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@LazyLightning: I'm a teacher so I don't get any vacation time. I have about 50 sick days saved up and I only get two personal days a year which I've already used. If I want to get paid while I'm out while school's in session I have to use sick time.
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Well I think baby dropped overnight! I had cramping episodes that were waking me up, but I felt better after I went to pee each time. When I woke up to pee at 7am I looked in the mirror and actually gasped at the difference!
Some of you have already dropped right? It's so weird!
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@knittylady: ugh this is frustrating me because I can't tell! I feel like I have been really low the whole time and I haven't noticed a big difference so maybe it hasn't happened yet?
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@tlcbaby: Yeah, I don't know if it happens to everyone, and I don't think it means too much anyway.... DH asked if that meant he was coming soon, and don't think it does. The most I'm hoping for is some heartburn relief!
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@knittylady: well I have heard the heartburn part is true, and you'll be able to eat more again!
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@tlcbaby: "lay down newspaper"? It sounds like they are preparing for puppies!
@grizz: I would probably tell them something highly inappropriate, like, "Are you seriously asking about my vagina and cervix?" Or, "I would check, but its really hard to reach." Something to ensure that they never ask that question again, heh.
@knittylady: I'm looking forward to taking a deep breath!
Anyone else's DH a little freaked out? I am looking more and more like a beach ball nowadays and DH saw me in profile and was like, "WHOA." He has never really been around babies, so I'm half preparing for birth and half preparing for his shell shock, heh. I know he'll be great, but I can tell that the unknowns are a little scary for him.
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@knittylady: Yep, I definitely dropped. I posted a thread with pics and the difference is crazy! I can eat again! I also look a lot thinner from the front, but bigger from the side. So weird. I am pretty much open to any change these days, good or bad, because it feels like maybe something is happening!
@Espion: My DH is so freaked out. He delivered a baby last year at work (he's a police officer) on the side of the road, so he has a skewed sense of how long labor actually takes. He thinks of it as something lightning fast, so we've had to do a lot of work and studying in childbirth class to convince him that that was a freak thing!
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@Espion: Its so mortifying! And MIL is convinced that my doctor is negligent or something because she doesn't do cervical checks, and I can't convince her that its because I requested not to have them since we're following the Bradley Method pretty much to the letter. I just wish she'd stop talking about it lol...its awkward. Especially because she tries so hard not to say cervix that it ends up sounding weirder and grosser.
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@Espion: yes! I have to be very careful how I call out his name if I need something etc., he pretty much thinks I'm in labor every 5 minutes!
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@Espion: @grizz: @knittylady: Yes, FI is totally freaked out - I catch him with this kind of look in his eye these days and I can tell he's turning things over in his head about the fact that baby will be here soon. He's really fine and has been so great and is such a huge help to me right now, so I know he'll be great when baby is here, but it makes me feel so badly that he's so anxious.
Thankfully no direct cervix questions for me! I got a sort of question from a coworker but it was more in the general category of, "so do they check anything out to see if you might be close to labor?" And I just said there was no way to know. Hopefully that's the end of that!
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Everything just got so much more real for me... I still post on the June 2013 thread on WeddingBee and one of my due date twins on there is having her baby today! So crazy! So I guess I'll finish packing my bag up when I get home. We are getting so close!
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Today at 38 weeks is my last working day until August. So I'm ready!!!
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@LazyLightning: Enjoy it!!! I am so jealous
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@LazyLightning: Yay! Tonight you can put your feet up and take a (figurative) deep breath.
@grizz: That's crazy! You are due exactly one week ahead of me, I think. I guess that means I have to pack a bag...
Had my weekly appointment, and thank goodness, I'm GBS negative. I wasn't so worried about the antibiotics as much as the timing required to get them in time. (We live 30 minutes from the hospital without traffic, and potentially an hour and a half away with traffic. Looooove ATL.) I declined a cervical check today only because I don't think it would help my psyche either way. But, Flipper is looking good and we actually saw hair on the US! Maybe my family's "bald baby" gene isn't as strong as I thought. That or all the heartburn was worth it, heh.
We also set a "do not pass go" date. I'm officially scheduled for induction on June 10th (two days past dates). I don't want to be induced, but DH is leaving the very next Saturday after my due date for a military sanctioned camping trip for 2 weeks. Anyone else setting a go no further date?
