Lil' Dude ON My Belly!

Lil' Dude's Birth Story:

So as some of you may know, I was having contractions on and off for a couple of weeks. Braxton Hicks or pre-labor contractions that were preparing my body for labor. I noticed Sunday evening though that the contractions would wake me out of a deep sleep, which they hadn't been doing before. I stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday to try to cure the UTI that I thought I had.(test came back negative, apparently it was just pressure and discomfort from the baby descending!) Tuesday I noticed the contractions coming regularly but I still thought it was practice contractions. Around 5pm that day, I began talking to my baby and telling him that everyone was waiting for him to come; all of his family, uncles and aunties. So I told him that if he was ready, he should come. I told him that he was welcome and that he could come. I repeated this mantra to him a few times. I had just told my mom earlier in the day that I was ready for the baby to just come so I thought letting the baby know that he was welcome and that everyone was waiting for him could bring on labor. I wanted to see our baby! The suspense was killing me and I definitely wanted a little Libra! B and I went to bed and the contractions were becoming more intense. Hot shower and my hot water bottle were no longer helping. B and I began to think that this may be it so he got up and kind of tidied up the apartment. I text messaged my doula and she told me to try to rest because I would be in for a long tiring labor if I didn't sleep that night. I called her and told her that I just could not sleep; the contractions were too strong. She told me to try. She asked if I had an discharge and I said no. Then I texted her back a little later saying that I did have some brownish, pinkish discharge which must have been my "bloody show". She called my phone and B picked up. She asked him to ask me if I wanted her to come over and I was like "YES!". In the meantime I was feeling no comfort with my Snoogle pregnancy pillow at all and using the hot water bottle was just an exercise in futility. No position felt comfortable. For some reason the only place I sorta felt comfortable was sitting on the toilet believe it or not. Apparently it is very common for women to labor on the toilet. So I kept shuffling back in forth between the bed and the toilet. My doula took a car service over to the apartment and the first thing she did was give me something called "Rescue Remedy", a calming herbal elixir. She said it seemed to calm me down; I couldn't really tell...LOL! Then she said "let's get in the shower." I protested, telling her I had JUST gotten out of the shower and it didn't help. But she insisted and in I went. She told me to move with the contractions and to open my legs to make room for the baby. I was not feeling it at all. Eventually I told her I didn't want to stand anymore so we exited the shower and I made my way back to the Snoogle. I found no solace there. So again I shuffled back to the toilet and went back and forth. My doula was timing the contractions and said that I was probably in early labor. She asked if I wanted her to call the midwife. I said yes. So my doula told her that I was in early labor and that she didn't need to come right away. Then 12 minutes later when we realized that labor had accelerated faster than we thought, she had B call the midwife and tell her to come. My doula asked "Do you want me to tell the Marcy to come?" And I said "YES!" as I struggled to get comfy on the toilet seat. I felt so much pressure, almost like I had to go to the bathroom. Apparently that was rectal pressure from the baby making his way down. When my midwife arrived, I was in the throes of active labor, clinging to the Snoogle pillow in vain. She took my blood pressure and listened to the baby's heartbeat with the Doppler. She remarked that she had to position the stethoscope pretty low, meaning the baby was definitely well engaged into my pelvis. She then said after my next contraction she wanted to check me to see how dilated I was. This was the moment I had been dreading for awhile because I heard anecdotally how much this can hurt. So she checked me and man did that hurt. I couldn't even grin and bear it. She then announced to the surprise of everyone, especially myself, that I was full dilated and ready to push. (Later my midwife explained that I had probably