in labor

I woke up this morning (meaning Saturday, 8/21) with mild contractions. I spent the day with phases of consistently-happening-but-irregularly-timed contractions and interludes where I'd get maybe one or two and hour. At about 9:30pm they resumed consistency with irregularity and escalated in pain, but by 11pm they began to be relatively consistent -- and as of right now, they are less than 5 minutes apart and have been so for about 45 minutes. Another 15 minutes and we've hit the threshold to call the OB office and alert the doc, and then head to the hospital. Technically you're supposed to call when they're 5 minutes apart, 1 minute long each, and have occurred for at least 1 hour. Since I'm actually averaging more like 3-4 minutes apart in the second part of this hour, I may have already passed that threshold, so maybe I'll call now.
*Not* looking forward to the car ride.
In any case, this is probably my last update as a pregnant woman. If you're reading this blog entry on Sunday morning of 8/22 and you haven't received a phone call yet, expect one soon!
Wish us luck!

"Pregatory"

Today I met the final mid-wife at the practice, meaning I've now met all of the staff who might show up on labor day. And this mid-wife, Sue, informed me that I am 1cm dilated. While it's nice to hear that something is happening, there are many tales of people walking around 1-2cm dilated for weeks, so I'm not allowing myself to get anxious or excited.
I was not, however, surprised to hear of the change. Yesterday I had about 1/2 hour of Braxton-Hicks contractions (essentially translating to "practice cramps") that I was able to relieve by lying down and hydrating (which is one of the ways one knows they're not the real thing -- they go away). They felt a little different from the belly-tightening I've felt before but were not painful, and I thought to myself "I bet when I go to the OB I will have dilated a little bit." Pure supposition on my part, and yet, lo and behold!
By Sue's estimation, since I'm not really effacing and only dilated a tiny bit, I will probably make my Wednesday appointment next week without having gone into labor, at which point we will start to talk about how long we'll wait past my due date, inducing labor, etc. Still, I think I'm finally going to pack that hospital bag and get the car-seat set up. We have a waterproof liner on my side of the mattress and we wrapped up the rest of our registry shopping on Sunday, so we're just about ready in terms of practical preparations.
Mental preparations, however, are still in progress. Steve and I chatted a bit and both agreed that however we feel about having a baby in our lives, we are good and ready for it to come just so we can start adapting to it already. This waiting around stuff is pregatory (= pregnancy + purgatory, in case that's not obvious). Once baby comes, we can adapt to it with hopefully just enough time to adapt to all of the girls returning to school in early September and my job starting, and then...finally...routine. After a summer-long period of transition after transition, it's hard to imagine a routine again!
But I digress. One centimeter, people. With the actual speed of the events to follow still unknown, at least we can say, "it has begun."

Hiccups

I almost forgot: in the last couple weeks I have *finally* noticed Acorn having the hiccups! Suddenly I'll be aware that the usual movement has suddenly become a very rhythmic twitch...twitch...twitch...twitch...and I have to laugh. In fact, when the midwife checked the heartbeat today Acorn had the hiccups right on cue, and she could actually see my belly twitch...twitch...twitch...twitch...if only she could have picked up the sound!

Cool, Calm, and Exhausted

Since I spent an entire post whining about heat, I figured I'd chime in and say it's in the 50s and deliciously cool and rainy right now. I'm wearing a sweatshirt and jeans! Woohoo! Now if it would just stay like this until I leave...
One thing that is clarified by this cool spell we're having, though, is that my fatigue is not purely heat and dehydration related. I am drowsy pretty much all the time these days. I don't know if it's because my sleeping patterns are choppy and shallow and my dreams are vivid or if it's from increasing weight gain or hormones, but I'd say I run at 75% energy at best these days. The most awake I've felt in a while is when Steve and I decided to watch Daybreakers, a suspenseful and gorey vampire flick, last night, and then I was quite alert, until the adrenalin wore off after which I crashed pretty quickly. I'm feeling lucky, though, that the onset of this final-trimester-fatigue occurred after I got done with my school work; dredging up information from my brain right now is an effort!

