Waylon Scott's Birth Story Part #2

Okay, so I'm in the OR, shaking like crazy and crying because I'm freaking out about the impending C-section.  The nurses were all really nice as I was getting the spinal tap (or whatever the one that's not an epidural is called) but the anesthesiologist was like "listen, you need to pull it together."  Someone else might have thought that was pretty mean, but I actually found it quite calming.  People do this every day, these doctors and nurses probably do this every day, and it's going to be fine.

After I was numb and laying down on the table with the curtain up around my mid-section, they finally let Scott in the room.  Go time!  Even though nothing they did was painful, I could still feel the entire procedure take place.  It was weird, the zipping feeling, the moving around of my organs, the moment they pulled Sprout's little head off my rib cage (what a relief after months of burrowing!).  After a very short time the doctor said it's a boy and held up a slimy purple mass over the curtain for a split second, not even enough time to identify it as a human baby!  How annoying!

Scott could see much better than me and he was able to go over to where they were cleaning him off and told me that he was beautiful and perfect...and he is, don't you think?  Long and lean and handsome.

Scott got to see him first while they were still sewing me up.  How cute are these two?

Finally I got to see little Waylon Scott.  I think in the first moments the overwhelming emotion for me was relief.  My little Bean Sprout is more than fine, he's awesome!  I didn't die from surgery!  Everything is going to be okay!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from that we took in the hospital of little Waylon.  Somehow we missed having a picture taken of the three of us!  I should probably remedy that soon.  Anyway, look at this fat little Sprout.  Can you see his cleft chin in this picture?

This was one of the first pics I could get with his eyes open.  He is really alert!  I hope his eyes stay the color they are now, but I think they might turn brown.

Here is my favorite one, of us finally leaving the hospital and heading for home (trying to beat the hurricane!).  He looks so pensive, staring out the window and it's the cutest thing ever.

I have lots more to talk about (people have been particularly curious about his name) but I think that's enough for the day.  Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive through the unknowns during my pregnancy.  It was scary at times but mostly exciting.  I'm so glad it's all over and I just get to enjoy my little Waylon now!

Waylon Scott's Birth Story Part #1

Sorry I'm a little behind with this but we're still getting used to being at home with the little man.

Anyway, Friday morning Scott and I got word that the offer we put on a house had been accepted! I will discuss this more in another post, let's stay on topic today.  It was a great start to the day and I went to my chiropractor appointment to try to turn the little Bean Sprout feeling good about the possibility.  Even though the version hadn't worked, I just still wanted to try everything that I could and you just never know.  After that, I went to meet Scott in Hartford for a delicious Mexican lunch around noon.  As we were driving, almost as we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, a black cat crossed in front of our car.  I'm not even kidding.  It narrowly avoided being hit on the other side of the street by a truck and ran right in front of it.  I did a double take and sure enough, all black.

I am a fairly superstitious person.  Okay, really superstitious!  So all during lunch, I just went over in my head what kind of bad luck a black cat crossing your path in the week of Halloween might mean.  Was something going to be wrong with the house?  Was the hurricane that was approaching the East Coast going to obliterate us all?  Was everything going to go okay in 6 days when Sprout was scheduled to come out?  I was so stressed out, I ended up overeating at lunch, but at least it was food I really loved.  Afterwards, I drove home at 5 miles below the speed limit in the right lane the whole time, just trying to make it home without incident.  I implored Scott to please do the same when he came home from work in a few hours.  It was a little after 1 and I settled down on the couch with my computer to catch up on election news and celebrity gossip.

As I was enjoying the amazing irony of Justin Timberlake having to share cover space of his ridiculous wedding photo with Britney Spears, I felt a little pop and then a huge whoosh.  Water broken!  I was a little caught off guard, partly because I had no other signs of impending labor and partly because my doctor had warned me that because of the position of the little Sprout, I was going to have to come to the hospital right away if my water did break.  So, I called Scott and waited in the bathtub for him to come while Niagara Falls continued to spill out of my body (seriously, totally unprepared for the sheer volume of water.  Sorry if that's gross, but it's true.)  My stomach actually got noticeably smaller as I sat there.