been walking around around somewhat dilated for days or even weeks, hences the fast labor.) "WTF?" I was thinking! I mean I guess I just feared that my labor was going to be this long drawn out thing, based on other mothers' horror stories of their labor and delivery. And at that point I was not getting any rest between contractions because the so-called "rest" period in between did NOT feel like rest because of all the pressure and things going on in my pelvis and back. The whole time, my doula was easing my pain through back massage and foot massage. My mouth was getting so dry from all that heavy breathing too. Sometimes at the peak of a contraction, I felt a sense of panic because I knew that they would just keep coming and that rest was not coming for awhile. My doula kept telling me to talk to my baby and let him know what I wanted. To tell him I loved him. I did tell him. I told him I loved him and to work with my body. I also told him not to hurt his maman! LOL! My doula saw my panic and told me I was safe. Meanwhile, my midwife was observing everything. She was very hands off, which was pretty cool. I didn't really want any unnecessary touch; I even rebuked some of B's well intentioned back rubs! LOL! So my midwife wanted to do ANOTHER internal exam to "show" me how to push. I said no. I figured I could figure out how to push on my own! I definitely didn't want a repeat of what I felt during her first check. So in my bed, with my doula holding one leg up, I began to push. I pushed hard and tried to use the power of the contractions. In between pushes, I appreciated my little breaks. I pushed for 29 minutes and just as I felt a slight burn in my perineum, also known as "the ring of fire", both the doula and my midwife told me to stop pushing. Before I knew it, my midwife pulled this little dude out and there he was, with a funny shaped head, crying in front of me. She put him on my belly and I couldn't believe he was here finally and that my labor and delivery was pretty much over! My doula shuffled back and forth, covering the baby in towels that had been warmed in the oven. The midwife said that the umbilical cord had stopped pulsating and asked if it was okay to clamp and cut the cord. I said yes and she asked B if he wanted to do it. He did and then the baby was moved up toward my chest. Then I asked "How do I know when the placenta is going to come out?" My midwife told me I would feel cramping which I did. I then pushed out the placenta. My doula said that delivering the placenta would feel good and surprisingly it did! Weird... My midwife inspected my placenta and said it was healthy and pretty big. The first mother of my little boo... My doula is dehydrating and encapsulating it for me. I only had a minor tear and it was only to the interior of the perineum apparently, requiring no stitches. Yay! B and I both looked at our little boo; I couldn't believe that he had been living inside me for the past 10 months. I can't believe I pushed him out of my body! It's still very surreal to me. I look at him and I am just amazed! My midwife examined him, weighed him and measured him. He has a slight hernia but other than that he's awesome and healthy. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 2 ounces, a lot less than my midwife had previously estimated. She thought he would have been 7.5-8 pounds. And he was 21 inches long with some big feet! He also has muscles. He's not a pudgey baby at all, more like long and lean. I think he gets the long part from my dad's side of the family and the lean muscles from B. Oh and guess what else? My water NEVER broke. The baby was born in his sac! He was "born in the caul" or "with the caul on his face" as some put it. He's a "caulbearer". According to Wikipedia "In medieval times the appearance of a caul on a newborn baby was seen as a sign of good luck. It was considered an omen that the child was destined for greatness." Crazy, right? My doula said I was the first caul birth she had ever attended. My doula helped initiate breastfeeding. I am still getting the hang of that but I am determined. I still can't believe it. I am a mommy and my son is sleeping as I type this. He is so cute. My mom and B seem to think he looks like my dad. But we will see in the next few months who he favors. He definitely has my nose. But anyway, what a wonderful birth day we had on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 at 4:19 AM!

