother had beaten him to it even if there were).
AND THE NAME?
Julian R. You'll have to wait to find out what R stands for. Unless I've already told you, in which case, oh well. I don't need comments from the peanut gallery on our weird middle name just yet.
VISITING HOURS?
Friends and family are welcome to visit us at the hospital. If we're close enough that you have my phone number, well then give me a holler and I'll give you the room number at the hospital. Just be warned that you might see some boob action, and it's not the pretty kind. And there is an admittance fee equal to a bottle of wine. And I won't even make you hold the baby if you bring me some chocolate too.
WHERE'S DADDY?
Sleeping on the amazingly comfortable "bed" in my recovery room and then hopefully taking a week off work to bring me the baby at 3am for another round of "please don't tear off my nipples".
More news updates as Ms. Swan enters the final weeks of her pregnancy. How much weight will she gain? What color will the baby's hair be (since the ultrasound tech did confirm HE HAS HAIR!!! as opposed to his bald big brother)? Will she resort to any old wives tales to get the baby out early? Stay tuned for these and other questions "the people" are just dying to know.
Friday, June 7, 2013
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