Scott didn't take to long to get home and luckily I was able to pass the time calling my parents, brother, and a couple of friends to keep me distracted.  We got to the hospital around 2:30 and they immediately did an ultrasound of Sprout and started monitoring his heart rate.  Still head up and a strong steady heartbeat.  It seemed we weren't in any danger but I was definitely going to have a C-Section, I thought within an hour or so.  Except when you eat two enchiladas, a tamale, rice, beans, and chips and salsa, you cannot undergo surgery right away.  So I was going to have to wait until 6 before I could be prepped for surgery.  Here's a photo of me chilling and waiting for the hours to pass.

It didn't seem very long at all before the nurses were coming to bring me to the OR.  It was very bright and cold in there, there were about 6 people all scrubbed up and a table full of medieval tools  in the corner, Scott couldn't come in while they prepped me, and I started to panic.  I've never had anesthesia, surgery, stitches, anything.  And that stupid black cat from earlier....

38 week update

It's time for some Real Talk:  It's a lovely warm day, the leaves are at their most colorful and beautiful, I've had a nice relaxing weekend with Scott, and I feel like punching somebody in the face.

Friday's version attempt was not successful.  The doctor and midwife beat on my stomach like it was a particularly infuriating ball of bread dough for what seemed like forever.  They got the Sprout turned about halfway around and were optimistic that s/he would figure the rest of the way out him/herself.  Except, as soon as they took their hands off me, Sprout seemed to say "Actually, I was just fine where I was before, thanks," and you could see the little head shift right back to where it had started.  So, I spent three hours in the hospital and have nothing to show for it except some lower abdomen bruising. The good news is, this whole fiasco seemed to have no effect on the Sprout whatsoever, as his/her heartbeat stayed steady and even the entire hour afterward that I had to be monitored (and s/he looked very healthy in 2 nurses' opinions.)

I am so uncomfortable all the time.  Sleep is a joke because I can't even roll over without building up some momentum or getting help, I don't like to sit down because it's too much of a hassle to stand up afterwards, standing too long makes my feet feel like they're asleep, and I have the weirdest feelings in my stomach.  It's either a pulling/squeezing really low, or this hot shooting pain in my groin and leg.  I'm hesitant to call them contractions because although it is painful, it is not devastatingly so which is what I've been made to believe contractions are.  Add that to the continued delight of a head stretching out my rib cage and making my upper stomach tingle constantly, the ever-increasing pain in my wrists, daily heartburn, and knobby little feet doing a dance on my bladder. Basically, the girl at the store today who told me I looked "really tired" is lucky I didn't open-hand slap her.

How far along?  38 weeks
Total weight gain?  Right around 30 pounds.  It feels more like 100.
Maternity clothes?  Yes and no.  It really doesn't matter.  I look like a blimp.  Not even my big cozy bathrobe closes anymore!
Stretch marks?  Still in a holding pattern.
Sleep?  No.  I'm actually surprised Scott can sleep either, what with all my flopping around.
Best moment of the week?  Seeing Sprout on the ultrasound and hearing everyone say s/he looks very healthy.
Miss anything?  Mobility.  A full night's sleep.
Movement?  So much.  After the version attempt when they were monitoring Sprout and me the nurse came in three times because she thought I was having contractions.  Nope, just Sprout doing his/her little morning dance routine.
Food craving?  I've actually kind of lost interest in food.  Even when I'm hungry, I'll just eat anything, I have no taste or preference for anything.  That makes it easier to eat healthy!
Anything make you sick or queasy?  Nope.
Gender?  Scott had a dream last night we had a blond haired girl, which, if you remember, I also did a few months ago.
Labor signs?  No.  I talked to my mom about the "contractions" I've had and she suspects that I just have a high pain tolerance.  She had a hard time identifying contractions as such too.
Symptoms?  Oh, I think we covered that above.
Belly button in or out?  Out.
Wedding rings on or off?  I keep it on.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Yeah, I'm cranky.  I am ready to be done with this and deal with  my stubborn little Sprout in the flesh.
Looking forward to?  Tomorrow the doctor should be calling me to let me know what day they are scheduling my C-section for, sometime between Oct 29th and Nov 2nd.  But I'm just hoping Sprout shows up this week.

So here's what's up...

