Bertram has arrived.

When I last left off, I'd been contracting since 9 pm on February 26th.  It continued through the whole night, with no breaks.  (We're supposed to be across the street right now, taking our birthing class, lol).   I took a couple hot showers, and called L&D twice.  Mostly, I moved around on the couch, trying to get comfortable.  I dozed for an hour between 4-5am, but still woke up for each contraction.  Between 5-6 then got really strong, I was moaning and crying.  Aaron got up around 5:30, and we got ready to go.  He showered, I got a couple last minute stuff packed, we both had a little breakfast.
From the amount of time I'd been contracting, and the strength of the contractions, I was hoping I'd been at 7cm.  When I got checked, I was only at 4cm.  With that I knew, natural was not going to happen.  They started me on narco (norco?), because the anesthesiologist couldn't get in right away.  The narco helped a bit.  I was nervous about getting an epidural, and having a catheter.  But it was surprisingly not bad.  The numbing shot was the worse part, and the sitting still.  Once that kicked in, everything was fantastic.  I couldn't feel any contractions, and dozed a little.  That was around 8am, I didn't have to do anything until 2, since I was still dilating.  Sometime during this period, they started me on an oxygen mask, to make sure Bertie was getting enough.
Dennis (Aaron's dad) came by briefly  to say hi and see how things were going.
Starting at 2, I pushed for about 30 minutes, and then rested some.  Aaron was really great during all this.  He was worried about being squeamish. He doesn't do great with blood, or seeing me in pain.  He mostly stayed near my head, but had to help pull my legs or support my neck at some points.  So I know he looked a little bit.  He insisted he didn't want to cut the cord, but more on that later.  But he was great, got me ice chips, encouraged me to breath (which, as the time, was annoying), and kept count during the pushing.
At 3ish, we started pushing again.  This was when the epidural started wearing off.  And things started hurting.  The oxygen mask was really bothering me, I was too hot, I felt nauseous every time I had to push.  Baby was not making the type of progress they wanted, and he was in distress off and on.  Also, he was turned sideways, his ear was facing up.
Around 4, floor doctor came in, and said this will be our last shot, we're going to use the vacuum assisted device while you push, and if that doesn't work, we need to do an immediate c-section.  At that point, I was ready to say skip the vacuum, lets go to the OR.  I was so tired, and in pain.  Plus I was starting to lose it.  We did that, there was no success.  So then everyone was rushing around.  They told Aaron they'd bring him back after everything was set up.  I think I was sobbing at that point (I'm crying now as I type this, too many emotions).  They whisked me down the hall, and resumed the epidural meds.  Either because they'd just started or because I was freaking out, they weren't working as fast as the doctors wanted, so they opted to sedate me.  In all honesty, it's just as well that they did.  Once I go into panic mode, I'm useless.
I don't remember much of that.  They had me take some deep breaths of something, and I went to sleep.
I woke up in a different part of the same room.  A nurse was talking to me about nothing in particular.  Aaron was either there, or came in shortly after.  He showed me some pictures of Bertram, and told me about him.  I found out that his cord was around his neck, not tightly, but enough to distress him, and keep him from coming out vaginally.  He is a tiny guy, 5lb7oz, 18 inches long.  So skinny.  He was put in the intermediate care nursery, since his lungs weren't quite ready.
Usually they can only take wheelchairs in the nursery, but the nurses made an exception for me and wheeled the gurney in.  I was able to do skin to skin for 30 minutes, and he latched for 5 or 10 minutes.  That was awesome.  Just great.  I miss him, and want to snuggle him more.
I got settled in my postpartum room.  Aaron folks and my dad come by to meet the baby.  He's the first grandchild for everyone.  They were all here from about 9-10.  Then we went to sleep.  Aaron slept, I slept intermittently an hour or two at a time.  I got up and walked briefly last night, I was really dizzy.  I've also started using the breast pump.  Nothing is coming out yet, but it's good for stimulation.  I'm still on a catheter, but that will be coming out soon.
I'm not sure why he, or my body decided to come so early.

Is this it?

I think I may be in early labour.  It's 11:30pm, and I've been having contractions since 9pm.  But they aren't getting stronger, and the spacing isn't steady.  For the 9 o'clock hour, they were about 4 minutes apart, and lasted 30-40 seconds.  Then they were sporadic, now they're happening again, but they're about 5.5 minutes apart.

I sent Aaron to bed.  He has a lot going on tomorrow, assuming I don't go into actual labour.  I would like to sleep, but it's not happening at the moment.  Tomorrow is supposed to be my last day before maternity leave.  And Friday is the birthing class.  I'm really hoping to actually attend the class.

The contractions aren't terrible yet.  The most uncomfortable thing is when I need to go pee.  Sitting on the toilet is really hurty, it feels like I need to take the biggest poop.

I'm 36 weeks, 5 days.  So it's a little early too.  And first babies are supposed to come late.  Grr.

I had Aaron put the car seat back in the car.  I packed my hospital bag.  We'll see what happens.

Progress with baby

This may be a TMI post.  You've been warned.

I am 35 weeks and 3 days.