Heat

I have never, ever been this sensitive to ambient heat, ever, at all. Whoever coined the phrase "bun in the oven" did not choose their words at random. Denver has decided to grace us with 80+ degree weather over the last few days and I find myself cowering in the underground levels of our lair, a cold wet washcloth lasting only minutes on the back of my neck, daydreaming about slurpees and swimming pools (both of which are attainable if I'm willing to brave the heat to get to them). It's also so very dry here, no matter how much water I drink the relief seems to dissipate so quickly that I'm -- dare I say it -- looking forward to the humidity in Connecticut, where at least I won't have to work quite so hard to hydrate.
In a month or so when I write an entire entry about bloating and sweating and frizzing, I'm sure I'll rue those words. But right now, with this wriggling radiator strapped around my belly, a little airborne water sounds just fine to me.

The stupidest thing I have done so far...

...was decide to walk over to DU and back to pick up a paper. Today. In 90 degree heat. With the dog. While 7 months pregnant.
I had no idea that such a mundane task -- a 20 minute walk -- would devour my body of all energy reserves, to the point where I felt woozy for the last 5 minutes of the walk. We didn't walk far. We didn't walk fast. There was a pleasantly strong breeze for the duration. The terrain was flat. I was wearing a hat. And yet by the time I got back to our block I was practically euphoric with fatigue.
I happened to catch Steve just as he was about to leave for the grocery store. And for only the second time in seven months of pregnancy I asked him to go out and buy me something -- a slurpee. A nice red non-caffeinated slurpee from the 7-11 100 feet from our house, full of ice and coldness and more ice.
He got back with it 5 minutes ago, and it is already 7/8ths gone, and tastes like manna from heaven.
Wow. Lesson learned.

26.5 weeks

Sorry to be MIA since early April; I guess it feels like not a whole lot has changed. Acorn continues to do the can-can pretty much daily, which I'm getting used to and still feel with some amusement. Acorn's strength has clearly increased because Steve has finally been able to feel him/her consistently, at one point even growing wide-eyed when the kid gave him a good, solid, undeniable karate chop. Steve being able to feel it has been one of the more gratifying moments.
I think I mentioned to some of you that at the ultrasound we found out that I have an "anterior placenta," which simply means that instead of attaching to the back wall of my uterus it attached to the front. This doesn't cause any harm, but because the placenta is a cushiony mass of nutrients and tissue, it did make it harder for Steve to feel Acorn moving from the outside, and may have been why it took me a while too. (The placenta should not be confused with the amniotic sac, which is what the baby is actually "in"; the placenta is attached to it but does not itself surround the baby.)
And at one point I was watching tv and was able to see my belly moving from the outside...which to be honest is kind of creepy! We're not talking seeing hand or foot imprints or anything, but it is indeed very odd to have my belly, which is pretty solidly a belly these days*, twitch erratically before my very eyes. I'm still waiting for the dog to notice. :)
In the next week or so I will do the gestational diabetes test, which I'm hopeful will come out negative, and be able to put that concern to rest (or address it, if need be, but after all my caution and concern around sugar, I just want to know).
And then I'll graduate with an MSW and be able to truly focus on my own health, well being, emotions, and planning planning, planning.
And then in late June I will go for my last appointment in Denver at 32 weeks, after which my mom and I will drive the Subaru on over to CT, where I will start new (YAY!!!!) health insurance courtesy of my new employers and will begin going to the OB more frequently for checkups. Steve will hopefully be shortly to follow.
And as of 36 to 37 weeks, this baby can show up any darn time it wants. But no sooner. Y'got that, Acorn??**
Oh but that does remind me, now is about the time in my pregnancy where my body tests out the occasional Braxton-Hicks contraction, and boy are those bizarre. A painless but noticeable tightening of the uterus. I think of them as practice runs for my body, and they are so far easily mitigated by lying down and drinking extra water. I only wish ALL of my impending labor could be as easy!

*I know I'm overdue for more recent belly bump photos. We'll post some soon.
**I am willfully unconcerned about pre-term labor; between my mom and aunt carrying past their due date and a study done on upper-middle class Caucasian women in CT that literally statistically shows they usually go at least a week over their due date, I'm feeling pretty calm and collected.