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@Espion: My midwife said they don't induce as a rule until 42 weeks, but I've been wondering about this... DH starts his clinical rotations June 10th and I'm due June 6th.... Not great timing but he's still technically around..
Also found out yesterday that I'm not a good candidate for an epidural because of the spinal fusion I had to correct scoliosis in 2000. Yikes! (Speaking of which, that might make induction more of a bad idea, because pitocin causes more painful contractions right? Thoughts?)
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@Espion: Awww, I love that you could see baby's hair! Our baby has lots too! And yay for being GBS negative! I hate Atlanta traffic too. We live only a few hours away and its way cheaper to fly from Atlanta than our own airport but the traffic is miserable. We don't have a go no further date, but I know my doctor is very firm about 42 weeks 1 day being her limit. I hope to goodness I don't make it that far!
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@Espion: Is somebody going to stay with you to help while your DH is gone?
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@LazyLightning: Congrats on being able to go home!! Enjoy
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@grizz: Wow, that does make it seem more real!
@LazyLightning: Congrats on being done work!
@Espion: We're not setting a "final" date in advance, although my understanding is that the practice I'm with would want to set an induction as I approached being 2 weeks overdue. I totally understand wanting to have your DH there for the birth (obviously) and that first week, so it sounds like you have a good plan in place. Hopefully you will beat that date and go into labor on your own!
Everything was uneventful at my appointment so now I'm just hanging out at 38 weeks, trying to finish organizing and relax a little bit... I can't believe how close we all are.
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@Espion: I am. My doc says he won't let me pass my due date. So if nothing happens this next week or so, I'll probably set an induction date at my next appt. HOW COOL that you saw hair! I hope we can see it too. Was it a 2D ultrasound? (my hospital doesn't have the 3D tech, I don't think).
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@knittylady: Hmmmm, the spinal fusion definitely throws things a little. If I were you, I'd definitely know exactly what vertebral levels where you have hardware. (Depending on where you are fused, you may or may not have any issues.). If you have any recent x-rays, you might also get a copy on a CD and have them with you.
Depending on your level, an experienced anesthesiologist might be able to give you an epidural slightly lower than usual. But that all really depends on the anesthesiologist. If there is a specific anesthesia group that works where you are planning to have your LO, it may be worth getting a "pre-op" consultation and talking through all of your options. If you (heaven forbid) had to have a c-section, a well-prepared anesthetist may have your records and know if a spinal is possible. And not to freak you out, but an unprepared anesthetist may just put you under general anesthesia for lack of information alone. You probably don't even need a separate appointment, but you will need to make it clear that you need to speak to the anesthesiologist on call and give them all of this pertinent information when you go into labor. They've likely dealt with all of this before, so if anything else, they can be reassuring about your options. There is no reason that you should go into this expecting to suffer even more than you expect!
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@Espion: This was info I got from my appt with an anesthesiologist. He had my records from Children's Hospital where I had my surgery. He did say there's another method for pain relief that is lower but only lasts an hour or so, which means they would have to repeat it however many times which could lead to PP headaches. We also discussed c-sections and he said my surgery won't impact how they anesthetize for those. Phew!
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@grizz: @Revel: @LazyLightning: It's strange because my doc is a strict no one past 41 weeks guy. You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be a one-woman case study of every labor-inducing trick known to man before I hit that date. (I'm sure DH will be soooo happy, lol!) (Well, except castor oil. Because, you know, ewww.)
@grizz: My mom is coming down. I feel horrible because I'm about to *become* a mom, but I have mixed feelings. I'm very firstborn/independent and not especially "girly" close to my mom. I suspect she might drive me crazy. Although I'm sure I'll be too tired/dazed to care.
@LazyLightning: It was the plain 2-D...he had to point it out to me, but you could see that it shows up "brighter". It almost seemed like it was standing on end, which I guess makes sense since he is technically hanging upside down, heh.
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@knittylady: Oh good! That's great that they anticipated all of this, but a little ridiculous that you had to find this out so late. I can only speculate, but it sounds like they can do a low epidural. Pain control can be more spotty and you might have "windows" of no pain control at all. I'm guessing it's the repeat needlesticks that likely put you at risk for a spinal headache. But it sounds like you can still get an old-fashioned spinal anesthetic, which is great.