At my doctor's appointment yesterday, we found out that Sprout is still breech.  All those weird positions and ice packs and chiropractor visits haven't budged him/her at all!  We spent some time talking to the doctor about what our options are, and decided to try an external cephalic version on Friday morning.  Basically, the doctor will manually try to flip the baby around to head down position while monitoring his/her vital signs to make sure everything is going smoothly.  One of three things will result from this:

1)  Sprout flips, everything is good, and I wait to go into labor on my own.  The chances of this happening in a first pregnancy are not as great as a second or third, but it's the only thing left at this point.

2)  Sprout does not flip, and I have to schedule a C-section for my 39th week (Halloween week!).  Because of the position the baby is in (not your everyday breech, of course not) I can't really go into labor on my own because if my water breaks there is a risk of a prolapsed cord and we don't have much time if that happens before things can get dangerous.

3)  Sprout reacts badly to the version and I need an emergency C-section on Friday.

I'm staying as optimistic as possible, but I am also having to accept the increasing probability of having a C-section.  Whatever is going to happen is going to happen.  Yes, I would like to feel more in control of what is happening in my body, and I would ideally like Sprout's birth to be something I DO rather than something that happens TO me.  But, it seems like Sprout is insistent on making his/her birth as dramatic as possible and putting on a little show.  I can't hate on that because, well, obviously I'd probably do the same thing.

37 week update

So, Baby Bean Sprout is officially full term.  That means any day could be THE day, but so far no signs of anything.  From here to the end, s/he is just going to keep getting bigger and stronger.  I've been doing all the last minute stuff I can think of and trying to stay busy, willing the days to go by quickly.

I've spent most of the week doing my baby-flipping exercises and feeling around my stomach to try to determine which little body parts are where.  I'm feeling much more calm about the whole thing.  I'm going to do everything I can to flip Sprout but it's possible that s/he is a stubborn little thing (where could this personality trait possible come from?!?) and will not cooperate.  In that case, there's nothing that I can do.  I will just wait to go into labor naturally, no induction, no scheduled C-section, and hope for the best.

How far along?  37 weeks
Total weight gain?  Meh.  I have a lot of work ahead of me in the new year.
Maternity clothes?  I feel lucky that I haven't had to spend a lot of money on this.  I'm in all regular clothes in my photo this week.
Stretch marks?  I'm pretty happy with the situation here.  It could definitely be worse.
Sleep?  I still wake up every night and can't get back to sleep, but when I am asleep it has seemed much more restful, if that makes sense.
Best moment of the week?  Realizing that we really are getting near the end and one way or another, Sprout will be making his/her debut soon!
Miss anything?  Nothing comes to mind
Movement?  YES.  A lot and it's sometimes painful.  I'm taking that as a sign that there's a good chance Sprout might figure out how to get his/her head down.
Food craving?  Oh my god I love grapefruit juice!  And carbs.
Anything make you sick or queasy?  Nah.
Gender?  Strangers are still split about 50/50 on guesses.
Labor signs?  Nope, but I'm much less disappointed about this than I was last week.  Take your time and get your head down, Sprout!
Symptoms?  Back pain has subsided somewhat, but my wrist is on fire all the time.
Belly button in or out?  Out
Wedding rings on or off?  One on, one off.
Happy or moody most of the time?  Happy, and focused on checking things off my to-do list.
Looking forward to?  I will be having another sonogram on Tuesday to see exactly what position Sprout is in, so that I best know how to get him/her where s/he needs to be.  Also, we can get another peek at his/her little face!

P.S.  I don't know what's up with the weird spots on my photos.  I think there's sand in my camera or something, ugh.

Baby is breech and Mama is not amused

You didn't really think I was going to break my streak did you?  Like, suddenly I was going to have uneventful normal doctor's visits from here on out until Sprout arrived?  Haha, you're so funny, with your optimism!