Yesterday things started happening.  I'm pretty sure I lost my mucus plug.  It wasn't plug shaped, but it was a gloopy, gross, sticky thing.  (There's been a little more since then).  Then, I was sitting around in the evening with no shirt (my skin is really sensitive now a days), and I leaked some droplets of colostrum, that's mostly new.  In the middle of the night I woke up to contractions!  Mild, sporadic ones, I assume, I really have no clue, but they were manageable.  There were a few, but they were short, maybe 30-60 seconds.  I found that rocking on my hands and knees worked best.

After a while I went back to sleep, and everything was normal this morning.  I called Labour and Delivery, to find out if I should get checked.  I knew I wasn't in active labour, since things stopped. They said said unless my water started running down my legs (or broken completely), I was having strong contractions about 4 minutes apart.  And as long as baby was still moving normally, then we're all good.  I did send an email to my ob/gyn this afternoon too.  I have my 36 week appointment on Monday, but I want to make sure I don't need to be checked sooner.

I'm a little nervous, because our birthing class isn't until the end of the month.

This and that

I'm working on getting things done around here.  I've been having some cramping, and I worry that baby will be here early.  Granted, we have the really important things: car seat, bassinet, clothes, diapers, stroller.  We also have: soap, wipes, lots of clothes, a crib (with mattress being shipped currently), a recliner, boppy pillow, changing table, cloth diapers (to use once the umbilical stump falls off), diaper pail, nail clippers, burp cloths, etc.  Today I order the last of what we "need": crib mattress, pee pee teepees, changing pad and cover, high chair cover, wet bag, pail liner, and flushable diaper liners (for the cloth diapers).  I still need to get a breast pump for storage, and there is a jogging stroller that folds really small (and is only $100) that I want.

I'm currently rewashing the newborn clothes.  At our recent class, they said not to wash baby clothes with your clothes (due to dyes and perfumes).  I'm not too worried about the diapers, and stuff he'll wear later on.  He'll be used to our perfumes and dyes by then.

I ran around a got stuff today.  I finally found the wash tub I wanted.  (I found it online, but today was the first time I saw it in the store).  I bought wipes, anti-scratch mittens, swaddlers, pads (for me), nail clippers, brush, sensitive baby soap, and a trash can for his room.

I went to lunch with Colleen today.  I got to ask her a million questions about birth, and nursing, and being sleep deprived.  She is a mom I'd like to be like (aside from my own), so I want lots of her advice.  (And she's only bout 1.5 miles away, so she's a good resource).

It's kind of weird.  I'm not actually too nervous about the actual birth.  I know there will be pain, but it's what women's bodies' were meant to do.  I feel like I can do it.  Maybe that's foolish, or short sighted, but I feel ok about it.  Kaiser is really supportive of natural birthing, and long labours.  They don't do inductions (unless medically necessary), they have a really low c-section rate, and a really low episiotomy rate.

I'm concerned about the other stuff.  Having a bad latcher, or a bad sleeper, or being too tired to be useful to him.

Eight more work days til maternity leave!!!

Ok some non-pregnancy stuff.  I want to get the taxes done within the next week or so.  Hopefully we did our withholding correctly.

Dad got out of Good Sam on Thursday.  He's still not feeling great, but better.  His surgeon wants to go in and fix the abscess.  Dad doesn't really want to have more surgery.  He has an appointment on Thursday, so we'll see what happens.

Aaron was sick all week.  He had a strep kind of infection.  The antibiotics he got worked really well, and quickly.

I've lost my ipod shuffle.  I think I need to get a new one.

All corners

I told Aaron today that I may have cheated on him with SpongeBob Squarepants.  Mojo is all corners.  I can't ever figure out if he's up, or down or which way.  Sometimes it feels like his completely perpendicular to the way he's supposed to be.  It's painful at times.  And when he's under my ribs, it's always on the right side.  I've been playing Bach for Mojo a couple times a day.  He seems to like it.  And Aaron's still working his way through the Hobbit (reading it aloud to my belly (and me) most nights).  The crib arrived the other day.  We need to assemble it, and buy a mattress.  I'm really looking forward to maternity leave and nesting.  11 work days left!!!  We also have our infant care class tomorrow.  I'm sure Aaron will be bored, but I'm looking forward to it.

Dad's been at Good Sam since Friday night.  He has an abscess near his small intestine, and it caused the intestine to be inflamed, and that caused a partial blockage.  So he was put on NPO, and started on some pain meds and iv antibiotics.  Saturday and Sunday he still wasn't feeling well.  He had a CAT scan on Monday, and things were looking better, and he was starting to feel better.  Today he felt pretty good, And he got to start on a full liquid diet.  It's looking like he'll get to go home tomorrow.  Yay.

Aaron's been sick the past couple days.  He has something akin to a mild flu (no fever).  He stayed home yesterday and today, but went to a meeting tonight.  I think he may be well enough to go back to work tomorrow, but we'll see.  He's still pretty weak.  Somehow, I've stayed really healthy through my pregnancy (knock on wood).