Sidenote: If I had gone ahead with my previous birth plan, I would have been risked out of the birth center because the baby was "past due" and I would have probably been treated on the regular labor and delivery floor as "high risk" because my amniotic fluid was low and probably put through all sorts of hospital birth intervention drama. My labor and delivery was never an emergency and the baby's heartbeat was strong the whole entire time. I am so glad I had a homebirth and that I chose to give birth without intervention or medication. So many people acted like I was crazy for wanting to have a natural birth and that I would see how unbearable the pain was. I mean yes, there was pain, but I knew that it was temporary and as soon as the little boo was born, it went away for the most part. I have some soreness in my perineum but that's not really a big deal. And I am proud to say that I never screamed or got hysterical during the labor. Very much the opposite of the image of childbirth presented in mainstream media. But anyway, yay natural childbirth and homebirth! P.S.- I may be mentioned in a New York Times Article on homebirth in NYC...stay tuned!

The Little Prince is here!

The little prince was born on October 22, 2008 at 4:19 am! He weighed in at 6 pounds 2 ounces and is 21 inches in length. And he has strong little muscles! He is long and lean! B and I are SO in love with this little boo. He is sleeping as I type this. He's such a cutey! My birth was fast, I had less than 2 hours of active labor. After my midwife came over when we established I was in labor for real, she checked me and to the surprise of all of us, I was already FULLY dilated and ready to push. I was like "WTH???" I couldn't believe it! I pushed for about 29 minutes and then the baby arrived! I had the baby a little less than an hour after the midwife arrived. Usually first time mothers jump the gun with labor because they do not know the signs of imminent birth. I guess I was the opposite. My midwife thinks I was probably walking around partially dilated for days, maybe even weeks! I plan on posting an official birth story soon. Right now I need to take advantage of the little prince's slumber and just relax! :)

What a day, what a day

Today B and I went out for a simple Babies R Us for some last minute purchases for the baby. Wow, we definitely ended up having an adventure for the day! So we headed to Babies R Us and as we shopped, my back was killing me and I was having other pain elsewhere so after consulting my doula, I called my midwife on her cell. I had already called her home number and left a message describing my pain. I got her voicemail on the cell but a few minutes later she actually called me in response to the message I left at her home number. She asked me about my symptoms and then told me that I needed to leave a "specimen" at a lab so she went online and found a lab that was open on Saturday. So with all the baby stuff in tow, we headed to the Union Square Green Market (after a small detour to Barnes and Noble for B) because I absolutely HAD to have some fromage blanc from this upstate dairy farm that only sells their items on Saturday at Union Square. After weaving through crowds, actually probably waddling from the pain, we found the Tonjes Dairy Farm stand and I got the fromage blanc that I wanted so bad. I used to eat fromage blanc quite a bit when I lived in Paris and I had yet to see it anywhere in the States. So it was a delight when I did an internet search and stumbled upon the small dairy farm that made fromage blanc along with other dairy products. But I digress, i wanted to get some apple cider too but B was like "No cider for you!" LOL! He was just being an ass but we did have stuff to do so we just headed to Whole Foods to get a big bottle of water and some pure, unsweetened cranberry juice. Then we hailed a taxi to get to the lab in the heart of Chinatown. We were the only non-Chinese people there. I had to drink ALOT of water to produce my "specimen". Then with all our heavy bottles from Whole Foods and the stuff from Babies R Us, we attempted to hail a cab. EVERY cab was occupied or off-duty. Finally after about 20 minutes, an off-duty cab driver took pity on us. B pleaded with him to take us to Brooklyn, "my wife is having contractions!" (I wasn't but I WAS in pain!) So even though he needed to drop the cab off in Manhattan, he took us over the bridge back to Brooklyn. I gave him a nice tip and we headed into the building. So in an effort to self medicate, I was drinking cranberry juice like it was my job. BAD IDEA! The combination of acidic cranberry plus my three chinese pastries left my stomach wrecked and I got SO sick! I was violently throwing up and at first I didn't quite make it to the bathroom... :( It was so gross! B helped clean up and I hopped in the shower. I did feel better though because my stomach had been doing somersaults for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, I have had NO labor signs. If I still feel nasty on Monday, I may call out. Everyone will think that I had the baby. Sorry Charlie! Unless I have the baby tomorrow which I guess is possible. But I highly doubt it. I just hope I don't have a kidney infection!

If I could fly...

