Monthly Archives: June 2007

40 Wks + 4 Days – 2

Posted on by
Reply

On Friday, June 22, 2007 I was overdue 4 days … that is 40 Weeks + 4 Days.

My contractions continued all day, changing to greater intensity and constancy later in the afternoon, and we did call the midwife to update her … and later in the evening it was decided that they’d come on over, so as to be there when it happened (seeing as they did miss out on the actual birth we had in 2000 due to a very quick labor.)

Up to the point of their arrival I was at 5 minutes apart, with contractions lasting over a minute long and quite strong … definitely early labor progressing …

When they arrived though, things started to slow down, and slowed down more, and more, and more …

I had a very nice talk with the midwife apprentice into the night though. :)

Our midwife had just gotten back from an overseas trip, so was very tired. She stayed, but went into her vehicle to sleep. I went to bed finally around 2am and did get to sleep. The m.apprentice stayed on the couch.

Saturday morning … day 5 Officially … –>

When the sun came up hubby and I were awake. I was very tired, though I had slept. I felt disappointed that things weren’t progressing openly, but wasn’t even sure of how I was feeling at the time, being sort of numb from the sort of sleep I’d had that night.

The midwife and her apprentice were up soon thereafter and we had a talk about what was happening and what wasn’t and options and such. They did decide to leave, I was wishy-washy about it, not really feeling that they should, but knowning THEY wanted to seeing as it seemed nothing was happening.

As I had awoken that morning I felt gassy pain in my lower gut and it was annoying and I couldn’t get rid of it. I didn’t say much of anything about it since I wasn’t having any “real” contractions along with it.

So then, the midwife did check me internally to see where I was, to have something to base a decision upon. I was 1 cm dilated and my cervix was thick. Talk about disappointing-even-moreso-than-anything. :(

So with that knowledge they decided to go, knowing that I’d go into active labor anytime in the future of that day to a few days forward. I had some hard work to do, and had to do it. She suggested I just totally “rest” –that that would be the best way to aide my body to thin my cervix, etc.

I am not sure of the timing of everything, but things changed after this. I’ll continue the story in my next post, 40 Weeks + 5 Days.

40 Wks + 4 Days – 1

Posted on by
Reply

Today I’m 4 days “past due” and did mean to update yesterday and the day before … but never got around to it.

I’ve had boughts of  contractions off and on the past few days, and am actually having them right now, in the middle of the night as I am awake. They aren’t that bad, but aren’t like BH’s and I do have a high pain thresh hold, so what I say “isn’t that bad” might be pretty bad to some other ladies, FWIW.

I have had hours of contractions ranging from 5 minutes apart to 10 minutes apart or even more, but somewhat consistent at times, but always petering out eventually. Not all of those contractions are as intense, but many are very strong and intense.

I have only been at home since being overdue, so I don’t know what it would be like to be out in a store, for instance, with these contraction boughts.

On the readiness front: we do have stuff to do, mostly I need to print out my sheets of data again, I’ve lost them twice :rolleyes: and then I can check-off what’s done and know what’s needed to get done still. I have the birth stuff I need, just need to get a few more things, like sheets, processed, I think.

The other day we did start getting the master bedroom primed and painted, just part of it thus far. We are using some paint I’d chosen for the boys room and hadn’t yet used. We have paint for another room too, both sets of paint have a light green in them, and it’s the boys room green that will work with the stuff we have gotten and will be getting for baby, Sage green in Classic Pooh, as well as some plain sheets for our bed. The green paint is part of a collection Sea something or other, from Lowes, Olympic paints, we had purchased three colors to do in the boys room. I’m thinking of using two of them in our room now, a nice blue to make some vertical stripes somewhere, not everywhere in the room though, and that green that we hope will be within the sage realm once enough of it is on the walls. We primed the other day, and put on one coat yesterday. It’ll need one more coat, at the least, I am thinking perhaps it needs 3 overall of the green to get the shade right. It looks horrible right now, like when you paint walls red, which I’ve never done, but seen on TV, the first coat is hideous and you need to put on multiple layers to get the right effect of red. This green is deep enough while being light, to need more coats than one.

Hubby and I have done the painting together. It’s just a few minutes of prep to get the paint and rollers out and ready, and then a few more to do the painting, then it’s longer for clean-up. We are doing things in stages just so I can rest, etc. I am the “painter” and hubby doesn’t really like it, so I am greatful for his help doing this, which is something I’d tackle on my own if I had my druthers and weren’t so pregnant.