Pregnancy Survey

How far along? 34 weeks 1 day
Total weight loss/gain: Still gaining.  Despite really watching my eating, calories, and moving more.  I'm up to about 38 lbs so far.

Maternity clothes? I can still squeeze into a couple regular shirts.  Otherwise it's all preggy clothes.  I have 2 pairs of full panel jeans that I love.
Sleep: Still good.  I have no issues falling or staying asleep (except having to pee)

Best moment this week: Aaron talking about future things with our son.  It's pretty neat.

Movement: I got a really swift kick to the ribs this week.  That was really painful.

Food cravings: Mushroom pizza, hot dogs, baked goods.
Food aversions: Not much.  If I have any, they're fleeting.
Gender: He's still a boy!
Labor Signs: I have a few little cramps off and on, but I don't think it's labour related.

Belly Button in or out? Still in.  I'm surprised by that.
What I miss: Sleeping on my back.  Not waddling.

What I am looking forward to:  Getting the rest of the baby stuff we need, and hopefully feeling more "ready"
Milestones: Babies born after 34 weeks have no more lasting issues than babies born at 40 weeks.  Yay.

A pretty good day.

Mojo has taken to hurting me lately.  He seems to be most comfortable right under my ribs on the upper right.  I assume he's kicking me, but I can't tell , it could be some other body part.  Also I finally felt him hiccuping today.  I think he'd done it before, but this was the only time I'd recognized what it was.  Today, he was mostly hurting me, really smashing my bones and organs.  I guess this will probably get worse.  I need to see if I can borrow a TENS unit from work.  (I can't remember if I mentioned that I've been calling him Lumpy).  One other pregnancy thing, possibly TMI: the other morning, I work up with a small (quarter sized),wet spot on my shirt.  Colostrum leak?  It hasn't happened again, but it was a little odd.

I found out today that my insurance policy will stay in place while I'm on leave!  Yay!  I still need to pay my portion, but it's still a good deal.  I have a plan I like for Mojo, but I can't sign him up til he's born.  (At least I think, I'll ask Kaiser to be sure).  The plan I like for him is $250 a month, so it's pretty good.

I got caught up on bills today, except rent. We need to go to the bank and get that.  It's nice to be caught up.   Also, we only owe $350 now, so we'll have it paid off by the end of the month!  WooHoo! I also tidied up a little (I've been seriously slacking on chores.  I'm just tired and sore when I get home).

Aaron came home for a little bit, I'm happy I got to see him.  He's been working a lot of nights to get things done before Mojo comes.  It's prime fund-raising time, so he's been doing a lot of that back to back, to have more time free at the end of May and beginning of April.

Catch up

It's been a couple weeks, let me see how much I remember.

My mom flew into town on the 22nd of January.  It was really great having her here.  She did a lot of cooking and cleaning.  And she came to see me at work most days for lunch, and we'd go for a walk.

My shower was on Saturday the 25th.  It was nice, and I think everyone had a good time.  I got way too many clothes, and not enough of the essential things.  But we got some really cute things.  Later in the week, I bought the Ergo carrier, and a crib.  Aaron and I went to Ikea and got a changing table.  We still need a bathtub, a crib mattress, a changing table pad, and I'd really like to get my breast pump and jogger before he comes.  But we have the car seat and stroller, a bassinet, a good supply of cloth and little disposable diapers.  So enough to get by, should he come early.

While my mom was here, we had a baby appointment.  She got to hear the heart beat.  Everything still looks good.  I'm still gaining too much weight.  I don't know how it's possible, I've been getting all my steps in, and watching what I eat (counting calories).  At this visit I was at 199.  I was in a different office, so there could be a difference with the scales.  But aside from that, the NP said I looked good.  No puffiness, good BP.  I'm bummed about the weight gain.  I have a lot of work to do, once he's born and I have the ok.  Before that, we'll walk and nurse and sleep.

We (mom, Aaron and I) went on the hospital tour.  That made it all pretty real.  If my mom is here, when I go into labour, she'll be in the room with Aaron.  (I think he's happy to have a team mate, I think he's nervous too).

My mom was supposed to fly back home on Wednesday night.  But her flight was through Atlanta, and all their flights were cancelled.  So she got rebooked for early Thursday morning.  She flew from San Jose, to LAX, to JFK, to Richmond. She had a long day.

Aaron and I got a lot done the Saturday after she left.  We hit the flea market and Ikea.  We got some of the baby stuff done.  We still need to finish organizing his room, and cleaning out the closet in there. I think we need to get rid of some of our stuff.  Our house is too small (actually it's not, but the layout is not great).

Sunday I managed to stay all three hours for church.  Then we watched the Superbowl.

I'm just starting to get uncomfortable in the pregnancy.  And most of the time I still feel ok.  But baby is very lumpy (he takes after Aaron, all elbows, knees and ankles). He seems to like to be up under my ribs.  That's not my favourite, or I'll feel like I have a bad side stitch.  I have back aches off and on.  I get leg cramps in the morning and evening.  Getting up and bending are both getting more difficult.

I need to do the taxes soon.  Ugh, I feel like I have so much to do.