So, the little Sprout is intent on being a little troublemaker.  That's fine by me, kid, Battle of the Wills is one of my favorite games and I think you'll find your Mama a worthy adversary.  At my doctor's visit yesterday, they did an ultrasound and found Sprout's little head hanging out right under my ribcage.  Immediately, the doctor starts talking about a C-section, the one thing I've been trying to avoid/terrified of for the past 8+ months.  I spent most of the rest of the day on the computer (per usual, following my doctor's visits) looking for ways to turn the baby on my own and got right down to it.  So far those have included (often in combination): laying at a 45 degree angle with my legs up in the air for 20 minutes at a time, applying a bag of frozen corn to the back of Sprout's head, downward-facing dog with my knees on the couch and head on the floor, trying to find Pulsatilla, some kind of homeopathic pill, applying acupressure to the outside of my little toe, Moxibustion, which involves holding a smoldering Chinese Stick of Wonder next to my little toe for 20 minutes, researching the Webster's technique that some chiropractors perform, shining a flashlight/playing music next to my lady exit, and scoping out a pool for me to do handstands in.  Clearly, I'm not messing around.  If none of those work by my next visit, the doctor will try an external cephalic version, which basically means manually trying to move the baby into the position it's supposed to go.  Possible side effect:  the need for an emergency C-section right then and there, yea!

One technique I haven't mastered yet is deep relaxation.  I'm just so frustrated.  I've had a more stressful pregnancy than most (though it could be worse, thank god I'm not on bedrest) and it's just really annoying me to think that I may have done all this work and preparation for natural childbirth only to possibly need the least natural form of childbirth there is.

Words of encouragement would be welcome here, as well as any stories of how you got your baby to turn.

I'll leave you with a palate cleanser, my favorite wedding photo:

36 week update

Less than a month until my due date!  We're getting pretty near the end.  Bean Sprout is almost fully developed now, just his/her little lungs need a bit more time.  Other than that, s/he is just going to get bigger between now and whenever s/he decides to make a debut. (Soon, Sprout.  The sooner the better at this point.)  I've been doing all the home remedies they tell you to move things along but so far, no luck.  I don't have any indications whatsoever that s/he is ready to come out.  *Sigh*  At any rate, Sprout's room is finished, with the exception of bedding, which should be arriving sometime in the next week.  My hospital bag items are gathered but not yet packed and all Sprout's things have been washed and put away.  It's just a waiting game now.

Today is the Chicago marathon and I've been thinking about that all week.  I can't believe it's only a year since we ran it!  So much has happened in the past year (because why not do it all at once, haha) that it seems like much more time has passed.  I've been thinking a lot about the lady who ran last year while 8 months pregnant and went into labor as she crossed the finish line (and, shamefully, only finished like 10 minutes behind me).  She was about as pregnant then as I am today and I consider a 45 minute walk an intense workout at this point.  Last year, I thought she was crazy. This year, I can say without a doubt that she was batsh-t insane, but I have Questions.  Did she have to stop to pee 114 times?  Was that my saving grace, the only reason I finished in front of her?  By the end, were her feet the size of parade float balloons?  Which of the day's events was more physically grueling?  And mostly, why are you such a showoff?

How far along?  36 weeks
Total weight gain?  I woke up one morning this week and felt noticeably larger than when I went to sleep.  I decided that day to stop looking at the scale until Sprout is born.
Maternity clothes?  My long sweaters are still wearable, they're just much shorter now.  Shoes are my biggest problem.
Stretch marks?  How am I getting stretch marks on the skin that is not doing the actual stretching?
Sleep?  Nightly baths are making sleep possible at all, but I still wake up 2-3 times a night.
Best moment of the week?  Scott's feeling much better so he was able to finish up the last few things in Sprout's room, which was so exciting!  I can't wait to post some pics soon!
Miss anything?  Attractive clothes and shoes.
Movement?  A little less intense and more predictable than before.  There's still a dance party in my lady house every night around 11 p.m.
Food craving?  I drank 2 gallons of grapefruit juice this week!
Anything make you sick or queasy?  Nope!
Gender?  Sis-in-law dreamed I had a girl and we named her Quinn.
Labor signs?  All day on Thursday, I had this weird downward squeezing feel in my stomach.  I thought maybe it was the baby dropping down, but no such luck.
Symptoms?  Sudden, intense back pain, the top of my stomach feels numb/asleep all the time, shooting pains in my lady parts, constant soreness in my wrists.  It's a beautiful and graceful process for sure.
Belly button in or out?  Out.
Wedding rings on or off?  Wedding ring on and I just can't wait to wear my engagement ring again.
Happy or moody most of the time?  I feel mostly happy.
Looking forward to?  I'm going to ask the doctor on Tuesday how big she thinks Sprout is, and also see if there's any indication that Sprout is coming.