Party in the front, business in the back

Alright, people, the bump is official. I can still pretty much button pants (thanks especially to the low-rise trend) but it's more of an effort. And while I've had extra padding on my belly for quite some time, now I can feel hard muscle wall behind it. We had our 16 week check up today and she said it's about 3 centimeters below my belly button, which is normal. I also gained 4 pounds, so my campaign to eat more and better is working. It's funny, The Book has me pegged: "You may be feeling some frustration because your normal clothes don't fit but you're still too small for maternity clothes." Yup, that about covers it (or doesn't).
The official presence of the bump happens to coincide with being on my third day of lower back pain. This is very normal in early pregnancy and there's no bleeding or cramping, so nothing to worry about. I finally realized that I'd had to drive instead of walk to classes this week and that meant I got no exercise. I've got two more finals to go (winter quarter ends next week!) and then I hope to build walking into my schedule much more regularly. I know Tika won't object. :) In the meantime I'm keeping an eye on my posture, sleeping on my side with a pillow between my knees, and taking tylenol when necessary.

Putting the 'flutter' in Butterfly

I believe that young master or mistress Acorn Thrasher Butterfly is making his/her presence known. I'm just shy of 15 weeks so it should be just a teensy bit too early for me to feel the babe at play, but twice today I've gotten butterflies in my stomach that were completely unrelated to anything going on around me. I've had the occasional, brief flutter over the last week or so, but nothing I would have really put stock in, until now. Perhaps the Olympics (though winter) are inspiring Acorn to get his/her butterfly stroke on??

Pregnancy Brain

For the uninitiated, "pregnancy brain" refers to the sudden onset of spaciness, forgetfulness, and general lack of organization that occurs when one is pregnant.
Oh, it's real. I thought it would take a few trimesters to kick in. Not so.
Those little details...they slip through the fingers so easily! I had no idea how organized and detail-oriented I was until I stopped being that way, and everyone noticed. My supervisor. Steve. A few of my friends.
Steve looked it up and supposedly it's due to lack of sleep. I've been sleeping really well -- being careful to get no less than 8 hours, aiming more often for 9-10. In fact, 10 seemed to be the perfect number for me to feel good the next day, so I was hitting the sack pretty darn early. A lot.
I think it's just pure distraction. One can't help but have one's thoughts turned either inward, evaluating one's physical sensations and needs, or turned to the future: will the baby be healthy? What gender? What will our lives be like? And so forth.
Whatever the reason, oy! It hit me hard. Perhaps now that I'm getting my energy back it will lighten up a bit as I have more resources to draw from...

News to me

I finally stumbled across something I had not already read in The Book or heard about by word of mouth: sinusitis. According to the RN we had a consultation with a week ago, pregnant women are prone to sinusitis. I had been noticing a runny nose during the day and a stuffed nose at night (I was mouth-breathing so fully my tongue was dessicated every morning) and hearing that it was not just Colorado's ridiculously dry climate was a relief. However, Colorado's dry climate is not helping!
Over the weekend we visited some friends in Seattle and I could not get over how much better I felt -- less thirst, better sleep, some added energy. It made me aware that while pregnancy thirst is common and noticeable, Colorado Pregnancy Thirst is a beast of its own. So on Wednesday I bought the recommended warm mist humidifier and my nights have gotten distinctly more pleasant. I still have to work at drinking as much water as I can stand (I'm a big fan of lemonade these days and am trying out crystal lite to help throw in a little variety) but at least I can keep my mouth closed when I sleep!