Right now I wish I could just fly everywhere or float everywhere I need to go. Walking with all this pelvic pressure is SO not fun! Just 10 minutes walking to the subway station is killin' me! And then once I get on the subway, I still need to find a seat to rest my weary pelvis. I wish I had a sign that said "Due Yesterday" or something so that people would understand my urgency in sitting down. Once I get to work, I am okay. I just wish I had a more comfortable chair, like a recliner or something, LOL! Sometimes I take off my boots while I am sitting in my cubicle, I really wish I could walk around the office in house shoes. Oh and I feel like my bladder has shrunk to the size of a pea. Once the bladder is full, I have to waddle on over to the bathroom. I don't waddle otherwise but the pelvic pressure+a full bladder= the duck walk to the loo. I know how important it is to drink water, especially during pregnancy, to avoid dehydration and bloating. But damn the bathroom march is getting to me. Getting up 4 or 5 times during the night is so getting on my nerves! I can't wait until B can join me in all the joys, aches and pains during the "4th trimester", i.e. the baby's first 3-4 months. Right now, all he can do is sympathize with everything I am going through. Sure he helps me in and out of bed sometimes, gets me food and drink, fills up the hot water bottle, etc... But I feel like he really will be sharing the love when the baby is officially here and out. And once a couple of months pass, he will even be able to feed the little prince. We are exclusively breastfeeding BUT I will be pumping and using glass bottles for this little boo. Of course because I am going back to work. We won't introduce the bottle until a couple of months to make sure breastfeeding is well established. After that, everyone else will feed him with a bottle. I won't though. He will only associate me with the straight up breast. I am going to try to breastfeed for 2 years but I will be really proud of myself if I can do 1 year. I am kind of excited about my maternity leave. I think it's going to be a really precious time for me in my life. So yeah, little prince, you have so many people waiting for you! Come on out when you can! Meanwhile, my co-workers look at me like I am a ticking time bomb...LOL! "Oh shit, she's going into labor!" "Head for the hills!" LOL! They see childbirth/labor as an emergency; I don't see it that way at all. This leaves them so befuddled. They look at me like I am nuts! I am very calm and relaxed about it. Even zen. I will admit though, I did get a little weepy the other night. I was really tired and just wanted to comfortably lay down which wasn't really an option at that moment. But hey, pregnancy is an emotional time. B claims I wasn't really emotion or hormonal. Well actually what he said was, I am already really emotional and sensitive so nothing really changed! LOL! Today I slept a little late and rolled into work a little later than usual. I had the realization that rushing to work to sit and twiddle my thumbs in my cubicle really is an exercise in futility. So now I am wondering what is on the menu for lunch... I don't want to pig out like I did yesterday. I was SO hungry! I ate a HUGE veggie burger with lettuce, tomato and cheese and whole bunch of steak fries. I didn't finish it all but I came damn near close! I wasn't hungry for a LONG time after that, probably not until maybe 7pm or so. Oh that little lunchtime binge made for some not-so-nice heartburn. But my super papaya enzymes knocked that right out after I got home. B and I FINALLY got it together and ordered from Fresh Direct. Right now, that's just so much easier than treking over to the grocery store, about 12-15 minutes on foot and then taking a car service home. And I find it better for meal planning because we can really just sit in the living room and meditate on food items we would need for meals as opposed to doing laps of the grocery store with our so-called list and getting frustrated when we draw a blank. Scratch that off the to-do list. So now I really need to just scrub the bathtub/shower, get the throw rugs cleaned and give the refridgerator a good cleaning! The fridge stuff has to happen tonight because Fresh Direct is coming tomorrow morning. Also B and I are doing a final pre-baby swoop of Babies R Us tomorrow afternoon. I need the first aid kit and the baby essentials grooming kit. My doula said some babies come out with fingernails looking like Freddy Krueger!!! I also want to exchange a few things. All and all I am very happy with everything I got as gifts for the baby. The only reason why I am exchanging a few items is because after doing some research, I realize that these items aren't the best ones to have. One item could actually cause harm! So yeah, store credit please! I also want a humidifier but I am so confused about which one to get. You know, opinions are like assholes, everyone's got one! I guess I need to research a little bit more. Ok, that's enough rambling for now!

40 weeks today...and still pregnant

No, the baby isn't hear yet. Let's make that clear. Everyone is blowing up the phone, asking me if he is here...Um no. Today is the estimated due date but you know, sonograms can be inaccurate and full term is technically from 37-42 weeks. So I still have 2 weeks until the baby would be considered "post-term". I am sitting here at work, chillin'. My boss came over to see if I was here. Yup, still here, twiddling my thumbs, taking care of any little business that comes up during the day. I saw my midwife this morning. The baby's heartbeat was so clear today. He's got a strong little heart. :) My midwife estimates that the baby will be 7 and half to 8 pounds. That's pretty good. My midwife also has a new assistant; I have to decide whether or not I am okay with her attending my birth. I'll think about it... Anyway, just chillin', waiting for the little prince to come out and say hi!