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@knittylady: I don't know if they do this at your hospital (I don't even know if they do it at mine), but I have heard they can use a foley catheter to possibly induce labor. That may not cause the same strong contractions as pitocin. I don't know much about it, though.
http://pregnancy.about.com/od/induction/f/foleycatheter.htmTwo more days of work for me!!! I made my midwife appt. super early, like right after lunch, on Wednesday so I can just go to work for a few hours and leave. hehe
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Oh someone finally asked if I was dilated today - thought I was getting lucky and avoiding that question. I just told them my midwife doesn't do cervical checks until 41.5 weeks so hopefully they will stop asking...
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@Espion: I spoke to the doctor about an induction date on Wednesday. She said as long as my sugars are under control they will let me go one week past my due date so I have until June 24.
@knittylady: that's terrible about the epidural. I at least would like the option of getting one
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Oh, by the way, has anyone seen my ankles? I lost them. Haha, thought I was doing well with the swelling but I guess it's starting at 35 1/2 weeks!
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@swedishfish: haha
Mine are normal MOST days, but sometimes I take my shoes off and can see that they were cutting into my feet and then I look at my ankles and I'm like "woah"!
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@swedishfish: That's awesome that they aren't pushing too hard to schedule. I really hope I go early or on time, because induction has a much higher c-section rate.
Oh yeah, and I'm drinking water like it's going out of style! My sister really swelled up with her first (to the point of pain, it was awful), so I'm trying for a preemptive strike. Not so sure how that will work for me, heh.
@tlcbaby: Don't quote me, but I believe the foley can be used in place of cervidil (to prep the cervix) to get you to 3 - 4 cm. (It apparently falls out when you are dilated.) Looking at the link, it sounds like they inflate and apply downward pressure to physically open the cervix. You could still end up with Pitocin despite this if your body doesn't kick the oxytocin into high gear.
I'm about to get to the point where I'm going to hold my breath every time this thread gets bumped to the top! I peeked at the May 2013 thread - they're rocking and rolling!
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@Espion: I guess the possibility of induction will be further discussed next week when I have my biophysical profile if the baby doesn't do well. The receptionist would only let me schedule two BPPs because I "might not need more than that" - that put things in perspective! I am not ready!!!
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@swedishfish: I have non-existent ankles... They look like Frankenankles!
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@swedishfish: Woah, that is crazy! When I made my appt. for next week I realized June 1 actually falls in the following week so it is possible next week could be my last appt. But I am really setting myself up for going late because I know it is very possible. They won't induce until 42+1 which isn't until mid-June.
Okay I didn't think it was possible for my belly to get lower and I don't think it looks that different, but all of a sudden since last night I feel like the baby is about to fall out of the bottom of my stomach so maybe it has dropped?
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@tlcbaby: so many of the June mamas are early, early June! I feel like half the group is going to go within the next few weeks. I feel so behind
maybe your baby is getting ready to come on out!!!
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@swedishfish: I just need two more days
My mom is coming over to help us clean the house tomorrow!
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@Espion: my heart skips a little every time I see this thread bumped too! We're almost there!
@tlcbaby: Sounds like you dropped! I made my last appointment for June 4 assuming I'll still be pregnant since its 3 days past my due date, but I was kinda sad about setting that date!
I hope he arrives before then! -
We had a really great Bradley class last night. Our instructor is putting on a DONA doula certification workshop, and a bunch of midwives, birth instructors, and other doulas are teaching it. They are being held in the same location as our birth class, so Some of them stayed late to help with our class and we learned so much! One of them even did a little assessment on me and told me what home remedies would help make me more comfortable until baby is born, like walking in a pool w/ water up to my neck so the hydrostatic pressure could relieve some of my swelling. I am going to miss our classes when they're over! I am honestly thinking about becoming an instructor
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@grizz: That is so cool. Nothing has made me happier lately than being in the water. That would be so neat to be an instructor, I have heard other people say that after doing Bradley classes.
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Okay I did a 36 to 38 week comparison. I don't really think it looks lower, but it feels different today.
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@tlcbaby: it's definitely lower!
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