Food up my nose: Aversions and Cravings

Sadly, this will be a boring post. Acorn has not proven to be a picky eater, nor I a nosy smeller. Aversions: Very general so far. I can't eat rich food (see also: the onset of queasiness brought on by Christmas Eve dinner). I don't like complex-savory things, like chili, to eat or to smell. (Given to whom I am married, I'm lucky that the smell aversion to complex-savory stuff is not too strong, otherwise I'd have to get my own apartment.) I find that really sugary things make me feel hot and bothered -- probably a blood sugar thing -- so I haven't had too many sweets. Gummy bears or angel food cake are about my tolerance limit for sweets right now.
Cravings: first let me say that I have always, always been a highly suggestible person. If I am hungry and I see a ritz cracker commercial, then I want ritz crackers. I smell the scent of burgers as I drive home, I want burgers. And so on. So the random cravings I've had -- hot dogs, lo mein, taco salad -- have mostly been based on something I saw on tv, or smelled a hint of, at some point during the day. I have noticed, however, that when I eat something fresh and good for me -- apples, carrots, salad -- my body sends off endorphin fireworks that make me feel like the healthiest, smartest person on the planet. Apples -- specifically crisp Pink Ladies -- make me feel downright euphoric. My body has made a point of ensuring that I am hormonally rewarded for eating well; it's the easiest time I've ever had of doing so. Interestingly, however, I don't crave apples or the other good foods, I just know how I'll feel after I eat them.
Weirdest moments: Only two so far. One day at the office a large box of crayons started to smell like a scented candle store. It was like having 6 or 7 of them stuffed up my nose (lest you ask, no, I did not have 6 or 7 of them stuffed up my nose at the time). I've been in the same office since with no problem. Apparently that day my olfactory mojo was cranked up. The second: one night I was nibbling on plain American Cheese while in the process of making myself a grilled cheese sandwich. The cheese, for no discernible reason, tasted floral to me. As though someone had said, hmmm, let's add some lavender and rose oils to these three slices, and see if it takes America by storm! It wasn't gross, but I wouldn't be buying stock in floral cheese any time soon.

Weeks 3-9: Signs and Symptoms

If you're wondering why I skipped weeks one and two, re-read the last part of the previous post. I wasn't technically pregnant during weeks one and two, they just count them for the fun of it; they're freebies.
Because I had the flu super-imposed over the pregnancy for the first couple of weeks of actually being pregnant, I noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Any fatigue I felt I attributed to the illness. Any bloating or light cramping I felt I attributed to regular womanly issues. I was drinking so much water to stay hydrated that I would have been surprised had I not been using the bathroom more frequently. My candle was burning at both ends, and I had no idea.
After I got that big fat positive, I started to see that the fatigue, bloating, slight cramping, and bathroom frequency were not going to disappear. I was actually reassured by the cramping -- it wasn't painful, it was just a constant reminder that 'stuff' was happening. Stuff!!
S. and I read up on what to expect in The Book, and I saw that in just a few weeks time, I could anticipate good ol' morning sickness. Mo' Sick was my biggest fear about pregnancy -- seriously. I can take soreness, aching, itching, sharp pain, you name it, but slap on a little nausea and I am Miserable. I'd had one close friend who'd recently had an absolutely horrible time of it, vomiting so much she had to have an IV and lost 10 pounds.
And of course, the expected onset of mo'sick at 6 weeks was the very day we were going to be flying to NYC for Christmas vacation with my family in CT.
Fortunately, mo'sick did not start then. I had rice cakes ready to go. We'd read in the book that small, frequent snacks were better to have than big meals, and that having something bland to eat by your bedside would help with the early morning ravages. We were ready.
What finally kicked it in was two very rich, very intense dinners in a row -- I have my mom's husband to thank for that. By night two -- Christmas Eve, naturally -- I had foghorns going off in my belly. Warning! Rocks ahead! Rocks that weigh 1,000 lbs, camping out in your belly! Yoohoo! For the first time in my life, I didn't go to Christmas Eve service with my step-father; I ate some ginger chews, crawled into bed, and slept. I made it through with minimal suffering.
The next morning brought a sensation most of you are probably familiar with: my metabolism woke up before I did, and I was so hungry I was downright queasy. Since I was familiar with the feeling, I went downstairs and ate something, and it was easily relieved.
Only, then it came back an hour later. So I ate something, and it left. Then it came back again.
And that's how it's been for me, and let me tell you, I have been unbelievably lucky. I eat a little bit of food all day long and I'm good. Only twice have I had a fluttery-nauseous feeling, and both times I ate something or drank water and it went away. Usually it's just the high-acid quease which I can manage. I have been super vigilant about getting a lot of sleep too, which helps.
Sitting here typing at nearly 10 weeks I will say though, with full gratitude for the easy hand I've been dealt, that I am looking forward to 12-13 weeks when this feeling should subside. Manageable though it is, the high-acid quease keeps me on edge.
The only other major symptom? Thirst. Oh, the thirst. Living in Colorado's high and dry atmosphere does not help. I drink and drink and drink, until I am sick of water, and then I drink some more. I remember days when I drank caffeine in the morning and alcohol at night and I was thirsty, but that made sense. And still, the thirst was not like this!