Back at work and not so comfortable

So I am back at work, back on the grind. It felt good to get a few odds and ends accomplished this morning... But damn...I really am feeling uncomfortable. Sitting in this chair is just not working for me. I really want to just lay down with my Snoogle pillow in the bed and watch a movie. I filled up my hot water bottle to put on my back. That's not really helping. I just feel so much pelvic pressure. I felt awesome this morning on my way to work and when I got to work. I feel really cute today, from my hair to my outfit. My estimated due date is this Wednesday, I can't believe it! And the full moon is coming up so maybe that's what the baby is waiting for! Well now that the living room rug is officially steam vacuumed(since the baby will be here soon, the steam vac thing will become a monthly ritual so that he can play on the rug for tummy time without worry), I am feeling awesome and ready to go! Well kind of... I still need to exchange/buy some things from babies r' us, but I just didn't feel like lugging all the stuff with me this morning. And I want to go the laundry mat and wash these area rugs. Is this nesting? LOL! A sign of impending labor! Oh and I need to get a better, non toxic bath and tile cleaning solution because the Seventh Generation brand is not cutting it! I may try CLR... I want a sparkling bathtub and shower! Tilex is like death in a bottle, all those fumes... I can't and I won't do it! Especially pregnant! If I have to put in a little extra elbow grease, I'll do it. B is going to flip when he sees me bending over the bathtub with a toothbrush, scrubbing away, but oh well. A lady's gotta do what a lady's gotta do. And I want to do a thorough cleaning NOW before the baby comes because who knows when I will have the energy after the little prince arrives!
Oh and I STILL need to make a play list for the labor and delivery! Well at least work is chill and the things left to do only have to do with the home stuff/birth. Yay!

Hmmmmm, is this waiting game going to end?

So I woke up this morning and I haven't had any contractions yet. I am kind of like, "Hmmmmm, is this for real or what?" Does labor start and stop like that? Were the consistent contractions that began on Thursday morning and pretty much went up until this morning just Braxton Hicks??? I mean I thought the definition of Braxton Hicks was that were NOT consistent... Le sigh.... I feel like the boy who cried wolf... I didn't think it was a false alarm because I was very well hydrated, resting and still experience consistent contractions. And I lost my mucous plug. Well I guess we will see what the day brings. I really thought the baby was coming this weekend but now I don't think so. I will probably go back to work on Monday. boooooooooooooooooooooo!

The baby is coming soon!

So my instincts were right, the baby is definitely on his way! I have been having contractions since yesterday morning and they continued through the night. And I just lost my mucous plug this morning so that's a sign too. B called out of work, I am glad it's a friday so we have the whole weekend ahead of us. Wow our little boo is on his way! More updates later...

Contractions all day!

FYI: I have been having contractions all day! I am 39 weeks and 1 day and I am not sure if this is real labor or what. I have been well hydrated today and most of the day I have been sitting on my behind in front of the computer so.... We'll see!

Belly Cast!

No, the above pic of the belly cast is not mine. I am not sure I want to put the impression of my pregnancy bust and gut on full display online for the world to see... If you come over my house you "may" see it hanging on a wall. Last night my doula, with her cute little 11 month old munchkin in tow, came over to do my belly cast. I am really happy with the results! I can't wait until B sands it down and paints it!!!!!

On another note, I keep making lists of things that we need and I feel like there is always more stuff! More on that later...

ETA: My mom seems to think the belly cast is weird... I think that may be a generational thing because I see it as an awesome memento of my pregnancy!