Our room has needed painting since we moved in, late 1997, but it’s never been empty enough to do the job since (we’ve had a catch-all master bedroom, which I don’t like, but what can you do in a house that isn’t really big enough and seems to shrink more and more over the years?) I also haven’t been sure what to do with color in here, until now. So with getting new flooring in, and having to make room for baby stuff in our room, we do have partial ability to paint one major wall now, and will finish the rest later.

The wall that we are painting is where the crib will go. I’m hoping we can get the painting done there so that I can get the crib put together there soon. We still need the bedding set for the crib, but I do have a sheet to start with and a little baby won’t mind no bumpers the first couple of weeks, and won’t be sleeping in there full-time anyhow.

Once I’ve recovered enough after childbirth, I’m going to tackle getting this room completely painted, as well as the bathroom, and then it’s on to the hallway and the parts of the main living area that are paint-able (since we are in renovations in the kitchen still) and then the hallway downstairs and a few areas there.

So as it goes in getting ready for having a baby, I’ve been in “nesting mode” for the last few days, nearly frantic, but not entirely so, to get certain things done, and not really resting as much as “I should” during the day. I did take a bath yesterday at one point and sunk myself under the water and took a short nap that way, with my face out of the water, but my ears submerged in the water, peaceful watery quiet. :)

40 Wks +2 Days – 1

Posted on by
1

I am +2 days “overdue” today. I had contractions yesterday, which I mentioned in the previous post, and they did peter out and come back a couple of times last night, but the key is, keep coming back. I slept better last night too, really relaxed. I did awake a couple of times, but was able to get back to sleep fairly easily (exceptionally so compared to my “normal” nights.)

We did talk to the back-up mid-wife last night and there is possibility that we’ll have a back-up-back-up or a back-up-back-up-backup mid-wife if labor really gets going today or tomorrow or the next, maybe the day after that as well.

While awake in the middle of the night I did note that I was having contractions, some fairly strong, but similar to in the evening and the afternoon before, some just tight, others really getting intense. So this morning I am up and about and it’s the same thing, except for maybe the “just tight” ones are moreso now. Time is on my side, and will tell me what’s up when it’s the right “time.”

Baby is moving fine as well.

40 Wks +1 Day

Posted on by
Reply

I had a bad night last night, very uncomfortable and couldn’t sleep from 2am to 6am, basically, just snooze a bit, read and listen to music. I took a bath sometime right around 5am and was out at least 10 minutes before 6am, and then was able to sleep for a couple of hours after that.

When I got up in the morning then, I felt weird and not long after started having more BH Contractions, and they lasted all morning — into the afternoon, then I did take a nap and awoke with none happening, but then a bit later they started up again. I do not know for certain that they are really BH’s now, or are and are just the more serious sort right before labor begins. As I said, I feel different … so … we shall see.

This, of course, has gotten us into a moreso “rush” mode … though I’m not doing much in reality, except for making a baby :wink: and directing projects a bit.

I got the Pack ‘n’ Play into the house via R. (our eldest -11 year old) and got that set-up with help from Hubby. It’s going to be in the living room area when we are home, and will pack up nicely for travel. It’s the Graco “Hundred Acre Wood” series Pack ‘n’ Play.

Still waiting to get things ready to get at least that one wall in the bedroom primed and painted, and get the crib set-up then. It’s not “super important” to get the crib set-up, though actually it is needful to do it now instead of later, I will keep baby in bed with me, as I do with newborns, but will need a place to put the baby upstairs at times from the start, no doubt, and as time passes, more and more. Getting it done NOW is therefore what I wish for.

40 Weeks

Posted on by
Reply

Today I’m 40 weeks, and just waiting … I still have things to do but am waiting on everyone else. My husband, to do stuff so I can do other stuff. Midwife to come home, at the end of the week … and blah, blah, blah … it’s just miserable now to wait and wait and wait, and it’s harder to go up and down steps, and up and down, and my clothing isn’t fitting well anymore, I can’t put on many of my M. shirts, and the one skirt I wore the most. I am not fat, just that since the baby seems to be down more, I am sticking out more and looking into the past I looked bad like that right when it was “time” for the others … but I am in waiting mode … nothing much finished yet, except me.