False Alarm

Yesterday B and I headed to Little Neck, Queens for the Apple Festival at the Queens Farm Museum. It was fun but B felt weird because it seemed more of an event for kids although I pointed out to him that I saw lots of couples and just groups of friends there too. I ate some sweet corn on the cob, some popcorn and drank some apple cider. We also bought an apple pie and a half gallon of apple cider to take home. I was feeling not so hot because I was feeling pain all throughout my lower abdomen and wrapping around to my back. It was uncomfortable to walk with all the pressure. B said that I make myself do too much and said I should be home resting. He also said I was like the "Terminator" when it came to cleaning up the apartment on Saturday. I told him I don't want to give birth in a pig sty. Pigs can give birth in a pig sty! LOL! So we only stayed for a bit at the farm and then we headed back to Brooklyn. The whole way there I was suffering. I really thought the baby was ready to come out. We were both like "Oh shit!" because we knew we really weren't prepared for all that right at that time. We have little to no food in the house, especially for during labor. Again, a Fresh Direct order that never was... So we just picked up some water, coconut water, vitamin water, raspberry leaf tea bags and some food at Golden Krust and headed directly to the house. I remembered my midwife telling me that if you are doing too much, that can bring on that feeling of crampiness. What I was feeling was like heavy menstrual cramps. I also heard that dehydration can cause that feeling too and bring on the Braxton Hicks contractions. So I just hoped that when we got home, I could just drink drink drink and all the sensations would go away. I wanted at least one more week to prepare for the baby. One more saturday to stream vac all the rugs in the house and maybe even clean the windows! Just one more saturday to receive the Fresh Direct delivery with all the goodies we need to fill the pantry and fridge. So I crawled into bed with my soya and veggie patties from Golden Krust and a coconut water sitting on the side. I suggested to B that we watch one of our netflix films. As I forced myself to drink all the coconut water and then about half a gallon of water, I felt SO much better. All the contractions and crampiness just went away! I was like "Phew!" I ended up having a vitamin water later in the evening and yet ANOTHER one at like 2 o'clock in the morning. I really must have been dehydrated! Yesterday when I woke up, I drank the last 8 ounces of our bottled water and then had a cup of soymilk before we left the apartment at around 10:30am. And then I didn't drink anything else until we were about to leave the farm at like 1:45pm. So yeah, I paid the price for that folly! I spoke to my doula yesterday and we agreed that she would come over today at 6pm to do my belly cast. I was getting worried about it. She also said last night that if I started having contractions again, to call her no matter what time it was so she could come over and do the cast before I have the baby. I was like "ummmm at like 2 in the morning?" And she said "yes that's what doulas do!" Luckily I didn't need to call in that favor. At 2 o'clock in the morning I was wrestling with my snoogle body pillow, because that's what I do all night long. I change positions, flip it around, hug it from one side, and then switch to the other. It's a never ending drama. I hate side sleeping, I miss my stomach sleeping... Soon enough that will be back in full effect although my doula says for awhile after you have the baby, you panic if you end up on your stomach because you forget that you aren't pregnant anymore! Right now I am trying to figure out if it is worth it to buy a tripod for my video camera to record the birth since I want B to be an active participant OR should I just use that money to get groceries sooner rather than later... hmmmmm..... Maybe I can borrow a tripod from someone? I'll figure it out...

38 Weeks and 4 days

Right now we are playing the waiting game. Wondering when this little boo will decide he's ready to leave the womb. I feel pretty prepared at this point for the homebirth. The only thing we have to do is stock up on food. B and I were supposed to be getting Fresh Direct delivery but for reasons I don't feel like getting into, that did not happen. But we did stock up on paper good supplies and we also did a pretty good job of cleaning the apartment. We washed all the towels and sheets too. And we washed all the necessary baby clothes, burp cloths, etc... So at least I don't worry about the baby being naked! We ordered natural biodegradable diapers (the only ones on the market!) in bulk online along with natural wipes and a baby care starter kit. Hopefully everything will come in a few days. I really wanted to do cloth diapers but the fact that I live in a brownstone without any washer/dryer REALLY does not make it seem realistic for me. Yeah they have portable washers but realistically, me working full-time, I don't think I would be able to keep up with the washing of the diapers. Babies can use up to 70 diapers a week... For me the biodegradable diapers by Nature babycare is my compromise. At least I can feel good about these diapers because they don't take 1,000 years to biodegrade like most diapers. And they also do not use chemicals and toxic gels like Pampers and Huggies brands. So I can be eco-friendly and good to my baby at the same time. I need to take some more pictures while I still have this little belly. I bought a 2 gig camera card so I am going to have the motherload of pics of me and the baby. Today B and I are going to the apple festival at the Queens Farm Museum. We also planning on picking our own pumpkin! I love stuff like that... I am such a New England girl at heart!